Aberrant: The Infinity Hour - Chapter One: Down the Rabbit Hole

[Karren Gaunt]

"Qui est-ce! Qui est là?" Who is it! Who's there?

A fiftyish Latino in an expensive suit stepped into the hallway, swinging his gun up to cover Andrea. He continues in French:

"[Where did you come from? The stairs are blocked... or, are they?]" He peered into her face, and lowered the gun slightly. "[Who are you?]" he asked again, his tone less sharp, his gun just away from pointing at the young Idol-to-be.

Before she can speak, a young Latina and a very old black man burst into the hallway behind him.

"Javier! Se está muriendo, se está muriendo!"

"Javier, is it? My name is Andrea Nast. I am a Novus," Andrea continued in French, forcing herself to keep an agreeable smile on her face, "And I can get any of your wounded to the surface the same way I got down here, one at a time. A man named Jin who works for the same person I do has a car up there, and there are ambulances on the way."

She stepped closer to the wall and waved her arm through it by way of demonstration. The gun didn't worry her. Nor did the other two. Messing up in helping these people did though. It didn't matter why they were down here when the shooting started or what was down here, not right now, but getting them out of here did.

[Thomas Froit]

Thomas looked at Jin and at Rianna quietly. "Then let's try and meet them, and convince them there's no sign of attackers or anyone for the military to go after. And that we'll bring out people who need medical attention."

[Titan]

Jin calmly took an earpiece from his inner jacket pocket, placed it in his ear. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Yes. I hear you."

He glanced at Rianna and shook his head."No. The rift opens on the back patio. If it still-" **DING*** The laptop beeped loudly, over the sound of the police band streaming radio. Jin turned quickly back to it.

"Good. The answers should be here." He clicked, and a video player opened up.

It showed a scene from the far side of a pool, onto a portico behind a beautiful Spanish villa. In the center of the patio was an huge arch of some silvery metal. Many men gathered around it, with tables of machinery and computer equipment lining the short stone walls of the portico. They were frozen in their labor, a bead of light making circles in the foreground. In the near corner, a woman stood with her back to the camera. From her stance and her very pregnant belly, it was obvious that it was Hana.

"Yes, it is loading now," Jin said, glancing over his shoulder towards the gate. "We should have time."

Then the circling bead of light stopped, and the video began to play.

***

Javier lowered the gun further, and turned towards the pair of servants. He glanced back at Andrea thoughtfully, then nodded. He spoke again, in French:

"[Alright. We have a wounded man. They say he is dying. He was one of the men who did this, but they say he tried to stop the others so his people shot him. He should go first, I suppose.]"

He motioned Andrea towards the doorway with his gun, then holstered it under his jacket and preceded her in. On the floor, a man with a wild growth of beard in a filthy black turtleneck sweater and black military pants that were torn in places, lay still. A pool of blood seeped from under him. Kneeling beside him was a middle aged Asian woman, strands of gray in her hair. She wiped at his face with a damp cloth, tenderly, then looked up. When she saw Andrea, she smiled and dipped her head.

"Hello, Andrea," she said.

***

The lock popped, and Keiko pumped her fist. She was in. She opened the door to the shed, and peered into the darkness. No obvious doors. It was just a large room of equipment, mostly lawn tools. She slumped in disappointment, then cocked her head. She stepped forward, puzzled, and put her hand on the gray metal case in the center of the floor. It seemed very out of place, in more ways than one, as though it had been shoved in here as an afterthought.

Stenciled across the top were yellow letters: A.L.I.C.E.

Curiouser and curiouser, thought Keiko

***

The first few moments of the video were fairly uneventful. The scientists, if that is what they were, adjusted equipment and made notes frantically. There was no sound, but even in the grainy security footage, there was a palpable sense of expectation. Then, the men backed away, as if at a signal, into a semi circle around the arch. A second, then another, then, in the center of the arch, a disc of light appeared. It swelled to fill the arch, shining golden in the screen. More than one man, and Hana in the lower right corner, shaded their eyes with their hands. For a long moment, that was all. Then shadows appeared in the shining portal.

Dark figures coalesced into human shapes, then emerged from the disc. Heavily bearded men, dressed in black, with automatic rifles in hand. The scientists started forward, one had his arms open in apparent welcome. The first figure through the rift didn't hesitate, but shot him. As other figures emerged, they brought their guns to the ready and began firing. The scientists scattered, those that didn't fall running for their lives.

