[Nexus] Remnant IV

[UncleWolf]

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/happyturtle-avs/avatars/insideflag2.png


At the start, there had been chaos. There had been no government or police force that protected Inside. The city had only been ran by vigilante justice, completely at the mercy of its inhabitants. However, eventually, order arose with the appearance of a man named Vyrn, and his Empire.

The Empire had stretched a vast distance, easily covering huge expanses stretching from the city, controlling neighboring villages and towns of all sorts, bringing relative peace to the area. With it came dissent, but it was kept fairly quiet through force, politics, and the need to unite against outside threats. It was one of those outside threats that ultimately caused Vyrn's fall. As his personal security grew, so did the unrest within the ranks of the Empire itself. Before long, it grew to its logical conclusion.

A coup.

It was led by Vettel and Noir, power was ripped from the Emperor's grasp, and he was cast down from his tower into Exile. There was only minimal resistance internally, and it led to a more "peaceful" time when dealing with the new Empire. Unfortunately, it would be short lived. Without warning, there was a bright flash of light, and nearly 75% of the people who had been known as The Empire disappeared in an event that came to be known as The Vanishing.

In it's place is a small organization made up of the remains of The Empire. A far cry from the massive mechanized army it used to be, these Remnants have taken it upon themselves to continue on in their duties, to protect Inside and the very people who live within it.

Whether those people appreciate it or not.

Appearance:

From the outside, Remnant looks more like a Fortress than a Police Station. High white walls surround the base, watched over by several tall guard towers. The walls and towers are always manned by armed Remnants, the former walking along the perimeter. There are three entrances, each one a heavy metal gate, with the Main Gate being larger. Each gate is guarded by a pair of security guards, one on either side of the entrance and given overwatch by towers inside and guards that patrol the top of the wall. Such guards are always one male and one female.

The interior of the base is surprisingly open between the many reinforced buildings that make up the various barracks, offices, Armoury, Motor Pool, Prison-Barracks, Recreation Center, Infirmary, Communication Complex, Interrogation/Interview Rooms, and the Command Center. There are running paths and so-called “Confidence Courses” that line the inside of the perimeter for exercise and a large Parade Field that is in the middle of it all. Instead of a conventional graveyard, a Memorial stands in the middle of a garden tended by the staff. The garden is fed with the ashes of the fallen as all Remnant dead that have no method of reanimation available to them at the time of death are cremated. The Memorial is simple but meaningful, being a shard of the Airship Haven’s hull, etched with the names of the dead and lost.

The more secure areas like the Armoury, Motor Pool, Infirmary, Prison Barracks and the Command Center have extra security. While the entire base is watched with cameras and interlaced with patrols, extra guards watch the sensitive areas.

Beneath the surface is a network of tunnels that lead from one building to another in an intricate web should anything prevent surface action. A backup Command Center, Remnant’s Flight Controls, and Restricted Items room are all here as well. In times of non-emergency, access is completely shut off from the rest of the base. Only a full command override from whoever is leading the chain of command at the time can unlock it.

When in flight, Remnant appears as a great flying fortress, the bottom alight with the magical and technological flight capabilities and offensive armaments. Remnant is slow in the air, but its base is reinforced with layers of materials and fields to help protect it from any attack from the ground.
Command Structure

To simplify things, I have restructured Remnant’s ranking system to something a bit easier to remember and clearer than the normal “conventional” system of Officers and Enlisted. I freely admit I take much of the inspiration from the way Warhammer 40k Space Marines(copyright Gamesworkshop. Take that you sue hungry moneymongers! :smalltongue: ) are structured but with some variation. If you have a Remnant PC already, please look through this. As I lack the capability to write an appropriate flow-chart in a post, I am forced to give a fairly detailed explanation and to list it all in order of Command from top to bottom.

Where Remnant was before divided into Officer, Enlisted, and Specialists in a mess that showed no real chain of command between PCs and NPCs, I have chosen to change it so Remnant is now divided into Companies. Each Company is divided according to its own specialty. The Companies are: Linemen, Assault, Heavy Weaponry/Artillery, Infiltration and Scouting, Mobility, The Peacekeepers, Firebugs, and Penal. There are also special units too small or spread out between the Companies to be given their own, but these Designations are Communications, Caster, Supply, Medical, Slayer, Dancefighter, and Research. Designations do not give someone a higher or lower Rank and are instead given in addition to their standard rank telling others of a special talent or skill they have. A person can have more than one Designation. There is also a Civilian category, and while some may have Designations, they do not serve Remnant in combat.

Above the Designations and Companies are the Remnant Commander and the Commander’s Honorguard. Aside from everything however is one final group called The Praetorian Guard. They are not within the Chain-Of-Command at any point and are instead asked to get involved rather than ordered.

Each company is equal to one another in rank. There is no First Company or Eleventeenth to try and jockey for position in. There are also only three ranks in a Company to worry about: Trooper, Sergeant, and Captain of the Company. A Captain of the Linemen is of equal rank to the Captain of Mobile. The only exception to this rule is the Penal Company. While the Captain and his Sergeants are equal ranks with others, the Troopers are considered to be of lower rank than Troopers of other Companies as they are prisoners serving penance for their crimes.

Firebugs and Peacekeepers have different names for their ranks but they are still equal:
Firebug ranks: Firebug, Fire Marshal, Fire Chief
Peacekeepers: Trooper, Sergeant, Chief Peacekeeper

Position and Company Explanations

Remnant Commander: Currently Commander Vasquez, she holds near ultimate position of authority within the organization. The Peacekeepers and Firebugs report to her just like the regular soldiers do. The only group she has no true authority over is The Praetorian Guard. It is the Remnant Commander’s responsibility to provide tactical and strategic decisions on a grand scale and to use her voice to reinforce what Law there is Inside.

Commander’s Honor Guard: The Honor Guard serves directly below the Commander and is a small group of diversely talented individuals. Even though they do not serve in the Companies, and sometimes may never have done so in the first place, they are highly skilled and are in a position of command and trust. They may act as Bodyguards, but their real purpose is to provide council and to give the Commander their abilities should it prove necessary.

Praetorian Guard: The Praetorian Guard is a very small group of veteran soldiers that have survived through the worst and came back still believing in the ideal that Inside needs to be protected at all costs. Whether that is for the better or worse is still up in the air. There are only ever 14 of them, including their commander the Praefectus. Their role is to take on the worst that the universe has to offer if they are called upon to do so and to obliterate it. The darker aspect of their job is to watch Remnant itself and should the command staff start to go against the purpose of Remnant, they are to kill everyone even remotely involved. They do not have the authority to issue commands, but neither do they have to listen to them.

Lineman Company: The Linemen are the largest of soldier Companies. Recruits start here unless they have a special skill denoting them elsewhere. Overall, Linemen are a little bit of everything. They’re guards and soldiers equipped with basic armor and weaponry but also have a smattering of man-portable heavy weaponry and stealth capability available. They’re used to plug gaps and to defend a position against overwhelming odds. They rely on squad tactics and their ability to adapt to any situation to survive.

Assault Company: Assault Troopers are sent in to break apart groups such as charges and strong defensive positions. Their equipment is tailored to a much closer environment than normal, consisting mostly of powerful melee weapons, shotguns, short range automatics, and flamethrowers. Their armor lacks the capes given to most others and don’t have any stealth capability, but it features a stronger armor with enhanced strength capabilities.

Heavy Weapons/Artillery Company: A Heavy Weapons Trooper is almost a One-Man Army and is a mobile artillery platform. They are given the second strongest armor(the strongest being Praetorian) and have access to nearly any weapon they could desire. Their suits have vastly enhanced strength capability, allowing them to carry multiple Heavy Weapons at a time if needed. Despite all of that however, a Heavy Weapons trooper is as slow as molasses and as obvious as white after Labor Day. A Trooper in this Company can expect to be slow getting to places and even slower leaving. They lack any stealth and don’t have access to the flight boots that others might. They also aren’t meant to be in the front lines. A Heavy Trooper finding himself being surrounded by blades likely has a short life expectancy despite their tank like armor. There aren’t many Heavy Troopers, so they are sent out only in twos or threes, but sometimes that’s all that’s needed.

Infiltration and Scouting Company: They are the quickest, sneakiest, and possibly the deadliest of the Companies, but they are also the smallest. Their Wraith Suits provide little protection, but give them nearly unparalleled cloaking and sensing capabilities. They are snipers, assassins, and scouts and tend to work individually. Sometimes a pair or even three will be sent out together, but most times a single Scout is enough. Unless forced into it or sent to kill a specific target, they are kept out of combat, but may be sent to provide demolition work. Their Wraith suits are very light, but their cloaking abilities transcend most others known in the field.

Mobile Company: This company consists of the few vehicles that Remnant has, as well as their drivers, pilots, and repair crew. They are fast units meant to strike and harass a target without being hit in return for the most part. They are primarily equipped with Assault Bikes, but Remnant still has a small air force containing a handful of transport ships capable of air-dropping Mobile units in, and a jet-bomber. When off of their vehicles, Mobiles have only light arms and Lineman armor.

The Peacekeepers: Where the previous Companies were soldiers, this one is made of civilians. These are people who’ve chosen to forgo most of the fighting aspect of Remnant and take up the long arm of The Law. They lack the power armor of the soldiers for the most part, and much of the firepower, but they tend to be a dedicated force of police officers and investigators. There are quite a few of them spread out through Inside in the various precincts. When stuck in a sticky situation, these are the people who are likely to stick to their wits and gumption to get through.

The Firebugs: Like the Peacekeepers, the Firebugs are a mostly civilian force. Instead of fighting people and chaos though, they fight fire and disasters. They’re the ones who respond to the infernos and collapsed buildings and craters to search for survivors and prevent more damage to the area. They lack conventional weapons, but their armor is incredibly tough and can withstand the odd point-blank explosion depending on magnitude. The backpack sprayer units that they carry can be loaded with a wide variety of chemicals ranging from liquid nitrogen to napalm. They can also double as Riot Suppression units if outfitted with Goober tanks.

Penal Company: The Final Company is a mixture of soldier and civilian personnel. The majority of people in the Penal Company are scum, dirt, murderers, thieves, and worse that have agreed to risk their lives in order to serve their term in a quicker manner. Many don’t survive. They are given rough training, rougher treatment, and given weapons and armor before being thrown into the meatgrinder again and again. They’re sent into the worst of situations to fight for their lives or throw them away. Rebellion and disobedience within this Company can be met with swift death if it’s seen fit.

Communication Designation: This is the neural network of Remnant. Radio operators, computer technicians, Tele-Net Workers, and message runners. They’re interlaced all through the various Companies and many work in the Communications Center itself, keeping all the aspects of Remnant in touch with one another and reporting if something goes awry. In combat Companies, they’re the ones that keep an ear open for new orders and situations being reported in that can turn the entire thing over. The symbol for this designation is a small Radio Antenna patch.

Caster Designation: Arcane and Divine Casters receive this. They are the battle mages and combat priests as well as the magical healers that work behind the line. If you can cast a spell, this is you. The symbols for these are either the person’s holy symbol or a lightning bolt patch.

Supply Designation: Mostly drawn from Non-Combatants, there is a surprisingly small number of these people for such a large organization. This is due to the small area that Remnant oversees. Supply includes chefs, armorers, janitors, deliverymen, and some administrative personnel. Despite the lackluster jobs, Remnant couldn’t get along without them and pays them surprisingly well. After all, if no one was willing to take out the trash, the place wouldn’t be able to support the rest of the personnel. The symbol of Supply personnel is a RemEx patch in purple and gold.

Medical Designation: Medics are spread all throughout Remnant with a large number of them always being assigned to the Infirmary to take care of the wounded that come in. Magical healers and mundane ones both get this. Those who enter combat are required not to be pacifists however. The symbol is, of course, a red cross.

Slayer Designation: Slayers are people who have trained to kill a specific type of enemy. They can be in any Company, but at any time they can be called upon to kill the type of creature they hunt. Vampire Slayers, Dragon Slayers, and even Blob Slayers are available and welcome to join. They are given access to any weapon they require to do the job. Their symbol is a guillotine.

Dancefighter Designation[i]: As silly as it sounds, Dancefighting is an approved and needed method of combat. Dancefighters are the bards of the back alleys and singers of strife. They use their musical and rhythmic abilities to manipulate friend and foe alike in attempts to turn battles in their favor. Any genre of music is welcome. Their symbol is a music note.

[i]Research Designation: The final designation is that of the research division. The majority of inventors, mechanics, and datajunkies in Remnant are kept away from the front line and are put to work building, tinkering, and inventing new pieces of equipment for Remnant to use. Of course, once in a while, a Researcher may have to field test a piece of equipment. Their symbol is an Atom.
People and Their Positions:
(Coming Soon)

[UncleWolf]

Location details, weaponry, vehicles, and other equipment

Coming soon!

[UncleWolf]

Infirmary

"Yes, Sir," Missy says again. She's already ranted at herself for it, but in fact, she isn't usually involved in criminal investigations. That's Peacekeeper work. In fact, the only reason she was involved in this incident was that the criminal claimed they would only surrender to her.

I should have brought him in and turned him over to someone else to question. It isn't my speciality, and the personal connection should have been enough to keep me out of it.

Infirmary

Vasquez starts to leave, but pauses one more time. "If you feel like you do need to get something off your chest, we'll be here for you." She tells Missy before heading off, meaning Remnant as a whole.

When she leaves, Jyarl leans over to rest his head on Missy's shoulder. "Love you." He whispers as he watches Jefferies draw.

[happyturtle]

Infirmary

"Love you too," Missy mumbles. Soon afterwards, she drifts to sleep.

A nurse comes in to check on her, and seems pleased with the readings. "No injuries or undue strain. She should be ready to be released by morning."

[Gullara]

[Infirmary - Bug's Office]

As Bugs is sitting in his office, all alone working on some paperwork, the doors suddenly swings open. The good doctor looks up to see Sequoia leaning against the door frame. She's not wearing her uniform as usual, however, and this is clearly no official visit.

Oh no no no. The dryad wears a floor length, yellow dress that worships her every curve. This was a dress made to show off, and show off it does. The neckline plunges downward just the perfect amount; if Sequoia weren't so tall, Bugs would have to watch himself from getting lost. Her dark skinned leg peaks out from a long slit in the skirt that goes all the way up her leg and stops on her thigh, just short of those full hips. Aside from the dress, behind her back she holds a large bouquet of pink flowers. Despite only being a decade younger than Bugs himself, Sequoia's fey nature leaves her with the looks and figure of a woman in her early thirties.

Sequoia full, darkly painted lips turn up in a mischievous smile as she let's Bugs marvel for a moment. "Hello there, handsome. Is the doctor in? I have something I want to ask him."

Despite all the flirting these two have engaged in, this level of boldness from Sequoia comes completely out of nowhere. There was no preparing Bugs for this moment.

