Aberrant: Quantum Zero - Quantum Zero

[phoenix]

Smirking at Will, John takes a Coke™ out of the fridge and slides it to him on the counter in true bartender fashion - not that he would know anything about that. He then turns to Natalia. "What's up? Here for the party? My name's John, but-", he flashes his grin on Jany, "you can call me popsicle."

[brilyn]

Spotting Masters enter, Derek grins.

"Hey boss, how's things?" ::wink

He smiles at Ash, and waves at Natalia. *people I KNOW. Finally!*

\"So, how are you enjoying the world of the movies?\"

\"It's pretty interesting so far, though I have to say I'm not a movie buff. This whole Nova thing though seems to be a lot like college, show off until you make friends.....\"

Derek offers Ash a beer.

Nodding towards the beercoo... I mean, pool, in a low voice:

\"I think I won, though it took a lot out of me.....\" ::cry

\"Wow - is this some kind of kegger?\" 

"Heh..... I don't think it was meant to be, but..... Let's just say I learnt something about making off-hand comments that I'm not really prepared to follow through...." ::wink

Derek cracks open another beer, chuckling at Will.

[ezekiel]

Terry looks at the pool also obviously surprised by the fact that it's full of bottles of beer instead of just plain beer...

"So do I get to keep my prize or should I relinquish it to the Barman?"

Natalia, meanwhile, eyes each of the men present in turn (especially Terry, of course  ), then looks at the huge stash of beer,

"Pleased to meet you.."

Terry then approaches John

"Mind if I borrow a few guests for a while? We'll be back in no time and I'm sure Jan and you can look after the kids for a while..."

Terry winks and invites Masters, The Barman, Emma and Nate to follow him into the house, grabbing his bag from the bookstore on the way. Once inside he finds a room with a convenient table (be it office or dining room) and inspects it for microphones and whatnot asking Masters:

"I don't want to be too paranoid, but are you sure we can trust this John fellow? He seems good enough but I'd hate to have any of this recorded somewhere..."

Once he's quite satisfied, Terry stands and looks at everyone around the table.

"I'm sure most of you are wondering why I wanted to talk to you. - Terry gazes intently at Emma - It involves a promise that I don't intend to break...Nathan, you're here for obvious reasons and Emma, I wanted you to hear this. As for you Derek, well...I'm really hoping you can help us with that scientific intellect of yours. First I'd like you all to tell me what you know of what happened at the charity party and particularly of Emma's situation"

Terry sits down glancing at Masters who's obviously in the know about all this. He then settles his clasped hands on the book, still wrapped in the bookstore bag that Terry bought earlier today and waits expectantly...

[Archer21]

As he gets nearer to John, Terry can see that the photos are pictures of different people, with one thing in common. All the people have a tattoo of a stylized pentagram. (OOC: I think that's what it is...Prof?) The tattoo is on different locations on their bodies, but still the same tattoo.

The papers seem to be lists, with names, addresses and phone numbers, assumably matching the people in the pictures. Finally noticing Terry, John looks up and smiles, sliding everything back into the envelope. "Of course. I'll give you a few minutes then bring everyone inside for dinner." Walking over to Kenny, he claps him on the shoulder, saying "Thanks, Kenny. I appreciate you bringing this by. So, are you planning on staying for dinner? I know you're a busy guy..."

Kenny glances at Janet longingly, then sighs. "No thanks, John. I think I'd better head out. Save me some leftovers, though, ok?"

With that, Kenny walks off, grabbing a few beers out of the pool before heading out to his car.

Watching his friend leave, John shakes his head, seemingly frustrated. Looking over at the 'kids', he speaks up. "Hey guys, now that half our group is in a meeting, anyone want a guided tour of casa de Fabry? Unless someone else has an idea for something to do before dinner?"

[Ayre el KaBeer]

"Sure, why not? ::sly Can we see the dungeons first, I like to get that out of the way as soon as possible ::biggrin " Will get's up to follow John and looks back to Natalia "Ladies first" .

[Asbjørn]

Terry looks at the pool also obviously surprised by the fact that it's full of bottles of beer instead of just plain beer...

\"So do I get to keep my prize or should I relinquish it to the Barman?\"

- \"Well, I think the judges will leave that up to the public opinion, but as far as I can see it's gonna be a very close race...\"

Will tries to sneak his bottle behind him, with a sheepish grin and in a kid who's been caught at something tone \"Hello Mr. Masters, ahh sir... John throw me one of those cokes . Hello again Natalia\"

Nodding hello to Masters, Ash and Natalia, Nathan almost chokes on his beer from laughing when he notices Will's attempt at subtlety. ::smiley1 ::wacko ::laugh \"Smooth, Will.... really smooth...\"

***

Taking the bottle with him, Nathan follows Terry and the others inside, and waits patiently (sort of) as Terry checks the room for bugs and whatnot.

\"I'm sure most of you are wondering why I wanted to talk to you. - Terry gazes intently at Emma - It involves a promise that I don't intend to break...Nathan, you're here for obvious reasons and Emma, I wanted you to hear this. As for you Derek, well...I'm really hoping you can help us with that scientific intellect of yours. First I'd like you all to tell me what you know of what happened at the charity party and particularly of Emma's situation\"

Terry sits down glancing at Masters who's obviously in the know about all this. He then settles his clasped hands on the book, still wrapped in the bookstore bag that Terry bought earlier today and waits expectantly...

