The Lotus Born

[Ante]

Himachal Pradesh, India

September 13, 2010

The trip had been a blur for Samantha. First, there had been the crash-course in ‘what she needed to know’ for her mission – which had honestly seemed more like a crash-course in what she ‘needed to know but didn’t and didn’t have time to learn either’ – followed by a brief hop up to San Diego, a relatively short flight out to Chicago, and an eternity spent in the air while her plane flew non-stop to New Delhi. In Delhi she’d had about an hour layover, and then she’d found herself on yet another plane, this one bound for an out-of-the-way satellite air strip named Bhuntar airport.

The only good thing about such a long flight was that it provided all the time one could ask for to go over the details of her mission and its objectives. That had helped lessen the number of things she ‘didn’t know’ by a noteworthy margin. So she was now clear on why she was being sent to some town called Kangra that was over a hundred miles away from where the rest of the team was going and that, at first glance, seemed like nothing more than the Indian equivalent of Hicksville, USA.

It had turned out that Kangra carried on quite the brisk trade with certain cities beyond what the locals charmingly called ‘the frontier’. Less charmingly, this ‘frontier turned out to be Jammu, Kashmir and Tibet. As it happened, the individuals who carried on this goods-smuggling operation would and could smuggle people back and forth across the borders as well. Her job was to track down this black – or at least gray – market trade organization in whatever form it existed and figure out where these Ljang-khu creeps might have run off to. As jobs went, this one wasn’t offering her a whole lot in the way of starting capital to work with. Still, a job was a job, and if there was something Samantha Grey was good at it was doing her job. (Actually, there were really quite a lot of things she was good at, but who was counting?)

Bhuntar airport turned out to, firstly, barely qualify as an air strip, let alone a full-fledged airport, and secondly, to be nestled within a perfectly lovely little valley of the sort that it was easy to forget existed when one was always bustling around in the so-called Modern World. If this was any indication of what Himachal Pradesh looked like in general then maybe this trip wouldn’t be so bad after all…

The landing went as well and as poorly as landings generally do and then she was off the plane. Getting past customs turned out to be a cinch, mostly because there really wasn’t any customs to speak of. Just some irritated-looking Indian fellow who spoke much better English than any employee in such an out-of-the-way place had a right to and who seemed to feel very sincerely that he had much better things to do than go routing around in some stranger’s luggage for explosives that everyone knew weren’t going to be there.

Waiting out front of the airport was Samantha quickly found her contact waiting for her. Or rather, he found her. It probably wasn’t hard to spot the only blonde white woman in the entire state.

“Excuse me, Miss”, he said as he casually walked up to her and offered – without being pushy about it – to take her bags, “would you like a ride to Kangra? Perhaps a tour of the Brajeshwari Devi Temple?”

That was the exchange phrase. The code. So Samantha now knew for certain this was in fact her contact. Whether or not he could be trusted with her baggage or not was an entirely different question.

[S.J. Grey]

After a moment of quick deliberation, Samantha nodded, smiling politely without removing her sunglasses. She relinquished the wheeled upright with a genial, “Thank you,” but retained the mid-sized shoulder bag that hung across her torso. Clothes, she’d been told, could easily be acquired in India, and nothing in the bag her contact was now wheeling to the car was irreplaceable. If it came right down to it, she could have some made, and depending on how long she stayed in Kangra, she still might.

As her “guide” closed the lid on the trunk of a faded blue Volkswagen of some indeterminate variety (indeterminate to Sam, at least), she paused, taking a moment to inhale deeply and gaze upward at the surrounding hills. It had been a long time since she’d seen so much green, and a fine, blue haze veiled the rugged swells of land in the distance. The clusters of buildings scattered around the increasingly rustic roads were not quite picturesque, but… quaint, she decided, and then immediately felt slightly guilty for the elitist choice of words. There weren’t any four-star hotels out here, so why should she suppose the few residents ought to live in luxury condos? Typical American. Exhaling, she rolled her eyes at herself behind the dark lenses, and turned at the sound of someone politely clearing his throat. Adjusting her sunglasses, she headed toward the car, where her contact was waiting with the door open.

“Thank you,” she repeated cordially, her accent placing her origins squarely in the Mid-Atlantic- that is to say, nowhere in particular. Most people, she’d been taught, referred to it as a “Continental” accent (which actually had very little to do with anything), but it was not uncommon in British ex-pats or Americans who’d gone to live in the U.K. for extended periods. If she wasn’t overly familiar with the local languages, it was generally an acceptable default. She slid into the car, strapping herself in and settling her shoulder bag somewhat awkwardly against her hip as he closed the door.

Within moments, they were in motion, with the tiny strip of asphalt disappearing behind them into the mists as they jostled down the winding roads. How much he knew, or did not know, was an important factor in how much Sam was willing to discuss, and so she cautiously limited conversation to such riveting topics as local weather, cultural happenings, and a brief summary of the temple he’d mentioned.

The latter, she learned, was constructed upon “the charred breasts of Sati,” a colourful descriptor if ever she’d heard one, and was renowned both for its sculpture and its great wealth. Regrettably, that had declined somewhat over the centuries, after a number of conquerors plundered its riches and an earthquake levelled it completely. Musing over his description of the temple, she wondered if part of the infamous “India Syndrome” was not related to the peoples’ very literal interpretation of so much of their faith- one they linked directly to the land itself.

[Ante]

Himachal Pradesh, India

September 14, 2010

Sangla Valley

For the rest of the team – Bannon, Montenegro, Ingersoll, Grimson and Keller – the trip took even longer and was that much more brutal for it. First, there was the inherent difficulty of flying in groups – even small groups of five – and second, there was the oh-so-harsh reality that even after twenty-something hours spent traveling by air (and including layovers) they still had another 4-plus hours of driving over what the locals insisted were roads but which looked (and felt) more like inside jokes engineered on a massive scale. And that was all before they got to the Sangla valley and began the ever-so-delightful ride over what could only legitimately be termed ‘trails’, which their guides assured them would lead them to the little village of Kamru.

After bumping and grinding (the transmission of their vehicles, you pervs) along the narrow winding trails leading up into the Sangla valley – which turned out to be ridiculously gorgeous – for another few hours, the group found themselves driving past a small but not unimpressive dam (which explained why the river bed they’d been driving past the entire time had looked so empty) which appeared to be providing hydroelectric power to… well, to somewhere. Not here, apparently.

No sooner had they passed the dam, gone over a short but very steep hill, and around a corner, than they found themselves looking at the first of the small clustered neighborhoods that made up the town of Sangla. Whether the name had come from the town or the valley was still unclear.

