Aberrant: Quantum Zero - Quantum Zero

[phoenix]

"John, start freezing them...now."

Glacier stands near the sensors and begins rapidly pacing back and forth in front of the row, passing a frigid paw very close to each sensor (not close enough to actually freeze and destroy it, but close enough to make it colder than hell on a bad day. Within seconds, each thermometer is maintaining a temperature cold enough to warrant an internal temperature of the average human's body temperature..

[ezekiel]

PathFinder watches the hero's approach, never stopping in her provocatve movements. When Terry reaches her, she presses her near-nude body against his, slides her arms aroud his neck, & gives the gravity-controling Nova a passionate kiss!

Terry's eyes widen in surprise! His hand reaches for the small of her back (just a reflex, honest! ::lookaround) and, using his by now well honed gravitic party trick, turns the foam party into a 3D vertical foamarama! The rising foam hides whatever is happening on the floor other than the odd arm, head, leg, eyestalk or tentacle popping out here and there...

What happened:

Terry feels as much as hears her voice inside his head

*I know you desire me, as much as I desire you - why let baseline morals get in the way of enjoying ourselves?* ::devil

Terry grabs the small of her back, pressing her against him as they rise in the air. After their passionate kiss Terry pulls back and spreads the fire of his eyes into hers. He caresses her cheek with the back of his hand only to lean up to her ear and whisper (well, loud enough to be heard over the music):

"You're right of course, except that no baseline could live up to his morals in front of you. I can..."

Terry pushes away and tries to discern her reaction as he continues in his rumbling voice

"I don't have the luxury of being able to know you in an instant...can I at least buy you a drink so we can talk somewhere? That is why I came here...to talk...after that my schedule should open up for...other...endeavors."

Oh...Terry also turns his eufiber underwear ice cold.. ::wink

Edit: Congratulations on finding the Terry Nathanson Easter Egg...I just added the pm's between Prof and I so this data doesn't get lost...now you can know what went on behind the scenes! This is like the dvd special edition version of the original QZ script, incredible, no!

[Prince of Boredom]

PathFinder watches the hero's approach, never stopping in her provocatve movements. When Terry reaches her, she presses her near-nude body against his, slides her arms aroud his neck, & gives the gravity-controling Nova a passionate kiss!

"Hmm, I seem to be getting left out on all the fun. Terry, aren't you going to introduce me?" Michael nudges Terry on his way up with the 'gravity trick'.

*Maybe being a nova isn't all bad...*

[brilyn]

After determining all he can about the book, Derek closes the book, leans back with a big smile, and emjoys the journey.

Challenges are few and far between, and should be cherished.

Once the bus is a couple hours from Chicago, Derek will wait for the next rest-stop, then pop off the bus. He'll thank the driver for the trip, and let him know not to wait on Derek's account.

Fingers crossed on a Motel near the rest-stop......

Time to go to work. (Derek will use the Op-Net as little as possible. Given that Kane knew pretty quick when people were searching for info on the book, Derek reckons that certain unique charactors in the code are likely to be on the Opnet too, ready to set alarms. So the only way he'll be using a computer for the next while, is Standalone......)

[ProfPotts]

B & E:

Looking into the house through Stranger-brand™ IR lenses, Will notices that the floor is crossed by many laser trip-beams. As the temperature in the house rapidly climbs - thanks to Glacier's early frost - The Stranger clips the window alarm & forces the lock, sliding it open. Will darts through at speed (although not glowing as he usually does), running along the walls & ceiling. Following The Stranger's instructions, he reaches the main security system control panel (in Vance & Korelli's bedroom) &, standing on the bed, pulls it open. The Stranger follows the speedster's actions via the camera & mike in the lenses he loaned him, & directs Will on which wires to connect from the small micro-electronics-filled box he also issued him with, to certain points within the security panel. The small red LED on the box blinks... the environmental system begins to readjust itself...

... then the red light is replaced by a green one. The security system panel confirms that it's running a full factory diagnostic on the system - the small 'percentage of job completed' bar indicates an estimated 30 minutes before the system is reinitialised. Looking around, Will sees that the IR beams across the floor have deactivated.

The Amp Room:

Terry & PathFinder vanish into the heart of the suddenly floating foam. The other partying Novas seem to enjoy the new twist, & a few cheers can be heard from within the foamy madness.

Mike is left grounded & trying to make-out where Terry & PathFinder are when the familiar perfect-figure of Andy Vance strolls up to him through the foam. 'Ironskin' is wearing nothing by a thong, some latex body-paint, & a thin coating of foam, but still manages to look more stylish than any man the ex-quarterback has ever seen. The guy's so handsome that Mike's first instinct would be to punch him - if that smile didn't make him appear to be such a nice guy ::bigsmile , that is! Offering his hand to Mike, he says,

"Hi there - welcome to The Amp Room, I'm Andy."

