Aberrant: Quantum Zero - Quantum Zero

[Archer21]

John grins. \"Any book in particular, or can we just swipe his copy of How To Be Attacked By Terrorists For Dummies?\"

The Stranger's face remains unchanged. "Apparently, Masters has a journal from a Dr. Maxwell which contains some very important information concerning Novas." Still stone-faced, he continues. "We don't know if Natalia is safe or not. Nor do we know the approximate danger she's in. The Teragen did make allusions to the possiblity that Natalia is a nascent Nova, and that her grandfather may have found a way to slow or simply stop node development."

[phoenix]

The Stranger's face remains unchanged. \"Apparently, Masters has a journal from a Dr. Maxwell which contains some very important information concerning Novas.\" Still stone-faced, he continues. \"We don't know if Natalia is safe or not. Nor do we know the approximate danger she's in. The Teragen did make allusions to the possiblity that Natalia is a nascent Nova, and that her grandfather may have found a way to slow or simply stop node development.\"

"Hmm. Sounds fair enough, but I guess we need to decide what we're going to tell Masters, and how to find that book. Actually I'm shocked he would have kept the actual journal instead of simply destroying it and putting its contents on a disk or two, but maybe we just lucked out."

[Archer21]

"I agree with you on both counts. First, we need to come up with a plausible story for Masters. Any ideas?"

[phoenix]

John begins to brainstorm aloud. "Hmm.. We could just say she wanted money, but that sounds unlikely even to me - of course, that might be just because I saw her with Count Orzaiz. Oh, and we won't have her back afterwards, of course. Never mind that idea. Couldn't we just tell him we couldn't find Pathfinder? No, I don't think so, she wouldn't kidnap her if she didn't have demands.. Although actually, we might say we met her, and she told us Natalia's a nova and they're keeping her for their dastardly experiments.."

"Derek, your power doesn't, by any chance, extend to control over computers or something like that, does it?

[ProfPotts]

At that point Derek's (Masters International issued) 'phone starts to bleep.

[Archer21]

At that point Derek's (Masters International issued) 'phone starts to bleep.

The Stranger chuckles. "Let's keep it simple, shall we? Let's just say that Natalia is being held hostage, and we're still trying to gather information on her whereabouts. Until we have some leads on how to find her, we're going to stay here. Specify that the Teragen are only willing to deal with us, and we can't allow any of Master's security or other employees to be part of the team."

His voice becomes more serious towards the end. "Derek, we have to make sure no one else jumps aboard on this one, especially baselines. There's too much chance of someone getting hurt."

[brilyn]

  \"Derek, we have to make sure no one else jumps aboard on this one, especially baselines. There's too much chance of someone getting hurt.\"

Looking distracted, Derek mumbles

"Yeah, sure, one second...."

He grabs his phone, a moves into the next room, leaving the door ajar (should anyone want to listen it, but muffling any conversation in the background).

"Hello, Derek here."

[phoenix]

Let's keep it simple, shall we? Let's just say that Natalia is being held hostage, and we're still trying to gather information on her whereabouts. Until we have some leads on how to find her, we're going to stay here. Specify that the Teragen are only willing to deal with us, and we can't allow any of Master's security or other employees to be part of the team.\"

John shrugs. "Good plan."

[ProfPotts]

\"Hello, Derek here.\"

"Hello. This is Kane. I was hoping for a progress report from you all. Put me on 'speaker' please."

[brilyn]

Derek, keeping his voice as calm as possible (but going slightly pale), brings the phone into the other room, with the rest of the guys.

Mouthing "it's fscking Kane!!!!" and having that rabbit-in-headlights look, Derek puts the phone down on a central table, and hit's speaker-phone.

Somehow managing to keep the tremble out of his voice:

"Guys, it's Kane. He's looking for an update. Kane, the guys are all here......."

::smiley4

[phoenix]

Mouthing \"it's fscking Kane!!!!\" and having that rabbit-in-headlights look, Derek puts the phone down on a central table, and hit's speaker-phone.

John raises an eyebrow and shrugs back to Derek.

Somehow managing to keep the tremble out of his voice:

\"Guys, it's Kane. He's looking for an update. Kane, the guys are all here.......\"

John speaks up with a grin. "Hey Kane, guess what? The Amp Room was still standing when I left! Are you proud of me?"