Only a short drive further down the road was required and the weary team finally found themselves in the heart of Sangla, which appeared to mean only that the buildings actually outnumbered the surrounding flora and fauna for once. They pulled up in front of the town’s largest rest center (which was sort of like a hotel, only not really) and – at long last – their vehicles came to a lurching stop.

As the weary team stumbled out of the trucks they’d been crammed into for the past several hours, stiff knees protesting and full bladders pleading, they were met by their contact. The Section 2 agent who had first discovered the entire situation had waited in the village ever since and was ready and waiting to offer assistance to the fabled Section 1 Argonauts. Apparently having decided that he looked the most ‘in charge’, the young-looking agent made a beeline for Dr. Keller, though as fortune would have it, Bannon had been riding in the same vehicle and was standing nearby.

Reaching Dr. Keller, the Section 2 man reached out to shake his hand and offered his introductions. “The name’s Jag”, he said, “Jag Chautala.” The young man was obviously Indian, with dark hair, dark skin, dark eyes and a whole load of damned good-looking thrown in for good measure. With a knowing glance around to the nearest Argonauts he said, “I’m the photographer with the Pioneer who first stumbled onto this mess. So glad to finally meet you all.”

He turned away from Keller and towards the others waiting nearby and, his eyes landing on Bannon first, grinned magnificently , stuck out his hand and said, “Jag Chautala. Pleasure to meet you.”

Apparently, introductions were in order.

Click to reveal..

OOC: Okay, so here’s a brief rundown on what you guys know about your situation.

1) Sangla is the largest ‘town’ in the eponymously named Sangla Valley. Kamru is extremely close by, however, and if any of you were to look up, you should be able to see a view of the smaller town that looks remarkably similar to the picture that Stefokowski and Lee showed you guys back in the briefing from the day before yesterday. It is, however, supposed to be something of a hike to get up there.

2) Each of you has a general cover-story explaining why you’re here. All of you are supposedly representing Project Utopia, having traveled from the (relatively) nearby Utopian base in the demilitarized zone of Kashmir. Just what your positions are within Utopia has been left purposefully vague and ill-defined and all that the local authorities know (and only the local authorities do know you’re out here – the regional authorities having been left conveniently out of the loop – so far) is that you’ve been sent to investigate some strange killings involving nova-powers. Each of you has some identification identifying you as a Utopia Employee possessing a maddeningly vague professional title.

3) As far as what your cover names are, I will leave that to each of you. You may even use your own names if you like. It doesn’t especially matter a whole lot; the point is simply that you have them, but that they’re only good enough to allay suspicion, not stand up to close investigation. So don’t abuse them.

If you guys need/want any more basic info let me know.

[Ante]

On the Road to Kangra

Her contact’s name turned out to be named ‘Maalit’ – or at least that was the name he gave her. He seemed more than willing to entertain her desire to keep the conversation light and inconsequential for most of the ride along the National Highway 88, but as they rounded a hill and finally came into view of Kangra Maalit seemed to become more serious. As his vehicle found its way onto the streets and in between the homes, small shops and occasional temple or sacred shrine he finally turned to regard her (while keeping one eye on the road, of course) and asked, “So, where to? You want to start your investigation today, or would you prefer I take you to a hotel?”

[Kalanea McKay]

Truth had seemed one of the least bothered by the long car ride, by the bumpy roads or the barely-there paths that their guides drove them over, than many of the other Argonauts. Those that had been involved with one of her previous "escape situations" knew that it was because Truth was used to taking that kind of terrain, and at least thirty miles faster too. Not that many people ever wanted to remember those brief but unforgettable moments of terror. She had spent a fair amount of time studying some files (as usual), but had eventually succumbed to the undeniable draw of the beauty of the surrounding countryside, and spent most of the rest of the visit gazing out over the stunning scenery as it went zipping by.

But like the rest of them, Truth was ready to get out and stretch once they'd arrived, and proceeded to climb out of the back of the truck before either Grimson or Ingersoll could manage to force their cramped muscles into movement. She threaded her fingertips together and flexed her arms over her head slowly, drawing in a deep breath, and then letting it out slowly as she lowered her arms. She was dressed for the occasion in fairly comfortable clothing, a pair of jeans and a cool, breathable cotton tunic with an Indian motif embroidered on it from the last time she'd visited this part of the world. She was also wearing hiking boots that would handle the rough terrain well, and her hair was twisted up into a bun to keep the hair off her neck - both actions that were reflective of her more practical nature.

She glanced over at the photographer as he began to introduce himself, and started to make her way over. Her eyes flickered over him appraisingly - he was too good-looking for it to be helped - but she remained quiet for now though, allowing Bannon to take the lead.

[Daniel Ingersoll]

Daniel didn't care for any of it, the plane ride, the blasted bumps over the road as they drove further in, all of it was excruciating. And once they arrived, the sounds and smells that he could detect took a moment to get used to. Once they stopped, he scrambled to get out of the vehicle as fast as possible.

"Ouch, now that was an ordeal." He said even as he began to move though a series of quick stretching exercises. When the photographer chose to introduce himself, he looked the man over a moment, before his eye drifted to the rest of the surroundings. "Roger, a pleasure to meet you as well." He was slightly amused to know that the cover name they had given him was his middle name.

[S.J. Grey]

On the Road to Kangra

"I'd prefer to start with a hotel," she replied without hesitation. It didn't seem necessary to explain the many and varied reasons she'd rather have a brief stopover in a stationary room; some were rooted in vanity, some in biology, and some in practicality. If nothing else, it contributed to the appearance of normalcy in a traveler's routine. She needed to establish the relatively mundane nature of her visit, since it was impossible to know who might be paying attention to the activities of a tall, fair-haired white woman.

Fortunately, being a journalist was an excellent excuse for being nearly anywhere, provided you could tell someone what you were researching.

Apart from the occasional layover on her way to some other "exotic" locale (she was convinced the word really meant, "probably rife with violence and generally lacking in basic amenities"), Sam hadn't spent much time in India. Today would be a good opportunity to familiarize herself with the city, and the nuances of its culture. She was somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of the rest of the team being unreachable, but excited at having been given the dubious honor of being on point for this mission. It was definitely an ego boost, and she was determined not to disappoint.

"I don't suppose," she continued, watching the buildings roll past, and the faces of pedestrians recede slowly into the distance, "you could suggest a good place to eat, and a sightseeing spot or two? I'd love to get some photos while I'm here, and I'd rather see the city myself for a while and get a feel for it." Than just read about it in a report, was the unspoken conclusion of the statement.

The sunglasses shielded her eyes, but there was an earnest quality to her voice as she turned from the window to catch Maalit's reflection in the rearview mirror.

[SalmonMax]

"Kelly," Max replied easily, shaking Jag's hand. "Kelly Marks. This is my team. We're with Utopia's investigative division, but we're not enforcement agents, just so you know. If and when we identify who's behind this, we'll put in a call for an arrest team."