Following Mike's gaze he adds,

"I think you may have lost your friend for the night - that PathFinder is a bit of a maneater..." ::wink

He grins a flawless grin ::biggrin , then, asks,

"So - is it him you're jealous of, or her?.." ::sly

A Motel Room:

Derek finds a rather run-down flea-pit of a motel, & books a room (choosing to pay for a night, & not 'by the hour', & avoiding any offers of 'company' from the several equally run-down looking ladies hanging around the place...). Once settled he tries to push the comparison between this place & the bleeding-edge lab' & luxury accomodation he had back at Masters International out of his mind...

... Setting to work on the book, he begins to see the patterns & leaps of logic that will allow him to decode the first page. Scribbled notes increase in volume, & soon not even the rather distinct sounds coming from the neighboring rooms can distract him from his intellectual pursuits...

[Prince of Boredom]

"Hi there - welcome to The Amp Room, I'm Andy."

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Mike."

"So - is it him you're jealous of, or her?.."

::wacko "ummm, I am definately attracted only to the fairer sex. Is she like that with everyone, or just him?"

[Archer21]

Silently breathing a sigh of relief, The Stranger says, "We're in. Good job guys. John, if you can remember the safe route, power down and make your way back to your lookout post and let us know if anyone shows up. Will, stay where you are, I'll be right there."

Provided that Glacier can make it out alone, The Stranger carefully enters the house, making his way to Will in the bedroom. Giving him a thumbs up, he takes a second look at the panel, checking to see exactly how much time he has. "Okay, Will, since you're in here already, I can use your help." Stepping off the bed, and making sure Will does the same, The Stranger quickly smooths out the wrinkles on the bed, setting it back the way it was. "Follow me." Swiftly and efficiently, he proceeds in his search. As they move, The Stranger points Will to different locations, specifying things to look for: empty spaces in closets that used to hold clothes or suitcases, datebooks, phone numbers on the telephone's caller ID.

Watching The Stranger go about his hunt, Will can't help but notice how...professional his actions are; like it's unconcious, second nature. There's no hesitation in his movements, even while collecting strands of hair from the shower drain or poking through the garbage bins. ::crazy

(As long as nothing goes horribly wrong during the search... ::halo )

When they've combed the entire house, The Stranger orders Will to stay at the window, while he goes back to confirm that the house appears just as it was before they arrived. Once he's satisfied everything's in order, he gets ready to re-initialize the security system and make good their escape.

[Ayre el KaBeer]

... then the red light is replaced by a green one. The security system panel confirms that it's running a full factory diagnostic on the system - the small 'percentage of job completed' bar indicates an estimated 30 minutes before the system is reinitialised. Looking around, Will sees that the IR beams across the floor have deactivated.

"Stranger, we have about half-an-hour, I hope that's enough time for you".

There's no hesitation in his movements, even while collecting strands of hair from the shower drain or poking through the garbage bins. 

This guy's nuts Will thinks with a eufibre hidden smile, getting back to the job at hand, Will follows Strangers orders to the letter.

[phoenix]

John will try to take the same path the Stranger showed him, but he'd much rather err on the side of not being caught, so if he's not sure he'll stay where he is and radio the Stranger that he needs help.

[brilyn]

Once settled he tries to push the comparison between this place & the bleeding-edge lab' & luxury accomodation he had back at Masters International out of his mind...

Given that (at the moment) he may never see those places again, Derek tries to bury those memories with the task at hand. Not altogether successfully.....

... Setting to work on the book, he begins to see the patterns & leaps of logic that will allow him to decode the first page. Scribbled notes increase in volume, & soon not even the rather distinct sounds coming from the neighboring rooms can distract him from his intellectual pursuits...

While work for MI would be categorised as 'challenging', the book is the mental equivilent of an all-you-can-eat-buffet. Derek gets stuck in (until morning anyway).

[ProfPotts]

The Amp Room:

"ummm, I am definately attracted only to the fairer sex..."

Vance grins ::biggrin ,

"That's ok - we let anyone in here..." ::wink

"... Is she like that with everyone, or just him?"

Andy glances again towards where the foam-hidden figures of PathFinder & Terry can barely be made out,

"PathFinder? She's actually quite picky about her partners, but then again, she's also not one to mess around when she knows what she wants - she's the most direct person I know. That takes some getting used to, but it's also quite refreshing when you meet so many sycophants. I guess it's something to do with the nature of her powers."

He shrugs, then puts his arm around Mike's shoulder & again grins ::biggrin ,

"Now, my young hetero friend, let's see if we can't find you a nice Nova lady to keep you company..."

Ironskin starts scanning the room for potentials...

