Tailgate looked both ways when they were ready to exit the alley to make sure there were no police or other adults they didn't want to get spotted by. He glanced back at Val and hesitated. He wasn't sure it was a good idea for her to go off on that scooter - she had almost just run them over and crashed it.

Besides, splitting up may be either a really good idea or really bad idea. He shrugged at her. "Dunno know if it's a good idea." He looked to see if anyone else was interested but volunteered himself if no one else spoke up, "Sure."

After bumping fists with Valeriya, Nikola saw that Vamp was much more perceptive as her noticed the tatoos and offered her coat, Nikola had a coat but the idea naver came to her, "Good move vamp, glad to see you thinking of that, i got too distraughted in my own thoughts sometimes, hey we can all make a good team after all" She then continued to follow the group after Jai, after Tailgate and Val comments she also wondered about the safer nmext thing to do..."Hmmm i hope the scooter does not raise unwanted attention.. Jeez i wish there was a way to send something ahead acting as a bait, something by the way, not someone.. i have a rope hidden in my leather trenchoat just in case we can come up with something"

Vamp's glowing red eyes (courtesy of her own contacts) met Val's and she nodded and gave her a half-smile. "Scratch it or get blood on it and I'll rip your arms out of the sockets and beat you to death with them," she said, still smiling slightly. There was no heat in her voice when she said it.

Inside she mashed one of her boots on top of Mariko's head and kicked her back into the dark recesses of her mind.

"That scooter might attract one of the spinners circling around. Leaving it might be the better option as will us not going in one pack all at the same time. They'll likely be looking for that as well."

Val took one last look at the CityScooter, then at the other juves - then she just sighed and pushed the bike behind a trash can.


"No worries, Niki, I'll just leave it here and hope nobody... well, hell, whatever. Let's get the frack out of here..."she said.

It had taken her *weeks* of pestering her parents to get the bike, because it was dangerous, and what did she want it for anyway, she shouldn't be going anywhere except interviews and rehearsals and studio sessions and the corpo sec guys would bring them to those anyway, and...

"Just a sec, yogirls..."

She shook her head irritably and bent down to take off her shoes. She shivered as her bare feet touched the cold, damp ashphalt. It was very unpleasant, but if she was to follow the others on foot, she knew the stilletos were going to slow her down to a crawl. She suppressed another shiver, high-heel shoes in hand, and followed the others, jumping from one feet to the other.

"Shiiit, it's cold. OK, let's fracking move. Ooof. Sorry, T, no bikes tonight. Jai, Vamp, you got that map? Let's move, OK? I'm freeeeezing..."

“I guess she is right, the more we delay the closer they might be if they come looking for us.. if i can tie something heavy to the end of my rope i might use it as a weapon i can whirl against something heading to us as we cross in the open street”

The walk to the hiding place feels like it takes longer than it actually does, with the adrenaline and anxiety levels both high and police spinners chasing media helicopters out of the sky.  Crossing the major roads is the most harrowing part, the feel of being exposed and open somehow worse than stage fright, even for Val who is used to that.  In time the kids duck into the alley behind the row houses North of the school, an area seen often but rarely looked at closely during their time at school.  The businesses are book-ended by a fast food joint on the Easternmost corner and a book store on the Westernmost.  The place marked n Minerva's map is about two-thirds into the alley, on the North side, at the base of one of the low-rise residential buildings.

The safe house has a “front” door that is in the back of one of the residential building, half-way underground with four steps leading down to it.  The door clicks open when Jai approaches, apparently keyed to his face by Minerva.  The door opens on a small foyer of bare concrete and a similar hallway, lit by aqua-colored electro-luminescent strips along the ceiling edge.  Half-way down the hall is a wide door opening into the main room, also unlocked.

The main has a v-term in the middle, three sofas/loveseats, and a side area with a kitchenette including a small table with four chairs.  There are four other doors out of the main room: a shower closet, a toilet closet (each with a sink), a bedroom with three double-bunk beds, and a “back” door.  The back door is narrower than the front door, and opens into a concrete hallway that seems to double back to the alley.

---

Plan of the safe room is Map 1.  Wanted to move things along, so a montage of emotions and thoughts as you move to the safe house, and actions immediately upon entering.