He positioned himself just behind Jag and nodded at the others, encouraging them to introduce their cover personas.

[Mel Grimson]

Mel grunted for a moment when he got out of the vehicle, he'd been itching to get to the work more out of boredom than discomfort or anything else (though if he was truly discomforted, he wouldn't admit to it) and was relieved to get out of the dark green truck when they reached the center.

He let the others handle the talking, but added in a "Martin Grimm" as a means of introduction, his eyes and focus were beyond. The town of Kamru beyond definitely resembled the picture, and certainly had a massive dose of 'out of the way' thrown in for good measure.

As for the terrain, Grimson thought, it rather limited the likely starting escape routes that the team would be looking at, as part of pursing the Drukpas. The mission briefing and hopes of success rested on the assumption that the slippery bastards were foot-slogging as a primary means of transportation. Hence, especially after a battle with injured members- if the Devi was telling the truth on that account- they would avoid going the long and hard way out over the mountains.

And the path back, the way WE came, probably not that too. More risk of exposure, little as it may be.

Therefore, if there were any paths at the other end of the valley, in the wilderness or otherwise, it would be best to find and check those, preferably with Ingersoll.

Click to reveal..

Not now, but when we have a closer look from Kamru itself, you make an appropriate roll for to Mel to visually scope out the terrain and see if there are any valid/optimal routes out of the valley?

[Daniel Ingersoll]

As he continued to watch their contact for a moment, he frowned slightly, and his manner toward the man shifted slightly to something more concerned. "In the future, remember, you can always change directions." It was critic statements like that sometimes confused folks who dealt with him regularly. In hindsight, they almost always made sense, though it was sometimes months or years before it did so.

It also was something that folks found frustrating about him, sense he'd almost never explain himself, except to those he worked with regularly. For them, when he was asked about it directly, he usually said something to this effect. "My sight allows me often to change what may be, but, most often I get only glimpses and flashes. Also, I have found, I must balance saying to much, with saying too little, saying to much changes things so much that my advice becomes useless.. and saying to little means that I didn't help them at all... which is as frustrating to me as my statements might be to you."

He then turned and began to look over the surroundings, to take them in and to take not of potential. He expanded his senses out, including his more unusual ones, to get a feel for the land around him.

[Bannon]

"Liam O'Bannion" the white-haired young man said with a toothy grin and a hint of the Emerald Isle as he shook Jag's hand. The normally dour and reticent man who'd barely said two unsolicited sentences for the trip became, in the twinkle of a leprechaun's eye, an outgoing and sociable creature. "Nice to meet ye, a real pleasure. The ride was no much fun, but the view here is worth it, to be sure."

He'd taken some of Doctor Carver's advice and slept for most of the plane ride, waking up in time to review the mission notes and the data on the Section 2 man who'd be meeting them. Apart from a little stiffness to his muscles from the long journey, Bannon seemed little the worse for wear. Of course, seeing as he was physically the youngest Argonaut present, this wasn't all that surprising.

"So yer the fella that sent along the heads-up, then?" 'O'Bannion' said with a grin. "Ye got them all stirred-up back home, I'll tell ye that for nothing. Any more developments here on the ground while we were in the air, Jag?"

[Ante]

An Audible Wince

“Certainly”, answered Maalit, “Kangra is full of many such places. Especially if it is sightseeing you are interested in!” He smiled at her as he concluded, “But first, to your hotel.”

…which turned out to be a huge disappointment.

Samantha was suddenly reminded of why exactly she preferred to stay out in the 'field', operating as a reporter for the Tribune. The newspaper rarely set her up in style, but they weren't cheap, either. Project Prometheus, on the other hand, believed in keeping things inexpensive and unobtrusive - and in that order, too.

As they sat in Maalit’s car, staring at ‘Hotel Grover’, what – in America – would barely have qualified as a second-rate storefront or office building, Samantha heard her guide say – with a wince that was almost audible – “This is where I was instructed to bring you”, apologetically adding, “the rooms aren’t so bad, once you’re inside.”

As Samantha turned from the passenger-side window and its view of Hotel Grover to look at Maalit, he hastily offered, “I could take you to a different hotel if you like? There is the Taragarh Palace. It is very nice and I know they will have rooms available at this time of the year!”

Click to reveal..

OOC: S.J. you can pick whichever option you like – a site detailing the Taragarh Palace can be found here. Either way, I’m just offering you a chance to have Samantha ‘freshen up’, relax, whatever. From here we can move on to the beginnings of her investigation.

Let me know if you need anything more from me before you can post!

Keeping Things Interesting

Jag’s smile only seemed to grow brighter as each of the team ‘introduced’ themselves. It was hard to say if he was really just that exuberant about things, or if he was smiling at the inside joke that each of their ‘names’ represented.

In response to ‘O’Bannion’s’ words, Jag only grinned all the more brightly and said, “Oh, well you know, Mr. O’Bannion, I’m just doing my part to keep things interesting.” He winked slyly at Bannon and then shared a little bit of charming smile with the others gathered around before continuing.

“As for developments”, he said – and suddenly – though the smile didn’t actually vanish – Jag became much more business-like, “there’ve been a few.”

He pointed off towards a building down one of the wider roads in Sangla (though it was still fairly narrow as roads went). “They are keeping the bodies stored in there. The room that they are in is cool enough, but I won’t lie to you – it’s not really an ideal situation. Nothing here really is.” Jag had no idea which of the ‘Utopians’ was the forensic specialist, so he settled for giving anyone who looked his way a mildly apologetic look.

Turning back towards the hills, the young Indian man pointed up towards what the Argonaut’s had already determined was the village of Kamru. “Up there at the top is the Devi’s palace”, he said, “I’ve not been able to secure an audience with her since the day I first arrived here, but I got the feeling that she has more to tell. I also heard a rumor just today that a nova 'godling' in another village, somewhere north of here, was attacked yesterday or the day before - the rumors were not clear. I've had no chance yet to look further into this, so I'm sorry to say that I know nothing else about this matter.”

Jag Chautala stopped for a moment and gave them all an appraising look and then glanced back up towards Kamru and its palace. “So, you all want to head up there now?”

[Kalanea McKay]

Truth had introduced herself with her actually name. Considering her history with Project Utopia, it was really the perfect disguise anyway in this particular situation, since they were using Utopia as their cover. So when Jag mentioned the "less than ideal situation", he saw her grimace slightly and nod at him as he shot her the sympathetic look.

When he offered to take them up there, she nodded slightly, speaking to him, but to the group in general.

"I'd rather get started sooner than later if no one minds."

[Mel Grimson]

"Second. Let's not let our culprits get any benefit from us dilly-dallying." Mel's expression indicated that he'd certainly not waste time standing around, and he didn't expect anyone from the 'investigators' to disagree.

