Fantasy Code: Feral

[Flutterby]

Beth leaned forward to pick up the dossier, Totus hopping onto the back of her chair to read over her shoulder. She read slowly and carefully, her blue eyes lingering on each concise line for several extra seconds.
"A herd of elephants, huh?" She murmured, picturing the weapon sitting out in the middle of the Sahara, deterring elephants from running off of a cliff.. or directing them into a large corral. Or through a busy city street. She and Totus both looked up at Strong and Calista, hints of worry playing across their expression. While it hadn't seemed like it at first, this weapon could be very dangerous in the hands of the wrong people. Like the ones they were going to show it to.
They had returned to their studying when Alec drew attention to the chaos outside.
Totus shifted his primaries. "A herd of elephants, or a pod of whales, perhaps?" He glanced at Strong. Could it be possible that the competitors she had mentioned were doing their own show and tell, with a shockingly similar piece of equipment? It seemed like too much of a coincidence to him, that Beth was currently holding the dossier of a weapon that could cause a mass stranding, while a mass stranding happened right outside their window.

While the owl was musing conspiracy crap, Beth stood and pulled a woman who looked like a maid over out of the way of the crowds.
"Get as many hotel employees to find as many extra sheets and towels as you can, and all the buckets in this place. Check the kitchen too, bowls and serving trays. Take them out to the beach, lay the towels and sheets on the whales, and pour water over them. It'll be good publicity for the hotel if you help."
The woman looked confused, but it seemed Beth's professional tone and attire convinced her- she hurried off and gathered a couple of coworkers as she went. Beth returned to the table, listening to Jimbo.
"I'll operate it, if necessary. But.." She looked out the window, at the gathered crowd, "It's not worth the risk if the crowd could be enough to keep them wet."
Totus snapped her head around to look at her, but Beth silenced him before he could open his beak. It would be good for the mission anyway, for the supposed weapons expert to be able to operate the weapon as well.
SilverFlight Lioness075 deer Bolts Killerclown zCrookedz

 

[deer]

Xiao Hui listened to Jimbo's side, nodding as she knew he had a point. It wouldn't look good if those on the weapon's team were helping the whales. The arms dealer would have no business there. Laohu, on the other hand, could only furrow his brows as the members of the team were getting frustrated with one another - not coming to a solid agreement. Although it was mainly up to Agent Strong and Calista's approval, Laohu couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at the sudden change. No one was right or wrong, but it was hard to watch everyone disagree with one another. However, before Laohu could sigh oin defeat, his eyes lifted up in hope as he watched Jimbo and Simon.

In slight confusion, Laohu wondered what Jimbo was going on about with Simon's shirt. But, in due time, all was revealed and Laohu let out a toothy grin glad they were slowly getting somewhere with a plan. Xiao Hui, on the other hand, watched Agent Heartland spring into action, getting the workers to help with the whales as she took charge of ordering the workers. She could only nod as she waited for the final decision wondering what laid ahead for them to do. But, she knew they should make a decision quickly. Time was ticking the more they stood around.

tags: SilverFlight , Lioness075 , zCrookedz , Bolts , Killerclown , Flutterby

 

[SilverFlight]

Calista didn't seem convinced, Alec however stood his ground.
"This seems a little over the top for a distraction. Even for Feral."
"Barry and Leandra made a point though, we can't risk this being a diversion, if somehow they knew about the tails we placed on them."
Alec hadn't expected Leandra to side with their leadership, and his expression showed it; hurt and somewhat saddened.
"We have some of the most advanced technology at our disposal through the Watch, there has to be something. We can't just leave them!"
As Laohu made his point Alec gestured to him, for emphasis on it: "Thank you!" It was clear Alec's heart was getting the better of his judgement.
Duik, who has been about to go into great detail about what he learned about Spanish telenovellas had clearly been thinking a lot as the others spoke.
He looked up at Xiao, "They're gonna die if we don't help."
Amber had remained silent up until this point. She was clearly torn. They listened to Simon and Jimbo deliberate. Her expression became more set as Jimbo explained the device.
"That could work, but you don't need to lift them that much, we can get tarps to slide under them. Attach those to tug boats and we can drag them back into the water without injuring them."
Calista looked back at her partner with a grumpy but defeated expression.
"Ugh...we're really doing this then aren't we?"
Amber was already standing. "Jimbo, go get everything you need from the van. Simon, help him. Alec, Xiao, Leandra, go see what you can do for the whales while we get set up, Beth, Manjano, mobilize the public, organize them into teams to keep the whales wet and get the boats, also, contact the coast guard. A lot of their companions are marine animals, they can help. Duik, Falarion, Laohu and Artemis, convince the hotel to give you towels and bring as many to the beach as you can carry. BB, Luness, Totus, find people with buckets. Jim, you stay and help Calista run social media alerts to get people down here."
Excitement filled Alec as he jumped to follow the orders. He wasted no time in getting his medical bag. "I can monitor the blood oxygen levels of the whales in real time with special sensors, tell you which ones we should prioritize. Other than that we need to keep soaked towels and blankets on their backs to keep their skin from drying. We'll need a lot of water, if we can get the fire department they'll have hoses to make it easier."
"Woohoo! Let's go save some whales!"
"Alright guys, everyone has their orders. Move out!"

((At this point you can all just write the npcs for the tasks your characters have been given.))

Bolts deer zCrookedz Lioness075 Flutterby Killerclown

 

[zCrookedz]

With a grunt of recognition from Jimbo, and a nod and a smile from Simon, the pair were out of the room and heading for the loading dock of the Hotel. The canon had been marked as fragile, and extremly important, so was being held in the security office, conveniently under a infiltrated Watch security guard.
As the pair padded down the hall ways, Simon looked over at Jimbo and the SHIRT he was wearing.
"Jim, you know your only gonna have about 10 minutes worth of juice in that thing before it runs out."
"I am aware of that Simon."
As the pair turned a corner, Simon looked at him more concerned.
"You know its going to hurt like a mother afterwards too, right?"
Jimbo scoffed and gave his brother a sideways glare.
"Who was it that was keeping you from ripping the bed frame apart after the first time YOU used it? I'll be fine Simon. I'm stronger than you, it wont have to use as much stimulation on me as it would you."
"Jim, your lifting WHALE'S! Plural! I was lifting cars! Big difference."

Jimbo didn't say anything after that, the pair just continued on their way and made their way to the security door at the back of the hotels loading docks. Approaching the wire reinforced window, Simon knocked on the glass several times in quick secession. It only took a moment before a petite little blonde girl, possibly in his mid twenties, approached the window and slid the section of the window away to them. She first glanced at Jimbo, and then at Simon. Her eyes went wide and her face seemed to go flush for no reason at all. Not paying any mind, Simon cleared his throat and leaned close tot he window.
"Uhm, Sinclair to pick up our "package" ma'am."
The woman continued to stare at Simon, who gave her a quizzical look before clearing his throat again. The girl startled herself and then quickly turned and disapeared into the room. Simon looked to Jimbo throughowly confused, who had his hand over his eyes rubbing his temples.
"Simon.......you forgot to put your normal shirt back on before we came down here....."
Simon's eyes widened and he looked down at his bare chest and his tuxedo trousers. He slapped the fabric on his thigh and began chuckling rather loudly as he realized he had basicly flashed the girl and everyone they had walked past on their way down.
"I thought people were giving me an odd look as we passed them in the halls."