Several of the bearded men who had emerged from the portal pursued them, firing steadily. The first one through pointed at a man, then to the arch. He turned and pointed at the other side of the arch. The man indicated carried a satchel quickly to the silvery arch, and placed it at the base. He pulled the top open and reached inside. He worked something inside with his hands, then closed the flap. He moved quickly with another satchel to the other side.

The man who had come first looked at his watch, and touched his ear. He spoke urgently. A last man came through the portal. He looked around, and grabbed the one who had come first by the arm. The first man shook him off his arm, and spoke again, a hand to his ear. The last man grabbed his arm again, yanking the first man around, speaking urgently, shouting. The first man listened for a moment, then took out a pistol. The last man stepped back, raising his hands in the air. The first man shot him in the body, and the last man went down.

The man with the satchels came back to the first man, who waved him at the portal. Other men began coming quickly back in screen, moving backwards or with one man guarding another. He waved them to the portal. One by one, they went back through. Finally, the first man looked at his watch and strode to the portal, stepping back through. The rift shrank to a small disc, then winked out.

The man on the ground struggled weakly, gravely injured, but still alive. From the villa, a man and woman rushed out. The woman surveyed the scene off camera, her hands fluttering at her cheeks like doves, while the man rushed next to the fallen man in black. He looked at the wound, then put his cheek close to the other man's face, the man's beard brushing his ear. He listened, then looked quickly at the arch. He whirled to the woman, yelling and waving her over to him. She came reluctantly, and the two of them picked up the man on the ground under his arms. His feet dragging, they hustled him back inside.

For another long moment, nothing. The scene seemed almost frozen, except for the twinkling surface of the pool. Then, a flash of light filled the screen. Then blackness. The video stopped.

Jin looked up at Thomas, Rianna, and Jill.

"The mercenaries. Those were the men that were sent into the rift this morning. But... but they were all clean shaven military men. They didn't show up at the last opening, but we thought there was little cause for alarm. This... I do not understand."

The sirens screamed outside the gate, and tires squealed. Doors opened, and feet ran. Men in black, men with automatic rifles, men not entirely unlike those responsible for the carnage here, stormed in the gate. Jin put his hands in the air and stepped forward.

"ESAS MANOS ARRIBA EN EL AIRE! TODOS USTEDES Acuéstese en el suelo, AHORA!" One of the approaching Policia shouted.

Jin spoke urgently."Hands in the air, get down on the ground. Everything will be alright, I promise."

[Jillian Johnson]

“You don’t understand?”, Jill didn’t believe this – they were sent here to go through a rift or portal or whatever phenomenon their employer was referring to and now they were being threatened by the local police.

“But we didn’t do anything.”, she protested still holding Hana in her arm. The huge musclebound woman knelt on one knee as she raised her free arm and put it behind her head showing that she was indeed defenseless and unarmed. She tried to keep Hana protected but that got increasingly more difficult as more men circled around them with weapons drawn.

“I don’t like this”, she murmured to Jin and waited looking angrily at the police officers.

[Karren Gaunt]

Javier lowered the gun further, and turned towards the pair of servants. He glanced back at Andrea thoughtfully, then nodded. He spoke again, in French:

"[Alright. We have a wounded man. They say he is dying. He was one of the men who did this, but they say he tried to stop the others so his people shot him. He should go first, I suppose.]"

He motioned Andrea towards the doorway with his gun, then holstered it under his jacket and preceded her in. On the floor, a man with a wild growth of beard in a filthy black turtleneck sweater and black military pants that were torn in places, lay still. A pool of blood seeped from under him. Kneeling beside him was a middle aged Asian woman, strands of gray in her hair. She wiped at his face with a damp cloth, tenderly, then looked up. When she saw Andrea, she smiled and dipped her head.

"Hello, Andrea," she said

The fledgling Idol shed her intangibility without a second thought as she took in the man's condition and dropped ot her knees at his side oppisite from the older woman, hands already flashing through basic first aid, at least enough to keep him alive long enough for both of them to reach Jill and any paramedics that might have arrived. She couldn't stand seeing people hurt or hurting one another and if this man had tried to stop the salughter up above... He deserved the best she could do.

"You speak English," she stated redundantly in surprised English, hands busy applying pressure and improptu bandages to the man, remembering to switch back to French for Javier's sake, "(How do you know my name? Are you a friend of Mr. August's? What happened here to cause all this?)"