Of course, they probably knew who it was already, though confirmation needed to be had first. In the event nothing countered their briefing, they'd end up the 'arresting team' as well.

Mel had been prepped for this, taking a quasi-security name for his job title of blandness, and as the others knew, were equipped with both a heavy pistol, and underneath his shirt, an armored t-shirt as well.

[Bannon]

Bannon kept his affable smile in place as he grabbed his white linen jacket from inside the car and donned it. He wasn't eager to go and confront even a non-hostile goddess wannabe, but time was wasting. By the time he'd turned back to the others he had made up his mind.

"Let's go and see the Devi, then." he suggested, still in character as he glanced up the hill. "When we've looked around up there and seen whether or not the good lady will talk to us, Doctor Montenegro here can come back and examine her handiwork."

[Ante]

Off to See the Devi

Fortunately for Bannon and his team, they were all in good physical conditioning (not that that was uncommon in the Argonauts), because the walk up to Kamru turned out to be even more daunting that it had looked from the valley floor. The first portion of the walk was actually very nice, after the long hours the team had spent crammed into airplanes and trucks, but just when the trail seemed to be getting steep enough to turn their walk into a hike they ran up against the stairs. A long series of very old-looking stone steps had been built into the hillside at a very steep angle – and there seemed to be at least a thousand of them.

When the team finally reached the top, they were met with a very simple but unexpectedly charming stone archway built over the stairs, with a small wooden gate set into it. Before the gate was an image of Buddha set atop a sort of stone alter or shrine (local beliefs held that he was a safeguard against thieves and ghosts) and once past the Kamru gate itself, the Argonauts found themselves in a small courtyard where shrines to Hindu gods lined one side, while shrines to various Buddhist figures lined the other. This simple scene could not help but remind them all that they were a very long way from home.

Past the courtyard with its shrines and idols, and Bannon, Keller, Montenegro and Grimson found they had still more walking to do. Fortunately, Jag had been this way before, because the village and its paths were set so steeply against the hillside that it was impossible to see the palace from where they stood in the midst of the village. Soon enough, however, they had reached the temple, and found themselves waiting outside the short walls of the palace itself.

Before they had even reached the walls a man had looked out over them and marked the strange crew’s approach. The team were then left to wait for few moments, until Jag finally seemed to think it was taking too long.

“I will go and see what is keeping them”, he said, and approached a pair of low, ornately carved wooden double doors set into one of the walls and raised his hand to knock. Just then the door popped open, causing Jag to start backwards a little, and the man they had seen before popped his head out. He said something* and then began gesturing the group to step inside through the double doors, which were low enough that everyone except for Truth had to duck as they entered.

Each of them was given a small hat and a white prayer belt, which they were given to understand they must wear while on the temple grounds, and then they were ushered into the palace slash fort’s tower and up the stairs to the tower’s upper level.

There, within the shrine to the Kamakshi Devi, sat Kamakshi herself – or at least the young girl who was standing in for her here on this earth. The nova youth was pretty, though not to the superhuman degree of many novas, and in a way that somehow did not seem tied with her sexuality. It was perhaps best to describe her as being ‘soothing to the eye’. She was wearing a bright red sari and the ornate golden headdress common to most Hindu Devis, underneath which her long, silky black hear hung in thick curls. The girl’s fingers were marked with henna tattoos which made them look as though they’d been smudged with ochre or dipped in blood. She had a tiny, third eye that sat low on her forehead directly between the other two (and normal-sized) eyes on her face.

Aside from the third eye, there was nothing blatantly strange about Kamakshi’s appearance, but it was immediately apparent to all of the Argonauts that there was something… extra to her presence. It only took a moment for each of them to notice the slight breeze of seemingly fresh air that wafted through the upper shrine (which was entirely closed off to the outside, save for the stairway leading up to it and a closed doorway leading out). In short, the Kamakshi Devi was, without there being any doubt whatsoever, a nova*.

She spoke, and it was the same language as the man at the gate. Keller and Ingersoll clearly understood her, while Bannon gathered easily enough the gist of her question. “Welcome”, she said, “You are the ones who were sent to speak with me of those who attacked our village and stole the sacred book?”

Click to reveal..

Said Something: Mel, you just missed the Linguistics roll, sorry man. Bannon, you made it – not quite well enough to understand perfectly, but more than well enough to know that the guy just said you all can come in.

Keller and Ingersoll, both of you succeeded at your Psi rolls for the Babel Effect, so you can both understand what the man said (which was basically, “You are allowed into her presence”). This effect will be up for the remainder of the scene. Ingersoll: remember that you can only translate the words of a single person at a time; Keller: you can track (and make yourself understood by) up to three simultaneously. Also, if either of you uses this effect to make yourselves understood by any of the locals, remember that you are effectively sending the intended meaning of your words directly into your target’s mind, which will be obvious to them (since they can hear you speaking one language with their ears while they hear their own language in their minds). This isn’t really a problem or anything, unless either or both of you were planning on keeping your abilities ‘sekrit’.

A Nova: Bannon, Keller and Ingersoll, all three of you can pick up on her quantum (taint?) signature pretty clearly. It might just be the enclosed space, but the sensation is more as though she’s pumping out rather a lot of ‘nova-ness’. She may look reasonably normal (discounting the extra eye), but there’s obviously more to her than meets the eye.

[Daniel Ingersoll]

As he looked at the young woman through the sight, the strange twisting effect that he had come to associate with nova's was quite clear. It was frustrating to him, on occasion, how much that clouded his vision with regards to them.

For a moment, he considered the situation, and if he should keep his more unusual abilities under wraps, and in this case, he discarded the idea, in another situation it might be useful, but here it seemed better that she thought them something more then ordinary.

"Actually, that would be correct miss, if you could tell us what happened, and where, it could be that we might be able to at least be able to help hunt down those who escaped, and stop them. " He was attempting to be respectful as he spoke, sense the young woman did think she was a manifestation of a goddess.

[SalmonMax]

Max listened, his mind interpreting the hiss of neurons firing in pre-linguistic centers before they were ever assembled into words. He was glad that he hadn't misjudged his colleagues as far as their willingness to 'go first,' when it came to demonstrating their abilities. He preferred it when he could fade into the background and be forgotten. It left him free to watch expressions, listen for nuance of tone and emotion that might betray hidden intents.

The Devi was fascinating...the entire 'India Syndrome' was, really...and she clearly had it bad. It made him almost physically hungry to delve into her mind, and sample the layers upon layer like a gourmet meal. Later perhaps...right now, the risk that she'd notice by some trick of power was too high.

He glanced at Daniel and leaned closer to murmur, "When she's done, ask her if there was any suspicious activity before the robbery. People casing the place, or asking questions or anything like that. I'm curious to know how they found out a piece of the Book was here."