After receiving the long rectangular black box from the girl the security booth, who was obviously trying her best to avoid eye contact with Simon, Jimbo and Simon went to the van parked in the dock and retrieved several folded blue tarps that were stored away in a compartment for emergency situations. The pair emerged onto the beach soon after where people had begun to mobilize to help in a sort of controlled panic. Jimbo held the log black case over his shoulder, while Simon's head was on a swivel holding the tarps under each arm. A quick scan and Jimbo found Beth among the chaos on the beach. He made his way over to her, nodding for her to follow him over to the edge of the water where they could be a bit less conspicuous. He pressed his thumb to a small rectangle on the case and the latches on the side clicked open.
"Alright Beth. Its pretty straight forward. Point, click, boom. The tricky part is going to be holding it under the water deep enough that it doesn't come flying out of the water like a rocket or shoot the whales, or us, with a concussive force equivalent to a hand grenade. So, you know, no pressure. Anyways, i'm going to set it to fire a sonic blast 10 times every second. That should be enough to give us a steady stream of water and not go shooting out of your hands. Just plant your feet, keep it under the water, and everything should be fine."
Jimbo lifted the lid and revealed a very sleek looking weapon. The basic shape was a long cylindrical body with a smaller cylindrical section close to the end of the barrel. The stock was short as was the handle, both with rounded edges for the comfort of holding the weapon. above the trigger guard were three dials that were set to 0. Jimbo turned each one of them and then looked up at Beth before handing it over to her.

Spoiler: Canon

((My next post will be the first for lifting the whales once everyone is done posting for their NPCs))
Bolts deer SilverFlight Lioness075 Flutterby Killerclown

 

[Flutterby]

As soon as they were given orders and released, Beth and Totus sprung into action. Beth grabbed Manjano's arm and said, "If you call the coast guard and find boats, I'll handle the crowd." She barely waited for an answer before she stood and started for the door leading to the beach. By the time she got there, the heels she had been wearing were gone. She didn't have time to think about how amazing it felt to have sand between her toes as she jogged out to the crowd. Lioness075
There were a few people with buckets, running back and forth between the water and another couple people.. it was inefficient and they were already slowing down and tiring. Beth drew the attention of the closest group of people, and shouted. "LINES! For each whale! Person at the end wets the whale, runs back and starts to pass it again!"
The crowd stared at her for a moment, no one moving, but when she opened her mouth to repeat herself, they seemed to collectively process what she said and follow it. Or at least, the English speakers did, and the rest followed. She had to repeat the process to get a line for each whale, but soon many people were making a few steps each with the bucket, instead of a few people taking many steps.
Beth had stepped back to watch, realizing it wasn't nearly enough, when she caught sight of Jimbo and a shirtless Simon.
The young woman jogged over, ducking close next to the gorilla to hear him over the noise of the crowd. She listened with a tense expression, and all she could say as Jimbo lifted the lid was, "Okay, right, okay." It was far more compact and deadly-looking than she had expected.
Beth's hand hesitated for a split second, and then confidently closed around the cannon's grip. "I'll try not to kill anyone," She grumbled, and the started to wade into the water. It was icy against her ankles, and even worse against her thighs. No doubt it would ruin the expensive slacks she had on. zCrookedz

Beth waded up until the water soaked the lower half of her ribcage, and then stopped to turn around. She slowly pushed the cannon down into the water, until it was resting against one of her thighs. Unsure if it was deep enough, she crouched until the water brushed her collarbones, and then pulled the trigger, squeezing her eyes shut in preparation of some kind of explosion.
The water bubbled, swirled, and then formed a stream, popping out of the water and just barely hitting the edge of the wet sand. Beth brought herself up, slowly bringing the water cannon closer to the tail of the furthest whale. With a little more adjustment, there was a steady stream of water washing over the back of that whale. Beth counted to ten in her head, and then set about moving to the next one.


Totus hopped off of the table, jumping into the air. The owl hesitated briefly, almost hovering in the air, as Beth ran away from him and out onto the beach. His beak clacked softly, and then he gave a powerful flap of his wings and was on the move.
"I'll check the kitchen!" He called back, and rounded the corner and disappeared.
The kitchen was full of useful containers, but no useful people.
The barn owl skidded onto a table, looking around for a moment. He had been told to find people, but the people interested in helping the whales were all outside already. Totus decided that he might as well bring the buckets to them.
He carefully picked up a large serving pan in his talons, and flew with it to the lobby. He coasted through the door to the beach before it could shut. Circling above, he was surprised to find that the crowd looked pretty organized. Totus dropped lower, and then released his grip on the pan. It fell into the sand next to one of the newly formed lines, and the people added it to their rotation while he went back for another.

 

[Bolts]

As everyone started arguing, The pair sunk into the middle of it all. They had already made their point and waited for the final verdict. Things changed in favor of the whales as Simon revealed his S.H.I.R.T to the group as well as speak of the cannon they had. BB's eyes sparkled at the sight of Simon in all his glory. She lifted a wing to Barry "Do you think they have that in a size XXXXXXXS? Cus that man is styling." Barry could do nothing but open his eyes slow and wide as he turned from the bird. Once all was said in the open, however, the call was made. It seemed Alec had gotten his way for helping the whales. One by one, everyone was given orders on how to proceed with saving the large mammals. Well, everyone besides Barry. He raised a finger to question but remained silent while everyone began their jobs. "Alrighty B-boy! Have fun with... oh wait. What are you going to do? I mean, you can come help gather buckets and what not! Not like I can lift them." Tempting as it was, Barry still had the nagging suspicion that something was afoot. It was too much of a coincidence for such a large amount of whales to beach during a critical moment in the mission. Barry quickly wrote her a note, letting her read, before discarding it in his pocket. "I'm going to get a vantage point of the streets away from the beach real quick to see if anything is happening. If not, I'll be over soon to help." As she skimmed the photo, she saluted her mute partner. "Alrighty! You have fun with that. Don't get into trouble mister! Always yelling and going on about your vanity. Hope the others don't mind either. Give me a shout if you're in trouble!" She said with a wink before Zipping out of the hotel.

As she flew through the open doors where many people were exiting to see the commotion, she flew up into the air to see the area around. "Hmmmmmm... hmmmmmmmmmmmmm..HMMMMMMMMM. Now if I were a bucket where would I be. More importantly, where would a person with a bucket be." As she scanned the buildings, she took note of restaurants and small outlet places. While those may work, she wasn't entirely convinced anyone would leave the job just to do some charity work. What she needed was workers that needed to help. People with buckets galore who could get there quick. She turned to face the beach itself when an idea sprung. Immediately she zoomed to docks nearby where fishers and other nautical workers came. She curved her flight as there were people in sight moving slowly. Perhaps confused or unable to do anything at the moment. She glided down and circled the strong workers. "Oh hello everyone! Not sure if you're aware or not but there is a problem on the beach. Lot's of poor whales are beached and need some assistance ASAP or they may not make it. Wouldn't that be sad?" She perched on a beam, eye level with everyone who simply stared at her. An awkward silence breezed past them. "Err... If only some strong, helpful, and charitable people could help them. You know, people with BUCKETS. Perhaps those who WORK on the WATER. Those who can't do ANYTHING while this is all going on." The dock workers all looked from the hummingbird to each other then back at her. "Uhh" One opened his mouth. "OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD GET YOUR DANG BUCKETS AND HELP THE DARN WHALES! GO GO GO! GO ON! GET!" She shouted in an authoritative voice. It rang through the air and startled the people nearby. Anyone could see the shock run up their body as they jumped up and grabbed anything that could hold water and ran to the whales. BB watched as they left the docks and sat down while wiping her head. "Gosh, some people don't listen! The nerve making a lady wait." Though she got a handful of people, she would continue to look for others to help before coming to the beach to shout inspirations to anyone helping.

Barry exited the building along with the groups of people who crowded the doors at times. While they ran to see the whales up close or help them out, he turned the opposite way. He had already inspected the buildings on the way to the hotel and took in possible vantage points. He patted his chest to reassure he had his binoculars on him before casually jogging away. "Wider road, not too busy during normal day's, possibly empty now." He thought to himself as he looked for the best possible building to find such a view. As he turned from a jog to a casual walk to not draw attention, he rested one arm on the other and bit the side of his finger in thought. "Next to the store, across the theater." He mumbled in his head before picking up speed again. He had spotted a fire escape while BB was fixated on the possible movies coming out. He did his best to sneak up and around to the roof of the building before taking out his binoculars and watching patiently for anything suspicious. Should nothing come up, he would most likely head back to the beach to help place tarps down or water the whales.

