The Masked Man was shouting, a voice raw with rage. "None of you really care! None of you give a shit!"
She feels dizzy, feels for a moment as if she is back on The Horsebreeder's Ranch, the night it burned. Maybe I died there and now I'm a ghost...
The dizziness keeps her from noticing Brogan staggering out of the flames, pistol in hand.
The Masked Man draws on Brogan but Brogan squeezes first and a burst of blood erupts from the Masked Man's head.
Brogan's gun sounds strange. Mags remembers the rumours, that the gun Logollos shot Sugarcube with had sounded strange. It's bringing her back, the sound, the question of it, bringing her back from the ranch, but too slowly.
Brogan already turning to face her, gun raised.
And part of her mind, staggering out of the flames from that night at the ranch into the flames that are swallowing Omega, part of her is trying to see if she can see, now that their hat is knocked off from the gunshot, if she can see who The Masked Man is...
Even as she, reflexes kicking in, raises her own gun at Brogan, but still too slow.
Maybe I am going to find out what happened to Sugarcube after all.
Except there are suddenly hoofbeats like thunder and a horse and rider charge out of the smoke. Right behind Brogan. And the rider, a massive man, shirtless and bloodied, long blond hair tangled and damp with sweat, hacks Brogan's head off with a giant sword.
"Maggie!" the rider roars, a savage grin on his face. "It's time to go!"
And she remembers him, another wave of dizziness, a wave of memories, enough to drown her - Vlad, he was called, and Akimoto - and the dizziness overtakes her, starting to fall, and the memories, remembering what it feels like to shift.
Showing posts with label akimoto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label akimoto. Show all posts
20151121
C2IP Update.3
Marshal stepped into Mick's apartment. He had used a Neo-Linguistic Programming technique from a library book to convince the superintendent to give him access. Mick had only disappeared a few days ago but somehow there was already a thick layer of dust coating every surface, almost like ash.
The kitchenette was a mess of take-out packaging. The living room was a ruin of videogame cases and controllers (many smashed in rage), cigarette butts, CD cases, sketches and hand-written poetry.
In the small bedroom (just a sleeping bag on the floor) Marshal found the map Mick had been working on, pages pasted to the wall with lines and circles connecting them, a shot straight out of a conspiracy movie. It was the outline for Mick's next novel.
Marshal had read Illiciterati and Evanjaculist and had been eagerly awaiting Mick's newest book. Except he had been having all these strange dreams and when he performed his ritual meditations to Odin and Merlin the gods had been telling him that something more was happening, that Mick was involved in something deeper. Then Marshal had started having these really potent daydreams at work, imagining uncovering a covert war between something called The System and a group calling themselves Counter, and it was all connected to Mick's writing. The dreams and visions and daydreams became more and more intense until he was compelled to come here...
One page was titled 'Chronoplex'. The name 'Suki', 'version GrownUp?', 'version Grandma?'. 'Project Realtime?'. 'Can we access the Missing Season?'. 'Can we learn what happened during the Millennium Incident?'.
Another page labelled 'Paraplex'. 'So what happened to the Initiated Dragons?'.
The next: 'Ultraplex'. 'Are these reports that the Counter-System was broadcasting? Or are they made up? Propaganda or just fiction?'.
'Hyperplex'. 'The Plureality Dragons Upgraded'. 'The Diner Dragons?', crossed out. 'Darius?', circled and crossed out.
'Omniplex'. 'Art, journals, music, RPGs?'. 'Project Horizon?'.
'Synchroplex'. A list of dates.
'Manaplex'. Mostly illegible. 'New job?' circled. 'Project Ellipses?'.
And in marker, scrawled over many of the pages: 'BETRAYAL'.
Marshal had no idea what any of it meant but could feel that it somehow explained everything.
He also noticed a copy of a magazine on the floor. Profile Celebrations. The cover story was about a man named Vlad Akimoto. Marshal scanned the article:
International fitness business empire mogul. Founder of "The Timeless Warrior" training regime, based on ancient lost arts of body purification through testing one's physical limits, combined with the introduction into your healthy diet of designer herbal infused beverages. Proposed by some in the fashion industry that Akimoto was the father of the "hipster" movement. Rumoured a) to be majority owner in the up and coming "Citadel" independent music label, b) to have founded the online "Barbarian" clothing line which specializes in custom design t-shirts, c) to own a number of fashionable craft beer eateries in Tokyo, St Petersburg and Munich.
