Log:Chinese Intelligence

2009/01/02 	 Jennifer Rebound Hero Diamond|Olivia Halcyon Sable Lightray Imaginary Girl He Jiaying Tan Shaoqing Hu Bolin Wang Fulai ("the flying meta") Li Ming (meta who can alter material properties) 1

Jennifer sends messages to every available hero asking them to meet her at the TransMat Terminus. A briefing room has been kindly donated temporarily for use by the heroes to gather in. Jennifer and Jessica are there at the start when heroes start to arrive but Jessica leaves before the meeting commences...

Jennifer greets each hero on arrival and when the allotted time arrives she stands at the head of the table. There's a brief interruption when tea and coffee is served. Then she begins talking.

Imaginary Girl shows up, looking about and ooh-ing and ah-ing at the place to which she's been invited. She quiets, though, and settles in to listen, as the meeting comes to order.

At least Jennifer has contact info for the one who so modestly simply refers to himself as... Hero. What arrogant guy would use such a name? Well, he shows up before the time required via a free lift up above the Maglev train. Once it passes nearby, he simply releases the grapnel and his energized membranes catch the air to let him drop to the ground with the sort of grace only someone who has landed from great heights without the benefit of an aircraft could perform. In fact, he doesn't land so much as roll to his feet. "Ma'am." he states to Jennifer, almost deferring to her in his body language let alone words. His eyes dart about behind his tinted visor, taking in the others and his head inclines to the left as he looks back towards Jennifer, as if waiting for her to speak and not wanting to be pushy.

Jennifer says, "Thank you for coming, at such short notice and with little explanation so far." a smile passes over her face before she becomes serious once again, "I was hoping Lightray could join us but he has been detained elsewhere. So I'll try and explain why this meeting has been called. As some of you alreay know one of the local Triad bosses in Chinatown, Tim Lee, has been a minor thorn in the city's side for some time. That status has change of late. The Chinese government was overthrow a few months ago. Now that would not really concern us - if it wasn't for the fact that Tim Lee is importing metas who are on the run from the new government."

Olivia raises a brow as she sits there paying attention to those around.

Halcyon is along, curious to see what the fuss is about. On arrival, she remains unseen, but emerges from her shadowy hiding and finds herself a seat, passing through it as a shadow form and sitting on it, changing it from chair color to matte black.

Imaginary Girl pouts at what she hears... and raises one hand, the way a grade-school student might, to get the teacher's attention. It's only when (and if) it's made clear she's got leave to speak that she lowers her hand to ask, "Uhm... are we gonna help those people? I mean, if they're running away from there, shouldn't we help before the government treats them bad or something?"

"And we are playing border patrol then?" asks The man in the matte black bodysuit with that funky rifle on his back. Yeah, that's Hero. He shakes his head, "I would prefer to spend a bit more time familiarizing myself with everyone here, but I suppose last minute notice means we make do with what we have available." He glances towards Imaginary Girl and asks, "Are you -begging- for an international incident?" Then his mask returns to Jennifer and once again, he waits.

Jennifer says, "We have definitely confirmed the presence of thirteen metas from China in the city. There are rumors of up to another seventeen who are missing from the Chinese mainland and may be over here. Tim Lee is engaged in a war with another Triad boss named Pride. So a host of new metas engaged in that war is not good news. In addition, when we encountered some of the metas in question, it became clear they are also organizing a resistance movement. That opens the possibility of covert conflict in the city between the new Chinese government and the metas."

Imaginary Girl pouts, a somewhat confused look on her face. "I totally don't know what's going on", she says, confirming the confusion she's broadcasting.

Jennifer looks over to Imaginary Girl. "If they applied to enter the US and were prepared to settle down I for one would have no problem with them. But when they are involved in our local crime situation and potentially are going cause an international incident by using this city as a base for an anti Chinese government resistance movement I draw the line."

Hero nods slowly, "Yes, the big picture is much more complicated... politically, than just a handful of people needing help. The question is, who do we help, and to what extent, and how much of this is covert or deniable politically?"

Imaginary Girls nods her head at Jennifer's explanation. "So... we hafta stop 'em from coming over here and making trouble, huh?", she asks, trying to make sense of what she might be agreeing to actually do.

Olivia shrugs, "I would just like to help as much as I can."

Jennifer says, "Anyway, the fact is we don't know too much about them. We don't know what they can do. We don't know what they are like as individuals. Some were known as heroes back in China. Those may be amenable to leaving Tim Lee and becoming legitimate immigrants. Joseph and I decided the best idea we could come up with, after exhausting other sources of information, was to go to China and ask the new government for access to the files on those metas. Also to convince the new government that we would handle any unwanted activities by the metas and we did not want or need any _help_ from them."

Halcyon looks a little worried, but watches the discussion. She offers a little wave toward Hero, unable to help herself but to watch the gun he carries.

Jennifer says, "In view of the latter part of my last statement, it's wise, I think, to have as strong a show of force when we make that visit as possible. Which is why I'm asking each and every one of you if you would join the group heading over there."

Olivia nods, "You can count me in." she says and smiles simply. She looks around at the others.

Hero just sorta... stands there. He's not the sort to question orders, even if he doesn't think they will succeed. Okay, he does ask -one- question. "And if we are rebuked by the new government, and forced to defend ourselves, what are the rules of engagement?"

Imaginary Girl nods her head. "Sure. If it'll help keep trouble from happening and keep people from turning into bad guys, I'll help any way I can!", she says, sounding serious despite the ... almost un-serious words she actually spoke. She quiets, though, at Hero's question, looking over to Jennifer as she, also, waits for the answer to that.

Jennifer says, "That depends on the situation. Obvious, Hero, we don't wish to cause an international incident. The idea is to avoid one. But if attacked then defend yourselves."

Hero nods slowly, "I would assume that nonlethal force would be preferred." he offers. "And, if I could get a quick summary of abilities from those I will be trusting to watch my back?" he asks, gesturing to his rifle. "Camo armor, and a high powered, multifunction weapon pretty much cover my own gear. Lots and lots of training to back it up rounds out the package."

Imaginary Girl perks up and looks at Hero as his name's spoken. "Your name's 'Hero'? She asks, smiling brightly. That's a really, really neat name!", she comments to the man. Then she seems to finally notice the gun. "Wow! Is that some kinda laser-gun or something? What's it do?"