 

[Lioness075]

Leandra winced when she saw Alec’s hurt expression. She quickly looked out the window again while she rubbed the back of her neck again. She had not meant to hurt Alec, she was just trying to help him see reason. Calista agreed with her, so Leandra was not alone in her thoughts. Considering how Alec had reacted, though, Leandra felt it best to keep her mouth shut now.

Luness could feel her companion’s unease and churred at her, but Leandra ignored her. She was probably being childish, but she did not want her companion’s comfort right now.

Before Luness could try to mentally comfort Leandra, Amber began giving out orders for everyone to aid in rescuing the whales. While the pair had been distracted, Simon and Jimbo had introduced the S.H.I.R.T. and everyone seemed to be rushing to do their parts.

Keeping her head down, Leandra quietly followed Alec out to the beach. She was further disheartened that she was given a general task with little direction. Surely that meant that Amber did not see how Leandra could be helpful in this situation.

As much as Luness wanted to help comfort her companion, she had her own job to do and everything was in motion. Sighing, she took flight and without too much direction, she decided to follow Totus’ lead. Gliding after him, she soon joined the bucket queue, doing her best to quickly add more buckets.

Leandra hesitated to move towards the beach and glanced around, looking for Xiao Hui. Since she had upset Alec, Leandra joined Xiao Hui’s side and nervously looked at Alec before saying, “Right, so we’re supposed to help, but I’m not entirely sure what we can do. Everyone else seeems to be doing specific things to help...I think we’re the leftovers?”

SilverFlight deer zCrookedz Flutterby Bolts Killerclown

 

[deer]

"They're gonna die if we don't help."
Turning to look over at Duirk, Xiao Hui gazed upon Duirk for a moment before nodding in agreement, a small smile escaping her lips. She could see how Alec could never win against Duirk's stubbornness.
"We have some of the most advanced technology at our disposal through the Watch, there has to be something. We can't just leave them!" Alec spoke up before gesturing to Laohu with a "Thank you!"
Laohu could only whip his tail back in forth, slightly winking at Alec, showing him that he had his back. waiting for the final decision as his eyes remained on Alec.

Soon, what felt like a decade to Laohu, he sighed in relief as Agent Strong stepped up to the plate and started to get the team around and in position to save the whales. At hearing his name being called along with Duik, Falarion, and Artemis, Laohu nodded. With a lopsided grin, he wasted no time and signaled towards his friends. "Ready whenever you are!" He called after them before pausing a moment. 'Bet to see how many towels we can carry?" Laohu grinned and trotted out the door and went on the move to find the Hotel manager and the rest of the staff to see if they can give them more towels.

Xiao Hui, on the other hand, stood up from her seat, taking off her heels as she placed them near the chair for now listening to Alec. Smiling softly at Alec's excitement, Xiao Hui followed Alec down to the beach before glancing over towards Leandra.

Furrowing her brows at hearing Leandra's words, Xiao Hui shook her head before placing a small hand on her shoulder, whispering, "I am sure there are no hard feelings, Leandra." She said, winking before tapping her chin. "Perhaps we can get the fire department team to get here and since Alec will be working on the sensors to see which whales need more attention, you can direct the people?"

As they arrived towards the commotion, Xiao Hui looked at the surrounding area, seeing many people up and about, trying to get the whales to the water with towels and buckets. "There seems to be about an even number of people and enough to divide and conquer. Perhaps 5 people on the whales that need more attention and about 3 on whales that aren't ?" She questioned out-loud, getting a bucket of her own.

"Or should we do an assembly line? Some fill the bucket of water and then others take care of the whales directly?"

But, as Beth appeared and ordered the assembly lines before heading to the cannon, Xiao Hui nodded and followed along with the rest, backing Beth up, as she kept with the order as others fell one-by-one in unity. However, turning towards Leandra, Xiao Hui spoke lightly, "I will be right back. I should call the fire department seeing as things are getting in order now."

Giving her bucket to a passerby, directing them what to do, Xiao Hui slowly moved to the side and dialed the fire department, waiting for them to get on the line to talk to them. A few moments passed and Xiao Hui was slowly trying to get through to the person on the other side. "But, sir. We need them now. Are you going to be responsible for what happens here?" She questioned, using guilt as a way of entrapment. She knew it was a low move, but considering the time wasn't on their side and she needed their feet to move, Xiao Hui used whatever measure she could get. If the fire department knew any better, they'd have death on their hands for knowing there was trouble and not helping. No one could live with that thought, could they?

Finally, what seemed like eternity, the boss finally agreed and were on their way. Grinning, Xiao Hui nodded, thanking them before hanging up. Calling over towards Leandra and Alec, she gave them a thumbs up, signaling that help was on the move.

tags: SilverFlight , Lioness075 , Killerclown , Bolts , zCrookedz , Flutterby

 

[Lioness075]

Adament that they were wasting their time here, Manjano had remained at the table the entire time everyone discussed the whale rescue side mission. It still did not make sense to him why they should deviate from their main mission for the whales. As far as Manjano was concerned, whales beached themselves every so often and if they were being suicidal then it was not as if they would stop the whales from doing it again here or elsewhere. Beaching did mean the whales were suicidal, right?

The moment they were given their instructions, though, Falarion leapt towards the front desk while barking, “Towels, towels! We need towels!” The receptionist quickly waved the bounding maned wolf towards where the staff went to get supplies. As the door was opened for him and he was shown to the towel supply, Falarion quickly grabbed a rolled towel in his mouth. Hearing Laohu’s challenge, Falarion let out a muffled yip of excitement before charging out of the hotel and towards the beach. He sprinted to the nearest volunteer to pass off his towel and paused briefly to say to them, “Um, sorry for my saliva. It’s the only way I can hold the towels.” The volunteer laughed and shouted, “No worries!” Pleased, Falarion began running in and out of the hotel while transporting towels to and fro.

Having been told to get in contact with the coast guard, Manjano sighed before pulling out his smartphone. The Watch had provided everyone with one and the twins seemed to learn how to do something new on them each day. Speaking quietly to his phone, Manjano told it to call the coast guard. A brief explanation of their situation and location was all it took for the coast guard to dispatch a team. It was nice that all Manjano really had to say was that he is with the Watch to convince them to work with him.

Happy to be done with that, Manjano finally left the lobby and began walking towards the beach. He could already see most of his teammates helping the whales and do he did not feel as if he were in a rush to get there. The coast guard was moving now, but they still needed time to get to the group.

Finally reaching the beach, Manjano paused to look at what everyone was already doing and saw Beth in charge of the cannon out in the water. He was tempted to join and help her, but wondered if he would unnecessarily complicate things if he were to do so. He rubbed the back of his neck briefly before deciding to join the bucket and towel lineup for now.

SilverFlight zCrookedz Flutterby deer Bolts Killerclown

 

[Flutterby]

Totus gave a soft shriek to Luness, glad to see her helping. When he couldn't find any more pans in the kitchen that he could carry, the owl coasted down and landed in the sand by the beach. There were now mostly-organized groups for each whale, working to keep them from drying out. The owl's face held a hint of a scowl. There was only so much they could do, and only so long the whales could stay on the beach.
The barn owl ruffled his feathers, watching Alec work for a moment, with all his medical equipment, keeping their efforts focused on the whales who were worst off. Then his eyes turned to the water, wondering where the coast guard was. Weren't they paid to respond to things like this, quickly?
With a grumpy churr, Totus lifted himself from the sand again, and flew swiftly toward the nearby docks, where he had caught sight of some useful-looking boats. Hopefully, these would come with useful humans already attached.

Beth was no longer enjoying the process of helping the whales. The pressure cannon, submerged under the water, was creating a constant force pushing her down and backward. The sand underneath her feet yielded to it, so she was sinking slowly. Each time she wanted to switch whales, she had to dig her feet out and replace them, which made the water stream waver, and everytime she did, she felt like she might get pushed under the water by the kick of the weapon in her hands.
Beth moved one foot, slowly moving the stream of water to a whale that the vet team seemed to be focusing on more than the others. A flash of tawny went over her head, and Beth though it must be Totus..
Her other foot skidded on something hard, slipped sideways, and she suddenly didn't have enough balance to fight the push of the cannon. Her head disappeared under the small waves, and she felt herself scooting backward along the bottom for a few meters before she thought to take her finger off the trigger.
Beth resurfaced, sputtering crossly, and swam back the small distance she had been pushed out. It only took her a few seconds to find her feet again, and the water stream returned to the whale in need, but Beth really wanted to get out of the water now. She silently cursed the coast guard for being slow, and wondered if anyone had thought to call a fire department for their hoses.

