Aberrant: No Fate - Chapter 2: The shape of things to come

[Courier]

Cherub replies,

"Something is about right. And not just to you, we've been comparing notes while you were unconscious. All of us are missing time. What day do you think this is?"

[Joani]

"You said I was out for about one hour - so it should be saturday.", Nadine could tell from Cherubs face that the truth wasn't close to this.

"I'm willing to cooperate but you need to tell me what has happened to me. I... I... I...", suddenly Nadine got a blank look in her face and her eyes simply stared into infinity.

"What we see now is just a dim reflection in a mirror - then we shall see face to face"

Nadine's voice resonated through the whole apartement coming virtually from everywhere. Shaking her head she resumed her sentence normally as if nothing had happened.

"I demand an explanation!"

[Synner]

{At the Opnet Cafe with Gray and Nosferatu}

One of the monitors comes to life.

Synner here. I think you are innocent. Do you want help?

At the other end of the connection, Payton waited expectantly. It had been a crazy 12 hours with everyone wanting and sharing all kinds of information. What no one had was the how and why of what went down in New York City. The world was pretty sure they had the who of it all, but Payton was working overtime to change at least the Aberrant's perception and acceptance of that belief. Hell, they were a conspiracy cell after all. Why accept the general spin on the biggest catastrophe of the century?

[Courier]

Originally Posted By: Joani Reikspar

"I demand an explanation!"

Cherub said,

"Interesting... Saturday for you too. You really are one of us."

He focuses and says,

"At the moment we have more questions than answers, but it would appear all trails lead back to Newton. What is clear is you didn't just erupt survive by erupting on the spot. If you had then you wouldn't be missing time. Whatever happened to us happened to you too."

Cherub fiddles with his PDA and hands it over saying,

"Here. Read this, it's a letter to the editor that I wrote while you were out, it goes over most of what's happened from my point of view."

Tom pauses and waits for her to read it.

[Travis Kincaid]

Originally Posted By: Joani Reikspar

"What we see now is just a dim reflection in a mirror - then we shall see face to face"

Malcolm took a slow step back, "My what a lovely singing voice you must have," he mutters. Malcolm waits as Tom hands her his letter wondering how she would reat to the information within and wondering if the parasitic nova was now in control or if Nadine was still dominant. I hope Grey and Nos have better luck than we are right now.

[Joani]

Originally Posted By: Courier

"Here. Read this, it's a letter to the editor that I wrote while you were out, it goes over most of what's happened from my point of view."

Tom pauses and waits for her to read it.

"You must be kidding me... that's... that's absurd. I didn't do this... I didn't kill these people. It wasn't me! This must be a set up, we must tell them. I'm not responsible for the deaths of these people. I've got friends living in Manhattan.", Nadine's emotion went through the complete spectrum of panic and despair.

[Tim Wiley]

Quote:

Synner here. I think you are innocent. Do you want help?

"Synner?" Nosferatu said with alarm. "How did you find us here?" Nosfertu's rank withing Omega allowed him access to certain operative's names. Synner was one of them. "We can use any help you can give us."

Nosferatu logged back into the Terat forum in search of Synapse. He needed some questions answered, and to ask him to send a communicade to media outlets.

[Synner]

The connection went dead. A moment later, before curiousity or panic could set in, a portal opened up in the room and a young man in his mid twenties stepped through. He was wearing a green tie-dyed t-shirt over an olive long sleeved shirt, urban camoflauge pants and black sneakers.

"I can do this, sir. Anywhere around the globe we need to go."

Payton looks around the room for a moment.

"We need to get with the others and then we can talk."

[SalmonMax]

Gray relaxed a bit when she realized he was the one Nosferatu had contacted just now. The sharp point her hand had fused into shimmered and resolved back into fingers.

"We'll have to get the coordinates. They've moved by now."

She looks at Nos. "Be sure to tell them who we've got with us...they may not want us to bring him without some kind of proof."