Halcyon looks a little uneasy as Hero speaks, glancing around at the others to get a clue of what he is saying to them.

Jennifer nods to Hero, "I'm ex-military. Special Operations. Good at covert missions, a sneaky girl, and a competent hand to hand combatant."

Imaginary Girl seems to 'register' Hero's question. "oh... Uhm.. I'm super-strong, super-tough, and I can fly /really/ fast if I need to", she finally says, to describe her own powers. She then catches Halcyon's looks. "Are you okay?", she asks of the girl.

Responding in motion rather than with imagery (since her last display of imagery went poorly), Halcyon covers her mouth, glancing at the fully-concealed Hero meaningfully.

Hero nods slowly as each person answers, the answers they're giving likely helping Halcyon understand what was asked? Anyhow, he rolls his eyes, and it's -almost- noticable in his body language since the eyes can't be seen. To answer her questions, he shrugs his shoulders, "It was a name I was given, not something I chose. As for the rifle, it does not fire lasers, but tight focused electron particle beams, as well as hypervelocity flechettes."

Olivia smiles, "Olivia, Diamond, whatever you want to call me, organic diamond body chemistry, very strong, very hard to kill, 400 years old." she smiles and giggles just a little.

Hero nods, "Understood. Two walls, a trained fighter and a young one who can make things all sorts of quiet?" he asks, pointedly trying to make sure he has it all in hand. Then he nods once more to Jennifer and says, "I think we are ready... so shall we get on with it ma'am?"

Jennifer says, "We should pick a team leader for the mission. I suggest either Hero or Diamond."

Getting the idea, Halcyon touches the table, changing it from table color to entirely black. She then raps on it with her knuckles, which produces no sound. She releases the table, which resumes being a normal table with full sound and light interaction, drawing a PDA from its pouch and setting it down on the table. The PDA turns from fully black to pink. Halcyon sends a shadowy tendril from herself to it, picking it up without affecting its coloration. Displayed on the screen is "THERE IS MORE"

Jennifer looks at Halcyon and adds, "Diamond I think. Because there may be a communication lag between hero and Halcyon."

Halcyon nods in concurrence.

After another moment, Hero asks, almost as if inquiring about sticking his own head into a noose... "She can't hear a word I say.. can she?" as he gestures towards Halcyon. But then he notices the PDA and a grin forms behind his mask. So he simply scans for it's frequency and sends a signal for it to decode into text if it's capable of that. The words will read: Can we communicate this way? HERO

Olivia cocks her head to the side and blinks a bit, "Um, okay." she is not used to being in charge of anything. She looks at each of the others.

Halcyon nods when she notices, receives, opens and reads the message, which she takes about half a minute to do once she has the PDA in hand.

"Time lag, right." offers Hero before stepping back and looking to Olivia. "Ma'am. Shall we do this then?" he asks.

Imaginary Girl nods. "Well, Diamond sounds like she could do it... but except for needing take so much time to talk to Halcyon, I kinda get the feeling that Hero really knows what he's doing when it comes to being in charge. I'm really not sure who'd be the best one to be in charge", she says, finally, glancing over, again at how Hero's found a way to 'talk' with Halcyon.

The first stage is easy - through a TransMat portal to Hong Kong - so far this is the only place in China with a TransMat terminal. Jennifer has made an appointment at the national government offices there.

Jennifer says, "I have some notes on the metas we have identified. I'm send them to your PDAs if you give me your e-addresses."

Hero smirks behind his mask and offers towards Jennifer, "Check your wallet." He is of course, referring to the card he handed her last time they worked together.

Imaginary Girl says, "Uhm... I don't have any e-addy."

Jennifer hands Imaginary girl her own PDA. "Here, you can read it on mine."

Imaginary Girl smiles, taking the device to read through the information on it. "Thanks!", she chirps.

Hero calls it up on his HUD and then nods to indicate he's got the summary. "I hope we don't run into all of these at once. I suggest that if we -do- end up in conflict with them, and the sorcerer and/or the mentalist are present, they be the focus of any and all attacks until such time as they go down. They would be the most dangerous opponents, followed closely by this... superstrong, superfast person."

Jennifer shakes her head, "Target number one is a female assassin named Bane. She's not listed in that report. Bane kills with a touch. So engage at range and call for backup." She adds, "Not that we should see any on them on this trip. They're over here in the city. Which is why we have a problem."

Hero is almost rocked back on his heels, "Not.. in the report." he remarks, shaking his head before moving on through the portal.... "I hate hearing those three words."

Imaginary Girl steps through, then purses her lips as she looks around. "It would've been a lot more fun flying here", she comments, putting her hands on her hips.

Olivia nods, "SOunds good to me, feel free to make any suggestions then, my tactical understanding might not be the best yet." she says. "Just one moment." she takes out her phone and makes a call, "Reschedule tomorrow's shoot, usual reasons, apologize if they can't reschedule." she nods, "Talk to you when I get back." she hangs up her phone and nods to Jennifer, "More than likely it would be a good idea for me to take on this Bane." she says but leaves it at that for the moment. She looks towards Imaginary Girl, "Yes but there would have been little chance to meet all at the same time and place."

Halcyon looks around in wonder, having never really visited outside of the United States before. She vanishes from view, forming a 'back in a few seconds' message made from shadows for Jennifer's view, and then she's back again, in a few seconds.

"I'm really strong", Imaginary Girl replies to Olivia. "I could, like, carry everyone?", she suggests. "Anyway... we're here now."

Hero shakes his head. . o o O O (400 years, and tactical understanding might not be the best yet? Good lord, what I could do with five generations of experience..) But he offers, "It is less about fun, than duty." he offers to IG.

Jennifer leaves her trademark weapon behind before travelling.

Hong Kong is a thriving city, much as it was been for many years. Even when China closed its borders in 2030 Hong Kong remained a half-open gate. It's no Tokyo, but nor has it regressed as much of China is rumoured to have.

Unfortunately, there's not much time for sightseeing before the appointment.

"The important question is.. who is our local Cantonese translator?" asks Hero, "Unless someone here speaks the local lingo..."

Jennifer says, "English and Farsi are the only languages I speak."

In Hong Kong, it seems, it isn't hard to find people who speak English, and indeed many signs are in English too.