 

[SilverFlight]

After the team had gone to their assignments Amber still stood at the table. Calista looked over, eyes narrowed and a small smile playing on her thin black lips.
Amber wasn't moving.
"Held together pretty good. I thought you'd choke when Simon took off his--"
"Don't." Amber cut her partner off. She was staring a hole into the wood in front of her and Calista saw that she was now beet red. The civet nearly fell over her computer in a fit of laughter.
She let the animal laugh it up for a while while she tried to regain some of her composure.
"Just do what I assigned you." She grumbled and went to do her part.
zCrookedz

Alec smiled at Leandra. "We are in no way the leftovers," he promised her. "There are several things we can do."
He rummaged through his bag and took out a strange device. It was the length of a hand and made of stainless steel, with a sheathed epidermic needle and a glass compartment that could both inject and could be fed via a small opening at the top. Alec also fished several vials out of the bag with tops that looked like they could be dispensed directly into the devices. Each device was connected by wires to a tiny handheld screen.
"These babies are multifunctional: You need to get the needle just under the skin of every whale. It'll take blood and measure how much oxygen each animal has in their bloodstream. The vials are filled with a medicine that slows heart rate so the body uses up less oxygen. It'll give the whales more time. Now, you have to get the needle in the right place, too far and you'll hit blubber, messing up the infusion, too shallow and it won't dispense into the blood at all."
He went about distributing the devices into three smaller bags, handing one each to Leandra and Xiao before pausing. "You can do that can't you?"
As Xiao went to contact the fire department Alec led the way out onto the beach. The whales were there, lying flat out in the surf. Occasionally one would life a tail, or shift as much as it could, but at least 12 were well and truly stuck in the sand. Alec started to the first whale, showing his team how to administer the device. He showed them how to read the screen, and how to assess the threat level for each animal.
"If they're starting to go critical, administer two of the vials. If they still don't stabilize, call Jim over and give them priority."
A strange noise filled his ears and suddenly a massive jet of water leapt from the shallows to pour itself over one of the beached whales. Alec whooped as the whale lifted its head and tail in utter relief.
Lioness075 deer Flutterby

Duik bounded around Laohu, unable to sit still. This was the type of thing he had signed up for. When the tiger mentioned the bet Duik cackled. "Cat you know I'm up for that bet! Race you to the laundry room!"
deer

Amber sprinted onto the beach. She had made a few calls and hoped that at least one of them paid off. She saw Beth struggling and only had time to throw off her shoes before she hit the waves. The whales were massive and her heart sank. There was no way any tech they had could lift that much...was there?
"Hey! Need a second pair of hands?" She asked, stopping beside Beth as she got her feet back after the canon had pushed her under. "It'll be more stable with two of us."
Flutterby

Not long after that, small dots on the horizon told them that boats were coming. The coast guard and private ship owners, carrying chains as they had been instructed. The first of the boats arrived and several volunteers at Amber's direction worked to unload and spread a tarp behind one of the whales. She signaled Jim.
"Lift one part at a time and we'll shimmy the tarp underneath. Once it's in place we can use the boat to tow the whale back into deep water." If it was Simon she would have had to tell him not to try and lift the entire whale at once. Luckily, the gorilla was the smart one.
Simon, still shirtless, wasn't far off and Amber tried her best not to look at him directly. "Sinclair! Help line up the tarps!"
zCrookedz

Duik had found a laundry bag. Maybe it was cheating, but it was also functional. He had filled it to the brim with towels and held the entire thing off the ground at he cantered towards the crowds on the beach. Thank god hyena jaws were strong and their necks were thick. He nearly tripped as he slid to a stop and almost crashed headlong into Manjano. Holding the bag up he grinned widely. Lioness075

((Please let me know if I forgot to respond to anything))

 

[deer]

With a toothy grin, Laohu chuckled to himself hearing Falarion's excitement. As Falarion got to the first few towels in the supply room, running back and forth from the hotel towards the beach where the volunteers were, Laohu shook his head before turning towards Duik. "A race you will have!" He called out towards Duik, seeing as Falarion was already on the move before he sprinted with Duik towards the laundry room. However, seeing as Duik already found a bag filled with towels and Falarion was already a few towels out, Laohu hummed to himself, trotting over towards a basket and tried to put as many towels as he can inside as quickly as he could. With a breathy huff, Laohu started to nudge the basket forward with his head, but feeling as if it took too long to move, Laohu swiped his paw against the basket, sliding it out the laundry room and into the hotel lobby. "Whoo!" He called out, looking over at Duik and Falarion.

As Laohu made his way towards the beach, Laohu looked at the sand as he growled softly at it before slowly stepping onto the unfamiliar territory. One paw at a time, Laohu carefully tried to not get sand all over his beautiful coat and pulled the basket along with his teeth, not wanting sand to get into the basket as well. It was more trouble than it was worth, but, Laohu made it just behind Duik to give the other volunteers cleaner towels. "New towels!" Laohu yelled out towards the others as he paused a moment to gauge the scene. A feeling of pride surged through his frame as he nodded in approval, impressed by how quickly everyone was able to get together. However, looking towards Duik who almost crashed into Manjano, Laohu grinned, trotting towards him, "Tie?" He questioned, before looking around to find Falarion and gave Manjano a slight nod.

On the other hand, as Xiao Hui approached Leandra and Alec again, a smile made its way towards her lips as she sighed in relief. Seeing that Alec held no hard feelings for Leandra and hopefully Leandra wouldn't feel bad for stating her own opinions and ideas, Xiao Hui nodded, hoping whatever tension ceased. But, as Alec rummaged through his bag, Xiao Hui furrowed her brows in confusion, staring at the machine in wonder. Nevertheless, Xiao Hui played close attention as she listened to Alec explain the mechanics of the equipment before taking one of the bags and strapped it over her shoulder. But, at Alec's question, Xiao Hui rose a brow, feigning slight hurt, "Oh, Alec, have a little faith in us." She said, a small sly grin on her face before giving him a wink, "I had the best teacher." ( Lioness075 , SilverFlight )

But, feeling her phone ring for a moment, Xiao Hui looked over and noticed it was a call from the fire department. Picking it up, Xiao Hui moved to the side once more, giving the department quick directions of where to go before hearing a loud voice yelling through the phone. Furrowing her brows, Xiao Hui tilted her head to the side, keying in into the voice and wondered if she was hearing things or it was her good hummingbird friend BB. Without further ado, Xiao Hui hung up and quickly ran back to Alec and Leandra just in time as she watched Alec's demonstration and heeded his words. ( Bolts )

Adjusting the strap of the bag on her shoulders, Xiao Hui gave a thumbs up, nodding at both Alec and Leandra. "Aye, Doctor." She said, almost wanting to call him by “Dr. Alec” though, it sounded wrong on her tongue. A passing thought of not knowing Alec’s last name rang through her head but she didn’t worry about it too much before heading towards the second whale. Greeting the volunteers, Xiao Hui smiled, "Good work, everyone! Continue what you are doing. I am going to check on this fellas vital sign and make sure he is alright." Xiao Hui explained towards the group, seeing the look of confusion on their face. However, a volunteer spoke out from the crowd, wanting more information, "How do we know you're caring for them correctly?" Not feeling offended for the question, Xiao Hui had complete faith in Alec. He was the group's veterinarian after-all and he taught her everything she needed to know despite her background in Chinese medicine of acupuncture. "The male you see determined to save these whales is a certified vetrinarian, an incredible doctor. If you want to ask him for his credentials, you can, but, there's something more important at hand. These whales." Xiao Hui responded as her hand signaled towards the whale. Staring into the female's eyes, Xiao Hui waited patiently to allow the volunteer to weigh her options before she chose to take a leap of faith. Once she saw that the female didn't have anymore to say, Xiao Hui went straight to work.

