Baroness smiled over the edge of her glass at the response from Matador. She set her drink down and gave Gauze a wink, not wanting the woman to feel left out as she floated her hand into Matador's and slid up to her feet. She looked down to her homunculus and projected a warm smile, "Stay with Phantasm dear, and be good. I think she likes you and we wouldn't want to ruin that, now would we?" The little beast gurgled and scurried over to set a gnarled hand up onto Phantasm's pant leg and give a small tug.

She spun about around Matador, attempting to turn him with her and pull him away towards the crowd, "I do believe I've seen you somewhere. Something about you being wanted?" said with a low chuckle. Her hips started into a salsa rhythm as best it fit with the music, "Come--Does your name apply to dancing too?"

Paidrag looked at Johnny as if to say what the fuck do we do now?  He looked back at the little girl, then awkwardly lifted her out of the dumpster and held her, awkwardly, while murmuring meaningless Irish flavored drivel to her. He again looked at Johnny, "Ah'm na 'shamed t' say this iz a touch outside m' trainin, boyo. Wha'd'we do with the lil' poppet? Family mos' like can't help her 'gainst someone hirin' novas to mops 'n suds 'er. Rashuod?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:06, Thu 26 Sept 2013.

Johnny glanced back at Paidrag, What, like I know what we're supposed to do?  He turned the charm on their foundling to keep her calm.  "Hey there, buddy.  Took four of them to corner you?  Looks like you're a pretty tough lady.  This is my friend Patrick," he didn't even try to say it right, "and you can call me Johnny."  Meanwhile, the viewport of Johnny's helmet snapped photos of the girl and tried to establish an uplink to sort through the Project: Utopia records.  The damage to his helmet was mucking up the connection, though, and no results yet.  He resolved to put a backup device in his pack later.

Once he had the images he needed, he removed the helmet, flashed a winning smile, and set the girl on her feet.  "Hey, we're going to get you someplace safe.  Right now we're going back that way.  Our new friend Joe is back there."  He fiddled around in his pockets and pouches for a few moments, then pulled out a small metal cylinder with a spray nossel that read 'Liquid Knuckles' on the side.  "Here, if anyone scares you, just tell 'em you'll spay 'em with this."

"Rashoud Centers the way to do it.  They've got resources to help her.  Never seen a nova so young, though."  They walked back.  "We really ought to question that last elite guy.  Just none of the rough stuff in front of our friend..." he shook the last of the alcohol haze off and realized he hadn't even asked.

"Hey buddy: you have a name?  Any idea why those guys were chasing you?"

When they came around the corner, Johnny gave Joe a thumbs up and a silent Thank You.  Dude, you're alright.  Amazing how expressive a thumb can be.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
OOC: Burning 1 quantum for First Impression to win the hearts and minds of Americas youth.  Or at least this one kid.  Who is probably American.

---

"Well, looks like the bang bang brigade is back. I uh, hope you don't err...get thrown in a Turkish prison or something? Y'know, nice American one or something - with television and hot water 'n stuff."

He started to hold out his hand to help the man up out of long habit then paused, chagrined.

"Sorry. Forget sometimes I'd frag your pain receptors. Most people aren't into that. Terri's a peach."

He turned to the two Novas.

"Someone with a lot of tug's off on this. Four of them? In downtown Las Vegas? This guy says," he thumbed his 'prisoner' "he's done some things here before, but that might just be his brass chatting."

He followed it up with talking directly to the girl.

"So they must be pretty scared of you. Are you scary? I bet you won't believe this, but I kind of know what that's like if you wanna talk a little while these nice men... do something."

"It's ... complicated.  We're not all evil, and Utopia's done a lot of good."  He frowned inwardedly as the tourists began to close in.  "Give me a minute.  Don't run off."

Daphne got to watch as he smiled, glad-handed, and even signed some photos and posed for pictures, becoming a completely different and very public person.  But his paranoia was growing; this would cut down on his available time something considerable.  The photos would probably get flagged by the Directive or Proteus soon, and he didn't want to be here when they figured out there was an unidentified woman in the photos with him.  He remembered that Frostburn and Dr. Zero used to obsess over little details like that.  Someone would figure it out.  He started heading toward the Archon -- neutral ground, out of sight -- then thought the better of it.  Out of sight of baselines meant in focus for novas, even Proteus.