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx135/oots12321/oots%20Scenes/Sequoia-Sexylarge_zpsb449f290.png

[UncleWolf]

Infirmary - Missy

Jyarl nods to the nurse and waits for Jefferies to start to get tired before he sets her on the bed to snuggle with Missy. Once she falls asleep, he leaves the room for a moment to watch and listen to the video from the interrogation room. He plays it several times, taking in each and every detail of his brother's death before heading back in, searching for the ring wherever Missy put her effects.

Bugs' Office

Bugs doesn't look up from his paperwork until the dryad talks. When he does, his eyes widen and his jaw literally drops a little. He's silent for a long time, unable to think of anything before shaking his head to clear the thoughts out for just a moment. "By the gods, if I didn't know you were just a little younger than me, I'd tell you to be ashamed of yourself." He tells her with a voice of wonder before breaking out in a grin.

"As it is, I can say for sure that the Doctor is In. Though I get the feeling that I'll be "Out" soon enough. What can I help you with?"

[Devixer]

Recreation Center

Iamar is sitting in a chair, reading a novel. It'll be hard for anyone to see which one, since it's written in Arabic. This is a rare occurrence where most of her weapons have been stowed away, leaving only her sword and the blade hidden under her wrist.

[UncleWolf]

Recreation Center

Iamar might find one of the combat mages, named Aliz, looking over her shoulder, trying to find out what she's reading. Unlike many, he actually can read Arabic.

Aliz is one of Rem's elementalists, one who once served on Mortal Coil itself, and is a tall, thin, darkly tanned man with a thick head of black hair. He has a long thin beard that's tied together, and even though he's wearing pants, he isn't wearing a shirt, revealing ritual scarring and tattooing all over his chest and arms. The tattoos have little true design to them, but appear to show channels along which power might flow through him, marked in blue and red to represent coming and going respectively. "What are you reading?" He asks, rather intrigued by this point.

[Gullara]

Sequoia saunters into the office and sits on his desk. She puts one foot up on its surface, giving him a good look at her long, bare leg. "[B]Me, you, a long walk under the stars followed by a bottle of wine. What so you say?" She leans over to present the flowers to him. Her little smirk suggest she knows exactly the kind of view that gives him.

[UncleWolf]

Bugs' Office

The doctor takes a long look at the leg. A real long look before he blinks and answers the question. "Yeah. Sure. The leg sounds good." he says before he catches himself and winces. "Wine. I meant wine. Dammit, do you know how old I am by human standards?" He asks with a teasing smile as he gets up from his chair and pulls off his lab coat to drape on it.

[Gullara]

Sequoia laughs and stands up again. "Don't worry, it's an distinguished old." She teases. "[B]Now you put something nice on, and I'll meet you outside. I already arranged for a ride." She wasn't planning for a no at all.

[UncleWolf]

Bugs' Office

Samuel smiles and doesn't bother replying with anything other than with a nod before reaching into a drawer to pull out a neatly folded and pressed suit. She can stay if she likes, but she'll end up watching him change entirely in his office. Not that he minds of course. :smalltongue:

Either way he heads outside when he's done.

[Gullara]

Oh no, she won't do that. they haven't even had their first date. Nope, she heads right out and waits for him there. On her way out she grabs a basket, presumably with at least the wine within. She gives him a smile when he joins her. "[B]My my, don't you look handsome. There's a cab waiting outside for us." She offers her arm to him.

[UncleWolf]

Leaving

Unlike most people, Bugs has chosen to wear a white suit with a red tie. He's also armed underneath, but Sequoia doesn't need to know that the "kind old doctor" is packing las. :smalltongue:

"I can't wait. Lead on." He tells her as he loops his arm within her own, walking with her.

[Devixer]

Recreation Center

Iamar doesn't bother closing the really long book, she doesn't think Aliz can read her language. She studies him with a critical eye, wondering what exactly the tattoos mean. "It is called Romance of the Three Kingdoms," she says. "It is about a nation that's east of my own."

[Gullara]

[Leaving]

And so the cab departs to Outside (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15916829&postcount=1349) with the two inside.

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

The mage tilts his head in thought for a moment before he nods and turns around for to grab one of his own books to offer to her, written in Arabic as well. "Not sure if you'll care for it too much, but I find this helpful on occasion." He admits.

If she takes it, the title will read The Gospel of Bugs Bunny: How to Outsmart Any Opponent Through Mundane Means.

"It's a little more helpful than it sounds." Aliz says with a wry smile, perhaps making her doubt whether he's being serious or if he's being playful instead.

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar takes the book, and then looks at the cover. Then she looks back at Aliz, then at the cover again. "...Who is Bugs Bunny?" she asks, closing her own book. At least she could understand the writing on this one, unlike so many of the other books she'd seen.

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

Aliz sits down next to Iamar if she lets him before explaining. "Honestly? A cartoon rabbit made for children that outsmarted most of his opponents through superior thinking, misdirection, sleight of hand, and simple common sense. The lessons he taught are still important though, and all should know them. Especially here."

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar gives a pointed look at Aliz, but lets him sit down. Though she wants to ask more questions about how a cartoon rabbit was any different from a normal rabbit, she gets the feeling she'd just be wasting time with that. She quickly thumbs through the book, wondering what information would be in here that she didn't already know. "Ah, my thanks. I will look through it." She also doesn't ask why a stranger was giving her this.

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

The man offers his hand after she says she'll take the book. "Aliz. And sorry for imposing. I was just trying to be sociable." He tells her, thinking that perhaps he'd made a poor mistake. Even so, he was going to keep trying. "Need a drink?"

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar shakes Aliz's hand. He may notice, if he'd looked before, that the ring finger of Iamar's left hand is missing. "Iamar. You aren't imposing, most people just don't talk to me." Probably not surprising, given that she nearly always carries her weapons, and she still wears that hood of hers. She takes a moment to consider if she did want a drink or not before nodding. "Tea would be fine."

[happyturtle]

Infirmary - Missy

He won't find the ring among Missy's things. She left it in the interrogation room, and it would be among Javert's effects. Pride is likely there too, in whatever containment is used for cursed items.

[UncleWolf]

Infirmary - Missy

Jyarl doesn't say anything when he doesn't find it and heads back to his seat where he reaches over to gently take Missy's hand as he leans his head back, falling asleep as well. He'd find the ring in the morning.

Then, he had a trip to make.

Rec Center

Strangely enough, Aliz is missing the pinky of his own left hand. The combat mage gets up to get their drinks and returns, offering her a cup so he can pour her some jasmine tea. Once he sits, he'll pour himself some as well. "I think it's the fact that you're an assassin." He says with a shrug. "It tends to make people shy away, even if you're on the same side. But no worries, I tend to be ignorant." He tells her with a teasing smile.

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar takes the cup, inhaling the aroma before taking a sip. "I suppose they can think how they will. I do not mind the solitude," she says. She glances at Aliz and then adds, "Some company now and again is appreciated, though."

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"How did you get into it?" Aliz asks as he inhales the soothing aroma of the tea before taking a sip. "Born into it?"

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar hesitates for a moment, considering exactly what she can say without any risk. Aliz will probably note the pause before she responds. "I was born into it."

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"I suppose that makes it easier for you to cope with it." Aliz says as he leans back a little, putting one leg across his knee. "I mean, it's probably nice not to have to worry about whether you're doing something against who you are. Some of us could probably use some of that." He admits, swirling his tea while he looks into it, reminiscing a little.

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"I take it you were not born into this?" Iamar asks, hiding her eagerness to get the conversation away from her past. She looks up a little, and Aliz will be more able to see her face under that hood. "When did you start?"

[happyturtle]

Infirmary - Missy

The next morning, Jefferies is the first to wake, which is followed within seconds of her waking her parents. "Wake up, mommy! It's time to go home!"

"Hey, you guys didn't need to spent the night here. What about Gorgutz?" Missy says, ruffling Jefferies hair.

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"Elemental wizardry? That much I was born into." He says with another swirl of his cup before he takes a sip. "Killing people? No, I wasn't. I'm just good at it." Aliz admits with a deep sigh. "It's...easy. But I don't like it. Though I figure the alternative is worse."

Infirmary - Missy's Room

"It's been a few hours." Jyarl admits. "But he's been alone before, I'm sure everything is fine." He tells her before realizing he's probably jinxed it and their place is probably in ruins from Overactive Separation-Anxiety Driven Pug syndrome.

*totally a real thing that all pug owners can attest to*

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"It would take a disturbed mind to ever enjoy killing," Iamar says, taking a sip of tea. She then decides she'd rather not talk about killing, either, and says, "I don't quite understand your wizardry. You say that you can control the elements?"

[happyturtle]

Infirmary - Missy >> Hellstomper Residence

Missy is checked out from the infirmary, and the family heads home. Jefferies is trying to wheedle her way into a day off from school, but Missy is quietly firm that she attend. "If I were still in the hospital, it would be different, but I'm home and I'm fine. You have to go to school."

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"Mostly fire and earth where Anna, my colleague, can control air and fire." Aliz explains, gladly letting the topic of death drop. "I suppose you could say that I have more finesse where she is the brute caster. See these lines?" He asks, gesturing at the tattoos on his arms and chest. "These aren't normal tattoos. They go into what I call "The Leylines of the body" and are infused with little bits of magic as well. They allow me to focus myself much easier where others might need wands or staves to do so."

Infimary => Hellstomper Residence

"Tell you what. If you go to school, we'll all go out for ice cream later. You can get anything you want." Jyarl tells their daughter with a smile as he opens their door. Inside, Gorgutz lets out a happy yowl and runs up to try and pounce on Jefferies to sniff all over her and lick her face for stray bits of food if she has any.

Inside, the place isn't too badly in shambles, mostly just overturned cushions and curtains that have been torn down.

[happyturtle]

Hellstomper Residence

Jefferies finally gives in, and goes to her room to change clothes.

"Oh, Gorgutz," Missy groans. She lets him out, and turns to put her arms around Jyarl. "You saw it?"

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"Leylines? Do you mean something like veins, or are they something else entirely?" Iamar picked up on most of that, having learned some basics about magic since arriving in the Nexus, but leylines are new to her.

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"Um...actually, yeah. Something like that. Instead of blood though, magic flows through them." He admits before pointing at one of the lines. "See, this color shows where magic flows into me, towards my Center, while the other shows where I can push it out."

Hellstomper Residence

Jyarl begins to pick up the room, but gives a nod. "I did. I...I think I need that ring. Just for a couple days. Sword too I guess." He admits quietly. "I need to go get some things. And destroy others."

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"I think I understand," Iamar says as she takes another sip of tea. She's pretty slow when it comes to tea drinking, as she's only now finished her first cup. "I should learn more about the different kinds of magic in play here, as long as I remain in the Nexus."

[happyturtle]

Hellstomper Residence

Jyarl begins to pick up the room, but gives a nod. "I did. I...I think I need that ring. Just for a couple days. Sword too I guess." He admits quietly. "I need to go get some things. And destroy others."

"Jyarl... It's got to be a trap. He was so insistent, laying claim to our future children as if it didn't matter what we wanted. Then he goaded me, knowing I'd kill him. Whatever is waiting for you there, he planned it."

[UncleWolf]

Hellstomper Residence

Jyarl shakes his head. "It only makes sense if you know something about him. He served what's called The Moritat. They're...well, they're a death cult. Killing and dying is how they serve their God-Emperor. If he wanted killed...I don't know. Maybe he finally wanted a taste of it? If he meant to lay a trap, then why go through all this? He could have just waited while we picked Jefferies up from school. Like last time, couldn't he?" He asks, a little unsure, but still wanting to go back to get something from what used to be his home.

Rec Center

At that, Aliz snorts in amusement. "I wouldn't bother. I've tried. There are so many kinds out there with more coming all the time that it is utterly ridiculous."

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar smiles a little, a rare occasion for her. "Then I shall just assume that it does things I cannot hope to do," she says.

[happyturtle]

Hellstomper Residence

"The trap is back on your world." Missy says, feeling sure of it. "If you have to go, please don't go alone."

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"Well, there's always some way for people to do some sort of magic if they lack personal power. Rituals for example." Aliz points out. "Say some magic words after drawing some certain designs at a certain time and place, and you can do just about anything."

Hellstomper Residence

"I'll bring Sue." He says with a small smile, knowing that if anything happened, the Giantkin would be more than happy to deal with it. "And maybe I'll play a cruel joke on everyone and dress him in a way most people in my world would be forced to bow down to him." Jyarl says with a grin after he thinks of the joke.

"If he dressed as a Space Marine, no one in their right minds would be able to do anything about it."

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"Don't rituals of that kind usually have some kind of cost, though?" Iamar asks, recalling a couple stories she read once. "Something that I likely wouldn't want to give?"

[happyturtle]

Hellstomper Residence

"Just make sure you come back to us," Missy says. Then noticing that it's awfully quiet, she calls out: "That doesn't sound like a little girl getting ready for school!"

"I'm almost ready!" Jefferies hollers back.

"I better go hurry her along," Missy says, giving Jyarl a quick peck on the lips.

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"Summonings tend to. Some other complex ones might. Others just take time, materials, and effort. Sometime I could show a few if you want. Quick ones might prove useful in your specialty." Aliz offers.

Hellstomper Residence

Jyarl doesn't stop at just a peck, keeping the kiss long and slow as he wraps his arms around her. Once the kiss is up, he'll rest his forehead against hers. "I'll be waiting for you with breakfast." He tells her quietly with a smile before heading to the kitchen to mix pop some food into the toaster.

[Darkcomet]

[A Message]

Vasquez receives the following:


I formally request, for the sake of the defense of Inside against the potential resurgence of AMENite aggression, that any information you obtain from Magtok about the Association will be forwarded to us.

-Commander Vyrn Altaran

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar considers the offer for a moment. She certainly would like to be able to add to her skills. "Perhaps some time, but not today," she says.

[Lord Magtok]

Main Gate

Magtok shows up outside the gate, carrying a suitcase. He figured there'd be a field or something cutting off his ability to teleport in equipment, so he took the time to assemble everything he might need, and stuff it all within. He presses a finger against the gate, as if there were some invisible button there, an intercom system to contact the Remmies on the opposite side of the structure.

"Bzzt! Commander Vasquez, this is Generic Guard Guy 46 reporting. There's a Lord Magtok here to see you. Standard purple robes, the usual obnoxious, self-satisfied smirk, and a lead-lined MagCorp brand leather suitcase. We can search the suitcase, search the cyborg, both, or neither. Your call, ma'am."

[UncleWolf]

Reply to Vyrn


As if there was any question about such. Expect full details when they arrive.

Rec Center

Aliz nods. "It's nice to know someone's interested in learning. At the very least I could teach you one or two that might let you drop through floors for a short time or even open a small portal to a different prepared location." He says before smiling at a memory. "We did that to AMEN once. During a raid we ended up opening escape portals that led to a spot about a mile above Inside. We had glide wings. They didn't." He says with a grin.

Entrance

For their credit, the two guards flanking the gate don't even twitch as Magtok makes his joke. Until one of them turns to him.

