Aberrant: 2011 - About technology, robots and strobing lights.

[Alessa Neri]

The sound of a dial tone could be heard on her end of the phone, Coyote from N!Prime had asked her to phone her directly, and after some digging, Ravenshire had her phone number.

But now, here she stood infront of a her OpPhone, and was almost paralized, and had no idea why.

Karrie looked like a very nice girl, but she was also friends with Primal, Jackal, Stonefish and White Widow from what she could read in the boards, and they were not nice people.

On the other hand, during the beach party Karrie had been talking with Mech and there seemed to be no problem right there, maybe one shouldn't judge according to their friends.

Alessa sighed and gave up, finally dialing Karrie's OpNumber, and waiting as the phone tried to connect.

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Karrie checked her caller id, her eyebrows rising when she saw who was calling. A tap of a button downloaded the number into her address book - she'd need it later - and another button-tap opened the line, connecting the line to the earbud hidden in her ear. "Karen Dineh, how can I help you?"

[Alessa Neri]

"Hello! I'm Alessa Neri, you asked me to call you about something?" Alessa thought fast, why was she calling again?

"I usually don't call people I don't know, but you seemed like a nice enough girl in the party we attended, what did you want to talk about?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Karrie smiled. "Actually, I was wondering if you are dating Mech," she said flat out, "because I was getting a weird vibe from him when you called the other day, while we were discussing his robot forms. I was flirting with him pretty hard, and he seemed receptive, but I didn't realize you two were together in any way. He just acted so strange when he heard you, especially the part about staying later...

"So I was just calling to make sure he wasn't claimed, before we went any further than we have gone," Karrie added. Here was where it became touchy. Karrie's plan depended on Alessa's reaction to that implication. Which wasn't that much an implication; she and Connor had held hands, which was a tiny step.

[Alessa Neri]

Alessa had the world slow down a bit as she talked to Karrie, she swallowd some saliva as she talked about how she was flirting with him and 'going any further'. "We are not...well we....ah..."

Alessa was at a loss, yes she had been on dates with Mech before, twice before. But strictly dating? They had not even talked regularly since the shooting for his show, she had been busy with her own tour, even if she had watched the show late at night every night, japanese was a hard lenguage, but she got the gist of what they were saying.

But how to answer to Karrie? What had they done? and why did Alessa felt so betrayed? "No...I'm not dating him right now, but have in the past."

Alessa was going to get the situation out of Karrie at all costs.

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Hmm, am not but have. Not quite the answer I was expecting. "Oh, god, that's a relief!" Karrie exclaimed, letting all of that emotion show in her voice. "I was worried that he was making me into the 'Other Woman.' You know, the bitch that steals boyfriends. I don't ever want to steal a boyfriend."

Time to start pulling... come on, honey, give me the reaction I want. "Thanks for calling, Alessa," Karrie said. "I know you're really busy, and I appreciate you taking the time. I'm just relieved to know that I wasn't being made a fool of by a boy."

[Alessa Neri]

"Oh no! Connor couldn't do that. He is too much of a good boy to do that, why do you think he would try that on you?" or on me for the matter.

"I mean, sure he is young, but he is too sweet to be a manipulator like that, unless....you have more of a reason to believe it than I do?" Alessa plopped down on a chair nearby "Was this why you wanted to talk Karrie?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"I called just so that he couldn't do anything like that," Karrie said simply, tightening a bolt on the Cold Cannon as she talked. She may have fixed some of the issues with it, but she forced herself to focus. "I don't know about a reason, but he did seem kinda..."

"Yes?" Alessa prompted when Karrie was too slow to answer.

"It just sounds so bad," Karrie murmured. "He seemed guilty, like he felt bad about me being there when you called. That's why I was worried about what he may be doing to me. Well, to us, actually.

"Though, if you think he's incapable, I guess we can trust him," Karrie said, but she left enough doubt in her voice to feed Alessa's. Or at least she hoped she did.

[Alessa Neri]

Alessa toughfully chewed on her own lip, was Connor feeling guilty about enjoying his time with Karen? or did he felt caught red handed by her call?

"You are right, it sounds wrong. Could he truly be playing us?" With me? "I mean....I'm not naive, I know men do that often, but I just wouldn't expect it from Connor." Alessa sighed into her phone.

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Time for the closer, Karrie grinned to herself. She wiped the smile off her face as she said, "I just don't know him well enough to know for sure. He seems nice. Really nice. And he's a star and he likes Mecha and he's cute... sometimes he feels too good to be true, you know?"