As the volunteers continued to pour water on the whale, keeping him wet, and placing towels on him, Xiao Hui knelt next to the whale, smiling softly as she gently pet him. "I will check your vital signs, okay? You will be alright. We are going to get you back to where you belong." She softly whispered before opening up the bag and taking out the equipment. As Xiao Hui looked for the right spot to inject the needle, under the whale's skin, Xiao Hui slowly checked his vital signs, seeing that he wasn't in critical condition, thankfully. With a sigh of relief, Xiao Hui smiled at the whale.

Not a moment sooner, a strange noise filled the air and both Laohu and Xiao Hui looked up and watched as a massive jet of water pooled over onto the shores and over the whales. Grinning widely and hearing Alec's cheer, Xiao Hui giggled softly. The volunteers cheered and clapped before continuing and the whale next to her seemed to flip his tail in happiness as well. After checking the signs of the whale she was currently at, Xiao Hui moved onto another whale and checked for her signs.

Soon, the arrival of other boats including the coast guards arrived on the sea and Xiao Hui couldn't help but feel hope surging through her. At the same time, hearing the sounds of the firetruck sirens approaching the beach made Xiao Hui smile even wider as the firemen got to work with hosing down the whales as best as they can with the water just as the water jet from above had done. Grinning, Xiao Hui looked around and noticed Amber had arrived to help Beth while Simon and Jimbo were next up to take lead in helping the whales get back in the water. As her eyes scanned the beach, Xiao Hui called towards Laohu, hoping he got her message to find Jim, wanting him on standby. As Laohu heard Hui's words, Laohu trotted around, looking for the elder male, being her messenger in case Jim was needed to help stablise a whale. ( Flutterby , zCrookedz SilverFlight , Killerclown )

tags: SilverFlight , Lioness075 , Flutterby , zCrookedz , Bolts , Killerclown

 

[zCrookedz]

Simon watched as the chaos around him began to turn into a more controlled atmosphere with several teams working together to perform their duties for the whales. The blast of water that erupted from the shore line and hit the first whale made Simon throw his arm up, and the tarps it carried, and yell in approval as the whale seemed to find the cooling spray relieving. Several volunteers came to Simon and grabbed the tarps that he still had stowed under his arm as well as the ones he had dropped. He picked up on Amber calling out to him from somewhere, and found her with Beth at the edge of the shore helping her with the canon. Simon gave her a thumbs up and began to direct the volunteers around him to laying out the tarps so they would overlap each other in a way that wouldn't slide out from under the whale when they moved them.

When the boats on the horizon finally made it to shore, Simon met the first of the boatmen and helped drag the chains to the firs of the tarps. The first tarp had been attached to an oar from one of the row boats from the boat house so that it would pull evenly and reduce the chance of ripping. They attached the chains to the first of the tarps and Simon gave the boatmen the thumbs up for them to get ready.

Jimbo watched as Simon helped get the tarps ready. In truth, he was nervous about what he was about to do. While his exterior made him look as stoic as ever, inside he worried for the aftermath of what the SHIRT was going to do. But he pushed it out of his mind when he caught Amber's signal out of the corner of his eye.
He nodded in agreement and lifted himself onto his hind legs. He reached down and flipped pressed the middle of a device that looked like a belt attached to the bottom of the SHIRT. The SHIRT turned on silently, radiating a pulsating stream of lights that coursed between the fibers of the SHIRT like strands of muscles. Jimbo grunted and walked over to the first whale's head. Simon joined him and nodded in approval before waving his arms and shouting over the crowd.

"Alright everyone!! Tarps go under head to tail. One part at a time, nice and slow!! On the count of three, were going to lift and pull the tarps under!"
Jimbo's breathing began to grow steadier as he took in deep breaths and released them. He placed one hand under the whale’s mouth, then placed his shoulder up against it. Finally he placed his other hand on the side of the whales head and gave it a pat, before nodding to Simon.
"ONE......TWO.............THREE!!!!!"