The kitchenette was a mess of take-out packaging. The living room was a ruin of videogame cases and controllers (many smashed in rage), cigarette butts, CD cases, sketches and hand-written poetry.
In the small bedroom (just a sleeping bag on the floor) Marshal found the map Mick had been working on, pages pasted to the wall with lines and circles connecting them, a shot straight out of a conspiracy movie. It was the outline for Mick's next novel.
Marshal had read Illiciterati and Evanjaculist and had been eagerly awaiting Mick's newest book. Except he had been having all these strange dreams and when he performed his ritual meditations to Odin and Merlin the gods had been telling him that something more was happening, that Mick was involved in something deeper. Then Marshal had started having these really potent daydreams at work, imagining uncovering a covert war between something called The System and a group calling themselves Counter, and it was all connected to Mick's writing. The dreams and visions and daydreams became more and more intense until he was compelled to come here...
One page was titled 'Chronoplex'. The name 'Suki', 'version GrownUp?', 'version Grandma?'. 'Project Realtime?'. 'Can we access the Missing Season?'. 'Can we learn what happened during the Millennium Incident?'.
Another page labelled 'Paraplex'. 'So what happened to the Initiated Dragons?'.
The next: 'Ultraplex'. 'Are these reports that the Counter-System was broadcasting? Or are they made up? Propaganda or just fiction?'.
'Hyperplex'. 'The Plureality Dragons Upgraded'. 'The Diner Dragons?', crossed out. 'Darius?', circled and crossed out.
'Omniplex'. 'Art, journals, music, RPGs?'. 'Project Horizon?'.
'Synchroplex'. A list of dates.
'Manaplex'. Mostly illegible. 'New job?' circled. 'Project Ellipses?'.
And in marker, scrawled over many of the pages: 'BETRAYAL'.
Marshal had no idea what any of it meant but could feel that it somehow explained everything.
He also noticed a copy of a magazine on the floor. Profile Celebrations. The cover story was about a man named Vlad Akimoto. Marshal scanned the article:
International fitness business empire mogul. Founder of "The Timeless Warrior" training regime, based on ancient lost arts of body purification through testing one's physical limits, combined with the introduction into your healthy diet of designer herbal infused beverages. Proposed by some in the fashion industry that Akimoto was the father of the "hipster" movement. Rumoured a) to be majority owner in the up and coming "Citadel" independent music label, b) to have founded the online "Barbarian" clothing line which specializes in custom design t-shirts, c) to own a number of fashionable craft beer eateries in Tokyo, St Petersburg and Munich.
Why was Mick researching this guy?
20151002
C2IP Update.2
The ground shook again, dislodging more rubble from the bombed-out buildings. Shadows swept across the ground from the light of the flares in the night sky, voices hollow and fuzzy with static calling out over malfunctioning sound-systems, repeating emergency protocol directions that were very 'too-little-too-late'. Mick strolled down the centre of the cracked and scorched street as if all the lights and noise were a massive party; this wasn't his first apocalypse. In a lot of ways he felt at home in disaster zones; they were somehow more honest.
His contacts were less brazen, with good reason Mick figured, given that of the ever-increasing number of factions in what appeared to be a cold-war-turned-hot-turning-nova most likely had capture or kill orders out on them. They signalled to him with a pre-arranged series of flashlight blinks from the shadows of a ruined hotel lobby.
"Okay," Mick said, hunkered down behind the front desk. "First off, no I haven't gotten any leads on who the double-agent is. I don't doubt your intel, especially given the source, but there are so many variables in play right now...
"Second, Goner's rejoined Max, Frank and Angst, so they're active again as a cell. Plus they've gotten a lead on Mags - sounds like she's changed too.
"As for Suki, it looks like she's actually shifted along the Chronoplex - that's what we're calling it now, right? She seems to be in a much older version of herself. I know, it's not the first-time Suki's age has altered. No idea if or how she's going to intersect with the others.
