"No, no, I have a real name. It's Makoto. Makoto Kino."

Somehow, when I read the description of Kilovolt, I knew it was her.

Thanks for "importing" one of my favorite people.

Hopefully there is someone there to hear it...

> Geoff Depew reached into his coat and pulled it out. "Hello?"

Whew.

> "It sounds like it beats hanging upside down by my ankle.

I'd bet just about everyone except Logan would probobly agree with that thought!

> There had to be a way out of
> Logan's snare without breaking any bones.

Given that its Logan, he of the unbreakable bones, I'd take that as a given. Besides, he's not Batman and that whole Zogger thing.

> "It's one of a kind," Diana told him. "My people have little use
> for spacecraft, since they don't leave our ancient homeland. Our finest
> craftswomen built this for me when I decided to go to New Avalon."

So the invisible Jet gets upgraded to the invisible spaceship. Makes sense given the setting.

> "Well," he explained, "when we met, one of my first thoughts was
> that you looked like a statue of a Greek goddess. I guess I wasn't as
> far off as I thought."

And so we show that WW's origin doesnt need any tweaking to fit into the UF verse!

> Only one mortal man has ever come here and been allowed to leave
> alive, and that was only because of the impression he made on my
> mother."
> "When was that?"
> Diana pulled off her headset. "1943."

Gotta love the experiance an older woman brings to the party, though! 1943. Hmm, ok, there's a WWII link right there. And here I thoguht it was Red Skull... but RS is the sort of slime the Amazons wouldnt let leave alive if they could.

> He passed her the monocular. "See the square impressions in the
> marble? Landing gear size, and looks like some hydraulic fluid. I
> didn't see any blaster burn marks, though. That would mean... stunners.
> This wasn't a clean-up op. They took everyone on the island captive...
> which means they wanted them alive."

Thats... not smart of them IMO; seems to me that there is nothing harder to keep prisoner than an single Amazon, let alone over a thousand of them. One wonders what they hope to achieve, other than setting themselves up for a whupping!

> Back in 1943, Steve left something here. He'd
> helped save us from a group of Nazi sorcerers and Fallschirmjaeger, and
> we asked him for something to commemorate the day.

Given that its Amazons, its probobly not what I'm thinking at the moment.

> My sisters may... may not return, so we need to collect
> it. Make certain it doesn't fall into -their- hands."

Hmm. Ok, its definatly a thing, and something its not a good idea to let earthgov have. hmm. We havent seen Cap's Sheild on screen of late, have we?

> Hanging on that wall was a badge-shaped shield. The top of it was
> painted blue, with three white stars; the rest of it was painted in red
> and white vertical stripes.

Well, Darn, I keep visualizing the round version they gave him in the Avengers era.
If I understand this right, though, this one looks more like:
http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/8012/caponefz6.png?x

> Geoff Depew drew his guns and stepped into the room. "Excuse me,"
> he said in a cool voice, "I'm afraid you're part of an International
> Police investigation. Please divest yourself of your weapons. I need
> to ask you a few questions."

Heh. Heh. Heh. This is one of the things I love about UF Geoff. He can do cringe worthy stuff like this and MAKE IT WORK.

> "Ya heard him, Mag. He's one of those IPO pukes. Following their
> rules of engagement. Which just means it's easier to WASTE HIM!"

oooo.... I wouldnt count on that. In fact, to quote Stienbeck "You shouldnt a aught to have done dat..."

> "Be smart," he warned. "You're alive right now because I didn't
> feel like firing two more shots. I still have bullets."

Well, that and dead men dont interrogate well; not to mention that you seem to have moved beyond the shoot them all and let Odin sort them out mindset Big Fire saddled UF you with.

> "They have no weapons, and only what they wear. If your sisters
> return, these men can face their justice; if they don't... I'm sure
> they'll be rescued eventually and have to report what happened."
> Diana nodded. "Acceptable." Then, sparing a moment's venomous
> glare for both men, she told them, "You are lucky Agent Depew is here."

Oh, I dunno Diana. They might actually be better off if your Sisters get them than their superiors...