It was a flurry of motion. Jimbo's feet dug into the sand beneath him and his shoulders bulged under the SHIRT which began to pulsate even faster now. Just like when he and Simon where in the gym, Jimbo took a deep breath as he lifted. Slowly at first, the head of the whale lifted until it had risen enough for Simon and the volunteers to quickly toss the tarp under the whales head. Jimbo released his breath as he slowly lowered the whales head onto the tarp which began to crunch beneath it.
Simon smiled and looked over to Jim.
"Good?"
Jim gave him a thumbs up and began heading for the next section of whale.

~~~~~~~

Jim and the other volunteers continued lifting and moving tarps more quickly after the first. Jim found that the back end of the whale was not near as heavy as the front, and Simon was able to actually help him without the SHIRT, prolonging its usefulness for the other whales. When the pair set the tail of the whale down on the last tarp, Simon shouted again over the cheers of completing the first task.
"ALRIGHT!!! Grab an edge of a tarp, and when the boat starts moving, help drag the tarp. As soon as it’s free back into the water, drag your tarp to the next whale and get set up. We are on a time limit here people, so let’s move!!!"

SilverFlight , Lioness075 , Flutterby , deer , Bolts , Killerclown

 

[Flutterby]

Beth set the cannon against her body so that she could wipe the water from her eyes a little more. Now, she was glad that the disguise team had pulled her hair halfway back. Her blue eyes studied Strong as she approached the last few feet, prepared for a tongue-lashing of some sort for falling over with the no-doubt expensive tech. Instead, she offered to help her stabilize the crazy gun.
Beth smiled a little, and nodded. "Yeah, that would be great. This thing is nuts." She released one hand, keeping her hand on the trigger, and made room for Strong to get a hold of it as well.

Things seemed to be going well, with the water stream from the cannon and the lines of people, and the vet team. Things got even better when boats appeared on the horizon. Totus was sitting on one of the privately owned ones, puffing himself up proudly for recruiting two whole boats on his own. When they pulled up to the beach, he hopped off the railing and into the sky, spiraling upward to get a view of what was going on.

In what was now a very coordinated effort, Simon and Jimbo were getting whales on tarps to be towed backt o sea, while the vet team kept an eye on those waiting, and the rest helped keep the whales from drying out. He hadn't caught sight of the civet, Agent Jim and his lion, or Barry and BB. They probably had their own jobs, but he felt a flicker of uncertainty at the idea of missing team members. At least he still had eyes on Beth.

 

[SilverFlight]

The smile Alec gave Xiao at her response was adorable, and was quickly replaced by a teasing look, "Dr. Ambrose wasn't that good."
He couldn't hide the pink creeping over the bridge of his nose however.
deer

As the first whale came down on the tarp there was a frantic signaling for the boat to start pulling.
"Ok everyone! Lean your weight in!" Alec called and he grabbed a chain and began to pull with the boat. Other joined and soon there was a large team of people, each finding a place on the chains to help pull.

Amber braced the canon against her body, pressing close to Beth to try and split the weight of it. She was watching the whale now on the tarp. It didn't seem to be moving.
"Pull harder!" Alec cried, he was replaced soon after by a larger, stronger man and tried not to feel bad about it as he stepped aside. Pride mattered less than saving the whales.
Amber paused in thought. "I have an idea Beth. If we angle the canon down, maybe we can create enough of a wave to float the whale just enough to let the team drag it out. We'll need all our strength. You ready?"
Flutterby

Meanwhile Alec, no being able to keep still ran to the next whale. He pressed the device into the animal's skin, feeling it jerk with the pinch of the needle. He waited only a moment, and then swore colourfully. "Jimbo! This one's gone critical! We need to move it now!"
zCrookedz

More boats were trailing in and these had their own tarps and chains. They threw them over board as they backed into the shallows, waiting for the volunteers to grab them and line them up.

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Manjano	Companion: Falarion
Manjano's Attire: Red-Brown Hair Dye, Dark Green Eye Contacts, Maroon Suit, Black Shirt, Black Dress Shoes	Falarion's Attire: Dark Brown Eye Contacts, Dark Orange Fur Dye, Black Fur Dye on Mane and Legs, Cream Fur Dye Underneath Snout and on Belly and Tail
Location: Singapore Hotel Lobby
Tagged: zCrookedz (Simon and Jimbo), Flutterby (Beth and Totus), SilverFlight (Calista, Amber, Alec, and Duik), Bolts (BB and Barry), Killerclown (Jim and Artemis), deer (Xiao Hui and Laohu)

Just as Manjano had heard Beth cry out, he tensed and got ready to run to her aid. Alas, Amber beat him to it and he ended up standing on the beach unsure of what to do next.

Disliking having nothing in particular to do, Manjano scowled slightly and turned away to rejoin the bucket line. Before he could take a step though, Duik came out of nowhere and bumped into him. Luckily, it was not a hard enough hit to throw off his balance, but Manjano still stumbled backwards slightly.

Raising an eyebrow, Manjano crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at Duik, who had his mouth full with a laundry bag. Manjano could only assume it was full of towels from the hotel. Sighing, he dropped his arms and took the bag from Duik before muttering, "Thanks." Turning away, he walked up to the crowd of people and began passing out towels to anyone who still lacked one. All in all, Manjano still disliked this situation and was uncomfortable with the idea of their personas being ruined by their whale rescue.

Meanwhile, Falarion was beyond ecstatic to be running towels to those on the beach. More so because he loved running, but also because he knew he would have to be more quiet and serious soon enough. He really hated his persona that Manjano had given him and hated the fact that Amber and Calista had approved of it. What had he done wrong to upset everyone?

Soon the Coast Guard and civilian boats all arrived en masse and both Manjano and Falarion stopped what they were doing to watch the scene unfold. Falarion joined Manjano's side and sat down, trying to catch his breath after all of the running. Manjano rubbed the back of his neck, as he wondered if Beth was okay, but was unsure if he should approach her right now with everything going on.

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra Sinciato	Companion: Luness
Leandra's Attire: Dirty Blonde Hair Dye, Hazel Eye Contacts, Khaki Traveler's Jacket, Cream T-Shirt, Khaki Pants, Cream Tennis Shoes	Luness' Attire: Crimson Feather Dye, Dark Orange Eye Contacts
Location: Singapore Hotel Lobby
Tagged: deer (Xiao Hui and Laohu), SilverFlight (Amber, Calista, Alec, and Duik), zCrookedz (Simon and Jimbo), Flutterby (Beth and Totus), Bolts (BB and Barry), Killerclown (Jim and Artemis)

Frowning at Xiao Hui's attempt to soothe her, Leandra was going to reply, but realized there were more important concerns to attend to right now than her own feelings. Sighing, she tried to stand up straighter and focus on saving the whales. She felt more concern for the kidnapped animals, especially since they were to be bonded with someone eventually, but the rescue plan was in motion now so she had to do her part.

When Alec asked them if they knew what they were doing, Leandra immediately frowned while Xiao Hui replied smartly. Seeing the two lovebirds go back and forth a bit, Leandra groaned and felt relief when they moved on to the beach. Along the way, she muttered to herself, "Being the third wheel is so much fun. Why did I ever think it wouldn't be?"

Leaving Alec to fiddle with his machines and whatnot, Leandra paused to watch everything unfolding around her. It seemed rather chaotic, but the whales were being taken care of and now boats were arriving to aid in getting the whales back into the ocean. All in all, Leandra felt rather useless in the situation and she soon found herself joining her brother's side, as the twins watched everything.

When she realized she was no longer needed on bucket duty, Luness circled over the beach until she sighted Leandra. Alighting on Leandra's shoulder, Luness immediately felt her companion's discontent, but knew better than to question it in public. Instead, she nuzzled Leandra's cheek and quietly began humming to her in a vain attempt to soothe her.

 

[Flutterby]

Beth had broke a sweat now, which was really uncomfortable in a soaked business suit. An ache had developed at the top of her shoulders. But boats were beginning to line up for each whale, tossing chains and tarps to get them back where they belonged.
Watching the first whale be lifted on to a tarp, in a segmented way that was similar to how she would handle large game, was impressive. She knew a lot of it was the SHIRT, but Jimbo's natural strengths had to be pretty significant for it to even work. Beth knew gorillas were strong, but it was different to watch one hoist the head of a massive whale.
While the whale on the tarp, all that was left to do was pull it far enough out into the water. The pulling started. And the whale didn't budge.
Beth glanced at Amber, wondering if she noticed the lack of motion, and was glad when the agent was already suggesting a fix.
Beth made sure her footing was solid, took a breath, and then nodded.
"Ready.. Moving.. now." Carefully, with no small amount of effort, Beth helped Amber aim the cannon to help lift the whale.
SilverFlight

Totus moved lower in the sky, careful to avoid the splashing and falling water. His plummage was not to be wetted, if he could help it. He started to help by moving the ends of chains further up the beach, but he was mostly making up tasks for himself while he waited for Beth to be done swimming.

 

[zCrookedz]

Jimbo and Simon were heaving and pulling as much as they could with the rest of the others on the corners of the tarp. It was slow going and unfortunately at the rate they were going the whales did not stand much of a chance. Simon glanced over at Jimbo, who had begun to reach down towards the belt section of the S.H.I.R.T to power it on.
"Jim no. We can move the whale without the shirt once we get it started. Besides, you'll drain the battery before we get to the others. Not to mention what kind of pain you'll be in."

Jimbo gritted his teeth and grunted as he lifted his edge of the tarp again as another wave of pulling began.
It seemed impossible, as the whale inched itself closer and closer to the water. Just when it all seemed like it was for not, Jimbo and Simon looked up as another blast of water ran up the beach and landed before the whale instead of on it. Jimbo could see the plan, even as Simon readied himself to yell for Beth to aim higher.