Nathan takes a sip from his beer, appearing to wait for Masters to take the first word. Then he glances at Emma, and breaks the silence. "Well... I wasn't even at the party, so I don't know anything about that except what you guys have told me. As for Emma's situation... " He pauses and looks at Emma again, "...what exactly is it you're asking about, Terry? I know Emma is probably the most powerful dormed down nova I'll ever meet. I know the wannabe godess she, unfortunately, shares her body with could and probably would wipe out entire cities if she got angry enough. I know we were lucky the last time, and I hope we can manage to find a way to keep it from happening again."

Nathan takes another sip from his bottle, and sits down on a chair by the table. Taking a deep breath, he adds "Unfortunately, I don't know how we can do that. I guess it might be possible to ask someone with telepathic or hypnotic abilities for help... even if it's been tried before our chances are better now, right?" He aims the question at Masters, before he turns back to look Emma in the eyes. "The only thing i know that's connected to that is that in these last few weeks I haven't seen any signs that there are other triggers for your transformation than that phrase and making you fear for your life. And luckily, you don't scare half as easy as I thought you would... ::smile which I guess is good for me, since I'd be the first one to bite the bullet if anything happens." ::confused

"I'm sorry, guys. I'm rambling. I'll shut up now."

[brilyn]

Derek looks somewhat bemused at Terry's searching.

\"I don't want to be too paranoid, but are you sure we can trust this John fellow? He seems good enough but I'd hate to have any of this recorded somewhere...\"

"Right.... Unless you've got the REAL inside scoop, most of what happened that evening is a matter of public record, relatively speaking."

Looking somewhat apologetic:

"As for what went on prior to Nefertiti making her appearance, I saw the same as you, possibly less, I'm afraid that I cannot say anything without consent from Mr. Masters here, and from Emma, assuming the risk of bugs and all. Promises made, and so forth."

Derek turns to Masters and Emma

"So, Mr. Masters, Emma, what say you?"

[ezekiel]

Terry reaches slowly in his bag pulling out a hardcover book and throws it in front of him. The book slowly spins and settles in the middle of the table. Those around can read see an egyptian statue on the cover profiling some Phaoroh's head, a title above it:

Akhenaten, King of Egypt

Terry looks dead serious:

"He's out there..."

[brilyn]

Terry looks dead serious:

\"He's out there...\" 

"I don't doubt that for a second. I'll be there's a Nova out there who thinks he's Zeus too. What's your point?"

[ProfPotts]

\"Hello Mr. Masters, ahh sir... John throw me one of those cokes . Hello again Natalia\"

Masters glances at Will & raises an eyebrow with just enough expression to convey that he knows what you're up to but will let it slide this time as long as you don't try anything like that again ::sly . [it's the Roger Moore school of 'eyebrow acting' ::biggrin ]

Natalia, meanwhile, looks at Will with momentary confusion ::confused , before it dawns on her exactly who he is,

\"Little Willy!\", she exclaims, bouncing over to give him a hug, before holding him at arm's length to properly examine him, \"Wow! Willy, when'd you get to be so buff?\"

She seems impressed by Will's Nova physique... ::bigsmile

He then turns to Natalia. \"What's up? Here for the party? My name's John, but-\", he flashes his grin on Jany, \"you can call me popsicle.\"

Natalia manages to pull herself away from her examination of 'Little Willy' long enough to look over to 'Little John',

\"Yeah\", she replies, \"the 'party'...\", she glances over to 'grandad' with a somewhat resigned look, \"... I'm sure it'll be great fun...\" ::sarcasm adding, \"Popsicle? Huh?\" ::confused

\"Hey boss, how's things?\"

Masters looks thoughtful for a moment, then says,

\"Let's see... I'm rich, powerful, & surrounded by beautiful women...\", he smiles at Derek, raising his beer in salute, \"I'd say things were looking ok.\" ::biggrin

Derek offers Ash a beer.

Nodding towards the beercoo... I mean, pool, in a low voice:

\"I think I won, though it took a lot out of me.....\"

Ash accepts the beer, but looks a bit confused at Derek's comment ::confused , until it finally dawns on her what he's talking about,

\"You did that? I'm impressed. I guess it's as good a way as any to practice with your powers... & a lot more fun than most!\", still, she looks a bit concerned, \"But are you feeling all right? Is there anything you need?\"

\"Sure, why not?  Can we see the dungeons first, I like to get that out of the way as soon as possible  \" Will get's up to follow John and looks back to Natalia \"Ladies first\" .

Natalia smiles,

\"Why thank you, kind sir... But what makes you think I'm a 'Lady'?\", she winks ::wink at Will as she walks past, & leans close to whisper in his ear, \"Dungeons Willy? You getting kinky on me?\"

Ash & Emma go with Masters, Terry, & Nate, whilst Jan stays with 'the kids' (trying not to laugh at the various teenage interplays).

In the meeting:

\"I don't doubt that for a second. I'll be there's a Nova out there who thinks he's Zeus too. What's your point?\"

Masters gives Emma a concerned look, then glances knowingly at Terry, before addressing the meeting,

"The 'point', Derek, is that Terry here managed to get some specific information out of one of the Atenists who attacked my home - it appears that Akhenaten has already returned, or so they believe.", he looks again to Terry, "Tell them the date he returned, Terry."