[S.J. Grey]

Grover Who?

Glancing at the lurid signs before her, and down at the laptop screen which, with a few keystrokes, displayed the Taragarh Palace's website, Samantha felt her lips compress. $315 per night. Tea gardens. It was tempting to take her guide up on his suggestion. Oh, it was so tempting. Actually, a hostel would have looked appealing at this point, but...

It's all about the story, Sam: the one you're giving them, and the one they're going to give you.

No one of any importance would be caught dead in a place like Hotel Grover. Its aesthetic horrors might actually work in her favor, in that case... Her fingertips tapped lightly on the keys as she weighed her options. Having made her decision, she closed the laptop with a muted 'click' and flashed Maalit a bright, if somewhat rueful smile.

"This will be fine. I've stayed in worse, and anyway, I'm supposed to be working. I'll just make a lot of long-distance calls and raid the mini-fridge to show the Project my enthusiastic appreciation."

There was a genuinely mischievous sparkle in her hazel eyes, but the russet lenses of her sunglasses only hinted at her sincerity. As her guide shook his head bemusedly, Sam returned her attention to her effects. The laptop returned to her shoulder bag, and she opened the car door with a groan.

"Running water is definitely high on my list of priorities right now, so as long as this place has it, everything will be just fine." Wincing, she swung her long legs out and got to her feet. There was a muffled crack as she stretched, and the lines of a grimace etched themselves across her face. "Remind me, please, never to criticize the highway department back home ever again. Agh..." Tilting her head this way and that, to the accompaniment of several faint pops as her neck was realigned, Sam took stock of her surroundings.

The more she looked at the garish building, the uglier it became. Well, he did say it was nicer on the inside, though I guess it would have to be.

"Well," she said, turning back to Maalit, "it's still fairly early. Would you mind terribly giving me a couple of hours to clean up a bit and feel human before we head into town? I shouldn't be long, but a hot bath and a meal would be wonderful right now."

She paused, and then added, as an afterthought, "Who is Grover?"

,,

[Ante]

The Whole Story?

The young ‘goddess’ gazed at Ingersoll, her face a study in serenity made manifest. After a brief pause, she delicately nodded her head once in acknowledgement of his request.

“Four nights ago”, she began, “I awoke to discover strange men creeping through the outer courtyard of the palace*. I approached them openly and challenged them, asking their intentions.” The young devi paused and, though the look of serenity remained largely in place, her eyes shifted away from the ‘Utopians’. As she carefully regarded a wall in one corner of the room she said softly, “Then they attacked me.”

Kamakshi then went on to recount how she had been forced to defend herself against ‘a number’ of attackers – anywhere from six or seven to a dozen or more – the devi seemed very uncertain on this point. Determining the precise number of attackers had been made even more difficult, due to the fact that, while three or four engaged her directly, all of the remaining thieves had skirted the fighting entirely and made for the interior of the palace itself. Kamakshi had attempted to stop them – and had succeeded in the case of a few (the ones she claimed to have injured – with a blast of wind, it turned out) – but in the end she could not stop them all.

Her fight with those who were attacking her had then continued for only another minute or so – though it was in that brief span that she managed to kill two of them – and then, as suddenly as it had started, it was over. Those who had gotten by her, inside the palace, had returned and they, with the other surviving members of their party, drove her back and then turned and ran, disappearing into the night. Despite her quantum-reinforced personality and despite her efforts to maintain the image of serenity, by the time Kamakshi had reached the end of her story it was not difficult to see that the teenaged nova was still very shaken up over what had happened*.

When Ingersoll relayed Dr. Keller’s questions to her, she only shook her head in the negative. “I am not aware of anyone or anything suspicious happening before that night”, she said, “but perhaps you should ask Tushar – I leave this room only rarely and he spends much time out in the courtyards.” It didn’t take super powers to figure out that she the teenaged nova meant the doorman who had first ushered them into the palace.

Click to reveal..

Outer Courtyard: It’s worth mentioning again that the ‘palace’ is really more of a hill fort and isn’t all that big. The Kamakshi Devi appears to be referring to the area that you all waited in while Jag convinced the ‘gatekeeper’ to let you into the ‘inner courtyard’. Still, the complex is impressive in its way, especially when one considers that it’s supposed to be one of the oldest of the hill-fort-style gompas still standing in the entire region – and there are a lot of old buildings in that region!

Shaken Up: Grimson, Bannon and Ingersoll can tell that violence is really not something the young Kamakshi has much experience with and that the events of three nights ago have left her feeling less sure of herself than she has in a while. Dr. Keller can tell quite a bit more about her emotional state, but that’s for him to speak of – or not, as he sees fit.

[Mel Grimson]

Mel was similarly composed like Kamakshi, though there was a look of slight irritation on his face when it became clear he didn't understand the language spoken by the Devi and the doorman. It was close, he had some sense of minor connections here and there, but as a whole, he made no understanding out of the local tongue.

Fortunately, Ingersoll and Bannon were able to translate, and Mel finally was able to put some thinking in, noting the rather uncannily fast speed of the described 'battle.'

"You might also want to ask about where these sacred scrolls were kept," Mel put in to Ingersoll, "if they were hidden or concealed, any protection put in place to stop would-be thieves. And someone should speak to the doorman, this stinks of a prepared bunch who knew what to do and where to go."

[Ante]

Formerly Known as Fuzzyface

Maalit smiled back at the attractive foreign reporter’s good-natured attitude towards her less-than-ideal circumstances. “Yes”, he said easily, “I can come back later this afternoon and then we will go and see the town.”

When Samantha asked him ‘who is Grover’ he laughed and said, “He is the one who runs this place. He opened it a few years ago. Nice fellow; you’ll meet him inside.”

And sure enough, there was a Mr. Ravi Grover manning the front desk when Samantha went inside and he was a fairly nice fellow, if a bit obsequious. The rooms, as it turned out, really weren’t that bad (not nearly as bad as the hotel’s exterior had intimated anyway), and they had hot running water in the bathrooms, which was just about the only thing that was really important by that point anyway.

A few hours later, and Samantha was cleaned, refreshed, and ready to get on with her work. As promised, Maalit returned shortly thereafter to pick her up and take her out into the town. Maalit glanced from the road to Samantha and back, speaking all the while. “Here is what I am thinking”, he said, “We can first go to the Vajreshwari temple. There are markets and eateries all around the temple – and if one comes to Kangra valley it would be a shame to leave without seeing the temple.” Maalit let that comment stand for a moment and then continued, “Also, the temple is technically found within the village of Nagarkot and there are many Lahauli there. Some of them may know of the smuggling that goes on out in the frontier.

