[Ghouligan]

The network was underway.

The techies had made significant progress in their online forum, others had helped set up the foundational cryptolect, and a few suspicions were being investigated. Add in the ongoing recruitment and The Undertow was set for success.

But the group could not live online. If they were to help one another, then resources were paramount. With his introduction, Guts had the most experience partaking in a community — something they alone offered to the group. Ghouligan knew little of The Hummingbirds, but after a few days of research, he was impressed by what they accomplished. They operated on a smaller scale, but they had somehow earned a reputation greater than the sum of their parts.

Today was for introductions. Furthermore, today was the day they established some core safehouses for The Undertow. Guts knew the area and while they were both operatives in the network, Ghouligan knew better than to step on their toes.

This was their territory.

Beyond that, guidance was a must. There were no leaders here — everyone was on equal footing. But as the person who gathered the group, he thought it his responsibility to follow through on his promise. He offered a resource to his newfound allies. And he would give it to them.

---

Eiji Harada

[Eiji Harada]

An expanded network of allies.

It was a bold move for him to make, even more so as the newly elected leader of the Hummingbirds, doubly so because their group had generally kept to themselves. That had worked in the past, but times were changing and even someone as simple as Eiji could tell. If they wanted to weather the coming storm, they needed not only to expand the scope of people they protected, but rely more on outsiders to have their backs too.

He had set out on his own to inspect this Undertow as an ambassador from the Hummingbirds and decided to join their project before he was made the official leader. However, after the fact he received the blessing of the previous leader who had been rendered unable to fight and lead on the front lines, but now served as an advisor to him.

All this was to say, a representative of the Undertow, that big guy who had seemingly been in charge of the whole thing was coming to visit their home. Eiji was already waiting by the main gates to the abandoned amusement park. All around him people were working to repair the damage their home had suffered in the recent Babel and Elemental attacks. It was only minor damages overall, but they were still trying to touch up the place and make it look less abandoned and old.

Now the big question was, would that guy remember him? Eiji remembered Ghouligan, but he was probably just another face in the crowd to him. Couldn't blame him, the turnout for the initial Undertow meeting was huge.

Ghouligan

[Ghouligan]

“Guts.” Antoine extended a hand. Unlike the last time they met, he was in casual attire. As casual as it could get for him — meaning flesh, blood, and bone. While he still wore the mask, the only signifier he said who he was, he was unrecognizable. It was only when he lifted his phone and showed their messages that he confirmed who he was. “I get less attention this way.”

He may not have wanted to reveal himself, but it was the nature of the cause. A mask was easy to slip on when he found himself in safer spaces. Otherwise, he’d be begging for attention. Especially in daylight. It wasn’t something he could risk.

Not when this space was The Hummingbird’s.

“I’ve reached out to a few people across Japan. I should say they reached out to me. We’re setting up safehouses and as far as I’m aware, you’ve already have a system in place.” He gave nods to the rest of the members as he spoke, acknowledging them, but sticking to business. “If you wouldn’t mind showing me around?”

---

Eiji Harada

[Eiji Harada]

He blinked his eyes, almost caught a bit off guard by Ghouligan's choice of attire. Nevertheless, he shook his hand. ''Yeah. Ghouligan right? Almost didn't recognize you, thanks for coming out here all on your own.'' Some people always felt like they were too important for fieldwork. He had gotten used to always being sent some goon to show around, not the boss themself. He glanced at the screen when he held up his phone. ''Really? You tend to have trouble getting around? Not in Shinjuku, my guys got your back.'' He said proudly. Eiji himself rarely ever got recognized on the streets, at least not by authorities. He was still a relatively small time vigilante after all, but all of that felt like it was about to change soon.

''That's right. We've been recruiting more people lately to account for this safehouse expansion.'' He motioned for Ghouligan to follow him. ''We've vetted the people who will help resupply, run and take care of these safehouses, naturally a safehouse will be set up here at the Hummingbird home base too. ''With eyes and hands all over Tokyo, members of the Undertow should feel safer than ever when they need to make an emergency exit.'' He waved at a group of curious kids as a makeshift orphanage came into view in the distance. ''The Hummingbirds is a gang, but this entire place, our park, it's more like a community. We have people who know how to fix things, doctors, nurses, a sense of community that lifts the whole place up. All the safehouses likely won't be like this, but we strive to carry that spirit with us throughout the network. Care for, protect and help those who join the Undertow for the benefit of all of us.'' He smiled confidently.

''Safehouses are best when they're out of the public eye. Gives us a better chance to lay low if we need to take shelter.'' He said this as they entered an old haunted house attraction, moving to a door near the back that led to a set of stairs that took them to the basement. ''These are some of the essentials we included in our safehouse.'' He flipped on a light switch to reveal a room with plenty of beds and seating area, as well as a small kitchenette area. ''A place to rest and recover. With running water, electricity, internet to stay informed and plenty of food and medical supplies in the backroom. Everything you could want in a safehouse.'' He looked back at Ghouligan expectantly. ''My idea is these would be run by the Undertow. We'll have a small set of people responsible for keeping each safehouse clean and stocked up ready for emergencies. With our increased numbers, my guys can keep up with the demand.''

Ghouligan

[Ghouligan]

“If I look the way I normally do,” An intentionally false implication he spends more time as Ghouligan than as Antoine. “Then I’d draw too much attention. It’s fine when on my own, but not when I could compromise someone else’s work.”

As self-centered as he was and as little experience as he had working with others, it came naturally to him. The pragmatic nature of his decision-making, his mind always working in favor of executing his goals, lent itself to understanding others and their needs, regardless of whether or not they realized what those needs were.