"Cantonese? I thought we were in China? There's a country called...? ... oh wait. That /is/ Chinese, right?", Imaginary Girl asks, then answers for herself, even putting a finger to her chin as she thinks her way through it. She just shrugs and says, "I don't speak anything but English, though."

Halcyon offers her PDA, which is set to both translate speech-to-text and is equipped with language translation software.

Olivia nods, "Well getting to the appointment is the priority and whatever it takes." she says and nods to the others, obviously not used to being in charge.

"Armed personnel walking the streets may draw the wrong sort of attention." offers Hero, and so he adds, "Did we have a local ambassador meeting with us here? And for the record, I am not comfortable with checking my rifle at the door. At no point, will it be out of my sight."

Hero luckily isn't stopped by the Chinese and the heroes arrive at the government offices in time for the appointment.

Olivia looks around a bit and does make sure she is wearing her sunglasses today.

Jennifer tries to stay in the background.

It looks like luck might run out here, however - there are weapons checks at the entrance to the building.

Imaginary Girl offers a big, bright smile, a wave, and a cheerful, "Hello!" or "Hi!", to anyone she happens to catch looking at her as the group heads for the government offices - and doesn't look to be stopping even once there.

Halcyon isn't hiding, instead having quite the time experiencing all the sights of the country. The artwork that lines the interior is just as fascinating. She stays close by, never venturing far to prevent questions about potential spyhood.

Hero is -not- a diplomat. He's here to keep an eye on things, friends and enemies alike. His duffel bag slung over his shoulder, he offers. "Anyone got comm gear?"

Jennifer sees if she can distract the guards doing the weapons check to let Hero get past. She picks a time when they are about to check him... to start dumping weapon after weapon onto the check-in desk.

Even though the Hero chooses not to take advantage of the opportunity, security is clearly impressed by Jenn's arsenal.

Imaginary Girl, eyes wide, just ooo's at all the weapons Jennifer produces, too. "Wow... you sure carry a lot of stuff!", she comments.

The man with who you have the appointment proves to be in his 50s, fat, balding and bored-looking. At least till he sees Imaginary Girl, and his face lights up with recognition. "Come in, come in," he says, in fluent if accented English.

"Hi!", Imaginary Girl says to the man, lifting her hand to wave in greeting. "Are you... uhm... I forgot your name!", she says to him, then turns to look at the others, asking, "Did we know his name? I don't remember!"

"I am Hu Bolin - you are the famous American hero, Imaginary Girl, yes? I didn't know you would be here."

Imaginary Girl puts her hands on her hips and strikes that classic/cliche 'heroic' pose that... thrusts her chest out a little. "That's me!", she happily chirps. "Nice to meetcha, Mister Bolin!", she replies - probably making a social gaffe by assuming that 'Bolin' is his family name, and not his given name, assuming that the 'last name' goes 'last' when the name's spoken.

"That's Mr Hu," he says, but doesn't seem too put out. "Now, what is it that you have come all this way for?"

Imaginary Girl looks a little confused at what Mister Hu says to her, but she getstures at the others. "Uhm.. someone else can explain that better than I can, sir", she says, smart enough to realize that she's not the right person to do the talking about /that/.

Mr Hu looks at the others.

Halcyon offers a greeting wave, brightly smiling though difficult to really see in her state of darkness.

Jennifer smiles and nods staying at the rear.

Lightray nods politely to Mr Hu. "We represent various metahumans of North America. We are seeking information about Chinese metahumans who fled China after the recent victory of Golden Dragon." He pauses for a moment, then continues, "We have reason to believe that some of them are operating in North America. And wish to contuer their actions more effectively. Any assistance you could provide would be most helpful."

Sable stands quietly to one side, gloved hands clasped in front of her as she watches the exchange, her expression carefully neutral.

He gets very interested suddenly. "You have information on their location?"

Jennifer thinks. o O (Oh oh.. This is just what I was worried about.)

"Uhm.. sir?", Imaginary Girl says. "We don't wanna make an incident or anything, between your country and where they are. We just wanna know if you got any kinda information on them so that we can handle things better if they start making lotsa trouble, sir."

Lightray shakes his head. "I do not know their location at the moment. They seem to be able to move about quite freely. We suspect that they have a teleporter among their numbers, but I could be mistaken." He glances over at Imaginary Girl, then back to Mr Hu. "As I said, any information you could provide would be most helpful."

Sable's lips purse fractionally but she maintains her silence, her eyes flicking toward Jennifer.

At a moment where she is certain there is a lull, Halcyon quickly hugs Sable, expressing her gladness for the young woman's presence.

Mr Hu excuses himself for a minute. "I need to consult my superiors."

Imaginary Girl smiles and waves at Mister Hu. "Bye for now!", she happily chirps at him. "See you in a little bit!"

Rebound nods. He relaxes a bit after Mr. Hu leaves. "Well, we've got their attention at least."

Lightray nods slightly to Mr Hu. "Of course." After the official leaves, he turns to the others. "Yes, we certainly have that. Hopefully it will do us some good."

Jennifer wanders around the room as we wait looking a little bored, while checking for bugs.

Rebound stretches a bit. He clasps his hands together over his head and rotates at the shoulders, pulling his hands together down behind his back, further than they really ought to go.

Lightray looks at Rebound and smiles at his stretching. "Have you ever read Virgil, Rebound? OR Plato?"

Rebound says, "Hm. Not really, Lightray. I'm more into Archimedes and Pythagoras. Why do you ask?"

Jennifer smiles as she notices the bug, makes a note to listen for anything that shouldn't be said and be ready to interrupt.

Mr Hu actually is gone for longer than one might expect. More than long enough to check on who you are, at least. He's smiling when he returns.

Lightray shrugs his shoulders slightly. "I just wondered if had read any of them in the original tongues."

For her part, after cheerfully waving to Mister Hu as he left, Imaginary Girl sits herself down in whatever chair's available, other than the one behind his desk, of course. She crosses one knee over the other and folds her hands, one atop the other, on her topmost knee. Smiling, she just waits until the official returns, then 'pops' back up to her feet. "Hi, again!", she says to him, still smiling brightly.

"Good day," he says. "I have good news," he says. "The minister has invited you to Beijing to discuss this matter further."

Lightray nods slightly to Mr Hu, his expression serious but friendly. "I see." He looks at the rest of the assembled metahumans. "Is that acceptable to all of you?

Halcyon looks around, again studious of the artwork she finds.

Jennifer thinks. o O (Oh my... You do want them badly!)