Because if something is too good to be true, it probably isn't, Karrie recited the idiom to herself. Come on, Alessa, put two and two together, and reach that logical step. Clearly, something about the two of us bothers him and where there's smoke... there's probably one of my experiments.

[Alessa Neri]

Too good to be true? could that be true? Could Mech be true?

"When you say it like that, you make it sound like he is doing it on purpose, you couldn't think that he is leading both of us on....do you?" Alessa sunk into her chair, Coyote was making powerful points and she felt like she had just been through a crash landing. "What's your honest opinin Karen?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Oh, please, call me Karrie; Karen's so formal. I don't know," Karrie sighed, even as she silent exalted over the fact that Alessa was hooked. Time to land her. "I don't know if he is leading us on. I mean, what would be the point? We're novas, so we'd figure it out. It's not like he could make fools of us forever."

She had to be careful. No point in belaboring the point with Alessa any further; the seed of doubt was there. "So, honestly, Alessa, I'm just very confused and a little upset. I kinda... I think I really like him," Karrie confessed. She let her voice thicken with stress. "The thought that he's playing us kinda hurts. But I guess you get that already; I'm sure you're just as confused and upset as me."

[Alessa Neri]

"I..well.." Alessa leans forward into her knees, putting her hand over her eyes and leaning forward. "I don't know what to think Karrie." Alessa sighs "You tell me one thing, I tell you another thing, I think another thing."

"We should really talk this out face to face."

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"If... you'd like," Karrie said, keeping the glee out of her voice. By some fluke of quantum magic, it was easier for her to lie and direct in person rather than over the phone. "Where and when would you like to meet?"

While she waited, Karrie pulled up her bank ledger and checked her account, making sure she could afford a trip to see Alessa. Assured that she could, she waited for the woman to answer her questions.

[Alessa Neri]

"San Diego, I will be some time in the city before the concert, tons of paperwork to do, we can talk while I'm there, and hey if you feel up to it you could help around with anything you are good at on the concert."

Alessa leaned back on the chair, letting her head hang over the edge of the back, taking a deep breath she calmed herself. "Yeah, you should come to San Diego, we can use all the help possible."

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Oomph. What had she gotten herself into? Was Alessa using this situation to get free labor? She could do a little manual labor, but Karrie quickly gave herself wiggle room. "Oh sure, but if my boss calls, I'll need to leave to do my job," she said. "So I'm yours as long as they don't need me." And if things got too bad, Karrie could just say they'd called for her.

"Where should I go after I get there?"

[Alessa Neri]

"Call me once you get there, I will arrange for a hotel room for you and then we can talk about the show and...well, abot this." Alessa got up, with a stronger resolve than before.

"I will need you to accompany me to the Qualcomm maybe you can give me a help picking out places for lighting and stuff, what do you think?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Sure," Karrie said, hiding her resignation. They always ask the techie for help, she told herself, reminding herself of the oldest law in the book: if you're a professional, they'll try to get your services for free. "I'll fly out, probably be there tomorrow, ok? And we'll definitely do this."

As she said her good-byes and hung up, Karrie smiled and started to hum to herself. Her mind ran through the list of things she had to take care of, but she wasn't really thinking about that; she was thinking about Coyote and the lessons he teaches.

[Alessa Neri]

Alessa was just getting out of the shower that morning, getting late was not her thing but the conversation with Karrie had her turning and tosisng all night, hell OpPhone rang loudly as Alessa ran through her room and dived into the bed to pick it up.

"Huh..hello?" She turns to look at the screen. "Karrie! You are here now?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Yhhhhhheeeeep," Karrie said, caught in mid-yawn. She glared down at the seeing eye dog; his yawn just before Alessa answered triggered her own. "Sorry - I got up at four to get to the airport on time. So, which hotel should I meet you at?"

[Alessa Neri]

"Hilton, just ask for me and say you are here for Tech work, they will show you to your room." Alessa sprawled on her bed, she was sooo tired and strechig out in the bed felt soooo good, Alessa couldn't help herself when slowly she started to drift to sleep.

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

At the Hilton's front desk, Karrie relayed Alessa's orders to the skinny, perfectly made-up girl behind the counter. In exchange for the message, Karrie got a plastic key card.

She turned, only to find that a bellboy had snuck up behind her and picked up her bag. "Drop that," Karrie snapped, scowling. Startled, the guy dropped it. "I carry my own bags, thanks."

"S-s-sorry," the guy stammered. "It's hotel policy-"

"Thank, but I've got it. Just... maybe ask next time?" Karrie said, backing away. "Not everyone... just don't assume, ok?"