Her questions had all the gentle irresistibility she could cast into it despite her distraction, an earnest young woman in search of the truth behind terrible events so that they wouldn't happen again, adding more blood stains to her skin and clothing as she worked with shaky but evident faith in her skill.

[envoy] 8:12 pm: int+medicine check. burning will to try and stabilize mr. bearded.

envoy *rolls* 5d10: 1+2+3+5+7: 18

[envoy] 8:13 pm: two successes if I could get a witness.

[Long6] 8:16 pm: Hallelujah!

[Long6] 8:16 pm: Testify!

[envoy] 8:17 pm: heh

HLs: Full, Quantum: 21/26, Willpower 3/5

[Thomas Froit]

What had happened on the other side? Thomas wondered with stupefaction. The mercenaries had spent a clearly significant amount of time on the other side, and something had happened. The blaring Policia warnings drove him shocked to the ground, kneeling with hands up, but he hoped the authorities didn't get carried away in the zeal of the response.

[Iron Rose]

"No it won't." Rianna said even as she knelt down on top of the bag she'd been holding, her dress and legs hiding it she hoped, even as she put her hands up and behind her head in compliance.

[SalmonMax]

Alice she thought, unable to resist the lure of a riddle even now. But like an acronym...I wonder what it stands for.

It was most likely not related to her quest to find the basement...but she couldn't just ignore it. In her current state of half-time, maybe it was a tiny bit forgivable?

She hunkers down next to the case to look for a latch or catch or something that would open it up. Experimentally she pulls on it, to see how heavy it was.

[Titan]

Jillian, Rianna, Thomas, and Jin knelt on the driveway with their hands in the air in the face of Ibiza's police response. Jillian, half-crouched over the unconscious Hana, splitting her attention between the guns pointed at her and the severely injured woman in her charge, saw the falling star first. Her mouth opened in surprise as she saw what looked like a meteor, trailing flame, racing through the atmosphere towards them.

Thomas and Rianna both saw it at the same time, a growing ball of flame aimed right at the house. Then the ball of fire sprang into perspective, and they realized that it was much closer, and much smaller, than they had originally thought.

The police continued to fill the circular driveway, weapons ready. The original police started towards the group, shouting what the non-Spanish speakers among them recognized nonetheless as 'Don't make any funny moves'. Coming around behind Jin, the first officer quickly reached around him to begin searching, when the officer saw the flame in the sky.

"INCOGNITA!" he shouted, pointing his weapon at the swiftly descending figure just as the shape resolved into a human shape, a woman of flame. She came fast, and the police on the ground turned their weapons on this new threat.

***

Out in the shed, Keiko had the large case open. Three latches, and she was in. The lid was lined with a thick, grey, egg carton shaped case foam, with more in the base, form cut around... something. There was a large cut out for a dull mirrored ball, about the size of a large beachball. Another was for a short, but wide, tube that looked like high quality PVC pipe. Some slits held panels, and one end had another, smaller case tucked into the foam. On top of the case was a thick spiral book. Keiko picked it up, glanced at the title.

***Operation Manual***

********A.L.I.C.E.*********

Aerial Liaison

Intelligence Compilation,

Enduring

"Huh," said Keiko, flipping the book over in her hand. On the back was the eaten apple logo of fine computing products worldwide: CORE International. There was finer print underneath- she tilted the book into the light, and squinted.

A division of Mnemosyne.

****

Under the rubble, Andrea Nast knelt over the bearded man. He was gurgling blood, which also poured from the two bullet holes in his chest. She began to feel panic. Her compression wasn't doing any good. She felt his head. Ice cold. That was not good. He began to moan, his eyes sprang open. He lurched up at Andrea, clutching at her. Blood streamed through his beard, his eyes bored into her own.

"G-gen..." he whispered. He convulsed, a gout of blood spilling from between gritted teeth. His eyes drooped, his body beginning to slack. His hand went limp on her arm. She held him up, lowering him to the floor. Her eyes beginning to well with frustrated tears, she placed a hand on his chest. Lazily, he looked at her again. His lips moved weakly. He closed his eyes.

Andrea stared at his relaxed face for a long moment, a faint anguish filling her.

"Genocide," the Asian woman said. The starkness of her tone shocked Andrea, and startled her from her pity.

"Wh- what?" she asked.