Imaginary Girl claps her hands together, lightly and quickly, obviously pleased by the news!

Jennifer nods. "Sounds good. I like to travel to strange new places, meet interesting people... o O(and don't have to kill them anymore).

Lightray then asks almost as an afterthought. "Oh, and what minister is it?"

Halcyon returns her attention to Mr. Hu when he returns, waving to greet him, very friendly.

"The Minister of Intelligence, He Jiaying."

Lightray smiles and nods. "Ah, I had realized the situation was that serious. But I feel we would be happy to visit with the minister in Beijing, Mr Hu. Will you be accompanying us?"

"Uhm... the Minister, is he Mister Jayyeng or Mister He?", Imaginary Girl asks of Mister Hu, badly misprouncing the minister's given name in the process.

"Regrettably I have my duties to attend to here, but don't worry, we will make all the arrangements. And she is Ms He." Mr Hu now seems distinctly less impressed by Imaginary Girl than at first.

Lightray murmurs to Imaginary Girl. "Most Chinese name are family name first, Imaginary Girl."

"Oh, wow. I couldn't tell from her name", Imaginary Girl says. "I was kinda figuring that out. I didn't know before", she adds, directing those words to Lightray. "I just didn't wanna accidentally make someone mad, so I thought I'd ask before I goofed up again, like I did with Mister Hu, earlier", she adds, before turning to face the official. "And I'm really sorry I did! I really just didn't know."

Lightray gently puts a hand on Imaginary Girl's shoulder. "I am certain Mr Hu understands, Imaginary Girl."

Mr Hu is good as his word. Once you're done in his office you're given some refreshments, and that's hardly done before they tell you it's time to go get the flight to Beijing. Without question they're doing what they can to get you there as soon as possible.

Sable refrains from refreshments, restricting herself to quietly admiring the decor before moving with the group onto the flight. She seems very subdued, keeping very much to herself throughout the journey and content to quietly observer her surroundings.

Lightray smiles gently and nods to the various officials and gaurds during the trip. He quietly engages those that will allow it in conversation.

Jennifer plays up a silent in the background role. She figures the Chinese will, with any luck, classify her as a bodyguard type and unimportant.

Rebound spends the trip practising speaking Chinese with his conversation tapes.

The ravages of the recent war are evident even before you land in Beijing - the largely modern city (much of which had to be rebuilt after the devastation of the 2030 quake) is again in ruins in many areas. Not surprising, given that this is where the war ended.

Once you're on the ground you're met by a new guide - a young man named Tao Shaoqing. He's dressed in a suit showing a certain Western influence, perhaps, and dark glasses. "You have had a good flight?"

Halcyon waves to greet Mr. Tao, too. She is the diametric opposite of a perceived bodyguard.

Lightray nods to the young man. "It was a comfortable flight, Mr Tao." He gestures to the city around them. "I am saddened that so much damage was done in the final battles. But I am certain your new leader will soon correct matters."

The airport seems busy, despite the damage to the city. Also notable is the prevalence of dragon motifs, even considering this is China.

Imaginary Girl, smiling brightly as always, chirps "Hello! Yes!" to the new guide. She glances over at Lightray as the guide's name is spoken, still smiling. "I'd never been on a plane before, Mister Tao", she says, then. "It was kinda fun!"

"Even now the damage is being repaired," he replies. "It is among the highest priorities. Unfortunately the maglev line from the airport is still under repair. Of course, a car is waiting for you."

Lightray looks over at Imaginary Girl, then back to Mr Tao. "Would you mind if Imaginary Girl flew over the car as we drove. I am certain she needs to stretch her 'legs' as it were."

Being guests of the government certainly helps get through customs quickly. The arranged car has wheels - looks like the hovercar is almost unknown in China - but it very luxuriously appointed. Imaginary Girl is allowed to fly.

Halcyon is glad to avoid a search. Not that she's hiding anything, but her personal darkening and silencing effects would not go over very well.

Imaginary Girl's smile brightens at Lightray's suggestion. She /was/, from how hyperactive she was acting, feeling 'cramped' on the plane. "I could carry the car, too, if y'all wanna get where we're going faster!", she suggests, happily... then purses her lips in thought. "But... I'm gonna need directions to where we're going?"

"That won't be necessary," says Mr Tan.

Lightray shakes his head. "Flying above it is more than good enough, Imaginary Girl." He smiles. "Also, it will allow you to help out if someone tries to stop us from speaking with the government. One never knows what interests would want to prevent it."

On the way in you see the damaged maglev line under repair - in fact a flying meta is aiding in the repairs.

Lightray watches the meta for a time as they pass, then turns his attention back to Mr Tao. "I hope we are not taking the minister away from more important matters, Mr Tao."

Imaginary Girl hadn't thought of the possibility of attacks, and her eyes widen as it's mentioned. "Oh! Right! Yeah, I'll keep my eyes open!", she says... and once the hover car's en route, stays no more than fifteen feet above it. She smiles, brightly, waving a hand at the flying meta who's helping with the maglev repairs.

The meta returns Imaginary Girl's wave.

Rebound says, "Hm. Who's that?"

Rebound looks out the windows towards the meta aiding in the railway repair.

Jennifer observes the exchange of waves but hardly makes any conclusions from it. Flying metas waving to each other. That's like pretty normal.

To do them justice, it looks like the city's working all right already. There's a lot of damage, but the critical services, including the arterial roads, are all functional. And so you reach at last a vast square - Tian'anmen Square. Here too, there is damage. It looks like the war carried to the building of government themselves. The sharp-eyed might observe that some of the damage was caused not by conventional weapons but by metas.

Imaginary Girl, laughing happily, does a little 'corkscrew' maneuver in the air over the car as she follows it, after the other flyer returns her wave. She remains, hovering, over the car when it comes to a stop - still 'on watch', though smiling brightly.

Mr Tan leads you into one of these great buildings - one with relatively little damage, unlike the Great Hall of the People a good third of which is collapsed.

Jennifer cringes a little inside at the evidence of extensive meta combat.

Halcyon has her parasol, with her. It's a big parasol, but she's small so it evens out in her spot on the conveyance.

Lightray follows Mr Tao into the building. He nods politely to any passing officials and guards, quietly assessing their moods.

In this building, unsurprisingly, weapons are again not permitted.

