[Keita]

>>>>>[ Mmm...Faust...you worry me. Are you saying that you're hearing echoes of Deus in the Matrix? And may I ask...do you have anyone monitoring your vitals when you travel into the matrix?

Anyone else here think our friend Faust might be a technomancer? ]<<<<<
      --  Madrecita (03:10:28/01-15-74)

[CanRay]

>>>>>[Possible.  "Hearing" things where ever there's a wireless matrix signal (or in the Matrix via VR) is a sign of AIPS, which some attribute to Technomancers.  If you got some tests to find out, Madrecita, keep the results on the downlow.  There's still folks that will turn them in for bounty money and unscrupulous Corps that are more than willing to open up their living brains to see how they tick.

I've hired Otaku back in the day, and I have no issues with Technomancers either.  Hell, folks are just folks.  Some good, some bad, all have secrets.  At least Faust is drinking the BTL-Lite Drinks here rather than destroying his body with rotgut.  Hopefully.  Yeah yeah, I know, a Johnson with Morals, who'd have thunk it.  There's a reason I'm in this damned vat right now, aside from too many blows to the head.]<<<<<
      --  Money Johnson (03:19:50/01-15-74)

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

>>>>>[ Pay closer attention to everything he is saying.  Check the logs. ]<<<<<
          -- The Wyrm Ouroboros (03:23:02/01-15-2074)

[Keita]

>>>>>[ Frankly Wyrm, I didn't understand much of what he was saying. I'm a mage, not a computer wizard. If Faust is willing to let me examine him, I might be able to find out. ]<<<<<
      --  Madrecita (03:43:12/01-15-74)

[CanRay]

>>>>>[Well, can't sleep, and not like I can do anything in the tank, so did as you suggested Wyrm.  Obviously a SCIRE survivor of the lockdown, possibly one of the trusted ones Dues had going.  Freaky buggers (No offense Faust), and possibly part of the back-up Dues had going.  Or the other rumored AI.  My memory is kind of fuzzy about that time, busy as hell working on getting teams in, and out, of the damned place just trying to get survivors who hopefully weren't infected with those new nanites.  Luckily a chummer of mine developed something like a low-yield EMP designed specifically to run through a nervous system.  Cuts the lifetime of any installed cybernetics in half, and hurt like hell, but killed nanites but good, better than a Raid Bug Bomb in Chicago.  Damned Army caught us using it and took the prototype and design specs, and told us we were lucky we weren't being run in for criminal acts in a military secured zone and blah-blah-blah.  A few grunts winked at us as they took the kids away, they knew we were fighting the same fight they were, just without the brass up their ass.

Grandpa still complains about missing the Arcology Shutdown.

I have records and files from that time that I could delve into for more details, but it's on my secure server in...  Well, never mind where it is.  But I'm not accessing it while I'm being semi-monitored.  I think I'll let someone that ISN'T on neural stabilizers try to remember what happened.

Oh, good news, hacked my medical records (Can't even read the damned clipboard at the based of my "Bed"!), and I get exercise tomorrow!  YAY!  Ten minutes out of the tank!  ...  Damn, while in restraints.  Apparently that nurse took the blow to the crotch personally.]<<<<<
      --  Money Johnson (03:49:10/01-15-74)

[cabo_setek]

>>>>>[Well, if this Faust guy is a mancer, you think he might be one of those mancers that are . . . what do ya call 'em . . . Ya know, one of those guys that prefer the chaos instead of order?  At least that's what his recent posts tell me.  But what the hell do I know.  I've only ever met one technomancer, and that didn't last long in itself.]<<<<<
            -- Silver Bee (04:08:09/1-15-74)

[CanRay]

>>>>>[Actions, not words, Silver Bee.  I knew this one fellow back in...  '56, I think it was.  I swear he was a mad dog killer of a slot who would have gotten the whole team killed and heat down on everything fast.  But it was a crew, everyone or no one, and they had good rep.  Hired them out, and they all acted professionally.  In, out, no alarms, no gunshots, not even a tranqed guard, nothing.  They were never there aside from leaving with the paydata.