"He was going to say 'Genocide'. Before he died." The Chinese woman looked at Andrea steadily. "Because that is what waits for you on the other side of the portal."

Andrea pulled back. The woman dusted her hands off and stood.

"Do not be afraid, Andrea. Help the others out, I will do what I can for this one. He is one of us now, as you will be. He is a Traveller, and do not fear that I will fail him. He lives yet. Go on. We will speak again before you leave."

The woman turned, clearly dismissing Andrea, and knelt beside the body of the bearded man. She began to hum softly, and reached one hand towards his cheek, caressing it like a lover.

****

The woman landed among them, an avatar of living flame, and everyone drew back from the heat of her. The police, obviously terrified despite their weapons, brandished them all the more. She ignored them completely, and walked towards Thomas and Rianna, leaving blackened, sticky asphalt steps behind her. She spoke, and her voice was like liquid fire.

"Stand up. You need never cringe before such as these again."

She turned to Jillian, gesturing lightly with one hand.

"Rise, all of you." A screeching sound behind her made her turn. A yellow Lamborghini Diablo rocked and revved between two police ATVs, slamming to a stop just inside the driveway. The driver's door lifted.

In the interruption, the police captain shouted, in English, "THAT'S ENOUGH! YOU WILL-"

The woman erupted into a larger flame, springing three feet off the ground, towering over the captain.

"NO, YOU WILL-"

"No, YOU WILL," thundered a new voice, from the man exiting the Diablo who softened his tone immediately, "if you please, my dear- allow me to conduct matters on my own lawn in the manner which I prefer?"

As he spoke, he walked jauntily towards the captain, tugging at his cufflinks to straighten them. He was recognizable to anyone who followed the Novus news as Raoul Orzaiz, the son of nobility who vocally had rejected help from the W.H.O. and Aeon Society, encouraging other emerging Novus to do the same.

The woman of flame stared at Orzaiz hard. He smiled at her and chuckled.

"As you will, of course, but I do ask that in my own home..." he shrugged.

Her molten features softened, and she sank slowly to the asphalt. As her feet touched, her flame vanished, and she became a rather ordinary looking woman, thin, pale, with auburn hair, who was completely naked. The corners of her mouth turned up in an amused satisfaction, and she matched gazes with Orzaiz.

"Of course," she said finally. Orzaiz sighed, and undid the button of his sportcoat, shrugging out of it. Many of the police looked away as he draped it around the woman's shoulders, but most stared unabashedly at her body. She did not seem to notice. Orzaiz murmured something into her ear, kissed her gently on the cheek, and turned to the police captain.

"Now, Capitan, what seems to be the problem?"

Jin stood finally, brushing the knees of his trousers. The officer that had been about to search him moved backwards, giving the large Korean man room. Jin gave a curt nod, almost a bow, to the officer and stepped away from him. Behind him, the police captain laughed, and the others saw Jin smile.

[Karren Gaunt]

There was a pause as the fledgling Idol absorbed the words directed at her, a reflex urge to comply and run away, but then something changed, a hardening of resolve in her green eyes and setting of her lips into a frown.

"No."

She settled back down across from the woman, forcing herself to a measure of calmness, "We talk now, and you tell me where the portal leads. My friends are perfectly capable of handling themselves, and the most important thing I can do is make sure we aren't walking into a trap. 'Genocide' is a far cry from 'the top of Mount Olympus 10,000 years ago' and before I let us walk through that rift, I *will* know what you know."

Andrea's gaze speared the other woman, a nail for her quantum-boosted words to hammer home. Hopefully.

[envoy] 9:43 am: alright. time to roll some dice.

[envoy] 9:44 am: andrea Demands The Truth with the help of Persuader!

[envoy] 9:45 am: last two mega

envoy *rolls* 10d10: 1+9+3+5+8+7+7+10+1+5: 56

[envoy] 9:45 am: can I have a witness to those five successes?

[Long6] 9:47 am: good luck there

So, five successes plus one to three more depending on how risky it is the woman to talk.

HLs: Full, Quantum: 20/26, Willpower: 3/5

[Titan]

The woman's eyes opened and she looked at Andrea calmly. She continued to hum low and quiet, and touched the man's chest lightly as she cupped his cheek with her other hand. She breathed in and out, gazing across the man's body at the young novus.

