The Ancient Ones: Age of Nothingness (IC)

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

The United Fleet - Traveler
Aicy didn't really want to answer Serena, and her holographic face showed that. "I'd... rather not go into detail. The captain simply needs to recover and be alone for a while." She said with a grim look on her face. Meanwhile, Semis gave Sans a small, but sincere smile, and then turned to face Serena. "I'm sure that he is, and I look forward to meeting him in person. Expect my arrival shortly." With that, his face vanished from the screen.

Afterwards, Aicy listened to Tadayoshi's suggestions and agreed to most of them, but something he said seemed to slightly miff the AI. "With respect Colonel; I'm more than capable of commanding this ship on my own; I'm its computer system after all. I thought that it would be obvious that I would command the Traveler until the Captain is ready to take over?" She said with an annoyed face.

At that moment, a wormhole opened up, and a massive vessel arrived on the scene. It wasn't any design familiar to Aicy, but the moment it hailed them, she immediately was concerned. "AEGIS? Since when did they have a space force? And more importantly, when did they start colonizing worlds?" Aicy wondered aloud, not yet opening communications with the Morgana. After a few moments, she responded. "This is the Artificial Intelligence program Aicy, commanding the TUS Traveler. We've rendezvoused at this location to discuss important matters related to Multiversal security. May I ask what business AEGIS has in this sector?" She said. She had heard this Hex woman refer to this space as "future United Federation colonial space", but she wasn't sure just how they intended to do that.

Right at that moment, yet another wormhole opened, this time depositing a gargantuan vessel shaped like a diamond, which was flanked by four other smaller ships shaped like pyramids. The large vessel easily dwarfed the entire fleet (save for the Saturn) and the smaller ships were about the size of the Traveler. Their purple colored hulls and green markings indicated that they were indeed Zodiac ships. Then on each ship, a green circle appeared on the ground, followed by the appearance of a tall green and translucent shape of a armored figure that was no doubt known by some of the group.

"This is High-Admiral Sagittarius contacting the Traveler Alliance. I was informed that you had a matter of great importance to discuss. As a result, I've brought along with me several members of the Zodiac council to discuss this matter of which you speak." He said in an authoritative tone. Aicy nodded. "Yes High-Admiral. We've been expecting you. Please come aboard the Traveler at your earliest convenience, and we'll talk." She informed the man, who nodded.

[Naval Monte]

United Fleet

Most of the monsters and Frisk turn to Alexandria when Aicy pondered how AEGIS developed both a space force and gained colonies. "I don't know either so why are you all looking at me? The only best guess I have is that they hid thise things from everyone." The witch told the crew. When the AI finally responded to them everyone wondered how the other ship would react.

"As we have stated. There is a solar system close bybtyat us a candidate for colonization, we are here to test if it is. If we can use the celestial bodies for colonization than we will set him the foundations for additional colony ships to complete as we go to the next system." Hex told the AI.

"Now it's my turn to ask a question. What matter of multiversal security are you people talking about?" The people in the Traveler would soon hear a few people from the Morgana swearing follow by alarms blaring When the Zodiac's fleet arrive. The alarms were soon thankfully turn off to hear what the Zodaic leader had to say. "I wish to join this meeting to know what threat you people are dealing with this time."

[The Intergalactic Russian Empire]

Eric

Eric nodded as the others, smiling a bit when the two Anns caused a breeze to blow through the room. He liked when Ann was excited like that. "Also, it probably should have some reasonable defenses and shields, just in case it's needed." He then followed the others down to the hanger bay and helped his wife into one of the seats. Just as we was going to sit beside her, Marcus asked him to do the honors of putting in where they should go. Eric made a fake gasp and sarcastically responded "Oh Marcus, I'm flattered by your generosity." He then made a mock bow and went to the cockpit of the ship to the AI pilot, watching as the ship disembarked from the hanger "Alright computer, take us to Corellia, in the Star Wars universe." After a second the ships engines kicked in and they blasted off into space.

The Tower

Alena was shocked and confused, to say the very least. None of this made any sense to her. Confederate States of America? In space? Plotting to take over whole universes?! After a second she then spoke up "What the Hell?!" She held her weapon tightly in her hands as she glared at Agent North Carolina, a mixture of confusion and anger on her face. "So these are your true colors, huh? Nothing but a stupid, greedy, imperialist Yankee?!"

Traveler

The two Trolls entered the Medbay once more, taking in the the ruckus there for a second. Pobeda had wanted them to just leave immediately, but Kadoor had persuaded him to at least give a quick goodbye. Kadoor walked over to Clairus and said "Hey, Pobeda and I are going to leave for a bit to rest. We'll return fairly soon. For you at least. So, goodbye." she then returned back to Pobeda and he said "Alright, let's go." The two then began walking towards the hangar bays, and Kadoor asked "So, you think we should bring Hersel and Venera with us when we return?" Pobeda nodded "I don't see why not." Just as the two entered the hangar arena a voice called out behind them "Hello there." The Trolls jumped and turned to see Eric standing behind them, dressed in his casual clothes with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. "Eric? What are you doing here? Where are the others?" Pobeda asked him, clealry surprised and confused. Eric gave a carefree smile "The others? Oh, they just left a few minutes ago." Kadoor tilted her head in confusion "Then why are you still here? Did they leave you behind?. Eric shook his head "No. I left with them, in fact. Before you ask how I'm here then, it's Time Shenanigans."

Pobeda sighed "So what are you here for?". Eric casually responded "I'm here to help you guys get home. Now can we stop with the questions and get this show on the road?". The Jadeblood responded "One more question, who sent you here? Was it one of us in the future?" Eric simply shook his head "Nope, I was told to come here by myself from after I completed this task. I told you, Time Shenanigans. Now let's go!" He led the two Trolls over to a nearby ship in the hanger, where he then sat in the pilot's seat while the other two took their places in passenge seats. Eric began starting the ship up and said "Alright, you have now boarded Space Ayers flight 1 from the Traveler to the Incipisphere. Your flight is scheduled to arrive at its destination 2 years before it left." He glanced over at the two, grinning like an idiot, but neither looked particularly amused by his joking. "Better hold on tight, this is going to be one bumpy ride.". The Heir of Time then began attempting to fly the ship out of the hangar, though as he had warned it was a very bumpy ride for them. When it finally left the hangar Eric said "Next stop: Sburb!" and the small ship took off into space.