“But”, Maalit said, pointing his index finger at the car’s roof to punctuate his words, “even if that doesn’t work out, or if you’d still like to see more of the sights, the Kangra Fort is very close by and it will be no problem to go there.”

Click to reveal..

Fuzzyface? Yes, ‘Fuzzyface’. The surname ‘Grover’ is actually a legitimate Indian surname, in use by some Hindi and Sikh peoples and, rarely, by some Muslim groups. The name has a Sanskrit root, meaning ‘teacher/mentor’.

However, ‘Grover’ was, as some of you may remember, also the name of one of the Muppets from Sesame Street. What many do not realize is that Grover was actually known as ‘Fuzzyface’ during Sesame Street’s first season on the air.

Just FYI.

[Kalanea McKay]

Throughout the conversation with the Devi, Truth quietly and respectfully wandered the room, examining the architecture of the room and the pictures and paintings and statues that decorated the walls and corners of the chamber, and trying to determine their meaning.. whether they were old or new, traditional Hindu myths or images of this Devi's own "divine experiences". She shared Mel's irritation, not only at her lack of understanding of the conversation being held - Hindu was one of the languages she hadn't had the opportunity to learn yet - but also because she resented being here, instead of with the bodies. After all, the Devi was likely to tell the same story in a few hours.. but a corpse may have lost some valuable information by that point. Hopefully the interview would be brief. If not, she'd be speaking up soon.

Click to reveal..

I'm assuming an Int + Academics roll for interpreting the symbolism in the room, since she has time to study it. If I'm wrong, please let me know Cent, and I'll change it.

Int + Aca Roll: 9d10 → [6,7,6,7,4,6,4,4,10] = 3 suxx

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2711337/

Popping the 10 for analytical: 1d10 → [9] = 1 suxx

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2711341/

Total Suxx: 4

As Mel spoke she stepped up next to him and murmured quietly, her voice a mixture of wry sarcasm and legitimate concern.

"We should probably wait to start accusing the guards of betraying their goddess until after we've gotten everything we can out of them through cooperation first. It's bound to piss them off."

[Daniel Ingersoll]

Continuing to address the nova with respect, he forwarded the various questions of his allies, except for the one from Mel, at least, sense Truth spoke up and indicated a concern of his own even as he got to Mel's question. Generally, Daniel agreed with Truth, it might be best to try and get that kind of information in other ways, rather then antagonizing thier hosts.

Instead, he chose to ask only part of the question. "I realized, Lady, that it isn't really your task to pay attention to such things, but, in hindsight was there any sign of anyone who might have been around here during the week before who seemed out of place?"

[SalmonMax]

As Daniel continued his questioning, Dr. Keller drifted away from the others to gaze around at the decor, and the various important/valuable objects. Somewhere there would be an empty case, perhaps broken, though the mess long since cleaned up, where the fragment of the Book once lay. Or had it been in this room? Maybe a vault. He'd have to ask.

Hi thoughts churned in directions that were unpleasant to contemplate though. Prometheus was itself ultra-secret. The Book's existence and significance were perhaps even more so. Now a secret cult was after it. Secret upon secret upon secret.

And why would someone take a fragment of the Book of All-Knowledge? After all, no one who wanted 'all knowledge' would settle for just the index. Or for lacking the index either.

Unpleasant indeed.

Max looked back and caught Bannon's eye, discretely beckoning him over.

[Mel Grimson]

Muttering something unclear and no doubt unpleasant under his breath, Mel drifted off in turn and found his attention drawn to the closed doorway that seemed to be the only further point of progress any deeper into the shrine.

Coming up rather close to it, Mel cocked his head and and inspected the door, looking for any sign of forced entry or damage or tampering. (OOC: Appropriate roll please)

"Ask her if the scrolls were kept here. And if not, where did she keep them?"

[Ante]

Once is Happenstance, Twice is Coincidence, Three Times...

Truth’s and Keller’s examinations of the devi’s room and its architecture reinforced an impression that had been slowly forcing itself into their awareness since the team’s arrival in Himachal Pradesh. Both Sangla and Kamru had shown a repeated and curious mixture of both Buddhist and Hindu beliefs freely mixed together, and this room was no exception. This was perhaps not so surprising, considering that the majority of the Buddhist iconography that they’d seen was all of the Vajrayana school of Buddhist belief, which they both recalled as having been more heavily influenced by Hindu beliefs than most other forms of Buddhism.

One particular statue of a golden-skinned Buddha figure stood out, because of its ornate detail and the richness of the symbols that surrounded it. The statue was only a few feet tall, carved into a seated position and set into a small alcove against one wall of the room. Truth had been examining it as Keller approached and that drew his own eye to the seated figure of gold. Looking at it, he seemed to recall seeing similar symbolism during a lecture on Tantric systems that he’d attended some while back at a conference on psychology, science and religion. Tantrism had originally arisen as an esoteric element within Hinduism, but had been a major influence on the formation of Vajrayana Buddhism in the 8th Century AD. It had also had a major impact on Jain religious traditions. Wasn’t it a Jain monk who’d supposedly written the ‘Book of All Knowledge’?

The statue had been seated atop a richly embroidered cloth that was just large enough to cover the entirety of the alcove, with enough to hang several inches over the edge. As nice as it was, however, it was covered in a thin layer of dust and grime – except for the roughly book-shaped patch of un-dirtied cloth at the statue’s feet that had only recently been exposed! As Keller glanced at Agent Montenegro so that he could point out his find, he discovered that she was pointing him to something else.

Truth had also found the golden statue fascinating – whoever the figure was, his statue was the largest in the room – and had stopped to examine the alcove it was seated in as a result. She’d missed the uncovered patch of cloth at the foot of the golden figure, but that was perhaps forgivable, given what her eye had fallen upon when she’d actually stopped to examine the images embroidered onto the cloth that the Buddhist statue was seat upon. A golden-skinned man, whom she was reasonably certain was the very same individual whom the statue was depicting, was engaged in a battle with a group of vaguely monstrous looking figures and behind those figures was a large, silver-and-green dragon rushing at the golden-skinned man with the clear intention of joining the battle.

It could just be a coincidence, but Truth couldn’t help but make a connection between the dragon embroidered into the cloth, and the rings that Lee had shown them during their recent briefing. The ones made of green jade, with silver dragons on them. As Truth was thinking this, her eyes had glanced back at the golden figure and it was then she’d noticed the book he was cradling in one arm. Too many coincidences. Truth nudged Dr. Keller and pointed, only to find him pointing as well, only not where she’d been pointing; that fast-becoming-familiar little knowing smile of his still very firmly affixed to his face.

