ACME Spring Break

[Rose]

Rose's eyes wandered about the room for some time when her attention was snagged by the unpleasant sound of a chair scraping across the floor. At first, she thought it was made by accident for she had almost made the exact noise when she seated herself down earlier, but the expression on the owner of the chair’s face was far from embarrassment or discomfort. And then she heard the word. Both the first time and the second.

Immediately her eyes searched in the direction that the red-haired woman was looking, and she spotted the flames. Inside she calmly sighed, wondering if she would be able to go anywhere without a disaster happening, but then something struck her deep inside as she started to pick up her phone and begin a single file line towards the exit. When she entered the building, she had paused a few times in front of different rooms as she searched for the right one, and it so happened that she noticed a particular room. A room that now lay on the other side of the growing, angry flames.

She glanced quickly around as everyone else began to stir. There wasn’t anyone who would know if someone was in that room. It might be empty...but it might not. Pulling the long, cotton napkin off the table, she placed it over her face and started fighting her way past the burning smoke and searing flames.

 

[Derrin]

Derrin had smelt a hint of something acrid in the air but ignored it until she heard confirmation of what it was. Following the gaze of several others, she saw the thick black clouds of smoke billowing out into the sky. As far as she could tell the flames were close but hadn't reached the building they were in yet, so she joined the single file line without much thought. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a girl darting off, napkin over her face. It piqued her curiosity, and she turned, seeing the yellow-orange flames.

Guessing her intentions, Derrin mentally shook her head. That's equal parts brave and reckless. Still, she figured that the dark-haired girl could use a hand.

Grabbing a napkin off of a nearby table, she soaked the piece of fabric with water from an abandoned glass. Pressing it to her face, she went after her. Beads of perspiration formed on her forehead as she drew closer, and Derringer began to question her own judgement.

"Hey!" she called, tugging gently on her clothing to get her attention. "Need some help?"

 

[Sophie]

After the quick parting with Constance Kitlyn, Sophie Conrad had passed the better part of a half-hour in conversation with Calina Corranos. They spoke briefly about the upcoming Summer Olympics that was to be held in Rio de Janeiro while the Brazilian introduced the recipe for the very-fragrant Acarajé that she had brought to the gathering. As the sounds of laughter and light chatter, and the tinkle of cutlery and crockery rose in the glass-cladded conservatory, the exchange between the doctor and the explosives-expert then drifted into a chemical and reactivity comparison of Composition C and PLASTITE. All of these, and everything else around, came to a halt with a single word.

Fire.

Instinctively, Sophie turned to look for Gudrun Nygård but could not find her in the sudden activity of the space. She did, however, spy Derringer and Rose Ningolsham heading off towards the source of flames. The blurted "Stop." and the slight raise of her arm to delay them was all but lost.

She could not risk anyone else doing the same.

Pulling open the folding glass casement doors that skirted the sunlit room, Sophie raised her voice above the din:

"Everyone! Please, move out onto the lawn."

She paused to look at the surrounding faces, detecting more than one with heroic intentions displayed.

"Now."

To spur movement, she took Calina--the lady who was standing the closest to her--by the arm and extracted her from the conservatory. In the sunlight, the plume of thin black smoke was even more alarming than the igneous scent that had been so quick to diffuse. A fire that had begun so suddenly and spread so rapidly was suspicious and, just as she was about to return into the conservatory to remove more members of the party, Sophie caught the sharp gaze of Ivy Monaghan with hers. Something peculiar was afoot.

And, indeed, something very peculiar was afoot...

Against the clear blue sky, two dark shapes veered free from the shadow of the rising smoke and into her line of sight. A second passed, and then another, and then Sophie realised that the approaching shapes were humanoid.

 

[Nevon]

((OOC note: We're coming from this post: ACME - Bunker Begins | The Elusive Carmen Sandiego ))

Nevon left ACME Compounds in the white van meant to hold the girls' captured food from the Garden Party Raid. For this operation, he was the designated getaway driver, assigned by the leader himself, @Chase Devineaux.

While he parked the vehicle to the side of the restaurant, he could smell something burning along with the seabreeze.