The asphalt was cold under Val's bare feet, and her dress wasn't made for running. She had to keep pulling it down, tricky as it was because the chrome hexagons tended to move on their own and separately rather than as a unit like a piece of fabric would. A few times she stepped on a puddle, cursing and sending shivers up her spine, but she kept on running and following the other juves, purse in one hand and heels in the other.

"How the frack did I even get into this mess?" she whispered to herself as she made an effort to keep up.

They seemed to go on forever, endless hours of sliping around the alleys, always a little stroke of bad luck away from being shot by a cop or a drone, and then all of a sudden Jai was leading them to some random-looking door, and the door opened, and they all crushed to cross it and bang it behind them and they spilled into an unknown living room.

Val took a look around. She found the place almost as alarming as the exterior.

"Whose place is this? Jai? Are we sure this isn't a trap?"

Jai paused for a moment as another drone flew overhead, more out of sheer panic than strategy, though its target must have been something else, and he let out a huge breath he'd been holding as he passed by the stores and searched for the address they'd been given.

"Come on, come on..."

He needn't have bothered combing every inch of the alley, as the click immediately drew his attention. He bounded down the steps and paused at the first inner door to the main room. When Val bolted past him, he tried to stop panting and entered.

"Not my place. I scored the number from a guy who owed me - he said it was a support network of some kind. All juves, he said. Sounds nuts, but with everything going on, I figured it was more useful than empty pockets.

I'll admit, I can source some killer opportunities when I put my mind to it, but a secure Office I can lend to some randos at a moment's notice because some club got slacked... I don't know, and unless those doors lock on us, I'm not keen to ask too many questions."

He wandered over to the v-term, curious if any links to the outside were being actively maintained.

As they walked, Tailgate's nerves were ragged and on edge. He could feel his heartbeat thrumming with every breath. His eyes were trying to look everywhere at once. He was jumpy and scared, flinching at every unexpected noise, not caring if he didn't look 'tough' enough for the moment. He wasn't sure how long he could take the tension and pressure. They had been moving quietly for so long, and it was starting to wear on him.

But...finally...they made it. He looked around outside furtively before darting down the steps and inside. He moved in a bit and stopped, glancing about. But then it opened up in to something much more 'normal', as much as anything could be.

After a moment, he hurried to find the bathroom and went inside. He felt like he might puke but finally didn't. He splashed on his face and then dried it off after a moment. He walked back out, licked his lips, and asked "Are we...safe here?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:39, Fri 16 Apr 2021.

Nikola entered with the rest of the group and was amazed at the type of place that this juve support group was able to set and continued to think aloud

"Well i think i get what you mean, i mean, this place looks nice, too nice maybe? If these juves were able to set this up they most likely have support from adults, who is behind them? Do they have a political agende or something ? Or could it be that these people are using someone else's property without the actual owner being told.. hmmm anyway, on the outside they are shooting people so i think for the moment we should thank these guys as well as Jai. it might not be bad at all"
She sat at one of the sofas and relaxed a little "All af this is intriguing. but we should watch out for the other doors, hopefully we werent followed"

Jai shook his head.

"Don't thank me yet. This might come with a price. I know this sort of setup isn't cheap. Even if they're stealing it, leaving it unproductive like this means missing out on potential.

But I made the call, so I'm the one in the red if it comes down like that. None of you asked for this."

As if to further appraise what sort of debt he might have just incurred, he ran a hand long the nearby furniture.

"As for their agenda, no idea. By Juves, For Juves was the only tip I got. Full stop."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:56, Fri 16 Apr 2021.

Hunter follows the others in a let's out a whistle of appreciation before plopping himself down on a sofa, hands behind his head.  "This is nice, I'm going to remember this place is here after all of this," he says.

For her part Kat is more tentative and she sits in the kitchenette and simply takes off her shoes.  While not the spike heels like Val was wearing, she is wearing dress shoes with heels for her performance.  She is sweating and looks a bit ill, and the rest of you are feeling a little nauseous as well.

When Jai activates the V-term there is a pause before Minerva rezzes on the screen.  "Great!  You made it," she says by way of hello.  "The news is totally blacked out about that neighborhood, but the media are starting to make wild speculations, so I think Corpsec is going to have say something soon.  We mobilized the whole crew and are trying to help a lot of kids, some more may go your way.  I'll check in later, let you know when the heat dies down.  Any questions before I sign off?"