Turns out he just hates suits, which was how I was appearing at the time.  I suggested they leave him at home when dealing with Johnsons from then on, and hired 'em a few more times until they moved to...  Can't remember.  They got The Get Out Of The Game job and retired, the ones that survived at least.  Should look them up again, see if any are still around.

Anyhow, in this day and age, we also have AIPS survivors that still work the Biz.  They're not the most "Stable" of people, but a lot are still damned good at what they do.  Even if you have to explain the plan a dozen times to them.  Judge a person by what they do, now how they sound or what they are.  Remember, magicians used to steal souls and trolls used to eat babies, neh?]<<<<<
      --  Money Johnson (04:16:28/01-15-74)

[cabo_setek]

>>>>[Sorry about that.  I had no idea.  I'm pretty new to this.  Running, I mean.  Jeez, I only made it to Seattle a few years ago.  Haven't even killed anyone yet.  Though to be honest, I don't plan to, if I can help it.  Sides, not even sure if I could do it.  Lived most of my life as a wage-slave.]<<<<
         -- Silver Bee (04:20:41/1-15-74)

[Kylen]

>>>>>[Hey, I'm not against paying for some downloads. From what I've seen, some of these series are better then half the trids on today. Guys transforming into a costumed heroes and kicking people like the recoil from an old school panther cannon with out any compensation.

Hell, these kinds of shows probably explain some early action I learned about, when Adepts were first showing up. Hell, who knows. Some of the actors in these shows may be early Adepts. Oh gods, I'm gonna end up doing research now.

Anyways, How about I treat you to a couple of rounds up here in Everett at my local hang with a buddy of mine in payment for connecting me with your Grandfather, Money. No business, no shooting (hopefully), just a relaxing night with some beers, a couple of regular guys, and some Rally Cross on the Trid behind the bar?]<<<<<

     -- Card (02:38:40/01-15-74)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[Otaku. You speak of the Whites. The Whites were favored of the Lord. I was not White. Too old when the Lord took over. Too old.

I was... Samurai, I think. I do not remember. Bits and pieces, all blurry. My first memory is waking up in the chemical baths, adjusting to new eyes. Eyes of blue, to see for the Lord. Things go dark, as the Lord granted me more cyberware to serve him with. I do not know my name, so I am Faust.

There are times when thinking is easier. Like now. Other times, the whispers get too loud, and I cannot make them stop. Drink helps. Lots of drink.

I was Red Samurai. I was a Blue. Then the Lord left the SCIRE, and I had nothing. No purpose. All I knew was service to the Lord. I escaped the invaders to the Lord's domain, and came out into the city. Others of the servants of the Lord I knew from the SCIRE found me, and we banded together, like the bands on our arms. My Redeemer, the Jezzibel turned Angel, and the Doc. Two Blue, one White, one Green. We found eachother and hid. But Jezzibel, now DarkAngel, she heard from the one who had been the Lord's most favored of the Whites, heard of the IPO. I was no decker, but I was drawn there, to see the great tree fighting all who came upon him. And then the worm. And then nothing.

No one else hears the Whispers, but I know they're there. They call me.

No! They call again! I cannot concentrate with their whispering in my mind! I must go!]<<<<<

--Faust (09:21:05/01-15-74)

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

>>>>>[ Well?? ]<<<<<
          -- White IC (09:38:12/01-15-2074)

>>>>>[ Yes.  Find someone. ]<<<<<
          -- MechaWarrior (09:43:31/01-15-2074)

>>>>>[ Must we? ]<<<<<
          -- DeeGee (09:58:59/01-15-2074)

>>>>>[ Yes; he seems harmless. ]<<<<<
          -- E(A/R)^th (10:06:33/01-15-2074)

>>>>>[ Did you not hear his references??  Find someone. ]<<<<<
          -- Wagner  (10:10:10/01-15-2074)

>>>>>[ Wyrm?? ]<<<<<
          -- White IC (10:17:56/01-15-2074)

>>>>>[ Wyrm?? ]<<<<<
          -- DeeGee (10:18:01/01-15-2074)

>>>>>[ Wyrm?? ]<<<<<
          -- E(A/R)^th (10:18:04/01-15-2074)

>>>>>[ You ... gaah!!  Why do you people always have to look at me ??
          Kurt and Richenda are right.  They need to be found and neutralized.  Tag them, find someone, get it handled.  We don't leave this sort of mess behind when we find it, and you know it. ]<<<<<
          -- The Wyrm Ouroboros (10:30:28/01-15-2074)

[CanRay]

>>>>>[It's all right, Silver Bee.  Even folks that "know" the shadows don't know the lesson.  Even I have to remind myself at times, and I've had examples given to me all the time.

