[rednblack]

"I think we're agreed then," Ace says.  "We'll sell the obelisk this side of Denver.  Doc, whenever you're ready we can give my head a look.  I think we should get what we can from the datalock before approaching any of the institutes.  'Rhodes,' whoever he is, is the kind of guy sent to deal with bad mojo, and we may get a better idea of what we've been hauling around."

[Zweiblumen]

Looking to Ace, "That works for me.  Gimme a little bit to look after Ohanzee and finish getting my deck sorted then we should be good to go.  Meet in the library in 90 minutes?"

Turning to Ohanzee, "You ready to call it a night?  I want to get you hooked up before I start working on my deck."

[Malevolence]

Ohanzee shovels one last bite into his mouth and washes it down with some water. He's avoided the beer, being unsure whether or not the feeling of euphoria the infection provided was for behavior that was not necessarily beneficial to the host.


"Yeah, way past ready." Ohanzee gets up and heads to his room, brushes his teeth and without waiting for Doc to provide guidance, passes out on the bed.

[Zweiblumen]

Doc makes sure the dwarf is comfortable and applys a med-patch to his head.  Pulling out Ohanzee's biomonitor he sets up a few alerts and monitors his recovery for the next 30 minutes.  Comfortable with the progress he is making, Doc quietly exists the room and closes the door behind him.

In his own room, Doc finally has some space to work on his deck.  He spreads out his hardware kit on the bed and goes back to work on the deck.  It must be the beer or possibly the unaccustomed silence and saftey of the secure house, but he's having a hell of a time diagnosing the last few problems.  Finally after an hour of work his stolen deck is as good as new.  Oddly, this pilfered piece of equipment is the single item he knows better than anything else in the world right now.  Knowing that he's about to be late meeting up with Ace, he pushes those thoughts to the back of his mind and packs up his gear.

Walking into the Library he positions two of the chairs close enough to each other so that his universal cable will reach from his arm to Ace's head and gets ready to pick a data lock.

[Tecumseh]

Ivana says, "We don't need answers tonight but we should be thinking about it. We'll have to scout out a location and figure out a price. Once we check out and get wireless access back I can run an estimate based on the value of the precious metals in the obelisk, but in reality its age and rarity make it priceless."

Seeing that dinner is breaking up, she starts gathering the plates and utensils. Taking them back to the kitchen, she begins the process of cleaning. She fills the sink with hot water and soap, then starts scrubbing the pots and pans.

She hears something move behind her. Turning, she finds Jacquez watching her covertly. Assensing his aura, she sees that he is hungry. She plates up some of the leftovers and places a setting for him at the counter. He sits on a high stool, his legs dangling. Placing a linen napkin across his lap, he eats quietly with a knife and fork while Ivana does the dishes.


Ninety minutes later, Ivana waits for Doc and Ace in the library. She wants to be there in case something goes wrong. If Ace starts twitching and foaming, or Doc starts tweaking and freaking, someone should be there to pull the plug and put them back together again. She runs her hands over the plush chair while silently praying to Hecate that Ace's head doesn't pop like a balloon. Her cyberware scanner hadn't seen any kink bombs, nor had she detected anything dangerous on the astral, but now is not the time to be caught off-guard. The Sixth World requires constant vigilance, even when locked in a safehouse.

[Zweiblumen]

Once Ace enters the room and sits Doc literally plugs into him, then retreats into the Matrix.  And he's astounded at the silence.  There's nothing, just his devices and the datalock.  It's nice that there are no distractions, but down right creapy with the silence.  Concetrating on the lock he pulls out his scalple and begins his attempts to literally make his mark.  It takes some short time, but he's able to finally get all 3 marks on it, and with that he has access.  With access he begins to investigate what's inside.