[Ruskland-Preuben]

Riven and Twitch

The two champions of the League currently were on the Fields of Justice, situated somewhere in Valoran(the summoners are privy to that information), which in turn, was on Runeterra(somewhere in some galaxy). The former, a fierce soldier and commander who left her fatherland for it betrayed her trust, and the other, a mutated rat from a noxious city-state of mad scientists that only wants to steal things and eat things, not good tasting ones mind you, but more like, yogurt mold, or even a pie of maggots. He also won't flinch to eat rust, saying its like mold, but better. The swordsman(or woman) was armed with a legendary runic greatsword, it was broken, but nonetheless was capable of dealing enough damage. The other had a chemtech crossbow, that shot out bolts covered in disgusting muck that was capable of dealing a variety of diseases to people that got hit by them.

First moves were made by the swordsman, who raised her blade, and with a quick channel of her will, reforged it into its original, glorious form, the second she finished, she dashed to the Plague Rat, negating the damage of his basic attack and drawing her closer to her target. Twitch, as quickly as he could, threw a container of chemicals at her, slowing her down and poisoning her. But the Exile, Riven, was undeterred by this action, and with a quick usage of her Ghostblade and Mercurial items, she quickly came out of the pond of vileness to chase her target. A quick flash spell from her summoner and she quickly closed the gap, and she quickly executed her combo, 3rd Q, AA, W, AA, Hydra, AA, then R. But Twitch had a sliver of health, and that sliver was all he needed to get away, and he used his Q, Ambush(or Cloak) to camouflage himself. A quick blip in his summoner's connection to him caused him to freeze in place for a second, but Riven's summoner, an elite one, only needed that one second, and so Riven was on him again, and this time, he wouldn't escape her.

Unfortunately, him dying and the match continuing as normal would be boring, no? So I'll be rolling this dice to teleport them anywhere really. So here we go, "ROLL FOR TELEPORTATION!" I shouted through the fourth wall, and the simultaneous "HUH?!"s of the Exile and the Plague Rat were absolutely hilarious, and their faces as they were suddenly healed, then unceremoniously yanked from the ground by an invisible hand, my hand, into a white portal, were even more deadly to my poor sides. Their reactions to the fact that they weren't on Runeterra anymore will probably kill me, but I doubt it.

Welcome to some part of the Traveler I guess.

[Aeternabilis]

Corellia

The small dropship emerged in space near Corellia, far enough away that the entire hemisphere could be seen but close enough to dominate the view. Almost immediately, the heroes were hailed by the planet's orbital traffic control. "Attention unidentified vessel, this is CPOT. Please identify yourself, your intent, and your destination," a bored-sounding voice said over the radio. Marcus made his way to the front to reply. "Uh, hello, CPOT. This is the... Constellation. We're here to do some shopping in, uh..." he looked locked back at the others for some help, only to get shrugs in response. "...The capital city?" There was a pause as the traffic controller entered the information. "Constellation, you're cleared for landing. A route to Coronet City has been uploaded to your navicomputer, and you've been assigned docking bay 11190. Have a nice day." "Copy that, CPOT. You too." Marcus said. He then looked over at the autopilot AI. "Follow the route they gave us, will you?" The autopilot gave its affirmative and powered up the normal engines, speeding along the route provided. As they approached, they could easily make our their destination- the massive city's lights were easily visible in the dawn shadows. Before long, the group landed in their designated docking bay in the city's massive spaceport, and they disembarked.

"Holy shit, this place is amazing!" Joshua said, looking around at everything from the repulsorlife carts to the speeder traffic overhead. "It is pretty impressive," Alex agreed. "So how do we get to the spaceship store? This city is huge!" Sylph asked, looking around as if for a directory. "Yeah, I just realized that we've got no idea where to go! Somebody should ask for directions," Ann agreed.

Central Park

"Your assistance vould be greatly appreciated in zhis manner, but I vill not try to force you into helping us. I agree zhat keeping loved vones safe is paramount," Ivan said to Bernadette, reaching into his coat for a small notepad and pen and handing them off to Ji-Yeong to take notes. "So instead, I vould ask zhat you answer some questions zhat would help me and Ji-Yeong's investigation. After zhat, ve vill leave and zhe two of you can remain hidden in your park sanctuary here. Does zhat sound agreeable to you?"

Ivan saying that made Ji-Yeong understand why he handed her the pad of paper and pen, so she flipped it open and found a blank page to start chronicling the investigation. The woman wrote "황금 화살 조사" at the top of the page then looked up, eagerly awaiting Winnie and Bernadette's response.

[Mundeo]

Thénadier Bar

The gambler stared coldly directly into Marie's eyes. "You sure are discreet, little lady, askin' so many questions without even a hello" He said, his voice rough. The man leaned back in his chair, fixing his fedora with one hand while he flipped a poker piece in the air with the other. "If you have nothin' better to do here but interrogate me, then scram"

The Apartment

"Yeah, yeah! Here, I'll go fetch some" Victoria thrust Grizabella into her brother's arms then ran into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned with two shallow paper bowls.

"They don't really have any cat food, but I found a can of tuna" She said, setting the two bowls down on the floor. The cat's nose twitched as it smelled the food, and slowly rose up from Damian's arms. She leaped down to the floor, and slowly walked over to the bowl of tuna, and started to slowly eat it.

"Awwwww she's eating it! I wonder what Cinder thinks of her" Victoria remarked, taking a brief glance at her vulpine friend.

Central Park

"There's nothing else that we know!" Bernadette snapped, briefly rising up from her log onto to sulk back down into it. Winnie moved over and sat right next to her sister.

"I know that you want to keep me safe, Bernie, but you can't keep me stuck here! It's not like I'm going to be alone. Please?"

There was silence for a moment. Then, Bernadette finally said: "Fine. Go"

With a cheerful squeal and a "thank you!", Winnie swiftly rose up and over to Ivan and Ji-Yeong. Her older sister, with a wave of her hand, created a opening in the natural barrier - but she did not move from her seat.

