10:06 <banana> Halfway to the Rochdale spa, over the central Manchester ring road... the skies blacken and spit out fire. 10:07 <Quaker> Badawi has her rifle assembled and tracking. 10:07 <banana> There are three hunters and their three celebrity guests in two cars - but it's not like they're the only people around. This could be something of a shitshow. 10:08 <Crion> Aster puts on his sunglasses. 10:08 <tom> Bob sighs. 10:08 <tom> He taps his earpiece: "Civilians in A.O." 10:08 <banana> Out of the clouds that had threatened November rain instead come meteorites, stereotypically lumpy things flashing from the skies. One strikes the highway in front of the lead car (Gord swears, yanks the wheel just in time) and splits open, spilling out glinting stones and steam, figures uncurling within. 10:08 <Crion> Aster: "Keep us on the road until they force us off. Let the cars take the first hit. See how big they're willing to go--" 10:09 <tom> Bob is already hauling the worn pellican case out the back and onto his lap. 10:10 <Quaker> She has the head of one of the figures in her sights. 10:11 <Crion> Aster has his Glock, with the safety still on. Whites of their eyes, presuming they have them, so on. 10:11 <banana> Reveille: "Fuuuck. Again." She slams the brakes, but fairly calmly. The back car screeches to a halt, tossing Badawi and Goreman about a little. 10:11 <tom> "Fuckfuckfuckfuck-" a constant stream of obscenity flows from the Valkyrie man's mouth. He's tightening the straps on his battery pack over the kevlar. 10:12 <banana> Another of the space rocks smashes into the ground behind them, cutting the two cars in the convoy off from others momentarily - the other lane of traffic is still moving, however, and all of this will clearly draw attention. 10:12 <tom> Click: "Viscon zero, Viscon one-eighty. Classic ambush." 10:12 <Crion> To Bob: "You don't happen to have a spare AR, perchance." 10:13 <tom> Bob, groaning: "I've got my twenty-two. You know how to use straight blowback?" 10:13 <banana> Karen, the stylist(?), is in the car up front behind Aster's passenger seat. She's just going to cower until forced to do otherwise, but Gord will get out with the rest of you. Not much of a tough-guy look to do otherwise. 10:13 <tom> He's reaching into his jacket to produce the stubby submachinegun. 10:14 <banana> The situation is roughly this: you're stopped, abruptly, two cars on a 60-metre stretch of highway, with clear road ahead and traffic beginning to pile up behind. Your little zone is demarcated at both ends by split, smoke-emitting meteor vessels - their interior appears to be some sort of geode in which dark-suited figures were nestled and from which they are now excursing. 10:15 <banana> To the south (right of your direction of travel) is the highway divider, and to the left is a strip mall - carparks for the Wing Yip Superstore. 10:15 <Crion> Aster: "Certainly, but maybe I'd better stick with nine millimeter." 10:15 <tom> "I'll get you something later. Gotta go to work." He's out the door as soon as the convoy comes to a stop, tapping the back of his hand on Reveille's window and flashing her a thumbs-up as he slings his rectangular plastic weapon into a ready position. 10:16 <banana> Reveille mutters "Good luck;" obviously, she's not going to open the window unless things get desperate. 10:16 <banana> Your client is some kind of telepath, but it's unclear to what extent that's going to help you on what has suddenly become a battlefield. 10:17 <tom> Bob: "X-ray spotted." 10:18 <banana> Some city blocks to the west - not far in absolute terms, but enough of a distance that you're unaware of each other's situation - Willie Wellesley offered to make tea. If she's doing that, Richard will spend a couple of minutes disabling the security cameras throughout the greybox interior. 10:18 <banana> "The ones I know about, anyway!" he remarks, a echo of his usual cheery tone. 10:18 <Crion> Aster's out of the other side, looking for cover. 10:20 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's making tea. She's not as chipper as Richard is, though she's trying to be sensitive to the fact that this is clearly his way of coping with a freakout by not visibly freaking out herself. "We can make a second pass for hidden ones if you like... how do you rate the prospect of just calling Jack? I can't tell if that's stupid or if it would be stupid not to." 10:25 <Quaker> Let’s hope Gord fights as well as he…well. 10:25 <banana> Haldane: "Good question. Very good question. Someone should really answer it." 10:26 <banana> "I should be able to assemble an opinion out of these scattered thoughts.. some time soon. The tea helps, thank you." 10:26 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "How secure is Huntr? Should I wait to tell the team until they're back?" 10:27 <banana> As the smoke clears, Agostina's already watching the creatures spill out of the forward asteroid - scaled humanoids in matte-black spacesuits. They have... on a human you'd call them fingerless gloves. 10:28 <tom> Fuck, fuck. There's no way this doesn't make the news. 10:28 <banana> There are actually a lot of them, at least four lizardmen coming from each meteor, but most of them look pretty insubstantial - small and unmuscular compared to human beings. Unfortunately a couple of them have, well, rayguns - firearm-liek objects with a series of concentric glass circles arranged around an antenna. 10:29 <Crion> The fuck. 10:29 <banana> One of them with large frills is hanging back, deliberately using the remnant of the rocks to shield itself - maybe a leader, maybe some kind of support. Another one's glowing internally, which may or may not be important. 10:29 <Crion> Aster's going to need to prioritize his targets. He can't be Taloning the little guys. 10:29 <banana> For the sake of prioritisation, four of them are noticeably smaller than the others and unarmed. They're still scrambling toward you with claws out, though. 10:30 <Quaker> She’ll have trained her gun on the biggest one, obviously. 10:30 <Quaker> Or the one with the biggest…frills…? 10:31 <banana> Richard: "It's as secure as any IRC server with SSL, which is to say... obsolete, so nobody knows how to hack it." 10:31 <banana> "Um, if we're going to put this in writing... what are you going to say?" 10:32 <banana> He's got a beseeching expression. That not-a-robot look again. 10:32 <VoxPVoxD> Willie is silent for a moment. "I don't know. Perhaps we could work on it together. Why don't we... sit a bit, and drink our tea, and see how we feel in a few minutes' time." 10:32 <VoxPVoxD> "We're safe enough for that." 10:34 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's voice is a bit tight when she says this; she's clearly very worried. 