"Enjoy Las Vegas everyone!  Thank you!  I have to go."  Hopefully, that would satisfy them and keep them from following.  He turned to Daphne and pointed down the street.  "Come on.  Let's get out of here.  Gale will find us."  His metal skin seeped out through the flesh as he walked, giving him a steel-gray complexion.  "Utopia has the world's best interests at heart.  But they've got a few skeleton in the closet.  We've parted ways.  And Laura I haven't talked with much, but I've met her.  And she probably knows by now that I'm getting a healthy suspicion for the way Rashoud Centers are run.  So that's why she's good people.  She's not forcing a choice on you just because she still does some work for them."

Rather than heading north, Dllon turned left and took them toward Industrial Road.  He had a plan.  Sadly, it didn't involve sight seeing.  "So ... trains don't bother you.  You can't eat or drink.  And you're wearing the same clothes as the night you erupted.  But you're still alive."  he gave her a reassuring grin.  "Feel like you've lost your mind yet?"
This message was last updated by the player at 17:43, Thu 26 Sept 2013.

In reply to Johnny Afterburner (msg # 145):

Just beginning to calm down, cassia's panic returned at the mention of the rashoud facility.  "No, no rashoud! They'll find me again!" Her voice was light, and her accent was a blend of Mexican and Texan. She squirmed in her rescuer's arms as she shouted. Turning to joe she pleaded, "don't let them take me!"

"Whoa hey kid, alright!  No one's taking you to a Rashoud Center if you don't want to go."  He frowned.  Just half an hour ago he was having a good time with Paidrag, and now his night was getting more complicated by the moment.

Daphne waited patiently for Dillon to do the whole celebrity bit. Having been around Laura and reporters enough Daphne knew how to mostly stay out of sight, but even with a small group of people that was difficult when pictures were being taken.

Daphne follows Dillon down the road. Daphne laughs a little at Dillon's question. " You can add can't smell  much, can't hear much and can't feel what I am touching at all to that list. Though Laura promises that once she can wrangle up a set of eufiber for me I will be able to change clothes, well at least how it appears. Seeing her eufiber for the first time was really weird. Truth be told though I lost my mind after being hit by that train. Well really once my parents disowned me I lost it, but I have been steadily trying to gain it back and you're right I am alive"

Daphne looks up at the sky for a second before continuing. "To be honest though, after that first night I had wished I was dead. I even tried more than a few times. I should have known better, but hey I was never the brightest kid. My goodness I am doing it again... rambling on. So if not Utopia how does one learn to be one of us. That is something Laura has been trying to help me with, but the doctors and trainers she introduces me to just don't seem to click with me. Unfortunately when that happens I have a bad habit of shutting down and not responding to them like I would... like I am with you. One of them told Laura I was autistic and another said sociopathic. She kind of ignored them."

Dillon nodded.  "I know how that is.  Not many people know this, but I can't smell or taste anything.  Lost those pretty early on to, uh," he gestured at his forehead to indicate the node.  "Not sure if I can die either.  The metal keeps me alive."  He ran a hand over his head, an old habit that had cropped back up.  In about a month, he'd turn thirty.  His almost-parental sympathy for the girl's plight was overwhelming common sense.  He didn't know much of anything about Daphne yet, but he was ready to offer her a way out.

He took a deep breath.  "You really don't watch the news much, do you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:54, Thu 26 Sept 2013.

Dragón cast a side-long glance at Suzukaze then turned back to Operator.  "Keep your head down and your ears open," he said, tapping the headset of his comm.  Then he shifted his eufiber to a dark, flat color that would blend in with the night sky and launched straight into the air.  About 300 feet up he shifted over so he could look straight down on the club's roof until he spotted the hidden guard on the roof.  Dropping silently behind him, he put him down with a precision strike, relieved him of any weapon or radio, and flex-cuffed him to a handy bit of architecture.  Once he had the roof to himself, he set about locating the best way through it.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:56, Thu 26 Sept 2013.

Joe sighed. He looked at the mad Irishman and friend and shrugged.

"Look... I was having a terrible time inside anyways. I can call up my girlfriend and get her to come out here? She's better with kids than I am... unless they're into scary movies ..."

"You guys need to do whatever you gotta do with um, 'leetburger and his pals. If the girl wants to stay with me? She can stay. I got nothing important to do right now."

He turned to the girl.

"First we need to have a long talk about your parents before we go anywhere, I'm sorry if that's not a conversation you want to have or if you think I'm prying, but it's the right thing to do. After that, if I'm satisfied with your answers? All I can really promise you is is a lot of quiet. You need some time to think, catch your breath? I dig that. I got that. Um, I'm not one of those guys with his own private island and a basement full of video games either. If you're just skipping school, looking for a handout? There's probably a dozen people inside that would do that better than me... I can afford to take my girlfriend here every so often. It was a stretch to get the plane tickets."