[Archer21]

\"Sure, why not?  Can we see the dungeons first, I like to get that out of the way as soon as possible  \" Will get's up to follow John and looks back to Natalia \"Ladies first\" .

Smiling to himself at the kids flirting, John responds. "Dungeons, eh? Sorry, got rid of those after my college years. ::wink The only thing belowground is the basement and the wine cellar. Plenty of cool stuff above ground though." Walking over to Janet, he extends his arm for hers to loop through. "Madam, would you do me the honor?" Taking her arm, John walks back to the house with Little John, Little Willy and Natalia in tow.

Entering the house, they start in the kitchen, then continue throughout the ground floor of the house, John keeping running commentary as they proceed. "Here is the kitchen of course, not much to see here. This next room is my study, though I can't remember the last time I studied! ::rolleyes And, then, we have the ballroom, which is connected to the dining room..." The ballroom is huge, with polished hardwood floors. Through the interconnecting door, the guests can see the caterers busily organizing the places and food arrangements. Continuing, John gestures towards another room before opening the door for them to see inside.

"This is the game room, I spend way too much time in here. You're welcome to use it, no quarters required!" ::laugh The game room is incredible, with two whole walls filled with arcade games, and a billiards table, ping-pong table, air hockey table all in the center of the room with plenty of space to walk around. "Next to this room is the personal gym, and down the hall is the living room at the end of the house. That's pretty much it. Upstairs is where all the bedrooms are, and out back is the stable and corral. So, what do you think?"

[Nullifier]

[At the front door]

Standing outside the front door is a fairly average looking young man dressed in a casual suit, with black hair and intense blue eyes. He's carrying a fairly small, rectangular, black bag on his right shoulder that looks very much like a camera bag. A friendly, yet somewhat mischievious, smile playing across his lips, he reaches out and rings the doorbell.

[brilyn]

Derek grins at Masters's comment, and turns back to Ash, again talking low:

"it'll be fine. Just opened my mouth, and felt the need to follow through. Now I know why all the jocks kept getting injured in highschool...." *Wry smile*

"I think I just over-extended myself, that's all. I'm glad you're here all the same." ::smile

[brilyn]

it appears that Akhenaten has already returned,

Derek looks a little angry at being spoonfed information:

::angry "The date doesn't matter a *damn*, whether it was 20 years ago, 100, or last week! Look around man, there's Terats all over the place, De Vries starting (or at least continuing) wars left, right and centre, and in the middle of it all of COURSE there's gonna be a power-thirsty Nova or ten who think they're gods, and have the firepower to back it up!" ::angry

Derek pauses for a moment as his ears (and brain) catch up to his mouth.

::blush

::blush

"um..... Sorry. Mr. Masters. What I'm trying to get at is this: why is it relevant to *us*? I mean, do you plan to make a life's work out of rounding up all the crazys? If not, why this guy? Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to help out protect Emma here, and I'll work on any projects you assign me to, but I'm REALLY not interested in going to war with a Nova with powers on the scale of Nefertiti....." ::dontgetit

[Asbjørn]

::rolleyes - "Get a grip, Derek. Calm down. I thought you were supposed to be the brains here... Since the cultists had exact info about Mr Egypt, it means he sent them. And since we're talking about fanatic believers here, of course he's relevant to us. He's gonna try getting at Emma again, and anything we can find out and do to stop him first has to be tried."

Turning back to Terry, he adds "But I am really curious about what you've found out, Terry. And what you both think it means."

[Archer21]

Hearing the doorbell, John excuses himself and heads towards the door. "Janet, would you mind keeping everyone company while I get that...this should be our final guest."

Glancing at the monitor, John puts on his most dazzling smile and opens the door.

"Good afternoon! I assume you're the reporter? Please, come in. Where would you like to conduct the interview?"

[phoenix]

Natalia manages to pull herself away from her examination of 'Little Willy' long enough to look over to 'Little John',

\"Yeah\", she replies, \"the 'party'...\", she glances over to 'grandad' with a somewhat resigned look, \"... I'm sure it'll be great fun...\"  adding, \"Popsicle? Huh?\" 

John laughs. \"There was an accident with a freezer and never mind. Anway, I'll be under the charge of Mr. Masters for a while, at least until I'm old enough for him to hire me (if I haven't driven him insane by then).\"

\"So, what do you think?\"

John is impressed with the various features of Fabry's mansion (Glacier in the game room with the air hockey table), and says so. Then he picks up a pool cue. "Will, Natalia.. What'll it be? Pool? Ping-pong?" He turns the crazy grin on his companions, twirling the pool cue. "Truth or dare?" ::devil

[brilyn]

  thought you were supposed to be the brains here... Since the cultists had exact info about Mr Egypt, it means he sent them.

Derek looks on with disbelief.

"You *honestly* believe that because someone has exact information on someone else, that they were sent by that other person? Apparantly I am the brains of the operation........ Look, I got some pretty exact information on a lot of modern-day scientists, but I've never met most of them. Did any of the cultists actually *admit* that they were sent by Akenaten?"

He looks almost apologetic:

"Look, I don't mean to doubt you here, but you seem to be making a LOT of assumptions. I am not saying that I think they were unaffiliated. With that much hardware, they must be connected to some larger organisation. Nerve gas isn't that common a commodity, and they'd have to know the layout of the MI building to hook it into the ventilation system."