B & E:

The Vance / Korelli villa is an impressive home indeed - the extensive gym set-up & large hot-tub are particularly thought-provoking sights. Will finds several empty spare rooms, but can't tell if they're just not used, or have been lived-in recently. He also finds an office that seems full of QNA & other gay rights literature, but no traces of Holden (which is unusual in itself, since she was meant to be living with Vance & Korelli before her death...).

The Stranger, on the other hand, is in his element. After an extensive search he finds plenty of evidence of a woman living in the house recently (as would be expected) - from the hairs he pulls out of the drains, to the contents of the bathroom cabinets, to the way the food is arranged in the fridge - it all appears to mean something to the masked Nova (although Will finds it hard to fathom exactly how any of it could mean anything... ::confused ). More importantly, The Stranger realises that Holden's things have been moved out of the house - possibly by a grief-stricken Vance & Korelli, but...

... Amongst the various brick-a-brac in the garage (which holds several sports-cars & a couple of motorcycles), there is a manual for the same type of car as Holden drove (unsuprisingly) - with the page that shows the wiring diagram for the vehicle's ignition bookmarked. In the household garbage there's a bookstore receipt for a copy of 'A Rough Guide to Marrakesh' & 'English / Arabic Dictionary for Travellers'. The house phone has a number listed for 'Raoul' that appears to have been used quite a few times in the last few days before Holden's death. There's also an old post-it note left on the floor by the phone that's got a cell-phone number scribbled on it along with the words 'Sahara Santiago - call for travel details'.

Motel:

After hours of painstaking work, Derek finds himself face-to-face with a final translation of the journal's first page:

"A note to the reader. It is my assumption that, having taken care to decipher these pages, you have found due cause to gain the information held herein. Whereas it has always been my intention to use my knowledge for the benefit of mankind, there is also an imperative to keep said knowledge from the masses until there arises such a time that it will neither be used in immoral ways nor become demonised through misunderstanding. As this knowledge has now come into your hands, so too have these inherent responsibilities.

This journal details patented intellectual property owned both by individual & corporate entities, thus the reproduction, distribution, or reverse-engineering of any invention mentioned herein will be considered ungentlemanly & without honour & will be pursued with the full intensity of the law.

Should any meglomaniacs be laughing at this point, I'd like to take this opportunity to mention the virulent retro-virus contained in microscopic needles manufactured into these pages... I jest, or course...?"

[Archer21]

Content with the evidence he's found, The Stranger smiles beneath his mask. Taking the time to memorize the phone numbers, and the name of the bookstore listed on the receipt, he shows the scraps of paper to Will. Before returning everything to it's original place, he takes pictures of the papers, including the bookmarked section on the car's ignition.

His search complete, he and Will make good their escape, setting the security system back to it's defaults, leaving a window of time for them to clear the property. Stopping by to help John if they need to, they carefully exit the property and head back to the hotel.

[ProfPotts]

The three Nova burglars are soon safely back at their deluxe hotel, having reset everything as well as could be expected back into it's proper place in the Vance / Korelli household.

Meanwhile, in The Amp Room, Andy Vance steers Mike towards a beautiful young lady who is glowing with a bright yellow-orange light, & dancing in the air in the zero-G' foam. Her short red hair is cut in a very stylish manner, her figure is trim, & her eyes are a dazzling pale green. Wearing little more than a pair of extremely expensive looking diamond earings, & a eufiber swimsuit that is shifting patterns, colours, & form in time to the music & her own bioluminescence, she grins & waves when she sees Andy, & hovers down to ground-level. Mike suddenly recognises the girl as Delaney 'Firefly' Croft-Martin, insanely rich New York debutante, & member of T2M auxiliaries. She greets Andy with a hug & a kiss on the cheek, then turns to look Mike over,

"So, Mr Vance, who's this strapping young lad?", she asks. Andy laughs, slaps Mike on the shoulder, & replies,

"This is my latest friend, Mike. It's his first time here, & the guy he came in with was snatched by PathFinder... I just knew your 'superhero code' wouldn't allow you to leave such a handsome young man wandering alone in the wilderness of Nova debauchery..."

To Mike he whispers,

"Have fun - if you don't, I may loose my job..." ::wink , before heading off, back into the swirl of foam & fun.

Firefly grins at Mike, now hovering just a couple of inches off the floor, then tilts her head to one side & asks in an innocent voice,

"Don't you want to ask me to dance?" ::halo

[ezekiel]

What happened prior to Terry's intervention..

"Of course I have things I wish to hide from you, and from others. Some people like their intimacy. I don't know you well enough to reveil all of my deepest thoughts just yet...Don't you ever miss getting to know someone? I must admit ::sly You're not what I expected to find here at all. To hear the others talking about you, I was half expecting some monster to greet me. Unfortunately I must restrain my desire for you, lives are at stake. Or so I've been told. We also have a chaperone who'd love to talk to you.."

