7:56 am, Monday, July 26th, 2280

Waking up from possibly the first good night's rest she'd had in a month, Rowan blinked into the ample daylight pouring into her room from various large windows.  She quickly realized her initial assessments of the space were incomplete.  Maybe it was the near-death experiences from escaping what used to be her job, maybe it had been her minimalist use of lights as she wandered in, maybe she'd just been dead tired.  Sitting up in the comfortable bed she scanned the room.  There was a second bed, two dressers of matching style but not color, and the decor seemed to skew towards children without being pure overt cartoon characters.  A tastefully done room by rich people for their rich children.  It was immaculate.

On her way to use the bathroom adjacent to her room, she got a much better look at the space she'd walked through to find a bed.  The bathroom was accessible by a larger room, and this one was packed with storage cabinets.  A peek into one or two revealed hundreds of toys varying in size, age-range, complexity, and style.  A playroom, then.  Off to the north side of the room was another door that, she couldn't resist discovering, led to the highest point in the mansion.  Another door at the top of ornate spiral stairs had a sloppily hand-written note taped to it.  "Tree House" was inscribed along with a passable drawing of skull and crossbones.  The warning door opened up to a large, square turret overlooking the surrounding forest.  The structure leaned baroque in design with high arching windows that could all be opened with the tap of a nearby panel.  The dome atop the turret was visible inside as the ceiling curved its half-sphere over the space with a clean, gold lacquer that gave the feeling of being in a castle.  Some random toys were still laying about the space but there was a telescope and a small work area that made this a very appealing lookout point should it seem needed.

Already on the ground floor she made her way to the main areas and heard conversation coming from the kitchen, a natural place to gather in any home.  Despite being massive, aggressively appointed with the highest-end equipment and suited to serve a restaurant, it still had a quality to it that lent itself to comfort and warmth.  Upon entry each of the other four members acknowledged her and somehow, despite the macabre and violent beginnings, this group already felt more cohesive than any she'd encountered during her time in S.T.A.D.S..  And it seemed she was a part of it.  She joined the conversation without reservation, though for her that just as often meant pure observation as it did contribution.

There was plenty to discuss.  Not quite finished with the previous evening's surprises or events leading up to it, the group continued where they'd left off and even had fresh perspectives with a full night's rest under their belts.  Each member even found themselves discussing some of their pasts because there seemed to be some overarching connection among them, the details of their histories were suspected to potentially shed some light.  If nothing else, they all were discovering a subconscious desire to feel closer to the other members of this cadre considering the epic levels of danger that only seemed to increase by the day.  Then there were the items immediately on hand.

Anya had responded to Vahl's text for an update by indicating a man insisted on meeting him in his office this morning, 10 am.  The man was a robotics specialist that Vahl had been courting to either create a partnership or at least swap some ideas, the possibilites for scientific advancement with him seemed very high.  The only challenge was that Dr. Aeres Kontos was eccentric and a big personality to handle.  If he wasn't so talented Vahl wouldn't have wasted his time, but the man was impossible to meet with and this provided a much desired opening to a conversation that was long overdue.  Since Anya had only been provided instructions should Vahl not reach her, she otherwise conducted business as usual and as this was a Monday, appointments were allowed.  Vahl's text confirmed proof of life, the meeting was scheduled.  After the details were provided, she sent an uncharacteristic text to ask how his friends had fared in the S.T.A.D.S. appointment and he hadn't responded as yet .

Gavin's call to the dojo last night had been too late for anyone to pick up, which he'd suspected might be the case, but he left a message for Tachira and she'd returned his message early this morning.  Just about everything from the girl was cryptic, but this voice memo was guarded even for her and he had the suspicion that a visit to his business would be worthwhile despite her confirmations that nothing was out of the ordinary. 