"And uh, a heads up about who's after you would be nice too? This guy here convinced me it wasn't for an Amber Alert, but that's still a lot of room for what and what for, right?"

Calming again with the promise that she wouldn't be turned over to the authorities, Cassia assessed the situation, intelligence showing in her eyes, in the way she glanced at all the important details of the scene.  She wasn't escaping, and if these were just people willing to help, she would get more by cooperating.

Her voice was hoarse from screaming and from fatigue, it took her a few tries before she could start talking.  "Like Matilda."  At the look of confusion from the men, she explained.  "I heard what you asked him.  I answered your question."  She pushed her long hair, filthy from whatever adventures had brought her to this point, away from her face.

"My parents told me that I was always different, even when I was little.  I learned fast, knew things.  It was hard for them.  I was hard for them. Then, last year I started to see things... Mama thought I was crazy, and papa just ignored it.  But when things started moving on their own, or just disappearing, they couldn't ignore that.  So they took me to a clinic, where the doctor told them I had to be a nova.  That's when they took me to the Rashoud center."

She grew visibly agitated, but she continued. "The doctors were confused, I'm not sure why, but then some other people came and took me.  Things happened, they told me things I didn't understand, something tried to get in my head, in my mind.  Then I wished I was somewhere else, and I was.  I've been running ever since.  I tried to go home, but..."  She cried again, the memory was too much for her.  "They didn't remember me!  And THEY were waiting for me at the house!" She was referring to the elites.  If her accent was any indicator, they had chased her a long way from home.

"Tha's quite the story, lil' one," Paidrag said.  "'An we're nay gonna tek ye' nowheres ye' don' wanna go, othewise we're jus' like them fools tha' was huntin ye'. So, if no Rashoud, then prolly no 'Topia neither, since they n' they 'r in bed all cuddled up like."  He paused, thinking, clearly an act that was inherently unnatural, "There's powerful few places tha' you'll be safe from someone tha' can hire nova muscle, e'en sec'n rate muscle like those louts.  If not 'Topia, then how 'bout DeVries.  Run by a nova, an' Lady Anna be powerful loyal to her people.  She'll take care of ya, right as rain."
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:26, Fri 27 Sept 2013.

Joe's brow furrowed. He also was obviously not used to thinking very much.

"You're a girl who doesn't exist, being chased by people who make people forget, running to somewhere you don't know?" he scratched his chin before softly cursing in heavily accented Greek. He sighed and let it roll off of him. Nothing to be done, just let it all happen -

"So Little Ghost... tell us what you'd like to happen and we'll see about shaking the world until the sunlight shines again."

"I just said it was all right, didn't I?"  Poor kid.  Still caught up in Prodigal's cult.  But she knew better than to take that from him.  She also ignored everything Prodigal said, sparing him only a scathing glance.

"You have to guard someone who needs protecting.  I can't give you a name, but I'm sure you'll know that person when you meet them.  Someone who can't fight for themselves."  She shrugged.  "I know that's not much, but life doesn't tend to work that way."
This message was last updated by the GM at 12:37, Fri 27 Sept 2013.

Johnny elbowed Paidrag.  Despite the girl's apparently superb hearing, he whispered.  "What, are you crazy?  The same agency that hires out the elites, and we're going to send her over there?  At best, they'll raise her as an agent.  At worst, Anna will trade her for a payout the first chance she gets."

"Those curd dripping trout troughs? DeVries? Don' make me laugh, boyo.  You'n me trounced four of 'em in a shake of a parson's dick.  Them was DeVries Elites like that poser Olympian is Impetus.  Serious like, there's 2 diff'rn branches o' DeVries, combat elites like me, and a whole 'nuther branch of law boys, artistes, scientists, companions an' the like.  An' ain't nobody nohow snatchin' no lil' girl outa the Pretoria compound, no way." Paidrag whispered back, "But, i's t' young lassie's choice like." He said at normal volume, "Who'd ye' feel safe with, lassie?  Ain' no ner'do'wells gonna cause you no grief while me'n th' All Muric'n Patriot r' breathin like.  We'll get you somewhere where you feel safe 's 'ouses."

In reply to Wheelman (msg # 159):

"Can I just stay with you all for a while? You're the only ones that have tried to help me."

Daphne shrugs at Dillon's question. "I've been watching it more now that I have a place to live, but it still isn't something I enjoy. Back home, I never watched the news. It wasn't something I really cared to do. I wanted to hang out with my friends more and my parents didn't really encourage watching TV. Looking back on it, I know it was to limit exposure to the real world, for fear of nova influence. My community and family did a great job at keeping us insulated from outside influences. I knew of novas and if I tried I bet I could throw out a name or two, but some of that would be from more recent events."