"The Diner crew... Things are still different with them too... Like they're on a different frequency from the other Dragons? I dunno, I feel like something's brewing there.
"Max has got his spirit guides in play, the bird and the talking cat. Still nothing from Aqua. Oh, but get this - I found this weird urban legend about this strange warrior-monk type-guy who wanders the globe, actually walking, no planes or buses. He's this dirty bearded vagabond, stops briefly to debate about things like Confucianism or Norse Mythology. Sometimes does a bit of intervening on a street-level if there's some injustice happening, and ain't there always? There's versions of the tale where he seeks out a vision at holy places, the hidden Temple of the Sky on Everest, the sacred glass monolith at the centre of the Sahara Desert, the keystone of the Great Wall of China that contains the last essence of the demon Hrarchuta who sacrificed his immortality to save his love, the angelic Yuriti... It's great stuff; I wish I'd written it. But it's got to be our boy Akimoto, right?
"And lastly, just so I'm keeping track, so far there's the Chronoplex, the Paraplex, and the Ultraplex? Now, how about you share with me: do we know yet what exactly has kicked off this whole mess between the System and Counter-System?"
The contacts exchanged glances.
Suddenly a swarm of sirens began wailing outside and the thunder of helicopters erupted overhead. Mick sighed. "I get it, 'to be continued'."
His contacts were less brazen, with good reason Mick figured, given that of the ever-increasing number of factions in what appeared to be a cold-war-turned-hot-turning-nova most likely had capture or kill orders out on them. They signalled to him with a pre-arranged series of flashlight blinks from the shadows of a ruined hotel lobby.
"Okay," Mick said, hunkered down behind the front desk. "First off, no I haven't gotten any leads on who the double-agent is. I don't doubt your intel, especially given the source, but there are so many variables in play right now...
"Second, Goner's rejoined Max, Frank and Angst, so they're active again as a cell. Plus they've gotten a lead on Mags - sounds like she's changed too.
"As for Suki, it looks like she's actually shifted along the Chronoplex - that's what we're calling it now, right? She seems to be in a much older version of herself. I know, it's not the first-time Suki's age has altered. No idea if or how she's going to intersect with the others.
"The Diner crew... Things are still different with them too... Like they're on a different frequency from the other Dragons? I dunno, I feel like something's brewing there.
"Max has got his spirit guides in play, the bird and the talking cat. Still nothing from Aqua. Oh, but get this - I found this weird urban legend about this strange warrior-monk type-guy who wanders the globe, actually walking, no planes or buses. He's this dirty bearded vagabond, stops briefly to debate about things like Confucianism or Norse Mythology. Sometimes does a bit of intervening on a street-level if there's some injustice happening, and ain't there always? There's versions of the tale where he seeks out a vision at holy places, the hidden Temple of the Sky on Everest, the sacred glass monolith at the centre of the Sahara Desert, the keystone of the Great Wall of China that contains the last essence of the demon Hrarchuta who sacrificed his immortality to save his love, the angelic Yuriti... It's great stuff; I wish I'd written it. But it's got to be our boy Akimoto, right?
"And lastly, just so I'm keeping track, so far there's the Chronoplex, the Paraplex, and the Ultraplex? Now, how about you share with me: do we know yet what exactly has kicked off this whole mess between the System and Counter-System?"
The contacts exchanged glances.
Suddenly a swarm of sirens began wailing outside and the thunder of helicopters erupted overhead. Mick sighed. "I get it, 'to be continued'."
20150817
C2IP Update.1
Mick opened the locker and removed the satchel, headed to the nearest washroom. The intercom rattled off train arrival and departure notifications in a bland, synthetic voice. A security drone hummed over the swarm of commuters. Mick had taken two capsules of Glamour before arriving at the station and run some invisibility mantras - he'd be cloaked from any surveillance for about an hour. Unless the Sidhe showed up, which meant things were fucked anyway.
Hunkered in a stall, Mick unzipped the satchel. There was a hardcover book, one of the sourcebooks for the Aeon Triumph Gun Messiahs RPG. A pencil and a piece of paper. Mick used the book as a firm surface to write on, scrawling notes quickly with the pencil on the paper.
Four System operations identified.
Two Counter-System activities being monitored, plus one potential.