10:34 <banana> Haldane: "Alright. Yes." He drinks tea... but it's not long before he's fiddling with something. Which is actually perfectly normal in Richard's case. 10:34 <VoxPVoxD> Idle hands are somebody's playthings. 10:35 <Crion> When Badawi's rifle goes off, Aster curses. He needs to remember to bring ear protection. 10:35 <banana> After a bit: "We don't know what our employer wants, but obviously it's not something as crude as- hurting us. He could do that more easily and with less preparation." 10:36 <Quaker> In her head, while she looks through the scope, a very specific genre is playing in Badawi’s head. Must have been all those trips to the range out in Buenos Aires with specific people. 10:36 <Quaker> She puts the crosshairs over Big Frill’s eye. 10:37 <Quaker> In the revolution Vietnam is how I’m troopin’, my mind’s been a battle since birth, that’s why I’m puffin L’s and juicin’ — 10:37 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Yes. You're right. He's a gatekeeper by disposition. Sits at the boundaries between things and tries to take stock of what goes through and what doesn't. It's possible he's only using you for espionage." 10:37 <Quaker> And pulls the trigger. 10:38 <VoxPVoxD> It's possible it isn't even him, Willie can't quite bring herself to say. 10:38 <banana> The lizardman's head, sticking out the neck of its shiny black space-age suit, explodes. It doesn't have time to scream orders or threats or anything - smoke clears, the waiting hunter fires, one less alien to deal with. 10:38 <banana> Aster can see Karen, now alone in the front car, flinch from the noise. She's got her phone out, presumably to do something stupid like call the police. 10:39 <tom> Bob is plodding forward on the asphalt toward the oncoming reptiles. He flicks a switch on the Mjolnir's stock and it comes alive in his hands. The fans on his backpack spool up, shooting a fine pressurized mist. 10:39 <banana> The three other lizards who've emerged from front rock-pod shy away from the flying scales and gore - two of them are the small clawed kind, one has a raygun. The latter raises it to aim back toward the woman leaning out the side of a car with a rifle... and so does another one behind Badawi. 10:39 <banana> (as Bob, outside of her car, will be able to see) 10:40 <tom> Click: "Look out!" 10:41 <Quaker> While she chambers another round, Badawi glances into the driver’s seat. “Don’t call the cops, Mary.” 10:43 <banana> Reveille: "Got it." Though you can't say the same for her fashion assistant in the other vehicle. "Is it- shit, you got him good." 10:45 <Crion> Aster sees the one in the back and activates his Talon module. If Bob's watching on his occult-vision, Aster's head lights up like the floodlight at ground zero in Manhattan. And then the light leaps at the lizardman. 10:46 <tom> Bob: "Good shit." 10:46 <banana> The lizard in question already had a green-white glow spilling out the cracks between his scales - it dims to almost nothing. He clutches his jaw, shaking it back and forth, making high-pitched sounds. Not yet collapsed, but unlikely to be much of a threat. This give the remaining guys pause.. but they're not totally ineffective when leaderless. 10:57 <banana> Richard: "I wonder, are we even the targets?" 10:57 <banana> "Why spy on us- you? He knows your secrets already." 10:57 <Crion> Aster was already moving, and that's the only reason the raygun blast sends him sprawling rather than killing him outright. 10:58 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "We don't know. We don't even know it's spying, since the records have been removed." 10:58 <VoxPVoxD> "If it is spying, the lack of a rational basis doesn't necessarily mean anything. Once you've gotten a taste of omniscience I bet it'd be very hard to give up." 10:59 <Quaker> What does the ray gun do? 11:00 <banana> The lizardmen with the rayguns are on target, piercing beams that go wub-wub-wub as they flash across the highway-turned-battlefield. One gets Aster right in the chest and the other takes Badawi's arm as she's pulling back into the car - fortunately, your heavy jackets absorb quite a lot of the heat. If you were fighting nude, it would be deadly. 11:00 <tom> Bob sees Aster hit the pavement. His radio clicks on in mid-scream: "AGENT DOWN! ENFILADING FIRE!" 11:01 <Quaker> Ow! Fuck! 11:01 <Crion> Aster: "Not...down...yet..." 11:01 <Crion> He is, to be clear, down. 11:02 <tom> A blinding stream of oscillating current scorches the pavement between two of the Reptilians. 11:02 <Crion> As in the fire lane is clear. 11:02 <Quaker> She looks down and sees that the ray has burnt completely through the clothes covering her bicep. The skin beneath is already bright red, blistered and weeping. 11:06 <banana> The glowing reptilian takes its clawed hands off its muzzle, raking the air, trying to jerk out of the way of Bob's electric arc... but he's already bleeding purple from both flat nostrils. 11:06 <tom> The battery pack squeals with the heat dump; he doesn't give it time to recharge before hefting the ridiculous weapon to blast the stricken alien. 11:07 <banana> He staggers and collapses halfway forward before the Mjolnir blast picks him up and slams his disintegrating remnants into the back asteroid. 11:07 <tom> "X-ray down." 11:07 <banana> Conveniently, the four smallest lizardmen wink out of existence simultaneously. 11:08 <banana> Gord's barely got on his feet, squaring off as if expecting to go Marquess of Queensbury on one of these guys, when the action begins. He sort of leans back and forth, trying to get into or out of the way of something useful, and ends facing off against one of the two remaining raygun holders. 11:09 <banana> With some degree of bravery, he'll try to grab onto that lizardman and hold him so he can't use the gun again. 11:10 <banana> The large man and the small alien cut an absurd figure against the afternoon sun and the headlights of cars which are beginning to pull to a halt in the right lane as people pile out, holding up smartphones. 11:10 <tom> That's not good at all. 11:10 <banana> Reveille, to Badawi: "We have to get out of here and make sure there's nothing identifying left behind." 11:12 <Crion> Aster: "Fuck!" Everything hurts, but he gets to his feet. Not again. He's not falling out of the fight again. "I'm up. I'm up." 11:12 <banana> Richard gets up, then sits down again. This time he puts down his empty teacup before standing. "Right. Willie, I think we should call. We need to.. know where we stand." 11:12 <Quaker> Badawi is already swinging her rifle around. If it leaves a hole in the windshield, it leaves a hole in the windshield. “That’s your job, then. Cover your ears.” 11:12 <banana> "Is he doing this, will he admit to to it, how is he doing it... that sort of thing. Unless you have a better plan." He clearly hopes she does. 11:12 <Quaker> Her crosshairs are on the raygun not being tackled by a Canadian. 