"So, instead of jumping to conclusions, let's focus on what we know." ::smile

[ezekiel]

Masters gives Emma a concerned look, then glances knowingly at Terry, before addressing the meeting,

\"The 'point', Derek, is that Terry here managed to get some specific information out of one of the Atenists who attacked my home - it appears that Akhenaten has already returned, or so they believe.\", he looks again to Terry, \"Tell them the date he returned, Terry.\"

\"um..... Sorry. Mr. Masters. What I'm trying to get at is this: why is it relevant to *us*? I mean, do you plan to make a life's work out of rounding up all the crazys? If not, why this guy? Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to help out protect Emma here, and I'll work on any projects you assign me to, but I'm REALLY not interested in going to war with a Nova with powers on the scale of Nefertiti.....\"

Terry looks up from Masters

"These past few weeks I haven't been sitting idle mulling over what happened. I've tried my best to gather information about Emma and her situation precisely to prevent this from ever happening again - Terry throws Emma a comforting look - and to help you live a normal life again. If I've asked you to be here Derek its not just based on abstract notions of your superior intellect perhaps being capable of helping us. We have files, medical and various scientific files, covering Emma's development and attempts at "curing" her of her duality. I can't make heads or tails of them and you're worth any team of scientists I can think of. If you're not interested in going to war with a nova of Nefertiti's power then the least you can do is try to prevent Nefertiti from coming back."

Terry sits down low in his chair and crosses his legs. His arms lying limply on the armrests he gives Derek an intense Corleone stare as his rolling voice continues:

"I don't know why you chose to work for Masters but I certainly didn't do it for the easy life or the money. Believe what you want about the differences between humanity and Novas, we have a responsibility towards the masses simply because we have the possibility to actually do something. In a sane world, to do otherwise would be considered criminal negligence. Seven figure salaries shouldn't be a prerequisite to nova intervention. Now if I could stop all the crazies I would, but that's not what we're doing nor even implying that we should do. I don't think you realise the implications of all this. This isn't just to save Emma nor is it justanother nova pretending to be God. You saw what Nefertiti is capable of and we've no reason to think that Akhenaten would be much weaker or at least incapable of reawaking her."

Terry then glances at Emma

"Before you get any noble ideas, right now I think Akhenaten is simply looking for his bride which is probably why he's kept a low profile for the time being. Were he to believe you were dead he might decide to come out of hiding and go on a rampage...To answer your question Derek, it just so happens that I pulled a lot of strings to be able to spend some time alone with one of the atenists, the one I incapacitated and nearly killed...he did admit to being sent by Akhenaten. That and much more. - flashing his eyes to Masters and back - I don't know that the date would be important other than implying that this Akhenaten hasn't been a short lived phenomenon like previous Akhenatens. He's been out there for three years now at least having reveiled himself to the priesthood on halloween in 2005. Now I haven't excluded the possibility that a spy was involved in the exposure of Emma's location though I'm sure Mr. Masters would disagree. I'm hoping Ash can enlighten us on any possible leaks be they technological or human."

Terry nods at Ash and continues

"If neither is the cause then we must accept the possibility that this Akhenaten does have powers of divination and that another attempt could happen at any moment. - at this Terry looks at Nathan - Unfortunately the cultist didn't know where Akhenaten could be, only that a High Priest would know and that High Priests are in Egypt at the moment. In the near future a celebration and ritual should be held to honour Nefertiti's reawakening. The Atenist I interviewed obviously didn't know about Emma but I'm hoping this ceremony won't delay due to Nefertiti's disappearance. The cult should inform the imprisoned Atenists of the ceremony's location and time which could allow us to follow and interrogate one of the high priests."

Terry clasps his hands before him and looks expectantly at the faces around him:

"Now, that's what I know...what do you know? - Terry looks at Masters - Do you know anything about people with pentagram tattoos?"

[brilyn]

If you're not interested in going to war with a nova of Nefertiti's power then the least you can do is try to prevent Nefertiti from coming back.\"

Derek looks a little upset at that response.

\"Hey, I'm not saying that I don't wish to help. At all. I'm simply saying combat-wise, I'm a bug and any XWF Nova out there is a windscreen, ok? I'm SOO not a fighter, and I wasn't referring to fighting Nefertiti again, I meant I really don't wish to face Akenaten. View it as cowardice all you like, but you wouldn't put Einstein, or Tesla in the ring with Tyson, would you?\"

\"As for the documentation, I'm MORE than happy to help. Anything I can do to help Emma stay in her current form is my pleasure to provide.\" *Grins at Emma*

I don't know why you chose to work for Masters but I certainly didn't do it for the easy life or the money.

\"Truth be told, I chose to work for MI because the budgets are big, the leash is loose, and the guy in charge is very personable. And the money's good too.\" ::biggrin

You saw what Nefertiti is capable of and we've no reason to think that Akhenaten would be much weaker or at least incapable of reawaking her.\"

Derek raises an eyebrow:

"Yes, the latter part had occured to me. Now let's see if this had occurred to you:

"Certain Novas in the world (like Emma, and Glacier) appear to have a dual-persona, the second of which they may or may not be fully in control of. Other Novas go through a purely physical change when they 'power up'. In both cases, when in 'baseline form' those individuals generally appear to lack access to their abilities. In fact, for all intents and purposes, their Nodes appear to be shut down.