Pretty George might be dead.
Max has made contact with Dexter, Wraith and Callan - still not sure if they've joined the System or have been recruited by Counter. No contact with Darius (he's been running on a parallel stream ever since the Millennium Incident I think, which Max doesn't know much about, either because he wasn't there or can't remember).
Max is still working closely with Angst and Frank.
Goner's gone dark. Suki seems to be missing.
Aqua disappeared with the remains of the Subway car.
I've got some rumours on Akimoto to follow-up on.
The name Summer keeps coming up...?
No confirmed contact with Maggie.
No clues yet to which one is the double-agent.
Any idea what the fuck exactly is going on?
Mick folded the paper once and tucked it inside the book. He noticed the page he had randomly opened to: the description and stats for one of the Vatars that players could summon once they reached level 13 as a Gun Messiah. 'The Void'.
He shivered. Then sneered. Mick was not the superstitious type.
Hunkered in a stall, Mick unzipped the satchel. There was a hardcover book, one of the sourcebooks for the Aeon Triumph Gun Messiahs RPG. A pencil and a piece of paper. Mick used the book as a firm surface to write on, scrawling notes quickly with the pencil on the paper.
Four System operations identified.
Two Counter-System activities being monitored, plus one potential.
Pretty George might be dead.
Max has made contact with Dexter, Wraith and Callan - still not sure if they've joined the System or have been recruited by Counter. No contact with Darius (he's been running on a parallel stream ever since the Millennium Incident I think, which Max doesn't know much about, either because he wasn't there or can't remember).
Max is still working closely with Angst and Frank.
Goner's gone dark. Suki seems to be missing.
Aqua disappeared with the remains of the Subway car.
I've got some rumours on Akimoto to follow-up on.
The name Summer keeps coming up...?
No confirmed contact with Maggie.
No clues yet to which one is the double-agent.
Any idea what the fuck exactly is going on?
Mick folded the paper once and tucked it inside the book. He noticed the page he had randomly opened to: the description and stats for one of the Vatars that players could summon once they reached level 13 as a Gun Messiah. 'The Void'.
He shivered. Then sneered. Mick was not the superstitious type.
20150607
20150415
Neo Static: What May Be, What Might Be, What It Is VIII
They were sitting around a campfire, relaxing and taking it easy. It seemed like months since they had had a break in the action, that's for sure.
Max and Maggie were lying by the fire, Maggie enjoying the summer breeze as Max sipped coffee from one of those old tin can coffee mugs they had picked up at a flea market a few days back.
Angst sat cross-legged on a blanket field-stripping the Uzis, which made Frank shake his head and chuckle. Here they were on a beach in North Carolina admiring the summer evening.
Goner was picking stones and seeing how far he could toss them into the water; well, after what had happened in North Africa with the grenade he could use a little practice on throwing.
Aqua and Suki sat on a log reading Manga and both were fan-girling on how different and vastly improved the series The Reverend was in this version of Earth.
Akimoto sat away from the group, sitting on a rock and meditating as usual.
All was quiet and peaceful for the moment, a time to catch one's breath and enjoy the scenery for a change of pace.
"You there yet?" Maggie asked of Max.
"Huh," Max replied.
"Nope, not yet," Maggie stated and she turned to kiss him.
"What brought that on?" he said, as if she needed a reason to.
"Just saying hello to an old friend," she replied. Then she saw the sparkle in his eyes, as if an ancient door was opening, letting light into a room that was completely dark.
"Dammit," Angst said as she looked around the blanket.
"What?" Frank inquired.
"Nevermind," she replied. "I think I left it in the car."
"Want me to get it?" he asked.
"No, I'll do it," she said, getting up. "Besides, I think I have a kink in my leg to work out."
"Well, considering you've been doing that for a while now it would kink up," Frank joked.
Angst stood and headed for the car.
Max had glanced over and then he looked back at Maggie and she just smiled and nodded. "You see it now, don't you."
Angst headed to where the vehicles were parked and she heard a noise and looked to see Max, hovering off the ground.
"What the hell, Max," she said. "You scared the bejesus out of me."
"Angst, you're needed," Max said to her.
"Well, no guff," she chided.