"A support network?" Valerya repeated after Jai, frowning. "For juves? Wait a minute, you mean - someone knew that the pigs were going to hit the Obelisk and just shoot people, and set up this place to rescue survivors? I mean - it's sounds like the cheapest conspirancy braindance since... ever."

As she was talking she sat on the edge of one of the sofas, carefully crossing her legs. The rehearsed habits of stardom were coming back to her, now that she was a bit more calm. Her eyes looked around, fixed on Tailgate, then she made an effort to bring them back to the group.

"Yeah, I'm with Nikki. Someone doesn't just randomly set up some sort of hideout for juves just in case there is a..."

Then Minerva rezzed, and Val turned towards the screen.

"Talk of the devil. Yes, we do have questions - who the hell are you and why did you brings us here... well, help us get here? If it's some sort of kidnapping, you are NOT going to like it when my corporate backers retaliate."

Nikola opens her eyes wide open while hearing the words of Valeriya and decides to help the conversation with Minerva "Well you will have to excuse our friend here, she's been through a lot, not only because of the shootings (She looks at Val´s hurt leg and then to Vamp, but then eases her look with a half smile), some of us left friends there and been tryng to handle tensions ad much as we could since then. We are grateful for letting us find refuge here, we just want to make sure we are not getting somehow in something even more complicated, despite your best intentions"

Then she stops, feeling somewhat dizzy, she did stand up very quickly before, it could be that her body did not pump enough blood to her head so fast after being relaxed in the couch

Tailgate had met Val's eyes for only a moment but they both looked away fairly quickly. He moved a bit closer but not crowded the v-term when Jai made the call. His eyes narrowed a bit as he listened to the voice on the other end, but then widened and he almost flinched when Val piped up angrily.

The ghost of a smile touched his lips but faded quickly. Things were too serious. He was no stranger to running from cops, but he was usually on his bike and he didn't usually get shot at in earnest.

"What's actually goin' on at the club? What're the cops after?" He was surprised to hear the question come out of his own mouth.

Minerva looks a bit taken aback by Valeriya's accusation.  "Oh, I know who you are," she says with a smile of recognition.  "Look, this is not a kidnapping, you are free to go; it just wouldn't be a good idea right now.  The only time Corpsec goes this rogue crazy is when they think there is a plague event.  How do you guys feel?"  Minerva asks, looking concerned in the screen.

"I've been better, all things considered."

The rising nausea was the least of Jai's worries, given what he'd seen in the bathroom. How did this... whatever it was even spread?

"...there was someone sick in the bathroom."

Vamp waited for the first group to move out before taking off across the street herself. She kept waiting for a bullet but none were forthcoming which was good because getting shot sucked.

Getting there seemed to take forever but she did breathe a little bit easier once they made it and crashed on the couch where she let her head fall back and rested her eyes, trying not to think of the rest of her crew. Some might be dead, most would be in custody and...then Val was jumping up and down Minerva for helping them.

She opened her eyes and sat up. "Whoa, hold your tits, Val! There are places like this all over the bloody city set up just in case Corpse Sec and BuReLoc get a wild hair up their arse and decided to raid like they did tonight."

She turned to look at Minerva, her eyes widening. "Oh bloody hell...you're right. Someone was sick in the gents which some of us ran through to escape. If there was an outbreak of the plague that means we've all been exposed. Damn it all. Oi, you have any clothes for Val here? That dress is way too damn distinctive and impractical in case we need to run again and I'd like to get my duster back."

Val smiled back at the girl in the screen, although hers was a thinner, slightly trembling smile.

"Of course you know who I am," she replied, "And what do you mean by a 'plague event'? There was no 'plague' at the Obelisk, unless you mean all the frothers that follow me everywhere."

The effect of the flex was somewhat spoiled by the fact she had to sit on the arm of the sofa because her head was swimming. She crossed her legs and pretended to have done it on purpose. It must be the drink. Yeah, it was the drink, sure.

"Well, sorry, yogirls," she said, looking at Nikola and Vamp in turn, trying for a light ironic tone, but her voice came out a little wobbly. "But this is all mega suspicious. Who are these people? I just don't want to end up in some snuff braindance. And don't worry, Vamp, you can have this back, it's too hot in here anyway."