Just at his two fellow agents were making their simultaneous discoveries several feet away, Daniel Ingersoll found himself faced with a Devi who was looking at him with a mixture of mild confusion and faint annoyance. “It has nothing to do with it not being ‘my task’”, the young goddess said in answer to Daniel’s latest question, “but as I’ve just said, not two minutes past, I am not aware of anyone or anything suspicious in the days before the attack. Was I not clear? I apologize, if that is the case.”

Before Daniel could respond, Grimson called out his question to the Section 1 detective. The Devi glanced around at the grizzled mercenary and answered - in English, “The book, you mean?” She turned and pointed – to where Keller and Truth were standing – and said, “The sacred scriptures were kept there.”

[Mel Grimson]

Mel got up, but noticeably slowly, with a very. very slight change to his body posture that the other Argonauts, or at least Truth and Daniel recognized, a suspicious, and prepping for a fight, Mel. "I see."

The sudden language shift, of English no less, didn't fit her power profile, or that of a 'little Devi' at all. He seemed to slowly advance over to where Truth and Keller were standing, and he glanced down.

For a long moment, the psychologist and forensic archeologist could see his face harden, his eyes sliding over the green and silver dragon, making the connection that they did, and lingering on the dirt and grime- on such rich cloth where the scriptures were?

"For a Devi, and someone with an excellent ability to pick up languages... you don't seem to treat your sacred books very well. Why it is so worthless that you can't bother to get it cleaned?"

Accentuating his point, he brought up a handful of the muck and grime and let it fall out to the ground clearly.

[Bannon]

Bannon had taken a back seat during the conversation with the Devi, for a number of reasons. Firstly, he didn't trust himself to handle first contact with an India Syndrome right away. Novas could be dangerous enough even incidentally: the last thing he wanted was some hyper-perceptive little goddess seeing how much discomfort and distaste he held and becoming at best uncooperative, at worst hostile.

Secondly, he wanted to avoid notice as the leader. In situations like this it was his style to let other, older-seeming folks take the lead, leaving outsiders in doubt as to what the 'kid' was along for. He'd been doing this since his first lead position, over 35 years ago. It helped to be able to observe for awhile before having those outside the team focus on him as the one to deal with.

And thirdly he'd been watching his team, also a habit he'd gotten into decades ago. First time out, he liked to see how everyone worked. As good as most Prometheans were they didn't need a leader 98% of the time, all being specialists in their fields as well as general all-round adventurers. As a field team lead for the Argonauts, Bannon had both the easiest and the hardest of jobs. Easy, because most of the time he just had to let everyone do their thing and stay out of the way. And hard, because sometimes he had to step in a make a hard call, or rein in the egos of team members.

He also had to do paperwork, which could be the worst of all.

As Ingersoll spoke with the Devi, Bannon noticed Truth and Keller examining the room and inwardly nodded as he himself kept an eye on the Devi and her attendants. When Keller caught his eye, Bannon moved to his side and saw what he and Truth were discretely indicating. Catching on readily enough, he nodded and turned back to the Devi-

Just in time to see Grimson make an ass of himself and possibly endanger the entire damn team.

"Grimm!" Bannon's voice held the cold crack of hoarfrost as he barked the man's assumed name. A drill sergeant couldn't have put more dangerously angered authority into one word, nor matched the glare in the suddenly piercing green eyes. Taking a couple of quick steps, he placed himself between the mercenary and the Kamakshi Devi, facing Mel as his voice dropped to a low conversational level. "Do me, and yourself, a favor and go have a look around the perimeter, inside and out. The attackers might have had a lookout spot, maybe even a forward camp they used while preparing the attack. Find it, if you please."

He said nothing else for a long moment, keeping his eyes on Mel's, waiting.

[Mel Grimson]

Mel stopped, as Bannon made his outrage clear. Jesus Christ, was everything he said going to count as a case for 'shut up'? Of course, he recognized an official way of saying, 'Get the hell out before you cause more PR damage' or the rough equivalents in this case.

He didn't look cowed, that he wouldn't show. But Mel Grimson nodded his head, eyes showing a man who knew fighting was a waste of time and chastised, and headed out of the building, smoothly continuing until he was in the courtyard.

Then he let out a groan, and clenched a fist to let out his frustration. He supposed the treatment was deserved, to some extent.

Stick to your shit Mel, don't go fancy pansy, boy. Papa Grimson's old wisdom. He still wasn't so sure about the Devi, but hell.

He had an order, might as well do it. Mel began his perimeter search. At least he could do that well.

[Bannon]

As Mel turned and walked out of the temple Bannon turned back to the Devi, his expression somber as he pressed his palms together and gave her a deep bow.

"I apologise for my associate's tone, oh Devi. Indeed, if any of us have given offense, you have my sympathy and my humble apology." he began in formal Hindi with his eyes lowered and his voice deferent. "You have suffered enough upset and indignity that we should not be adding to it." He straightened up, palms still together as he met her eyes.

"We are here to track down those that defiled this holy place and stole the precious artifact from you, whom I believe to be villains with nothing higher in their minds than using the book for power or profit." He told her levelly. "With your permission, we will complete our investigation here as swiftly as possible and begin pursuit of the criminals back to wherever they came from." With a final bow, he dropped his hands and turned to Keller and Truth.

"Thoughts?" he asked them in English, one hand absently fishing a slim silver cigarette case from inside his jacket and toying with it. He was dying for a smoke, but that could wait. For now, he wanted to hear what the others had to say.

[SalmonMax]

Keller's face never wavered, not during Mel's reprimand nor Bannon's apology. He nodded at Bannon and said quietly, "This isn't the right place or time to talk in details, but I was wondering if you happened to know what clearance level the book is, inside or outside the Project. More specifically, how many people do we know of who could know about the book's existence."

[Daniel Ingersoll]

As the woman shifted languages, he stopped trying to be the diplomat in this instance, sense Bannon was the team leader, and in charge. At that point, he simply stepped back, with a slight bow to the woman, and turned his own gaze to the area around them.

At this point, he was more interested in what he could find out about the situation, then he was about the people involved, and he began to look around to see if he could track anyone in or out of the building, any signs of anything that seemed unusual or out of place.

Even as he did that, he tapped his device, his computer net interface device, with it's uplink, which was supposed to work anywhere in the world, but he wasn't sure it would out in such an isolated place. But, he would use it to began to research and investigate as much as he could about the proper layout of this kind of temple, and what should be where, and contrast it with this place.

[Kalanea McKay]

Truth remained silent as well throughout Mel's outburst and the ensuing reprimand, though a muscle in her cheek twitched slightly and her eyes widened in stunned surprise at her fellow Promethean's outburst. That a man considered worthy for this particular organization had the social graces of a dog in heat had taken her quite by surprise, and she stood watching where he had disappeared through the door even during Bannon's apology and as he turned to them.

"Dr. Montenegro? Your thoughts?"