[Courier]

Originally Posted By: Joani Reikspar

"You must be kidding me... that's... that's absurd. I didn't do this... I didn't kill these people. It wasn't me! This must be a set up, we must tell them. I'm not responsible for the deaths of these people. I've got friends living in Manhattan.", Nadine's emotion went through the complete spectrum of panic and despair.

Cherub snorted and replied,

"Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. You're right. It was a setup, and you aren't responsible. But the only ones who are going to believe you are us."

"I think Newton halted time on us, that's why we're missing days. One of his crew must be a temporal manip. He researched the heck out of us, maybe he even sent a threat out to the world in our name. Then he did his thing and teleported his scapegoats to the site."

"The world has already had some time to buy into this and they have. If they're willing to believe a Utopian Healer is involved then the rest of you are easy. If we survive turning ourselves in, and I don't think we would, We'd be asking the political types to admit they don't know jack and they've still got a group of city smashers out there."

"They won't do it. They'll sacrifice us, no matter what the truth is. We have to stay free and pool our resources if we're going to have even a chance of dragging the truth to light."

[SkyLion]

Meanwhile Jack had been quietly laying out a spread of cards, occasionally furrowing his brow in consternation. Anyone paying any attention to him will see that he lays them down in three parrallel tracks.

He then shuffles the deck thoroughly and lays a second spread. Those watching would notice the same cards come up twice...a mathamatical improbability.

Finally he looks up.

"Uncanny," he begins, adressing Cherub.

"The path on the left represents what will happen if we report back into the company. The right hand path, the path of self determination, represents the likely outcome of going rogue. The former leads to pain..likely punishment. Lies. Deciet. Illusion. Given our fragmented memories this doesn't surprise me.

"The latter is an uncertain pathway. The most uncertain in fact. We will be hunted it is for certain, harried perhaps beyond our ability to adapt and there will be death. Of whom I cannot say."

"Now here is the Middle path, in which I asked the outcome of pursuing and possibly allying ourselves with Newton. The path of the Magi leads to the most freedom that I can forsee. There is still the uncertainty of the Tower crumbling but beyond it leads directly to the Rising Star. Still we must be cautious in our dealings with him. His own hubris could very well lead him astray and if we are not careful he could take us down with him. We must retain our own focus."

"I do not believe Newton is the one responsible for our current dilemma, though he is no doubt involved. I am also wary of our Company right now, and rightly so. There may have been a coup, which might explain why our tech has been malfunctioning. Possibly Proteus, for when I inquired, the same spread came up as for the Company. It is possible they are one and the same."

"Still, I should report back in to Proteus remotely and see if they might have some information that would be useful to us."

Jack smiles at Nadine, and his mouth seems just a little too wide.

"Never fear miss, for fear is the mind-killer."

When Nadine has her little outburst, Jack remarks, "Oh my. It looks as if I am not the only one possesed of unseen allies..."

[Joani]

Originally Posted By: Nosferatu

Nosferatu logged back into the Terat forum in search of Synapse. He needed some questions answered, and to ask him to send a communicade to media outlets.

After a few seconds which felt like ages Synapse reappeared on the screen looking contemplative at Nosferatu.

“Can’t make up your mind, bloodsucker? I’m busy, make it short.”

[Joani]

Originally Posted By: Courier

"They won't do it. They'll sacrifice us, no matter what the truth is. We have to stay free and pool our resources if we're going to have even a chance of dragging the truth to light."

As the dimension of the truth dawned on Nadine she slowly sank to the floor and started to cry, she was obviously in a state of shock and stared into the distance without focusing.

[Courier]

Cherub frowns at Jack's words. They have the ring of truth but Newton not being the big bad here wasn't something that had occured to him, much less allying with him.

Originally Posted By: Joani Reikspar

As the dimension of the truth dawned on Nadine she slowly sank to the floor and started to cry, she was obviously in a state of shock and stared into the distance without focusing.

Cherub sat on the floor next to her and just hugged her.

[Synner]

Originally Posted By: Lily

"We'll have to get the coordinates. They've moved by now."

She looks at Nos. "Be sure to tell them who we've got with us...they may not want us to bring him without some kind of proof."