[Archer21]

"Kane, this is Stranger. We've got good news and bad news. The good news is, there's a very strong possibility that Natalia is alive. The bad news is, the Teragen are holding her hostage and we haven't found her location yet. However, the Teragen have agreed to allow Derek and I to visit her in a few days. So, for right now, we're planning to sit tight, and try to gather any intel that will help us."

He sighs, then continues reluctantly. "The Teragen have made it clear that they won't tolerate any involvement by baselines with this. For Nat's safety, we've agreed to not involve any more employees of Masters Inc than are already here. Look, Kane, I don't like this situation, but right now the Teragen hold all the cards."

Holding his finger to his lips for silence from the others, he waits for Kane's response.

(Hope those acting lessons pay off! ::laugh )

[phoenix]

\"However, the Teragen have agreed to allow Derek and I to visit her in a few days.\"

At this point, John's eyebrows shoot up, and he turns to the Stranger, mouthing the words, "Not me?"

[ProfPotts]

John speaks up with a grin. \"Hey Kane, guess what? The Amp Room was still standing when I left! Are you proud of me?\"

\"Yes. You're the very model of restraint.\"

Holding his finger to his lips for silence from the others, he waits for Kane's response.

"What intelligence do you presume you will be able to gather? How are you planning on going about gathering such intelligence? Why were you attempting to access information concerning Dr William H. Maxwell?"

"I still hold a few cards."

[Archer21]

What intelligence do you presume you will be able to gather? How are you planning on going about gathering such intelligence? Why were you attempting to access information concerning Dr William H. Maxwell?\"

\"I still hold a few cards.\"

The Stranger mouth compresses. "So I see. Since you obviously tapped our communications and OpNet links, you know what we're after. Why not just help us retrieve the book? Or are the Teragen correct in their assumption that Masters would rather give up his granddaughter's life than reveal the contents of the journal?"

[ProfPotts]

"Nothing has been 'tapped'. All requests for information on Dr Maxwell are routed to us. Tracing the inquiry was standard procedure. Which book or journal are you refering to? Should I presume that you have additional information that you have been less than forthcoming with?"

[Archer21]

Obviously irritated, The Stranger tries not to let it show in his voice.

"Okay, Kane. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. The book I'm referring to is a journal of Dr. Maxwell's that the Teragen believe to be in Master's possession. Considering your position within Masters Inc, I 'presumed' that you would be aware of the security risks posed by the Teragen, especially relating to something that they desperately want. Or perhaps you were actually kept ignorant of the book's existence. Consider these questions, Kane. Why are all inquiries relating to Dr. Maxwell routed to Masters Inc, and why are security traces being run as standard procedure? Doesn't that seem a bit odd?"

[ProfPotts]

"No it doesn't seem 'odd'. All information on Dr Maxwell is classified. Explain exactly how Dr Maxwell's journal relates to Miss Masters."

[phoenix]

John snorts indignantly. "Classified? Classified by whom? Seems to me Masters Inc. is having a bit of an identity crisis, but last time I checked it was a private company, not a branch of government!"

[Ayre el KaBeer]

\"So I see. Since you obviously tapped our communications and OpNet links, you know what we're after. Why not just help us retrieve the book? Or are the Teragen correct in their assumption that Masters would rather give up his granddaughter's life than reveal the contents of the journal?\"

Will slaps his own forehead ::dozingoff *way to stick to the plan*...

Why are all inquiries relating to Dr. Maxwell routed to Masters Inc, and why are security traces being run as standard procedure? Doesn't that seem a bit odd?\"

\"No it doesn't seem 'odd'. All information on Dr Maxwell is classified. Explain exactly how Dr Maxwell's journal relates to Miss Masters.\"

\"Classified? Classified by whom? Seems to me Masters Inc. is having a bit of an identity crisis, but last time I checked it was a private company, not a branch of government!\"

Will can't help himself ::huh "Who gives a damn about a musty old book? We have to get Nat back, and our only chance of even seeing her is by using that TURN-YOUR-HEAD-AND-COUGH manual! If it's so important make a freaking copy..." He goes off on a rant "and just as they have it make the thing public, if it messes up their cause, to hell with classified!..." realising the others are looking at him funny, he pipes down, and looks alittle nervous "... ahh ::huh2 ... sorry ::blush ..."