She turned to him with a slight jerk, as if she hadn't heard him the first time, and shook her head slightly, looking apologetic.

"Sorry, sir. If you don't mind, I'd like to hold off on any comment until I've had a chance to conduct my examination." And until we're in private, and away from the little 'goddess'. "It'll help me develop a more thorough opinion on the matter. And soon would be good, if there's not anything else you need from me here at the moment. I'm sure you understand?"

[Ante]

A Rumor Confirmed

Kamakshi watched the interaction between Mel and Bannon impassively. When it was over and the young man with the snow white hair and the piercing green eyes turned to her and apologized in formal Hindi, she responded by inclining her head with respect and smiling placidly. “Your apology is accepted”, she answered (also in formal Hindi), “and so that it might help your investigations, I would point out that the book was not allowed to become filthy – it was cleaned as often as the image of Padmasambhava* was. The cloth is... it is very old.”

The young girl who was called a goddess paused as she watched “Grimm’s” back exit the room and then she turned all three of her eyes towards Bannon once again. “And before you go, you should know that there is an ancient temple at Nako village that was attacked in the night by a strange group of men, exactly as this one was.” The young devi paused again and, for the first time, she looked almost nervous – or at least unsure of herself.

While she hesitated, Jag - who had been so quiet and unobtrusive up until then that the remaining Argonauts had almost forgotten he was still there - which was typical when dealing with the agents of Section 2 - leaned in next to Bannon and quietly confirmed the devi's claim concerning Nako. "Nako is a small village several hours' drive north of here", he added. Bannon (and the rest of the Agents, for that matter) were reminded of something that the handsome Section 2 agent had said when they'd first arrived in Sangla:

Originally Posted By: Jag Chautala, Post #183557

... I also heard a rumor just today that a nova 'godling' in another village, somewhere north of here, was attacked yesterday or the day before - the rumors were not clear.

During the brief exchange between the agent of Section 2 and his Section 1 guests, Kamakshi seemed to find her will to go on again.

“I do not know for certain”, she began hesitantly, “and Tushar will be angry with me for telling outsiders of this, but I believe this to be something you and your companions must know.” Having said as much, the devi seemed to reach a decision within herself and continued speaking with much less uncertainty. “According to an ancient tale”, she said, “that has been passed down over time, the sacred book that those men stole from us three nights ago was only one book out of many that were scattered and hidden in many different places. The only one that I have ever laid eyes on was the book that we kept here, but I have always heard that another was kept at the sacred temple in Nako village. I am afraid, because now those evil men have gone there as well.”

Throughout, the face of the goddess had remained remarkably calm, but her tone was one of sincerity and seriousness as she spoke, and conveyed the urgency of her words clearly. “It is not right that the pieces of the Siribhuvalaya be recombined again”, she exclaimed, “what those men are trying to do is wrong.”

Click to reveal..

Padmasambhava: This would seem to be the name of the individual the statue represents, which is, by the way, immaculately clean.

OOC: I’m ignoring Mel’s bit about ‘pulling up a handful of the muck and grime’, since I think I was quite clear that the cloth was covered in a thin layer of dust and “grime”. “Grime” is a descriptive word, used to indicate that a surface is covered with some manner of filth, however miniscule, that is ingrained or otherwise difficult/impossible to remove from that surface. A ‘thin layer of dust’ is just that: thin. In other words, the cloth is very old and has apparently been sitting underneath its statue since it was first placed there – they probably do dust it periodically, but over a long enough time frame, age alone will make such a cloth dirty - or at least faded – except where something like, say, a book was sitting atop it and protecting it from accumulated dust. If I was not clear about this, then I sincerely apologize.

[SalmonMax]

Max closed his eyes briefly. Whoever was behind this was already ahead of them in their ground game. They knew, or had resources in place to find out, where the books were. The good news was that the attack on the other village was much more recent. The trail would be warmer.

He leaned closer to Bannon and said softly, "Warn our superiors." It was clear, he thought, that an attempt would be made on the book Prometheus had. It was only a question of when. He doubted such an attack would be stopped, but sending a warning should function as a CYA for the team.

[Daniel Ingersoll]

As he investigates the room, he pauses for a moment as he looks at the Buddha statue, even as he was about to check his net device, and closes his eyes a moment. Clarity, vision, mystery, this was something that he occasionally experienced, the last time he'd had a vision this mixed, both mysterious and clear, was when shortly before he became his niece's guardian.

"I have it." He said, even as he fixed a link to the book with his clairvoyant capabilities." He points north to north-west. "A bit less then a day's travel by car. There are seven of them, some are with the book, and some are not, they've split int about two groups, but they are all moving in the that direction, however." He could now feel them moving, and he reached out to maintain his connection to both the book, and the group holding it.

In a way that was very difficult to explain, he sort of reached out and tangled his own pattern of perception with theirs, and drew on his psionic strength to keep the patterns connected, they would remain so until he chose to drop them.

"Something else as well, but we can discuss that while we catch up to them." In a lower tone, so that it wasn't all that loud, he stepped next to Bannon and almost whispered it.

[Bannon]

Bannon nodded to Keller, then to Ingersoll before stepping away briefly and pulling out his palmtop. He tapped out a terse but complete report to Jack and Lee, slender fingertips dancing over the miniaturised keypad, then snapped the device shut and turned back to the others. He addressed the Devi first.

"Thank you, Devi. I am honored by your trust, and thank you for the helpful information. We will now see about recovering the Siribhuvalaya from it's thieves. Namaste." He bowed respectfully once more, then looked at the others.

"Dr Montenegro. Your examination of the remains could still yield some important results. Diet, contaminants, the usual sort of thing." Truth nodded as Bannon continued "I hate splitting a team, but it's usually the most efficient way of being in two places at once. For the Nodeless, anyway." He paused, pale eyes running over the others. "Jag. I'd appreciate you assisting Dr Montenegro while we pursue the thieves."

He looked around at the others once more. "Am I missing anything? Thoughts?"

[SalmonMax]

"Someone should go to the most recent theft site too," Keller suggested. "They may have made mistakes or left clues there they didn't here. It'll be fresher too."

He glanced at the others. "I won't be much help chasing down or fighting ninjas. I therefore volunteer to go to Nako. Jag and Dr.Montenegro can catch up when they're done here."

[Kalanea McKay]

Truth nodded in agreement, letting the pack of equipment that she'd been carrying on her shoulder drop down to her arm. She opened it up and began to rummage through it, finally pulling out a digital camera. She hefted the bag back onto her shoulder, but before she began taking any pictures, she turned back to the Hindu nova and bowed courteously.

"Devi, would it be alright if I took a few photographs - for investigational purposes? Just because something doesn't seem relevant to us now doesn't mean it might not later, and we would very much appreciate being able to reference them as we hunt for the thieves."