More out of habit than anything, Mason switches on the small box.

"One story in particular.  A story I have never given before.  First let me tell you, Mason is not the name I was given at birth.  It is a street name, something I earned on my early jobs.  I was called the stone man... cold, emotionless.  It isn't the name I was given but the name I earned.  It is what I am known by now."

He stretches his neck, rotating his head around once.  His voice is cold and devoid of emotion when he continues.

"First let me tell you a bit more about Goblinization.  It was a world wide phenomenon where slightly over 10% of the world's population spontaneously changed into orks, trolls, and other rather frightening races.  I told you this.  What I didn't tell you was the effect that this had on people.  It tore people apart, it tore families apart.  Many were killed by their own family members.  There were riots.  Tens of thousands of people were killed.  Groups sprung up to protect meta human rights and to squash them.

I told you I was a cop with the NYPD Inc.  What I didn't tell you was that I was a card carrying member of the Humanis Policlub.  The group that hated, harassed and even killed meta humans.  It was how I was raised.  My entire family and most of the NYPD were also members."

He waits a few moments for this to sink in.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:21, Tue 10 Mar 2009.

"My father was a cop before me.  Killed in the line of duty by a group of orks.  I was the man of the house at the age of 16.  I took care of my mother and of my baby sister, Elise, 12 years my junior.  Even before that, I was a member of the humanis policlub.  I went to an all homo sapien school and joined the Humanis Poli club my freshman year in high school like you might have joined the chess team.

I joined NYPD Inc. when I graduated from high school.  After 3 years, I was assigned to the Cyber Psycho Squad.  It was my team's job to put down people, well people like me.  In the Psych Squad, I met Janice, a fellow cop and member of the humanis poli club as well.  We fell in love and got engaged.  A couple of years later we were ready to get ready when one of those moments happened that can completely change your life.  Elise, my baby sister, Goblinized into a Troll.  When the change started, my mother called me in a hysteria, she wanted me to kill her and get rid of the body.  Instead I took her to my apartment and took care of her.  I never really knew how hard the change was on the people it happened to.  She grew 3 feet over the course of a month.  It was horrible, she was in constant pain.  I stole medical equipment to treat her and ease her pain.  The only one who knew was Janice.  It took about two months for the change to happen.  When it was done, I took over as her legal guardian.  I moved to a brown stone in the city where she could go to school.

At the age of 10 she was as tall as me, and just as strong.  But she was still my little sister.  It was still my job to take care of her.  I didn't have much in the way of cyber ware back then.  A basic reflex enhancer and a smart link.  It wasn't long till we were fitting in fine.  Janice and I fought constantly about Elise, but we were still planning on getting married.

I was sitting on the front porch watching Elise play when the car came around the corner.  They shot her, they shot her in the street.  I tried to help her but I wasn't fast enough."

Again he stops... for the first time, a little emotion slips into his voice.

"That was when I got my obsession with speed from.  There were three of them in the car.  The driver and two gunners, one in the front seat, the other in the back.  She was dead on the street.  Shot four times with high caliber hand guns.  There were only four shots fired.  All were hits on Elise.  Any one of them could have been lethal.  The people in the car were wearing masks, but I didn't need to see their faces to know who they were.  They were members of my squad.  I knew them all and I knew where they would go.  When the ambulance got there, I didn't go with them.  I knew she was dead.  Instead I went down to my station house.

Janice met me as I entered the squad room.  She knew by the look on my face that that I knew.  She tried to convince me that it was for me that they had done it.  That it was to set me free.  I drew my flechette pistol and shot her in the forehead.  I killed the other members of my team, a single shot to the head for each one.  I collected the gear that I could carry, set a satchel charge of C-XII and left.

I am not saying I was justified in what I did.  I am not innocent.  I am not a victim.  The only victim, the only one that was innocent in all of this was Elise.  I left New York for Seattle.  Seattle is the biggest shadow community in the world.  I cold blend in and disappear, I don't look the same as when I left New York and I haven't gone by my given name since then."

He stops, his face blank, again devoid of emotion.

"I am sure you have already guessed, my ghost was Janice."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:28, Tue 10 Mar 2009.

Vanessa had listened to Mason, a slight frown of concentration and empathy creasing her forehead.  She nodded, when he we was done and sat, quietly for a long minute.

She had lots of questions, but it was not the right time to ask. She understood the currents that carried his tale and the batterings that they could produce, drowning one without the release of death. She also knew the irritation of trite platitudes and annoyance of polite untruths.  She was rather...honored that he had shared the story with her, and would not devalue that with careless comment.

Finally she spoke, Perhaps the curse of sentient beings is their emotion?She smiled grimly No one is clean in that story, but none are monsters either, you know? She shook her head solemnly.