"Vasquez says that if that's the way you want to do it, we'll gladly get nice and personal. We just have to get gloves on. Rule #1: Body-Substance Isolation. It wouldn't do to have us get sick." The woman says with an amused tone and hidden smile.

"Just open the briefcase for us to see and we'll pass you through."

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar grins at that. "I imagine they had quite a shocked look on their faces," she says. "How often have we needed to make a raid on them?"

[Lord Magtok]

Entrance

Magtok opens the suitcase. There's papers, a hologram device, a few flash drives and CDs, and a comatose rat held inside of a MagZip plastic baggy.

"The rat's a visual metaphor for a thing I'm going to say that wouldn't work as well with a robot rat, not an assassination attempt. You can confiscate it if you have to, but it's going to wake up later, and act like rats do. The rest is just data stored in a number of different ways, because I don't know what kind of computers you guys use, or if you keep paper file backups or whatever."

[UncleWolf]

Entrance => Vas' Office

The guard nods and gestures that he can close the case before the gate opens up. Vasquez, fully armored, is waiting for him on the other side, a wry smile. "I figured you wouldn't be able to resist coming here." She says before tilting her head to gesture him to follow her. "Lets head to my office and we'll work out a deal."

Rec Center

"As Remnant? We haven't. Before that...well, you've probably heard about the Mortal Coil unit The Empire had? We did two raids. Both successes despite losses. The first was the retrieval of a kidnapping victim. It was our first field action and went...well, it went smoother than we expected. Lost only a handful of people but we more than held our own, went deep into their base, got the victim, and escaped through the portals we brought in scrolls."

"The second time...we lost quite a few people. We targetted their cloning tanks, and even with a solid Tech Jinx to prevent even chemical propelled guns from working, I think we lost...well, about 90% of those sent in. Took out the cloning temporarily though. They've surely gotten them back by now though." Aliz says with a small shrug as he looks down into his cool tea. After a moment he gives a sigh and gulps the remainder in the cup. "Probably about time we did it again, except we've had a shaky peace with them for a while now."

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar listens to the stories of the raids. She had only hear a little of Mortal Coil, but she knew enough about them. "That peace is not going to last, though. AMEN will likely attack us or one of our allies sooner or later."

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

Aliz nods. "Maybe, but from the sounds of things, our Allies are getting to be as potentially harmful to us as AMEN. Word of advice: Be ready. When the crap hits the fan, and it'll hit soon, there's going to be a big mess."

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"I'll be on the lookout," Iamar says. "Thank you for your advice."

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

Aliz tilts his head at a thought and hums to himself, pondering something before nodding. "Tell me, how skillful are you at your job?" He asks, as if judging her for something.

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"If I weren't skilled in both stealth and combat, I wouldn't be here talking to you," Iamar says, deciding to let her continued survival serve as a testament to her ability.

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"Good answer." The mage says with a wry smile. "One final question. Do you have a soul? Some people don't. It's an important question though."

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"I, ah, don't really know. Is that something that can be tested?" Iamar never really believed in the soul, but those were apparently real here.

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

Aliz sets his tea aside and pushes himself up before offering his hand to the assassin. "Come with me. I think there's something we should talk about in a more private location." He says, all joking out of his voice now.

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar stands from her chair and nods. "Of course," she says, staying on her guard.

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center => Interview Room

Aliz guides Iamar out of the center before reaching into a pocket to pull out a headset and turning it on. "Aliz to Taul. Meet me at Interview Room 1." Once he gets a response, the mage nods and gestures for Iamar to follow him.

If she does, she'll find herself guided to a room that's normally used for Interrogations. Waiting there is a tall, pale elf with black hair. If she'll recognize such, she'll see that he's a cleric of Hel, Goddess of Death. He gives her a small smile. "Doin' alright?"

[Devixer]

Interview Room

Iamar follows Aliz to the interview room, and she recognizes Taul from when she was first interviewed. "I am fine," she says.

[UncleWolf]

Interview Room

"If you don't mind, I'd like to see if you have a soul. While it isn't necessary for what we'd like to ask you to do, it does help." Taul admits before attempting to put a hand on Iamar's head to try and sense if she has one.

[Devixer]

Interview Room

"I suppose. I'd like to know myself." Iamar does indeed have a soul, under the traditional definition of the word. "What do you wish for me to do?"

[UncleWolf]

Interview Room

"You have one." Taul says with a smile before stepping back.

"As for what we want you to do, we want you to join Mortal Coil if you wish. But it takes two sacrifices. One greater than the other. The first, is one of the flesh." Taul points out, raising his left hand to reveal his missing pinky as Aliz does the same, showing his again. "This way there will always be something we can bring you back with. The second is tying your soul to a contract, to safeguard it from manipulation and theft. However, after you die, you'll be sent to one of two "underworlds" to serve a duty. Neither are pleasant and both are agonizing. Time moves faster there, so it's a month there for a week here before resurrection."

"After signing the contract and the sacrifice of flesh, you're to go through an extremely brutal training that will dull you to pain. It...isn't pleasant."

[Devixer]

Interview Room

That whole thing is rather new to Iamar, and it frightens her a little. Less the removal of the finger and more the whole "signing my soul to a painful afterlife." "...I do not know. I have other loyalties to consider."

[UncleWolf]

Interview Room

"Your soul would not belong to the gods who safekeep it. The afterlives are a return service." Taul points out as he tilts his head. "I won't ask what loyalties you have, but I had thought you hadn't had any others. By this point however, I think it's meaningless whether you do or don't. You're still a Remnant. Consider the offer, the choice is yours. Take as long as you need."

[Devixer]

Interview Room

"I will need some time," Iamar says. "This is a lot to consider."

[Lord Magtok]

Entrance => Vas' Office


Entrance => Vas' Office

The guard nods and gestures that he can close the case before the gate opens up. Vasquez, fully armored, is waiting for him on the other side, a wry smile. "I figured you wouldn't be able to resist coming here." She says before tilting her head to gesture him to follow her. "Lets head to my office and we'll work out a deal."


"Well of course not. It's the Reinholdts and Dipsnigs and Watchtowers that get negotiated with over the phone. The Commander Vasquezes, they-Aww, and you brought the armor! I'm touched that you'd even pretend I'm threatening enough to warrant that!"

Magtok smiles as he closes the case, and follows her to the office, where he'll take a seat and then set the valise down on top of her desk.

"...That, or you thought I'd be checking you out the whole meeting otherwise. Maybe both. Hrm. Anyways! Information. I have it, and you want it. The AMEN stuff, I'm offering that at a reasonable price, but I think we both know that's not why I'm here. If this was really about AMEN, I wouldn't even bother saying anything on Wall in the first place."

The case opens, and Magtok takes out a pair of photos, held up so Vas can see it, but those of us on this side of the fourth wall can't.

"When you glow this bright with honor and self-righteousness, people are going to notice, Vas. Even more so when you decide to go doing all manner of skullduggery in the dark; then you stick out like the pink neon sign over the ChainMale Bikini. These people, to tastelessly quote modern cinema, merely adopted the dark; I was born in it, molded by it. Satellite or not, nothing and nobody escapes my notice."

[UncleWolf]

Interview Room

"Take all the time you need. You may go." Taul informs Iamar, nodding to the door.

Vas' Office

When Vasquez sees the pictures, she leans back, fingers steepled in front of her as she sits in deep thought. For her credit, she seems rather cool with the information presented to her. It's literally several minutes before she speaks, and even then, she remains calm. "What is it that you want? Just the hint you've given me now can grant a lot. I assume you have something in mind."

[Devixer]

Interview Room

Iamar bows her head towards Taul. "You should have my answer before long," she says before turning and walking out.

[Lord Magtok]

Vas' Office

"Either DC of Watchtower, a known Remnant ally, or your pet, the Altaran Irregulars, were responsible for the bombing of my Cave at the most inconvenient time possible. Damages were tremendous, and recovering from them will be costly. Suspending relations with AMEN may help MagMart do better, but I'm not holding my breath."

Magtok pulls out the hologram device, and turns that away from our side of the fourth wall, too. Jeez, Mag, if you're going to be like that, why not have this whole meeting offscreen instead of teasing us like this? Jerk.

"Money. It's money, nothing else matters. If you have the dough, I'll surrender the subject of picture number one instead of throwing it at Watchtower, but for that specifically, because of the personal costs involved, I have to ask for a lot. DC has insulted me, NO has belittled me, the world has spat in my face, and I could turn everything on its head with just that one little ace up my sleeve. I promised to destroy Watchtower, and my reasoning for doing so remains intact, with or without AMEN.

Money, and whatever can be done to refurbish my image, if you've any ideas. I'm not about to ditch the supervillain look and reputation, and the MagMarts might be finished one way or another, but I need the masses transfixed again, mewling in awe and adoration like they used to. I need their hearts and minds slightly more than I need their wallets."

[UncleWolf]

Vas' Office

Vas is contemplative for a few moments before she finally shakes her head. "I can't offer money. As much as I'd like to offer such, money isn't something Remnant can make very easily and there probably isn't enough to be given out to you. I can offer something better though, if you can bring me proof that the pictures are connected." She says before taking a deep breath and letting out a small sigh.

"I can offer you protection. Publicly too. Vyrn, Watch, NO, whoever. Touching you would be the equivalent of touching Remnant provided you don't provoke them unduly. That should give you plenty of time to recover your losses and from the attack. However, to do this, we need to bring a third person into this. Literally for the sake of my life and those of my officers. Any objections, say so now. That is the biggest condition I have and I will not be swayed."

[Devixer]

It's around two days before Iamar finally makes up her mind regarding Mortal Coil. She can be seen walking around Remnant, looking for either Taul or Aliz.

[Lord Magtok]

Vas' Office

"No objections here, Commander." Magtok's a little disappointed about the money thing, but he's sure he can work past that. There's plenty of other little odds and ends he can bring up once the other party is here, to try to bump up the value of Remnant's offer. Removal of the space ban, full pardons for any outstanding arrest warrants, a fancy hat and/or t-shirt, autographed calendar, a celebrity endorsement deal or two on MagMart products...Hopefully the tremendous quantity of 'minor' favors and conditions don't frighten Remnant away. He's already given out too many freebies to risk leaving this base without some sort of an agreement set down.

"May I ask who?"

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

Iamar will find Taul and Aliz playing pool against each other in the Recreation Center, with the latter losing terribly as Aliz sighs, leaning on his cue as he watches the elf sink ball after ball.

Vas' Office

"Praetorian Halifax, the literal sword above my head." Vasquez explains before turning on the intercom. "Alice? Call for Halifax. Really damn important business in my office right now. Sorry to cut her vacation so short already, but I just need fifteen minutes of her time." Vasquez says before shutting off the system, knowing that Alice will do as asked.

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar approaches the pool table that Taul and Aliz are at, but decides not to interrupt their game. She's content to just watch for now, despite not knowing anything about pool.

[happyturtle]

Vas' Office


Vas' Office

"Praetorian Halifax, the literal sword above my head." Vasquez explains before turning on the intercom. "Alice? Call for Halifax. Really damn important business in my office right now. Sorry to cut her vacation so short already, but I just need fifteen minutes of her time." Vasquez says before shutting off the system, knowing that Alice will do as asked.

A few minutes later, Missy arrives, dressed in civilian clothes. To be more specific, mommy clothes. Seriously, she doesn't look nearly hot enough to have ever dated Magtok. :smallyuk:

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/happyturtle-avs/464852673_mom_jeans_xlarge.jpg

"Reporting, Sir," Halifax says.

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

Aliz, knowing he's already lost, simply puts a 20 on the side of the table and sets his cue away before smiling to Iamar and walking over. "How's it been?"

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar smiles back at Aliz, lowering her hood to reveal her brown eyes and short black hair. "I have been well, Aliz. Yourself?"

[Lord Magtok]

Vas's Office

Magtok raises an eyebrow, suddenly struck by a dozen or so questions for Vasquez, all of which he decides are none of his business and not worth asking.

"Hello, Halifax. I'll skip the pleasantries and get right to the point - I have copies of every member application that's been filled out in AMEN, up to the point where I left. I can offer an effective means by which to take down the eldritch thing that lives in AMEN's walls, assuming nobody else has finalized their plans to do so already. I can provide a map of the mines that Zefir has placed all around AMENside, and I can provide directions to the secret Atlantis base they're liable to fall back on once their primary base has gone kaput.

None of that, however, even comes close to comparing to the goldmine of information I've put together elsewhere. I have intel now that puts everything MagSat has ever done in its entire history to shame. Wild, completely outrageous classified information, that I myself wouldn't believe if I didn't have the evidence for it buried away inside my own head. Vas can tell you what I've already let her know; I've got to take a moment to rewrite my prices, now that I've been told money's off the table."

Magtok reaches for the blank backside of one of the sheets of paper in his suitcase, and without so much as a pause to ask nicely first, attempts to steal any stray pens on Vasquez's desk, and start scrawling some numbers and whatnot on that sheet of paper.

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"Losing." He admits as Taul picks up the money and stuffs it in his pocket. "Have you decided?"

Vas' Office

Vasquez holds up the two pictures when the time comes for her to do so. "All I need to know is if anything I do in repayment for this, namely protection over Magtok Inside from other factions and Orgs, as well as maybe one or two other things, is appropriate. I need you to know that this is nothing personal."

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"I have," Iamar says. She casts her eyes about somewhat. "Should we go somewhere quiet?"

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

Aliz shakes his head. "Just a yes or no here will suffice. We can always talk more at a more convenient time unless you want to go now."

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"I see," Iamar takes a short breath. "In that case, my answer is yes."

[happyturtle]

Vas Office

Missy blinks as she looks at the picture. "That. That I did not expect." She turns back to Vasquez. "How do we deal with... that?"

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"Do you agree to the terms, or did you want to join without any sorts of bindings or sacrifices?" Taul asks as he racks up the balls again. "You can do the latter, but then it's a one-way trip for the most part, and you aren't nearly as secure in being. There've been times when only one of us has been left alive."

Vas' Office

"Us? Nothing yet. Lord Magtok says he'll take care of it for us as long as we're willing to make a deal." The Commander explains as she sets the photos down. "Hence my question."

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"I agree to the terms," Iamar says. "If I am to join a unit where such an outcome is likely, then I should take any precaution I can."

[happyturtle]

Vas's Office

"What kind of assurance do we have that he didn't orchestrate this?" Missy says, though her tone isn't very accusatory. She doesn't really believe that's his style. "Honestly? I think if we agree to this deal, and we're trusting him with the job, we need a camera in Lord Magtok's eyeball until it's dealt with."

Gee, I wonder where she got that idea? :smalltongue:

[Lord Magtok]

Vas's Office

Magtok avoids commenting on that old assassination nonsense. Man, that was like ages ago, Missy. Try to kill someone's boss one time, just once, and she never lets it go! :smallyuk:

"If the football was ever on my side of the field, I can tell you without hesitation that it would never wind up where it is now. Watchtower would already be ashes. And as much as I'd like to agree to your camera terms, I've already got my people circling around the golden goose, waiting for the order to grab it and run. To pull them out, poke them in the eye, and then send them back in could arouse suspicions, maybe even jeopardize the mission."