As he hurriedly nodded, she stalked away, heading up to her room. Idiot! After a moment, she forced herself to calm down. Not everyone building weapons into their suitcases. He was just trying to do his job. She would have preferred keeping the allusion of normal by letting him carry it, but the trigger for the heat-seeking bullet was in there, and Karrie really didn't need that kind of mess. She probably should have brought the regular case, but she wanted to test it and see if it could get through airport security. And it had. It had also been risky, but she knew that would never stop her from doing something.

At the room, Karrie paused, blinking. This was one of the bigger rooms. "Huh. She's generous," Karrie muttered, as she put her key in and swung the door open. The room was dark with the curtains drawn, and Karrie let the door fall closed after locking her eyes on the lamp. She made her way in the dark and flipped on the light, then turned to toss the suitcase on the bed.

Someone was on it, and Karrie forgot to let go of the suitcase in shock. The world slowed down as Karrie saw an absolutely gorgeous woman sleeping on her bed. A white hotel towel barely clung to all the right places, while another clung unsuccessfully to her hair, which had spilled out like a black cloud.

Then the inertia from the bag caught up, and Karrie had to spin, awkwardly grabbing at the soft-sided suitcase. "Whoa!" she yelped. She felt her finger come down on a trigger and she winced as she felt the equipment release.

A small, spider-web-thin parachute popped out and fluttered across the room.

[Alessa Neri]

Alessa woke up startled as somebody yelped right infront of her, she sat up immediatly form the sound, just in time to see a small parachute come at her from a suitcase, Alessa tried to roll out of the way but all of the sudden movements just succeded on having her leave her towel behind her.

"Ahh!" Alesa audibly protests as she claws at her towel, trying to cover her nakedness, slowly realizing exactly who was in the room. "Karrie! When did you got here?" Alessa simply remained sitting on the bed, covering herself up with a towel and watching at the frozen Karrie. "Shit! What time is it? I was supposed to see somebody!"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Alessa, it's Alessa, Karrie thought, staring at the woman. It was her first good look at the pop star; at the party, her attention had mostly been on Connor. With a shake, she stopped gaping. Her next thought was, No one Connor wants a piece of her. It only assured her he was playing with her. Why would he be interested in me, if he can have her?

To add to the uncomfortable feeling, Kara suddenly realized that she liked looking at Alessa naked. Quantum-enhanced appearance for the win, she assured herself, turning her eyes away.

"I'm somebody," Karrie said. She was the eternal smart-ass, and the words were out before she could stop them. "But I assume you mean someone else?"

[Alessa Neri]

"Of course you are somebody! I'm sorry, I was supposed to meet one of the leasers for the Qualcomm stadium, those corporate suits are inssuferable." Alessa makes an irritated sound as she gets up from the bed. "Now the suit is going to be mad, call me a irresponsable child and I will have to convince him of keep leasing me that damned stadium."

Alessa walks toward the closet, a lot of her clothing already there, dropping the towel once again Alessa starts getting changed into a three piece suit, kinda of a boyish clothing, completing it with a hair clip to keep it all behind her.

"I'm incredibly sorry about all of this Karrie, but I wanted to talk to you before I had to leave, why don't you join me? I'm pretty sure you could help me with wathever tech talk the suit wanted to hit me with." Alessa walks up to Karrie, big eyes sparkling, pleading with her. Please?

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Karrie bent down and gathered up the bits of the parachute when Alessa dropped the towel, giving her something else to do with her eyes. "Ah, sure, I can go," Karrie said, stuffing the chute back into the compartment for it. She'd have to fold it properly later. "But... are you sure you want me dealing with a stuffed suit?" She waved a hand down her body, including her black hair, red skin and relaxed coveralls. "If you want a mad suit, or if you want to play 'Sane Vendor, Crazy Vendor' I can do that, too. Murdoch was my hero growing up."

She finished with the suitcase and kicked it into a corner. Peeking at Alessa, she saw that she was finally dressed.

[Alessa Neri]

"Good, but we can't take you in over-alls hun, quick grab something from the closet, and meet me downstairs." Alessa sighed. "I have to arrange for a couple of things, thank you for being undestanding sweety!" Alessa hugs Karrie for a brief moment before leaving the room.

For the briefest moment, Alessa popped her head back in, "Are you allergic to anything? I will be ordering some food for the way, I swear Nova-appetite is a torture!"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Karrie clutched the open zipper of her coveralls shut, her eyes wide as Alessa popped back in without warning. "Yes! I mean, no, no allergies. Sorry, getting undressed!"