[Poindexter]

Hearing everyone in agreement makes Sam certain his plan is a good one. With nothing left to say on the matter, and imagining his clothes are probably clean by now, he excuses himself from the group with a "Well, if anyone needs me, I'll be in the Van. I don't want to let that damn rock out of my sight for any longer than I have to."

A few minutes later, back in clothes that feel familiar, if not terribly comfortable, he's laying down across the back row of seats in the van, staring at the simchip in his hand. Well, I suppose it's time to see just what we're capable of... Checking again for a fourth time to make good and damn SURE his commlink doesn't have a hot-sim mod, and if it does, that it is turned off, he slots the little chip into the side, gives the mental order through his trodes to play the file, and closes his eyes, hoping for the best.

A few minutes later, he snaps back to his senses, alert and pumped to the gills with adrenaline. "Fucking shit cock FUCK cunt! Am 'I' the big lug?! Am I the fucking BIG LUG?! Fuck ME, I simply fucking CANNOT fucking be the fucking big fucking lug!!

Sam sits up cross legged on the seat, pulls his dufflebag into his lap, slowly unzips it, and removes the bomb from it. He holds it in his hands, staring at it, thinking more calmly, more coldly about what he has seen.

[Tecumseh]

Following dinner, Chino makes a discrete inquiry to Kimama about the availability of certain forms of electronic entertainment that might be available for a connoisseur to peruse and potentially purchase.

Kimama nods and silently produces a felt-lined wooden case containing a dozen or so chips.

"The dreamchips are ¥20, the moodchips are ¥50, the tripchips are ¥100, and the personafixes are ¥200," she says in her best version of a whisper, which isn't all that quiet. These are largely street prices, and Chino may (or may not) be impressed that Kimama is not gouging her captive audience. Or perhaps he's getting a special deal?

He browses the case. The chips feature AROs with descriptions:

Bloody Monday: ¥20 - To what lengths will war-hero Pierce Colton go in order to protect his wife and daughter from the bloodthirsty mobs on the infamous Night of Rage? Watch Pierce fight fire with fire!
The Rage of Achilles: ¥50 - Rage, goddess! Sing the rage of Peleus' noble son, Achilles! The Greek hero will have his revenge against wicked Agamemnon for the theft of Achilles' concubine, the beautiful queen Briseis.
Molecular Haze: ¥100 - See the molecule, feel the molecule, BE the molecule! From diatomic hydrogen to mesoporous silica, this first-person molecular spectroscopy will blow your fucking mind.

[Malevolence]

Zzzzzzzz....

[8-bit]

Chino selects three from the case, and offers Kimama a credstick. She subtracts the cost and hands it back to him.

"Thank you, Madame. Have a good evening."

He goes back to his room, and pulls out the chips. The feeling of the chips in his hands is comforting. I must have used these a lot before the accident. Slotting the Bloody Monday chip into his link, he lays back on the mattress and commands his link to run the chip. Smiling, he loses himself in the emotions and story of the BTL.

[Tecumseh]

Chino feels pretty good on the mattress, but the Blood Monday feels AMAZING. Hyperreal! The sensations, the emotions, the vividness of it all!

Pierce is a decorated hero of the Ghost Dance War, who has sworn to live quietly and die peacefully after confronting the horrors of a civil war. He has an intensely photogenic elven wife, Sadie, and a charming five-year-old elven daughter named Emma. He is living in suburban tranquility in Snohomish, north of Seattle. Doing repairs around the house, cooking dinner for his wife and daughter, taking out the garbage, etc. The love sequence with his wife is FANTASTIC. On February 7, 2039, he settles down to watch Monday Night Urban Brawl on the trid when a commotion breaks out in the street.

Outside, local humans are rounding up metahumans and herding them onto school buses. In response to the 14th Amendment to the UCAS Constitution (and similar legislation throughout the world), which proclaimed that metahumans had rights of citizenship, metahumans are being collected and detained "for their protection". Pierce responds to a knock on the door and opens it to find a half-dozen mouth-breathing human thugs who leer at his wife and giggle at his daughter's discomfort. Pierce refuses their demands, and they turn violent. Pierce responds with his CQC training, disabling the men, breaking several arms and knees, and leaving them unable to reproduce. His catchphrase is, "Not my wife, not my daughter, not anybody!"