She reached a gentle hand out to place it on the man’s arm, You’re still human, Mason. Whether you like that or want to be or not, you were then and I don’t care how much of you is synthetic, you are still.

"Elise was clean.  She was innocent.  She was killed because of who I was."

Taking the glasses off, his smile shows some emotion but it is still very controlled.

"I have run a razor's edge for a long time.  I have kept just enough of my soul.  There are people with more... modifications than I have.  They are cyber zombies.  Their soul has to be tricked by magic to be kept in the body.  They sometimes forget to breath.  I am much closer to that, than I am to normal, but I do still feel."

"My switch to Narco-Jet was an emotional decision as well as a practical one.  Live but unconscious guards leave fewer enemies than piles of bodies.  But, it was also the thought of the wives and children of those same security guards that really made the decision."

This whole conversation is one that he has never had.  He has gone into so many situations with Dream Walker and Peppin, but has never told them.  Vanessa was little more than a stranger, but it was more than that.  It was the fact that she wasn't from his world.  How could he have told his best chummer, the dwarf that had saved is life so any times that he had been a member of the Humanis Policlub?

She was innocent. Vanessa agreed, But she was killed because of who she was, not because of you. She said firmly. And maybe you shouldn't take that away from her? She added more gently.

Things happen.  Things change. Nessa shrugged. It seems that's how it works...  I'm not saying everything happens for some great reason or purpose or any of that She added with disdain, But that it's the pattern of existence. And the interpretation is very subjective.

She thought for a long moment. For those of us who travel that edge, there are options that are very easy. Options for which the interpretations can be very simple. I don't know why some of us don't chose the easy, simple options... She gazed away, thinking of her self as much as the man, But I know when we don't, our world is more complex and its ridiculous to think we can be the same person as when we started... but maybe the complexity is important?

"It was a series of events that helped to define who I was to become.  Since then I have seen the best and the worst of my world.  I have seen a dragon corrupted by an ancient evil, I have seen the beauty of the spirit of an old home filled with love manifest."

He stands up, instictivly moving towards the door.  Placing himself between the wall to the bar and Vanessa.  If there was trouble, bullets could pierce wooden walls without much difficulty, but his armored jacket could help absorb most impacts.

Vanessa smiled and shook her head. She too had heard the comotion from the other room. Trying to protect me is a full time job, and I'm not hiring. She joked, still shaking her head and coming to stand up.

Thank you for telling me. She faced him and spoke sincerely, before coming to before him. If you ask me, and I know you didn't, but I'm going to tell you anyway. She smiled.  You need to stop beating yourself up.  Believe me, I know...easier said then done. You've done bad things.  You've also done good things. Haven't we all?  All any of us can do is be true to ourselves and deal with what's in front of us.

She paused and sighed, And right now in front of us, it sounds like the ...peopleShe knew it was probably the wrong word, but she didn't have a better one. It sounds like those out there need baby sitters.  Some of them are really rather annoying, but maybe we can keep the troops from acting out. C'mon. She suggested arms coming to fold again across her chest as she stood in her typical crooked stance. Though she had to admit, there was something tempting about ignoring it and letting a few of them kill each other.

"Sorry, force of habit.  I have been shot quite a few times and I am still here.  I spoke with the bar tender, this place is protected by ancient and powerful magics.  Any who attempt to fight in here will be the worse for the attempt.  It truly is neutral ground."

Though tempted to let the people out there fight it out just to see what would happen, there was at least one that he was starting to consider a friend.  The smile he gives is actually warm, showing more emotion than anything before.

"Thank you for listening."

In just a moment, all expression drops away as he puts the sunglasses back on and moves to the door, picking up the now uncharged box on the table.

Any time Mason. It was my pleasure ....And I don't care what you call your self. Vanessa patted his arm and smiled at the man.

She followed him to the door, knowing that he would not move from it until he had surveyed the scene and deemed it safe.  In most she would have found this excessively annoying, but in this case, she did believe it had nothing to do with her, and in that, it made it almost acceptible.

[To Main Tavern]

<<<To the main room.>>>

[From the Main Room]

Carrying the drinks carefully in his hands, Rafael had nudged open the door to one of the side rooms with his elbow and then pushed it fully open with his knee. Once inside, he put the drinks down carefully on one of the side tables and slumped into one of the easy chairs as he waited for Jethro and Scott to come in and make themselves comfortable.

Jethro sat down and put his feet up on an ottoman.  He took off his hat and rested it in his lap.

He wasn't sure what to say to break the tension. There was a heavy air around the room, the tension was almost tangible.  Before Scott came in, he looked over to Rafi.

"Think he can handle it? He shows a lot of potential, but I can't tell if its from necessity or just how he is."