11:14 <VoxPVoxD> Willie sets her long-since-empty mug down. "I think you're right. At least, I can't think of a better idea. Do you want me to put him on speaker, or would you be more comfortable drafting the briefing memo for the team?" 11:16 <Quaker> The hole through the windshield is neat enough, but passing through the glass is enough to tumble the bullet so it goes through the lizardman’s shoulder instead of his forehead. 11:16 <banana> Reveille covers her ears, and does.. something else. The noise of the blast is muffled, this time, for everyone; on some level you can all feel the ringing in your ears as one of the raygun-wielding reptilians staggers back bleeding from the shoulder and keening wildly, but you aren't really aware of it; it doesn't bother you. 11:20 <banana> The sole unhurt lizardman chitters urgently, trying to convey something to his companion from the far side of the cars - but that guy is bent on revenge. He steadies himself and fires straight back through the windshield; Reveille presses herself against the door as the beam singes her shirt. 11:22 <banana> The other one would like to help out but, as he was trying to convey, Bob's covering fire is too much of a threat. He throws himself back into the smoke, going around the rock in which he dropped out of the sky to avoid more lightning-cannon blasts. 11:22 <banana> Wait, hold the heck on. He can't do that; Gord's holding him. 11:24 <Quaker> Agostina is slammed even deeper into the leather seat of the SUV’s rear. She can smell human flesh cooking. 11:24 <Quaker> Oh…hers? 11:25 <banana> Richard: "I think I have to face this myself, but I'm glad to be doing it beside you, Willie. We can brief the others together. I hope it doesn't come as too much of a shock after a boring day of celebrity shopping." 11:27 <tom> Bob's visor reflects smoke and fire. "Gord get the FUCK- FUCK IT!" 11:28 <banana> "Eh?" Reveille's boyfriend tries to wrestle the lizard around to look at Bob; it claws and scratches at him until he's forced to drop it on the ground. 11:28 <tom> The ODIN chimes; the cannon discharges another storm of screaming incandescent light. 11:28 <banana> Bad time to have just been dropped on the ground. 11:29 <VoxPVoxD> Willie smiles. "Okay. I'm here. On your mark, I suppose." 11:29 <VoxPVoxD> She is quite worried about how the team will take it... we were just finally on a relatively straightforward job, and now there's another complication." 11:30 <banana> Richard, for some reason, straightens his collar and brushes his hair back a little before going to the black-and-white phone. 11:30 <Quaker> Badawi picks her rifle back up, her hands moving without thinking. Chamber another round. Sight on target. The bullet will go through the bigger hole the raygun left through the windshield. “Tell Goreman to pick up the bodies and put them in the cars and then get us out of here.” 11:30 <banana> He doesn't actually pick it up, just plugs in a cable to connect the line to the speakerphone on the conference table, then hits the dial button on that. 11:30 <VoxPVoxD> Should she... stand behind him? No, that's ridiculous. He's not a schoolboy. 11:32 <tom> Bob advances on the fallen alien and shoots it again. 11:33 <banana> Words swim into his mind as he does: Reveille's voice, but mental. "Your sister-in-arms says get the bodies and get them in the cars." 11:33 <banana> The lizardman screeches, scrabbles for its gun as it tries to get up... and Gord stomps on its neck. 11:34 <tom> The reptile's limbs are still dancing with the electrical current as Bob scoops it up and hauls it over his shoulder. 11:34 <tom> He motions toward Gord, points at the raygun, snaps his finger. He's already jogging back to the convoy. 11:34 <tom> There's a whole fuckin' crowd by now. 11:35 <banana> Someone calls out, to Bob specifically: "Holy shit, man!" 11:35 <Quaker> DIE BITCH 11:36 <Quaker> The bullet connects. She slumps back into the seat. 11:36 <tom> Bob: "We're filming a movie, shut the fuck up." 11:36 <Quaker> She reaches for her satchel. The Altoids tin full of amber capsules. 11:36 <tom> He taps his radio headset: "Reveille, we've got wounded. I hope you got a fuckin' medical kit." 11:36 <Crion> Aster returns the Glock to its holster and looks around, the sunglasses half-broken on his face. Is there anything he needs to drag back to the convoy? If not, he's head back. 11:37 <Quaker> She breaks one in half, and swallows one half. 11:38 <Quaker> The other, she rubs between her fingers until it’s a fine brown paste covering her hand. She gingerly reaches under her vest and rubs it all over, leaving a little for her arm. She can feel the pain soothe immediately. 11:39 <banana> Reveille: "Uh, medical kit... there might be one in the back. I guess we can't go to a clinic? My house, or back to the terrace, or..?" 11:39 <banana> Ring ring. Ring, ring. It's a tense twenty seconds before Jack the Grey answers. 11:40 <VoxPVoxD> ... 11:40 <banana> "Good afternoon, and it is a good afternoon, Richard I assume. How are the schemes and protections?" 11:40 <Quaker> Then she opens the door and starts dragging evidence into the back of the cars. 11:40 <VoxPVoxD> Does he look like Adam Driver in real life...? The odds are against it. 11:40 <Crion> Aster: "I'll be fine. Badawi's self-medicating. We've got the scattered pieces off the battlefield. Drive." 11:40 <tom> Bob slings the unconscious reptilian into the back of the car and slaps the boot closed before hauling himself awkwardly into the vehicle with his squealing battery pack still spitting coolant. 11:41 <tom> Click: "Go, go go!" 11:41 <Crion> Do we have containment facilities at the Greybox?\ 11:41 <tom> His head's on a swivel, watching with panic at the gathering civilian presence. 11:41 <Quaker> “We’ll definitely talk about our fees again.” 11:41 <Crion> Aster's head is wheeling with the possibilities of trying to imprison that thing at the lab. 11:41 <Quaker> “I think your promotional tour is suspended, for now.” 11:42 <banana> Reveille: "Hahaha. You might be able to get more money out of me but there's no fucking way I'm hiding, Mrs. Badawi. I mean, not for long... today, I'll give you. What's the address?" 11:43 <banana> Gord: "Jaysus Christ." He's going to follow behind the other car as you pull out. "So they're real, huh? But so are you guys. The real deal." 11:44 <banana> Karen isn't saying a damn thing. She's physically unhurt but.. someone might want to look at her. Very big eyes, curled up in a corner of the back seat. 11:44 <Quaker> “We almost just died to protect you. What’s wrong with you?” 11:45 <Quaker> “You know what, just drive.” 11:45 <Crion> Aster: "We're something, alright. Still up in the air what. Those rayguns fucking sting." 