Not really, no. Magtok's pretty sure they could get away with that, and is lying right now. Even so, there's plenty of reasons to object to eye-cameras, not the least of which being the discomfort involved in having such a thing implanted by a begrudging, less-than-totally-trustworthy ally.

"Alternative idea: I can sit tight here, rent a room for a few days or something, until someone drops off the package in your mailbox. Put myself up as collateral, one of the few remaining MagClones left until we get the cloning tanks up and running again. I'm sure you can find creative ways to make me regret being here if anything goes wrong."

Magtok smiles back at the women, as if daring them to start imagining elaborate revenge schemes and shenanigans this very minute.

[UncleWolf]

Vas' Office

"Before we commit to anything, we just need some sort of proof that the pictures are linked. Do that, and we'll be able to do something definitive for you. I have to cover my own ass here too afterall. I'm sure you understand." Vas tells Magtok. "I'd like to send an observer at least. That way you aren't risking anything more, and I still get my proof. You won't even know they're there."

[happyturtle]

Vas's Office

Missy nods her approval to the compromise. But of course she can't approve the entire plan till she knows exactly how much Magtok is asking.

[Lord Magtok]

Vas's Office

"Fine."

Magtok sighs. He'll just have to hope she's right about not noticing their presence, otherwise things will go to hell so quickly there's no telling what might follow.

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"I agree to the terms," Iamar says. "If I am to join a unit where such an outcome is likely, then I should take any precaution I can."

Rec Center

"Tell me. What sort of training did you go through to become an assassin?" Aliz asks, sitting on the pool table as Taul heads over to the bar to get drinks.

Vas' Office

"Alright. Now that that's agreed to, what are you asking for now that things have been laid out?"

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"In the beginning, when I was small, I was taught how to observe, hide, steal, manipulate others if I had to. But I think you wish to know my combat training," Iamar says.
"I was allowed to learn to handle my weapons, and then fought the others of my Order. It was hard training - two of us died, and I bear many scars from it."

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"Well, the training for this isn't going to be fun. It involves a lot of beatings and breaking until you can work through any injury. My sister and I are priests, so we'll heal you after every session." Taul explains.

[Devixer]

Rec Center

"I understand. Will I need to learn any new skills for this besides working through wounds?" Iamar asks.

[Lord Magtok]

Vas's Office

The cyborg lowers his eyes, examining that piece of paper he'd been scribbling on with a pilfered pen.

"Let's see now...Removal of the space ban, full pardons for any outstanding arrest warrants, the official protection thingy you mentioned, a fancy Remnant hat and/or t-shirt, an calendar with autographs on every month, a celebrity endorsement deal or two on MagMart products...actually not that last one, you have your own rep to worry about, nevermind. I'm also going to need a new building in Inside to do stuff and put things in and whatnot, and the base template or whatever you guys use for your armor, prior to all the fancy customizations and everything else."

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"Mental reinforcement against magical and psionic attacks, simple ritual magic, basic hacking and security, extra weapon training, and other things of the like." Taul explains. "As well as extra training in powered armor."

Vas' Office

Vas looks at Halifax once Magtok finishes. "Any objections? And keep in mind Magtok, the protection would only extend to your holdings Inside."

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar nods in understanding. She doesn't like powered armor that much, judging from how bulky it looks, but she won't voice her displeasure - it was probably necessary with all the weapons that are commonly used. "Are my own weapons still viable?"

[happyturtle]

Vas's Office

"The space ban can be modified to say no weaponizable space assets. No missiles, and any orbital devices are set to explode in the stratosphere before they hit anything." Missy says. "And the autographed calendar isn't personalized. Just signatures. No one is required to sign 'Dear Magtok' or anything like that."

[Lord Magtok]

Vas's Office

Magtok nods, "You don't even have to tell them it's for me. Hell, you can even dig through the inventory, see if there's one just lying around that already has all the names inside."

[UncleWolf]

Rec Center

"Of course they are." Aliz says with a smile before offering her what appears to be a credit card. "We'll start in two days. Meet us at the Interview room from before after that. I recommend you go and enjoy yourself for those days. No worries about charges, just nothing over 1k a pop."

Vas' Office

Vasquez nods. "We'll work something out. Even the building. Is there something else?"

[Devixer]

Rec Center

Iamar glances at the card before taking it. She knows what credit cards are, but she isn't sure how she's supposed to enjoy herself. "My thanks. I will be back soon," she says, before turning to leave the Rec Center.

[Lord Magtok]

Vas' Office

"No, that's just about everything," Magtok says with a shake of his head. He reaches out to close the suitcase, and move on to whatever's next when it comes to formalizing this nonsense, when suddenly, the comatose rat mentioned earlier suddenly snaps awake, worms its way out of that plastic bag it was held inside, and stands tall on its hindlegs in front of everyone present in the room. As if that weren't weird enough, it starts speaking. Even worse, it's doing so with the voice of Needs Food Badly, deceased MagClone and former cyborg sorcerer supreme.

"Apologies for interrupting negotiations. The diplomat is innocent, whatever flimsy excuse he had for carrying a dead rat around were entirely true to him. Message for Tracy Elton. Post-Mortem. Rat is of no threat."

Meanwhile, Magtok just sits there, blinking. He looks like someone had done a Jedi Mind Trick on him, and only now has it finally begun to wear off.

[UncleWolf]

Vas' Office

Vas blinks at the rat for a moment before pulling out a pen and sheet of paper. "Continue. The message will be passed to Tracy. You have my word as Commander of Remnant." Vasquez says, having every reason to respect a dead Clone's last message.

Rec Center

Iamar is allowed to leave, the two officers waving goodbye to her.

[Halae]

[The Barracks]

Those in the barracks and surrounding it will hear a very loud explosion emanate from of of the rooms. This is no simple explosion either - the sound is no sudden burst, but a maintained wave of sound for no less than five seconds. Those in the area once that part of it clears will also hear the sounds of sizzling.

Those who care to check will find that the source of the explosion is Caet's Room. Erin "Caet" Mathus, for those who don't know, is the single most paranoid individual on the base, to the point of it being psychosis. To this end, he learned everything he could about wards and protective magic - as well as destructive for when you want to break something until it can't attack you anymore. His best known quality was his rather eccentric room. Not feeling safe sleeping anywhere else, he'd lined the very building around his room with wards, at least two more every day, leaving him with hundreds of layers of protective spells and traps. One can actually feel the building humming in the presence of his room, as the ludicrously concentrated energy is maintained only by his extensive knowledge of wards and sigils.

There's been a betting pool out for a long time on when something is going to go wrong and blow the entire area up. Said pool also covers how big the explosion would be.

Those on the scene will see a fairly terrible sight. The door was blown off it's hinges and currently sits halfway into the wall on the opposite side, the sheer force of the explosion having been enough to send it almost through into another room. The hallway sustained mostly superficial damage - the walls and ceiling and black and a bit warped from the force and fire, but intact. The floor has had some acid eat into it, leaving pockmarks and sharp points like stalagmites, with small rivulets on the lower walls where the acid ran down into the floor. The air smells of sulfur and ozone, suggesting there was electricity in the blaze as well.

The inside of the room is even worse. Those rare few who saw the inside previously know that there were books stacked everywhere, to the point where navigating it was like walking through small hallways. Caet Rarely slept, instead relying on his magic to keep him awake except for the rest day he'd take once per week, and while awake he'd almost constantly be working on some new spell formula or another - no less than 25% of his collection of books was all spellbooks he'd filled with small variations and nuanced versions of different spells.

Now, the books are scattered everywhere, though most are undamaged, having been warded as well. The bed is aflame and parts of it are melted to the wall. The desk, somehow having made the trip across the room, is also sitting on the newly elevated bed, also burning but with the legs cleanly melted off by acid. The walls are all charred black with rivulets of cement dripping down as the acid eats away at them, the roof is darker than pitch and everything, even metal things, have cracks in them. the walls, roof, desk, bed, everything. presumably the floor as well, if one could see it.

However, more concerning is the fact that Caet was in his room at the time of the explosion. one can't see all of him, buried in a pile of books as he is, but his right hand is sticking limply out of a pile, the fingers charred black and his thumb missing. What more damage was done to him is yet to be seen, hidden as he is by the literary avalanche.

One of the worst parts is that this wasn't nearly all of the wards he had in place. the entire area still hums with magic.

[UncleWolf]

Caet's Room

Luckily, unless Caet disabled them, fire suppression systems will kick in right after the explosion, spraying a light foam that snuffs out the remaining flames. Only seconds after that happens, others living nearby his room burst in with guns and no armor, a couple still dressed in their skivvies and one dressed in nothing at all.

The last, a man, gives a sigh at the sight. "Gods damn it! Caet! You alright?" He shouts, gesturing for the others to start digging him out.

[Halae]

[Caet's Room]

Caet doesn't move in response to his name. Once the pile of remarkably pristine books is off him, those digging through be able to find why - he's not dead, but he's most certainly not awake. Which is a blessing, given his extensive burn wounds and injuries.

Spoilered for graphic nature of the injuries present.
His face as obviously caught in the blast - the left side of his head is completely charred, the cheek burned away with blackened and cracked teeth under it. His left eye has also melted it its socket. His hair caught fire in the blast, leaving him with nothing of the blond hair save for a few patches and burnt skin. What skin on the right side of his head that wasn't charred is still burned.

The robes he was wearing - remnant colors and design, with a few personal alterations to carry his massive amount of components pouches and to make it a robe rather than a uniform - have been burned down to reveal the majority of his chest. His left arm is completely gone, and part of his collarbone with it, revealing the burnt and cauterized tissue inside him. He also has several small melted holes in his stomach where acid ate through the robe and his skin, though these are simple splashes - the majority of the acid was concentrated low, and his lack of anything below the thighs showcases that fairly well. Once again, the nature of the explosion saved him from blood loss - his legs were cauterized by it.

What skin is still there on his body is charred and blackened, or the robe has fused into it as it melted in the heat and acid. His vital organs are all still intact, but he's in horrible shape, and his breathing is shallow.Best call the infirmary.

[UncleWolf]

Caet's Room

The naked man stares for a moment before letting out a loud curse and wrenching a headset off of one of his fellows. "Stretcher! We need a stretcher to Barracks C, Caet's Room. Yes him. Do it right ******* now!"

As he's shouting, people begin shoving things aside from the wounded man, clearing the way as those with even slight medical training move in to assess him, not that they can do much about anything at the moment.

"And get a damned team of mages here to remove all these wards! It's a frakking deathtrap!"

[Halae]

[Caet's Room]

Those examining him will be able to tell one thing - after that, the sheer kinetic force should have turned the young man to mush, and even now after the fact his still being alive is a magically reinforced miracle. The injuries on him shouldn't be allowing him to survive, if from shock than nothing else.

It won't take long to get him out - he's within reach of the door, and can be pulled onto a stretcher easy enough. He can be moved to the infirmary with little fanfare.

When mages arrive to disable his wards, they won't find some simple set of sigils. There's still hundreds upon hundreds of wards weaved into the room, so much so that trying to look at them with magical sight would be nearly as damaging as looking at the sun. The worst part is that this is only roughly three fifths of the wards he had in place - the aetheric residue from the ones that went off show that only the least stable ones went off. All this would take months for Caet himself to take down, and probably years for anybody else.

[UncleWolf]

Caet's Room

The medics get there within moments and whisk Caet away to the Surgery Ward of the Infirmary.

The mages however, Anna and Aliz, have a much bigger problem at hand than the surgeons will. Namely the terribly explosive wards still in place, with no idea if they'll blow if Caet dies.

They take a few minutes to think about what to do, but Aliz gets an idea. "Everyone, clear the building. Just in case." He says before calling in a Special Item from the Armoury.

Anyone still watching will see a pair of soldiers, garbed in black armor instead of the usual white, carrying a small wooden crate between them, one hand on the handles and one holding guns at the ready. Whatever's inside is clearly quite valuable and dangerous.

Once they reach the room, Aliz signs a couple forms before opening the crate, pulling out one of four small ruby discs wheels. While Remnant had neither the knowledge nor the capability to make full on Wheels, research allowed them to create something similar. But where the jade Wheel from before was like a massive bomb in power, this was more of a flash-bang.

The mini-Wheel, so far lacking a cool name, is thrown in after Aliz says a Keyword. Four seconds later, a giant hum fills the air before a void of magic simply appears in the muddle of the room. It's there for only a moment, and just strong enough to suck th magic away from the room before deactivating, slowly letting the magic back into the environment.

It should be able to destroy the wards in a single burst.

[Halae]

[Caet's Room]

And with that, the wards are gone. The hum of power and energy, the very vibration of the stone, fades into a heavy silence. Caet's room can now be maneuvered into safely, and none of the wards exploded.

[UncleWolf]

Surgery

Caet will make it to the surgery without any further damage and Bugs is waiting for him will a full team. When the head Medic sees him, Bugs shakes his head, but it was his job to do the best he could.

And dammit, he was going to.

"Comrades. We have rebuild him. We have the technology..." Bugs says with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood a bit. It's not his normal method, but sleeping with a beautiful dryad the night before has that effect on people.

The surgery will probably go on for most of the day, even going into night before it's finished. Bugs and his crew would have had to scrape away all of the charred flesh, replacing it with synth-flesh and fake skin. It'll take several days for it to fuse with Caet's natural tissue, and even then it'll feel slightly numb and never tan right if it gets sun. That process takes just an hour.

The eyes were probably the hardest part of the surgery, taking a full seven hours alone. While one was still partly intact and could reasonably heal, full recovery wasn't likely, so replacement was opted in that regard as well. He'll receive top-of-the-line replacements, shielded against electronic interference and capable of switching vision spectra when needed.

Next are the internal organs. While only bruised, Bugs has a policy to replace any that are damaged. It takes six hours, but at the end, Caet's lungs are replaced with cybernetics that are also capable of underwater breathing, and his heart is replaced with a stronger one. At the end, Bugs even replaces his rib cage with an armored one.

There are a couple final add-ins, enhancement implants attached to his kidneys and liver, but Bugs will fill Caet in on those when the man awakens.

Finally, there are the limbs. Those are simple enough to replace compared to all else, and they're replaced with heavily armored military models. They're sleek, can have flight boots added in case of the legs, and can carry a sidearm within. The arm can hold secret weaponry as well. And that's just the basics.

Caet will probably wake up a week later, in a room where magic can't leak in, and heavily restrained as well as being blind.

[Halae]

[Null-Magic Room]

Caet, blinded as he is when he awakens, first makes the assumption that it's just dark. Most people in this situation would try to stay sleeping, but his considerable paranoia makes him try standing up from the bed.

And then he realizes he's restrained, doesn't have access to his magic, and he can't see anything. If there's something monitoring his vitals, they're spiking - he's going into the full throes of panic here.