"Take my hand and we'll go," he said as he reached out. "You'll only be gone from here a fraction of a micro-second."
Max and Maggie were lying by the fire, Maggie enjoying the summer breeze as Max sipped coffee from one of those old tin can coffee mugs they had picked up at a flea market a few days back.
Angst sat cross-legged on a blanket field-stripping the Uzis, which made Frank shake his head and chuckle. Here they were on a beach in North Carolina admiring the summer evening.
Goner was picking stones and seeing how far he could toss them into the water; well, after what had happened in North Africa with the grenade he could use a little practice on throwing.
Aqua and Suki sat on a log reading Manga and both were fan-girling on how different and vastly improved the series The Reverend was in this version of Earth.
Akimoto sat away from the group, sitting on a rock and meditating as usual.
All was quiet and peaceful for the moment, a time to catch one's breath and enjoy the scenery for a change of pace.
"You there yet?" Maggie asked of Max.
"Huh," Max replied.
"Nope, not yet," Maggie stated and she turned to kiss him.
"What brought that on?" he said, as if she needed a reason to.
"Just saying hello to an old friend," she replied. Then she saw the sparkle in his eyes, as if an ancient door was opening, letting light into a room that was completely dark.
"Dammit," Angst said as she looked around the blanket.
"What?" Frank inquired.
"Nevermind," she replied. "I think I left it in the car."
"Want me to get it?" he asked.
"No, I'll do it," she said, getting up. "Besides, I think I have a kink in my leg to work out."
"Well, considering you've been doing that for a while now it would kink up," Frank joked.
Angst stood and headed for the car.
Max had glanced over and then he looked back at Maggie and she just smiled and nodded. "You see it now, don't you."
Angst headed to where the vehicles were parked and she heard a noise and looked to see Max, hovering off the ground.
"What the hell, Max," she said. "You scared the bejesus out of me."
"Angst, you're needed," Max said to her.
"Well, no guff," she chided.
"Take my hand and we'll go," he said as he reached out. "You'll only be gone from here a fraction of a micro-second."
20141118
Invocation Final
... and finally moving beyond or is it within to the place where the Kami dwell which is only really the world without deception where Valhalla is only the present without fear and the wingbeats of the valkyrie only the passing of the present into the past to make room for the future, the skull a shrine, the spine is Yggdrasil, or the reverse and the reverse, here where the truth happens and the layers upon layers of confusion and delusion and history and fragments and iterations no longer obscure and obfuscate but are simple cartography, the sword and pen and tongue and thought, the runes and circle and words a map to find his way...
... and would he not then divine the route home? who would not after so many worlds and centuries and battles seek the safety and the surety and certainty and the continuity of home? who would not ask that gift from the Aesir and would they not grant it to one so deserving?
... when the time and a chance to make magic, real magic happens is this not the spell Akimoto should be casting?
... yet Maggie is still sick, and Max is still trapped, and his companions still stand watch, ready for the next battle...
[he has the sense of deja vu, the feeling of remembering the feeling of a dream, and so he knows that the magic is working]
Akimoto says the names of Freyr and Freyja and the names of the runes and draws his blade across his palm to make blood. But he does not do so for himself.
... and would he not then divine the route home? who would not after so many worlds and centuries and battles seek the safety and the surety and certainty and the continuity of home? who would not ask that gift from the Aesir and would they not grant it to one so deserving?
... when the time and a chance to make magic, real magic happens is this not the spell Akimoto should be casting?
... yet Maggie is still sick, and Max is still trapped, and his companions still stand watch, ready for the next battle...
[he has the sense of deja vu, the feeling of remembering the feeling of a dream, and so he knows that the magic is working]
Akimoto says the names of Freyr and Freyja and the names of the runes and draws his blade across his palm to make blood. But he does not do so for himself.
20141115
20141111
Invocation 5
Deeper now, going beyond, the scar on his face aching and hot.
What if your true home was never a real place?
Akimoto faces west and makes the next rune.
...
What if your true home was never a real place?
Akimoto faces west and makes the next rune.
...
20141109
Invocation 4
It is not proper Shinto practice either, though there is a striving towards kotodama in his effort, to touch the soul of the language, the words he is spelling, the spell he is casting.