When the nova had left, Karrie turned back to the closet. She spent several minutes trying on clothes; finally, she resigned herself to the fact that nothing Alessa wore would fit right - it was too large through the breasts and hips, and Alessa was taller than her. A belt from her own bag fixed the hip problem, but short of pinning the shirt, she couldn't make it look like it fit right.

When she stepped out in the lobby, she looked nice enough in a blue shirt and simple black skirt. She had on hiking sandals though; she didn't share Alessa's shoe size at all. Finding the mega-star, Karrie wandered over, feeling like the ugly step-sister.

[Alessa Neri]

Alessa looked at Karrie up and down. Poor thing, I guess my clothes didn't fit her, one bad mark on my record.

"Karrie, over here." Alessa waved at Karrie, standing besides a small stack of stryfoam food delivery containers. "Come, we got to make haste, so we will be eating on the car." Alessa started moving away from the lobby towards the entrance.

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Karrie grabbed her share of the containers, blinking in surprise. I've been swept into a hurricane, Karrie thought, just a touch stunned as she followed Alessa out to a waiting limo.

While one part of her mind because to reengineer the car - it was a hobby of hers - the other part became naggingly curious about something. "Hey, Alessa? Why were you sleeping on my bed?"

[Alessa Neri]

"Oh, because that's my bed too. You know, I will be renting doubles for everyone on the project, cost reduction and everything, and since I invited you I figured you wouldn't mind to be the first to be put in a double room." Alessa then bites down in a bisquit with some jelly on it.

As she conciously chews on it, she passes it down with a drink from a latte, studying Karrie's expression she keeps talking "You don't mind, do you?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Uhummm, no?" Karrie said, her voice sounding unsure. At the look on Alessa's face, she quickly covered, adding, "Sorry, I didn't think we'd be having a sleepover. Guess it's good I don't sleep nude!" The last was said with a manical edge of cheerfulness as Karrie grinned broadly.

"Yeah, sharing is fine... I just-"

"Here, eat," Alessa said, thrusting styrofoam at her. "You'll learn to eat when you can."

"I... will? OK, then," Karrie said. She popped open her tray, realizing that while she was good at manipulation, Alessa was good at making people like her. Karrie found herself hoping that it was really just Connor at fault here, and that she wouldn't dislike Alessa over it. She wasn't sure she couldn't dislike Alessa. "So, as I was saying, I just would have thought that the rooms where peple would be sharing would have separate... beds, right?"

[Alessa Neri]

"I would hope, but this big suits only have a single big bed, if you want a more than one bed, you need a really big suit or a cheap doubles room. Neither one I felt too enamored with." Alessa sipping her coffee a bit more and ate another bagle.

"But tell me Karrie, we have a couple of minutes while we eat and get stuck in San Diego traffic, do you want to start what we left in the phone right now or after we meet the suit?" Alessa had a twinkle in her eye, saying she was waiting for this. "We could always wait till until after the meeting and the selecting of lighting and sound placements and talk it over dinner, what do you think?"

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Later," Karrie sighed, "definitely later, especially if you're trying to do something professional immediately following. I know that after I got off the phone with you, I was kinda upset. I kept thinking about it, you know?"

The car lurched slightly, the driver compensating for a sudden change in traffic. Karrie reached out and grabbed the cup of coffee in the arm rest, wincing when a slosh of coffee popped through the hole in the lid and over her thumb. "Actually, I think that maybe we should talk about other stuff. Like, I've never met a pop star before! It's exciting, and I admit to being curious about normal things, like what do you do when not singing?"

[Alessa Neri]

"Sounds good, we can take you on a trip to get you some clothes that are not mine, or just go to dinner on some nice place which serves a ton by the platter." Alessa grinned, Karrie was proving to be a very nice girl.

"What I do?" She was taken aback by that question a bit...what DID she do when she was not singing? "Well, when not singing I'm usually busy with record label meetings, practice sessions, and trying to find something fun to do. Up intol a month ago I kept at last half an hour busy by watching Connor's show, figured I had to keep practicing the japanese I learned to sing the intro."

Looking out the window, Alessa could see the cars go by and people on the sidewalks, "I sometimes write songs too, but I'm shy about those, I don't like showing them." Alessa opened another stryfoam container with an omellet and offered it to Karrie. "You want it? I think there was one around here with Pasta Alfredo..."

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

Interesting diversion. Now, do I let it go or pursue?

But if Coyote had learned one thing from Primal, it was to go for the gusto when in doubt. "No, silly," Karrie said with a soft chuckle and a quick smile, "I said when you were not singing - not what you did that is perphiral to singing but not singing. You know, like hobbies? I help my mom weave blankets, though not as much as I used to, when we were selling them for extra income. Now they're gifts." She'd been peeking in containers; with a smile handed one to Alessa. "Your alfredo, madame."