Love the travelouge of wretched hives of Villany, too. Somehow gives it just the right touch.

> "At any point, MiniPax could come
> in here on a loyalty sweep, and all these people would fail in one way
> or another. So they drink and dance and make merry, for tomorrow..."
> He left off with a shrug.

And I'd expect that the only reason they dont, is as you've pointed out a few paragraphs back, sometimes they need them too.

> "I hate karaoke," Diana complained, as a drunken Centauri performed
> (very badly) a version of 'We Are The Champions'.

And I can't blame you that much, as I've run across my share of cringe worthy performers at Karaoke dos.

> "She's into superstitions
> Black cats and voodoo dolls
> I feel a premonition
> That girl's gonna make me fall

Heh... and UF Geoff continues to show his believe in that old commercial jingle: "WhatEVER you do, do it well!"

> "Been a long time, Hellbringer."
> Geoff shook his head. "I don't use that name any more."

Hellbringer. Did UF you get that monicer from Big Fire, or during your crusade against them?

> She watched the pain cross Geoff's face. "In a manner of speaking
> it is. Hellbringer," he said slowly, "was my operational name when I
> was with my former employers. On assignment, that's who I was. The
> Chief knows; I'm pretty sure that Captain Rogers and Deputy Chief
> Daniels know. As for her... she's an infiltration bioroid, part of a
> team, formerly Earth Alliance deniable and expendable ops. They broke
> their loyalty programming and hung out their shingle here. If anyone can
> find where the rest of the Themyscirans are, it's them."

Ah, and here we get the answers. Yeah, I can see Big Fire naming an assasin that, it fits with their terror tactics. And his unnamed contact just proves the point G made a while ago that why not continue doing what you know your good at? Granted it was about robots who passed Turing, but it still applies here.

> Geoff glanced over. "Minipax. One of the Caesars - I forget which
> one - declared the Pax Romana.

Julius hisownself, I think, which makes Uncle J even a better codename.

> "Much less of a feeling someone's going to knife me. The old motto
> gets taken too seriously by some people."
> Gothic nodded. "You should know," she said, "that someone has sold
> the fact you're here. There's a few people who remember the last time
> you were in town."
> Geoff groaned.

Somedays you just cant take yourself anywhere, Eh? Then again, given how you've set up this town, it doesnt surprise me that one or more players around here would be gunning for you for any number of reasons.

> They hit the roof to the tune of gunfire in B major.

I dunno wiether to laugh myself silly or groan at that one, Geoff.

> "Yeah, airstrip's that DUCK!" He grabbed her and pulled her to the
> side, just as a pair of micromissiles blew past her, hitting the
> billboard across the street.

Sounds like the situation has just dropped in the Quacker there... good thing you thought to call ahead for what backup you could get.

> The other man, a thin Japanese in short-sleeved dress shirt, dark
> slacks and tie, bowed like the Neo-Tokyo salaryman he resembled. "We
> are the Black Lagoon Trading Company. Balalaika hired us to get you to
> the airport! Please get in the car so we can move quickly!"

Sounds kinda like an established group of Shadowrunners. Yours or someone elses?

> The pink Caddy slewed around, knocking over the full-armor borg
> sitting by Diana's craft's door.

Ah. so the invisble part doesnt work while its shut down. Makes sense, otherwise you could have one heck of a time finding it later...

And a great look into what makes UF Geoff tick. Some might say that he's just replaced a slavish devotion to Big Fire with an equally obsessive devotion to the IPO; But someone like this can also be more valuable than his weight in any monetary system you'd care to name. One who knows both sides, but doesnt dip across to the 'dark' unless its the only way to get the job done, and devoted enough to be willing to pay the price for it when it comes due.

> Geoff, rummaging around in his duffle bag, froze, blinked, and
>turned to stare at her. The Amazon princess gave him back a "... what?"

an Incarnation of Diana with a sense of humor??? RUN AWAY!!!!!

> Diana gave him a look and said, "No, I was going to slap one and
> then she'd slap two Amazons and they'd slap two Amazons and so on and so
> on."

VFX Note: Divide screen during each "and so on.."

