I1: Will's Office - Travel Plans

[John Hino]

John, still in his trenchcoat from his tunnel excursion, knocked on Will's office door.

[Will Stanton]

"Entre vu."

[John Hino]

John entered, a worried but resolute expression on his face. He dropped his golf bag with a heavy thud which sent up a puff of tunnel dust trapped in it's folds. He smelled like burnt wiring.

"I have a big problem."

[Will Stanton]

Will looked at the bag.

"Have you tried using a longer putter? I hear that does wonders for your short game."

[John Hino]

"I'm not in the mood Will. I just uncovered what part of Hellfire is up to and the target is Hino Industries."

[Will Stanton]

"See, next time lead with that.

What's their game plan?"

[John Hino]

"I took out a system designed to whittle down stock values at the London Exchange, and have reason to believe there's a second unit in Madripoor doing the same to Asian markets. But there's more..."

He breathed out.

"I think the jorogumo cult is involved."

[Will Stanton]

"This is the cult you went to Japan to try to stop, yes?"

[John Hino]

"To retrieve a weapon to use when they come. It's... in the golf bag."

[Will Stanton]

"Do they have a pre-existing connection to Madripoor?"

[John Hino]

"I couldn't find any direct link between them, but..." He explained what he found out about Kumo's creepy escort service, Hereford's construction project in Madripoor likely hiding the other device, and his feeling that Stane provided the technology.

"Stane could just want to squish a competitor, but she... something isn't right about her and this... feels personal."

[Will Stanton]

Will nodded. "Definitley sounds like they have their fingers in this pie.

I feel like we're missing a piece from the puzzle, howe....hold on a second. The Ace of Shadows..." he mumbled, sliding his chair back to grab at a binder full of hand-written notes.

[John Hino]

"So you're who Miss Weaver read cards for before she called me," he said.

[Will Stanton]

"No, I went to her for information, and she was in the midst of a card reading.

She said the Ace of Shadows is tied to whatever is causing those massive cockroaches and things here in town.

Onyx is in Madripoor.

I don't believe in coincidences, do you?"

[John Hino]

"Not on that scale, no," he nodded, "Though I've no clue as to how giant roaches connect."

[Will Stanton]

"Neither do I. It might be a wild goose chase.

Let's stick to the facts we have now. Do you have enough to go to the Financial Services Authority and report this?"

[John Hino]

"There was no way to pull evidence off the device and I couldn't turn it off so... I kinda had to break it before it could do any more damage."

[Will Stanton]

"Ah, the universal plan B.

So, it's up to us, then, to stop them?"

[John Hino]

"Looks like it. And the other site will likely be heavily guarded. I... probably need my family watched over too. If I'm right, and I pray I'm not, this won't end at financial damage. It won't end at my family either if what Kumo wants is anything like what the feudal cult wanted."

[Will Stanton]

"You're right, it won't end at financial damage.

Because we're going to stop it here.

We need to get someone on the inside of the Club, but we also need to take down that device in Madripoor. You up for a trip to Asia?"

[John Hino]

"Exactly what I had in mind," he nodded.