(OOC: Child-Gallant proff, *shakes head* Child-Gallant)

[brilyn]

Derek nervously clears his throat.

"Kane, our original plan assumed high resistance within Masters Inc. regards retrieval of the book. Since you appear to be ignorant of it's existance, and the rest of the group are being less than restrained, I think, perhaps, we should be more forthcoming.

"In short, the Teragen have done some minor medical assessments of Natalie. It appears that she is in possession of a M-R Node, but one that has been disabled. As we all know, one does not even HAVE an M-R Node unless one has erupted. This would imply that Natalie is a supressed Nova, if the Teragen are being truthful. I, for one, believe that Count Orzaiz is not part of any deception, and (given his position as the public face of the Teragen) to make him the subject of any deception would be like the Teragen cutting off it's own nose to spite it's face. So to speak.

"Anyway, the Teragen believe that this document, this book of Dr. Maxwell has information pertaining to this condition, that it has information pertaining to Novas of the pre-Galatea era. In exchange for this book, we have been promised to be allowed to visit Natalie, and I have been told that I will be allowed access to all information that have on her.

"In addition to that, I will be able to examine her thoroughly for any signs of abuse, or mistreatment.

"I apologise for keeping you in the dark Kane, but, frankly, it's been less than 12 hours since we have received this information, and we were just meeting to discuss what our next step was going to be. Deception was not a guarenteed option, but the minor discussions we had in the last 12 hours indicate that it was the most likely outcome of this meeting. I feel that if you were in our position, not quite sure if Masters was 100% trustworthy, and therefore neither were his senior staff, you would be considering the same options that we were......"

[ProfPotts]

There's a pause...

... a few moments later Kane speaks again,

"Dr Maxwell's journal is in Mr Masters' private vault. Mr Masters would never be able to agree to letting the Teragen get hold of the book. Mr Masters would do anything to get his granddaughter back. Natalia is very important. When Mr Masters regains consciousness I must inform him of everything that you have reported. Mr Masters should regain consciousness within the next twenty-four hours. Try not to do anything stupid before he wakes up."

At that, the line goes dead.

[phoenix]

During the long pause that inevitably follows the termination of Kane's communication, John is terribly, terribly tempted, by the same urge that drives a man to laugh at a funeral, to ask if anyone is for poker.

He supresses this urge.

[Asbjørn]

From the windowsill, Nathan gives a slow applause. His voice is dripping with sarcasm as he says "Great. Absolutely f*cking brilliant. Way to go, guys. We really fooled him there."

Putting his cigarette out, he stands up and goes to the nearby balcony door. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going back to the states. I wanna take this discussion with Kane and Masters face to face. We're gonna have some serious explaining to do."

That said, he dives off the edge of the balcony and heads for the airport and the waiting MI plane.

[Archer21]

Watching dispassionately as Blaze flies off towards the airport, The Stranger turns to the rest of them.

"So. Were you gentlemen also planning on enjoying Masters Inc. hospitality aboard their plane? Hopefully you realize that it would be a simple matter for 'flight delays' to impede progress towards retrieving the book. That is, if you're all still willing, and we can get any idea of where Master's private vault is. I can have my plane ready shortly, if you trust me enough to fly you back."

[brilyn]

That is, if you're all still willing, and we can get any idea of where Master's private vault is.

Derek looks slightly concerned. ::angry

"If you are implying an attack on Masters's vault, I think that would fall into the "anything stupid" category, and I would prefer it if other options were explored first.

"Your jumping to the conclusion that the phones were tapped was a mistake that has created a confrontational situation between ourselves and Kane, one which we could dearly do without. The assumption that Masters will refuse and Kane will work to impede us is unfounded, especially given the fact that we are currently working in Masters's interest. While I agree they are quite unlikely to joyously leap forward and give us everything we need to complete this task post-haste, I doubt very VERY much that Kane will delay the MI plane, given that a short cab to the local international airport will slow us down by an hour, tops.

"In short, Stranger, while I am not asking anything as clichéd as 'trust us/me', I am requesting that you try to restrain this.... penchant.... for leaping to conclusions." ::smile

Derek thinks for a moment.