11:45 <Crion> To Bob: "Is one of those things alive?" 11:46 <tom> Bob is slipping the straps of his pack off his shoulder and hurls the whole apparatus, cord, rifle, and all into the back. "Confirm. We got a live one." 11:46 <banana> Richard: "It's actually not that good an afternoon." 11:47 <Crion> Aster: "Sadly we are lacking in black sites at the moment. Someone call Haldane and Willie." 11:47 <banana> Richard: "It's actually not that good an afternoon. I'm- I've discovered that you've been manipulating me. Honestly, not sure how you thought it could remain secret." 11:47 <banana> *forget the second afternoon bit 11:49 <tom> Bob taps his radio headset. "Reveille, you got a plan for the live one, or what?" 11:49 <tom> "Have Gord ziptie him at least." 11:49 <banana> Sourjack: "Manipulate, you say. That's a form of words." 11:50 <banana> Richard: "You didn't hire me for my skill as a quibbler. Why... did you? What do the code strings do?" 11:50 <tom> He looks over his shoulder and pats the cooling coils on the battery pack before noticing Karen. 11:50 <Quaker> Badawi keys in. “I know a zookeeper who would be interested.” 11:50 <Quaker> “Temporary pen, until we can figure out what it is.” 11:50 <Crion> Aster: "...Them?" 11:50 <Crion> He sighs. 11:50 <Crion> "I suppose it's the rational choice." 11:51 <Crion> He still dials the base, on speaker. 11:51 <banana> Reveille: "Sounds good to me. If you want to capture one of these things, it's on you... but I can call in Charlie for us to get rid of the dead ones." 11:51 <banana> "I wonder whether they're people." 11:51 <Quaker> That probably sounds like a joke, to them. “Just to be clear, that’s not a quip. I actually do know a magical zookeeper who would be interested.” 11:51 <Quaker> She dials Octocat. 11:52 <banana> Octocat answers before Willie does - he's back at work already. 11:53 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's head jerks away from the conversation when the phone rings. She picks it up on the second ring. "Hello. What's the news?" She's speaking quietly for some reason. 11:53 <Crion> Aster: "Convoy was attacked. No casualties on team blue. We have a live one." 11:53 <Crion> "I think we're going to take it to...Badawi's friends." 11:53 <banana> The Mysterium mage sounds like he's still in a vacation mood, though. "Afternoon, Ag- Luisa. It'd be nice to catch up, but... I see you're coming in on the emergency line." 11:54 <tom> Bob gives Karen his best, toothiest grin: "Hey, look on the bright side, they didn't get a chance to harvest your organs after all." 11:54 <Crion> Aster is thankfully in the other car. 11:54 <Crion> So he doesn't have to deal with this. 11:54 <banana> Karen.. does uncurl a little, at least. She's still got a death grip on her phone. 11:54 <banana> Quietly: "What.. is this? Who are you people?" 11:55 <Quaker> “Good morning, Octocat. We have a live, hostile, unconscious extraterrestrial that needs to be put in a zoo for some time. And several bodies of the same kind.” 11:55 <Quaker> “Rather urgently.” 11:55 <tom> Bob winces. Not the response he was hoping for. "...Corporal William Goreman, ma'am... I'm with the Task Force." 11:55 <tom> He sighs. "Was, was with the Task Force." 11:56 <VoxPVoxD> Willie manages not to swear audibly. "Right. We'll note it. But no lasting problems on your end? There's a bit of an issue with Richard we can discuss when things are more settled." 11:56 <banana> Octocat: "Unfortunately, we can deal with that. If you're within a few kay of Strangeways, come around to Gate 3. Vivi will have people ready in... let's say ten minutes. Are they dangerous?" 11:56 <Crion> Aster: "Nothing obvious. I think Badawi has her potions. I'm...ambulant." 11:57 <banana> Karen: "You're American.. did you bring these things here? Are they from Roswell?" Her voice is flat, but she seems oddly curious, rather than the trauma he expected. 11:57 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Okay. Let us know if you need anything from us. We'll be here." 11:58 <Quaker> “The most dangerous ones are dead. This one had a very dangerous gun, which we’ll confiscate. But, yes, I assume so. See you in ten.” 11:58 <banana> Sourjack: "Naturally I wouldn't expect unobservant, but this kind of ob- requires a servant.. who helped you see? Caught the exterior view?" 11:58 <Quaker> She hangs up and keys the radio again. “Strangeways will be ready for us in ten minutes. Pull up to Gate 3.” 11:59 <banana> Reveille: "That somehow makes sense." 11:59 <Crion> Aster stifles a groan. "Will do. Out." 11:59 <banana> "Glad you're all ambulant. I know it's a shit job, taking these blows - or beams - for me." 11:59 <Crion> Aster: "We were caught by surprise. That happens once." 12:00 <banana> "I would have warned you if I knew they could just... fall out of the sky. Fucking heck." 12:00 <Crion> "And now we have one for interrogation. It won't enjoy that." 12:00 <banana> Richard: "I'd rather you answer the question than question me some more." 12:01 <banana> He glances at Willie. 12:01 <tom> Bob is unhooking the Mjolnir from its cord and takes out a file; he begins working it around the mouth of the barrel, cutting out already-hardened fragments of melted metal. 12:01 <tom> He gives Karen an odd look. 12:01 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's hung up, and she gives Richard an encouraging smile. 12:01 <VoxPVoxD> Get his ass. 12:01 <Crion> This time he stifles the groan slightly less. "Though we should take care that we're not interrogating, for instance, some psychically-controlled, mutated pensioner from Bumble-on-Fuck." 12:01 <Crion> "Which seems likelier than the alternative -- that these things actually are from outer space." 12:01 <banana> Bob looks closely at the fashion consultant... and sees her trembling grip slip on the phone. It's on, a live call. 12:02 <banana> Gord: "You guys okay back there? I don't think they're the Roswell kind of aliens. Those things are a conspiracy theory, but this is, like, Mary's thing, somehow." 12:04 <Quaker> Badawi lies down on the back seats and pulls her legs up alongside her, and listens to the radio. 12:04 <tom> Bob makes a sad expression and reaches out to grab her phone. 12:04 <banana> Sourjack: "Fine, I'm only curious. And only a curator. Your code, Mr. Haldane, it's merely maintenance. Security updates, deferrable for up to seven days and automatically installed outside of active hours." 12:05 <banana> Richard: "I'm not a Microsoft product. I don't even use Microsoft products." 12:06 <banana> Sourjack: "No? Then direct your indignation to the entity who sold me your license secondhand." 12:07 <banana> Karen.. struggles for the phone. Her face is set. "They're taking my phone now. The American with the laser gun, he's got his hands on me." 12:08 <banana> Gord: "Ah, what the fuck." Gordon twists around in the front seat to see what's happening back there, which is very unsafe at the speed you're going. 