The strange samurai cult he had found on his vision quest had taught him some of their magic along with their martial arts, their discipline, their honour, their language. He was no samurai, not even a proper ronin, because he was gaijin, he was an outsider (again?) - the ways of his teachers were not his own, he could not take them, lay claim to them, as he had once taken so much, the raids, the pillaging. The samurai had given him their knowledge freely, and greater than any of the philosophy, the techniques, the sword forms, they had taught him the power of giving.
The robes he sometimes wore were to help remind him of that. And the name they had called him, with no explanation - "bright beginning" - he kept because it was who was was trying to be, or perhaps the path to who he really was... It was hard to understand. It was all so very hard to understand. Yet it all kept happening.
Akimoto also knew that according to most of the histories of most of the worlds he had visited with Max that as much as three hundred years separated the time of the vikings with whom he raided and the samurai with whom he trained... And that roughly three times as long had passed between that time and when he awoke on the subway... What else could you do but try and make magic?
He turns to the south and shapes the next rune with his blade.
...
The strange samurai cult he had found on his vision quest had taught him some of their magic along with their martial arts, their discipline, their honour, their language. He was no samurai, not even a proper ronin, because he was gaijin, he was an outsider (again?) - the ways of his teachers were not his own, he could not take them, lay claim to them, as he had once taken so much, the raids, the pillaging. The samurai had given him their knowledge freely, and greater than any of the philosophy, the techniques, the sword forms, they had taught him the power of giving.
The robes he sometimes wore were to help remind him of that. And the name they had called him, with no explanation - "bright beginning" - he kept because it was who was was trying to be, or perhaps the path to who he really was... It was hard to understand. It was all so very hard to understand. Yet it all kept happening.
Akimoto also knew that according to most of the histories of most of the worlds he had visited with Max that as much as three hundred years separated the time of the vikings with whom he raided and the samurai with whom he trained... And that roughly three times as long had passed between that time and when he awoke on the subway... What else could you do but try and make magic?
He turns to the south and shapes the next rune with his blade.
...
20141107
Invocation 3
This is not proper seidr, not the proper rituals and offerings, the art of the volva. This is makeshift, improvised, everything in motion, everything always changing, little time to make it proper, but there is still a seething in Akimoto's body and mind that may yet be enough to carry his will across the Nine Worlds (once it seemed, to him, such a large number...).
The rooftop is so very far from the halls, the smoke of the hearth, the smell of fur, the roll of the waves under the boat, the feel of the shore under foot when the raid began. Everything he once knew to be true.
Though... Even then did he not have visions of somewhere else? Where ships sailed not on the water but in the night sky, where other, stranger magic gave life to mighty armour and channeled fire like arrows... A place like a home before home, and battles to rival Ragnarok.
Was it that place he sought when he first began his vision quest? Or had he never left the hall at all, these ceaseless adventures and oddities only the seething of divine madness granted by Odin Allfather?
Facing east, Akimoto raises his sword and traces the shape of the first rune in the air.
...
The rooftop is so very far from the halls, the smoke of the hearth, the smell of fur, the roll of the waves under the boat, the feel of the shore under foot when the raid began. Everything he once knew to be true.
Though... Even then did he not have visions of somewhere else? Where ships sailed not on the water but in the night sky, where other, stranger magic gave life to mighty armour and channeled fire like arrows... A place like a home before home, and battles to rival Ragnarok.
Was it that place he sought when he first began his vision quest? Or had he never left the hall at all, these ceaseless adventures and oddities only the seething of divine madness granted by Odin Allfather?
Facing east, Akimoto raises his sword and traces the shape of the first rune in the air.
...
20141105
Invocation 2
Max says that a lot people think that magic isn't real, and he says that they're right. That's the point of magic - it's unreal. It makes things unreal. And it reveals that things are really fictional in the first place.
Akimoto understands Max's point - Akimoto may not comprehend many of the ways of the worlds he has found himself in, the customs and the technology, but he is not simple-minded. He understands how powerful stories are, and he understands that there is a philosophy to what Max says, and to how Max lives. He has seen Max make magic.