"But I'm staying here. Someone has to keep this place safe" She said. "You three better go along, now. Trouble will probably find you first"

[The New Earth Federation]

Saturn, Chris
1st person

I looked at Mercury and raised my eyebrow as she talked about a doomed Earth, I would give her a frown as well she probably didn't know about the history of the NEF. I mean the NEF was rather unknown to these people and well I wasn't really expecting anyone to know about it, given that well multi universe idea and parallel dimensions ideas all that theoretical science. I mean don't get me wrong I loved science and some of the more theoretical stuff but sometimes it just too much, nevertheless I shook my head at her and kept frowning. "Ma'am, the NEF was formed right after our version of Earth was destroyed in a huge planetary war." I said dryly and unemotionally, for most humans this was a touchy subject as well the loss of Earth was one of those moments that we realized how weak we were and that we nearly pushed ourselves to extinction. From what was recorded was that earth prior to the great war was rather peaceful and most nations had no militaries and any sort of 'conflict' was done with private military corporations. Which ironically it was the largest Merc group that would cause the end of the world. Thus the NEF took a more proactive and protective way of guarding society and well the future of humanity after the Martian Skirmishes and the destruction of earth by implementing a military style of culture and certain steps to make sure that the population is ready for combat. While most other nations wouldn't have agreed with their style of protection they might have understand it, or well hopefully they would have understand it as well the NEF was a bit complicated as well it was military led but it was also democratic or well it was a republic. A military republic in a sense as well most of the population had a military back ground in terms of politicians and other jobs, it wasn't like you had to be active duty or anything just have to serve 2-3 years in the military after basic training. "So, yea our Earth was destroyed in huge war that caused the surviving population of humanity to flee to mars and then we had a war there. Then we finally said fuck it and left the system entirely, headed to the Arcadia system landed there and started anew. granted we did run into some system natives the Dracoians and took them over after they attacked one our scout ships. After that we expanded, then had a rebellion which was put down violently, had a war with another human faction and then discovered two other races which we brought under our wing, Fenvaria and Evandari. My girlfriend is a Fenvaria....a pretty cute one at that" I said chuckling as I flipped my helmet in my hands.

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

Mark's Apartment
Cinder just gave Damian a solemn nod after he finished talking to him, and then went back to looking down at her hands. When Damian asked for Asura to find something to watch, he gave the young man a slightly perplexed look. "I don't think I would be helpful in that field. I don't watch movies." He said, making Cinder smirk. "It's true, he really doesn't.
I tried to make him watch one once, but he didn't really get the appeal." She explained.

Cinder's face immediately brightened after Victoria returned with the cat. "Awww... She's a cute kitty." She said with a smile on her young face, and then she immediately went to pet the cat. Asura in the meantime gave the cat a curious glance, not sure what to think of the little furry creature, as he wasn't really an animal person.


The Warp
Octavius chuckled. "Seduce you? Don't be silly, I'm just here to forge a mutually beneficial pact is all." He said, his voice still mirthful. "You see, I represent a group known as zhe Nothingness. Our goals are simple: ve vish to destroy reality so zhat ve might rebuild it in our image." He continued. "Now I assure you, ve vill succeed, und nothing is going to get in our way. However, ve are villing to compromise vith others so zhat ve may all benefit from zhis. Und zhat's vhere you come in." He pointed to Abadon. "I am here to request your assistance in destroying reality so zhat ve may all rule zhe new existence together."

[Naval Monte]

Thénadier Bar

Marie didn't show much if a reaction to the man's behavior to her. She pulled up her chair and sat down, reaching into her pockets and taking out some money. "I think we started out onn the wrong foot. My name is Marie and I wish to challenge you on your game. I heard you were the best player in here and I want to try my shot in beating you." She told the man as she placed the money on the table. "And I apologize for my rude behavior earlier. You just remind me of someone I never wanted to see again."

---

Mark's Apartment

Damian caught the cat and as Victoria was gone he had the chance to pet the cat. When the foodvreturn and the cat left the half demons arms. Seeing Finder's reaction tonth e cat was an expected one. "I wish Mark or any if dad's friends are still here. Tgey can give us directions to the closet vet."

[Petrokovia]

Combined Fleet, TUS Traveler
"Yeah, that was the point I was going for." Tadayoshi told Aicy, in regards to controlling the ship. "These things need to be clarified officially, though."

Suddenly, two more groups appeared.
"Wow, we're getting popular all of a sudden... Before we know it, Octavius is gonna show up." Tadayoshi muttered.

AEGIS seemed to be looking for colonization...
Really, near Matoran Universe seems like an odd choice, but I'm sure they have their reasons...

Tadayoshi looked at the image of High-Admiral Sagittarius.
Huh. This is the Zodiac? Interesting... High Admiral? His fleet must be huge to warrant that rank.

---

Antarctica, Arpeggio of Blue Steel Verse
Agent A stepped out of his portal, onto the crunchy snow below.

Nonchalantly, he turned, looking at the wreckage of the Ockham's Razor. He then turned to the icy water at the coast, and sighed. He stripped down, setting his clothing aside, aside from his scanners, and dove into the water. After several attempts of diving into the water, he eventually emerged with what he was looking for-Azalea's Union Core.

He looked down at the small disk in his hand. It was made of some kind of metal, but was extraordinarily light weight.

"I know you can still hear me." Agent A said, speaking to the Union Core. "I'm sure you can reform your ship if we obtained more nanomaterials."

Nothing.

"You can't make massive repairs in battle because of the limitations on your processors. I know you don't have anything weighing you down now. I can offer you something. Revenge against the ship that sunk you."

After a brief moment, copious amounts of nanomaterials poured upwards out of the ocean, slowly reforming into the super battleship Wilfre had designed, along with Azalea's mental model.
"What?"

"Wilfre was a waste of power, and a waste of potential. He had victory in hand, and threw it away. I will kill off Tadayoshi, his crew, and along with them, the head of IMPDO's space force. I understand that Tadayoshi is on board the ship that sunk you."
"Kongou." Azalea said, through gritted teeth.
"Yes, her. I need a ship, you want to kill Kongou. I feel like we could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Azalea mulled it over in her processors for a moment.
"Okay, I'll go along with it. But you should put your clothes back on."
"I need to dry myself off with a towel, or I might contract hypothermia." Agent A said, with no sense of urgency to be found in his voice.

---

General Pepper was looking over several documents regarding the reterraforming operations of Earth. So far, they were rather successful, already having removed a considerable amount of the fallout and restored most of the populated areas to pre-war environmental status.

He shifted his gaze to documents regarding the commissioned fleet.
"IMPDO wants an extension on their loan's grace period..."

He thought for a moment. Especially with the previous document, it was clear why it was needed. So far, Earth seemed to be good enough at paying its dues, so he signed off on it.