"However.... I think prudence is required. In my opinion, our first stop (after breakfast, sorry, but I'm starving!!) should be the MI plane. At the very least it should indicate to Kane that we don't overtly mistrust him, and thus infer that we are all still on the same side in this.....

"Should that plane be delayed for a significant period of time (2-3 hours would satisfy my definition of that), then I agree that we should move to The Strangers transportation, and move with all due haste at that point."

::blush

Derek smiles slyly....

"Anyone else have an opinion, or y'all just gonna jump out the window too?"

[Archer21]

\"In short, Stranger, while I am not asking anything as clichéd as 'trust us/me', I am requesting that you try to restrain this.... penchant.... for leaping to conclusions.\"

The Stranger smiles. \"Agreed. I will try to...restrain myself.\"

\"However.... I think prudence is required.\"

He chuckles.

\"Should that plane be delayed for a significant period of time (2-3 hours would satisfy my definition of that), then I agree that we should move to The Strangers transportation, and move with all due haste at that point.\"

The smile disappearing, he clears his throat. "Ahem. Though I appreciate your points, when I mentioned flight delays, I was referring to things that could 'pop up' during the flight. Detours, etc. I don't view Kane as a rank amateur to try something as transparent as making you wait here in Ibiza."

Walking over to the OpNet terminal in the room, he taps on the desk's surface idly. "I'm sorry, Derek, but I've no wish for traveling on the MI plane. There are too many risks involved for me. I'll follow behind in my own transportation."

His slight smile returns. "Breakfast sounds a fine idea. Let's eat, and hear any other opinions about our situation."

[brilyn]

I was referring to things that could 'pop up' during the flight. Detours, etc. I don't view Kane as a rank amateur to try something as transparent as making you wait here in Ibiza.\"

Derek looks somewhat surprised.

"It didn't even occur to me that the flight could be delayed mid-flight.....

"Anywho, I still think that even as just an exercise in PR that I, at the least, should go to the MI plane. Though I suspect it may be difficult to manufacture excuses when there is a man on board who can manufacture a solution to just about any physical problem...." ::wink

"Other than that, I don't see Kane taking steps against us, not yet at least. So long as he doesn't believe that we are actively working against MI, I don't believe he will attempt to impede us.

"But, since you are not a MI employee, I don't think it will detract from our image if you were to take your own transportation back, nor if anyone else went with you. It could imply to Kane that there's a schism in the group that he may try to exploit.

"Then again, he may see through such a transparent ruse......." ::wink

Derek proceeds to dent the breakfast he ordered. Significantly. ::smile

[phoenix]

\"Anyone else have an opinion, or y'all just gonna jump out the window too?\"

John grins. "Can I?"

John also tucks into the breakfast available.

[Archer21]

With nothing else to say at the moment, The Stranger proves that he is indeed a Nova, complete with a Nova-sized appetite. He easily keeps pace with John, Derek and Will, displaying a particular love for coffee. He even calls down to room service to order multiple caffe' mochas for himself, and taking orders for any specialty coffees from the others.

[phoenix]

Keeping up with John, for the record, is not a difficult task at all, as he's dormant at the moment ::wink and his appetite is orders of magnitude less than that of the other novas present. He does, of course, take advantage of the Stranger's use of room service to order a few Cokes.

[Ayre el KaBeer]

From the windowsill, Nathan gives a slow applause. His voice is dripping with sarcasm as he says \"Great. Absolutely f*cking brilliant. Way to go, guys. We really fooled him there.\"

*DAMNIT! why didn't I just keep my mouth shut?* Standing up and moving towards the door "Actually guys I'm not all that hungry, I'm gonna go for a run to clear my head... I at least should head back to MI headquarters, this whole mess is my fault afterall, I should be there at least for the blasting Old William is gonna give me I'd rather it not happen over the phone". As he's about to head out he stops and turns and says quietly "There's no way for us to keep all this from snow white and her seven-armed-dwarves, we're gonna have to think of something when we get in contact for her to transport us to the harvesters... maybe even telling them the truth..." with that he leaves for his room to change and go for his run.

He returns in half-an-hour.

[ProfPotts]

At the airport Blaze quickly gets through customs & back onto the MI plane. One of the hostesses tries her best to make him comfortable, & about ten minutes later the co-pilot arrives to inquire as to when Nate wants to leave, & if the others will be going as well (he needs to clear everything with air traffic control, but - thanks to Masters clout - could be set to leave in about an hour).