Imaginary Girl floats along after, until the group's actually inside the building, at which point she lands and walks like everyone else. Still smiling, like always, she waves and offers "Hi!" and "Hello!" to people along the way.

The guards seems alert, but not paranoid. And indeed, you haven;'t seen any sign of current violence. On the other hand, none seems to share Imaginary Girl's cheery attitude. Though it does get a faint smile from Mr Tan.

Halcyon offers her parasol over for full inspection and keeping if desired for her stay, revealing it to be a large pink one rather than a black one.

Jennifer does her unloading act again, sword, shock baton, Ranger Staff, Sonic Disruptor, various grenades, a Swiss Army Penknife...

Rebound hms, smiling to Halcyon. "I wouldn't have guessed."

Halcyon's umbrella is inspected. You're allowed a few minutes to "freshen up" before being shown to the minister.

Lightray smiles slightly at the hardware Jennifer removes. He then takes the opportunity to freshen up before meeting the minister.

Imaginary Girl doesn't even seem to need 'freshening up', looking as chipper and 'fresh' as always. She doesn't seem put off that some people aren't as interested in cheerful greetings as she is - she just keeps greeting new people she sees along the way in the same manner.

Mr Tan accompanies you into the room and remains there. The minister stands to greet you. She's maybe in her 50s and thought not tall, she's professionally dressed and clearly commands respect from both Mr Tan and the other people present. "Good afternoon, I am He Jiaying," she says brusquely, casting an evaluative eye over you all.

Halcyon looks friendly as usual, though does not contain nearly the energy of Imaginary Girl's enthusiasm. She simply looks excited and very happy to meet the minister.

Lightray bows slightly to Ms He. "Good afternoon, Minister He. I am Lightray." He then smiles warmly. "I am certain you know who my companions are by this time. Thank you for taking the time to meet us."

Jennifer nods with polite respect.

"Hi, Miss He!", Imaginary Girl happily chirps, lifting a hand to wave at the woman. Her usual bright, beaming smile's in place, of course.

Rebound nods politely as well.

"You have some information about Chinese metahuman fugitives," she says - it's a statement in tone, not a question.

Lightray looks at Ms He, then states, "We have come into contact with Chinese metahumans, yes. We are seeking information about them to better combat them should they turn hostile. As at least one, Bane, is certain to do."

"I don't know that name, but I may know the person by another."

Lightray nods. "She is a woman who possesses the ability to kill with a touch, Minister He." He takes out a drawing of Bane and places it on the table.

She hardly has to look. "Yes. This one is very dangerous."

Lightray nods slightly. "So we had been able to gather given the limited information we have been able to gather on her." He smiles gently. "Any further information you could give us on the metahumans who fled when the Emperor took power would be greatly appreciated. It would help avoid the chance of incidents that could damage the Middle Kingdom's reputation abroad, yes?"

Imaginary Girl quiets, listening and watching. She catches the eye of someone else in the room and lifts her hand to wave, smiling cheerfully. She mouths the word "Hi!", but doesn't actually say it, as if not wanting to interrupt.

"It would indeed be in everyone's interest if she were... brought to justice... as soon as possible. But you spoke of others too?"

Lightray nods. "Yes, I did." He lays a stack of images on the table leaving Character, Bubbles, Brawn, and Snowman's images out for now. "These people have all been seen in North America. We are seeking information on them so as to better deal with them." He shrugs slightly. "It is likely some will turn to crime. It will help everyone if their backgrounds, abilities, and powers are shared, no?"

Hero is watching from the tower of a nearby building. He's using his adaptive camouflage to avoid standing out like a sore thumb in this area. His goal is to make sure that there's no ambushing forces moving to take advantage of the heroes' momentary vulnerability. Or, that the very ones they are seeking, aren't hunting the hunters. His eyes rove over the square, taking in the damage that appears to have been done to various buildings therein. "Looks like they've had a metahuman battle in the area within a few months ago. From the damage patterns, I would estimate there were two groups of metahumans fighting, a larger force in an attack posture. Among the attackers would have been an airborn brick type, as well as an electrical energy emitter.. Keep that in mind for your own information."

The minister looks over the pictures, and begins to speak. "We could share information, but I need to be certain -"

Imaginary Girl, still smiling, keeps glancing around. Then, looking over the others in her own group, she asks, "Hey... did we leave Hero outside, again? I hate him having to be all by himself... can I go back out and keep him company?" She doesn't mention that all the talking and not /doing/ anything is booooooooring.

Everyone suddenly hears a great rumbling sound, as of something big and solid coming down.

Rebound's eyes narrow behind his goggles. He looks to Jennifer, wondering if she's noticed anything odd.

Imaginary Girl pouts, looking around. "How come you knew that was gonna happen before it happened?", she asks of Minister He, putting her hands on her hips. "What's going on?"

Jennifer nods to Rebound, talks into her radio headset. "Hero, we're hearing something in here. Anything untoward happening outside?"

An instant after the noise, Mr Tan vanishes, with little to make his passage but a sudden gust of wind.

Lightray looks up at the sound, then over at the minister. "Do you know what is going on, Minister?"

Noticing something is wrong, Halcyon vanishes from sight.

"Great Hall... collapsing. I'm going in!" calls Hero over the radio. He leaps off the building with the bag slung as he extends his glider membranes. "There were people inside!" And he's on his way in. Firefighter, Pararescue, Superhero.. -everything- that he's ever been screams at him to help.

"It sounded like a building collapsing," she says. She doesn't seem surprised by Mr Tan's disappearance.

Lightray nods slightly. "If you will excuse us, Minister. We will render aid if you do not object."

She nods approval.

Halcyon decides that building falling might mean people in danger, and heads toward the nearest fallen building, parasol in hand and used to provide her wish shade. The afternoon sun takes away her invisible state.

Lightray stands and begins to move outside, murmuring to the others. "Shall we?"

Immediately, the cloud of dust thrown up by the collapse makes it difficult to see what the exact state of affairs is.

Imaginary Girl eyes the Minister for a moment... "If there's trouble, we'll go help", her feet already lifting off the ground, already starting to fly out of the room, towards the exit, even as she says, "Let's go!" in reply to Lightray's suggestion.

Rebound nods and rushes out of the building. "Let's hop to it!"

Jennifer steps forward. "The Great Hall is collapsing." She hands Imaginary Girl a small earbud comm unit. "There's people trapped inside. Go now. Take Rebound with you."