Out of the corner of her eye, Andrea saw his boot twitch. She looked quickly at his face. His moustache fluttered as he exhaled slowly. Her own breath caught. He inhaled. He lived. She looked back at the woman, who returned her gaze steadily.

"Genocide is a being that I have never encountered, but of whom I have heard much. When one has Travelled..." She stared distantly, in thought, then, "one can quickly recognize other Travellers. A man- a friend- that I have met, speaks of this 'Genocide' to me often. A being from across the galaxy that hates mankind." She shook her self slightly, then turned her attention back to Andrea.

"I have been tracing these rifts for a long time, since they first appeared in fact, and Michael, the man I met, is a friend. One night, after an... interesting... evening in Denver, in 1889, I mentioned a confrontation that I and others had with Zetanhkaton, the so-called 'King of Kings', also called Apolun-Ra, the first novus. I was attempting to explain to him how powerless we all felt, facing a thousands of years old Novus, with what seemed unlimited power, when he burst out laughing."

She smiled slightly at the memory, and glanced at the bearded man. Color was returning to his face, and he seemed to be breathing easy.

"I was very vexed with him, it had not seemed at all funny to me, but he explained that he had been there on the very day that Apolun-Ra was killed by his followers, those novus who ruled with him for almost a thousand years. He was in Greece, not Egypt, but there in the flesh, ten thousand years ago, on the day. He was there following 'Genocide', and intercepted five novus who stepped through a portal on the east peak of Mount Olympus, looking for some runaway soldiers."

Again, the woman looked at Andrea, and her gaze was harder this time.

"It has taken me many years to arrange to be here, at this moment, to tell you these things. I do not know what fate awaits you and your friends across the gulf of time. I know only that you go through. I wish to warn you that 'Genocide' is the threat. It may be using your soldiers, or anyone, to accomplish what it wants, but 'Genocide' is the true threat."

She paused, then spoke almost as an afterthought.

"Novus alone, you may trust... at least to be free of 'Genocide's influence. Michael did tell me as much."

She grimaced.

"I must go, if I am to truly save this man. Please. Trust me, and take the other three who are waiting for you in the corridor up to the surface. It may be that we will speak again before you leave. If not, fare you well. For, speaking as one who knows Time, you will go through, because you did. And it is vital that you did, therefore you must."

She smiled enigmatically.

"Was that clearly explained enough for you, friend Andrea?"

[SalmonMax]

Mnemosyne? The word tickled at Keiko from the depths of her Liberal Arts coursework. Something to do with memory, wasn't it? Then again, it was a company. They'd probably just picked it because it tested well in focus groups. And that acronym. She read it twice, but it still didn't make sense.

Time was up, even for her. It waited for her, but not forever. This shed hadn't been a way to the basement after all, but she still had to look. She closed the ALICE case and hefted it up, then left the shed, carrying it. Maybe someone else would know what it was.

There was a buzz of strain starting at her temples as she trekked back across the redshifted landscape, trying to find another way to the basement.

[Jillian Johnson]

Jill didn’t like what she was hearing and she was also seriously confused by the turn of events. Time travel? What mess have they gotten themselves into – how would this make any sense? Why the warning if they would go anyway?

Too many questions... too little time. Dammit!

The huge and massively muscled Novus looked down at Jin searching for his eyes and hoping to get some indication of what his decision would be. She still had his wife in her arms and wouldn’t want to put her in any unnecassary trouble... and going through that rift sounded like stepping through a portal to hell.

“What about her?”, she asked him hoping he wouldn’t say that his wife would come with them. Jin’s wife belonged in an hospital and not on this suicide mission.

[Iron Rose]

Rianna stood holding the satchel she'd taken from the dead man, and waited quietly. Watching Raoul Orzaiz operate was like watching a master painter's every stroke of the brush. No one in the buisness world hadn't heard of him, and his social calender was a veritable who's who list of high level functions, galas and exclusive parties.

The entire exchange took only moments, even as the woman of flame became one of flesh, nude until draped in Orzaiz's coat. She looked at the other officers waiting to see if any were uncowed by the Count, and chuckled inwardly. Who would have ever thought I'd meet this man, this way?.

[Karren Gaunt]

[envoy] 10:00 am: I'm gonna need a witness for an ItB roll.

[Long6] 10:00 am: yo

[envoy] 10:00 am: wits+rapport, go!

envoy *rolls* 8d10: 10+4+7+10+5+2+3+5: 46

[envoy] 10:01 am: hrrrm, three successes?

