Open ACME Retro

[Agent Z]

Zack Monaghan had an eventful first week at ACME. He was enrolled in @Jason West's technology class, @Nace Bilby's Firearms class and @Sophie Conrad's Survival Skills class. Surprisingly, this was also a good opportunity for him to get to know the famous @Chase Devineaux. Zack hadn't missed a single lecture and always sat in the front row when he could.

He liked Jason's class, though he felt that the course might have been geared for detectives less experienced with technology than himself. He hoped he could ask his instructor for more advance placement with the older kids, and this field trip would be a good opportunity to prove his skills and get ahead.

On the other hand, Zack thought he would struggle in Nace Bilby's firearms class. But it turned out he really liked looking at all the mechanical components of the guns for the first few classes. He knew when it came to practical skills his aim would never be as good as it was in Call of Duty, but he wasn't the worst in that class, so he felt alright.

Throughout, Chase Devineaux had kept a keen eye on all the Junior Detectives. It felt pretty cool to see him around campus. Zack hadn't seen him perform any of the magic tricks he heard about, but it was a bit hard to get one on one time with Chase. He was either with his buddy @Eugene or there was already a swarm of fan girls and Junior Detectives asking him a bunch of questions.

Today they were all going on a field trip. It was going to be a good chance for him to get to know a few of his peers, since it was difficult to glean anyone's personality from classes alone. Arriving early, the first person he saw was Sophie Conrad.

Kicking up his board just short of her, Zack greeted, "Hey hey! Good morning, Miss Conrad!"

For some reason he knew she would be one of the first instructors at the hangar. She was always punctual in their classes, in an almost obsessive compulsive way. To him, Sophie seemed like the nicest teacher, always warm and welcoming.

"I got you a Dr. Pepper on the way over," He added, presenting her the gift.

 

[Julie Justice]

Turning to @Julie Justice , "What part of Ohio are you from? I'm originally from Detroit. Do you know which of my Technology classes you'll be taking? I have no issue with you taking whichever class you feel is right for you. I was always taught that the day we become unteachable, is the day we die. Someone can learn something from anyone, no matter what age they are."

Julie Justice says to @Jason West,"I am from a small town in Northeast Ohio, east of Cleveland, named Perry after the man who won the Battle of Lake Erie against the British in the War of 1812. The rural road that we live on is also part of the state highway system, so we are probably fairly close to Detroit, but I have never been there."

Julie continues to say,"I appreciate your way of thinking and I agree with it. I'm happy to be here, and learn more. I like technology, and I know just enough to get myself into trouble sometimes. Haha. So it would probably be of your more basic classes with the Junior Detectives. But I'm not sure what the code on my schedule means."

 

[Julie Justice]

Julie was pleased with her performance in @Jason West's Technology Class. She might not have been the best student, but she learned quickly enough, and didn't need too much help from @Jason West or anyone else. She enjoyed the class and got a long fairly well with the the younger Junior Detectives. Today, Julie learned that all the students were going on a field trip, and she couldn't wait to find out where they were going!! So Julie followed everyone to the ACME Airfield!!

 

[Jason West]

After waking up at his mental equivalent of Zero Dark Thirty, Jason hurriedly took a shower and got dressed. His bag for this field trip was already packed and in the trunk of his Mustang.

Dressing was always a bit of a struggle for Jason as he never knew what he wanted to wear even after deciding what he thought he wanted to wear. Finally, Jason settled on a black Puma T-shirt, a pair of tan cargo shorts, and his favorite Puma DriftCat sneakers. He made sure to put his concealed carry holsters on and put the respective weapons in their holsters. Jason was trying something different while on this field trip. He was going to carry his usual Glock 20 but was also going to carry a back up just in case. In a small of the back holster, Jason placed a Kimber Crimson Carry II chambered in .45 ACP. It was one of Jason's favorite handguns besides his Glock. It had enough stopping power with the .45 ACP round but was durable enough that general style of the gun hadn't become outdated in the nearly 75 years it had been produced. Jason had planned this part out the night before when he was packing his bag for this field trip. He had packed a box of ammo for each weapon he was bringing with him in his bag as well as 2 spare magazines for each weapon. Jason gave his apartment one last check to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything before setting the alarm and leaving his apartment.