"What you are proposing is that we (or at least I) work on technology which, given time, could be applied to a Nova that *does* *not* have the ability to 'power down', forcibly shutting down their M-R node.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not claiming that I can crack this technology, or even get it started. I don't honestly know. I do know that if we're looking into it, then other people are too, and have probably been working on it a lot longer than I. The question is: do you guys want another nova working on something which could potentially PERMANENTLY shut you down?

"If you guys are prepared for the consequences, then I'm prepared to do the work."

::smile

[Asbjørn]

\"If neither is the cause then we must accept the possibility that this Akhenaten does have powers of divination and that another attempt could happen at any moment. - at this Terry looks at Nathan

- \"Don't worry, Terry. This is my last beer for the night.\", he says, emptying the bottle and leaning back in the chair.

The question is: do you guys want another nova working on something which could potentially PERMANENTLY shut you down?

Sounding unusually serious, Nathan raises his voice again. "I don't know, Derek. All technology is dangerous in the wrong hands, and nobody agrees whose hands are right. But I don't think that's the question we ought to ask."

Looking around a bit, he rests his eyes on Emma a moment before he continues. "My guess is that anything we do to try to kill or remove Nefertitis powers will trigger the transformation. And how would we test that technology before applying it, anyway? Any volunteers?"

"I think the psychological approach is the safest. I'm sure there's tons of research and experience on the 'dual personality' subject that might be useful to remove the post-hypnotic suggestion and let Emma live her life as she wants it. As a normal human being, or as a nova without the god complex. As far as safety allows, that's gotta be her choice. Don't you agree?"

"Now, if we're talking about using something like that against Akhenaten, I think we're on even thinner ice. In his case, I vote for guns. Big guns. With giant f***ing bullets. At least if his powers are anything like Titi's. Do we know anything about that, by the way?"

[brilyn]

\"I don't know, Derek. All technology is dangerous in the wrong hands, and nobody agrees whose hands are right. But I don't think that's the question we ought to ask.\"

\"Indeed, all technology is dangerous in the wrong hands. But some technology is inherently dangerous. Regardless of who holds it, a gun is dangerous, but it takes REALY effort to turn a teddy-bear suitable for a 3 year old into something dangerous.\"

My guess is that anything we do to try to kill or remove Nefertitis powers will trigger the transformation.

Derek visibly flinches at those two options. ::angry

In a level tone, his distaste obvious:

"I wasn't going to go anywhere NEAR those two options. Death is a touch harsh for my tastes, and we don't know anywhere near enough about Nova abilities to try and "remove them". It would be like trying to 'remove' someones ability to ride a bike...

"However, I do have a thought, but I'll need to research it a little more before I get your hopes up. In addition to that, anything I create I'm prepared to be a test subject for. Yes, I'm that confident. Mainly as I don't plan to make anything that is either harmful, or irreversable.

"Besides, if I'm not willing to trust my own knowledge, how can I ask anyone else to?" ::cool

"As for the psycholoy stuff, I know some rudimentary psychlogy from some classes, enough to know that I'm SO not the man for *that* job...." ::wink

"It might be a plan to find someone who is ex-army. Psy-ops? Or CIA? Frankly, I just know what I've seen in the movies, to be honest...." ::blush

[Asbjørn]

\"I wasn't going to go anywhere NEAR those two options. Death is a touch harsh for my tastes, and we don't know anywhere near enough about Nova abilities to try and \"remove them\". It would be like trying to 'remove' someones ability to ride a bike...

- "Ok, I didn't mean actually and physically killing her." He looks reassuringly over at Emma, "You know I'd never even think about that. What I meant is that we have to remove the Nefertiti part of your personality, with or without the powers. Actually, an Emma with those abilities would be nothing but a benefit to the world. And kinda cute... ::wink "

Looking back at Derek he adds "And I'm sorry if I misunderstood, but I thought removing powers was what you had in mind with the tech talk."

[ezekiel]

\"What you are proposing is that we (or at least I) work on technology which, given time, could be applied to a Nova that *does* *not* have the ability to 'power down', forcibly shutting down their M-R node.

"I wouldn't put Einstein against Tyson in the ring but Tyson is nothing. Einstein played a major role in ending WWII by developing, much to his chagrin, the basis for the atom bomb. I'm hoping you can play a similar role in this war against Akhenaten which I assure you is more akin to WWII than Tyson. You seem to assume that Emma is merely another Nova. I'm not so sure that's the case...Novas have been around for what, a little less than ten years? Emma here is older than anyone around the table and has manifested as Nefertiti many times before Galatea. Granted she's been changed by the accident but I'm not so sure that whatever you used on her would work on other Novas...or vice-versa."

Terry looks at Nathan

"You bring up a very good point...Nefertiti might pop up again if her psyche is threatened. Is there a Rashoud facility somewhere which could contain her powers and where we could try to release Emma when the time comes?"

[Asbjørn]

\"You bring up a very good point...Nefertiti might pop up again if her psyche is threatened. Is there a Rashoud facility somewhere which could contain her powers and where we could try to release Emma when the time comes?\"

Nathan looks a bit alarmed "Er.... you're talking about a place that is secure against her powers if or when we try to do something about them, right? You're not suggesting we put Emma away?"