"Everyone go NOW!!"

With a chorus of hefty grunts and shouts, the tarp team heaved once more along with the sound of a boat engine whirring. Finally, the whale began to slide down the beach towards the water.
There was shouting and whooping coming from all over the beach as the first whale made itself into the waves and raised its head and tail in joyous relief. The noise nearly drowned out the sound of Alec's distressed yelling which turned Jimbo and Simon away from the crowd. Simon frowned as Jimbo began lumbering across the sand to the next whale. He placed both his pinkies in the corners of his mouth and blew hard. With a sharp, ear splitting whistle, the crowd turned towards him.
"We''ll celebrate when they are all safe and sound! Lets move on to the next!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a beautiful sort of rhythm to the next hour on the beach. Alec, Leandra and Xiao moving from whale to whale checking their status and keeping an eye on their conditions. Beth and Amber keeping each whale cool and wet while Jimbo and Simon rallied the tarp team to get the whales prepped for moving with as much speed and delicacy as they could. Then finally, the entire team coming together when the whale was ready for moving and each whales sliding back down the beach into the waves. By the last whale, the tide had already begin to come back in, so the distance to get them back into the water was lessened a bit. None the less, as the whale slid across the sand and into the waves of the ocean, all of the civilians on the beach sang out in a glorious uproar as the creature wiggles its way back into the deeper water to rejoin the rest of pod that had already escaped.

Simon and Jimbo both collapsed on the sandy beach, their chests heaving up and down through their broad smiles. Through the celebrations, many of the tarp teams came up to the pair and slapped them on the shoulders in congratulations. Simon smiled, still trying to catch his breath, but his eyes wandered over to his partner. Stoic as ever, Jimbo merely let the corner of his mouth lift as he sat there on the sand and the crowd thanked and congratulated him. But Simon new what was going on. The S.H.I.R.T. had drained out during the last part of the last whale. He and Jimbo had to hoist together in one last giant push to get the whale high enough to slide the tarp under it. Jim was starting to feel the aftereffects of enhanced muscular stimulation, or whatever Nigel had called it. There was no telling how long it would last, but the best way to describe it was what it might feel like if you were being burned alive underneath your skin.

Simon lifted himself to his feet and made his way over to Jimbo, extending his hand towards him. The gorilla smiled and grabbed hold of his wrist, and wobbly pulled himself to his back feet and knuckles.
"Go inside and get that thing off of you. I'll be right behind you."
Jimbo nodded and then glanced over towards Amber and nodded.
"Let Amber know that we won't be getting the deposit back on our room. In fact, there may be some compensations that need to be made to the hotel after this trip."
Slowly, Jimbo turned and trudged across the sand back towards the hotel, leaving Simon there concerned for the structural integrity of their room after this mission.

SilverFlight , Lioness075 , Flutterby , deer , Bolts , Killerclown

 

[SilverFlight]

Duik was on his back in the sand. It was a good thing the dye was not water soluble. The surf lapped at his mane in the best way. All the whales had been rescued. Every single one, and now they were heading as a pod back out into open ocean, the spray from their breath shooting up in great plumes as they chased the horizon.
Alex cheered with all the rest. His shirt sleeves were rolled, soaked and stained with sand. His hair was a salty bird's nest but he was beaming brighter than the sun that had begun to set in front of them.
"We did it." He breathed, too exhausted to yell anything at this point. He flopped down beside his companion and began to scratch the hyena's hairy belly.
"Oh yeah, that's good. Hey Alec, I'll be putting a massage on our tab kay?"
"Buddy, you're going to make that two." He replied, and lay back in the warm sand.
"Good work guys!" He called to his two honorary vets. "Dinner's on me."
Lioness075 deer

Their plan had worked. Amber could scarcely believe it. It had been a long shot, but the power of the canon was definitely not to be underestimated. Nigel had out done himself. This was exactly what they needed to impress their buyers in Feral. She was soaked to the bone, her thin shirt clinging to her frame, tendrils of ebony hair dripping down her face, but she was also grinning ear to ear, caught up in the elation built by the cheering crowds.
Hefting the canon she trudged through waist deep water back to the shore, setting the device down slowly and motioning for on of their watch attendants to remove it. Suddenly she was swarmed by celebrating volunteers, hugging her and patting her back. Others also went for Beth ( Flutterby ) . The air then was so filled with joy and accomplishment Amber found herself hugging them back, complete strangers she had only met that day. It was a good thing Calista wasn't on the beach or she would never have let her live it down.
All of a sudden she was right beside Simon, having been swept up by the mass of people heading back to shore and towards the buildings that lined it. In one brief moment of aberration, Amber threw her arms about him and hugged him tight.
zCrookedz

 

[Flutterby]

Beth breathed a massive sigh of relief when the whale finally started to make real progress down to the water. They just might actually pull it off, contrary to everything she had thought when they started the insane process.
As the final whale was pulled past them into deeper water, Beth released her grip on the trigger of the cannon, and it sputtered to a stop. She glanced at Amber, and realized the agent would take the cannon entirely if she let go. So she did.
Strong trudged it back up to the beach, but Beth hung back for a moment, turning and watching as the whales breached a few last times, and then disappeared entirely from sight. She took a deep breath, and then waded through the water to get back to the shore. Her whole body ached with exertion and cold, but she couldn't help but smile as she looked at the beach, with deep trenches in the sand where the whales had been pulled out.
As Beth's feet hit dry land, the crowd fell in around her, cheering and reaching out to touch her, hug her. She laughed, out of the surprise of it, and just.. allowed it to happen. Total strangers received hugs, handshakes, high-fives.
Finally, they seemed to lose interest in the women who had been in the water, and began to disperse back to the city.
Beth, with a glance at Amber's back, plopped down onto the sand a few yards away from where Alec and Duik had chosen to lay. She only sat, not wanting to get more sand and salt in the fancy hair extensions she was wearing, and waited patiently for her owl.

Totus had long since gone back to the sky- as they got closer to the end, the crowd had become harder to predict, and he wasn't quite tall enough to be safe on the sand. Beth arrived back on the sand, and then disappeared into the crowd. She reappeared, as the crowd turned and went back about their day, taking a seat in the sand. She looked, quite frankly, like a drowned rat. Her business attire clung to her awkwardly- it looked far too large, even though it had been perfectly fitted before she ventured into the waves. Shoes and blazer were gone. Hair was drenched and half undone. He could see a bit of kelp clinging to the edge of her shirt, which had gotten untucked near one hip.
Totus could tell from the slope in her shoulders that she was tired and cold now. But when he landed, she had her head leaned back toward the sky, toward the sun, and was smiling peacefully.
She didn't seem to notice when he landed, but greeted him by saying, "Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, dumpling."
Totus shifted his feathers at the sound of the pet name, glancing to see if anyone was close enough to hear it, before saying, "There are certainly worse ways." His tone was softer than usual- and he was pushing all kinds of apologetic feelings into her brain.
Beth had all but forgotten about their spat back at HQ, but watching her stand in chilly salt water with a high-powered cannon for actual hours to help a bunch of whales.. well, it had begun to eat at Totus that he had demanded they take the mission that didn't involved helping animals directly.
She chose not to say anything, knowing he would feel that she was no longer angry. He blinked, and their quarrel was over as quickly as it had started. And probably just in time- their real work would start soon.
She should probably go up and change again.

 

[Bolts]

As the others did the heavy work of lifting and saving the whales, Barry waited patiently upon the roof of a building further in the city. He scanned the neighboring buildings and streets for any possible activity that went against the flow of every day city patters. While the Feral were cunning, not knowing The Watch was right on top of them gave him hope they might slip up. Minutes passed quickly and soon dragged on. What felt like ages soon got to the mute who rubbed his eyes between blinks. Not enough time to miss activity but just enough to refocus. He hoped the whales were doing well and the team was more than capable of getting them to safety. In the back of his mind, he felt he should have interjected about a task but something deep down made him venture off just in case he could catch the Feral red handed. Perhaps he wasn't given a task because he was mute, or was just entrusted to go about the situation in his own way, but the nagging feeling in his mind wouldn't go away. Enough time passed that a diversion was used up. He could tell that city activity was normalizing as citizens began making their way through streets and traffic resumed. While it may have been a waste of time, it was better safe than sorry and he hoped the others understood if they were to inquire about his whereabouts. Packing up his gear, he carefully made his way down the fire escape as to not draw attention to himself. With a huff, he blended into the crowd, still keeping an eye out for shady dealings.