There is though, Akimoto feels, another type of magic, one that is very real. Like the slow growth of a tree, the even slower rising and falling of mountains. Blood from a wound, the sharp ache of hunger. The harsh song of the raven, the howl of the wolf. The roar of the dragon.
Akimoto finishes scraping the shape of a circle in the weather-worn roof of the brownstone with the point of his sword.
...
Akimoto understands Max's point - Akimoto may not comprehend many of the ways of the worlds he has found himself in, the customs and the technology, but he is not simple-minded. He understands how powerful stories are, and he understands that there is a philosophy to what Max says, and to how Max lives. He has seen Max make magic.
There is though, Akimoto feels, another type of magic, one that is very real. Like the slow growth of a tree, the even slower rising and falling of mountains. Blood from a wound, the sharp ache of hunger. The harsh song of the raven, the howl of the wolf. The roar of the dragon.
Akimoto finishes scraping the shape of a circle in the weather-worn roof of the brownstone with the point of his sword.
...
20141103
Invocation 1
Trump pawed at the touch-screen on the cell. Making calls had gotten way easier for him with the change in technology; it was pretty tricky for him back when phones were still rotary.
"Coordinates Wheel-Judgement-Temperance," the voice answered.
"Hiya Professor," Trump purred.
"Oh hello there! Thank you for checking in. How is everything proceeding?"
"Maggie's still trapped, Max is still sick. Everyone else is laying low, sticking to their cover stories."
"Hm, I see. Updates please..."
"Suki is working in a pizza shop, Wraith is working at a movie theater, Darius is selling men's clothing, Callan is building furniture in a factory, Frank is doing market research, Goner is delivering pizzas - from a different shop than Suki's, Angst is washing windows, Aqua is working for a cleaning company and Dexter is harvesting wheat samples for an agricultural study."
The sound of typing on a keyboard. "And what about Akimoto?"
"He's here... I don't remember meeting him before. He seems quite strange."
"Imagine a collage of The 13th Warrior, The Last Samurai, Star Wars and The Terminator."
"Professor, I rarely get out to the movies and when Max downloads them I often fall asleep in his lap."
"Yes, of course. Well, the story is a rather muddled mix of a viking on a vision quest, training by ancient Japanese warriors, clothes inspired by the same plus an army surplus store and tropical tourists, a strange connection with version Citadel - if you recall that tale - a mysterious scar, a sprinkle of amnesia, and a dash of time travel. He's generally a lost soul, enjoys a mug of ale, and is relatively unfamiliar with modern technology. He also writes poetry."
"I can see why Max gets along with him so well."
"And how is he occupying his time while we wait for the window?"
Trump studied the movements of the large man on the rooftop of the brownstone, clear in the light of the full moon. "I believe, Professor, that he is attempting to cast a spell."
...
"Coordinates Wheel-Judgement-Temperance," the voice answered.
"Hiya Professor," Trump purred.
"Oh hello there! Thank you for checking in. How is everything proceeding?"
"Maggie's still trapped, Max is still sick. Everyone else is laying low, sticking to their cover stories."
"Hm, I see. Updates please..."
"Suki is working in a pizza shop, Wraith is working at a movie theater, Darius is selling men's clothing, Callan is building furniture in a factory, Frank is doing market research, Goner is delivering pizzas - from a different shop than Suki's, Angst is washing windows, Aqua is working for a cleaning company and Dexter is harvesting wheat samples for an agricultural study."
The sound of typing on a keyboard. "And what about Akimoto?"
"He's here... I don't remember meeting him before. He seems quite strange."
"Imagine a collage of The 13th Warrior, The Last Samurai, Star Wars and The Terminator."
"Professor, I rarely get out to the movies and when Max downloads them I often fall asleep in his lap."
"Yes, of course. Well, the story is a rather muddled mix of a viking on a vision quest, training by ancient Japanese warriors, clothes inspired by the same plus an army surplus store and tropical tourists, a strange connection with version Citadel - if you recall that tale - a mysterious scar, a sprinkle of amnesia, and a dash of time travel. He's generally a lost soul, enjoys a mug of ale, and is relatively unfamiliar with modern technology. He also writes poetry."
"I can see why Max gets along with him so well."
"And how is he occupying his time while we wait for the window?"