[brilyn]

Granted she's been changed by the accident but I'm not so sure that whatever you used on her would work on other Novas...or vice-versa.\"

\"That's a fair point. I think the first step is for me to go over the reports. And then maybe look into doing a few scans, maybe an MRI, or whatever else can help. If she doesn't have a node, then we'll look into a few other things. Do some blood work, and a few other things\".

Derek casts a clinical eye over Emma.

\"I give you my word, I'll do my damndest to help you. Either to give you control over Nefertiti, or to make sure she's SOOO locked away you will never need worry about her again.\"

\"Er.... you're talking about a place that is secure against her powers if or when we try to do something about them, right? You're not suggesting we put Emma away?\"

::smile

"Don't worry Nathan, I agree with Terry. When a treatment is devised, it will have to be tested. Should it fail, " Derek glances with concern at Emma," then Nefertiti will be released again. And frankly, I don't think this is something we want to do in the middle of the street."

"Again....." ::wink

[Nullifier]

(OOC: Sorry for the delays. ::crazy )

Smiling and nodding, "That's me. Jonas Salt's the name. Pleased to meet you. As for the location of the interview, any relaxed, fairly comfortable setting would do. This interview is about you, after all, and I like the people I talk with to be as comfortable as possible. I'd like to do some establishing shots at some point, of the house and such, if that's alright with you? "

[Archer21]

Shaking hands with the reporter, John smiles..."Nice to meet you Jonas. A relaxed setting, you say? Why don't we use the living room, it's nice and open, with plenty of light, and comfortable seating. After the interview, I'll be happy to walk you around the property for some of those shots." John walks with Jonas to the living room, and sits down, waiting for Jonas to start...

[Ayre el KaBeer]

(OOC: sorry been away from the computer over the last two days)

Natalia, meanwhile, looks at Will with momentary confusion  , before it dawns on her exactly who he is,

\"Little Willy!\", she exclaims, bouncing over to give him a hug, before holding him at arm's length to properly examine him, \"Wow! Willy, when'd you get to be so buff?\"

She seems impressed by Will's Nova physique... 

\"Hey I've always been buff ::biggrin it's this Nova thing it added some extra muscle\".

Natalia smiles,

\"Why thank you, kind sir... But what makes you think I'm a 'Lady'?\", she winks  at Will as she walks past, & leans close to whisper in his ear, \"Dungeons Willy? You getting kinky on me?\"

\"Always! ::sly\" and starts to walk behing the 'adults' while trying to fight the urge to break out laughing or to show his slight embarassment. ::blush

John is impressed with the various features of Fabry's mansion (Glacier in the game room with the air hockey table), and says so. Then he picks up a pool cue. \"Will, Natalia.. What'll it be? Pool? Ping-pong?\" He turns the crazy grin on his companions, twirling the pool cue. \"Truth or dare?\" 

"I think Pool, what about you Nat?"

[ProfPotts]

The Meeting:

...I don't know that the date would be important other than implying that this Akhenaten hasn't been a short lived phenomenon like previous Akhenatens. He's been out there for three years now at least having reveiled himself to the priesthood on halloween in 2005...

Masters lets the other talk for a while, then draws their attention again to the date,

\"Gentlemen. I realise that you've all been through... 'interesting'... personal times recently, but please, try to think back - October 31st 2005 - it's a date that should cause at least a flicker of recognition. 'Akhenaten' was 'revealed' on that date... maybe he was revealed to the whole world, not only these 'priests'?\"

He pauses to see if the implications of his words sink-in or not.

The Games-room:

\"I think Pool, what about you Nat?\"

Natalia smiles ::sly , then takes the cue from 'Popsicle',

"Rack 'em, boys!"

When the game's set-up she lines-up to break, bending low over the table (to maximum effect... ::devil ::blush ::devil ) to take her shot...

Jan grins ::biggrin at the teenage antics, then excuses herself...

The Interview:

... Moments after John & Jonas are seated in the living room, in walks Jan. She walks over to John, leans down, & kisses him - then acts surprised when she 'notices' the reporter sitting in the room,

"Oh my!", she exclaims, "You appear to have a guest, dear."

She then proceeds to sit next to John (whispering to him as she does, "I thought I caught the scent of the press. Let's give him something to write about..."), placing her hand over his.

[Asbjørn]

\"Gentlemen. I realise that you've all been through... 'interesting'... personal times recently, but please, try to think back - October 31st 2005 - it's a date that should cause at least a flicker of recognition. 'Akhenaten' was 'revealed' on that date... maybe he was revealed to the whole world, not only these 'priests'?\"

He pauses to see if the implications of his words sink-in or not.

Nathan suddenly sits up, the glow from behind his sunglasses flashing brighter for a second. ::shocked "Oh crap. Divis Mal. The Null Manifesto. You think there's a connection? How?"

[brilyn]

Pretty much simultaneausly with Nathe:

"October 31st 2005, that would when the Null Manifesto was relea......"

Derek goes sheet white.....

"Yo...you're saying that Akenaten *is* Divis Mal???" ::nervous ::nervous ::nervous ::nervous

[phoenix]

Natalia smiles  , then takes the cue from 'Popsicle',

\"Rack 'em, boys!\"

John grins. Men have killed for better setups. He's fairly sure, at least, that Will would. He racks 'em, then gives Natalia a lascivious grin.

\"Right, I've got you covered in the balls department.\"

When the game's set-up she lines-up to break, bending low over the table (to maximum effect...    ) to take her shot...