[Long6] 10:02 am: yeah

So, three successes to try and determine if the woman believes she's telling the truth about her story. Oh, and activate Density Decrease for the swim back up.

HLs: full, WP: 3/5, Quantum: 18/26

Andrea studied the woman's face, considering whether or not to believe her. The story was... fantastic, an epic of time travel conspiracy worthy of a movie, but so was the idea of Novus and any kind of time travel at all.

"I... I better check on my friends," she managed, thoughts abstracted as she sucked in a deep breath and vanished back through the wall and for the surface. She hated the idea of destiny being prewritten, of being forced to do something, but she had signed a contract to enter the rift and see what was on the other side, and even if the woman believed what she was saying... Her mind roiled as she swam for the surface, trying to find a lie in the story she'd been given.

[Thomas Froit]

Thomas got up, slowly relieved by the arrival of the cavalry - that was Count Orzaiz. He did not find the good-looking but fiery companion of the count's to qualify as such. "Look, if someone set off the explosions here, they're long gone. Please understand that. We've checked the whole area, and we need to meet with our remaining group to... make sure anyone else in need of medical attention gets up here."

[Titan]

Keiko walked wonderingly through a garden of stone policemen. Not actual stone, of course, but the infinitesimally moving men seemed almost like it as she moved through them. She walked, as she was slowly becoming accustomed to, through a blood-red night, the A.L.I.C.E. case banging her hip painfully at every step and pulling her arm out of its socket. She set the end of the case down, and switched hands. The blasted thing was meant to be carried by at least two, probably four, people. The best she could do was drag it. And it looked like the entire Ibiza police force was pouring into the back yard. She shook her head, hefted her load, and dragged it further right. She could fit between those two, barely.

***

Andrea pulled hard with her right arm, focusing clearly on Javier. Her shoulders ached with the strain. Luis and Maria, the servants, were safely above ground, only the security chief remained. After she had gotten back down from the first trip with Maria, she had checked the room down the hall. The woman, whoever she had been, and the bearded mercenary were gone. She had rather thought that they would be. Now, on trip three, she was glad it was the last. Swimming through dirt and concrete was just about as hard as swimming in water, and dragging someone behind was twice as hard.

She thought about the story the woman had told, about Genocide, and the woman's friend Michael. A fantastic story, completely unbelievable. But, strangely, Andrea did believe it. She held that idea up and examined it as she crossed into air. She solidified, except for her arm, and helped Javier up above ground. She smiled at him as she let go of his hand. His face, that of a brave man facing something that terrifies him, cracked into a shaky smile, and he nodded his thanks. Luis and Maria stood near a bush by the corner of the rubble.

Luis said quietly and urgently, "La Policia."

Andrea nodded. Even she knew that one. Javier brushed at his clothes.

"[i had better go speak with them.]" he said to her, in French, "[Though I do not know what I am going to say.]"

"Yeah," she said in English, mostly to herself, "I guess 'an intergalactic entity may have taken over the minds of some mercenaries we sent back in time to the dawn of history as part of a plot to destroy humanity' probably wouldn't go over, huh?"

Javier and the servants looked at her, puzzled.

She smiled and shrugged. "No, probably not." She motioned Javier to go ahead, and the survivors and their savior went around to what used to be the front of the villa.

***

The circular driveway filled with emergency personnel and police, and the latter spread out and began moving around the side of the ruined villa. The heavily armed and armored units leading the way, the Ibiza police began to secure the area. In an island of calm, Raoul Orzaiz led the police Captain over to the SUVs.

"Capitán, these are my guests," he said, gesturing expansively, "and are in no way involved in this horrible event, except that they were nearly victims of the blast themselves. Please allow me to introduce you. Mister Thomas Froit, Miss Rianna Connelly, and Miss Jillian Johnson, all from the United States. And Fahren you have met, as well as my man Jin."

The police captain nodded to Thomas, removed his hat and sort of bowed to Rianna. His eyes widened when he looked at Jill, but he nodded solemnly to her as well. He glanced at her feet, turned and motioned to a nearby officer.

"Consiga a alguien para acá inmediatamente, esta mujer está gravemente herido!" The man nodded and rushed over to the ambulance. The captain turned back to Jill.

"The woman, she lives?" At her nod, he smiled grimly, "That is good." His gaze included all of them as he continued, "It is good that you are here. You have my apologies for this horrible incident happening in Ibiza. We will find who did this, you can be very sure. Ah, good." This last to the medical team converging on Hana.