'Wow, this sure smells like a big barbecue,' he thought, 'I hope the guys know what they're getting into.'

 

[Tanya]

Tanya Erzin came to the Park Chalet, also known as the Beach Chalet, via San Francisco's Northern side so it took her much longer to wind past traffic. Before her was a scene any PR would dread. Thick smoke was unnaturally rising from the restaurant, and worst for her, an ACME Unmaned Helicopter was unloading fives Wingsuited agents from the eastern skies.

"Bla," she exclaimed under her breath when she recognized Chase Devineaux's build. She estimated about 20 seconds until the boys fully landed and could already sense a news story on the horizon.

Tanya tuned her communicator to police scanners to hear if units were responding, when nothing sounded like they were arriving, she flagged ACME Command. "Command, this is Agent Erzin, we have a fire at 1000 Great Hwy. Agents on location now."

She hadn't gotten to the garden section yet, so she could only assume that most of the girls were here. Why Skylar the helicopter was also here would need to be explained another time.

 

[Elsa]

Gudrun Nygård greeted everyone and was speaking with @Colleen when they decided to go outside to have a little air. The sea breeze was nice this time of year and Gudrun was happy to make a new friend. While the Swedish girl was still new, and usually shy, she was making good progress meeting people. She admitted to Colleen she was a little nervous in all this, but Dr. Sophie Conrad thought it would be a great idea, and she followed because she liked the prospect of sharing food.

Key lime pie was also something she'd never had before.

The sound of a helicopter overhead interrupted Gudrun's thought and she looked up to see some kind of army men in black disembarking a gray craft. She thought she saw the flash of an ACME logo, but from the light and direction, she couldn't be sure.

"Fire!" Someone who sounded like @Ivy yelled from behind the glass, and Gudrun looked back to Colleen to make sure they both heard the same thing.

"Are you cleared for the gun carrying?" She asked to check if Colleen was the sort of field agent that had gun training, "I think we are under attack."

 

[Colleen]

Colleen stood for a moment, shaken by the whole scene.

Everything had been going well. The Park Chalet resonated sounds of laughter and pleasant conversation. She had been enjoying her discussion with @Gudrun. A couple of ladies looked as though they might even brave the vegan pie. Suddenly, the lovely woman (@Ivy) from earlier yelled "Fire!" and now she had to face the social embarrassment of her inadequate firearms licensing.

"Absolutely mortifying." She thought, ignoring the cacophony around her.

Frantically, she dug through her overstuffed purse looking for her TASER C2. The pink weapon would hopefully soften her faux pas. The device was a gift from her doting aunt, but Colleen eagerly relinquished it to her new acquaintance.

"I have this ECD." She offered the blonde woman.

 

[Rose]

(This is co-written with @Derrin)

Rose had hesitated at the very end of the hallway for one more breath of clear air before pressing forward into the worst of the smoke when she felt the tug. Turning quickly, she spotted the stranger behind her. The woman’s words caught her by surprise.

“Are you sure?” If she knew what Rose knew, would the offer be withdrawn? Risking herself was one thing that Rose could do, but asking someone else to the same didn’t seem right.

She reached out her hand more as a tie to ensure she wouldn’t lose her companion in the midst of flames and smoke than anything else. There was absolutely no way she would let this end as a disastrous decision of hers with high costs.

Derrin took the outstretched hand as a yes. Grabbing it, she crouched down low to the floor. The air was cleaner down there, but not by much, so she aimed to keep her words short and sweet.

"You're Rose, right? I'm Derrin." With introductions out of the way, she moved on the the next crucial point of information. "How many are we looking for exactly?"

The young woman glanced back at her with an expression of uncertainty, and Derrin understood. Intuition had pushed Rose into this position. Any other person would have been more than uneasy at this point, but Derrin was the product of two NYPD officers -- and knew that the power of a gut feeling could save lives. Feeling the heat on her back she knew the flames were gaining on them now, and she had no other choice to put her faith in her.

Rose stopped short, causing Derrin to stumble.