[Gullara]

[Post Surgery]

After the very very extended surgery, Bugs will find that Sequoia is sitting waiting for him. She's practically dozed off in a chair, but her head shoots straight up when he enters the room. "Bugs. How'd it go?" She stands up a bit stiffly, but doesn't mind that as she looks at him with concern. How much of that concern if for Caet and how much is for Bugs himself is a mystery.

[UncleWolf]

Bugs Office

"About as well as expected." The doctor admits with a heavy and tired sigh as he sits down in a chair. "More damage than I thought too, but he's alive and will be up in a couple weeks tops."

Null-Magic Room

"Hey! Keep calm dammit!" An aide shouts. "You're restrained and blindfolded because of new Cybernetics. Can't trust you not to hurt yourself. Understand?"

[Halae]

[Null-Magic Room]

Caet lets out a shuddering breath. Another person. A source of information. He can fight down the panic if he can learn what's going on. His heart rate stays high, but he controls his breathing and stops fighting the restraints.

"What happened? why do I need cybernetics? Why am I blindfolded?"

[Gullara]

Sequoia moves around behind Bugs and drapes her arms around him. "[B]I'm sure he would have been much worse off if you hadn't been here. You did good." She kisses his cheek.

[UncleWolf]

Null-Magic Room

"Your room exploded." The person says, leaving it at that for a couple seconds. "But don't worry, about half of you survived and we disabled the rest of your wards."

Bugs' Office

"Which is why I need better trained surgeons." The doctor admits, leaning back into Sequoia's embrace. "I can't be the only one to do this anymore."

[Halae]

[Null-Magic Room]

Thoughts bounce through Caet's head pretty hard. Restraints and anti-magic... hmm. They only had so many rooms like this in the compound, and they were using one to contain him, along with physical restraints.

"Alright, I have two questions. First, what parts of me were replaced? I assume my eyes, but I'd like to know why I feel numb all over. Second... how deep of trouble am I in?"

[Gullara]

"[B]Maybe you need to look into finding a person or two that can help you, or at least you can train." The dryad suggests. She settles her chin on the back of his chair right near his head.

[Lord Magtok]

Vas' Office

Vas blinks at the rat for a moment before pulling out a pen and sheet of paper. "Continue. The message will be passed to Tracy. You have my word as Commander of Remnant." Vasquez says, having every reason to respect a dead Clone's last message.

The rat clears its throat, and begins. Magtok, for his part, can't seem to do anything but gape and stare like an imbecile. Needs, dead?! But...but that's impossible!

"I'm dead. Arina did me in, brought to the brink of death by my defense of friends and family. Magtok, sorry you had to find out like this. All attempts to restore my prior form will be made, but we have to be prepared for the possibility that such a thing may not work out. Tracy, my only regret is that we didn't hang out more and stuff.
No, more than that, I regret not administering one last Tetrodotoxin cocktail to clear my mind and tell you how I really feel. Oh well, I lived decently enough for a clone.

-Needs"

[UncleWolf]

Vas' Office

"I'll be sure your message is delivered personally and wish you the best of luck in coming back, Needs." Vasquez says, though she knows he probably won't be able to respond at all. It was mostly for Magtok's benefit really.

Bugs' Office

"I have a couple talented understudies, but it takes years to become a decent surgeon, let alone one of my skills." Bugs points out before closing his eyes and leaning his head back to rest his cheek against hers. "Perhaps I should hire one that's already a surgeon. Tomorrow I'll start looking through the various clinics for one. Thanks for the idea."

Null-Magic Room

"Probably about forty percent of you has been replaced." The person says over the click-clack of knitting needles. "Eyes, arm, both legs, several organs as well as muscle and skin. As for the amount of trouble, I'd say you don't have a paddle."

[Halae]

[Null-Magic Room]

"Would you be able to tell someone that I'm awake?" He asks, "I'm I'm to face some... penalties... I'd like to know what they are as soon as possible. being left to worry does nobody any good."

[Gullara]

"[B]Glad I could help." Sequoia lets the conversation lapse for a minute, but soon she moves around in front of him again and grabs his hands. "You need to sleep now, though. And in a bed, not your chair." She gives him a slight tug to encourage him to get moving.

[UncleWolf]

Null-Magic Room

"I'm here." Vasquez's voice cuts in, the door shutting with a click behind her. "We'll discuss reprimands later. For now, we need to make sure your bionics are working. Which means I'm going to remove some bandages over your eyes. Be prepared for some real bright light."

Bugs' Office

The doctor smiles wryly and gets up, but instead of leaving, he simply locks his office door and moves over to a bookshelf to the right of his desk. He reaches up for a large black book and pulls on it. Amazingly, the tome doesn't move, but the entire bookcase does.

Bugs is still smiling when he pulls the fold-away bed out of it's hiding spot and drags a couple pillows out from a cabinet. "Had it installed for situations when I'm on call for days at a time." He admits.

[Gullara]

"[B]How luxurious." Sequoia says with a little smirk. She tries to guide him to sit on the edge of the bed and then starts to undo his shirt. "Well a bed is a bed I guess."

[UncleWolf]

Bugs' Office

The doctor chuckles as he lets the dryad remove his shirt. "Sorry, but I'm far too exhausted to do anything other than lay with you if that's fine." He admits.

[Gullara]

Sequoia raises and eyebrow at him. "[B]You don't think I'm not smart enough to realize that, do you?" She goes on to pull his pants off and then start to remove her own clothing.

[UncleWolf]

Bugs' Office

"I expected you to notice, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway. Mostly to convince myself. It isn't every day someone gets undressed by a beautiful dryad after all." He says with a wry smile as he helps her.

Elsewhere, Aeia probably does it every day to Justinian. :smalltongue:

[Gullara]

Sequoia chuckles and finishes undressing before she joins him in bed. "[B]If you're going to get distracted, I'm going to have to leave. You need your rest." She warns.

[UncleWolf]

Bugs' Office

"Not after tempting me like this you aren't." The older doctor says with a smile before wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder. He's not asleep yet, but he will be shortly.

[Gullara]

"[B]Oh fine, but you'd better behave." Sequoia looks at at him with a little smile as she watches him drift off. It's not long before she closes her own eyes and joins him in sleep.

[Halae]

Null-Magic Room

"I'm here." Vasquez's voice cuts in, the door shutting with a click behind her. "We'll discuss reprimands later. For now, we need to make sure your bionics are working. Which means I'm going to remove some bandages over your eyes. Be prepared for some real bright light."[Null-Magic Room]

Caet lets out a long breath and nods, "I'm ready now. Please remove the bandages."

A good portion of his mind is telling him that there's going to be some sort of fall. conspiracies bounce against each other, feeding into his paranoia further and further. The logical part of his mind, however, is keeping him from panicking further. this isn't the fight or flight sort of panic anymore, but the more mundane 'my boss is going to murder me' sort of panic. The paranoid part of his mind is taking that as literal, but the rest of him is keeping that locked down fairly tightly. Either way, he's waiting for the reprimand.

[happyturtle]

Vas's Office

Missy blinks in astonishment at the talking rat giving a message from beyond the grave. "Tetrodotoxin? He wanted to take poison?"

[Lord Magtok]

Vas's Office

"Of course he did, he's a wizard. Or was, anyways. He was always experimenting with expanding his perceptions and gazing into abysses or making milkshakes with fourteen or so white tablets of god knows what. He wouldn't have been half as qualified in his specialty if he didn't-"

Magtok catches himself, realizing that his idea of what a wizard is and should do is probably drastically unlike that of anyone else who hasn't met Needs before, and that he probably shouldn't be encouraging would-be magicians to go inject kerosene into their eyeballs like Needs would. Meanwhile, the rat falls over, scurrying back into the plastic bag where it goes comatose once again.

"Alright, so that's everything settled, right?"

[UncleWolf]

Bugs' Office

Bugs is going to sleep until exactly 5:55am, five minutes before his alarm clock at home would have gone off, and will turn to look over at the dryad to see if she's still sleeping.

Null-Magic Room

When the bandages are unwrapped, Caet will find the room dark, no lights except the slight glow from the shuttered windows, but even that will probably cause a searing agony in his new eyes until they adjust. His Commander will be standing above him, looking at his new eyes with her own set of bionic ones.

Vas' Office

"As far as I'm aware of, it is." Vasquez tells Magtok.

[Halae]

[Null-Magic Room]

Caet grits his teeth when the light starts shining in, letting the light go through his eyelids to adjust for now. As they adjust, he opens them little by little, to let in more light. better to go slow than jump right in.

Eventually, it should work, unless his bionics have some sort of problem, which I doubt.

[Lord Magtok]

Vas's Office

"I'll be leaving, then. Do you, err...should I leave the rat with you guys, take it with me, throw it out somewhere, or-?"

I'm not entirely sure if Magtok is asking that question of Vas or the rat itself, as his gaze awkwardly shifts from one to the other, no clue what to do now as he stands up with his briefcase.

[UncleWolf]

Null-Magic Room

"We'll teach you how to change vision spectrum later. Do the eyes work?" Vasquez asks, reaching around to unbuckle his replaced arm to see if that works as well too.

Vas' Office

"Go ahead and take it with you. Whenever you begin to make your move though, send word and my observer will be with you as quickly as possible." Vasquez says with a small nod, allowing him to leave if he wishes.

[Gullara]

Bugs' Office

Bugs is going to sleep until exactly 5:55am, five minutes before his alarm clock at home would have gone off, and will turn to look over at the dryad to see if she's still sleeping.

[Bugs' Office]

Sequoia isn't nearly so disciplined when it comes to waking up. She's still completely out when her lover wakes up next to her. He'll be able to move without waking her either if he wants.

[Halae]

[Null-Magic Room]

Once his arm is free, Caet's hand goes up to his face to help shield his eyes, "I wouldn't be in so much agony if they didn't. I can't see anything yet - too used to being in the dark."

[UncleWolf]

Null-Magic Room

Once it's apparent the arm works, she unstraps his ankles as well. "Caet, thing is, you're going to end up staying in this room for a while. Your paranoia nearly got you killed, along with half the base. We were able to disable your wards, but until you can learn to live without them, you're staying here. Understand?"

Bugs' Office

The doctor doesn't wake her, instead choosing to look over the woman with an appreciative gaze before slipping out of bed quietly to get back to working on reports. By the time she does awake, he'll be dressed and she'll smell that coffee is ready.

[Halae]

[Null-Magic Room]

Caet has been carefully keeping his expression neutral for the most part, but that facade falls away as he realizes what that entails.

"N-no, please. Just... You can keep me watched if you want, I won't set up any wards, just please don't make me stay in a room like this."

To his credit, he keeps from panicking bodily, but he can't keep the expression off his face. He won't go against her, but the thought of lacking access to magic for more than a day or two terrifies him.

[Gullara]

Sequoia wakes up slowly and sits up to stretch. She throws her arms above her head and arcs her back. That always feels nice. That done, she blinks the sleep out of her eyes and smiles at Bugs. "[B]I'd have thought you'd take the opportunity to get some more sleep after last night."

[Devixer]

Interview Room

Over the past two days, Iamar didn't do much other than visit several of the tea houses in Inside. However, she didn't find any that reminded her of home. So, a couple of days after accepting the offer to join Mortal Coil, she's returned to Remnant to find out exactly what she needs to do.

[UncleWolf]

Null-Magic Room

"Three days here Caet. I'm sorry, but three days. I need you to recover without magic first. Then a psych eval. You'll be paid for all of this, but you need help." Vasquez says with a sigh before shaking her head. "And do not force me to make this an order. Three days. That's all."

Bugs' Office

"Can't sleep past a certain time for the past thirty years. No matter how tired." The doctor admits, sipping his coffee before pouring Sequoia some of her own.

Interview Room

Iamar will find not Taul nor Aliz waiting for her this time, but Vasquez. "I hope you had a pleasant two days." She says with a small smile. "Final warning. You can quit M.C. whenever you wish, but if you do, you can't join back."

[Halae]

[Null-Magic Room]

Caet lets out a long shuddering breath and closes his eyes tight, "I'll try just... please, as soon as 72 hours is up, I want out."

Yep, definitely terrified.

[Devixer]

Interview Room

"Pleasant enough," Iamar says, after straightening up a little. She isn't very good at enjoying herself. "I understand. I'm ready for the commitment."

[Gullara]

"[B]I imagine that's handy, but I sure don't envy you it." Sequoia shifts over to the edge of the bed and stands despite her reluctant body. She leans against the desk and takes the coffee with a warm smile. The dryad doesn't bother to put any clothes on yet, so she's still in her underwear.

[UncleWolf]

Null-Magic Room

Vas offers an encouraging smile. "I'll visit daily, and in the meantime, if there's anything you need, just ask Natalie over there." She says, gesturing towards a woman hidden by a newspaper. She gives a wave, but doesn't reveal herself, presumably she's the one that spoke before. "She'll be staying in the room with you."

Bugs' Office

"Keep walking around like that and you'll make a guy dizzy." Bugs says with a wry smile, filing away the stuff he's working on to look at her better.

Interview Room

"In that case, remove all your weaponry and any armor you have. Training will begin now." She tells Iamar with a tone of certainty.

[Devixer]

Interview Room

Removing all of the weapons and armor on Iamar's person is a long process, mostly because of just how many weapons she carries. After she takes off her leather armor, Vasquez will probably notice a retractable blade attached to the undeside of her left arm, which she also removes.

Without the weapons and armor, Iamar's white, hooded robes are a simple affair, with a wide red sash tied around her waist.

[Gullara]

Sequoia rolls her eyes in good humour. "[B]All I have to do to get your heart pumping is walk around in my tighty whities? Oh dear, I think that might be a little too easy." She shakes her head in mock disappointment and sips her coffee.

[Halae]

[Null-Magic Room]

Caet isn't hyperventilating, but he's breathing quickly to keep himself calm. the prospect of staying in a place like this for three days is problematic for him, certainly.

"Did any of my books survive? They were heavily reinforced, so at least some of them should be safe." and after a moment, trying to lighten the mood slightly, "And who won the betting pool?"

[UncleWolf]

Null-Magic Room

"Some of your books fared well. Others didn't. I'll have a list made up and delivered to you so you can see." Vas says before smiling. "Natalie did. That's why she's the one in here with you."

At that, the woman behind the newspaper snorts. "If I'd had known, I wouldn't have bet." After that, she folds the newspaper, revealing a pale blue skinned woman with bright red hair. "No offense meant. I just don't relish the idea of being in here anymore than you."

Bugs' Office

"I believe that'd get anyone's heart pumping." The doctor points out with a smile before reaching out to give her a teasing pinch. "Not that anyone would mind."

Interview Room

Vasquez proceeds to look over the craftsmanship of each of the items on the table if she's allowed. Once she's done, she'll give a small nod. "Would you like similar items included in a suit of armor if you pass everything?"

[Devixer]

Interview Room

The armor is simple but well-crafted leather, designed to protect vital parts while allowing for mobility. The weapons are probably more impressive overall. The two swords, long and short, are forged from Damascus steel, as are the several throwing knives. The wristblade hints at mechanisms that were either impossible or at least very difficult to craft in Iamar's time. Next to those, the hand crossbow looks rather plain.