Slightly stunned by the whole new point of view offered of Natalia, John cocks an eyebrow, and adds half under his breath (but audibly): "-but I'll leave the rack department to you.."

OOC: You asked for it.

[ProfPotts]

\"Yo...you're saying that Akenaten *is* Divis Mal???\"

\"Or vice-versa\", says Masters, pleased that the penny's dropped, \"or, at least, that's what these Atenists seem to think. Unless two powerful Novas with, as far as we know, plasma-related powers & pseudo-Egyptian garb turned up on the same day...\" ::sly

On cue Ash takes a small vid-chip-player from her handbag & places it on the centre of the table. The small screen lights-up with the famous image of Mal as he delivered the Manifesto - clad in his fire-bird motiff costume surrounded by plasma-flames.

\"If rumours are true\", adds Masters, \"& he's gay, then he fits the profile of the historic Akhenaten even more closely - that doesn't mean he wouldn't be interested in 'aquiring' Nefertiti though. As it is we know very little about the guy, apart from rumours. Maybe the Atenists just latched onto him as their messiah-figure, or maybe he really is controlling their actions. Either way it's best if we find out, wouldn't you say?\"

OOC: You asked for it.

[Come-on... the ol' 'you wanna'play pool?' bit? We even have that one here in England... ::wink ]

[ezekiel]

\"If rumours are true\", adds Masters, \"& he's gay, then he fits the profile of the historic Akhenaten even more closely - that doesn't mean he wouldn't be interested in 'aquiring' Nefertiti though. As it is we know very little about the guy, apart from rumours. Maybe the Atenists just latched onto him as their messiah-figure, or maybe he really is controlling their actions. Either way it's best if we find out, wouldn't you say?\"

Terry's eyes widen slightly at the revelation and his brows furrow:

"Indeed...do we have any leads other than perhaps an upcoming priesthood ritual?"

[brilyn]

Looking a little distressed (ie it's hanging together by a VERY thin thread, but it IS hanging together):

::blink

"so what do you suggest we do next? Ask him? Get some Terats drunk, and see if they spill the beans?"

A thought literally slaps Derek out of his near panic as the manifesto is broadcast.

"Hang on a second.... He CAN'T be working with them..... The Null Manifesto is a declaration of independance and seperation from baselines..... To refuse to confrom to baseline views of what novas are and are not...... For him to 'be' Akenaten would require him to completely disregard what he's put forth in the Manifesto."

He looks thoughtful:

"Mind you, the Manifesto could be released simply to get Novas to conform to HIS system of beliefs, while he does *this* behind the scenes...... But he's taking an AWFUL risk.... If thie Akenaten thing got out (that is, if he is indeed Akenaten) then the Teragen would fragment, if not shatter, into multiple terrorist groups......"

"On that basis alone, I'm willing to bet that Divis Mal is not conciously directing these terrorists. I'm not certain, of course, but I'm willing to bet that Mal isn't prepared to take that level of rish simply for a cult following of baselines, especially when he has as cult following of Novas....."

::smokin

[Archer21]

The Interview:

... Moments after John & Jonas are seated in the living room, in walks Jan. She walks over to John, leans down, & kisses him - then acts surprised when she 'notices' the reporter sitting in the room,

\"Oh my!\", she exclaims, \"You appear to have a guest, dear.\"

She then proceeds to sit next to John (whispering to him as she does, \"I thought I caught the scent of the press. Let's give him something to write about...\"), placing her hand over his.

Looking up as Janet leans down, his lips encounter her sudden kiss. Thoroughly surprised, he quickly masks his startlement as she sits down next to him. Hearing her whisper, he realizes (somewhat disappointed) her game...his acting skills come to the fore as he gently squeezes her hand in response and looks at Jonas. "Jonas, I'm sure you've heard of Janet Thorne. Sweetheart, this is Jonas Salt, he's here to do an informal interview with me. I'm sure he won't mind you sitting in...right Jonas?" John smiles innocently.

[ProfPotts]

Masters glances over at Derek's near-panic & listens to his subsequent logic,

"Well, one of the few things we do know about this Divis Mal character is that his so-called 'Null Manifesto' served to disrupt & polarise opinion about Novas, & that it's the 'bible' for the terrorist group known as the 'Teragen'. After delivering his message he pretty much vanished again. So, he's either charismatic but an idiot, or he's playing some very dangerous, very contrived, games."

He leans back in his chair, steeples his fingers, & looks thoughtful,

"There are several obvious possibilities. One - the Atenists saw Mal's broadcast & just thought he was their 'god' returned. Two - Mal thinks he is Akhenaten. Three - Mal is playing the role of the Atenist's god in order to use them as his pawns. 'Divis Mal' mean 'Evil God' or something, right? I'm not sure that every Nova would interpret baselines worshipping them as a violation of the Null Manifesto - some would see it as an afirmation of the Manifesto; after all, a 'god' is free of human morality & constraints, which rather seems to be Mal's point."