12:09 <tom> Bob takes her phone and looks at the number before disconnecting the call and pitching it out the car's open window. It's the police, isn't it. 12:09 <banana> Reveille to Aster, a little more quietly: "They are from outer space. But I don't know how far out. The whole thing does seem... made up, somehow, like whoever gave us these powers was doing worldbuilding." 12:09 <Crion> Aster: "There's a lot of that going around, between you and the changelings." 12:09 <tom> Bob, whose laser rifle is lying dead in his lap. "Karen can I have a realtalk with you for a second." 12:09 <Crion> "You won't be able to come inside when we drop off this...houseguest. But we'll be in and out." 12:10 <banana> Bob saw '999' on the phone, unsurprisingly. He's picked up by now that that's the old UK emergency line, being phased out for Europe's standardised 000... well, maybe not anymore. 12:10 <tom> Bob: "Please." 12:11 <banana> Reveille: "Understood. There can't be much chance they're ready to go again so soon." 12:11 <banana> Karen: "I'm afraid of you. None of this is okay." 12:12 <Crion> Aster: "One should hope not. All Calling-enforcement can't be like this. None of you would still be alive." 12:12 <tom> Bob takes off his visor. "I'm scared too." His eyes look tired, damn tired. "If they find me, they won't just kill me, even though they will. They'll hurt my girl, too. I don't know what they'll do to her." 12:12 <Crion> "Sadly, I haven't had a chance yet to look into Bogdan's leads...but I will have that time." 12:12 <tom> "Do you understand what I'm saying?" 12:12 <banana> Reveille: "I've pushed them to their limit. Should be dead or have given up by now... but I will never give up again." 12:14 <banana> You're in the neighbourhood Badawi knows well now. 12:14 <Crion> Badawi's presumably given her the address. Aster will be first out. 12:14 <Crion> Which hurts. 12:14 <Crion> He tosses the sunglasses, barely hanging off his face, in a public wastebin. 12:14 <tom> Bob gulps, doesn't say anything for a long time. "You're safe now, that's what's important." 12:15 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's listening attentively now. Original licence-holder? 12:15 <tom> He turns back and gets back to opening up the case of his Mjolnir. "I'll buy you a new phone, sorry." 12:15 <banana> H.M. Prison 'Strangeways', gate number 3, is nice and private. You can drive down a little ramp into an underground area, where three people wait in long winter coats - Aster will recognise both Vivi and Carrey, the latter of the Wolf-Mourners. 12:15 <banana> (Not to mention the Adamantine Arrow). 12:15 <Quaker> Badawi gets out after him, heading to the other car where Bob seems to be looming over the fashion flunky. “Stay here with the client. We’ll be back in a bit.” 12:16 <Quaker> Then she follows Aster underground. 12:16 <tom> Bob gives Badawi a salute from the window. 12:16 <Crion> Aster waves them over as he pops the trunk. 12:16 <banana> Karen stares at Bob's back. Gord opens the car door to hop out - but he's not trying to follow Aster and Badawi, he's heading back to check on Reveille. 12:16 <Crion> "I can't lift." 12:16 <banana> She winds down her window and they talk quietly. 12:17 <tom> "If you want me to leave you alone I understand. This shit is always hard the first time you see it." 12:17 <tom> "But please don't put my life in danger when I'm trying to help." 12:18 <banana> Vivi combs his beard with a couple of fingers: "Here we are again, Ms. Scabuzzo, Mr. Aster. This... must be to do with the dossier we sold you." 12:18 <tom> He gets out of the vehicle, leaving the weapon on the seat. He stretches his arms out over his head. 12:18 <banana> Richard: "Please explain that statement without alliteration." 12:19 <Crion> Aster: "Good seeds, soft earth, strong results." 12:19 <tom> Bob heads over to Gord and Reveille, unless his approach draws their consternation. "Karen lost her phone in the scuffle and needs a new one." 12:20 <banana> Sourjack: "This place, your narrative- they were handed down to me. I don't pretend to understand all the details- after all, I'm as human as you are. Maybe a little more so." 12:20 <VoxPVoxD> Willie chews her lip. Where does he get the nerve. 12:21 <banana> Richard: "I know what I am, and I don't mean that like-" 12:21 <Crion> Aster, indicating the creature: "We don't know what this is. It presents as being from outer space. A number of disciplines and vocations -- including, I believe, yours -- claim that's impossible. So perhaps be aware that the base material here might be a...repurposed...mortal." 12:21 <banana> Sourjack: "Yes, yes. You're a man, a plan, a ca- well, scratch that one. As I understand it you're a normal person with a few extra features - from the dealership." 12:22 <Crion> "There are also two asteroid drop pods in the middle of the damn road about 15 minutes away from here that they came out of, if you want to try your hands on getting those too. I don't think we can help on that front." 12:22 <banana> "They threw in the DRM crack, they gave me a photocopy of the manual. It really is maintenance, you know." 12:23 <banana> Vivi: "Geez, yeah, we should do something about that. Uh, Evo, get in touch with Closure please." 12:23 <banana> "I'll assume none of it was your fault. The 'aliens'.. we take them off your hands, in exchange for taking them off your hands? An equivalent exchange?" 12:23 <Crion> He glances to Badawi. Does she want to take lead on negotiating permanent terms? 12:24 <banana> Reveille tells Bob, "I can get Karen a new phone. Maybe a new job. I'm going to have to be more careful with who I have around me while this thing is escalating." 12:24 <Quaker> Luisa Scabuzzo: “We weren’t warned about the possibility of meteorites suddenly landing in front of us, no. As one professional cell to another, it’s hardly ideal working conditions.” She’ll nod back and step forward. “Nice try, no offense.” 12:24 <banana> "Is she OK?" 12:25 <Crion> Aster: "We might want access to the prisoner later, assuming it's verbal, as we try to resolve this. But frankly, we have other leads, and have no leverage or interest in constraining your methods. 12:25 <Crion> " 12:25 <tom> Bob turns to Reveille and for wrenches his eyebrows- it looks for a second like he's about to cry. "She's fine." 12:26 <tom> "Shaken up. Not unusual." 12:26 <Quaker> “We’ve got a live possible alien and several corpses. Along with, apparently, ray-guns that are very dangerous. Store credit for the bodies and guns. You help us with the interrogation and you can have him afterwards. Plus more store credit, depending on what we find out.” 12:26 <tom> "We have bigger problems." 