He looked further down the list of requests. This time, a request for a Cornerian carrier escort group to be dispatched to the Solar System in order to aid in the defense of Earth until the fleet was ready. This was considerably more expensive, but it seemed-much as his late niece did-that the Cornerian General had a soft spot for the similar blue planet. Pepper signed off on the request, and put the papers into the out box at the end of his office.

---

Miyu flew into the hangar of the Great Fox, quickly disembarking to meet with the rest of Star Fox.

"Ey, Miyu's back." Falco announced. "So, what's up?"
"We're moving out, General Pepper's orders." Miyu responded.

"Is this about your captain and the Octavius guy you told us about?" Slippy asked.
"Yes, Pepper want us to meet up with his fleet."

"Woah, he's got a fleet now?" asked Fox, looking up from a game of cards with Peppy. "That's quite a jump from the 'piece of junk ship' you were talking about."
"Yeah, I asked Marguerite to update me on the situation, so she's been sending me constant texts."

"Well, what're we waitin' for?" asked Peppy. "Let's join up with the group!"

R.O.B. 64 turned to the console, and spoke out loud.
"All crew prepare for jump. Input coordinates."
"The coordinates are in my Arwing's preset as 'Matoran Universe'." Miyu explained.
"Retrieving coordinates from Miyu's Arwing... ... ...Coordinates received. Inputting coordinates. Making the jump now."

Soon, the Great Fox would make the jump, appearing next to the rest of the fleet.
"This is Fox McCloud, leader of the Cornerian Mercenary Group, Star Fox. We've been informed of your situation by a member of one of your ship's crew, and a personal friend, and we've decided to help. In addition, Corneria gives its full support."

[Skylus]

To Catch a Hero - Introduction and Set Up

Date: 7-12-3412; Time 13:00 (CHT)

Location: Hyrulialus Royal Air Base; General Shakeel's Office

The head of the Royal Air Squadron was sitting at his desk, mulling over some papers that were marked "Coincidental", when a pale faced Private burst into the room and ran up to Shakeel's desk.
"Sir! They need you up there now!"
Shakeel merely glanced up and sighed.
"What do they want now? I'm up to my head in paperwork as it is."
The Private shook his head frantically in response and left the room as Shakeel stood up and looked down at his desk.
On top of a stack of older papers was a folder marked "For Shakeel Only", and it had a picture of Douglas Forester on it standing next to his fighter.
"...I hope that you never have to come back here, Doug....It'd be best if you were really off dead as we all believe you to be...."
Shakeel then left his office to go meet his maker - Ganon.

Ganon had quickly taken over basically the entire government and had shut off any communications to nearby worlds in a matter of a week's time.
Now, he ruled over Hyrulialus with an iron fist, and the Demon King was taking no chances that the current Hero could take him down.
Not this time.
The King of Evil was usually in his Beast form, but not today.
He wanted to see Shakeel in person for one reason only - Something had come up, and it needed to be addressed ASAP.
Currently, he was sampling some cheeses and meats from a silver platter and was thinking dark and evil plans when who else but Shakeel walked into his office.
Ganon smiled evilly and pulled himself up to his redwood desk and motioned for Shakeel to take the chair before him.
"Sit."
His voice was calm but yet it carried a hint of danger if Shakeel didn't listen to him.
The General slowly took the chair and waited for Ganon to speak.
Ganon looked around the room he was in before setting his crimson eyes on Shakeel.
"Do you know why I happened to call you here?"
Shakeel looked calmly at Ganon before answering.
"I have a few good reasons."
Ganon leaned back in his leather chair and nodded.
"I bet you do. Now, since you know why I called you specifically, you must know what I want."
Shakeel had been dreading this day for a while.
"You....want us to lock down everything."
"Correct. But do you know why the exact reason behind this?"
Ganon sat up in his chair, clasped his hands together and laid them down on the desk, all the while staring at Shakeel intently.
Shakeel paled and tried to stall as long as possible but he knew he was beat.
"You want us to capture him if he comes back."
"That's right, Shakeel. Maybe there are some brains in that thick head of yours after all."
Ganon got up from the desk and walked over to the bay windows and threw them open.
"Hyrule has changed much since I last walked its plains...Yes...I believe I can succeed..."
The King of Evil turned to face Shakeel again.
"There is something else. There is someone else that I'd like for you to capture and if necessary...deal with."
"Who is it?"
"When I walked through that portal a month ago, I came from another era...Another time...I had just retaken Hyrule Castle and scared off the current Hero...What became of him, I do not know...But I believe with all of the current events...Perhaps...."
Ganon nodded.
"Perhaps...The one I currently seek and him found each other...And they might come here. I need you to capture both of them and bring them before me."
Shakeel looked up at the man before him and eventually slowly nodded.
He was then allowed to leave, after Ganon told him to inform everyone the new plans.
As Shakeel left Ganon's office, the sound of mad laughter followed him to the hangar bay.

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

The United Fleet - Traveler
Aicy explained the situation with Octavius to Hex over the comm, and then looked at Tadayoshi. "I see. Very well then." She said. Aicy gave her consent to Hex after she asked to join in on the meeting, figuring that AEGIS (despite her distrust of them) could be useful in this particular situation. Meanwhile, Clairus bid Kadoor farewell with a quick hug and some kind words, and then decided that she should make her way back to her room to rest for a bit. She figured that she'd be no help in planning the group's next move, so she decided to get out of their hair.

As she was about to leave the room, she bumped into a black-clothed figure that stood several inches above her head, and she looked up in surprise at the form of Doctor W.D. Gaster, now finally awake after his ordeal. "O-oh... Hey, are you... you again?" She asked with mild caution. Gaster nodded. "Yes. Whatever hold Octavius had over my mind in that instance is gone... for now at least." The skeleton said with concern in his voice. "Hana is awake as well, but she's... well, she's stormed off somewhere. I didn't try to stop her, because she looked rather angry." He explained.

Aicy made a note of this, and decided to keep an eye on Hana via the internal sensors, just in case something bad happened. Then she looked at Tadayoshi. "I'll make preparations for the meeting. When you're ready, please make your way to Deck 1, Section 5." She said, whilst also directing that to the other commanders, vanishing afterword.

[Aeternabilis]

Central Park

Ivan chuckled a little. "Da, zhat is how is usually works. Thank you again for your assistance, Bernadette." He and Ji-Yeong rose from their seats and together with Winnie walked to the new exit. As they stepped out, Ji-Yeong looked back and said, ["Goodbye! I hope that we will see you again when this is over."] before following the other two into Central Park proper.