Back at the hotel, The Stranger's 'phone rings...

[Archer21]

Snapping his phone open, he glances at the caller ID before answering. "Hello?" Still sipping his coffee, he continues speaking to whomever's on the other end. "Thanks for letting me know. What? Nothing yet, but let me ask you something. Was she seen around town with anyone else? Boyfriends, dates? Any former Utopia colleagues? Also, did the police find any physical remains? Give me the location of the crime scene, I might stop by and check it out." Walking over to the desk, he picks a pen and starts writing. "Got it. Vaporized? Alright. And she hung with out with who?" He chuckles grimly. "Okay, thanks. I'll contact you later."

Turning back to the rest of the group, he says, "Gentlemen. I have a lead on something that may help us in our endeavors. I can probably learn what I need to on my own, but with Derek's help I can find what I'm looking for much more quickly. Any objections to a slight delay in our departure? It shouldn't take more than an hour."

[phoenix]

*DAMNIT! why didn't I just keep my mouth shut?* Standing up and moving towards the door \"Actually guys I'm not all that hungry, I'm gonna go for a run to clear my head... I at least should head back to MI headquarters, this whole mess is my fault afterall, I should be there at least for the blasting Old William is gonna give me I'd rather it not happen over the phone\".

John raises an eyebrow. \"How can you not be hungry? And what part of this is your fault? For my part, I'm not keeping score, but I think my body count's a little higher than yours at this point..\" ::confused This last remark is accompanied by a grim look.

Turning back to the rest of the group, he says, \"Gentlemen. I have a lead on something that may help us in our endeavors. I can probably learn what I need to on my own, but with Derek's help I can find what I'm looking for much more quickly. Any objections to a slight delay in our departure? It shouldn't take more than an hour.\"

"Would you mind terribly if I asked you to explain what's happened? I don't really care when we leave, I'm just tired of sitting around. If it'll help, I can track things by scent when I'm on."

[Asbjørn]

At the airport Blaze quickly gets through customs & back onto the MI plane. One of the hostesses tries her best to make him comfortable, & about ten minutes later the co-pilot arrives to inquire as to when Nate wants to leave, & if the others will be going as well (he needs to clear everything with air traffic control, but - thanks to Masters clout - could be set to leave in about an hour).

Nate makes a few phonecalls to the other guys (He's got every number except the Stranger's, I think) to check if anyone else is taking the plane. For some reason, he's in a hurry, so he doesn't want the plane to wait much more than the necessary hour.

That done, he informs the copilot and waits for takeoff.

[brilyn]

Derek tells Nate that he does indeed plan to take the plane, but may be more than an hour, and to please wait.

[ProfPotts]

After consulting with Blaze (& Masters International), the plane's crew suggest that they head back as soon as possible, with Nate & anyone else who wishes to return to the States, & arrange for another jet (from one of Masters' European facilities) to be diverted to Ibiza to pick up anyone who wants to stay a while longer?

[Archer21]

\"Would you mind terribly if I asked you to explain what's happened? I don't really care when we leave, I'm just tired of sitting around. If it'll help, I can track things by scent when I'm on.\"

"A fair enough question. I'll explain. Charlotte Holden was apparently murdered in a car explosion earlier today. If you don't recognize her name, you may recall her as a former Utopia agent called 'Ghostdancer'. At any rate, her body was apparently vaporized during the explosion, and that's the story the local police seem to be content with. I don't buy it. I want to investigate the scene to determine if there's any forensic evidence that indicates she may still be alive."

Tapping keys on the OpNet terminal, he brings up the news report relating Holden's death, along with a picture of Charlotte.

"There she is. A former Utopia agent, a possible romantic interest of Count Orzaiz, and very good friends with Andy 'Ironskin' Vance. Who, by the way, was with Charlotte in the car when the explosion occurred."

He looks over at the group. "Derek, I'm fairly certain you'd be of great help on this. What do you think the probability is that a car explosion could vaporize a Nova completely, without leaving any physical evidence of that person?"

[phoenix]

John raises his eyebrows. "Vaporized? You're right, that does sound pretty unlikely.. you say Ironskin was with her? I assume he's still without a scratch.. maybe we should talk to him about it?"