Hero plans to come down into that smoke. He's done this before. He just hasn't installed air-filters in his armor yet. Clearly, he needs to do that. Dashing in like he's impervious to damage, he starts calling out, "Anyone in there?! We're coming for you!"

Jennifer continues, "Lightray, we'll need your healing. Likewise my medikit. Halcyon, can you do your teleport trapped out to safety thingie?"

Halcyon has already gone, presumably toward the source of problems.

Jennifer says, "Rebound, take my scuba wetsuit. It will keep you flexible."

Jennifer slips on her gas mask to cater for the smoke and dust as she starts running for the building after handing Rebound the scuba suit.

Imaginary Girl stops when she's handed the little ear-comm... and after a moment of confusion, stuffs it into her ear. She reaches out to snag at Rebound's arm, "C'mon!", she says to him... then sees that he's being held up to 'suit up' for the weather. She flies up into the air to fly in an arc over towards the collapsing building without him, after all.

Halcyon ignores obstructions. Anywhere a shadow can poke through, so can she. She searches for people, able to sense them among the rubble better than seeing them directly. Each time she finds one, she takes them with her to the outside, and returns to where she vanished from, continuing her sweep of the place as best she can.

Lightray flies over to take up a position outside the crumbled building. If and when injured people come out, he brings forth sunlight to pour into them.

 Jennifer says, "Rebound I hope you have one of these online. You'll have to coordinate IG efforts with us."

 Rebound says, "Got it."

Jennifer says over her radio, "We're on our way, Hero. Where do you need us first?"

Rebound slips into the Scuba suit that Jennifer hands him, using his flexibility to slip into it as quickly as possible.

 Rebound says, "IG, Rebound here. I'll try to keep you up to date on what's doing on."

Someone else moving *very* fast is also darting about the scene. Though it's a bit hard to see what he's doing.

Imaginary Girl dives herself right into the building out of the sky. "Hey... there's someone FAST here!", she calls out, forgetting that she's on the comm and didnt' have to speak up so loudly. "Want me to try and catch 'im?"

Lightray goes to the people that Halcyon is bringing out of the building. He tries to assess their injuries as best he can and pours as much or as little sunlight into them as he feels is needed to heal or stabilize them.

Rebound sys over his comm: "I'd say no -- search and rescue first. Besides Speedy might be helping. It'd be bad to repeat our last tussle in Chinatown."

Jennifer is aiming to help free anyone she can help who is trapped under rubble, being strong even if not in Imaginary's Girl's league.

"Uhm... okay", Imaginary Girl says, flitting into the building itself, finally, to start doing what she can to help get people safely out.

Over the comm, Hero calls out, "Not sure if it was a bomb, or just old damage starting to catch up with time. But the structure of the load bearing columns gave out. There oughta be survivors in the west wing more likely... I'm headed to the back where the most injured are likely to be." His voice is distorted by his own comm, but even so it's more scratchy than usual. "Switching to IR to try to find heat sources in the rubble." Then he hears the other comments and adds, "Sounds like one of our targets is in the area then. The damage -may- have been caused by a high speed impact from someone with superhuman strength."

 Jennifer says, "Rebound, you speak the language. Can you tell the Chinese that Lightray is a healer please."

Over the comm, as she carries a couple of people out, Imaginary Girl says, "Let me know if you need any heavy lifting done! And... by the way... that Miss Hey lady... she knew this was about to happen. She ducked, like, /just/ before the booms went off."

 Jennifer says, "I need to shore up the wall I'm beside. The next chamber could come down as well if this gives way."

Rebound finished twisting into his suit. He bounds over to Lightray's side, and he tries to call out in his elementary Mandarin. << Healer. Bring the sick over to him! >> He points out Lightray.

Jennifer grabs whatever comes to hand to build up support for the damaged load bearing wall.

An injured man appears close to Lightray rather mysteriously.

Grunting and obviously exerting himself beyond normal capacity over the comm that he's just leaving open, Hero mutters through gritted teeth, "Thirty Five meters from the entrance.. I could use a hand with some heavy lifting..." Then his voice is louder as he speaks to the survivors, "Move, come on, all of you out! You, help the woman there, her leg is broken.....I can't hold this up for long." Then into the comm, he remarks, "Large stone column... very heavy. Oh, and some of the wall here was soft, almost cushioned, like they -wanted- to have survivors here to distract us. Halcyon, Imaginary Girl, can either of you check the location you just left to see if something's going on there?"

Imaginary Girl dives back into the building, finding her way to Hero's location as quickly as she can. "I'm coming to you!", she says... just before she's there, to take over on the heaving lifting for Hero.

There is no reply from Halcyon, and there has not been one since this whole fiasco started. She is simply extracting and returning into the building.

Lightray smiles gently at the injured man. He says, "I doubt you can understand me, but I am here to help." He gathers sunlight in his hands and pours it into the man. The sunlight suffuses the man's form for a moment, then fades along with the man's wounds. He bows slightly and waits for his next patient.

The shaky structure Hero was holding up just collapses moments after the survivors escape through it, even as Imaginary Girl flies to help him.

Jennifer spots a fallen beam of wood and jams that at an angle to prop up the wall, hammering other fragments of rubble into place to fix the beam so it won't move.

Over the comm, a grunt is heard from Hero. "The victims are safe.. Imaginary Girl.. go check the place we just left. I'll get out of here in time." Then there's a pause as he asks, "Jennifer. What's your position?"

One of the injured survivors is again suddenly taken to Lightray by the man too fast to see.

Imaginary Girl moves in and starts to dig Hero out as quickly and safely as she can. "I'm not leaving you in here", she says, tossing aside a chunk of masonry.

This is why Hero hates working with Amateurs. He sighs and mutters, "I'm fine. We -need- to cover the back door. This was a diversion... nothing -but- a diversion. Classic tactic, to get us focused on rescuing the survivors, to make -sure- there were survivors to rescue.. so that we couldn't be where we need to be."

Lightray repeats the healing with the new injured person. He murmurs as he works, "Thank you, Mr Tan." He smiles at the now healed man. "Mr Tan seems to be quite the altruist. Comforting to know they still exist."

Imaginary Girl tosses aside another chunk of masonry, then another, then another... in rapid succession stacking them up... so that the ceiling actually has another hastily-made support column when it sinks another few inches, just as she finishes digging Hero out. "C'mon... I'm taking you to Lightray", she says to him, as she reaches down to heft him out - yes, she fully intends to carry him the whole way, it seems.