It was all special effects and wire-work, Card.  There's some director's and actor's commentaries on the files as alternative sound options that I watched as a kid.  No adepts back in those days.  But raising a few that isn't Biz does sound good, I'm in once I'm out of the tank and have a shower that lasts a week to get the nutrient fluid out of my ears.

Good luck, Faust.  Um, Wyrm, what the hell are you planning?  Dues is dead and gone, his banded aren't a threat any longer.  Hell, most of the ones I've talked to after Crash 2.0 are more pissed off at the AI than anyone else I know, and that's including kids that lost EVERYONE due to Dues and 'Raku with both of their playing around with things.  And, if Dues comes back...  Well, we know we'll need a bigger hammer than another Matrix Crash, won't we?]<<<<<
      --  Money Johnson (10:51:32/01-15-74)

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

>>>>>[ Money, check your speech recognition program; it's Deus, not Dues.
          Second, I'm not planning anything; I'm just the line judge on this one.  It's been @%>><<+_|}{}(&@&*)^()
          God dammit.  Hold on.
          [BREAK]
          ...
          ...
          ...
          [/BREAK]
          Anyhow, as I was saying.  It's been policy of ... my group ... to make certain that as many identifiable remnants of the Shutdown get cleaned up as possible.  'Cleaned up' can be a euphemism for a lot of bad things, but it can also be a euphemism for not bad things.  Which way those four go will depend on them, but there's no way in slotting hell you can read his logs and not believe that 'Faust' and the rest of his Banded group aren't facing difficulties -- difficulties that could prove severely dangerous to the people around them, including us.
          I can guarantee I've talked to more survivors of the Arcology and the AI War between that event and the Singularity than you, survivors from all sides of that battlefield.  Our techniques won't return the ex-Banded to who they used to be before Deus got a hold of them, but if they accept our assistance, we can smooth out the peaks and troughs.
          And if they don't, well, we'll have someone there when they have their next psychotic break.  And they'll clean things up that way. ]<<<<<
          -- The Wyrm Ouroboros (11:24:57/01-15-2074)

>>>>>[ P.S.  Deus isn't coming back.  White IC and I crunched the numbers.  There's a statistically better chance of all the Great Dragons distributing the entirety of their possessions to the other sentients of the world and becoming monks than Deus returning.
          Granted, not much better a statistical chance, but ... better. ]<<<<<
          -- The Wyrm Ouroboros (11:28:47/01-15-2074)

[CanRay]

>>>>>[Sorry Wyrm.  My nurse is late with the latest batch of neural stabilizers and other medications they're trying to wean me off of to get me out of the tank hopefully by the end of the week or something.  Apparently there was an issue on floors five and six with a few patients and a summoned spirit...  A gorilla of some sort.  I was left alone almost long enough to chew through the restraints.

As for putting people down for having a psychotic break, how do you tell when one's having one of those, and when they're just going through a nice bit of mad berserk rage if they're not a Banded?  Other than repeated blows to the head?  ...  Where the hell is that nurse?  Hey, what's going on here, hey!  Put me down!  This is a delicate tank, you can't just rip out the...]<<<<<  >>>User:  Money Johnson forcefully disconnected at source<<<
      --  Money Johnson (11:42:55/01-15-74)

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

>>>>>[ *mutters*  Someone go check to make sure that dumb sumbitch is all right.  Madrecita, you'd be best, but Murphy, I think you're probably closest. ]<<<<<
          -- The Wyrm Ouroboros (11:48:22/01-15-2074)