As for Karrie, stuffing herself wasn't her style. She'd been slowly expanding her stomach's ability to contain food, but she was still working on it. Alessa just had too much food for her. It reminded her of her first binge after erupting; she'd eaten ice cream and sweets until she felt guilty, without a single twinge from her stomach. The sugar rush that had resulted had lasted for six hours; it had started with Karrie deciding to fix the tank and ended with the phrase, "Yes, Sheriff, I do understand that the tank is an off-road vehicle only."

[Alessa Neri]

Alessa picks the alfredo container from Karrie's hands "Thank you." Alessa took a plastic fork, and started on the Alfredo.

"Hobbies?" Putting the form to her lips, she tought about it while she chewed on her past. "Hmm, I guess I don't have a specific hobby. Maybe I should get one... What do you think?"

The car screeched as the brakes where hit, the coffe the pair had sloshing around in the cups, tipping over a bit. "We are here, Ms. Neri."

Alessa looked out of the window into the huge Qualcomm stadium "Wow, you ARE a good driver. Come on Karrie, we got a suit to trick into liking us and lighting spots to pick!" Alessa opened the door to the parking lot and the sunshine glare came through it, the smell of hot asphalt on a sunny day invading the car.

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"I think-" Karrie was cut off by their arrival, and she climbed out of the back relunctantly. "Honestly, I'll need to see their control room. I'm sure they have one." Her voice was distracted; the source of that distraction was revealed to be the previous conversation. "I'm going to teach you to rock-climb. It'll give us something to do when you come visit me."

Now that it she had said her bit, Karrie's focus turned sharply to the task at hand. "Let's see what we can learn about their electronics and setup," she said. She grinned suddenly, a savage, delighted smile. "Let's see how fast I can piss them off, eh?"

[Alessa Neri]

Alessa took Karrie through the Qualcomm stadium structure, the structure was huge on it's own right, but on the grand stand of stadiums it could 'Only' hold 70,000 people, the structure led to an overhanging office, looking down on the whole stadium, the suit was waiting for them.

Alessa entered the room, the suit was already sitting at the end of a table waiting for the pop star. "You are Late Ms.Neri, it would be a much better idea that if you are requesting the helop of Qualcomm corporation, that you actually respected the meeting times you yourself proposed."

The suit looked about 50, his greying hair showing his age, the wrinkles on his face showing that he has had more trouble for this business than he cares for, and probably a heart attack and ulcers over it. "I'm Mr.Jhonson, I'm here to have you sign the lease for this concert and to assure that you don't make any damned disorder in our stadium."

Mr.Jhonson get up from his chair "Do you understand Ms.Neri?"

Alessa stares him in the eye "Of course Mr.Jhonson, I won't be doing any disorder, but this is Karen Dineh, my main Tech advisor, she might make a bit of a mess if she finds your installations....lacking."

[z-Coyote-Mad Scientist]

"Which, from what I could see on the way in, are very lacking," Karrie announced, stepping forward and grabbing the contract.

"Wait, what are you saying?" Mr. Jhonson snapped, his face turning red immediately.

She started flipping through the contract, remarking as she browsed, "Given the light show that is typical of Ms. Neri, the hall is fine. However, this concert is supposed to be special, for all the poor, homeless, folks from LA. Now, I'm sure that you'd love to be known as 'The Place Where Alessa Neri Gave That OK Benefit Conference.' However, I'm sure that you can see the logic behind letting me come in here and, one, update your lighting and sound systems and, two, you happily footing the bill for it."

"I don't think you're qualified-" Jhonson sputtered, but Karrie cut him off.

"Don't," she hissed, finally looking up at him. "Don't assume that because I don't have a 'Look at me and what I can do Mommy!' certificate from Big-boy Tech School that I'm not qualified to work on your system. I walked through your building, didn't see the control room, and I can already tell that you've had light failures for unknown reasons lately. I can tell you that you have a ton of crossed wires in here, and it's going to be hell to sort them out, so no one's done it yet. And I'm going to tell you that if you give me the time, and a team, I can fix your problems." She smiled; the shark's grin only reinforced the sensation that she was going in for the kill. "For a fee, naturally. As I work for Ms. Neri, I'll have to work out the consultation fees with her, but, it might happen to cover some of her costs." She glanced at Alessa. "A donation to the concert, naturally.

"In which case, these are invalid," Karrie finished, ripping a bundle of pages out of the contract. "They'll need to be rewritten. You might want to call the boys in Legal, hmm? Oh, how sexist of me. The people in Legal."