12:26 <tom> Bob: "Judging from the number of phones I saw, we have.. maybe ten minutes before my Mjolnir Mark II goes viral." 12:27 <tom> "I really hope you have a plan for what to do after the US military drops a fucking JDAM on my house." 12:27 <banana> Richard: "If there is such a manual, I should have it. As well as all the context surrounding it." He's looking at Willie as he says, "I'd never seen this place in my life before you returned me that memo." 12:28 <VoxPVoxD> Willie nods again, but she doesn't look quite so encouraging anymore. 12:28 <banana> Sourjack: "No, I disagree. You'd be happier and more functional without this kind of knowledge, and I'd rather keep it from you unless you're going to make some kind of stand on principle. Carefully consider concomitant consequences." 12:30 <Crion> Aster will lean back against the vehicle as the mages, presumably, do the work of removing the prisoner. 12:30 <banana> Reveille: "Well... I'm reconsidering the space marine costume, yeah." 12:30 <tom> "It won't matter if my face hits the internet." 12:31 <VoxPVoxD> Willie inhales sharply. 12:31 <tom> Bob slumps against the vehicle and goes for his packet of cigarettes. "Fuck." 12:31 <banana> "Was Karen recording video?" 12:32 <tom> "Let's say she wasn't. There were dozens of civilians on that roadway. Then there's the CCTV cameras, the traffic stuff, and I'm sure people in nearby apartment blocks who went to the windows when they heard the sonic booms." 12:33 <banana> One of Vivi's cronies has gone off to, presumably, sort out things about asteroids. Or at least participate in the melange of conspiracies which will be cramming in to try and cover the things up simultaneously. The Vice-Curator tells Agostina, "Seems like you've got a lot on your plate. Do you really want to take part in some sort of X-Files interrogation scene? It's going to be just as 12:33 <banana> inconclusive as the ones on TV." 12:33 <banana> Carrey, meanwhile, is rapidly trussing the thing's limbs with a bunch of rope she pulled out of nowhere. Her arm looks mostly recovered. 12:34 <Quaker> Luisa turns to Aster. “Who do you want in the room with it?” 12:34 <tom> "If this were a FORT operation we'd have ADAMSKI on it with the muninn syringes- awful stuff, I only took it once- but with that many witnesses? No way they'd get 'em all." 12:34 <Crion> Good for her. 12:35 <Crion> Aster: "Our social person is Willie. It also hasn't seen Willie; might react better to her. But she's currently...otherwise engaged, and might not be immediately available." 12:35 <banana> Reveille: "Yeah. I think the basic problem we need to deal with is, these forces are.. trying to stop me from becoming famous. That's their actual goal. Or at least they're trying to put a price on fame, and you're now on the hook." 12:35 <banana> "Is this too far outside what your team signed up for?" 12:35 <Crion> "I, of course, am the one who fucked up its mind. So I don't know how much I'm a value add." 12:35 <banana> Carrey: "Nice job, though. It was probably thinking dumb thoughts about lizard crap." 12:36 <Crion> Aster: "Possibly so. Glad to see the arm is healing well." 12:36 <Crion> He sounds genuine about that. 12:36 <banana> "..Yeah, thanks." 12:36 <tom> Bob smokes. "I don't think it matters. Even if it doesn't get out, people high up are going to start asking questions, and there's a very obvious answer waiting for them at OPFORT headquarters." 12:37 <tom> "So let's just complete the job so I can give Mari a nice present before I bite it." 12:37 <banana> Gord: "Why'd you go into this line of work if there's a price on your head, man?" 12:37 <tom> Bob: "S'what I do." 12:37 <banana> "I can respect that, without being able to understand it." 12:37 <tom> "Karen is probably going to need therapy, I'll refund part of my fee for it." 12:37 <Quaker> “Alright then. I’ll tag along for the interrogation myself.” 12:38 <Crion> Aster nods. "I need to lie down somewhere." 12:38 <Crion> "A vampire elder and the fucking War of Worlds in 48 hours is a bit much." 12:38 <Quaker> Badawi to Aster: “I’ll find my way back home afterwards, if you want to get the client going towards somewhere safe in the meantime.” 12:39 <Quaker> “See you back there, then.” 12:39 <banana> When Sourjack exhorts him to Consider, Richard does pause for a moment, but it's just a few breaths. "...So, ultimately, Mr. Jack, I'm not afraid of your mysterious revelations. There's only so much you can overturn the applecart, and I've always been fond of forbidden knowledge. Equally, I'm not fond at all of being... programmed. It's a dealbreaker." 12:40 <Crion> Aster nods. "Check in there's any problems. We'll still come running." 12:40 <Crion> Aster will wincingly climb back into the vehicle. 12:40 <VoxPVoxD> Yes! Yes!! Willie wants to give Richard a hug, but she'll wait until Jack hangs up. 12:40 <VoxPVoxD> Don't let this prevaricating fact-miser push you around!! 12:41 <banana> Vivi: "Well, you're welcome to be in the room." Although he was trying it on for a bit there. "Let's get these things out of the daylight before the decomposing ones start to emit peroxide." 12:42 <banana> Greyjack: "Dealbreaker, dealbreaker, make me a new deal." 12:42 <Quaker> Before they drive off, Badawi will key in to Aster’s channel. “Oh, I think Bob is having some kind of thing with the fashion person. We did just drive into a prison, though, and you two are both very convincing cops…maybe some kind of Official Secrets Act speech will help. Anyway, seeya.” 12:42 <Crion> Aster, without opening his eyes: "Understood. Thank you, Agostina." 12:42 <Quaker> She’ll follow the mages as they carry their loot into Strangeways. 12:43 <banana> Haldane: "All your papers and information about me, or supposedly so, and whatever... access codes you have. Then I evaluate what any of it means." 12:43 <Crion> He'll deal with that when they all get out of the vehicles next. 12:43 <tom> Bob finishes his cigarette in uncertain silence, then pushes off from Reveille's vehicle if she has nothing else to add. 12:44 <tom> He heads back to the car and slides into the seat next to Aster. 12:44 <banana> Karen looks up at both of them and says: "Please drop me at Piccadilly Station." 12:44 <Quaker> As they walk: “So…these things giving off actual alien vibes, or what?” 12:45 <tom> Bob doesn't say anything. 12:45 <Crion> Is Karen in the vehicle with him, now? 12:46 <banana> Vivi: "In some basic sense, yeah.. I mean I can't tell you something is 'alien' with certainty, but they've travelled an interplanetary distance to be here." 12:46 <banana> Carrey: "Biologically, Earth-compatible. The blood's just dyed." 12:47 <tom> Gord was the driver. Bob rolls down the window and thumps on the outside of the cardoor. "C'mon man, we gotta go." 12:47 <Quaker> If Agostina were a cartoon character, her eyes would be replaced by little spinning slot machine dollar signs right now. 12:47 <banana> Gord: "If the three of you are taking that limo, I'm staying back here with M&M. Where are we going now? Home?" He means Reveille's home, of course. 