Pierce and his family are forced to run. His wife and daughter slow him down and he is frequently forced to stop and fight rearguard actions against violent policlub members. His fighting is creative and unorthodox, and he usually triumphs over his adversaries by utilizing unconventional tactics, including improvised explosives and misdirection.

Pierce runs into Captain Dick Lastima, a Seattle Metroplex Guardsmen, an old officer of the USA who is still on active reserve with the Guardsmen. Dick and Pierce knew each other from their enlisted days, when Dick was Pierce's commanding officer. Pierce pleads for assistance but Dick declines to assist Pierce, nor any metahumans. Lastima orders him to stand down and "side with your own kind". Pierce responds, "Their kind is my kind, is your kind, is our kind!" and drives the man's nose into his brain. The Metroplex Guard, led by Lieutenant Hader, pursues Pierce, compounding his problems.

Pierce and his family race to the docks of Everett, hoping to find a boat to take to safety. There they find metahumans being barricaded into warehouses, and members of the Hand of Five policlub preparing to firebomb the warehouses. After securing his wife and daughter, Pierce surprises the Hand of Five and causes many of their bombs to go off early, immolating militant policlub members in the flames. However, Pierce cannot stop all the bombs and several warehouses are lit ablaze while the people trapped inside scream.

The Metroplex Guard shows up to arrest Pierce, so he leads them on a chase that culminates in front of the warehouses. Cornered, Pierce gives himself up. He delivers an impassioned speech about how they can arrest him, beat him, execute him, whatever they want, but first they must save the screaming innocents. The rank-and-file Metroplex Guardsmen disobey a direct order from Lieutenant Janus to arrest Pierce, and instead rush to free the metahumans from the fire. Lieutenant Hader fights with Pierce, determined to make him pay for the death of Captain Lastima. Pierce, wounded and exhausted, is pinned and is about to have a knife plunged into his chest when his wife, Sadie, strikes Hader from behind with an crowbar, knocking him unconscious. Pierce, Sadie, and Emma embrace as the trapped metahumans are freed and stream toward safety.

The recording ends. Chino stirs. He's sweating profusely. He feels.... exhilarated. Exhausted. Adrenaline. Aroused. Relieved. Paternal. Disappointed by reality, which is dull and boring compared to the BTL. Also, his bladder is about to burst. That's the problem with BTLs: none of the normal neural feedback. It's so easy to wet the bed, or starve to death, or anything in between.

[Zweiblumen]

Doc shares each file with Ace as he accesses them, encrypting them lightly more out of habit than anything else.  Making sure Ace has the key for the files.  The files he finds that are unencrypted are definitely interesting, but the files that APB locked up (and well, just not well enough), are absolutely fascinating.

<<<@Ace [Doc] Figures you and Katsina...or Ileana, had a thing going.  She's seemed rather protective of you.  I wonder if her condition has protected her at all?  Anyway, this is your data and I'll let you share it.  Wish we'd take.n the time to do this back in Aspen.  Did you find any more data at Ileana's safe house?>>>

[rednblack]

Ace reads the files Doc was so expertly able to recover, and makes plans to send copies to the rest of the team during breakfast the next day.  He'd send them immediately if not for the lack of the wireless in their safehouse.  He clasps hands with Doc, and locks eyes with the man.  "You've given me more of myself, than anyone I know.  Words won't do, Doc.  I'll be forever in your debt.  You can say that you did it for the team, or for everyone's survival, and that's chip, but I owe you for me.  If you'll excuse me, I think Katsina, Illeana, and I have some things to discuss."