Jill tensed, at first reluctant to let the woman be touched, but Jin put a hand on her arm, and she relaxed. The woman of flame, who flamed no more, snorted derisively. Jill glanced at her sharply, then turned back to Hana. The emergency team efficiently but gently got Jin's wife up onto a stretcher and rolled it away. Jin smiled up at Jill, nodded to her, then followed the stretcher quickly.

There was a yelp from one of the officers around the side of the house, and they all turned in alarm. A blurred shape zigged through and around and between the officers. More than one cried out in surprise, and one officer clutched at his shinbone. The blur zagged towards the group in the center of the driveway, quick as a blink, then solidified into Keiko, dragging some big case behind her. Around them, officers jumped back and reached for weapons.

"My guest!" Orzaiz said loudly. "She is my guest!"

"Retirarse por!" shouted the captain, "Todo el mundo, retirarse!"

Slowly, the men lowered weapons, moved hands away.

Keiko barely noticed. Being innocent of any wrongdoing, it did not really occur to her that she would be suspected of anything. In any event, she could almost certainly outrun a bullet, so there was also that.

"I didn't find the basement, but I did find this." She looked around doubtfully. "With all these cops, how are we going to..." She trailed off.

Orzaiz shook his head. Suddenly, he looked young, and unsure. The news had said that he was twenty four, but his usual confidence lent him the air of a much older man. Right now, he looked even younger than he was.

"We don't," he said, "You can't. Not now. It's too dangerous."

The woman called Fahren scowled.

"That isn't your decision to make, Raoul, and you know it. We all agreed, and so have they. This changes nothing."

"But it does!" he said, "It changes everything. Instead of a scouting expedition, they will be going into a hostile situation. Granted, they are well equipped to deal with almost any- Dios!" He broke of suddenly, and strode, almost ran, towards Javier, just emerging from the brush blocking the other side of the villa. Maria and Luis followed.

"Estás vivo!" he shouted, arms open wide, "Oh, mis amigos, ustedes están vivos!" Javier met him, grinning, and gripped Orzaiz's forearms with his hands. The two men looked at each other a moment, Orzaiz nodding with pleasure, then he turned and touched the woman and man each on the arm.

"Estoy muy satisfecho," he said gently. Beyond, Andrea was emerging from the brush, and Orzaiz moved quickly to her.

"Oh, I am in your debt, Miss Nast. You have saved at least a few of my people. Thank you." He turned back to Fahren.

"And in repayment, I should ask them to go on? To clean up the mess that the Mathematician has made? No. I will not. We will not."

Beside him, Andrea spoke up.

"We may not have much choice."

[Karren Gaunt]

Andrea wondered how to follow that blurted statement up, and found herself thinking back to something her friend Tess had said once, something she had never had to the courage to follow before.

People can be full of shit. They can think it's honest, well-meaning shit. But still... Shit. So think twice before you act on anyone's advise, okay?

The woman may have been telling the truth before she vanished, but that didn't mean the fledgling Idol had to do what she said. After all, if they didn't have free will, what was the point of living?

"...Um. That is, we have a choice if you decide we have choice, Sir. You are our employer and if you decide we should still go after hearing everything that's happened, my friends and I already agreed to go, signed a contract. I've heard... things that complicate evrything if they're true. Maybe we can tell you everything somewhere more private and then you make a choice?" she tentatively offered, trying to place the very charming man and his fiery companion, showing her own inexperience by the way she looked away at the last second.

[Iron Rose]

Rianna nodded. "There is always a choice, even in those moments where it most seems like there isn't one."

She looked to Andrea. "Perhaps she's right. We seemed to have missed one opportunity. Let's discuss options in private, so that when it presents itself again, we do not miss it then either."

[SalmonMax]

Keiko looked at each person as they spoke, still uncomprehending. She could tell there was something going on she was missing, but didn't have the pieces to put them together.

"Are the people down there okay now?" she asked, trying to nudge the conversation away from cryptic comments and back to the important issue at hand. "I can go back and try again. There may still be time to save them."

[Karren Gaunt]

"I got all of them out except for the two who vanished into thin air under their own power," offered Andrea with a wry smile, "They make this complicated and something we should discuss away from other ears even *if* the rest of you haven't found anything else out about this. I think so anyway."