Rafi just shrugged,

"The kid's tougher than he first looks. I wasn't just boosting when I said he did good on our trip. He knew that the situation was difficult and he kept his head." He took a long draw on his pint and shook his head,

"We'll just have to make sure he's OK." He paused and shook his head, "Perhaps I am more worried that he will handle it too well, too quickly. This isn't exactly the best of lifepaths."

[From Tavern]

He'd stopped to tie his sneaker...then the other shoe, then to convince himself a monster looking thing was not wearing a bug hat, and finally a last glance at Kisa who was just walking in, so it had taken a minute or two to catch up.  Now Scott walked into the side room, placing his charge very carefull down at the foot of a chair and sitting.

He glanced between his two new friends, and squinted.  What? He asked with the distinct feeling either he had been talked about or he was being called to the principal's office... or both.

As Scott entered the room, Rafael saluted him,

"I was just worrying, sunshine" He shrugged a little, "You seem to be taking all this pretty well... no, damn well... but if you need to scream, shout, freak or beat me around the head for letting this shit happen, then now's the time." He relaxed into his chair slightly, pulling up his legs and crossing them beneath him and drinking some of his pint,

"We have to trust each other and that means being open, not nursing apparent slights or sulking. For my part, I promise you that if I'm going to criticize you, I'll say it directly." He grinned, "Believe me, I am hardly noted for tact." He then looked to them both,

"I know we were interrupted, but I disgorged a fair amount of info just before. Did you have any questions about it? Better to be clear now than confused later."

Awwww. You’re worried about me?  Isn’t that special.  Scott answered in the most annoying voice he could muster.   Stop calling me ‘sunshine’ or I’m going  to have to hurt you and  start calling you d***head. He  growled, though he wasn’t really all that upset, about it, he did trust Raf.

Why would I be upset with you? He grew serious and looked at Rafi as if the guy was nuts.  That made no sense.  It WAS all a little surreal, but he’d always told people he ‘wanted to believe’, it was just that aliens had never landed in his back yard or MIT.  Well, now they had, so to speak.

So... All the stories are real? Scott asked  frowning and leaning forward, resting his arms on his knees. Why’d he give that stuff to me?  You know, I think I would have chosen someone... better. He said sarcastically.

"Sod off, sun... beam." Rafael grinned, then shrugged,

"Not all the stories, I'm sure. There's some real wacky sh*t out there and some of the stuff that people believe? Blimey... " He shook his head, "Little green men probing where the sun don't shine? Why would any self-respecting alien want to shove probes up the arse of some fat loser from Peoria? Not likely," He became more serious,

"But, yeah, the stuff about the demons, about Lucifer and his right hand man, that's real. To be honest, I don't know why the mage gave it to you. But he did. We'll just have to deal with it."

"So," Jethro chimed in. "What is it that he gave you? A piece of the true cross? Longinus' spear's head? A danish made from the fruit of wisdom? If Old Scratch's General was chasing you for it, it must be something important."

"Chance would be a fine thing." Rafael muttered, "Nothing so pleasant." He paused and considered, "Pity, as the danish sounds damn tempting... No..."

"We were interrupted before. I was going to show you, if you'll let me..."

Jethro's was the question Scott was dying to know, and afraid to ask.  He had no idea what those things were that Jethro listed, and wondered why they were in the pleasent catagory, but there was just too much he didn't know.  What WAS in his pocket seemed more pressing.

Go for it... Just don't touch them, Cupcake. He grinned back at Rafi.

Rafael pulled a face at Scott but he was glad that the tension seemed to have dissipated.

"Why don't you put the jacket and those things on the floor? No-one's going to be touching them. Hell, when we're done... well, let's just say, I hope you're not really attached to that jacket." He stood up and took a sip of scotch,

"So Jethro, want to see with my eyes for a bit?"

Jethro perked up at the thought.

"As long as there is no surgery involved, sure. Is it going to show whats in the jacket?"
 He sat up straight, showing hes completely up for anything.

What falls out of the pocket of the jacket is 3 small, ancient silver coins.  Two land with the face of a man up.  One lands with a symbol face up.  There is something quite disturbing about the symbol.

"Roman silver?" Asks Jethro as he looks at the coins, careful not to get too close, but trying to read the Latin on the face up coins.

"I haven't seen ancient coins in such brilliant shape, in, well. . . ever."

As the coins fell to the floor, Rafael frowned, motioned Jethro and Scott closer to him "Close your eyes,". Touching them both, he murmured a few words in Latin and then said, "Open them and take a look at the coins," Without waiting to see the result, Rafael went over to the coins and crouched down, taking a closer look at them, attempting to make out the symbol, the faces, to see if he recognized anything at all. As he did so, he spoke back to the others,

"What you seeing is the magic of the infernal realms. These coins are powerful demonic artifacts. Scott, notice how different it feels to arcane magic? "