Terry looks meaningfully towards the floor.

"I don't know anything about him, some quarterback."

Pathfinder sighs, her thoughts ringing clearly in Terry's mind,

*Privacy & Intimacy are two different things - in some respect they're opposites. Whether you wish it or not, your deepest thoughts are revealed to me if I so choose. The question you have to ask yourself is whether you're honest enough in your own mind that such things don't matter, or if you're one of those people who needs to live the lie. I don't miss having to wade through the bullshit to get to know someone, no.*

She glances down towards Mike,

*Masters sent him, I suppose, because his thoughts are shielded from me.*

Smiling at Terry she mentally adds,

*I guess he doesn't know about your little revolt against your baseline lord, then?*

Looking serious for a moment, the thought then forms in Terry's mind,

*You don't have the book, do you? We can't 'deal' until you hand it over, so we may as well enjoy each other.*

Pathfinder undulates provocatively in the air, running her hands over her perfect, foam-covered, body & gives Terry a wink. ::wink

Terry grins and grabs her hands to twirl her with the expertise only a zero-grav veteran could manage. Holding her close from behind he kisses her on the side of her neck and whispers in her ear:

"I don't have the book because I wanted to make sure Natalia was alive before we were put in a potential ambush...Will, you've met him haven't you? He has visions and they seem to be real. I saw him at the airport incident, he deserves more credit than I do for saving the passengers of that plane. There's no way he could've known where that bolt was going to land...He seems to think the Harvesters are torturing Natalia, perhaps even killing her. Do you know anything about this?"

Pathfinder presses her body close to Terry, & kisses him again,

*I've been witness to the boy's 'visions' - pure madness. Are you sure he couldn't have intercepted Hog's bolt? He is quite fast, after all. As for the girl - the Harvesters will do what they feel they must for the betterment of Novakind - of that I'm certain. Of course, without the book a lot of what they do will be guess-work, & who knows what could happen then... ::devil Still, I'd rather think of other things...*

There follows a rather graphic image of one of Pathfinder's sexual fantasies involving her & Terry ::blush ::halo .She breaks the kiss & smiles at him,

*Does that tempt you, lover?* ::devil

Terry's eyes look into nothingness as the vision fills his mind. When its over he gives Pathfinder what can only be described as a "WTF?!" look and an unsure grin on his face.

"It might...actually it does... ::blush You are direct, aren't you? Listen...Let's talk with Mike to get this business out of the way and after that we can meet up...I would've said my apartment but then I guess I'm a fugitive for the moment. Yours?"

The Teragen woman smiles,

*You're still very...baseline...in your outlook, aren't you? Still, I think you have potential. In any case, I'll have fun finding out...*

She sighs out loud, then mentally adds,

*Oh well - if it's going to dampen your performance, I guess we better get this 'business' of yours out of the way...*

She glances down towards Mike.

For the first time Terry thinks the words instead of speaking out loud

*Thanks*

He also adds a floating element to Pathfinders fantasy as he winks at her... ::devil

Suddenly I'm wondering how the others would react if Terry spawned terat affinities..."They're not bad, just misunderstood. C'mon Nate, I like Pathfinder, you should get to know her some more..." ::tongue

And back to the normal post...

"Don't you want to ask me to dance?"

"I'm afraid that'll have to wait a few minutes..."

Terry's familiar voice booms from behind Mike. Turning around Mike sees Pathfinder clutching Terry's shoulder.

Terry looks at Firefly with a smile adding

"I promise to bring him back to you as soon as I can..."

The foam starts coming down towards the floor and various moanings of displeasure can be heard "Aw, c'mooon the party was just starting!"

Terry looks around for an empty table and heads towards it

Edit: Wow, more deleted scenes! I lost some the received PM's, luckily I usually quote everything in my sent pm's but this explains why Pathfinder's first question is absent...

[Archer21]

Back at the hotel, The Stranger again congratulates the pair. "Great work you two. Now we've got some solid leads on where and how to find Holden." Moving to one of the sofas, he sits down and takes a moment to order yet another Nova-sized meal from room service, then looks at both of them.

"I'm positive now that Holden is still alive, and has fled Ibiza, most likely to Marrakesh. That information is useful, but she'll still be difficult to track down. A woman named Sahara Santiago may have helped arrange her transportation. I'm going to see what I can find about Ms. Santiago, then we'll go from there."

He stands up. "I need to make some calls...please let me know when the food gets here."

[brilyn]

Derek leans back in thought after finally deciphering the first page.

After a few minutes he packs up his stuff, and leaves the motel (after paying, naturally).