"I would. These weapons are more familiar to me than any other," Iamar says.

[Gullara]

Sequoia swats his hand away and smirks at him. "[B]You flatterer. I'm just lucky I'm so grounded or you'd have my head up in the clouds." She seats herself right onto the edge of the desk and crosses her legs. "So what do you have on the agenda for today?"

[UncleWolf]

Bugs' Office

"Mostly, I'm going to be visiting a few of the hardest cases we have. People who've become allergic to magic itself for example. There's so much in the damned air here that if they step out of their rooms, they'll die." He says with a sad sigh before looking up at Sequoia. "Want to come with me? I've been working on new bodies for those who wish it, but other than that, I've been trying to keep them comfortable. They don't get many visitors who aren't pure soldiers."

Interview Room

"Very well. Now, what do you fear? What makes you uncomfortable? And be honest. It'll go a lot smoother if you are. For example, I fear the darkness." Vasquez admits, leaning against the wall, halfway expecting Iamar to ask why. With the tone the conversation has, it'd be perfectly fine too.

[Gullara]

"[B]Are you sure I should?" Sequoia asks, looking a bit uncertain. She has work she needs to get to after all. Yes, that's definitely the reason she's reluctant and not because being around people that may very well die in the not to distant future makes her uncomfortable.

[Devixer]

Interview Room

The question takes a few moments for Iamar to answer. She'd always been familiar with her fears, but never took the time to articulate them. Eventually, she's able to answer. "Water. I'm afraid of drowning in it." Having never learned to swim could contribute to that.

[UncleWolf]

Interview Room

"Then we'll teach you how to swim. But only after you drown." Vasquez says with a nod before heading out to the door. "If you still want to do it, follow me." In which case, she heads towards the Remnant Training Pool which totally has been there the entire time.

Bugs' Office

"Well, I know one who'd really appreciate some company. You aren't bothered by being cut off from magic, are you?" Bugs asks a little hopefully.

[Devixer]

Interview Room

It takes a few seconds for Iamar to stand up and follow Vasquez, but she does so.

[Gullara]

"[B]No, not at all. Why do you ask?" Sequoia asks curiously. She hadn't heard much about Caet's exact state.

Of course, this is supposed to be the day after the big procedure, so my guess might be wrong. :smalltongue:

[Halae]

Null-Magic Room

"Some of your books fared well. Others didn't. I'll have a list made up and delivered to you so you can see." Vas says before smiling. "Natalie did. That's why she's the one in here with you."

At that, the woman behind the newspaper snorts. "If I'd had known, I wouldn't have bet." After that, she folds the newspaper, revealing a pale blue skinned woman with bright red hair. "No offense meant. I just don't relish the idea of being in here anymore than you."[Null-Magic Room]

"No offense taken," he says. He's still a bit jittery from the panic of being stuck here, but it's clear he's doing his best to keep it under control, "What's your specialty?"

[UncleWolf]

Null Magic Room

"In all actuality, it's being Unlucky." The woman admits with a sigh. "See, when you're Unlucky, you get into a lot of crap others wouldn't. It provides opportunities that would be missed. So, that gets exploited. I should have known something would happen when I won the Pool, but at least it doesn't effect me as long as I stay here."

Remnant Pool

Vasquez stands near the edge of the pool, looking down with a sigh when Iamar finds her there. "Sorry about this. I know how unpleasant this can all be. But it truly is necessary." She admits.

When she finishes, Taul, standing near by in a pair of red swimtrunks, flicks his fingers at Iamar, and if she's not quick enough, she'll feel hard force trying to push her right into the deepest part of the water.

(After initial reactions, I can Cutscene this and the more brutal parts of the training if you prefer.)

Bug's Office

"The Null-Magic rooms cut off all such energies, so mostly magical beings can't enter." The doctor admits before smiling and standing. "And the person I have in mind would love to see you. She hasn't gotten a visitor in ages."

[Devixer]

Remnant Pool

Iamar falls into the pool with a loud slash. A lot of people would be flailing about right now, but she just freezes up for a long moment before struggling in the water, barely managing to break the surface for a couple of seconds at a time.

((Putting the more brutal parts of the training would probably be easier for me.))

[Gullara]

"[B]Well alright. Let me just finish this and get dressed. Then we can go see her." Sequoia raises her coffee cup and then takes another sip from it. She doesn't rush, though. Gotta savor the coffee.

[UncleWolf]

Bugs' Office

The Doctor smirks and leans back in his chair. "I'll savor the moment as well." He says, looking her own gratefully.

((RB, I'll post for Iamar tomorrow when I finish coming up with the post, sorry for the delay))

[Gullara]

Sequoia merely shakes her head and goes back to her coffee. In a few minutes she's done and it only takes her moments to get dressed. It's a good thing she laid her clothing out nicely last night. The last thing she needed to do is leave Bugs' office looking ruffled. "[B]Okay, I'm ready when you are."

[UncleWolf]

Bugs' Office => Null Magic Room B

Bugs smiles as he watches Sequoia before offering his elbow to her to guide her down the halls. Either way, he'll lead her down a twisting corridor to one where she might feel the ambiance of the world itself slowly get a bit duller as magic is slowly leached out of the air. By the time they get to the room, all magic will be kept out, and when Bugs opens the room, teen pop music blares out loudly. The interior of the room is covered in hot pink and posters of Boy Bands, kittens in odd situations, and Sparklies.

It looks more like a bedroom of a teen girl rather than a hospital room.

Which is exactly who inhabits it.

In the middle of the room is a sky-blue haired human girl dancing energetically to the music. She's dressed in shorts and a tank top with flashing bangles on her wrists that flail about with her arms. Her hair is tied into two pigtails and she's grinning the entire time as she dances with her eyes closed.

Bugs just leans in the doorway, grinning as he watches the girl.

Iamar's Training



Iamar will find a field of energy keeping her from getting out of the pool, and she's kept in there until exhaustion takes over with the usual result. However, before any true harm can come, she's taken out and revived before being allowed to rest. It'll be like this for several days until she learns how to swim on her own.

Over the next several weeks, the assassin is introduced to similarly brutal measures of training, especially in combat. Every combat session, despite being different, has the odds very heavily stacked against her. While she might have just her fists, her opponents might have knives or guns. If she has a gun, her foes are heavily armored. Not only that, but there aren't any punches pulled. For all intents and purposes, they appear to be wishing that they'll kill her. There will be stab wounds, broken bones, concussions, and much much worse. But after every bout, every time Iamar is worked to pure exhaustion, the healer comes in, fixes her up, and they start her over.

There's no sleeping that she'll remember, though it is entirely possible she's been allowed to rest whenever she blacks out.

At the end of what'll feel like a year, but in all actually just be a month, she'll be able to keep up with the fights better, despite injuries she's forced to work through as well as however bad the odds seem. She'll find her reflexes working overtime, her injuries becoming less debilitating, and her mental clarity always present no matter the situation.

If she doesn't quit, and keeps her sanity, she'll find herself in the interrogation room with Vasquez once more as her Commander pours her a tall glass of brandy, offering it.

[Devixer]

Iamar's Training

Iamar has suffered many injuries before, during her training back home. But this was all going to be new to her. Throughout all the fights, she somehow manages to last against the consistently impossible odds. Not much longer than average, but it's still apparent that she's at home when fighting. She eventually learns how to swim as well, though that takes quite a few days.

By the end of it all, Iamar has a nice collection of new scars adorning her body, including one that reaches up her neck. She glances at the glass of brandy being offered to her, before shaking her head and waving it off. "No thank you." Her voice is tired from all of the training.

[Gullara]

[Null Magic Room B]

Sequoia just pauses and blinks at the girl. This might very well be the last thing she was expecting. She glances at Bugs wordlessly. Well, he'd better get her attention, because Sequoia sure doesn't know how to do it.

[UncleWolf]

Null Magic Room B

Bugs simply knocks loudly on the doorway, causing the girl to open her eyes and blink a bit at her guests before she rushes over to the expensive looking radio to turn it off. Once that's off, she runs over and hugs the doctor. "Sam! I'm glad you stopped by. Who's your girlfriend?" She asks with a grin.

"Cher, this is Sequoia. Sequoia, this is Cher Cherie."

Interview Room

"Might as well take a drink anyway. No worries, it's just alcohol." Vasquez says with a shrug. "And now you have a final choice. You're in Mortal Coil either way, but now you can either offer up a piece of yourself to safeguard your soul and provide a way to resurrect you, or you can choose to avoid such. But if you do that, we can't guarantee your safety after death."

[Gullara]

[Null Magic Room B]

It was probably just teasing, Sequoia knew, but the way she gaped at Cher Cherie undoubtedly gave it away as truth. Oops. "Uh, hello Cher Cherie. It's nice to meet you. Do you prefer Cherie maybe?" The dryad asks.

[Devixer]

Interview Room

After a moment of hesitation, Iamar takes the glass and sips from the brandy. "What kind of piece would suffice?" she asks.

[UncleWolf]

Interview Room

"Some of us offer fingers." Vasquez admits, raising up her flesh hand to reveal the pinky missing. "Some do toes, one's done an ear. Though something like an appendix would work, people figure it means more if it's a meaningful sacrifice. It's up to you."

Null Magic Room B

"Cher's fine." She says with a grin before moving to hug Sequoia. "And you're awesome. I can already tell." She admits as she runs off to flop on her bed with a bounce. "So, what's up, Doc?"

Bugs chuckles a bit and shakes his head. "Nothing really new except her." He says with a tilt of his head towards the Dryad. "You sure you don't want a robotic body?"

The girl gives an energetic nod. "Nah. Not for me. I've too much to live for. Just gotta wait for the effects to end."

[Devixer]

Interview Room

Iamar considers her options for a few minutes before placing her good hand on the table in front of her. "I'll give my other ring finger," she says.

[Gullara]

[Null Magic Room B]

Sequoia glances between Bugs and Cher. She's obviously out of the loop. "If you don't mind me asking, what effects are those?" The dryad says, directing the question to Cher out of politeness, even if Bugs could probably give the more detailed answer.

[happyturtle]

Peacekeeper Mary Aklakiaka (aka Mad Mary) brings in the disabled jammer retrieved from the NO thread and turns it over for investigation.

[GrandDM]

And Harald arrives in a great hurry, teleporting just outside the teleblocker. Sprinting to the door, he'll say either to the guard or through any available intercom (because I'm sure he's not going to be let in):

"It's Harald. I'm here about the jammer. I need to see whoever's running this organisation now, or a lot of people are going to die."

[Halae]

Null Magic Room

"In all actuality, it's being Unlucky." The woman admits with a sigh. "See, when you're Unlucky, you get into a lot of crap others wouldn't. It provides opportunities that would be missed. So, that gets exploited. I should have known something would happen when I won the Pool, but at least it doesn't effect me as long as I stay here."[Null Magic Room]

Caet tries to lean his head down, "Makes sense, in an odd way. I guess they use you as a lodestone for problematic occurrences?"

[UncleWolf]

Null Magic Room B

"A few years back, before Remnant, Haven, one of The Empire's big airships, was attacked and crashed inside the city. As a result, a naturally occurring healing spring welled up. My parents were killed in the crash, but I only ended up trapped." Cher explains without any real emotion, having gone through this many times before. "I was in a basement and if it weren't a healing spring, I would have drowned." She admits with a shy smile. "But as it were, I was trapped under the water for the better part of a day. Because of that, there were some...side effects. If I'm not in a place like this or surrounded by healing waters, I begin to melt into such."

Null Magic Room

"Pretty much. Though it's really darn inconvenient sometimes." She admits with a long sigh. "Is there anything I can get you?"

Research Lab

The Jammer is taken into a special room designed to eliminate all signals going in or out of the room, technological or otherwise. Once there, Geoff, the resident mechanic begins looking over the device without touching it. What does it look like?

Gate

Harald will find that Remnant is quite heavily defended at the moment with armed guards patrolling the walls and because they're on Alert at the moment, even crew-served weaponry has been attached to the walls and pointing outwards. As he approaches, Harald will likely find himself under gunpoint from a lot of guns.

At the gate, he'll be met by a pair of Remnant guards wearing their white power armor and equipped with automatic rifles. One solid projectile and one laser. "Sir, at the moment, you'll have to deal with me. If you're referring to the attack that's already taking place, we already know."

[GrandDM]

Gate

Harald will find that Remnant is quite heavily defended at the moment with armed guards patrolling the walls and because they're on Alert at the moment, even crew-served weaponry has been attached to the walls and pointing outwards. As he approaches, Harald will likely find himself under gunpoint from a lot of guns.

At the gate, he'll be met by a pair of Remnant guards wearing their white power armor and equipped with automatic rifles. One solid projectile and one laser. "Sir, at the moment, you'll have to deal with me. If you're referring to the attack that's already taking place, we already know."

He doesn't even glance at the guns, although a slight smirk suggests he's aware of (and amused by) them.

"No, I'm not. And I can't deal with you, because you're a door guard, so you don't have the power to get anything done."



Research Lab

The Jammer is taken into a special room designed to eliminate all signals going in or out of the room, technological or otherwise. Once there, Geoff, the resident mechanic begins looking over the device without touching it. What does it look like?

It's cut open from when Harald disabled it, and there are a couple of loose wires where the power source was disconnected. Because it was taken out of the case, the circuitry is all tangled into a huge mess of wire and circuit-board and coil and strange bits and pieces.

The wires are of some sort of alloy that, if tested, turns out to be very conductive indeed and capable of transferring ridiculous amounts of power without damage.

The tracker has been expertly disabled, but the nanochip (mini-microchip) has a lot of data on it... all locked up in a pretty much unbreakable encryption (but Harald provided a decrypted version earlier, which is mostly a lot of movements around Inside and the surrounding area in a scouting pattern, ending under the street where it was found).

[UncleWolf]

Gate

"Sir, I'm the only person you're going to get to interact with. We're on Alert at the moment. So, if you want to interact with someone higher than me, you're going to need to provide proof." The woman says with in an even tone that's rather forced. Why did she always have to deal with the smug ones who thought they always knew better? "If your news is so important, it wouldn't have to matter who you talked to, would it?"

Research Lab

Geoff takes out an old camera, the kind that develops the film inside it, and proceeds to take several pictures of the insides and out. Once that's done, he'll take a small pair of wire cutters to try and snip off a piece of the wire if there's a piece that was cut already. If not, he'll settle for trying to take a small scraping for analysis later.

[Gullara]

Null Magic Room B

"A few years back, before Remnant, Haven, one of The Empire's big airships, was attacked and crashed inside the city. As a result, a naturally occurring healing spring welled up. My parents were killed in the crash, but I only ended up trapped." Cher explains without any real emotion, having gone through this many times before. "I was in a basement and if it weren't a healing spring, I would have drowned." She admits with a shy smile. "But as it were, I was trapped under the water for the better part of a day. Because of that, there were some...side effects. If I'm not in a place like this or surrounded by healing waters, I begin to melt into such."