"We need to get a move on. Unlike you two, I'm not on top of the Global Most Wanted list and I'm taking a big enough risk just meeting with you," he says calmly. "I'm one of a handful of people around the world that doesn't at least suspect you leveled one of the largest cities on the planet."

[SalmonMax]

"You don't even suspect us?" Gray asks. "Why not?"

[Synner]

Payton tilts his head slightly.

"This isn't the most secure location for having this talk. Hell, I found you two here. How about I lay my cards out once we're with the others?"

[SalmonMax]

Gray shrugs.

"Fine by me. Lets see if they'll tell us where they are with you tagging along."

She goes over to the computer to begin the protocol to reach the others.

(which her player is lame and forgot, so...yay handwave! )

[Travis Kincaid]

Malcolm shook his head, "We're all in this together now, like it or not. It's a shame that circumstances are such as they are." He finishes putting his equipment away before saying, "We should consider leaving soon, the longer we wait the more likely the terragen is to track us down."

[Tim Wiley]

Quote:

“Can’t make up your mind, bloodsucker? I’m busy, make it short.”

"I will." Nosferatu says curtly. 'Don't get your bytes in a bind."

"First of all, why is it that you trust uus when few other do?" Nosferatu then held up the data stick with the letter to the editor on it. "I also need you to disseminate this letter to those who need to read it. It explains what happened from our perspective."

To Gray and Sinner: "I think we had better leave before we are discovered. Right now we want to avoid the sunlight of the world at all costs. Much can be seen in the light; mainly us. Retreating to the dark and hidden places of the world will mean safety for us."

[Joani]

Originally Posted By: Nosferatu

"I will." Nosferatu says curtly. 'Don't get your bytes in a bind."

"First of all, why is it that you trust uus when few other do?" Nosferatu then held up the data stick with the letter to the editor on it. "I also need you to disseminate this letter to those who need to read it. It explains what happened from our perspective."

“I see”, said Synapse more to himself as he read the letter. “Now – why do I trust you? That’s plain and simple – you guys are NEVER in the world capable of what happened to Manhattan. It is highly likely that you do know who may be responsible for this, else your presence at the epicentre wouldn’t make sense. So if I want to find out what caused this, I make sure to follow your trail. Besides that, Newton is a friend of mine… sort of.”

[Tim Wiley]

"Thank you Synapse. It is good to know that at least one person out there has a brain." Nosferatu said as he prepared to turn off the minitor. "Just make sure that the message is disseminated. We want everyone to know that we are as confused and heartbroken as they are." With that he shut down the computer.

"Here are the coordinates." He said to Sinner. "Hopefully the others are already waiting for us when we get there. When we get there Sinner, I have an additional request for you. There are some people I wan't you to transport here. They fullfill certain dietary requirements for me."

"Then when everyone is together, I will give you the set of coordinates, that Synapse gave me, to reach Newton."

[Synner]

Synner nods and reviews the coordinates.

"Nosferatu, once we get together, I'll get right on it. It's on your head if they are a security breach," he adds with a grin.

"Once I open the portal, one of you had better go through first. I'd hate to get shot before I got a word out. Okay, one doorway coming up."

With that, Payton opens a Portal to the remainder of the group.

[SkyLion]

The Fool gathers up his deck in it;s silken bag and tucks it back into the bundle of Eufiber he has been carrying around since they woke up.

"I agree that we should leave. Now."

[Mr Fox]

Sean herds everyone downstairs to a small van that is still pretty large for Paris streets, and disarms the alarm. "Everyone in. It'll be tight, but better that than sticking around here. Do your best to keep your faces covered as much as possibile." He tosses the keys to the Fool, "You know where we are going, you take the wheel and I'll sit in the back invisible. Try to avoid the streets that are likely to have cameras." After getting as comfortable as possible Sean closes the back hatch behind him.

[SkyLion]

Jack blinks.

"I do?" he asks surprised. "Where are we going?"

[Mr Fox]

Sean frowns, "Your secret Paris lair, remember? You suggested it." He suspects that knowledge might be the Fool's rather than Jack's, but he hopes that Jack can pull it out.