The other survivors, coughing, manage to stagger their way to Lightray.

Hero snorts, shaking his head, "I'm.. fine." he mutters, "Does -anyone- on this channel know how to listen?" That last part is said very sarcastically. "Take me to the original building of the meeting... -now-.." he says to Imaginary Girl, unslinging his bag and pulling out the rifle.

Lightray takes each survivor in turn beginning to suffuse them with sunlight from the most injured to the least. HE apples what little he remembers from his wartime training as a medic to aid his triage.

"They already knew this was gonna happen, remember?", Imaginary Girl says in reply to Hero as she soars up out of the building with him in her arms... she does fly towards the other building, though, instead of towards Lightray.

Rebound helps Lightray with treating the injured people.

One if the survivors goes over the the wall Jenn has secured and touches it. It glows briefly.

Hero nods, "Right. Sorry, was distracted by the collapsing building. Can you give me a bird's eye view then?" he asks Imaginary Girl. "I might be able to figure this out with a broader view of things."

Mr Tan reappears, surveying the rubble. He looks very dusty.

Imaginary Girl responds to Hero's request by gaining altitude. "I don't know what's going on, 'cept that people were hurt and needed rescuging - and that that Minister lady knew this was gonna happen before it happened. She ducked before the first boom went off!"

Jennifer looks at the wall and nods. Over the radio. "Hero, the Minister is probably a pre-cog. If there's no attack on the hall we came from. Pretty neat talent for a Minister of Intell."

Halcyon emerges when she is sure she cannot find anyone else, parasol in hand.

"But this was done -deliberately-.. one of the walls was almost a cushion, as if someone was trying to make sure we responded -here- so we wouldn't be elsewhere..." offers Hero. "I'm trying to get a look around to see what else might be happening."

Lightray nods to Mr Tan. "Thank you, Mr Tan. Your aid was very timely." He continues to heal the injutred until there are none left. As he does so, he asks, "Any idea what caused the collapse?"

The Chinese seems delighted for the help. Between Halcyon and Hero and Lightray's healing, people who would otherwise have died have survived.

Halcyon looks really proud of herself, looking around excitedly.

Mr Tan shakes his head. "Any evidence is buried.... But - that was the Hall of Tibet - I wonder if that is no coincidence."

Lightray nods as he pours sunlight into a critically injured man once more. "I see. Ant reason why someone would collapse the Hall of Tibet?"

Peering down at the city from up high, Hero takes his time, looking to and fro. "Odd.." he remarks softly, shaking his head. "I may have been mistaken about something -else- going on." He's not used to being wrong, but he -is- man enough to admit when he might make a mistake. "Emergency Vehicles are inbound."

"A symbol? From dissidents not pleased with the Emperor's more liberal stand toward Tibet? Who can say?"

"Yeah... I don't see anything wierd from up here, either", Imaginary Girl adds, after Hero's spoken. "I see the emergency trucks, too."

Lightray nods. "Was anything of value kept in the Hall?" He smiles wryly. "It could be simple robbery after all."

"SO much of what was valuable was damaged in the war - it's possible, but not likely."

Rebound says, "Is there anyone missing or not accounted for?"

Lightray looks to Mr Tan for that answer.

Mr Tan asks the man who made the wall glow. "That's everyone," he translates.

Lightray stands slowly, then looks down a the blood on his skin and hands. "Well, is there anywhere I can clean up? I would dislike to go back to the minister in this state."

Actually, Impossible Girl and Hero do spot someone - the flying meta, heading straight for the site.

"Incoming..." offers Hero. "Unknown flying meta... Heads up." And then to IG, he remarks, "Intercept course if you would.." Then he makes sure the charge on his rifle is full, and he offers, "Let go..." As he prepares to engage the glider membranes.

Mr Tan nods. "Of course." He offers to show Lightray the way.

As soon as Lightray talks about cleaning up, Imaginary Girl glances down at herself... and then all the dust on her seems to just 'fall off'. She's clean and neat all over again. "Hey, lookit! It's the flying guy from the train-tracks!", she says, shifting her grip to hold Hero up with one hand, so that she can use the other to wave at the approaching flyer. "Hi!", she calls out... then starts over that way, as Hero's requested. "I don't think he's a bad guy... I think he's coming to try and help, too?"

Imaginary Girl proves correct - or at least he greets Mr Tan in a friendly manner.

Lightray looks over at Rebound. "Would you care to come along, Rebound?"

Rebound nods.

"We should at least talk to the guy." offers Hero as he disengages from IG's hands (If allowed. No way he'd be able to break free of -her- grip if she didn't comply.) But then he pops his glider membranes out and angles himself to maneuver closer to the approaching Meta.

Imaginary Girl lets go of Hero. "Looks like he's going down to where Mister Tan's at", she says, jut before diving down that way, herself. When she gets closer to the other flyer, she chirps another friendly, smiling, "Hi!" to him.

Jennifer takes a walk over to where the building's collapse started from. Beginning with -- how would I knock this place down -- she checks to see if the collapse was natural due to the existing damage, or if it was intentional.

Lightray follows Mr Tan to get cleaned up. One must look one's best when dealing with a government minister after all. He looks over at Rebound as they walk, "Are you in contact with any of the others?"

Gravity is one of the best acceleration sources there is, and so Hero allows himself to almost free fall. It's been a while since he's been this high up after all. The membranes pop out to guide him in for a skydiver's landing nearby IG and the other unknown Meta. Though he doesn't speak up.. he figures that there's no point as IG's being friendly and such.

 Jennifer says, "Rebound, this looks like a natural collapse. If it was a demolitions job it was done by someone better than me at covering their tracks."

Rebound relays a message over the radio for Imaginary Girl: "Jennifer says that it looks like a natural collapse. If it was demolitions, it was done very good at covering their tracks."

The flyer greets Hero with a "ni hao". He looks like he's been through some rough fights in his time, but seems not unfriendly.

Mr Tan suggests, "Perhaps it is time to talk to the minister again?"

Rebound looks to Lightray and says, "I've got Jennifer in one ear, IG on the other. She says the collapse look natural. It would be helpful to know what the capabilities of the refugee metas are."