Masters looks to Terry,

"In answer to your question, Terry, I'm not even sure there will be a 'ritual'. It all seems to hinge on how much contact is expected between the 'cult' & the 'gods'. If they don't expect to see Nefertiti around, then perhaps it'll go ahead. If, on the other hand, they've noticed that she's 'left the building' then I doubt they'll feel like celebrating. I've got people looking into possible Atenist activities & locations, but nothing solid has turned up yet. The man in the vault that Alex Green killed, the musclebound fellow, was hyped-up on a pretty lethal dose of Mite, & that gives us some clues to follow up on, but it'll take time. Most of their equipment was pretty standard black-market stuff, apart from the nerve-gas, but it all gives us starting points to help trace them. The gas itself was most likely manufactured in the Middle East, where the cult seems to be based, although we're unsure how they got it into the States undetected. As for their knowledge of the Masters Building, much of that stuff is publically available, but they did know a lot about security. My people are well-screened against this sort of thing, but given the Atenists' past methods I'm having all the staff checked for post-hypnotic suggestions. However, the possible connection with Mal opens up a whole new can of worms..."

With that he signals Ash, who takes over,

"... Information on the Teragen is both easy & hard to come by. The easy to find stuff - OpNet sites, merchandising, interviews with Raoul Orzaiz, news items on Nova Vigilance, that sort of thing - is both unhelpful & contradictory. Solid information is harder to come by. As best we can tell the group is organised along classic terrorist lines - that is to say, cell based. It's also quite likely that there are two or more factions within the group that disagree on methods, if not overall policy. The obvious example would be Orzaiz talking to N! on the one hand, whilst Geryon is ripping the heads off local officials. It's also likely that most 'members' know little more about the group as a whole than the rest of us do. If there is a connection with the Atenists can it be traced back to a single individual, a cell, a faction, or the whole group? The last seems unlikely, although more likely is a general Teragen interest in a Nova as powerful as we believe Nefertiti to be - as far as we know they have no-one on their 'side' who could top Pax power-wise, Nefertiti may be the weapon they're looking for to take care of T2M once & for all. Or, their interest in her could be for different reasons all together, or they may not be interested in her at all. At this point we just don't know. What we need to figure out, amongst other things, is exactly who wants Nefertiti, & why? Obviously the Teragen's racist 'ethics' preclude any serious baseline investigations of a 'social' nature, but it's not impossible that one of you gentlemen could overhear something of interest in the Amp Room, or whatever. As long as we have some idea of the questions we need to be asking then we have the basis for an investigation.", she smiles ::sly , adding, "For all we know right now we may all already be on the Teragen's hit-list..."

During all the talk Emma starts to look uncomfortable. As Ash finishes she says quietly,

"I don't want to cause anymore trouble, really. I couldn't stand it if anyone got hurt because of me."

[ezekiel]

\"In answer to your question, Terry, I'm not even sure there will be a 'ritual'. It all seems to hinge on how much contact is expected between the 'cult' & the 'gods'. If they don't expect to see Nefertiti around, then perhaps it'll go ahead. If, on the other hand, they've noticed that she's 'left the building' then I doubt they'll feel like celebrating.

Terry seems to be brooding on this as he answers

\"I guess that's possible...still, the Atenist high priests remain our best bet at getting information on this Akhenaten and determining if Mal is involved. Ritual or not there's bound to be some way of finding them.\"

During all the talk Emma starts to look uncomfortable. As Ash finishes she says quietly,

\"I don't want to cause anymore trouble, really. I couldn't stand it if anyone got hurt because of me.\"

Terry jumps to his feet and walks briskly towards Emma. Dropping next to her he angrily grabs her hands and stares intently into her eyes

"Now listen to me! None of this is because of you! You're not responsible for the actions of these Atenists and Teragen terrorists nor for what they've done to you! - Terry's voice softens as his right hand gently caresses Emma's cheek - I won't let you think otherwise..."

Masters gently coughs

"Ahem...Terry, could I have a word with you?"

Terry gives Emma a soothing smile before looking over his shoulder

"Yes...yes of course"

Terry stands and confers with Masters just outside of the room.

[ProfPotts]

The Games Room:

He racks 'em, then gives Natalia a lascivious grin. \"Right, I've got you covered in the balls department.\" Slightly stunned by the whole new point of view offered of Natalia, John cocks an eyebrow, and adds half under his breath (but audibly): \"-but I'll leave the rack department to you..\"

Natalia wiggles slightly, winks ::wink at 'Popsicle', then proceeds to sink several balls on her break ::blink . She stands, stretches, then smiles at the 'boys' as she walks around the table to line up her next shot,

\"So fella's, what're we playing for?\"

The Interview:

Jan beams ::biggrin at Jonas, squeezes John's knee, & tosses her perfect blond hair, asking the reporter,

\"So, Mr Salt, do you like what you see?\"

She glances around the well-appointed room...

The Meeting:

Terry jumps to his feet and walks briskly towards Emma. Dropping next to her he angrily grabs her hands and stares intently into her eyes

\"Now listen to me! None of this is because of you! You're not responsible for the actions of these Atenists and Teragen terrorists nor for what they've done to you! - Terry's voice softens as his right hand gently caresses Emma's cheek - I won't let you think otherwise...\"

Emma colours ::blush at Terry's words & touch, but smiles, reassured.

Masters gently coughs

\"Ahem...Terry, could I have a word with you?\"

Terry gives Emma a soothing smile before looking over his shoulder

\"Yes...yes of course\"

Terry stands and confers with Masters just outside of the room.

As the pair discuss something in hushed tones Emma asks of the others,

"Tell me about these 'Teragen' people & their 'manifesto', please", she glances at Nate, "I recall something about them from the 'catching up' I've been doing, but there was so much to take in."