Kat had received a message of her own in the very small hours of the night.  A DIDC (often called colloquially a "didik") she didn't recognize invited her to join a friend at a club she'd only heard of.  The man used a different Datac Identification Code each time he contacted her, so there was no use programming any of them in, but he used a communication style that was particular and she knew who it was and likely even what he wanted.  Clip with another job was the most likely scenario.  Though she had never set foot inside the club, she could count on its ability to allow discretion if she knew Clip, the man was overly cautious.  The message seemed to infer that she had but to state a day and time, he'd meet her there.  She'd also had an idea or two of some equipment that might be beneficial to her for the team's benefit and considered the implications of procuring it. 

Rowan recognized out loud that she hadn't seen her own apartment in weeks.  Seeing as how she'd been targeted by somebody and whom that somebody actually would turn out to be still a complete mystery, the group had to discuss the merits of allowing her to return and, if so, how and with what army.  What would she find?  Would they even see evidence of others passing through? 

Aside from his concerns about what the actual fuck he'd gotten himself into, Daenus had no other pressing outside matters.  There was the standard hangover he was wrestling with, but that was practically comforting at this point.  Allowing somebody, anybody, else to figure out what was being done about breakfast, he'd surreptitiously found himself near Vahl's elbow when his friend had gotten the message from Anya asking about the group.  Otherwise he floated about, tossing in non-sequiturs, barbs, and innuendos as the conversation called for. 

Then there was dealing with Stasis, their for-now employer.  Billy had assured them that he was staving them off until they could gather the evidence necessary that the mission was completed.  He had left a message via ansible on the house comm system, a short text that didn't bring great relief.  "Still have the most of 48 hours.  Assets procured were incorrect.  Working on money.  Get answers from S.S..  Will contact again tomorrow."  "S.S." was a reference to Stokely, and they had an address.  "Working on money" seemed that he was making sure they'd get paid and he'd left a hint as to when he'd be in touch.  But "Assets procured were incorrect" left a hollow feeling in all their guts.  They'd risked life and limb to procure those assets, in most cases twice, and the idea they'd done something wrong haunted every last one of them.  Nobody really quite knew what Stasis was capable of but they'd seen what handlers could do, and though Billy seemed to be on their side it didn't comfort them to consider what Stasis might call for in terms of consequences.  They needed to obtain intel.

Last night Billy had mentioned going to Stokely's address, they'd obtained it from the titanium flash drive on Rowan's desk.  There was still a great deal of mystery wrapped up in the small drive as none of the team was a hacker.  Vahl could assess that there was more to gain from it, but he'd reached the limit of his abilities in extracting it.  Following the trail seemed a reasonable method of gaining further access.

OOC- Everybody has shared some of their background.  This is an opportunity to go into the Backgrounds thread and "uncover" (move the "Private to GM" so err'body else can see) as much as you feel you would have divulged to the group.  If you think you would have told the whole story, feel free to uncover accordingly.  Your call, but I'm leaning a little on the idea that quid pro quo would have felt present, so everybody would have told something.

Things that could get done that are up for discussion (not listed in order of importance, you guys make that call):

1. Vahl has an appointment with a long-sought-after partner today at 10a (in 2 hours).  The man is not likely to be interested in rescheduling.
   
2. Gavin could have something afoot at the dojo, it's nature is not likely to be too urgent or Tachira would have made that clear.  Might still be worth a visit at some point.
   
3. Kat may have another gig of a... clandestine nature.
   
4. Rowan's apartment could use a visit in her estimation, though the unknowns on that subject are rampant.
   
5. S. Stokely needs to be investigated, you have his address as well as a heavy suggestion from Billy to check that out.

After speaking more than she had in...well she couldn't remember the last time she'd been quite so loquacious when she wasn't presenting and even then she preferred to leave the flashy stuff to her colleagues. She found herself falling back, quiet, observing everyone. They'd moved away from getting to know each other and were now discussing the day's agenda. They moved around each other with an enviable ease. It was a scientific fact that trauma bonds people. Still, Rowan wondered if she'd ever reach that level of comfort around...well, any other human really.

She rolled a bright yellow #2 pencil under her fingertips, absently counting the ridges...1.2.3.4..4.3.2.1. Movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention. A small gray house spider was fastidiously wrapping a fly in her web. Rowan quickly twisted her hair into a knot, using the pencil as a hairpin and leaned forward, folding her legs under her to get a closer look.