[Null Magic Room B]

"Oh... I'm so sorry to hear that. you're doing well in here, I hope?" It must get very lonely, visitors or not. Sequoia doubts she could handle it, if only because she'd be stuck inside all the time.

[GrandDM]

Gate

"Sir, I'm the only person you're going to get to interact with. We're on Alert at the moment. So, if you want to interact with someone higher than me, you're going to need to provide proof." The woman says with in an even tone that's rather forced. Why did she always have to deal with the smug ones who thought they always knew better? "If your news is so important, it wouldn't have to matter who you talked to, would it?"

Research Lab

Geoff takes out an old camera, the kind that develops the film inside it, and proceeds to take several pictures of the insides and out. Once that's done, he'll take a small pair of wire cutters to try and snip off a piece of the wire if there's a piece that was cut already. If not, he'll settle for trying to take a small scraping for analysis later.

[Gate]

"You want proof? Here's your proof."

He shows her some pretty nasty pictures of three very definitely dead workmen. I won't go into more detail, but there's a lot of gore.

"I found these men half an hour ago at the entrance to the sewer system. The jammer was taken through that entrance, and the approximate time of their death matches the time of the jammer's passage through that point. I also recognise the techniques used to kill these men. The first was a high-power fusion rifle shot, the other two were killed with a very particular type of blade. A type that was only ever put on one thing. I'm not saying more, because it's highly classified and I'm not telling a door guard."

[Research Lab]

A snipping is duly made. On testing, the wire will be revealed to be of a strange alloy making use of elements not currently on the periodic table (I'm going with the Island of Stability idea here, so please don't tell me there aren't any more elements) which is both very conductive and capable of handling enormous amounts of power.

[UncleWolf]

Null Magic Room B

"Yeah, it's a bit rough, but I do a'right." The girl admits with a small sigh as she lays back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "Bugsy comes in every other day or so, and there's a few others who visit and that helps out. Every other month, I'm allowed to step out of the Null-Magic area to see if there's been any change, and so far it's only been a slight delay in the melting, but that still means there's hope." Cher tells Sequoia with a grin.

Research Lab

Geoff will write down the analysis findings before going back to the Jammer and attempts to make a copy of the data on it. It might be encrypted, but he's not trying to break such, instead just trying to get a copy for a later attempt that hopefully won't ruin any information on it.

Main Gate

Harald will hear the guard give a sigh before her normally opaque white helmet visor slides back, revealing her face. She appears to be an elf of moderate prettiness, with a slightly too-thin face and gold eyes spaced a little too far apart. It appears that she shaves her head bald as well from what Harald can see. "Sir, perhaps you've been given the wrong impression here." She starts, looking at him with her calculating eyes.

"I'm not some mere "Door Guard". There are only a handful of people higher up than myself in rank, and even less that are in my C-o-C. A good equivalent would be that of a Lieutenant Colonel and due to my unique position, I probably know more about what's going on than nearly everyone else above me." The woman explains before gesturing at the pictures.

"We get perhaps a dozen such events a day. Many fake in a cruel attempt at a joke to make us look like fools, and more that are simple accidents. As risky as this city is, actual murders are less than people might believe. Now, I can see that from a picture's point, that is a murder, but no one here has gone to investigate the scene, so I must maintain a belief of disbelief at what the event actually is." The elf explains with a quirked eyebrow before looking back at Harald.

"Even with that doubt, even with the frauds and accidents, there's always the chance that something might be real and as a result someone is always sent to investigate. Because of the Alert however, unless it is so truly important, our response will be delayed. So, with all that said, I suppose there's two options. First, you can accept that we're trying to help, and you can tell me all the details including the classified ones so we can be ready in case what you believe to be a disaster does take place. Or, you don't and keep arguing and hurting your case. Either way, if you wish to say nothing else, give us the address or location of the murders and we'll send people."

Interview Room

"There's one final price if you choose to sacrifice. If you die, you'll be sent to one of two afterlives. Controlled by Hel and Horus. There will be punishments, terrible ones, but that is the cost of the pact. Even so, after some time there, you'll automatically be resurrected here and your soul will be safe."

[GrandDM]

Research Lab

Geoff will write down the analysis findings before going back to the Jammer and attempts to make a copy of the data on it. It might be encrypted, but he's not trying to break such, instead just trying to get a copy for a later attempt that hopefully won't ruin any information on it.

Main Gate

Harald will hear the guard give a sigh before her normally opaque white helmet visor slides back, revealing her face. She appears to be an elf of moderate prettiness, with a slightly too-thin face and gold eyes spaced a little too far apart. It appears that she shaves her head bald as well from what Harald can see. "Sir, perhaps you've been given the wrong impression here." She starts, looking at him with her calculating eyes.

"I'm not some mere "Door Guard". There are only a handful of people higher up than myself in rank, and even less that are in my C-o-C. A good equivalent would be that of a Lieutenant Colonel and due to my unique position, I probably know more about what's going on than nearly everyone else above me." The woman explains before gesturing at the pictures.

"We get perhaps a dozen such events a day. Many fake in a cruel attempt at a joke to make us look like fools, and more that are simple accidents. As risky as this city is, actual murders are less than people might believe. Now, I can see that from a picture's point, that is a murder, but no one here has gone to investigate the scene, so I must maintain a belief of disbelief at what the event actually is." The elf explains with a quirked eyebrow before looking back at Harald.

"Even with that doubt, even with the frauds and accidents, there's always the chance that something might be real and as a result someone is always sent to investigate. Because of the Alert however, unless it is so truly important, our response will be delayed. So, with all that said, I suppose there's two options. First, you can accept that we're trying to help, and you can tell me all the details including the classified ones so we can be ready in case what you believe to be a disaster does take place. Or, you don't and keep arguing and hurting your case. Either way, if you wish to say nothing else, give us the address or location of the murders and we'll send people."

[Gate]

"He doesn't have one. A little backstory is required, so bear with me for a second. I have a lot of robots, and they're pretty good, but they lack real combat efficiency. So I designed a new type, the Omega series. They were bigger, stronger, faster, programmed with knowledge of every weapon, battle and tactic in history... and completely insane. Humans get shell-shock, but imagine how every battle ever recorded would hit you. All of them were completely incapacited... except Omega-Six. Now, I don't code all my AI directly. They grow from a basic seed - like a human mind. And, like a human mind, there's an occasional defect. Omega-Six was a psychopath. He absorbed the information and became exactly what I intended - except I couldn't control him. I tried to work with it for a while, but every time I deployed him he'd go off-target and slaughter everything in sight. Like I said, insane and a pyschopath. Eventually, I decided I had to destroy him, but he resisted. Violently. After I'd cleaned up, I tried to track him down and found that he'd pulled out his locator chip. I don't know where he's been since, but he's obviously got his hands on some of my old tech and he's obviously got a plan in mind - and don't make the mistake of treating him like an animal, either. He's intelligent, cunning and ruthless, and he's back. Now, I need you to circulate a description, warn people to stay out of sight of this robot at all costs and to call you if they sight him. If you get a call, inform me before you do anything, because you'll need a few of my more specialised bits of equipment to go toe-to-toe with him. There's a lot of kit inside him.

Oh, and don't even think about disregarding this, because I can guarantee you that the next time he shows up it will be a lot worse."

((Sorry for the wall of text.))

[Research Lab]

((Harald already provided a decrypted version.))

The data on the tracker... resists being copied. Every time he tries to interface with it, some sort of hidden program shuts down the connection.

[Devixer]

Interview Room

"I would assume that the price of cheating Death is quite dear," Iamar says. "Do I make that choice as well?"

[UncleWolf]

Interview Room

"The price is part of the sacrifice for your soul to be safeguarded and to ease the methods of resurrection." Vasquez clarifies. "If you don't wish to have such events put upon you, then there's no need for a sacrifice. You wouldn't be the first to turn it down." She tells the assassin. "In Hel's domain, we're made to forge weapons with our bare hands in preparation for The End Times. In Horus', we're offered as regenerating sacrifices to the jackals to keep other souls safe. There is more to it, but it is different for everyone."

[Gullara]

[Null Magic Room B]

"Well I'm glad to see that you're keeping a positive outlook." Sequoia says with a warm smile for the girl. "I'm sure that Bugs will be able to figure out how to help you. If anyone can do it, it'll be him."

[UncleWolf]

Gate

"We'll gladly circulate a picture of the synthetic intelligence, but should we run into him, we'll be forced to act to the best of our abilities. You will be informed if we do so however, and where it is taking place." The guard tells Harald with a small nod. "Many of us have fought worse things than what you have described, but I'll be sure to inform any of our Hunting Groups to be careful. Though, there is another method you might wish to employ if you think it'll get the job done quicker. If you post a Bounty of the subject on The Wall, with appropriate warnings and a reward, more people will be out there looking for the suspect. Perhaps that would be your best bet."

Null Magic Room B

"I know." Cher says with a grin. "Bugsy does his best, but at the moment the only alternative is to download my brain into a cybernetic body, and frankly, I'd like to grow up to be like you rather than a tin can." She teases.

[GrandDM]

Gate

"We'll gladly circulate a picture of the synthetic intelligence, but should we run into him, we'll be forced to act to the best of our abilities. You will be informed if we do so however, and where it is taking place." The guard tells Harald with a small nod. "Many of us have fought worse things than what you have described, but I'll be sure to inform any of our Hunting Groups to be careful. Though, there is another method you might wish to employ if you think it'll get the job done quicker. If you post a Bounty of the subject on The Wall, with appropriate warnings and a reward, more people will be out there looking for the suspect. Perhaps that would be your best bet."


"I'll do that directly. One more thing - he may have allies. If you end up chasing him, be careful. He always had a fondness for ambushes."

((What about the jammer? Anything else?"))

[Devixer]

Interview Room

Iamar considers her options for some time. "I can deal with it, as long as I am eventually allowed my final rest," she eventually says. "I will give the sacrifice."

[Gullara]

[Null Magic Room B]

"I can definitely understand that. I'd probably do the same in your position." Sequoia says. For a young girl like her especially. Sequoia herself wouldn't even consider an artificial body.

[UncleWolf]

Research Lab

Geoff will stop after the second attempt, figuring that it would be a poor idea to attempt so a third time. Instead, he'll take a snake-camera and push the end into the broken open surface to map out the interior again, making sure that he hasn't missed anything. If it doesn't interfere somehow, he'll put that away and attempt to scrape a sample off the shell.

Gate

"We'll be careful, and we appreciate the warning. Do you have a picture of him we can distribute?" The guard asks.

Null Magic Room B

"Also, now that you're schtuching Bugsy, you're practically family." CHer says with a nod, completely unashamed. "Think you'll visit more?"

Interview Room => Infirmary

"Then follow me." Assuming she does so, Iamar will be lead into the Infirmary and into a room that looks remarkably like a bank vault riddled with safe deposit boxes. Waiting for her, Taul is dressed in a dark brown robe as he sets out a small heavy looking scalpel next to a large scroll. "You'll sign first, then the sacrifice is made."

[GrandDM]

Research Lab

Geoff will stop after the second attempt, figuring that it would be a poor idea to attempt so a third time. Instead, he'll take a snake-camera and push the end into the broken open surface to map out the interior again, making sure that he hasn't missed anything. If it doesn't interfere somehow, he'll put that away and attempt to scrape a sample off the shell.

Gate

"We'll be careful, and we appreciate the warning. Do you have a picture of him we can distribute?" The guard asks.

[Lab]

The jammer is completely cut open anyway - all the circuitry is exposed. The scalpel doesn't make even a tiny mark on the shell.

[Gate]

Harald hands one over. It's a bulky, heavily-armoured robot, about nine feet tall. Its fingers are elongated and end in vicious-looking hooked claws.

[Gullara]

[Null Magic Room B]

Sequoia is once again shocked by the girl. Shameless too. Quite the girl. To tyhe dryad's credit, she manages to keep most of that shock off her face, but she does have to shake her head at Cher just a little. "Yes, I think that'd be nice." Sequoia agrees.

[Devixer]

Infirmary

Iamar follows Vasquez into the vault-like room. She approaches Taul so she can take a better looks at the scroll. "What will I be using to sign this?" she asks, already coming up with a guess.

[UncleWolf]

Null Magic Room B

Cher grins and rolls off the bed and onto her knees in order to try and give the dryad a hug again. "Thanks! My birthday is in three weeks, so be sure to get me something good." She says with a laugh, still completely shameless.

Infirmary

"Just a pen." Taul says with a knowing smirk before offering the scroll with a ballpoint pent. "The magic isn't in what you write. It's in why and in the will behind it." He tells her. "The scroll is blank except for signatures. Either you understand what you're getting into or you don't." He admits with a shrug.

Gate

The woman takes the picture with a small nod. "Is there anything else, Sir? Or do you have other business to attend to?"

Research Lab

Geoff sets the blade aside and picks up a laser tool. It doesn't cut, instead being a spectrum analyzer made to try and discover the compounds involved in making the outer shell.

[Devixer]

Infirmary

"I understand what I'm getting into," Iamar says, taking the scroll and pen before signing her name. Her writing is in Arabic, as might be expected.

[Gullara]

[Null Magic Room B]

Sequoia laughs and shakes her head. "Ah ha! I see your game now. You want to extort presents out of me." The dryad jokes. She gives the girl a hug back. She sure is infectious.

[GrandDM]

Gate

The woman takes the picture with a small nod. "Is there anything else, Sir? Or do you have other business to attend to?"

Research Lab

Geoff sets the blade aside and picks up a laser tool. It doesn't cut, instead being a spectrum analyzer made to try and discover the compounds involved in making the outer shell.

[Gate]

"That's all."

He leaves.

[Research Lab]

The majority of the shell is made of an unknown element, somewhere off the top of the periodic table in the theoretical Island of Stability. It's also laced with a second element from the Island.

[Murkus]

[Communication Complex]

There is suddenly a message broadcast over Remnant's primary air comms channel. For public travel if they've got one, things like airships and jetliners and whatever more imaginative things fly Inside's skies.

In this case, it comes through as a clear, friendly voice, male, and somewhat mechanical sounding.

"Remnant Flight Command, this is the Elexxion Consortium's licensed human commercial vessel Brilliance requesting permission to land within your city. We are an unarmed trading ship, vacuum-capable, with a small inactive security complement to protect our merchandise. It is largely a shipment of medical supplies. We are willing to accept boarding action if you require confirmation of these facts."

[UncleWolf]

Comm Center

The conversation is streamed over to the Irregulars(Elexxion will be aware of this) even as the On-Duty Comm Officer answers it. "This is Remnant Command. A Boarding Action will not be required on our end, though the Irregulars will have to make their own call as well. Proceed to your drop off point at no faster than <Slow Speed> and on a course we will designate for you to take. Any attempts to change this without authorization will result in defensive armaments being deployed, understood?"

Research Lab

Unless something else happens, Geoff will promptly begin encasing it in a heavily warded and shielded box for storage.