Ace sends a copy of the file to Katsina, and turns to her.  "Your name is Illeana.  The rest is in here.  I think we may have some adjustments to make to our plan tomorrow.  But maybe now, we get a little bit of sleep, eh?"

[Tecumseh]

Katsina/Ivana/Illeana watches the exchange between Ace and Doc and perhaps thinks that Ace is being a little melodramatic. Reviewing the file, she wonders if Doc had really given Ace "more of [himself] than anyone [he] knows". The file is informative, certainly, but it's not exactly a window into Ace's soul.

"Illeana is the name on my SIN. My good SIN," she says. "Looks like I trusted you enough to give you my real fake name," she adds wryly.

"It's coming together," she says. "This is Red Team's piece of the puzzle. We're halfway there." She looks at Doc, privately scanning him to see if he has an equally informative file locked away in his head. Doubtful.

She taps the arm of her plush chair, exhaling and reviewing the file again. She stands, debating how different she is than what she used to be. How different is Ace? He must have been alright, before. Or was she lonely? Or in need of friends if she no longer trusted her coven? Much to consider.

She stands to leave with Ace, in case he wants to talk. "See you in the morning, Doc."


Doc checks on Ohanzee, making sure that he's comfortable and hydrated. He checks again once more before going to bed himself. The dwarf is sleeping deeply, barely moving other than his breathing. Doc adjusts the thermostat in the room, then retires for the night.

It's very quiet in the house - as quiet as you can remember, not that you can remember much. You are the only guests, and the separation from the outside world means that there is no noise from the outside world. No wind, no distant traffic. Some may find this restful; others may find the lack of white noise disturbing, or eerie.

In the cave, Sam tilts back the seat of the Eurovan and wraps himself in a blanket. The cave is warmer than the freezing temperatures outside, Lord be praised, and the Eurovan helps insulate him even further. Plus, Sam is Russian, or at least he speaks Russian. Either way, the cold doesn't really bother him. The bucket seat is comfortable enough to lie back in, but rolling to his side makes it less comfortable. Sam fidgets as he mentally prepares arguments and defenses about why he can't really be connected to those nutters, "Hack" and "B".

Inside, a noise. A grandfather clock chimes the hour. Then, silence again, except the tiny tick-tick-tick of the grandfather clock's arm swinging left and right like a metronome.

Time advances. Jacquez skitters about, making sure that needs are being met. To compensate for the lack of comm communication, each room is equipped with a string that rings a bell in the servant quarters to summon Jacquez. Satisfied that all is quiet, Jacquez retires for the night.

Morning arrives, or so you presume since you can't see any daylight. But your commlink says 07:00. You smell something, unless you are Sam, in which case you smell Eurovan. It's coffee, eggs, toast. Bacon, real bacon, if you happen to know what that smells like. Smells like the resident house vampire is getting breakfast ready.

[Poindexter]

The battle for sleep proves grueling, and its spoils; far slimmer than hoped for. Sam has been awake for a few hours, staring at the obelisk.

"I was going to blow you to bits, you know?" he says matter of factly to it. "Did you stop me? Or was it one of the good guys?" He continues speaking to it, much in the spirit that a child would to a doll, despite his slightly overbearing "Grizzly hunter" sort of voice. "Whatever the hell you are, I suppose I owe you a debt of thanks. You've given me a second chance, so for that at least, Thank you."

A look of disgust washes over his face. "I'm talking to a billion year old rock."

He steps out of the van and back into the garage, headed for the kitchen, dropping his blanket halfway between the two. Upon entering the kitchen, he finds Mask is cooking the bacon he purchased yesterday and it smells amazing. Standing near her, a little too near for normal comfort zone, he says "Good work." Then steps away and heads for the table. "You clearly have the situation in hand, so I will leave you to your work, reaping the fruits when called upon." After sitting down and stretching his arms out with a loud groan, he asks, "Chino hasn't come out of his room yet, has he? Or Doc?"