Jennifer covers her bets and looks to see if any bricks or structural members show signs of damage inconsistent with a building collapse. A fist impression in a steel beam for example...

Imaginary Girl puts a hand to her chest, saying, "I'm Imaginary Girl!" to the flying meta. "What's your name?",s he asks... then glances at Mister Tan. "Oh... okay", she replies to him, though she pouts a little bit.

"What of the padded wall?" asks Hero. "That's the part that makes no sense to me." He heard the radio transmission and muttered into his subvocal before he nods to the other meta and heads into the wreckage now. "Jennifer, over here." he offers as he leads her towards the location where he noticed that detail.

Lightray nods slightly. "Yes, let us return to the minister, shall we?" He takes one last look in the mirror, shaking his head as he does so. "Amazing coincidences abound." He turns back to Mr Tan. "Shall we?"

The flying meta says something, but unfortunately in Chinese. Was some of that his name?

Imaginary Girl looks at the flying meta, looking confused. "Uhm... Do you speak English?", she asks of him, glancing over at the others in her group as they start to wander off for whatever reason... she makes a 'come with me' gesture as she starts to float along after them.

The person who made the wall glow watches Hero, and works out what's being talked about. He picks up a bit of rubble, shows it to Hero, then make is glow and shows it's now bendable.

Mr Tan waits for people to join him.

"I still think there's something fishy...." and then he's shown the newer, bendier piece of rubble and quite literally.. smacks his palm onto his forehead. This actually makes his HUD flicker inside but he just sighs, "Nevermind. I got it now.. I wonder if he's gonna make me wait out here -now-, after this." and he nods to the bendy-making-guy before turning to march on over towards the Ministry building. It's one of those defiant marches challenging them to tell him that he can't bring his weapon with him now.

Lightray waits with Mr Tan.

Bureaucracies are bureaucracies. Indeed, the guards at the door are pointing at the gun and saying something.

Imaginary Girl floats down between the gaurds at the door and Hero, hands on her hips and just stares at them.

Hero just nods and gestures over towards the building he -just- left. "Ask boss." he states flatly, folding his arms over his chest as he waits there.

The grandstanding works. It takes a while, but word comes down that Hero can keep his gun.

When the word comes down, Imaginary Girl smiles brightly. "Thank you!", she chirps at the guards, landing to follow Hero into the place, now.

And so, after a bit of cleaning up, you're shown in to see the minister again.

Rebound joins the others with Mr. Tan.

Lightray bows slightly to the minister. "Where were we before all the brouhaha, minister?"

The minister looks much as she did before, completely unruffled. She doesn't even say thank you. SHe does say, "I think we can help each other."

Hero just nods and moves on inside. He switches the safety on of course, and keeps the weapon slung. Once inside.. mind you, he is -not- taking time to clean up. He figures the dust and such are simply part of the job. Appearances matter less to him than results. "How is that exactly." he offers.

Halcyon is still charged by her heroic efforts, having participated in the biggest extraction in her life. There is a lot of bounce to her step and fidgeting.

"You want this file, do you not? And we want our joint problem solved."

Rebound nods. "That's great. I'm glad you see it this way."

She nods. "You have shown what sort of people you are." There might be a
 * hint* of a wry smile in Hero's direction as she says that.

 Hero says, "What file are we here for again?"

Imaginary Girl, of course, looks clean and pristine as ever... at least ever since the 'clean up' idea was suggested, earlier on. She smiles at the praise. "What'd you expect heroes to do? Stand around while people were in danger?", she asks, bluntly, though she's smiling the whole time as if she doesn't see anything wrong with having said it, as if the idea's a given.

Lightray looks at the minister. The information would be useful for apprehending the metahumans, but they will be dealt with under the laws of the nation they are captured in. Agreed?"

Hero leans in and murmurs softly to Imaginary Girl, "Heroes do not talk about it.. modesty is an important trait." That said, he looks back to the Minister and merely nods in response to her comment /and/ her smile.

 Rebound says, "Information on the Chinese metas who fled to he States after the revolution here."

"So long as they are dealt with in such a way that they cause no trouble to China, that is acceptable."

Lightray smiles slightly. "I doubt the governments of North America wish to cause trouble for China at this juncture." He takes out the remaining four images. "These four have already acted in a heroic manner in North America, but they too are potential criminals. May we have the information on them as well?"

"You may have the information on all the fugitive metas that you ask about. Although," she says, with that hint of a smile at Lightray now, "I do insist that you disclose their current appearances. Just in case some find their way back to China."

Imaginary Girl looks puzzled at what Hero's said to her. "But... I was just saying...", she quietly says, her tone of voice thoroughly confused-sounding, too. She puts her hands on her hips, and just stands there, quietly thinking about it for a bit.

Hero does grin a bit, but that's not visible through his face-covering. "It's okay.. it's difficult to explain at times." That said, he looks to the Minister and nods once more, "Thank you." he states before murmuring over the comm, "We have what we came for then. Shall we return home?"

Jennifer tries to catch Lightray's gaze and if she does gives a little nod to suggest she thinks that the Minister's request is reasonable.

Jennifer says, "May I ask a question, Minister?"

"You may."

Lightray nods slightly. "I agree, Minister He. So long as you keep your agents out of North America on missions concerning the retrieval of these fugitives."

Jennifer says, "I've spoken to some of these metas. I've researched what was known by us and noted some had reputations as heroes independent of the prior government's own reputation. Is there any chance of conciliation between any of these metas and the new government?"

Imaginary Girl chimes in, saying, "A hero's a hero, right? Maybe they'd love to come home, too, but they're just afraid of how they'll be treated?"

Hero keeps his trap shut on this one. Governments change, and hero... is a subjective term. During the American Revolution, George Washington was a hero, but also a criminal. History writes its own version of all truths.

The minister nods assent to Lightray. She seems to have to think a moment before replying to Jennifer. "There is always a chance. But the war is too recent for such a question to be asked, let alone answered, publicly."

Jennifer nods, "Thank you. If I have to opportunity I shall relay that in a discreet fashion.

Lightray nods to the minister. "Agreed the minister." He takes out the after images that they have. "These are all the faces that have been changed. And if matters should change, if a private accommodation can be reached for them, well, several are easy to find. I am certain you can contact us."

 Hero mutters, "So, perhaps we can acquire the cooperation of some of these individuals, rather than having to subdue them all. We should see about doing so as soon as possible."