[SkyLion]

"Oh..that." he says somewhat nervously. "Its only accesible by teleport, and I am wary of taking other teleporters there since they will then be able to find it....plus I would need to summon The Fool..."

[Mr Fox]

'Well, the only other option is to find a regular hiding place. I'm nearly out of juice and don't want to try porting everyone somewhere else until I've rested. If we have to defend ourselves, I don't want to be defenseless. I thought you had offered earlier."

[SkyLion]

"Well...I did. But now I am not so sure. I mean, all of this crazyness has me paranoid. But mostly I'm not sure if I want to be him again. What if I can't come back?"

[Mr Fox]

"Jack, I've already had one of my homes compromised, don't have much sympathy for the idea that you might be putting your lair at risk. By delaying you are putting us all at risk, not just a house. I hope you can come back, but can't you just dredge up the location from memory without changing? Even if you can't though, we are running out of time and we need to find someplace to hide out of the sight of others."

[SkyLion]

"That's not what I meant." Jack offers. "I remember where it is...but it's not accesible without teleport or warp. It is sealed off from its surroundings. To take us there I need to change...and that frightens me..."

He does indeed look distressed.

"There's nowhere else we could go...at least just for now?," he asks hopefully.

[Joani]

Originally Posted By: Synner

Synner nods and reviews the coordinates.
"Nosferatu, once we get together, I'll get right on it. It's on your head if they are a security breach," he adds with a grin.

"Once I open the portal, one of you had better go through first. I'd hate to get shot before I got a word out. Okay, one doorway coming up."
With that, Payton opens a Portal to the remainder of the group.

While the team is still trying to find a place to hide a Portal opens directly infront of Seans car and out step Nosferatu and Gray shortly followed by Synner. It looks like Jacks pleads had been heard.

------

In the meantime Synapse feeds the OpNet with blinding speed using Cherubs 'Statement'. In a matter of seconds it's virually impossible for any governmental authority to prevent the public to read at least a part of the manifest. All newsbroadcasts are reporting about the content debating its credibility including some polls stating that about 20% of the populace believe you are not guilty, another 20% aren't sure and the rest are divided between you being guilty and you being scapegoats.

[Courier]

Cherub's Letter.

Hi there, this is Cherub, aka Tom George.

Today it's Tuesday and I'm looking at the news reports coming out of what is left of New York and I can see people are wondering "what does Cherub have to do with this", and "why did a group of very diverse people come together to do this"?

Good questions. Annoyingly the question that isn't being asked is, "where did the information that they did this come from?" What is going on is very similar to fire alarm principal. By that I mean the person who phoned in the fire alarm is often the one who started the fire.

Having met the two "unknown" novas, I'm very comfortable saying that none of us have the raw power, the mental smarts, or the motivation to pull this off. As even the press has pointed out, we also don't appear to be very organized. The presence of two terats doesn't make this a Teragen operation any more than my presence means Utopia did it. It's almost like we are a random group of people who were at the wrong place at the wrong time.

From my point of view, this is what happened.

Thursday morning I decided to play hooky from my Utopian studies. It's not possible to describe my day's activities without making this letter NC-17. Let's just say I started the day by waking up next to two young, attractive women who were also naked and leave it at that. I called in that I wouldn't be going in and figured if they had something important they'd beep me anyway. On a side note this would be Why-I'm-not-considered-T2M-material, this isn't the first time this has happened. Hopefully it won't be the last time either.

To make a long story short (and skipping the boring or NC-17 parts, I'd like to have this letter published), I ended up going swimming. There was something that looked interesting, and it turned out to be a constant(?) warp gate under the water.

The other side of the gate was inside a cave with a landing strip. Go figure, it also must have had some kind of alarm and I must have tripped it because boom, next thing I know I've been teleported.

I found myself in a different cave with a bunch of novas I didn't recognize or knew only slightly. We were in two groups, one with the party's host and his crew (5 novas and something I'll describe later), and us "conspirators". As near as I can tell the guy organizing this teleported in everyone who'd found out anything about him. Apparently finding his base meant I qualified.