“Do you hear that?” Rose whispered, keeping her lips as closed as she could to keep the smoke from flying down into her lungs like a spiteful punch. A noise came from the wall which she was pressed hard against, but it was so faint and quiet that she couldn’t discern what it was. How would she, anyway? Her ears had been numbed to pops, crackles, and all the confusion.

“No.”

“Listen.” Rose pressed as she began to notice the increasing heat coming from behind them. Her briefly diverted attention somehow enabled her ears to pick up the soft sounds. Even in the heat of the hallway, shivers went up her spine as haunting sound reached through the numbness of the situation, past her hard defenses. Someone was near, alone, and afraid.

Derringer strained her ears, and picked up the sound of a wavery high pitched voice.

“Sounds like a kid.” she replied, now recognizing the sound as a familiar childhood tune. “Where do you think it’s coming from?”

The two of them paused briefly, and Rose suddenly moved forward. Derrin followed, and the voice grew louder and stronger.

“Behind this door.” Rose asserted. She briefly removed the cloth from covering her face to free a hand. The wood was warm to her touch as she carefully moved her hands along it in search for something. There had to be a door. She grimaced as her hand blindly touched the knob of the door. It was hot. Pursing her lips, she turned the handle, revealing a small closet.

Inside the closet sat two children, both huddled up together in the corner. Both seemed younger than eight years old. The smaller of the two had her face pressed into the older girl’s chest, muffling her sobs.

“Hey, hey.” Derrin started, outstretching her hand to the both of them. “We’re here to help.” When the younger girl clung to the older one tighter, she tried again. “I’m Derrin, and this is my friend Rose. What’s your names?”

Rose was relieved to let Derrin to move in front of her and reach out to the children. Seeing them there, huddled in the closet, had hit strangely hard, but the tears streaming down her face was from smoke. At least, they had better be.The lack of oxygen was starting to noticeably slow her movements and the urgency inside of her. She knew what was happening but couldn’t push herself forward. It was just so hot...and she couldn’t breathe...and...and…

A sudden pain shot up from her foot as her eyelids drooped, and she was brought back with a muffled cry. Looking behind, she spotted flames now through the thick, oxygen-less smoke. It was spreading fast. If they didn’t get to a clearer air, they would all be dead.

“Derrin, move!” She cried out.

 

[Zack]

Zack watched Eugene Grovington and Chase Devineaux jump down first in their wingsuits. He waited a good five seconds before throwing Bran and Gunnar a thumbs up and jumping out himself. The suits had been tested off some of the local cliffs and bridges, but this was the first aerial jump and Zack felt a small sense of pride on how it handled the updrafts. In his mind, he saw himself swooping away with the jello bowl and into Nevon's getaway car. This totally beat the usual security routines.

As he saw the freshly mowed lawn of the Park Chalet restaurant, his attention was turned away from the ground to something more sinister, a distinctive black fume rising from the back of the building.

"Bear and Moose, you see that?" He spoke through the radio, using Eugene and Chase's callsigns. "I think... oh balls--"

Zack misjudged an oncoming tree that clipped the side of his suit. Tumbling, he rolled forward and onto his knees, barely dodging an incoming car. As he looked up from beyond the folds of his wingsuit, he heard a distinctive female voice swearing in Russian.

Maybe if he stayed covered, Tanya wouldn't notice him.

 

[Eugene]

No matter what kind of drop system, Euge had always had difficulty with the concept of bailing out of a perfectly good aircraft. Despite the inherent fun of the wingsuits, they were no different, and Euge tucked himself into a tight ball as he smashed through a well maintined garden. Eventually coming to rest against a large fountain, he picked himself up just in time to catch sight of a window blow out from the backdraft. Barely able to hear over the roar of the flames, Euge ducked back just in time to catch a muttered

oh balls--

come in over the radio. Looking back for the rest of his comrades, Euge cringed at Zack's impact on the tree and quickly flashed him an OK gesture as he retreated from the road. Turning towards the assembled patrons, Euge did a quick survey of the faces he did recognize. As badly as he wanted to go in and check for casualties himself, Euge knew it was a bad idea with his current equipment set. Besides, he could dimly hear the sirens as the first fire truck rounded the corner.