Null Magic Room B

The girl accepts the hug but steps back with a serious frown. "Extort is such a...strong word. I prefer "Strategic and Shameless Begging" ." She says before breaking into a grin. "Especially the shameless part."

Infirmary

Iamar will feel two godly presences briefly turn to look at her, but the feeling is gone in less than a heartbeat. Once that's over, Taul offers an encouraging smile as he rolls up the scroll and places it in a sealed case. "Now, did you have a specific digit in mind?" He asks as he pulls out a sterile scalpel and flips a switch on the base, causing the blade to slowly turn white-hot.

[Devixer]

Infirmary

Iamar offers her right hand, indicating the ring finger that's still intact. "I would give this one," she says, not seeming to hesitate at all.

[Murkus]

Comm Center

"Understood. We are preparing for realspace reentry in approximately three minutes, and are ready for course transmission," A destination in the Red Zone will be sent to Remnant so they can designate a path through Inside's air traffic.

((Shall I just post Inside, or contact DC? Maybe both?))

[GrandDM]

Research Lab

Unless something else happens, Geoff will promptly begin encasing it in a heavily warded and shielded box for storage.

Nothing happens, and the jammer remains completely inert.

[UncleWolf]

Comm Center

(Wait for DC I suppose.)

Infirmary

Taul nods and makes a quick sweep with his blade. Iamar won't feel a flicker of pain as the super-heated monomolecular edge slices through and cauterizes it instantly. Even so, as he puts the finger in a container and puts it in something like a safety deposit box, Vasquez wraps the wound after applying a gel to aid in healing. "Rest for tonight, and work on learning how to use the hand again. Tomorrow I'll show you your new set of equipment."

[Devixer]

Infirmary

Iamar closes her eyes just before her finger is cut off, anticipating pain that never comes. She opens them again to see that her hands are symmetrical again, and flexes her remaining fingers. "Understood," she says, before heading off to do just that.

[Gullara]

[Null Magic Room B]

"I've noticed, trust me." Sequoia teases. And at this point we can probably just assume the chit chat and small talk proceeds for a while more.

[happyturtle]

Sunny's Lab

A circle of cats and pink-eyed men stalked around Sunny, drawing in closer and closer. One cat held a potion. One held a sniper rifle. And one held a pair of wickedly sharp knives. She pressed her teleport bracelet, but nothing happened. She screamed, but no one came. The pink-eyed men pinned her down onto her lab bench, while the cats sliced her clothing off with their claws. They forced the potion down her throat, and then the cat with the knives slid them behind her eyeballs, carefully popping them out and reaching through the eye sockets into her brain and pulling out her memories. The first memory pulled out was her sister. Her dangling eyeballs watched the cat eating a miniature Charity, her memories vanishing as the tiny figure was consumed. The second memory was Carl. This time the cats toyed with the little figure, tormenting it and chasing it around the lab bench before they finally killed and ate it. The memories were devoured, but the ragged hole in her mind remind, reminding her that there had been a sister, a husband, but telling her nothing about them. She clung tightly to the most precious memory of all, her beloved son. She didn't remember how she had a son, how she could have gotten pregnant, but she knew she'd give her life for him.

The cats tore at her memories, and it felt like her soul was being ripped to shreds. The scent of Luke's hair. The sound of his laugh. The dimples in his chubby fist. One by one, the memories were annihilated, leaving Sunny howling.

By the time they finished with her memories, it was almost a relief when they turned their attentions to torturing her body.

1

She woke abruptly, having fallen asleep at her lab bench. With shaking hands, she pulled her laptop over and clicked to the web-cam that showed the cabin far from here, safely away from the cat, where Carl and Luke were sheltered. She flipped through the cameras until she found them, sitting on the nursery floor, playing with cars.

I can't lose them. I can't lose them. I can't...

She reached into a drawer and removed some unmarked pills, swallowing them dry. Anything to keep her from sleeping. Then she returned to the project that had consumed her ever since she'd heard. She had to find a way to protect her family. And her memories.

[Lord Magtok]

Gate

Magtok nods politely to the two door guards. "Sir. Madam. Giant wall between me and my destination. Hi again, s'been a while. Can you buzz me in or whatever it is you guys do? Not here on business, so Vas doesn't need to get up from whatever she's doing. Personal visit this time; Charity asked me to visit Sunny about a thing."

[UncleWolf]

Gate

The guards speak quietly over their comms for a moment before one nods and pulls out a wristband. "Put this on. It's a tracker. You aren't authorized to meet St. Evans in her labs, but you can go to a Common Room nearby. If she wishes to meet with you there, she'll do so." The man tells Magtok. "I wish you luck." He says with genuine sincerity.

[Lord Magtok]

Gate => Common Room

Magtok slips on the wristband, and frowns. New security measures. Probably a response to the Mrs. Vasquez thing. He'll have to be a bit less impulsive and reckless with his next moves against the government; this comes dangerously close to countering the contingency plans he's already set up.

"I'll see you guys on my way out in maybe an hour, hopefully."

[happyturtle]

Common Room

Magtok has to wait a while before Sunny comes in. Her skin is paler than usual, and her hair is tied back in a tangled ponytail. Her arms are wrapped protectively around herself.

"It's about the Cat, isn't it? What did he do?"

[Lord Magtok]

Common Room

"He stole from me. It's Cats now. Plural," Magtok states plainly, assuming Sunny's already heard about this, but wanted to confirm it or something. He doesn't bother hiding his concern or discomfort upon seeing her in this state. That's what his whole trip is about, after all..

[happyturtle]

Common Room

"I already know." Sunny says, and doesn't sit down. She leans against the wall, fidgets, then paces a bit.

[Lord Magtok]

Common Room

"Your sister's worried about you, thinks the stress is getting to you." Magtok finds a seat, and turns it around, the back of it facing forward as he looks up at Sunny. His robe somehow becomes a gray suit just as he does this, so it doesn't drape in a bizarre fashion against his legs.

"You've been...working on something, I'm guessing? Something to do with the Cat?" She wouldn't be alone there. Magtok's had more than a few new projects going on in the background, but he's not quite sure he should mention any of them here. Maybe half or a third of them are meant to be viable against Remnant too, just in case such a conflict should ever arise.

[happyturtle]

Common Room

"I'm trying," Sunny says. "Why would anyone worry about me when they should be worried about him?" Pacing. Fidgeting. Eyes not resting on anything. No part of her is still.

[Lord Magtok]

Common Room

Magtok frowns, and thinks on that question for a minute or two, trying to put together a response tailored exactly right for Sunny. "The Cat's far away. A 'maybe later, but not right now' kind of problem. Some people don't build or prepare or plan; they don't know how. They let other people do that, and worry about problems in the here and now. You being distant and exhausted is a here and now kind of problem.

You might find work easier if you got some sleep, let your brain rest and stuff. You only have one body, and it has limits. You don't have anyone working under you to pick up the slack while you build yourself back up or something?"

[happyturtle]

Common Room

Sunny whirls on Magtok. "You think I should clone myself too?"

[Lord Magtok]

Common Room

"No," Magtok states emphatically. "Cloning comes with a whole bunch of costs and problems and issues and isn't worth it unless you make a habit of getting into situations that can kill you. I'm saying take care of the body you have, instead of wearing out a whole bunch of them at once like I do. Just get some rest or something."

[happyturtle]

Common Room

Sunny's shoulders slump a little. "If I had clones, he couldn't take everything away again."

[Lord Magtok]

Common Room

"If you had clones, he wouldn't need to. You'd wind up doing it to yourself. Sunny, you don't want to end up like me and the cat. It sounds like such a harmless thing, but then you wind up taking risks you shouldn't, arguing with yourself about who Sunny is and what she would do in this situation, and it's just..."

The cyborg shakes his head, and tries to hold both of Sunny's shoulders in his arms.

"Look at me, Sunny. I'm dressed up in a dead man's clothes, wearing his name and face. I'm not really Magtok, I'm a clone of Magtok. This is my life, carrying on the name of someone who vanished years ago, someone I don't even remember. Do your clones deserve that? Are you okay with making a new person, and then forcing her to be exactly like you, taking away her right to be whoever she wants?

It's too late for me. I have to be Magtok, because if all of us just stopped being Magtok, it'd be a huge disaster. MagCorp needs to keep going, and it's a small sacrifice to make to keep the Nexus from going crazy. It's not too late for you, though. There are other ways, better ways to keep him from getting your memories, if he even thinks to try that again. Save them on a computer, keep them hidden where he can't find them, or won't think to look. I can send you the stuff I use for my own brain, someone can make something based off that."

[happyturtle]

Common Room

Sunny meets Magtok's eyes when he asks her too, but doesn't hold his gaze long. As he continues, she lowers her face, shaking slightly.

"What if I forgot Carl and Luke?" She has so much more to lose now than she did before.

[Lord Magtok]

Common Room

Magtok sighs. That doesn't invalidate what he said at all! "They won't forget you. Neither will I, or Remnant, or anyone. You're not alone this time, Sunny. You have an entire army of people to protect you. All we'd have to do is cyborgify one little part of your brain, or put a computer with a copy of it somewhere only people you trust know about. If the worst happened, we'd bring you back, put the memories back in, and that'd be it. Wouldn't have to worry about being allergic or anything this time."

[happyturtle]

Common Room

"But you said you wouldn't teach me the computer brain interface!" Sunny says.

Yes. Magtok said that. Years ago, when Sunny first started her work as a Magtern.

I don't think Sunny's thinking very clearly at the moment.

[Lord Magtok]

Common Room

Magtok wishes he hadn't used up his sigh last post, because it feels a whole lot more warranted now than it was earlier. "Sunny, you're a better, smarter person than I could ever hope to be, and after all the years of knowing you, I don't believe for a minute you'd abuse my trust with something like this. Your family's happiness and well-being is more important than my silly little trade secrets."

[happyturtle]

Common Room

Sunny grips Magtok's upper arms. "Do it. Do it before he comes after me."

[Lord Magtok]

Common Room

Part of Magtok wants to insist that she state the magic word first, but they're both adults here, and it wouldn't be fair to baby Sunny like that, even if she is acting pretty emotional right now. "Only if you promise to relax after this; make some more memories with your family worth keeping. I'm not going to do this for you just so you can squander it and go back to being a nervous wreck that's putting everyone around her on edge, okay? Reinholdt's not going to come after you; we won't let him get that far."

[happyturtle]

Common Room

Sunny hesitates. It's what everyone's been asking of her, but she couldn't. Maybe if she knows her memories are backed up... "I'll... try?"

[Lord Magtok]

Common Room

"...Good enough."

He gave it his best effort, Charity. Gave one of his biggest secrets away for free, to the girl who works for Remnant, who could take him down in the span of an afternoon if they knew how his brain worked. If this doesn't work, you're on your own.

"It'll be here soon enough. Can't just teleport it in, after all. I promise, Sunny, I'll make sure to get him before he can ever get you."

[happyturtle]

Common Room

Sunny gulps back what might have been a sob, and hugs Magtok.

[Lord Magtok]

Common Room

"I mean it, Sunny. I will put an entire wall of clones between him and you if I have to."

Magtok hugs her right back, and he's willing to stay like that for as long as she needs. He's suddenly, inexplicably reminded that he was the one asked to walk Sunny down the aisle on her wedding day. An honor he never deserved, that should've been bestowed on somebody, anybody else. It's never too late to be the sort of person who deserves that kind of thing, though. Why not start now?

[happyturtle]

Common Room

"Thank you, Magtok." Sunny says.

And after the hugging, I suppose they exit the room to find the church of St Evans convened nearby? :smalltongue:

[UncleWolf]

Outside Common Room

It doesn't seem people are braced to storm the room, but Sunny and Magtok might notice that the hallway seems rather crowded with people that are talking to each other about paperwork, schedules, and regular old gossipy chit-chat. Once Sunny leaves the room, a few glance her way and the conversations continue, but a few hands drift away from the hammers at their waists. Speaking that most of them don't have the Research designation on the shoulders of their uniforms, the engineering hammers seem quite out of place.

Once her safety is assured, a few of the people even start leaving to go back to official work.

[Lord Magtok]

Outside the Common Room

Magtok raises an eyebrow at one or two of them, but doesn't say anything. Sunny has a rather odd-looking security detail.

[happyturtle]

Outside the Common Room

Sunny unconsciously places her hand on her own engineering hammer, but otherwise doesn't acknowledge the people gathered. She doesn't really understand religion, and is rather uncomfortable about the cult that has sprung up around her.

"I need to tell Carl. How long will it take?"

[Lord Magtok]

Outside the Common Room

"As long as the Magbots need to negotiate their way past security without being forced to let the door guards have a look inside their lead-lined suitcase. You've got plenty of time."

Magtok can't imagine the Remmies are going to take too kindly to that, but hopefully they know him well enough by now to understand he wouldn't take advantage of the situation with Sunny to smuggle in a-

Magtok shakes his head, and sighs. No, of course he won't be that lucky. She was his intern, his prized pupil and greatest successor, and yet here we are with all these spooks, watching him for a weapon or a bomb or some other dastardly trick. Blargh, if only there was...I dunno, a reverse mind-reading helmet he could 'accidentally' wear or something, so these little mix-ups and misreading of intentions could be avoided.

[happyturtle]

Hallways

"We could go to your Cave," Sunny suggests, as she takes her phone out and begins texting a message to Carl.

[Lord Magtok]

Hallways

"I could completely forget you're not attached to the hip to this base, and you could remind me, and we could do that, yeah," Magtok replies with a sheepish grin as they shift direction, more than a little ashamed this didn't occur to him sooner. The cyborg's not entirely sure when the student became the master, but there's no denying that it happened. It's taking longer than it should, but he's finally, gradually coming to terms with it, with as much grace as he can muster.

[happyturtle]

Hallways

Sunny sends a text to Carl.

I am going to the MagCave to get a chip to preserve my memories. I don't know how long it will take. I love you. Give kisses to Luke.

Because he's not going to freak out that his wife is having spontaneous brain surgery. :smallsigh:

[Lord Magtok]

Hallways

Well Magtok doesn't look over Sunny's shoulder while she texts, and he's certainly not going to worry about what needless fears others might have about something that's practically routine to him, so Carl's concerns don't even occur to him as a possibility.

To the MagMobile, let's go! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmjFni_WLrA)

[Devixer]

After a night of rest, Iamar is ready to be shown her new equipment. She's looking for where Vasquez might be.

[UncleWolf]

Vas' Office

The Commander is in her Office at the moment, frowning over a stack of paperwork as she jams it into her computer at an abominably slow pace. It's a wonder she doesn't have a secretary do this for her, but some things are likely just for her eyes only. When the assassin walks in, Vasquez nods towards the chair opposite of her. "Take a seat. I need just a moment and then I'll get you your clearance for your modified equipment locker. Any questions for the moment though?" She asks before jamming at her keyboard with a couple fingers and a sigh without giving the visitor a glance.

[Devixer]

Vas' Office

"Do you know where my own weapons are stored?" Iamar asks.She looks at the keyboard, still utterly mystified by computers in general.