He then goes in search of an Opnet terminal, preferably with an anonymous login (alá a cybercafe sort of place).

Once there, he sends a text message to the phones of Terry and The Stranger:

Code = Nova-Level Intellect

Decode = multiple weeks

Am moving from previous locale.

Derek then locates a pharmacy, and picks up the necessary tools for a basic toxicity test (assuming available)..... ::wink

And then goes looking for a coach. Heading any direction at all.

[Archer21]

Roughly 20 minutes later, room service arrives, the food carts groaning under their heavy load. When Will(or John) knocks on The Stranger's door, he tells them he'll be out shortly.

A few minutes into their meal, Will and John look up as the interconnecting door between the rooms open, and The Stranger comes through. "Surprise, surprise. Ms. Santiago is Orzaiz's personal secretary. It seems that the good Count definitely took part in arranging Holden's flight to obscurity."

He settles down and starts eating, his mask again performing the now familiar slither up his face to allow access to his mouth. In between bites, he says, "With a little more research, I may be able to track Ms. Santiago's phone calls and see if she's made any reservations lately. Depending on how long it takes Terry and Mr. Davison to finish up with Pathfinder, I might even find something tonight. But for right now," he smiles faintly, "I'd really just like to finish my food and take a shower."

While waiting for a response from either of them, The Stranger continues eating.

[ProfPotts]

In The Amp Room Terry & PathFinder find a suitable table - the Teragen female choosing to sit opposite Mr Nathanson, waiting patiently for his 'interrogation' to begin. ::sly Both are still covered in patches of foam.

Meanwhile, Derek's text messages are sent (& received), & he manages to purchase the items he needs for his tests [anything too rare he can just make himself anyway, right?]. Soon the Nova scientist is heading out on a coach to 'Anywhere, USA'.

[ezekiel]

In The Amp Room Terry & PathFinder find a suitable table - the Teragen female choosing to sit opposite Mr Nathanson, waiting patiently for his 'interrogation' to begin.  Both are still covered in patches of foam.

"Mike, this is Pathfinder. Pathfinder, meet Mike."

Terry's phone beeps. Giving only a brief look at the screen he puts it back it his pocket without reading the message.

Terry looks expectantly at Mike

[Ayre el KaBeer]

"With a little more research, I may be able to track Ms. Santiago's phone calls and see if she's made any reservations lately. Depending on how long it takes Terry and Mr. Davison to finish up with Pathfinder, I might even find something tonight."

Munching on a large red apple "So what do you suspect, I'm still pretty vague on all of this?"

(I don't think I've ever seen QZ go more than a day without a new post, scary!)

[Archer21]

"So what do you suspect, I'm still pretty vague on all of this?"

Pausing in his consumption, The Stranger seems puzzled. "Which part are you vague on?"

[Prince of Boredom]

(sorry all, last minute work related trip that took me away from my computer last week...)

"Mike, this is Pathfinder. Pathfinder, meet Mike."

He extends his hand... "Hi, how are ya? I've gotta tell ya, this is one wild place you've got here. I mean, I've seen some parties, but this definately tops them all."

"So Terry here tells me that you may know where our friend Natalia is. I was asked to come here and see if we can't work out some arrangement whereby you can help us find our friend before it's too late for her. (activating persuader) I don't suppose that you'd be willing to tell us out of the kindness of your heart?"

assuming she says no;

"Well then what can we do for you?"

[Ayre el KaBeer]

Pausing in his consumption, The Stranger seems puzzled. "Which part are you vague on?"

"Well even if Holden is still alive, say we find her, then what? It's not like we can force her to help us, she'll just as likely try to disapear again". Will shrugs putting the apple core on a plate "I just don't see her complying, best case senario is she gives us some info about the Count that we can use. Again, then what? Blackmail him? Pissing him off doesn't seem like a smart move ::confused ".

[Archer21]

"If she's gone to this much trouble to disappear, she's on the run from something big. That means that if we can find her, and prove she's alive, that information is worth a lot to somebody. Blackmail is an ugly tool, but effective. We promise to keep her secret, she gives us any information that might help us find Natalia."

Suddenly, a very faint buzz can be heard from The Stranger's belt. Reaching into the appropriate pocket, he pulls out a small cellphone. Glancing at the message, he tosses it to Will. "From Derek. One of our alternate plans better pay off soon."

The lower half of his face still visible, The Stranger grimaces. "I hope that Davison is as good as he's supposed to be. I'd much prefer Pathfinder to give us something we can use; I don't want to have to track down Holden."

[Ayre el KaBeer]

Reading the message "Weeks? Weeks! SH!T! Move one step forward take ten back!... When do we leave for Marakesh? I can't stand this waiting around anymore, I'm going to bed maybe tomorrow won't suck as hard as the rest of the days this week". As he's leaves he can be heard mutterring "C'mon Terry get us what we need".