 

[Ivy]

"Hell," Ivy cursed as she saw Zack tumbling to the ground.

She knew there was something fishy when she saw him eying the invitation at her apartment. It was just like her brother to try and crash a party, and if there wasn't a ranging fire at this moment, Ivy would have half a mind to hurtle some the party's food in his general direction.

A nearby window burst from the pressurized heat, sending shards of thick glass onto the garden lawn. Scanning the area and ensuring no one was hurt, Ivy did a quick head count of the women from the party and added it up with the agents now gliding down from the sky. While her adrenaline coursed high, there was no panic within her. The situation felt like another mundane training exercise or the type of scene she would enter into at the start of a case.

"Where is Rose and Derrin?" She thought aloud, suddenly realizing her count was off by two. Perhaps all wasn't well afterall.

As the firefighters rushed forward, Ivy recognized that the men were from the 8th Battalion at Station 23, the western most outpost in the city. Their Lieutenant, Micheal Cohan was an acquaintance of her father's and he nodded to her as she approached.

"The fire started just behind the north exit," Ivy reported, "But I think there are at least two people still inside."

 

[Derrin]

[co-post with Rose]

Rose’s sudden cry startled the three of them, but Derrin’s body obeyed the command before her mind even processed it.

“I’ll take the little one.” she offered.

Rose pulled the older of the two girls close to her, and after one more short breath, she stood up and carried the girl as fast as she could, heading further down the hall. That was the only way they had any hope. There was no going back the way they came. At the end of the corridor, there were two doors. She chose the one that would put an end to her slow retreat sooner.

Being pulled away from the older child seemed to further upset the girl. Her body tensed, and she squeezed her eyelids tight. Derrin touched her cheek gently.

“I’ll make sure you and your friend stay together. Don’t worry.”

“That’s my sister.”

“Sister.” she corrected. “You’ve got to trust me, alright?”

There was a pause as the small girl considered this, and then her body relaxed, allowing her to be scooped up into Derrin’s arms.

It was only a few seconds before Derrin followed with the younger of the girls. Turning her head, Rose found that they were in the women’s bathroom. The air was much clearer there, and she didn’t feel so dizzy, but...there was no exit. Just a small window up towards the ceiling that seemed to laugh down at her as the daylight streamed in. It wasn’t even big enough to for a five year-old to slip through.

Placing the girl on the floor next to her sibling, she then followed Rose’s gaze.

“Not much to work with, huh?”

She threw off the bitter disappointment with difficulty as she saw the smoke streaming through the ventilation and around the cracks of the doorway. Pulling the shoe off of the foot that the flames had gotten to, she handed it to Derrin. “This is sturdy. Break the window.”

She took the melted conglomerate in her hands and tossed it, missing her mark. It landed with a soft thud on the floor and she went to retrieve it and try again.

Turning back to the smoke problem, Rose quickly pulled off her jacket, and after confiscating the little girls’ and Derrin’s, she soaked them and jammed into the vents in hopes to slow the polluting of the air. Still, the smoke poured through the cracks around in the door. It took a moment or two of thought before she grabbed a couple handfuls of paper towel, thoroughly soaked them, and then plastered the towels all around the edges of the door. Her idea seemed to work. The smoke did temporarily slow. She took a few steps back and let her body wearily slide to the floor.

“I’m sorry, Derrin.”

Derrin glanced back at her but said nothing, not wanting her voice to give her own emotions away. Instead she threw the mangled shoe again, this time hearing the satisfying sound of cracking glass.

Rose’s head fell heavily into her hands as the exhaustion and pain she had been pushing back finally took over. They might have given the girls more time, but she couldn’t see this ending the way she had hoped it would. The smoke may have stopped, but the flames continued roaring on towards the wall that gave them shelter. The most frustrating part was she couldn’t think steadily on how to get out of there. Everything seemed rather wretched. It was only the lack of oxygen, she told herself, that crumbled her resolve. Just a few seconds, and she’d be alright.