BB had been racing all around the city, zipping between buildings and houses alike. Without missing a beat, she would yell "HEY BUCKETS! STAT! WHALES GOTTA GET BACK HOME DON'T YOU WATCH THE NEWS?!" It got the job done for most people who didn't have the language barrier. While some where hesitant, the constant annoyance came in handy for getting people on their feet. Before she knew it, people had gone to help the whales in numbers she dreamed of. She perched on a nearby roof ledge and rested for the moment. "WOO! Who knew being so active would tucker a little birdie out. Guess flying around the facilities didn't train me for the real deal. I'm going to have to put in a complaint to the higher ups about that. What kind of organization skimps out on training. We got whales to save here people! I should have a six pack by now. For shame on their methods of training..." She looked around the roof and shook her head. "Yikes, And here I am talking to myself. Now what kind of organization let me into their ranks? One with good tastes apparently!" With the quick break to catch her breath, she fluttered into the sky again. As she scanned the area, she hit up most everywhere that would be able to help including a few outliers. She started to jolt back to the beach where she got to witness the last of the whales being rescued by the team and others there to help.

"Great work everyone! I couldn't do it without you. No really, I can't lift to save my life. I bet those aquatic mammals are happy to be back in the deep blue sea. Now... Where did those hunky fishermen go to?" She said zipping around the group before launching into the sky to get a clear vantage point. Surly enough, she spotted her companion making his way to the beach. Quickly diving towards him, she muttered incoherent words. Though she fell fast, she managed to swoop at just the right time to rest in his pocket. Unfazed, Barry continued to walk though his indifferent look turned happy at both BB being near and the Whales successfully rescued. Fighting the current of people leaving the beach, he raised a hand in greetings after being separated for a while. He noticed the team either being tuckered out or showing signs of affection and tilted his head. He wondered if even bringing up the fact he came out empty handed would be helpful or not at this time. Surly a quick group meet would happen shortly after such an event. He wasn't even sure anyone noticed his absence during the big stressful moments. Either way, he had nothing to say. He simply sat in the beach, waiting for everyone to head back to the hotel or regroup at the beaching.

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Manjano	Companion: Falarion
Manjano's Attire: Red-Brown Hair Dye, Dark Green Eye Contacts, Maroon Suit, Black Shirt, Black Dress Shoes	Falarion's Attire: Dark Brown Eye Contacts, Dark Orange Fur Dye, Black Fur Dye on Mane and Legs, Cream Fur Dye Underneath Snout and on Belly and Tail
Location: Singapore Hotel Beach
Tagged: zCrookedz (Simon and Jimbo), Flutterby (Beth and Totus), SilverFlight (Calista, Amber, Alec, and Duik), Bolts (BB and Barry), Killerclown (Jim and Artemis), deer (Xiao Hui and Laohu)

As the rescue operation came to its conclusion and the whales swam back out to sea, Manjano and Falarion both let out a sigh of relief. Manjano had not imagined that they would actually accomplish getting such large creatures back into the ocean, but Alec had proved himself right in the end. Nonetheless, Manjano still felt as if they had wasted precious time for their main mission. Now they all were going to need to clean up again and probably need to get their costumes cleaned by the hotel. That was going to take even more of their precious time and they could end up having to wait until tomorrow to finally start meeting with the Ferals for weapons. Manjano hoped that the rescue team would still go out and attempt to find some clues before the day ended. They could still do something since their costumes could be a bit dirty and it could be easily explained.

Seeing everyone beginning to gather, Falarion leapt to his paws and began bounding across the beach towards Beth. His ears flopped with each bound and as he got close to Beth, he carefully stopped without sending sand all over her. Grinning, Falarion barked, "Beth! You were amazing! That was so cool and amazing! And how did you do that? Was the cannon really hard to use? It looked hard to use."

Hearing Falarion's rapid-fire questions, Manjano groaned and then began walking across the beach towards Beth. Just as he wandered off to join Falarion, Leandra and Luness were both left standing by themselves, but neither seemed to entirely notice this.

While there was no way to know if any Ferals had bothered getting close to this rescue operation, they had to play it safe and Falarion was supposed to be a mute. Feeling bad when he joined Beth, Totus, and Falarion, Manjano sighed before muttering, "Fal, you're not supposed to be talking this much...or at all, remember? Just...at least be really quiet when you speak out here."

Hearing Manjano chastise him, Falarion immediately tucked his tail and sat down looking rather deflated. "Yeah, okay..."

Furrowing his brows at this, Manjano then looked to Beth, feeling unsure of what to do now. He really did feel bad making Falarion have to act like the opposite of himself, but he did not want to risk their mission going awry either.

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra Sinciato	Companion: Luness
Leandra's Attire: Dirty Blonde Hair Dye, Hazel Eye Contacts, Khaki Traveler's Jacket, Cream T-Shirt, Khaki Pants, Cream Tennis Shoes	Luness' Attire: Crimson Feather Dye, Dark Orange Eye Contacts
Location: Singapore Hotel Beach
Tagged: deer (Xiao Hui and Laohu), SilverFlight (Amber, Calista, Alec, and Duik), zCrookedz (Simon and Jimbo), Flutterby (Beth and Totus), Bolts (BB and Barry), Killerclown (Jim and Artemis)

Raising an eyebrow when both Manjano and Falarion went off to join Beth and Totus, Leandra huffed and muttered to Luness, "Well, that's fine. I didn't want to hang out with my brother or his companion anyways."

Chortling, Luness shook her head in an amused manner, but otherwise did not reply.

As everyone began relaxing and the whales spewed mist as some kind of farewell, Leandra found herself relaxing slightly. It was a beautiful scene watching the whales swim out towards the sunset and back to their home. She certainly felt better having helped them, but remembering their mission had her anxiety skyrocketing again. They had just wasted time on these whales and they still had no clues as to the whereabouts of the kidnapped bonding animals!

Almost frantic, Leandra turned to go and harass Alec about this, but paused when she heard his compliment. Almost immediately, her face gave away her reaction to a dinner with Alec and Xiao Hui: ew. Being the third wheel for an entire dinner in which Alec was too bashful to say anything right or even know what to say...would be a bit of a disaster in Leandra's opinion. Maybe she could cash in her free dinner at the hotel instead. She always wanted to enjoy a dinner in her own hotel room.

Blinking, Leandra then remembered her concern and Luness swayed on her shoulder with all of the mixed and suddenly-changing emotions. "Dear, slow down. We still have tomorrow to look for the animals."

Sighing, Leandra still made her way towards Alec. Once she was near him, she rubbed the back of her neck and said, "So, while this was awesome and all, and we definitely helped save those whales...we still have no clues as to where the kidnapped animals are. They could have moved the animals while we were out here helping the whales."

Knowing that everyone would just want to relax after this event, Leandra had a feeling that her thoughts were going to be taken the wrong way. Feeling Leandra's growing anxiety, Luness leaned down to rub her soft cheek against Leandra's and hummed quietly. It's okay, dear. We still have time. They aren't gone because we spent today rescuing whales. They may just be in a different clinic now.

"But we don't know that, Lune!" Leandra blinked in surprise when she realized she had accidentally responded to Luness' thoughts out loud. Looking down at her feet now, Leandra added, "Um, sorry for that outburst."

 

[zCrookedz]

Simon watched as Jimbo returned to the hotel room in a somber mood. Simon would be right be hind him shortly after he helped get the beach squared away, thanked the boat captian's and the other volunteers for their help and of course followed up with Amber and Calista before the mission truly began. Simon stopped himself as his thoughts returned to their actual mission. He was supposed to be playing the role of a body guard, not some tourist that helped out and then stuck around to thank captains for their services and cleaned up. They had already exposed themselves to the risk of being caught by Feral agents and any more time spent on the beach further risked that exposure. His eyes began to surf through the crowd looking for team mates, the first one he found being Barry striding across the sand calm as always. Simon breathed with relief, it was a good sign. If their scout was returning in no distress or rush, then they hadn't been spied upon during the whale rescue.

Simon was able to search for the others with a little more comfort now, finding Alec and Duik relaxing in the sand near Leandra and Luness, Manjano and Falaron with Beth and Totus, and Amber...
Simon had seen Amber run out to the water to help Beth with the canon, and he remembered seeing her there with Beth as the last whale had slipped into the waves before he and Jimbo had collapsed to catch their breath. Immediately Simon thoughts flashed back to Amber's unconscious form against a snowy background being taken away at the bottom of a cliff to part unknown. His head swiveled a little faster than normal to all the faces around him, until he felt a pair of arms wrap around his bare skin making him jump a little. Amber had found him first, and in a bit of a shocking turn of events, was smiling and hugging Simon tight. He hadn't seen her smile like this in the last two years since being reunited with The Watch, and Simon guessed it had been even longer before that since Amber had been so joyous. Maybe even since the last time the pair stood on this very same beach together.

Simon seized the opportunity, and Amber, in his big arms and begin smiling and laughing. Simon felt as if the world, for just a moment, had stopped with all its worries and troubles just so he could enjoy the warmth and affection from Amber. The moment passed as the world began to turn again and Simon released her. He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat to help try and clear any awkwardness.
"I uhm, that was great team work. From everybody. I think even Darcy would be proud of us deep down somewhere."
His eyes flicked from Amber to the hotel, where he saw Jimbo had stopped by the window and was smiling out at the two of them. He turned and disappeared into the hotel at Simon's mental prodding, and Simon's eyes flicked back to Amber.
"Jim's gonna be in a bit of pain when he gets that thing off of him. Maybe an hour and we should both be ready to get back to the mission at hand. How about you?"
SilverFlight , Lioness075 , Flutterby , deer , Bolts