[Archer21]

Watching Will walk off, The Stranger decides it's time for him to get some rest too. "Good night, John. See you in the morning." He heads back to his own room for a hot shower and some rest, hoping that tomorrow will bring better news.

[phoenix]

"Good night, John. See you in the morning."

"Good night. I think I'm going for a walk."

John does, indeed, shortly head out the door, and take a short walk around Ibiza before returning to the hotel and turning in.

[ProfPotts]

"Mike, this is Pathfinder. Pathfinder, meet Mike."

PathFinder smiles crookedly ::sly ,

"Terry & Mike... You know, you guys should really think about choosing some real names."

"Hi, how are ya? I've gotta tell ya, this is one wild place you've got here. I mean, I've seen some parties, but this definately tops them all."

The Teragen woman looks at Mike's outstretched hand for a moment, then seems to come to a decision, & shakes it. She smiles at the young Nova & comments ::smile ,

"Yes - life always seems better when you take out the baseline elements, wouldn't you agree?.."

"So Terry here tells me that you may know where our friend Natalia is. I was asked to come here and see if we can't work out some arrangement whereby you can help us find our friend before it's too late for her. I don't suppose that you'd be willing to tell us out of the kindness of your heart?"

PathFinder's smile drops for a moment, then returns ::bigsmile , as she looks Mike over,

"Did you know your aura just flared-up in the same way Orzaiz's does when he gets really charming?.. Is that what you're here to do, Mike, are you here to sweet-talk me?" ::sly

The Teragen beauty then casts her all-white eyes over both the Nova men, sighs in a pleasant way, & leans forward over the table (a pose that, considering her bikini, doesn't go unappreciated... ::blush ),

"You already know what you can do to help Natalia - give the Harvesters the book they want. I know that Terry here has already stolen it from Masters, & that, as far as he knows, Derek has it right now. If I didn't like you both so much, I'd just retrieve the thing myself - it'd take a minute or so, at most. Derek has one of the weakest minds I've encountered, & Terry has told me of his rough location. With my own talents I could locate Derek in less time than it's taken me to tell you this - then it's a simple matter to travel to his location & take the book from him."

PathFinder leans back & grins ::biggrin ,

"Your offer, Terry, has (naturally) snagged my interest ::wub , but my personal pleasures & the best interests of Novakind are two different matters. Taking you to see Natalia now, without the book, would just serve to make matters worse all round - for you, me, & even the girl. I see little point in double-crossing the Harvesters when all they're really trying to do is to give the baseline a chance to evolve. As far as I understand things, the book will help them to do so."

She pauses for a moment, then adds,

"It's a pity that Masters didn't think to send the pretty ones the first time round..." ::wink

[Prince of Boredom]

"Yes - life always seems better when you take out the baseline elements, wouldn't you agree?.."

"hmm, I suppose, this is my first all-nova party... but I must say that I like it..."

"Did you know your aura just flared-up in the same way Orzaiz's does when he gets really charming?.. Is that what you're here to do, Mike, are you here to sweet-talk me?" 

Mike looks visibly disturbed ::crazy not realizing that Pathfinder could detect his attempts at persuasion.

The Teragen beauty then casts her all-white eyes over both the Nova men, sighs in a pleasant way, & leans forward over the table (a pose that, considering her bikini, doesn't go unappreciated...  ),

::blink

"You already know what you can do to help Natalia - give the Harvesters the book they want. I know that Terry here has already stolen it from Masters, & that, as far as he knows, Derek has it right now. If I didn't like you both so much, I'd just retrieve the thing myself - it'd take a minute or so, at most. Derek has one of the weakest minds I've encountered, & Terry has told me of his rough location. With my own talents I could locate Derek in less time than it's taken me to tell you this - then it's a simple matter to travel to his location & take the book from him."

Mike looks at Terry gives a faint smile and shrugs...

"It's a pity that Masters didn't think to send the pretty ones the first time round..."

"Well Pathfinder, you're definately interesting, I guess Masters wasted his time sending me out here after all... I just wish there was something that we could do to move this along. I realize that you are under the impression that we have the book you are interested in, but it's my impression that we don't yet... are you sure there's nothing else we can work out (assuming persuader is still functioning, although it probably does no good at this point...)."

[ezekiel]

PathFinder smiles crookedly  ,

"Terry & Mike... You know, you guys should really think about choosing some real names."

"Now, now...you can't judge a book by its cover. Would you really like me better if I wore tights, goggles and answered to the name of Gravitoman? ::sly

I see little point in double-crossing the Harvesters when all they're really trying to do is to give the baseline a chance to evolve. As far as I understand things, the book will help them to do so."