Jason fired up his Mustang and made his way to the ACME compound. As Jason pulled his car out onto the airfield near the hangar, Jason noticed @Sophie, @Ivy and @Agent Z already there and waiting for the others to arrive. Jason quickly backed his car in alongside the hangar and began unloading his bag as well as breakfast for everyone. Walking up towards the small crowd that had begun to form, "I hope everyone likes bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches and orange juice. I made sure to bring enough for everyone" Jason said. "I see someone else had the same thought I did for your drink choice this morning. Here's another Dr. Pepper for you @Sophie. I figured you would much rather it over orange juice." Jason said to Survival Instructor. Jason unlocked the hangar using the key he had procured from @Eugene so that everyone could have a place to sit and eat while he was checking the flight cases to make sure everything he was going to need for the trip was there.

 

[Julie Justice]

Usually, Julie was not a "morning person" but when she had heard earlier in the week that there was already talk of all of the students going on a field trip, she had made sure that she was ready to go. She got to the airfield in plenty of time. @Jason West Julie really liked her classmates, and @Jason West and the other instructors at ACME seemed nice, too. She was excited to find out where they were going!!

 

[Sophie]

The younger Monaghan was the sort of pupil that every docent could wish for: enthusiastic, polite, sharp-witted and a quick-learner. Even at his young age, he outsmarted his peers with unassuming ease and Sophie wondered that it would not be long before he would be doing the same with those possessing twice his years.

"Good morning, Zachary," modest bashfulness weaved itself into her smiling words as she received the can of Dr Pepper, "thank you..."

Enquiries were made about their morning and if they had any trouble finding the airfield, but the siblings were ACME veterans. Despite their relative youth, they were adept at the culture of and familiar with the local holdings of the organisation, far more so than she was.

When Jason West arrived with a second can of Dr Pepper, Sophie had to laugh, a flash of colour upon her features. Surely! Had her preference for the drink been so prominent that they had figured it out within the week? Mildly, she was impressed.

"You're all nice and early," she observed, balancing the two drink cans in one hand and looking towards the interior of the structure beyond her as Jason unlocked it, "It's cooler in the shade, and there are chairs in there." The medical student beckoned with a quick hand gesture as she was already walking: "Come on in and make yourselves comfortable while we wait for the others..."

 

[Julie Justice]

Julie sees @Zack and her instructor @Jason West talking to the beautiful, red-haired, well-dressed woman (@Sophie) that she had seen in the Lobby earlier. Clearly, she is some kind of instructor, too.

Julie walks quickly to where they are standing, and while they wait for @Jason West to unlock the door, she says,"Hello Zack. Hello Jason."

Then, Julie turns to the female instructor and introduces herself saying,"My name is Julie Justice. I'm a new friend of Zack's, and a student of @Jason West's."

 

[Eugene]

Having remained in a semi-permanent state of packing, Euge was primed for wherever the next phase of his consultation would take him. His current line of work was rapidly becoming unappealing, and a thought of turning full time to ACME briefly flitted through his head. Hearing the creak of the man door of hangar 2 roused Eugene from his internal dialogue, and he emerged from his preflight to watch the cadets filter in. At the lead was Jason, using the key he was loaned during the previous night's poker game to let himself in.

With minimal conversation, all available cargo was rapidly stowed and netted, with some slack left hanging in anticipation of more equipment. A corner of the cabin was set up with enough tiedowns for a large kennel, deliberately situated as far from the cockpit as humanly possible. Satisfied there were enough creature comforts for all passengers, Eugene descended back into the hangar, fully intent on collecting the $200 Chase still owed him.

 

[Neb]

Kidman withdrew slightly, annoyed to have so little information to work with, but she kept her ground. "Hi Zack" She stated carefully. "I actually don't know about classes. Should I take some?"

The answer had been yes, so she did.
Kidman took every opportunity that surfaced that day, most of which had been presented to her by @Agent Z, the surprisingly young veteran of the ACME establishment, and hovered near @Julie Justice when she felt uncertain.

There was much to be uncertain about in her current position.