12:49 <tom> Bob sighs hard and turns to Aster. "Don't touch my gun." He gestures at the bulky battery pack and its lifeless weapon as he steps out and gets into the driver seat. 12:50 <Crion> Aster: "I, personally, am going back to wherever my Range Rover is. If that's different from where you're going, I'll call a cab." 12:51 <tom> He starts up the engine. "We're gonna swing by Picadilly station. Call a cab or don't." 12:51 <Crion> Aster gives Bob a look, and then gets out the car. "Noted." 12:52 <tom> Bob quietly seethes. 12:52 <banana> Carrey's got the unconscious alien, hogtied, over her shoulder, moving it about with casually superhuman strength. Vivi tells Badawi, "We're beneath the prison proper here. Seems okay to bring you up into the facility, but please don't open any doors." 12:52 <Crion> He'll rap on the side of it when he's clear, so it can drive off. Then he'll take out his phone and start walking. 12:53 <Quaker> “Uh huh.” 12:55 <banana> Sourjack, to Richard: "My terms: you keep your mind open as well as your eyes. What you think you know isn't the only truth; ask Willie about overlapping hells. And I didn't get a forwarding address for the seller. Something was on his trail. There was urgency." 12:56 <VoxPVoxD> At this point Willie can't contain herself: "Did you get a name?" 12:57 <tom> Bob takes the limo across the Irwell to the railyard. Karen finds him opening the door for her at the terminus, a wad of bills in his hand and an ashen expression on his face. Then he's returning the vehicle to the depot, back to his truck, and back to the job. 12:59 <Crion> It will be some thirty or forty-five minutes before Aster finds himself back in the loading bay of the Greybox, getting out of his Range Rover, better able to walk now. Possibly there was a stop by Aster Biologics, and a cortisone shot involved. Who can say. 12:59 <banana> Jack of Edges (very meaningfully): ". . ." 12:59 <banana> "Yes, Willie... but the name was Richard Haldane. It'll differ with distance. If he's still in the area? Ask Clan Alpha Strike which of their members joined around June of this year." 13:01 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Right. I'll do that. In the meantime, I must insist on behalf of the team that you make some effort to contain your impulse to scheme and puppetmaster. Besides being an abrogation of human decency and morality, it is astoundingly ineffective management." 13:01 <Crion> Aster buzzes in around here, then. 13:01 <VoxPVoxD> "I understand this may be quite difficult, and I don't expect an overnight turnaround. But it is not acceptable." 13:02 <banana> "I ask purely out of curiosity." Thaaaat's Sourjack's voice from the speakerphone. "If it was a choice between moral decency and effective management, which would you like to see prioritised?" 13:02 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "It isn't." 13:02 <VoxPVoxD> Willie buzzes Aaron in. 13:02 <banana> Richard: "Ask a hypothetical question, get a concrete answer." 13:03 <Crion> Aster tosses his jacket on a couch and, wincing, begins taking off his kevlar. 13:04 <banana> Badawi didn't see this exact part of Strangeways from the high beams - it's closed in - but she saw similar spaces. There are corridors between labs and small office spaces, most of them custom-furnished, half disused but half full of strange lights and smells. People are in some vague sense About but you never quite see them - the two mages you're with escort you in some odd fashion, time 13:04 <banana> seeming to pass at unusual rates. 13:04 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Please transmit the relevant documents as soon as possible, sir. It is quite essential to the business you expect us to operate for you." 13:05 <banana> Without Octocat's sunglasses, it's hard to pin anything down, but after some interminable period of events she's walking down a corridor past rooms labelled PROJECT MOONSILVER and HE WHO SHALL NOT BE to the rather more mundane BREAK ROOM #2. 13:05 <Crion> Aster: "The velcro sounds are me, Sourjack. You sound like you've been up to no good." 13:06 <banana> Sourjack: "Then I'll endeavour to sound different, ere next we speak. The scans are on the way to your inbox and the originals will be couriered. Does anyone have other business?" 13:07 <Crion> Aster simply slumps down onto whatever the comfiest piece of furniture available is. 13:07 <banana> Richard: "I have no way to know that you're actually giving up this.. capability." 13:08 <banana> Sourjack: "You promised to evaluate. I trust that you shall." 13:08 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "That's all on our end, Mr. de Gris. I'm sure we will be in contact again as needs must." 13:08 <VoxPVoxD> And not a moment before. 13:09 <banana> Sourjack: "I'll look forward to your saving of star-child lives. And their lucrative gratitude." Beep... beep... beep... 13:10 <banana> Haldane: "Christ, what an asshole." 13:10 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Utter prick." 13:10 <VoxPVoxD> She gives Richard a 'do you want to tell Aaron or shall I' kind of look. 13:10 <Crion> Aster: "Sign of a worthwhile boss in this line of work. You don't want to like them. That makes it harder, on the river." 13:11 <Crion> His eyes are closed. 13:11 <Quaker> Agostina Badawi reaches out across time and space to send them all a feeling that we need to renegotiate our fee. 13:11 <banana> Richard to Aster, obliquely: "I do feel like he's on our side in some sense, but it makes me question the nature of the team." 13:11 <banana> "...do you need some morphine?" He's paying attention now. 13:11 <Crion> Aster: "No. Morphine develops a dependency." 13:12 <VoxPVoxD> Willie winces. Luckily Aaron can't see, and Richard probably also can't. 13:12 <Crion> "Nothing opioid-based." 13:12 <banana> "That's the nature of any good painkillers. The best I can do you, then, is paracetamol." He'll head to the bathroom. 13:12 <Crion> Aster: "Acceptable." 13:13 <Crion> He opens an eye, looking over at Willie. "How bad is whatever I walked in on?" 13:13 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "...it's not clear. I think we're well short of what seemed like the worst-case scenario coming in, but we'll need to see the information Jack is sending to be sure." 13:14 <banana> Bob spends the rest of the shift much more safely, though it's not exactly normal. Reveille chafes at spending the rest of the day at home, calls over a bandmate, and hands her the remaining scraps of alien gear - to incinerate with her mind. Gord asks Bob a lot of questions and he gets the sense that the guy might already know some of the answers. But eventually it's done, he's relieved and 13:14 <banana> off home. 13:14 <banana> Mari's seen the news - but she didn't have any reason to connect it with Bob, yet. 13:14 <Crion> Aster closes his eye again. "Excellent. Oh, aliens in downtown Manchester." 