Terry raises an eyebrow

"Wouldn't that be difficult if we exchanged the book for Natalia? I have no desire to double-cross the Harvesters. I only wish to make sure she isn't dead before setting myself or others up for an ambush. If you need to talk about it with Zia, please do so. I'll gladly wait."

[ProfPotts]

(assuming persuader is still functioning, although it probably does no good at this point...)

[What makes you say that? She told you what to do to get to see Natalia - an arrangement to help you find your friend - which is what you asked, right? This is Persuader we're talking about here, not Domination...]

"Now, now...you can't judge a book by its cover. Would you really like me better if I wore tights, goggles and answered to the name of Gravitoman?"

The Teragen woman grins,

"Hmmm... tights & goggles... Now there's an idea...." ::blush ::sly

"Well Pathfinder, you're definately interesting, I guess Masters wasted his time sending me out here after all... I just wish there was something that we could do to move this along. I realize that you are under the impression that we have the book you are interested in, but it's my impression that we don't yet... are you sure there's nothing else we can work out."

PathFinder smiles ::smile ,

"Who cares about Masters' time? As long as you don't think that your time was wasted, then why worry? Unless you have information that Gravitoman here doesn't, then Derek has the book - & this could all be moved on very quickly if you just handed it over. I'd love to work something else out with you boys", she winks at Terry ::wink , "but it's not my choice to make - The Harvesters want the book, not me."

"Wouldn't that be difficult if we exchanged the book for Natalia? I have no desire to double-cross the Harvesters. I only wish to make sure she isn't dead before setting myself or others up for an ambush. If you need to talk about it with Zia, please do so. I'll gladly wait."

Leaning back, PathFinder runs her fingers through her long white hair & sighs,

"We've been over this, Terry, the book is in exchange for access to Natalia, not 'handing her over'. We're not going to force the girl to go back to that tyrant Masters when she could become so much more. What you're asking me to do 'for free' is what your 'side' is getting for the book in the first place. Hence, if I take you to see Natalia now, without the book, I'll be screwing over Dr Zia & his pals. You still think of us as the 'bad guys' in all of this, don't you? Even when I've told your friends about Masters' anti-Nova weaponry program, there's evidence that his own granddaughter's been tampered with to prevent eruption, & he has young Derek working on power-blocking technologies. It's obvious that he's keeping you all in the dark, isn't it? Even Mike here claims to not know that you & Derek stole Masters' book - which would seem to me to be pretty vital information for him to have if he was sent here to negotiate with me. That baseline is using you all to aid him in his plans that threaten all of Novakind, & you're gladly letting him do it because the Teragen are the 'bad guys'. It's time you people stopped letting N! do the thinking for you."

[Ayre el KaBeer]

William, lying in his bed struggling to get to sleep, both from the news he just recieved and from the whole not actually needing to. *Why's all this happeneing to me? Nat? The visions? Hell this whole damned Nova thing?*

About an hour passes, Will's still not asleep, he's still thinking about this whole mess *Stupid Terragen, no respect for anything but them-damned-selves... Where is she?*

Holding his breath for a few seconds then releases "... I wonder...". Musterring all his concentration on the vision he had that involved Natalia, hoping to re-live it again...

"...Please... Work, damn you..." ::confused Doing all he can to trigger another spell "...C'mon..." ::hmmm trying to pump quantum while concentrating. ::sneaky2

(OOC: he does this untill he begins to feel tired but doesn't stop concentrating... spends a willpower point too...)

[ezekiel]

"We've been over this, Terry, the book is in exchange for access to Natalia, not 'handing her over'. We're not going to force the girl to go back to that tyrant Masters when she could become so much more. What you're asking me to do 'for free' is what your 'side' is getting for the book in the first place.

"That arrangement is ludicrous. I understand now why you can't take me, I had no idea that the others agreed to this...donation."

Even Mike here claims to not know that you & Derek stole Masters' book - which would seem to me to be pretty vital information for him to have if he was sent here to negotiate with me.

"I'm afraid that's only because he would've been on his flight over while Derek and I borrowed the book. Nothing so sinister as you imply...Besides, if he didn't know the book was stolen he could still negotiate as if he had power over the book - Terry glances at mike - which he doesn't. I do."

Terry broods things over

"What if we were to tell you we had some information which might interest either you or the Count? Obviously I don't have that information but I know someone who might. Would you consider it?"

[ProfPotts]

Try as he might, Will doesn't seem able to induce another 'spell' - although he succeeds in giving himself a roaring headache! However, after he's getting too tired to even try to summon a vision, & his crimson glow begins to fade, he glances at the bed he's sitting on & notices that the sheets are thread-bare, full of holes, & covered in a layer of dust - he's positive that they were fresh & new when he got in the bed... ::lookaround

The Amp Room:

"That arrangement is ludicrous. I understand now why you can't take me, I had no idea that the others agreed to this...donation."

