[Hey! Leave me out of this. My manhole's still sore from all those people going in and out of it.]

I vote for asking who the last member is too!

Mission briefings are for sissies. Intel? We don't need no stinkin' intel.
"We need guns - Lots of guns!"

You remember what your dear old Auntie used to say- "Don't be a tomfool, kid, lightning striking planes is an old wives' tale!" She was drunk off her ass at the time, but you're pretty sure you Wikipedia'ed it later and it checked out. You give your advice to Rev, and he nods and takes the chopper higher, into the cloud cover. The windows are abruptly filled with gray, where the chopper's lights reflect off the close-pressing clouds. Rain patters irregularly all around you.

"We'll be flying blind until we clear out of this storm," he says calmly, "but this radar is top-notch." He shrugs out of his sport coat and tosses it over the back of his chair. Underneath, he's wearing a sturdy-looking web harness with a couple of pouches on it, but no guns that you can see.

He watches the radar screen for a number of minutes, then finally breathes a sigh of relief. "We're in the clear. Good call, rookie." He's having to raise his voice; the rain's pretty loud at this point. "So, the mission. 'Gazer, want to fill in? I need to concentrate on flying, and it's complicated."

"Sure," Stargazer says, looking up from her laptop. Across from her, Vel appears to have fallen asleep. "Have you ever heard of the Zchinian Diamond?"

You gasp. "The Zchinian?! I thought it was a myth! It's supposed to be a diamond as big as a man's fist, and have all kinds of mystical and spiritual powers."

Stargazer grins. "It's no myth, and neither are its powers. It's belonged to the tribe of Zchinia for a long time, deep in the jungles of the Zchha."

You shudder; nobody really knows much about the Zchha Jungle, since most people who try to explore it end up never coming out.

"It's protected them from the danger," she explains, "and let them live in peace for centuries. Anyways, to make a long story short, it was stolen."

"I bet a lot of people want to get their hands on that," you say doubtfully. "Could be tough."

"It'd be damn near impossible if we hadn't got the intel from Zahnnie," Revolution snorts. "Sorry, go on 'Gazer."

"Well, Rev's right," Stargazer acknowledges. "One of Zahnnie's sources let slip that it went up for auction in New York last night. The winner..." she hesitates, looking at Rev. "The winner's picking it up tonight. She's quite the collector of beautiful gems. Anyways, the tribe's contracted us to get it back. If we can't do it, then every Zchinian will likely be dead within the week."

"But that's not going to happen," you say confidently.

"That's the hope," Rev nods. "Now, it's about six hours to New York. Why don't you get some rest?"

* Always good to be well rested. Zzzz!
* No way, this is too exciting. Stay up and keep the Revolution company!

Eee, stay up with Rev!! *(now it's two votes to two votes!)

Also, when will the saga continue! *baited breath*

You sleep, dreaming troubled dreams of being Eiffel Towered by Zahnnie and the Revolution in the middle of the Zchha Jungle. TGU is shooting crossbow bolts at you, and you're trying to dodge them while still being vigorously grasped from either end...

You wake slowly, and realize that the rain has died down. Next to you, Stargazer is talking quietly to the Revolution. You can't help but eavesdrop a little bit...

"...can't make this personal. And I mean that either way, you know."

"You know how I am, 'Gazer. It's not going to be personal. I'm just going to do what we have to do. Don't worry about me."

"How can I not? She's..."

"This is why I don't talk about this stuff... 'Gazer. Enough."

Suddenly uncomfortable, you begin to stir, coughing as you open your eyes. Both of them shut up, and look over at you. "Morning, rookie," Stargazer says with a small smile. "We're about twenty minutes off from New York, and the good news is that Zahnnie's alive. The bad news is that she's being held captive by the woman who's just bought the diamond- they're basically trying to guarantee our good behavior with her life."

Revolution shakes his head, lips curling down into a scowl. "Stargazer thinks our landing spot may have been compromised, and wants us to land across the city. I know Zahnnie won't have sold us out, so..."

"But if she was tortured..." Stargazer objects.

"She won't have been," Rev shoots back. "Look, I know them better than that."

"Well, then, what if she was somehow made to think that it was better for all? Like this was some negotiation tactic?" Stargazer shakes her head. "Look, the other landing zone is further out of the way, yes, but it's safer, and we should have plenty of time to get across town by my calculations."

"And how did you calculate? Googlemaps? Look, New York this time of night is a gridlock. Hell, it's always a gridlock. We need to stick to the original landing spot. It's safe. Plus, we need to take TGU to our medic, and he's closer to the regular landing spot."

Stargazer turns to you, exasperated. "What do you think, rookie?"

* Go for the regular landing spot. The Revolution seems pretty sure it's safe... and it sucks to drive across town...
* Play it safe, go to the other landing spot. It can't possibly take -that- long, and your hide is worth it!

You beat me to the post.

I was gonna say the same thing anyways though.

Also because Zahnnie is Batman and Batman will never sell you out.

So I know what I want to do now, but I have to leave work and go Do Some Things, so while I might be able to post another round late tonight I probably won't until morning. But I love you all, thanks for encouraging me.