Before coming here, the girl had lived on the streets of San Francisco, drifting in and out of the docks and warehouses by the bay. It was a hard life, always having to watch over her shoulder, to find new safe places to sleep, to find food and clean water.

None of that was on her plate today, something that she was still getting used to. Kidman adjusted her bag as she crossed the tarmac. It had all changed so fast, in a hanger just like this.

She had been hiding there for about a week when a stranger broke in at 2am. From a darkened corner she had watched him, her hands white-knuckled around a baseball bat as he slumped against the wall. Police lights flickered outside. This was a wanted man. The figure swore under his breath as he fumbled with a phone without luck and Kidman realized he was a she.

Although the girl knew that women could be just as dangerous as men, that night she had felt compelled to spirit the injured woman to safety. When the Lady later learned of her plight, she bid the girl to approach the front desk of one of the city's grandest buildings, the Accolade, in three days time. Everything else would fall in place, the she assured her. Kidman fell asleep, and when she woke next, the Lady was gone.

The girl hadn't thought much of it, but she was bored, desperate, and just a bit curious, so after three days she entered the imposing spire of glass. Several weeks later, she was here. Kidman looked around her now. This seemed the last place a wanted woman would be affiliated with, or would even hold in any esteem, but the Lady, she found, was not one to give information easily. The lack of sense it all made had put her ill at ease, but as the days passed in relative paradise, it was slowly wearing away...

 

[Julie Justice]

@Sophie, @Zack, and @Julie Justice waited outside patiently while @Jason West was unlocking the hangar door. Julie tried to look inside the hangar but it was too dark, and she couldn't really see anything. She was anxious to see know where they were all going. She was also a little hungry, too. She hadn't really had anything to eat yet this morning; she didn't have the time.

Once again, Julie had the feeling that someone was near her. She looked around and saw that young woman (@Kid Kidman) that she and Zack had met earlier and said,"Oh, you're Kidman, right? Nice to see you again." This young woman was always around, silent like a shadow. How did she do that? !! It didn't scare Julie, exactly...but she was fascinated by this young woman...and determined to learn more about her...and of course she would help her if she could...If Kidman would allow it...

 

[Ivy]

Ivy tried to hide a smirk at Zack's gift of the Dr. Pepper can the Survival Skills instructor. He had no need to garner good favor with bribes, so she concluded this was purely a social gesture. Hard to accept as an older sibling, but her brother was really now at that age when cooties and candy gave way to chasing after girls.

"It's cooler in the shade, and there are chairs in there." The medical student beckoned with a quick hand gesture as she was already walking: "Come on in and make yourselves comfortable while we wait for the others..."

Airfield hangar 2 was familiar to ACME detective who spent any time training for flight certification, and for Ivy it was almost a second home. Removing her jacket and throwing it on the back of a folding metal chair, she stretched, hearing her neck click softly.

She was craving coffee, but knew better than to touch the dark viscous abomination that came from ACME Airfield's vending machine. Instead, the Junior Detective took a bottle of water and selected one of the sandwiches that @Jason West brought. Naturally curious about where they were going she took her food along with her, taking bites while surveying the area.

Near her, the guy who was doing consultancy or something for ACME (@Eugene) was stalking around, seemingly looking for someone. @Kid Kidman was entering from the tarmac, and @Julie Justice seemed to be making conversation already. Ivy waved to both of them.

As more people gathered she decided to ask, "So does anyone know where we're headed or are the instructors planning to keep us in suspense?"

 

[Julie Justice]

As she was talking to @Kid Kidman, Julie saw @Ivy walk in, and find a seat, "saving" it by putting her jacket over it. Ivy waved, at Julie, so Julie waved back.

Julie saw Ivy go over to where the breakfast sandwiches were , and decided it was a good idea to go and get one. So she briefly excused herself from he conversation with Kidman, and decided to go over to the table, and got a sandwich and a juice, and came back over to Kidman. Julie chose to put the bag she she had been carrying with all her stuff under a chair that was fairly close to Ivy's, and sat down.

Julie was glad when Ivy asked where they were going. Ivy might be younger than her, as most of these people were, but she was clearly at ease here at ACME. She seemed to have a lot of experience and spoke with authority, and clearly everyone here respected her.