PathFinder shrugs,

"That's the Count for you, I guess..."

"I'm afraid that's only because he would've been on his flight over while Derek and I borrowed the book. Nothing so sinister as you imply...Besides, if he didn't know the book was stolen he could still negotiate as if he had power over the book - Terry glances at mike - which he doesn't. I do."

The Terat looks at Terry for a few moments - & he feels the now familiar sense of her mind being connected to his, although this time she 'says' nothing. Instead she tilts her head to one side & says out loud,

"Actually Derek controls the book - & you haven't arranged to contact him for a few days yet. If you really thought the girl was in danger, then surely you'd not have sent your shiney friend off to decode the book instead of bringing it here."

"What if we were to tell you we had some information which might interest either you or the Count? Obviously I don't have that information but I know someone who might. Would you consider it?"

PathFinder shakes her head & smiles sweetly,

"I'm sure you know by now that any information that you have, I have - in which case I'd know as much as you - such as the name of this person you claim has useful information for us. Please Terry, if there's one thing I can't stand it's someone who tries to cloud the truth. If you have something to say, then just say it - otherwise see if you can contact Derek to bring us the book."

She glances at Mike,

"I'm really trying to help you guys here, but unless you have anything else to say, I'll be off to get changed, then I'm going to track down Derek & get the book. After that it's probably back to trying to kill Masters - since I now know he's still alive."

[ezekiel]

"Actually Derek controls the book - & you haven't arranged to contact him for a few days yet. If you really thought the girl was in danger, then surely you'd not have sent your shiney friend off to decode the book instead of bringing it here."

"Considering the hype behind the book...I thought, as I'm sure you know ::rolleyes, that it could represent much more danger to the girl than just Harvesters. Aren't you curious as to what its about?"

[Prince of Boredom]

"I'm really trying to help you guys here, but unless you have anything else to say, I'll be off to get changed, then I'm going to track down Derek & get the book. After that it's probably back to trying to kill Masters - since I now know he's still alive."

Mike flashes her a smile ::cool

"Hey, I'm just here trying to do my job. Obviously we've hit an impasse, but could you please give us some time to get you what you want before you start looking for Derek on your own. You seem like a fun girl to party with, and I'd hate to damage our budding relationship over something like this ::wink ."

[ProfPotts]

PathFinder looks from one of the Novas to the other. Settling on Terry she says,

"I know what Zia thinks is in the book - maybe he'll be proved wrong, but that we won't know until he's had a chance to study it. Why don't you get Derek to work with the Doc on the thing? I'm sure they'd get on like a house on fire... I'm a little disappointed that you doubt my ability to find Derek - I find paths, it's what I do - a path to Interface wouldn't be a problem. I'm tempted to head over there now just to prove the point... But sushi sounds good too..." ::wub

Turning to Mike, she returns his smile, then replies,

"I like you Mike, really I do - but I'm also pretty certain that you have less idea of where Interface is than I do. As I'm sure you know, your thoughts are hard for me to read, but I prefer to trust people to tell the truth as they see it, if at all possible. I'm often disappointed on that score, but I guess I'm just a romantic at heart. I believe that you really do think you have Natalia's best interests in mind, but so do I - I just realise that her interests & her grandfather's don't always meet eye-to-eye. My advice to you would be to use your considerable talents to find out just how much Masters has been hiding from you - then decide if we Teragen are really the 'bad guys' or not... Well - either that, or stay & enjoy the party here." ::wink

[Prince of Boredom]

"but I'm also pretty certain that you have less idea of where Interface is than I do."

"Well, I'd have to agree with you on that one since I have no idea what/where Interface is... And I definately don't doubt your ability to do just what it is you say you can do, I'm just asking that you don't yet. And yes, sushi does sound kind of good right now..."

[ezekiel]

"I know what Zia thinks is in the book - maybe he'll be proved wrong, but that we won't know until he's had a chance to study it. Why don't you get Derek to work with the Doc on the thing? I'm sure they'd get on like a house on fire...

"Would you care to enlighten us? What does Zia think is in the book? I could speak with Derek about some cooperative work with Zia though I doubt the others will like it. I imagine Derek will have his say in this a few days from now."

[ProfPotts]

PathFinder again shrugs,

"If you're willing to leave it that long, then fine. Zia thinks the book contains something that will help him remove the blocks that have been placed in Natalia to prevent her erupting. He's not a patient man though - chances are he'll start experimenting, with or without the book. If the book does contain what he claims, then it can only improve the odds that Natalia will be cured & not killed by those experiments - in any case, it'd give him something to do other than poking & proding the girl..." ::sly

She grins at Terry,

"Now... about that sushi..." ::biggrin