Now that they were out, Ivan turned to Winnie. "I am glad zhat you have decided to join us- vith your help, ve can take down whoever is behind zhese disappearances. I zhink ve should start at zhe scene of zhe most recent known arrow incident- ours. Do you remember vhere you found us? I did not have time to catch a street sign or nearby landmarks." ["Neither did I. I guess it wouldn't have helped if I had, though, since I can't read English. Anyway, Ivan, I'm still ready to write. What questions were you going to ask Winnie? She can answer them on the way."] "Ah, yes," Ivan said, shooting a smile at Ji-Yeong. "Good plan. Basic information, really- how long has zhis been going on, do you know anybody else vith zhese abilities, how long ago vere you and your sister hit, and did you notice anyzhing else out of zhe ordinary at our attack?"

[Naval Monte]

United Fleet-Morgana

Hex heard what the the shipboard AI told her about this Octavius and while she was thinking about the ramifications of everything she heard and this abbysal creature having a weapon that not only can kill an Anicent One but siphon their powers as all when she heard from Aicy she can be allowed in the ship, something she figure shows just how grave the situation us as the owner of the ship has no love for her organization.

"Mona get one of the smaller shuttles ready for me and my team." The AI questioned the woman on brining in armed guards. "From the reports we got from that ship it seems to bring in many random entities and individuals on board and some are hostile. I rather come in with assistance than alone in thst vessel." The AI nodded after taking a quick look at the reports on the Traveler and it being a nexus to many beings throughout the multiverse.

"In the mean time I want the crew to proceed as plan and construct the colonies and observatory. Infinity may be gone but we need to be sure thst there is no lingering essence of him remaining." The AI complied with the order. Just as Hex was ready to end the conversation a thought occured to her. "Also tell Ackerman to accompany me. No doubt she is bored being stuck in this ship for months on end." The AI told her she will and vanished. The woman contacted some of her soldiers to join her in the meeting.

Down in the room where Ackerman was in the holographic form of Mona appeared before Ackerman. "I'm sorry for interrupting you Ackerman but the captain wishes for you to join in on boarding the Traveler. She believes that she may need your skills should a hostile lifeform appear in the ship." The AI appeared. The AI would have a drone outside of the room Ackerman was in to lead her to the hanger. After Ackerman went through the dark, sterile, and metallic halls of the Morgana she would be in one if the many internal hanger bays and see Hex with a few soldiers and two in powered exo-suits accompany her.

"Nice to see you join us Ackerman. It would appear our mission has expanded to include hunting down a new threat to the multiverse." Hex would tell Ackerman what she heard from Aicy as the two enter the shuttle and the ship took off. It didn't take long for the ship to enter the hanger bay if the Traveler and after the soldiers left the ship and found the site clear of any dangers Hex walked out. "We're here. Lead us to the conference room." Hex said out loud, to get Act's attention.

---

Unknown Universe

The ships belonging to the Marchioness-Class Heavy Cruisers followed the usual conventions of AEGIS ship designs, the vessel being long and narrow at the body with a wide base for It's engines. However the head of the ship was wedge ship with a noticable budge at the bottom. This particular vessel named "Pillar of Autumn" flew with a small squadron of Protectoress-Class Corvettes escorting it while others flew head acting as scouts.

The small fleet was patrolling the empty pocket of space from the star system that AEGIS and the United Federation of Nations saw as a possible system for colonization. Already other ships were investigating the planets, moons, and asteroids to determine their use and so far the results were looking promising as plans were beginning on how to start the colonization effort.

The "Pillar of Autumn" was order to return back to the system. The ship commanded the corvettes to return back and as each ship docked back and became attached to the hull of the ship by a powerful magnetic claps the heavy cruiser turn to return back to the system when a rift ooen up before it and pulled it into the rift.

When the "Pillar of Autumn" finally emerged from the rift it found itself floating above a world thst was giving off massive amount of readings of activity. The crew at first thought that maybe the rift threw them back to the system but soon they saw from the holographic projections thst the planet before them was not any if the ones targeted for colonization, indeed this planet was already populated by a technologically advanced civilization. Knowing they were in a terrible position the crew began to debate on their next course of action as the ships shields began to enter the plasma phase thanks to the fusion engines as the ship began to move away from the planet, not knowing if the inhabitants of the planet will open fire on them for their sudden intrusion

[Ruskland-Preuben]

Traveller, ??? Area
Twitch

The rat woke up to the sight of an unconscious adversary that was just chasing him down to kill him, as well as a sterile environment of metal and machinery beyond what his tiny rat mind could ever thought of, but only one thing went through that plague rat’s mind, “This place looks awful!”. Twitch lifted his lice infested, hairy body up, and took a quick look at his surroundings. “Hmm, it looks like I’ve been tossed to some sort of facility,” the rat said to himself, “And it looks like it has traps strewn about, hidden.”. Then he processed that last word, “Ah, yes, hidden,” Twitch said to himself, “Well then, I guess it’s time to be sneaking around!” The rat declared nobody in particular, unless you count the unconscious Riven still laying on the floor, head down. “I think I shall leave you here to be experimented on by whatever people run this place.” Twitch thought as he cloaked himself. He took one last look at the area, and spotted a sign on the wall, “Hmm, Deck 1? A ship? Most interesting.” the Plague Rat nonchalantly droned to himself before leaving the area he was in and into another one.

[Mundeo]

Thénadier's Bar

"Now you're talkin' my language, lady" The gambler said with a smirk - but he was looking at something past the money. "Maybe we can strike up a deal"

The man opened his hand, and a pair of dice roled onto the table. "A simple game of craps. First to three wins, and for each one you win, I'll answer one of those questions that you were so dying to ask me"

The gambler's eyes sparkled with menace. "But it can't just be for you. If I win all three..." His grin widened, revealing some of the crooked, alcohol-stained teeth within. "I'll take that pretty li'l necklace of yours"

The Apartment

Everyone was having a good time, now that they had the cat in company. Grizabella gave off an aura of warmth and comfort, enough to even make the grieving Cinder smile.

"I'm really glad this is cheering you up, Cindy!" Victoria cheered as she watched Cinder pet the cat. When the fox girl moved the cat's fur with her hand, Victoria noticed something: a still open wound on the cat's stomach. It looked like she was punctured with something...

Victoria was about to act on what she saw when Grizabella suddenly jumped with a shriek, sprinting off into the kitchen. "Hey, wait!" Vicky cried out, but by the time she reached the kitchen, the cat had vanished. "Oh man... now we have a cat loose in the house. We've gotta find her and take her to the vet!"