13:14 <Crion> "That's what you missed." 13:15 <VoxPVoxD> "Good heavens. What about witnesses? The media? All under control?" 13:15 <Crion> "Asteroids crashing into the street. Alien troopers with rayguns marching out. Cellphone video." 13:15 <Crion> He coughs. "Ah. That hurts. Yes. We informed the mages. That's their purview. Cleared the bodies." 13:15 <VoxPVoxD> "Do you want some tea? Or coffee? Perhaps just a glass of water." 13:15 <Crion> "Water would be nice." 13:15 <Crion> "Thank you." 13:16 <banana> Somebody's sanitising things - the version that made the nightly news is that a fluke meteor shower lead to road damage and 'violent scenes'. But there are some vox pops claiming to have seen Reptilians, tearing off their skin-masks as they called down the space rocks. 13:17 <VoxPVoxD> Willie fills a glass from the fountain or the tap or whatever we're using for water in here. "Richard discovered evidence of some kind of psychological backdoor in his mind, which Jack was able to exploit remotely with arbitrary code execution. He has done so multiple times to unclear purpose. That's what we were discussing. He insisted it was a form of 'maintenance', but claims to be 13:17 <VoxPVoxD> turning over the relevant documentation and offered us a viable lead as well, with the software demons." 13:17 <banana> Richard returns, with pills for the water. "Is that 'dae'mons?" 13:18 <banana> "It's not, is it." 13:18 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Not in the programmatic sense. The Alpha Strikes! Jan and Nige. They're on the board." 13:18 <banana> Mari shows Bob a Tiktok someone saved on an Instagram. "Someone's actually got video of some kinda hob-lizard firing a laser gun... but they're saying it's all a movie." 13:19 <VoxPVoxD> Bringing Aaron the glass: "Where are Bob and Agostina?" 13:19 <Crion> Aster: "That's concerning. But I won't belabor our previous discussions by getting too deep into the weeds about how that's a better deal than VASCU agents generally got from suspected vampires in the command structure." 13:19 <tom> Mari will find Bob at the couch, his head in his hands. She'll get the brief version of events. Very brief. He ends it with. "Two women have said I scare them in the last two days." 13:19 <Crion> "If he can be confronted about it in a way that doesn't cost permanent working relationships or resources...not the worst possible outcome." 13:19 <tom> That's all he's got to say for now. 13:20 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I think he understands, on some level, how he comes off. He might not care, but he respects the obvious resulting reactions." 13:21 <Crion> "Bob is taking a woman whose phone he confiscated to Picadilly Station. Badawi is sitting in on an interrogation of the surviving 'alien.' We hope for results from the latter and nothing from the former." 13:21 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Were they hurt?" 13:21 <Crion> "Badawi was shot a few times, but you know her. She has her potions." He grimaces. "Not me." 13:22 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Ugh. You've had a terrible weekend." 13:23 <Crion> Aster: "I haven't required hospitalization yet. Walking away from an elder vampire and a bunch of spacemen with rayguns is a moral victory, at least." 13:23 <banana> Mari will hold Bob for as long as he likes. "Gender roles... are strong." Her bet is men in their position would be scared too, but that's not a helpful thing to say, huh? 13:23 <Crion> Drinking doesn't hurt. Thank god. "Too bad about our limited opportunities to brag." 13:23 <VoxPVoxD> Willie laughs. "Yeah." 13:24 <banana> Richard: "...did you get any rayguns?" 13:24 <VoxPVoxD> "I assume the magicians have them." 13:24 <Crion> Aster: "Still. Those who need to know, will know. Strangeways simply found out earlier than others." 13:24 <Crion> Aster: "They were handed off. It would have been a severe breach of operational security to bring technology we don't even have a cursory understanding of inside the Greybox." 13:25 <banana> Richard: "I resemble that remark." 13:25 <banana> "Apparently." 13:25 <tom> Bob's choking cough turns into what he hopes sounds like a friendly chuckle, and squeezes her in kind. After a long while: "There's some stuff I need to tell you, but... ah..." He takes her hand in his and kneads it. "Can it wait until after your awesome, nothing-will-go-wrong birthday party?" 13:25 <tom> "I really need a win here, ma'am." 13:26 <Crion> Aster will take whatever medicine Richard has brought him, and then: "Now, if you don't mind...I'm going to pull out the bed over here, and simply, go to sleep in my clothes. 13:26 <Crion> " 13:26 <banana> Mari: "Yep. I wanna know stuff about you, when you're okay with being known." 13:26 <banana> "The question is, like." 13:26 <Crion> "Don't bother me for, oh, 16 hours." 13:26 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "We know you're competent, and principled, and that you will face risk and censure rather than submit to control." 13:26 <VoxPVoxD> "That's quite enough understanding to be getting on with, I think." 13:28 <banana> Mari: "Did you have a plan for the day? ...Should I throw abba and umma's invitation?" 13:29 <tom> "Do you actually wanna go?" 13:31 <tom> "I was thinking... steaks... something chill. A birthday cake, gifts..." 13:31 <banana> Mari: "I don't, no. Just be aware we're gonna get a lot of calls throughout the day." 13:33 <tom> Bob: "Fuck 'em. We can have Sumi over for dinner, anyone else you want... then we can have some alone time and... talk." 13:33 <tom> He leans back wearily into the couch. 13:35 <tom> "You should get to enjoy your birthday." 13:35 <banana> Mari: "Sounds nice." 13:36 <banana> "B, it sounds like this thing tends to give you the high and the guilt together." 13:38 <banana> "Fighting monsters, scaring people... it's the same work through a different lens. Will you let me know if it's getting unstable?" 13:39 <tom> Bob squeezes her close. "It's always unstable. That's the job." 13:41 <banana> Mari: "I can take or leave the job. I only care about you getting through the day, us getting better or not worse." 13:42 <tom> He rests his head on her shoulder and listens to her talk for a little while. It doesn't really matter what she says. 13:42 <banana> "If at some point you want out? We'll find something else you can do, with enough sicko stuff and less floating pain-mirrors."