> Psi Corps officers monitored the area, with E(CA)2s
> patrolling.

Now this slipped by me on my first reading, but for some reason I thought E(CA)'s were strictly for Black Omega's use, and that Black Omega didnt exist unless you were one of the few of the Corps that were 'in the know.' Ergo, either Black Omega's actaully behind this and just co opted the place from MiniPax; or they've had enough of a leak that Omega is nowhere near as black as it needs to be to remain effective; or third, some other reasoning that I've overlooked entirely.

> They ran up the stairs and turned right. Blast doors slid open at
> their approach, then slid closed behind, as they ran through the first
> quadrant's section. The last door on the row didn't respond, with the
> result of Geoff bouncing off it.

Kabong! Makes sense that the PTB would twig to that and overide the tags sooner or later, adding the sound effect in my head (at least) injected a nice touch of whups to break up the building tension of the scene.

> She swept wet hair out of her eyes. "... I take back every moment
> of thinking you were crazy."
> "Well, mind where you stow them, you might need them again later."

crazy like a fox, more like. Besides, if it works, its not really Crazy, is it?

> It wasn't just fire. It ate away his skin, burrowed into his
> muscles, charred at his bones. It was hideously agonizing, the kind of
> pain that kills just by existing in the human body.

IOW, the sort of pain one feels after having thrown yourself in front of a flamethrower to save a comrade...

> Geoff pulled himself to his feet. "It's a Psi Corps technique.
> It kicks in the fear center and makes you hallucinate something that
> scares you. I'll have to work on that."

Developed by a particulary Psychotic Psy cop named Johnathan Crane, I presume?

> It'll be obvious to them now."

What, it wasnt before?

> "So your -plan- was to have them send in troopships?"

Even if it wasnt, Geoff's the type who improvises, adapts, and Overcomes. Its part of the plan NOW.

> With a small smile, Diana said, "You really think you have the
> situation pegged, don't you?"

Pegged? No. Last time he thought that he had the roof fall out from under him. But the anylical part of his brain shows the adaptablity to changing conditions that made him such a great assasin once, and an even better... Well, sure the P stands for Police, but theres something about Geoff that makes me think more of Bond, James Bond than Jim Brass...

> "Did you just whack that guy up on his own blip sleepers?"
> Geoff nodded.
> "I think I like you. You're mean to people who deserve it."
> He checked his guns. "Miss Sandsmark, you have absolutely no
> idea."

Oh, now that was just pure win, Geoff. even with the girl wonder/Wonder Girl gag.

> Then she turned to the man
> in the grey jumpsuit. "And this one is the commander of this prison.
> We had thought to leave him alive and well, to face the punishment of
> his superiors, which will certainly be great.

MUAHAHAHAHAHA I can see her Majesty 'GETS IT'. Personally, though, if this yeller bellied varmit was the type who WOULD try something like that, I dont think even Geoff's threat would change his mind.

> "Paying a debt, Polly. Prepare to come aboard." Everyone could
> hear the relief in the voice of Steve Rogers.

CAP TO THE RESCUE!!! but Polly? Ok, its a convenient shortening of Hippolyta, but I bet it drove her absolutly Spare the first time he used it on her!

> Rogers nodded. "I'll with you. This is important, and you're
> going to want someone to watch your back."

I think you dropped a word, probobly go, inbetween I'll and with, here...

> With the important things out of the way, Geoff's mind changed
> gears, leaving him free to ask in a more human tone of voice, "Captain
> Rogers, was that what I think - "

No mistaking it. Earthdome decided to nuke the Island to save it, Geoff.

> I've... " He trailed off, was
> silent for several seconds, and then finished quietly, "... seen them
> before.

And I'm sure that we're not just talking about the Fat Man and Little Boy, either. Come to think of it, didnt you say that the nations got to tossing those lil firecrackers at each other at least once, if not more, in between first contact and the founding of the Earth Alliance?

> they wore not,
> as Geoff had subconsciously envisioned them, metal armor in an ancient
> style; instead, they were dressed in modern IPO-issue tactical gear,
> plundered from lockers aboard the Minuteman 9.