Manhattan

"I remember where you two were! Don't worry, I know this city like the back of my hand!" Winnie then began to lead the two through Central Park, walking backwards ahead of them like a tourguide while she answered the other questions.

"Sis and I were attacked just last weak. A similar case to you two, too; we were just walking through the park and bam! Arrow attack! And not long after that, some wierd guy in a suit tried to abduct us! He must one of the guys behind this! We were lucky that sis' abilties emerged then, so were able to barely get away and make our refuge in the forest. We've been seeing it on the news for weeks - people sustaining similar injuries, then vanishing days later. It really is a miracle that I was passing by when you two were attacked; I don't know what was done to all of those people who were taken..."

The three then emerged out of Central Park, and were back in the city proper. Winnie turned back see ahead of her as the trio walked down the ever busy streets of New York. On their way to where Ivan and Ji-Yeong were attacked, Winnie saw a newspaper on the ground and picked it up. She giggled and turned to show it to the others. The title read: TAXI CAB FLIES OVER CITY STREETS! WHAT COULD THIS MEAN? A monochrome, terribly-focused amateur image completed the cover. With another laugh, Winnie threw the paper into the nearest trash bin. "What did I say? Tabloids and rumors"

The three continued down the streets of Manhattan until Winnie stopped dead in her tracks. Her head suddenly turned to the left, and she stared into the glass window beside her. Her own reflection stared back at her, but there was someone else there - a man, about her age. He was hardly visable in the crowd, but when Winnie turned her head to find him, the man was nowhere to be found there. When she turned back to the window, the man was no longer there.

[Skylus]

Bringing in Geralt now because why not and I'm getting bored waiting on people so....Here we go.
The time frame is before you send Triss off with all those Mages to avoid being prosecuted/killed. This is also before that ball/masquerade thing as well.

Geralt of Rivia
Novigrad, Triss' House

"I recently discovered some elven ruins nearby. I was going to go through them, try to see if I could find anything, but I'm afraid that I'm preoccupied with the movement involving the mages."
Triss Merigold, renowned mage of Novigrad, was standing at one of her many magical objects, mixing some potions.
She paused for a second, lifted a flask and titled it a bit towards a floating ball of light, and then set it back down on the table.
"What do you think, Geralt? Think you can go in my stead?"
Geralt nodded and stood up from where he had been sitting on a wooden stool.
"Sure. I need a break from killing things anyway."
"Excellent. Here, I'll mark the general location of the ruins on your map. I didn't stick around long, but yet..."
Triss seemed to be thinking of something.
"I...saw a strange portal. I think it's an elven portal but yet..."
"What?"
"The...color was off."
"What do you mean?"
"The colors are usually yellow or blue, but this portal...it was green."
The Witcher stared at Triss for a second.
"It was...green?"
"Yes, and I have reason to believe that this portal...it's possibly one of a kind. I'd like to see where it leads."
Geralt smiled and crossed his arms.
"Which is where I come in, I presume."
Triss nodded.
"You know me so well, Geralt."
Geralt grinned in response and left Triss' house to head for the ruins.

Novigrad; the elven ruins

It took the Witcher no time at all to find the hidden ruins, and, a ways in, there it was - the green portal.
"Hmm...I wonder where it leads...Only one way to find out."
Geralt took a few steps backwards and then ran towards the portal, drawing his sword and -

Hyrule (Warriors Era)
Doug; Geralt

Doug merely watched in silence as a man came running through a portal that came from nowhere and then tripped.
"You alright?"
- Geralt leapt to his feet and pointed his steel sword at -
He blinked.
"...What.....are you wearing?"
Doug glanced at the man for a second, confused but then he realized what what had been asked.
"This?"
Doug motioned to his current outfit and the man nodded.
"Well...Basically, I'm wearing a...very advanced form of chain mail...Best I can tell you now."
"I see..."
Geralt looked around him - plains as far as the eye could see, a massive lake in the distance, mountains, forests, and behind this other man, in the far distance, stood a massive castle.
The Witcher sheathed his blade and held out a hand.
"Name's Geralt. Geralt of Rivia."
Doug walked up and shook Geralt's hand.
"Call me Douglas."
The two men dropped hands and studied each other for a bit.
"You mind if I ask what you're doing out here?"
"Me? Trying to catch a horse. Want to help?"
Geralt was already 'helping' when Doug asked this - the Witcher was using his Witcher Senses to locate the horse.
"Hmm...He's coming back this way. You don't need to do anything, except maybe take him back to where ever he came from."
Doug stared Geralt for a moment.
"I don't need to do anything? Why? What are you going to do?"
Geralt had located the horse but the beast was very far away.
"You and I are going to catch a horse. Come on."
The Witcher began to run in no certain direction and all Doug could do was follow him.

[Prusselanden]

Hex's Ship
Ackerman followed Hex briskly. "What do you need me for now? Besides, I'm just a human bodyguard. I can't face off against supernatural threats to the Multiverse."

Uska trailed behind Ackerman. "I just want to go home now. Do we have to go on this new adventure?"

"I know, but we can't travel there without an outside force, remember? Now all we can do is follow her." Ackerman caught up with Hex. "Hey, after this, could you take me home? My parents are old, and I'm worried about them."

[Truth Incarnate]

Vriska Serket

This ship was massive.

Well, it would've been massive if Vriska didn't know better. Its ability to bore her was unparalleled. While everyone else was communicating battle plans, running around and finding places to be, she was just... Sort of watching Eridan. Well, she wasn't right now, but that was beside the point. Cool people didn't have time to watch former kismets when they had better things to do! Well, strictly speaking, she wasn't doing anything important right now, since she was so bored, but - what the hell, was that a rat?

She pointed an accusatory finger at Twitch, squinting one eye.

"Hey you... Gross looking ni88le-beast. What are you doing here?"

...

"Wait, why the fuck am I talking to a goddamn rat?"

Vriska looked to her side, checking that nobody was watching, before kneeling, and looking at the oversized fetid little thing.

"What in the 8lue 8lazes are you doing here, and what do you want?"

[Ruskland-Preuben]

Vriska Serket

This ship was massive.

Well, it would've been massive if Vriska didn't know better. Its ability to bore her was unparalleled. While everyone else was communicating battle plans, running around and finding places to be, she was just... Sort of watching Eridan. Well, she wasn't right now, but that was beside the point. Cool people didn't have time to watch former kismets when they had better things to do! Well, strictly speaking, she wasn't doing anything important right now, since she was so bored, but - what the hell, was that a rat?