She loved spiders. They were efficient, agile, practical. Sunlight highlighted the small hairs on her abdomen and Rowan's fingers itched to reach out and offer her hand as another platform. She'd had a pet tarantula when she was a teenager. She had loved the way their legs tickled her palm when she held them.

Rowan leaned back and the movement reminded her that her clothes were still stiff in spots. She hoped she'd be able to convince a couple of her new friends--when was the last time she'd called anyone "friend"-- to go with her. She needed her notes. They were labelled and color coded in file boxes in her closet which, conveniently, was where many of her clothes were. If they were quick, they could be in and out in 15 minutes. In that time, they could probably carry out everything except the furniture. She hadn't really had time to put her personal touch on the place or even fully unpack. Will I need to break my lease? It made sense, but she dreaded the hassle of having to tell her super. He was a gross, leery little man. When she'd moved in, it hadn't mattered much since she was rarely home. But he was acutely aware of the power he had to make her life infinitely more difficult.


A smile turned up the corners of her mouth as she thought about the room she'd woken up in. It had been a pleasant surprise to see the tree house. There was more in the room she wanted to explore, but she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the children the room had been built for.

Up with the sun in the upstairs bedroom nearest the staircase Gavin eyed the modern decor of the room for a few moments after waking. The room was quite nice looking, but lacked much personality - the oak dresser had been painted a deep black to match the leather of a nearby chair and desk. The rest of the room was white with a watercolor landscape of a desert on one wall. Nice, but not altogether warm or welcoming. The sun pierced the cracks in the blinds and Gavin felt slightly more averse to it's brightness than usual. Comfy in the dark these days more than ever. Not surprising with these abilities, surely there had to be unforseen side effects. Might be a good idea to pick up some really good sunglasses while we're out.

Gavin always liked to wake up with a plan and he had one for today - at least for the morning. He wanted to check in with Tachira and the dojo. While he had ample funds to keep the business running almost on autopilot at this point, he couldn't shake the feeling that she wanted to tell him something in person. Gavin had also thought he heard Rowan mention not having any fresh clothes, which should be obvious to everyone considering her predicament. While a trip to her home might be dangerous, maybe Tachira could lend Rowan some of her wardrobe in the mean time. If Rowan really wanted to go, he would consider it, but perhaps take Tachira and Kat along as backup. He momentarily thought about Daenus - but he really, really wanted just a quiet morning with no surprises and with Daenus there were always surprises.

Vahl seemed to have doctor business to attend to from the sounds of things, maybe they could split up briefly this am and meet together at lunch time before investigating this Stokely character.

With those thoughts in mind Gavin threw on his favorite hoodie with his dojo logo emblazoned on the back and headed to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:18, Wed 13 Mar.

"The important thing here is that Sweet William said he's working on our money," Daenus offered as the upside to a conversation that may have only been in his head.

After passing Vahl's shoulder, he wondered if Anya had asked about him. Later. I'll ask if she asked about me later. Let her desire for me build.

Listening and contributing to the life stories of this mismatched group, Daenus saw connections he hadn't expected. Sure, their lives took very different directions due to circumstance, but there were similarities, dot-to-dots he could draw lines to, albeit mostly squiggly ones. And mostly skipping other dots.

He had to hand it to Gavin though. Asia, the army, so much fighting. His programming was full service, really, complete with backstory including a detailed childhood. Daenus thought he saw a flaw in the story though. When the G-bot brought up his personality changes, or maybe upgrades, they were always "Dan." By the 4th Dan, Daenus had called him out on it, though Gavin explained it away as some sort of martial arts accomplishment. It was all so convincing that Daenus was inclined to believe he was actually human. Daenus was no fool though. He knew a cybernetic organism when he saw one. Probably. Either way, Gavin seemed to want to be human, or maybe didn't even realise he was man-made, apparently in Mongolia. They made all the best stuff. Daenus couldn't think of a single technological thing that he'd ever seen from there, but Gavin-the-4th-Dan-1000 was proof positive regardless. I wonder how many they made? I'll have to keep an eye on any Dan we come across from now on.