I could see that our host showed off a bit, he'd somehow tapped into a power source described by one of my fellows as a "Fong". The whole thing seemed extremely powerful and unstable. Pax I'm not. 4 goons plus a Master using god like power on one side, and a disorganized motley crew on the other? Listening to our host seemed like a really good idea so that's what happened.

He (she?) treated us to a several minute rant which included how "they" were out to get him. It was like someone has issued a casting call for a stereotypical mad scientist. As he talked, the fong kept getting more and more unstable, and we kept hearing rumbles. I got the impression that his power source was alive and in pain somehow. Anyway, next thing I know we're in the middle of New York and there's no people or standing buildings. None of us were hurt, I think we were dropped off after whatever happened.

As a Utopian Healer I did the obvious thing and went looking for command central and ended up taking charge of a med-center where the wounded where coming in. At that point I found out that someone (I assume 'our host') had fingered us for this mess. I also found out that it was Tuesday. This last part makes no sense at all to me. Tuesday? It should be Saturday at the latest. I think someone did something funky (one guess who) and I literally lost time.

So, the next question is, "why run"? Several reasons. I don't know enough to be useful and don't feel like having my brain turned inside out proving it. I also hope collectively we know enough of what's going on to do something. Both of these together suggest it's better if I stay out, at least for a while.

There's more, the authorities are going to be under tremendous pressure to "do something" about this. If I turn myself in, they'll be in a position where they have the choice between believing they have the guy who did it and admitting to the voters that they don't.

(Tom goes on to detail the descriptions of the other crew).

[Travis Kincaid]

Malcom looks out at Nosferatu and Grey with the newcomer, "Umm that's either provident timing or we're about to be double crossed." He pops the door and steps out of the car, "Hi guys, what brings you back so soon? Who's your freind?"

[Synner]

Payton looks around the two novas he entered with and says,

"Hi. I'm Synner."

He looks over at the unknown (to him) woman adding,

"We are all on the same side. Major problems with the O-C ... umm operational criteria, but we'll manage. I can take you anywhere you need to go. Right now I realize you have a host of enemies and scant friends, but maybe I can help change that around."

Synner seems upbeat and personable, though its clear he hasn't said everything.

[Tim Wiley]

Nosferatu looks at everyone who is assembled,and speaks: "I spoke with Synapse, and he thinks we are innocent. He also admits that he has a mole embedded with Newton. Furthermore, Synapse believes that our best chance is to hide out Newton." He hoped that Synapse was not lying to him..to them. "Synapse gave us the coordinates to Newton's location."

Nosferatu turns to the rest of them. "We should probably grab whatever supplies and food we need now. It may be awhile before we can get out to grab supplies." He turns to Cherub. "Synapse has disseminated your message."

He turns to Sinner: "I need you to take me to these coordinates when the time is right." Nosferatu had been looking at a text message from his followers, telling him of their location. He now showed these same numbers to Sinner.

[SkyLion]

Stiffening slightly at the opening of the warp, Jack relaxes a little.

Quote:

"I spoke with Synapse, and he thinks we are innocent. He also admits that he has a mole embedded with Newton. Furthermore, Synapse believes that our best chance is to hide out Newton."

Jack looks over knowingly at Cherub with an expression somewhere between "I told you so," and "Even I'm surprised that it works."

[Courier]

Originally Posted By: The_Fool

Quote:

"I spoke with Synapse, and he thinks we are innocent. He also admits that he has a mole embedded with Newton. Furthermore, Synapse believes that our best chance is to hide out Newton."

Jack looks over knowingly at Cherub with an expression somewhere between "I told you so," and "Even I'm surprised that it works."

Cherub sighs and says,

"Meaning my letter might not have been such a good idea."

"Well... OK then."

[Synner]

Payton looks at the coordinates given to him by Nosferatu and nods once he's committed them to memory.

"Just let them know they have to move quick when I open a portal for them."

Looking at the others,

"You guys look like your in the middle of a move. Why don't we all then get heck outta here? Where is your fall back position?"