She pointed an accusatory finger at Twitch, squinting one eye.

"Hey you... Gross looking ni88le-beast. What are you doing here?"

...

"Wait, why the fuck am I talking to a goddamn rat?"

Vriska looked to her side, checking that nobody was watching, before kneeling, and looking at the oversized fetid little thing.

"What in the 8lue 8lazes are you doing here, and what do you want?"

Twitch, Deck 1, ??? Area

“Eh? What?” Twitch yelped in surprise as he got spotted, “Oh, doh... How were you able to spot me?”. The rat shook his head, “Oh well, I guess it doesn’t matter,” he said,”What matters though, is finding myself something to eat!” He then looked away as he whispered “If its rotten, even better...”. He took a look again at the girl that somehow spotted him, “If you could be so kind,” he began, “I would like to be led to some place with food I can eat.”. He then began walking toward the girl, “Oh, and by the way, a, erm, an acquaintance of mine is unconscious somewhere on this deck, I think you’ll know where,” he said without losing breath to the lady, “If not, I guess go that way?” He pointed further down the hall. “And now, I would like some food!” The Plague Rat raised his voice.

[Truth Incarnate]

-Snop-

Vriska Serket

The little thing in front of her shimmered for a moment, like oil in water. She rubbed her eyes. Vision eightfold, the aspect of light, and she still couldn't see clear. Maybe it was her glasses. Or maybe she was just hallucinating. It wouldn't be the first time, nor by any means less than the fortieth incidence.

"Look, I don't really care a8out who you are or why you stink so 8ad, or even how you're talking to me - but I do care a8out the fact that the sooner I stop having to 8ask in your aroma, the longer I'll live. If you want food, come with me. I'm sure the ship can figure something out a8out your 'friend'."

She looked up, shouting at the ship's AI. Aicy, the name was. She didn't remember hearing that, though.

"Hey! Tin fucking can! There's a stinky ass ankle8iter down here, and I'd appreciate if you could find him some food. Or at least, I dunno... An unconscious guy somewhere in the ship. And get some air freshener, christ!"

Vriska turned her head toward Twitch, nose turned away. She sighed. At least it wasn't as bad as Gamzee. With a moderate amount of effort, and no negligible feat of willpower, she gestured at the plague rat, and began walking toward the Traveler's cafeteria. With any luck, she'd find someone with a decent odour before then.

"Follow me. Not as if I have 8etter things to do than show rats around the inside of a spaceship. And if you're new to the whole space-time travel thing, get used to it 8ecause I'm not explaining it to another chump."

[Naval Monte]

Thénadier's Bar

Hearing the man's deal Marie only nodded in agreement with the game and with the winning condition for her to get answers from him. Yet when he mention what he wants from her the huntress held her ghost necklace. The demonic princess thought about the deal and quickly knew that this was the only way for her to get anything out of the man. Looking at his eyes to avoid staring at his dirty and crook teeth Marie said. "I accept the terms of your deal. Though I'm curious why you would be interested in this little trinket?" Marie sounded disinterest but in truth she was growing fond of the necklace and was determine not to loss it.

---

Apartment

Damian smiled once he saw the positive effect the cat was doing with the others, especially with Cinder. When Victoria checked on the cat the feline freaked out and ran into the kitchen. Damian followed his sister to the kitchen and saw that the cat was gone. "She couldn't have gone far. There is no open doors or windows for her to get out from and this apartment isn't that large so she had to be close by. " He said as he turn to his sister. "What did you saw on Grizabella sis?"

[Ruskland-Preuben]

snoop

Twitch

“Oh come on, its not that bad,” Twitch replied to the lady, “I can control my stench with the help of my fleas, and I can let go to make the stench a smell you can feel.” He smiled, his crooked, yellow teeth showing. “But I won’t do that to people that are willing to accommodate me,” he continued, his smile fading to a smirk, “That would be rude, wouldn’t it?”. He chuckled at the lady’s usage of an expletive, “Well, I most definitely can’t call her a lady anymore, hahaha!” The mutated rat jested mentally, “And I won’t get any fresher! Its disgusting!”. He then saw the lady refer to the unconscious Riven, and after that, a gesture that beckoned him to follow. “Alright! I guess its time,” he paused for dramatic effect, “To eat! Huehaha!”. His stomach growled, “Doh, that feels awful!”.

[Petrokovia]

TUS Traveler, Combined Fleet
After Aicy vanished, Tadayoshi wasted no time going to Deck 1, Section 5, Kongou's mental model directly behind him. The two entered the room, looking around for a place to sit.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group could be seen doing various things in the medical bay.

Marguerite, Chase, and Terrell were discussing various things regarding the multiverse; It was clear that Marguerite was trying to get them up to date with everything that's been going on, as they finally got some free time.

Gold and Ty seemed to be doing nothing at all, scrolling through their phones.

Bloodfyre was still sulking over the various heathens aboard the TUS Traveler.

It seemed that not much important was happening outside the meeting, when Simon entered the room.
"Hello, everyone. I'm back from delivering the tour of the ship. The Constellation wants everyone to know that they've departed to find their own starship."

Marguerite, Chase, and Terrell seemed to take interest in this.
"Oh, what kind?" asked Marguerite. "I suppose it would be a smaller transport, oi?"
"Yes, they were talking of getting a Star Destroyer, but figured they could only afford and operate something considerably smaller." Simon explained.
"Ahuhu~ I think most people would get lost and starve if they were actually on a ship that large. You'd need directories everywhere, like a mall." Muffet mused. "And maybe a shuttle train system inside."

---

I-401, Combined Fleet
Hyuuga and Kongou stood in the kitchen of the I-401, with several dishes and ingredients surrounding them.

"So, about that captain of yours..." Hyuuga prodded. "I can tell that you like him."
"..."
"Iona-sama told me about your conversation."
"...She did?"
"Well, nothing too in depth. Just that you want to be his ship."

There was some silence, as Hyuuga began slicing vegetables.
"Hey, you should help cook. You can get started on the eggs." she said, guided Kongou to the stove. Kongou picked up an egg, and cracked it on the edge of the pan, somewhat unsure of the situation.
"...So, why don't you just tell him that you want to be his ship?"
"Because he is looking for a different ship."
"He's looking for a ship, a permanent one. That's what Iona told me. Have you thought that maybe he doesn't ask you, because the agreement was temporary? From what I've gathered, you were pretty adamant about being able to return home on a whim."
"I... That makes sense."
"Well, duh. I'm sure he'd take you in a heartbeat."