“This is a lot more thorough than I expected,” Ghouligan took note of their operation. The most prominent hurdle would be replicating it across the country. Something this resource-intensive, while noble, was unrealistic. Not with how wide Ghouligan wanted to expand.

“A proposition.” He began. “I want to make two types of safe houses. This will be an example of the first. A stable, reliable location that the Undertow could rely on. The second idea is a bit less… glamorous.” A pause to gauge his reaction. “I want something a bit more crude and rudimentary. The second type of safe house needs to be moved every month or so. Swapping between locations gives us the anonymity we need. These, however, need to be in the heart of the cities. There’s a higher risk of everything… so movement will buy us some time, and some safety.”

Another pause as an idea — a bad one — struck.

“Safe apartments, if you will.” Why did I say that? “We’ll workshop the name.”

---

Eiji Harada

[Eiji Harada]

''I suppose that makes sense. You're kind of a big name anyway aren't you?'' He appreciated that Ghouligan took extra precautions not to bring more potential enemies to their front door. What was that like, being so well-known that your mere presence could create trouble for yourself or those around you? Eiji only experienced it when running into rival gangs, but that mostly happened if he ventured outside of their territory and even then he wasn't any sort of infamous. At most a delinquent to the authorities, but he rarely got arrested these days either since he didn't actually commit any terrible crimes.

''Sure.'' It was naive to think they could replicate safehouses exactly like this in a city as dense as Tokyo, but he figured part of his role in this project was to provide a baseline and the manpower of his gang. People like Ghouligan were much better at being realistic and correcting him along the way. ''I get you, safehouses only work as long as they're safe. Having variety isn't a bad thing and in a way, the moving safehouses will be a lot more reliable since they're harder to track down.'' When he said what he did next Eiji laughed. ''Safe apartments, we can work with that for now.''

''Are you hitting up other Undertow members after this? Judging from the meeting it's a growing network.'' He looked back at Ghouligan. His job sounded tiring, but worth it. Then again, he was used to mostly staying in one place.

Ghouligan

[Ghouligan]

“I do have a reputation.” It was one of the more annoying aspects of the job. The ambitious, talented, and skilled would always find themselves on camera — whether they’d like to or not. In Ghouligan’s case, scuffed security footage gave a taste of the kind of man he was: a killer. And with that, his name spread like wildfire throughout the police departments. While civilians may be ignorant of his existence, cops had a general idea of who he was. “Wouldn’t recommend it.”

He had to give credit where credit was due. Usually, the high-energy types were quick to flake when Ghouligan followed up. It happened in the Caribbean, which left him to his own devices. And he thought he’d run into similar problems with Gadget and Guts. But they were two of the more gung-ho types in The Undertow.

“Great, then I’m making you the lead.” He said. “You have a better understanding of how this works. I’ll connect you to the others and we’ll move forward.” Ghouligan’s already sending messages on his phone, making sure that the next steps are taken to ensure swift and efficient development of these safe houses.

“I’ve made contact with most members already. I’ll also be hosting another meeting soon.” He looks up at Guts. “New members only. I’ve got to vet them, but…” He puts his phone away. “I wouldn’t mind a second opinion from someone I trust.” This was a bit forward, and there was always the chance Guts could betray them, but of the members he’s spoken to, he felt confident in their character.

“For their initiation, I’m sending them to stop a mutant trafficking operation. I understand I put a lot on your plate, but I’ll be reaching out to all members in case they want to be involved. I’m extending this offer to you, too.” He pauses. “If you’re interested.”

---

Eiji Harada

[Eiji Harada]

''Yeah I'd believe it. You've got the presentation down to a T!'' It was meant as a compliment, but Eiji definitely didn't know what it was like to be that infamous so he made that statement from a place of ignorance. As he often did about many things. He was a simpleton, but an honest one. Perhaps that was why Ghouligan was trusting him with some level of responsibility within the Undertow network. That, and other Hummingbird members only listened to resident idiots, of which he was one.

''Me?'' He blinked his eyes a couple of times, clearly taken by surprise. ''Sure! I'll do what I can for our cause.'' The pressure was on. Newly elected leader of his gang, now also in charge of getting these safehouses up with Ghouligan's people? Talk about pressure. Thankfully, he excelled when he was racing against the clock and this was no different from what he had been used to all of his life as a delinquent on the streets of Shinjuku. ''That so? I'll make sure to be there to weigh in. Wouldn't miss it for the world. Besides, we've got high ranking officers within our gang, they're all people I can trust, I can give them some of the workload too.'' He grinned and held up a prosthetic thumbs up. ''I'll keep an eye out and make sure my schedule is cleared for that day, then.''

Ghouligan

[Ghouligan]

“I’m not the friendliest-lookin’ guy,” Ghouligan began. “Even without the mask.”

It was a truth he had to wrestle with. Even Bernie noted how his demeanor was more likely to get him a date than any meaningful friendships. With his father’s death, he’s struggled to make friends. His walls were high and thick and he reinforced them whenever someone tried to break them down. But he’d be lying if he said making, let alone maintaining, friendships was any easier prior. He’s never been much of a team player. Trusting someone is almost impossible.

The Undertow challenged his very nature. Ghouligan considered the project dead on arrival, giving it a chance only to help people who needed it. He couldn’t do it alone but didn’t see himself nearly charismatic enough to gather people in a room. So, when people like Guts or Gadget made themselves readily available with their contributions… he couldn’t ignore it.

“But I appreciate you,” It’s difficult to get out but he does it. “I’ll be heading out now. I’ll keep in touch.”

---

Eiji Harada

[Jinx]

☆ MISSION SUCCESS ☆

The Undertow takes shape!
Great thread you two!

+ 5,000 EXP!!

Ghouligan: 3,000 // 8,000
Eiji: 9,250 // 14,250

tag: Ghouligan Eiji Harada