Now, Red on the other hand...

Daenus noticed her intently analyzing something and drifted closer to see what called her focus. A spider. She gonna eat it? No, that look on her face said something different. Daenus understood that look.

"I used to watch them too." He waved at the spider to avoid confusion. "I used to be afraid of them, at first. Turns out, most don't want anything to do with you, even though I read somewhere that you eat, like, a hundred of them in your lifetime while you're asleep. Anyway. When you're in a tight space, they're good at controlling the other crawlies that you don't want around. Once, I had this big black mama hanging around, over my sleeping spot in the closet. We were buds, ya know? I called her Charlotte, like the story. And just like the story, one day she wasn't in her web. Just disappeared." Daenus opened his hand and mouthed, "poof". "I woke up the next day with a massive welt. Little fucker BIT ME IN THE ASS. It's taken some time, but I've come to forgive her."

Daenus shook his head to clear the memory. "So. Science and outdoor fieldwork. You like rocks?"

Kat felt relatively refreshed after a good night's sleep, even if there were still a ton of unanswered questions and balls in the air.  She mused over the message from Clip but decided her plate was pretty full for the moment.  She sent a short reply back saying she was unavailable for the time being.  She didn't want to split her focus with the threat of an unhappy Stasis looming over them.

Despite not considering herself much of a people person, she did like to understand how the people around her operated so she knew what to expect.  Swapping stories about their backgrounds made her feel closer to, and safer with, her new team.  This was something that she'd seen happen after battles in the military.  Nothing like a near death experience (or ten) to start some group bonding.

She offered to lend Rowan some clothes after hearing the doctor's desire to go back to her apartment.  Kat figured it was almost certainly being watched.  "I'm not opposed to going over there and liberating your belongings, but I think we need to go expecting a trap and a fight.  You shouldn't go alone and think you can just waltz in and out.  We can weigh the merits of that as a team, but in the meantime, I have some stuff that should fit you.  Mostly.  My pants will be capris on you but I suspect that fashion isn't high on either of our priority lists." 

Turning to Gavin, she said, "Actually, on a related note, I wanted to ask you about your guy Brutus.  There's some equipment I'd like to get my hands on and he's the guy who gets things, right?  I've made a list of gear that'll help me for future missions.  Can you make an introduction or set up a meeting?"

Rowan's blue eyes blinked in surprise. If it weren't for the topic, she wouldn't have been sure that Daenus was even speaking to her. "I think they're fascinating. They manage to turn the brutal business of survival into something elegant and almost graceful." She paused and let the rest of what he'd said sink in. "She probably crawled into your bed to get warm. Some spiders do that. And when you rolled over, she would have taken it as an act of aggression." After another moment of watching the gray house spider wind up her meal, "I'm sure she forgave you too... if spiders could consider such anthropomorphic emotions as forgiveness. And I do like rocks, but I'd rather know what they're covering."

She turned her attention to Kat and offered her a small smile of gratitude. "That would be greatly appreciated. And as for fashion: I can appreciate the aesthetic, I suppose, but I'm far more interested in function." She was most likely correct. It was highly likely that her apartment was being watched if it hadn't already been ransacked. "If possible, I'd like to get eyes on it. Assuming they haven't already broken in and taken my journals, it would be highly beneficial for us to have them. What research I've done on my own condition could bring a clearer understanding for everyone, but it can wait for the time being. If whoever is in charge has any strategic acumen, they'll try to wait me out. What about the address the address the visitor from last night mentioned? Is that time sensitive?"

What the rocks are covering? The rocks are everything.