Hyuuga looked over Kongou's shoulder, at the eggs in the pan.
"Hmm." she said, somewhat frustrated with the sight. She took a fork and picked out a tiny portion of egg, tasting it.

Hyuuga's face scrunched up, as she made note of the distinct lack of flavor.
"You need to use seasoning. I would suggest something with a little spice, personally, but don't use too much, or-"

Kongou grabbed a bottle of old bay off of the shelf above the stove, and dumped a copious amount of it into the pan, nonchalantly. Hyuuga watched in disappointment, as it was clear that Kongou was out of her comfort zone.

Hyuuga thought for a moment, then something clicked in her mind.
"Oh! I know what the issue is! You've never eaten food, aside from that tea of yours, huh?"
"That is correct... Mostly."
"Well, you have to know how the food will taste, before you can cook well. I'll help... Um, here. Let me take over."
"The typhlosion said the same thing about my cooking."
"Typhlo-Oh, you mean that big badger with the flames coming from his neck?"

Kongou nodded.

"Ooo, I'll whip up something for him." Hyuuga said, a sadistic grin forming on her face, as she grabbed a Carolina Reaper from a locked wooden box. Hyuuga's eyes teared up from the pepper's fumes, but her sadistic grin remained.

---

Antarctica, Arpeggio of Blue Steel Verse
Agent A and Azalea entered Azalea's super battleship, and walked to the bridge.

"What systems did Wilfre give you?" Agent A asked.
"He simply gave me the upgraded processing power and nanomaterials to create a super battleship. I created the rest. There is a super graviton cannon, a mirror-ring system, and several torpedoes and missiles. This is in addition to the various guns and cannons at my disposal."

Agent A looked over the bridge, at the main cannons. They were extraordinarily large, to the point of being almost comical. Wilfre certainly didn't understand subtlety. At least this meant that Azalea's main armament was far more powerful than Kongou's.

"So, are we going to kill Kongou now?" Azalea asked.
"No, Petit has gotten many allies from his travels through the multiverse. We will need a better military network than I can set up alone-My criminal empire can generate funding, but not a proper force to take on the Traveler Alliance. I have an idea for who to approach, though."
"Oh?"
"Set course for Venom, in the Lylat System."

---

Venom, Lylat System
A small council of 15 Venomians sat in a large hall, looking at a hologram detailing both Corneria, and Earth. The various council members chattered among themselves.

"It is clear that Corneria is extending its power. Before we know it, they'll have enough power to choke our planet off."
"Would the Cornerians really do such a thing? They're pushovers."
"The general populace of Corneria may be peaceniks, but General Pepper's view towards Venom has gotten more aggressive in his old age."
"And here I was hoping he'd grow soft. Guess he's the grumpy 'get off my lawn' type."
"Hmm. And either way, we certainly can't discount an attack from their new allies in the future."
"Those humans are in the middle of a clean up operation, and have no real fleet."
"Yes, but the clean up is from a war in which they repelled an invasion from a powerful space fleet; Despite not having any notable fleet themselves, they seem capable of defending their homeworld. In addition, they're commissioning a fleet to be made by Corneria."
"What!? Really?"
"Yes. The intel came in recently. They're looking to Corneria to build some kind of advanced fleet of small but powerful warships. In addition, Corneria is incorporating some new advanced tech from some "Fog" people that's even more advanced that some of the stuff they've got, and things taken from that Ockham's Razor ship that Earth had a while back."
"Okay, so Earth wants a fleet. How do you know it's not for defense?"
"Their focusing on heavy gun battleships and torpedo launch capabilities, rather than patrol. In addition, those humans are still very aggressive, simple creatures. They haven't advanced as far as us in the Lylat System, and so aren't culturally prepared to wield such technology. Theirs is an irresponsible planet."
"And so, what should we do?"
"Has Corneria made any moves? If they look to go to war, we'll need to make a preemptive strike. If Corneria goes on the offensive first, we'll be ruined."
"It appears that they've brought several ships out of their reserve fleets, and are preparing them for active duty. In addition, Star Fox has made a jump somewhere, and is nowhere to be found in Lylat."
"It would seem that Corneria is preparing for war. But why?"
"Isn't it obvious? My bet is that General Pepper wishes to cut down Venomian influence, to stop us from being a threat. It's obvious that he wishes to upset the current balance of power in Lylat. Corneria used to own Venom as a prison planet, remember."
"Hmm. Okay, I have a plan. We should send out probes into the multiverse, to find factions that we may convince in aiding us. Meanwhile, we will secretly make a transition to war preparation."
"Why the need for foreign aid?"
"Corneria's currently more powerful, by far, and with more allies. As much as I hate to admit this, if we want any hope of defeating Corneria, we need to find allies of our own."
"Very well. Let's take a vote. All those in favor of the multiversal scouting program? ... All those against?"
"The vote is 13 to 2 in favor. Meeting is adjourned."

It would not be long, before several probes would be sent out into the multiverse by Venom, seeking out various civilizations that could be used as allies for their efforts against Corneria. One such probe would find its way to one of the planets of the Tau.

[Aeternabilis]

Manhattan

Ivan and Ji-Yeong followed Winnie through the street of New York to the site of their attack, with Ji-Yeong attentively jotting down every word Winnie said into her notebook. "Zhat sounds like a harrowing situation- I have been at zhe business end of an abduction before, and it is not fun," Ivan said, looking at Winnie with some sympathy in his eyes. A similar situation preceded him acquiring his mutation, with him being abducted by a mad scientist and experimented on years ago. ["It also sounds like your new powers came pretty quickly. I wonder when Ivan and I will get ours,"] Ji-Yeong said. "I doubt it vill be much longer," Ivan replied.

Ivan chuckled when Winnie picked up the tabloid. "I cannot believe zhat in zhe age of smartphones, zhe news could not get a better picture zhan zhat." ["It's pretty impressive how quickly it got out,"] Ji-Yeong added.

Suddenly, Winnie stopped and looked into a store window's reflection. Ivan and Ji-Yeong stopped with her and looked around for a second. "Vhat is it? Vhat did you see?" Ivan asked, once he decided that there wasn't anybody special around. ["Was it a clue?"] Ji-Yeong asked, readying her pen.