But thats just as likely because their traditional ancient style armor was back on the Island when Earthgov nuked it and they're improvising.

> "What the hell?" the Q-boss blurted out. "Where the bitches come
> from?"
> Steve Rogers said quietly, "He won't leave here alive."

UF-Geoff is right. The competence level of Q Boss seem to be dropping dramatically. And Cap? well.. DUH.

> Earl was a dickhead, and now he's at the
> bottom of a marine cargo crane shaft. Everybody wins.

Cause Earl had to Die... Na nanana NA NA NA...

Jokes aside, I LIKE this cell. I like the idea of a group of agents who's job is to stir up mayhem without using weapons... sort of. Prior to this they've not come off as having the sort of brains to be the sort of threat that the IPO clearly consideres them to be

As they walked toward the ships, Steve Rogers chuckled.
"Geoff Depew, leaving a Big Fire cell operational. I never thought
I'd see the day."

Granted, Geoff would probobly arrest them if they were working against someone other than Earthgov, but while the Enemy of my Enemy is not neccecarily my friend, it doesnt mean I'm gonna help my enemy by taking HIS enemy out unless said enemy starts coming after ME.

> "No, no, I have a real name. It's Makoto. Makoto Kino."

*Shatter*

Lessee, Marty used Serena/Usagi in "Girl who knew to much," Ami had a bit part in NXE, now Makoto. That just leaves Rei and Minako.

> Earth Alliance President Ciaran Ndege

Who? I thought Greely took over as Clark's Toady once Clark got hisself elected to the Federation Senate...

> "Get a security team in here at once!" Ndege ordered. "And get me
> a secure connection to Clark."

but he's clearly just as much of a toady for Clark as Greely is/was/will be...

> "Earthforce got the information on Themyscira from old World War II
> files on the failed Waffen-SS assault there," he went on. "It was dug
> up by a records officer in the Vienna intel center - one Major John
> Smith."
> Steve was silent for a moment; then he shook his head gravely.
> "No. Not John Smith. Johann Schmidt."

A name I do belive should be familiar to all...

> "That was the name the leader of that Tomodachi Nazi op told me to
> tell you. The one who heiled Hitler. Who is he?"

Well Geoff, your about to find out...

> Geoff sucked in breath through his teeth. "The Red Skull," he
> translated. "That's why he said 'heil Hitler' when the Fed Nazis make a
> point of never saying it."

And so we find out the backstory of the UF Red Skull. Although I thought it was that the Germans created RS in response to Cap, not the other way around. Just means I'm probobly the one with his wires crossed though.

Given that all of this appears in an Epilouge, was the RS tie in always part of the plot, or something added at the last minute?

> "Oh, no worries," Geoff replied. "Actually I'm leaving early
> today. If I'm not in Perth by 6:30, Sara'll have my head. Women with
> super-speed hate to be kept waiting at restaurants."

Mm. Carni,,, carni... Howthehoek was that spelled again? and the name? was that Cap's birth name? or the name of the scientst who headed the America project?

And for that matter, when will we actually see them all together as the Senshi, at which point the Duelist, the PPGs, and/or the MKR girls might have some friendly competition. If only Usagi isn't an idea in THIS incarnation. We can only hope. *Goes to hunt down the fic Ami is in (is an unabashed Senshi Mercury fanboy)*

I do have one question though about sticking the Amazons in Cephiro, and it kinda also goes for everyone else that visits - IIRC Gryphon stated that Cephiro is only around 10-15k miles/kilometers across, so around 1/2 the size of Earth. Having a heavy magical representation likely helps, but having any large influx of immigrants is going to put a strain on the local areas surrounding wherever they call home for the short term. Although if this is post-ascension Corwin to the position of Pillar, backed up by full godhood, shouldn't he have the sheer power to cause some expansion to the mini-dimension?

Oh and the (obvious) Black Lagoon references...
I think I actually cringed when I realized where you were going with that. Thankfully the level of 'Unannounced Urban Renewal' that resulted was far, far, less then what I was expecting.

BTW - will we ever see Geoff meet the original UF Batman? Could be...interesting. Bale did do Equilibrium after all.

-Joe-