"In this line of work, everything is time sensitive," Daenus offered overconfidently. "And Stasis probably already has anything of yours worth having. They work kinda fast. Once they set their beady eyes on you, they just take take take. Sometimes, they give stuff back. They got all of our stuff from our places and popped them right here down in the garage. In boxes. Packed, like, professionally. Have you looked in the garage yet?" Daenus had a moment of consideration. "I would, but you never know when there might be a rabid Cuban coward waiting to assail your knees with a flaming bat, incoherent yelling and a misguided vendetta."

He looked at Kat. "Since when do you have other clothes?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:23, Wed 20 Mar.

Sipping his coffee slowly and taking in the group, maybe Daenus is coming along after all.

To Kat he replied, "Sure I can give ole Brutus a call see if he has any availability, if he thinks he can make a good sale or has excess inventory, he usually won't turn away cash."

To the group he offered, "If we want some extra muscle before visiting Rowan's place, we can swing by my Dojo, also possibly being watched, and pick up my senior student, Tachira." Gavin already started piecing together a plan, not wanting to put Tachira in too much danger, he figured she could be the wheelwoman and lookout for the rest of the team.

As he finished he picked up his datac and dialed Brutus.

The DIDC Gavin entered for Brutus was a long shot but worth a try.  When the code returned an error it confirmed his suspicion that it had been a burner, The Brute went through datacs faster than most went through deodorant.  Being paranoid caused his clients and friends some inconvenience, but none could deny his effectiveness and it was usually worth the effort.  That meant using the landline at Gavin's dojo, another reason to stop by.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:09, Fri 29 Mar.

Vahl bounced in through the front door, barechested wearing track pants and runners. His hair was wet from sweat as if he'd come out of the shower. "Morning everyone," Vahl belted as he pulled his hair back again squeezing the water from it and whipping it in Daenus's face as he passed. He slid into the kitchen, grabbed a cup of coffee, and attempted to meld into the morning chatter.

It was good to be with people with whom you've shared a significant hardship or a trial. It warmed him a little to see everyone milling about.

       "What's everyone got on their agenda today," he said to the room. Moving to a new spot next to Rowan. "Sleep comfy?" he said as he slid next to her. "Daenus toss me an apple," Vahl said in Daenus's direction.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:18, Thu 04 Apr.

The sliding was literal in some ways, Vahl left a trail of water in his wake and actually seemed to glide at times even up to the point of prompting Rowan.

Rowan's brow furrowed slightly as the damp Vahl slid in next to her. "There's a treehouse in my room. Do you sweat like this often? I saw some coconut water in the fridge. You should drink some to prevent dehydration. I actually really like the treehouse. It's...whimsical. My sleep was adequate, but my physical and mental exhaustion from our previous adventure may have been the prime contributing factor." Her sentences chased after each other, leaving no room to process. "Ask me again tomorrow and I will be able to offer a more unbiased review."

Rowan turned her head toward Gavin, but didn't move from her scrunched position in the chair. "Where's your Dojo?" She wanted to add it to the mental map she had of the city.

Vahl concentrated for a moment, focusing on his breath, he attempted to breathe in all of the water through his pours, effectively drying himself and pulling all the water he had used to lessen the friction as he slid.

     "I'm not sure it's perspiration; I would hypothesize that it's more like effusion from my cellular walls," Vahl intoned quietly as he leaned in so only Rowan could hear. "Anyway, we can study it later, I have a more intriguing proposition for you, that may involve your research with mine. I could use your expertise on a potential solution to a problem, actually multiple problems. Interested? I'm seeing a man about a "nano-cybernetic horse" and could use some backup."

Vahl paused for a moment, then realized his audience, "Nano-cybernetic horse was meant as an idiom, figurative language, you know, saying fun things out of our vocal orifice, pie hole," smiling he grabbed some grub with his hands and shoved it in his mouth like a caveman. "Pppeeyeee hoooee."

The water around Vahl evaporated almost immediately, almost as if it were being pulled back into the man.  One might only make this connection by paying attention to the nuances of where it was coming from, his breathing exercise, and acute attention to how the water seemed to disappear.  But to the casual eye the water just seemed to dry up exponentially faster than it would as according to the common understanding of science.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:14, Fri 05 Apr.