Daphne looked down at the ground as she continued speaking. "I spent most of my life hearing about how Novas are horrible evil people with satanic influence. I guess I never completely bought into it, but it is still hard to not think that way at least a little bit. I know I'm not evil and wasn't before this, but man brainwashing kids is a good way to mess with them for life."

Daphne looks up at Dillon and smiles. "Though if you were asking because your curious if I recognized you, I do now that we have been talking a bit. I wasn't sure at first because most of what I have seen you in is older footage and your wearing a more pedestrian outfit than I would have expected. I can't put a name to you, sorry not that good at all this yet. I know you once were a member of... team tomorrow. You know whats really weird, I think I can count on one hand the number of times I had heard of Team Tomorrow." Daphne bits her lip and looks as if she is actually counting in her head.

In reply to Baroness (msg # 143):

Phantasm only smiled at Shrapnel's insults.  The terat was prey, and the only thing that saved Shrapnel from an untimely death was the arrival of the other Pantheon members.  No need to let the Dominion leader know that though.  There would be other opportunities after all.

Instead of joining the argument that was taking place, Phantasm chose to entertain herself with the little gremlin on the bar.  Her aura of screaming souls blazed into ephemeral life, startling the other patrons as a hideous little demon took shape inside it before leaping out onto the recently vacated seat of Baroness.  The creature had a bit of consciousness, stolen from her various victims.  "Go, play."

"Little lady, I couldn't protect you, couldn't get you home, and I live on a boat that's usually out in the middle of the ocean somewhere. And these gentlemen are hammered."

"I think we need to find you someone more responsible and capable of attending a young girl than any of us."

Johnny didn't let on that he'd snapped photos.  With his OpNet connection busted, Utopia wouldn't know immediately.  Still ...

"Responsible?  Pff.  Kid, you're welcome to crash at Casa de Johnny.  Problem being, that's up north at the Upie base."  At least until the move down to Mexico City's done.  "So ... in the absence of anyplace else, let me make a call."  A few smooth moves later and he was borrowing a pedestrian's cell phone and placing a call for the low price of two or three selfies with nova groupies.  Only one stupid sonovabitch in town I can trust with this one.

"Come on, Dragon, pick up the damn phone ... hey hoss!  It's Johnny.  This better not be a cute voice mail message, 'cuz I've got a weird story for you."  If El Dragón picked up, Johnny would give him the quick version of events and ask if they could bring their new little friend by his place.

"Hey guys," he turned back to Joe and Mechanus.  "Don't let the suspect leave yet, okay?"  He shot the detained elite a look that said I will find you, and end you if I have to.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:32, Sat 28 Sept 2013.

She wasn't lying.  This was one sheltered kid.  "No, I get it.  Borderline Michaelist upbringing.  But I don't really care if you recognize me.  I'm more surprised that anyone stateside still keeps their kids that cut off."  There were a few places that tried to skip the nova age.  Dial-up internet instead of eufiber cable.  Television censorship or bans.  Big churches and big congregations.  This girl didn't have a home anymore.

"Well Daphne, I'm Dillon.  And you've met me at a weird place in my life.  And you seem to be in a weird spot yourself."  He gave a reassuring smile.  "I've been where you are.  If you've got questions about being a nova, I'll answer them.  Or find someone who can."

"Meanwhile, we're heading over there for one of the better views of the skyline."  As they came around the corner from the Bellagio, he pointed toward the Rio.  They still had to cross an overpass and navigate a few crossings, but they needed some time to talk anyway.  "I was born in one of the small towns north of here, but this city's mine.  So I'll make sure you get to see the good parts and we'll try to skip past the crap."

Paidrag nodded and glowered ominously at the (conscious) hostage.  "Ye try to run an ye'll wind up inna same place as ye will if'n ye sit quiet like.  You'll have a few more broken bone though.  Your choice."

"Johnny!  It's good to hear your voice," Dragón said.  As he listened to Johnny's story, a look of concern crept onto his face.  "Absolutely, bring her on by.  I don't have a lot in the way of creature comforts at the moment, but I can give her a roof over her head and plenty to eat."  He quickly provided directions and hung up the phone.  He drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly as he looked around at his bare floors and decided lack of furniture.  If I'm gonna have a little house guest, I'm gonna need to change a few things.  He remade the bed and pulled a sleeping bag out of the closet for himself.  Then, as he waited, he sat back down at his computer and got back to the writing assignment for his Creative Writing class.