In fact, she felt uncomfortably warm and a little out of breath, and her skin burned and itched in the places where the leather touched it. She got up and started taking it off, but her knees buckled and she fell back on the sofa again. She tried to smile it off, cheeks flushed.

"Oopsie! That vodka was quite something..."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:24, Wed 21 Apr 2021.

Vamp cursed and caught Val. “This isn’t alcohol, you’re burning up. Someone get a tall glass of ice water and a damp, cold compress.”

She helped Val take off the duster and stretched her out on the couch. “Blankets and a pillow. Someone find them and bring them to me. Val - if there was a carbon plague outbreak there then you’re in the first stage. All of us have been exposed. Is anyone else feeling off right now?”
This message was last edited by the player at 21:43, Wed 21 Apr 2021.

"Sick kid in the boys room?" Minerva says thinking and looking up presumably at the ceiling.  She listens as Vamp urges Val to lie down and futilely cranes her neck to see what is going on.

Kat slumps onto the table, also sweating profusely, her hair matted down.  Though he looks a little pale, Hunter is still standing arms crossed defiantly.

"So yeah, we have a couple of safe houses in the city, different types, some better than others.  And yes we have adult allies, people we can trust, who help out.  But it's mostly kids, cause its the kids CorpSec is afraid of," she says.  "Look I'm going to break it to you quick, it sounds like you have the Carbon Plague.  You are in the first stage right now, you're gonna feel real sick and real weird.  In a day or so the symptoms will go away and that's stage two.  Stage three is the kicker.  After a very nasty night it will either leave you alone, or change you; it doesn't kill kids," she says the last very confidently.  "If I'm right, you're contagious right now, so don't leave the safe house.  In any case, CorpSec and NCPD are all over the neighborhood; one of my yos lost a drone but he got some good footage before it went down..."

Tailgate frowned in worry at Val when she started talking a bit odd and then staggered. He took a step towards her but then stopped when the voice in the screen started talking about the Carbon Plague. His eyes darted back to Val but he took a step back. But if what was said was true...he was already exposed. He couldn't leave and possibly infect others.

Then he glanced at Vamp and turned away, heading further in to the safe house to see what supplies he could find.

"Pffff. The carbon plague is f-fake," Val muttered, trying for a smile; it came out a pale excuse for it, as her eyes were out of focus and her face was shiny with sweat, a high blush turning into a feverish red, a rampant rash all the way down her neck and spreading downwards, visible here and there between the hexagons of her dress, like a rabid allergic reaction.

"It's fake, yoboys. No such thing. It's just an excess... an exclass, I mean, an excuse, to control everybody and then... corporations, they... vaccine you, and the... things, in the... needles, they control you with... the broadband thing, of - you know, the fracking waves, they have frequencies, and they make you, they make you, they do, yeah..."

Her throat was dry, and pulsing. Talking was a lot of work, not worth it. The room was going out of focus, and seeing the faces was way too much effort. She didn't resist when Vamp stretched her out on the sofa, maybe because she didn't quite register it: one second she was sitting, the next one she was lying down, OK, whatever, the lights in the ceiling were dancing in figures of eight, hypnotically, white and red and blue and purple, at the pace of her heatbeat, very cool moves, that was good stuff, they could put it in her next vid, she had to remember that, she had to talk to the choreo guy...
This message was last edited by the player at 18:38, Sat 24 Apr 2021.

“Oh damn! Ironically I’m one of those that confronted the ones claiming that the carbon plague was a hoax.  Poor Val here can be excused of making those extraordinary claims because of the fever.... I guess..
Next thing you know she might say that we are faking out symptoms in order to play into the conspiracy...or that indeed it is a engineered weapon but at the same time just a  little weirder flu But again that is the fever talking i hope. Minerva any suggestion that might help us mitigate the ugliest effects in us and the ones around us? Poor Val needs something”

They used to be friends. They were close friends and then Vamp's family had been killed and she had almost died that same night. The young girl turned into a very angry woman who hated the world for what it had done to her but there were times, admittedly they were few and far between, that the young girl she was pushed the boot on top of her head off and she let herself care.

She cared for Val so she wiped her face with a cool dishrag and covered her with a blanket. "You're going to all right, Val. You'll make it through this. If anyone can it's you, bloody stubborn twat. Right now you just rest and I'll watch over you as long as I can," she told her in a low voice.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:19, Wed 28 Apr 2021.