Trump studied the movements of the large man on the rooftop of the brownstone, clear in the light of the full moon. "I believe, Professor, that he is attempting to cast a spell."
...
20140815
v.Thespian
It's almost time for the Annual Morningstar Festival of One-Act Plays and the Jones Heights community theatre troupe Noo Media Productions needs a hit. For the last five years they have come in last in the competition, while popular (and well-funded) groups like Legacy Stage or The Angus Mode Players take home the trophies. It's all supposed to be a fun, friendly contest, but it's theatre and that means a lot of feelings and a lot of egos are involved...
So how are NMP looking this year? Well, the Board decided to bring in a first-time Director, Mallory Magrielle. And she decided to mount a production of a notoriously difficult play called 'Maxed to the Third Power'. Will great risk bring great reward? Except that the Set Designer Miguel Rogen and the Costume Designer Charlotte Stang are constantly arguing over what period the story is set in, while the Director refuses to weigh in because she feels that "conflict is essential to the creation of great art". Which has left Suki Fujimoria, the Stage Manager, over-worked and highly stressed - and Suki is known for her temper. No one has seen the Musical Director (and local DJ) Vlad Tiamook in over week; apparently he is furiously remixing the entire soundtrack to a create a "meta-temporal vibe" that will fit with whichever setting wins out, Rogen's or Stang's.
As for the cast... Ms. Magrielle gave the Lead Female role to Jones Heights' only (semi)famous citizen, Marnie Waters, who had a (semi)successful stint as a pop diva. Pandering or a subtle critique of celebrity? And instead of giving the Lead Male role to the long-standing, well-respected, troupe mainstay Frank Thamin - who thought the part could be his Prospero, but will instead be playing the Narrator - Ms. Magrielle cast THREE unknowns. That's right, she's having one character played by three different actors! How exactly Marshal Montgomery, Simon Light and Mick Scribe will split up the dialogue and action remains a closely-guarded secret.
Will opening night bring triumph or tragedy? Rave reviews or farcical folly?
So how are NMP looking this year? Well, the Board decided to bring in a first-time Director, Mallory Magrielle. And she decided to mount a production of a notoriously difficult play called 'Maxed to the Third Power'. Will great risk bring great reward? Except that the Set Designer Miguel Rogen and the Costume Designer Charlotte Stang are constantly arguing over what period the story is set in, while the Director refuses to weigh in because she feels that "conflict is essential to the creation of great art". Which has left Suki Fujimoria, the Stage Manager, over-worked and highly stressed - and Suki is known for her temper. No one has seen the Musical Director (and local DJ) Vlad Tiamook in over week; apparently he is furiously remixing the entire soundtrack to a create a "meta-temporal vibe" that will fit with whichever setting wins out, Rogen's or Stang's.
As for the cast... Ms. Magrielle gave the Lead Female role to Jones Heights' only (semi)famous citizen, Marnie Waters, who had a (semi)successful stint as a pop diva. Pandering or a subtle critique of celebrity? And instead of giving the Lead Male role to the long-standing, well-respected, troupe mainstay Frank Thamin - who thought the part could be his Prospero, but will instead be playing the Narrator - Ms. Magrielle cast THREE unknowns. That's right, she's having one character played by three different actors! How exactly Marshal Montgomery, Simon Light and Mick Scribe will split up the dialogue and action remains a closely-guarded secret.
Will opening night bring triumph or tragedy? Rave reviews or farcical folly?
20140715
Defrag: The Going Getting Good
Previously...
Maggie pointed to the two poster ads on either side of the steps leading up. On the left one a large green cross was prominently featured, some sort of environmental initiative, and the right was a car ad, a picture of a sun-lit country road. Frank nodded and drew his cell phone as they made for the stairs. Tapped open an app that performed localized location searches. He had a bit of trouble getting a signal at first until he tinkered with the hacked LEGACY code that his phone used for wireless access.
“I've got a hit on a bar called 'The Crossroads' about two blocks from here.” He tapped open the satellite map. “This looks like a pretty standard downtown neighbourhood...” He glanced at the prominently displayed weapons of his companions.
Max shrugged. “The pic Akimoto sent was clearly of a monster.” He fished out his cell, started tapping the screen.
“Does he even know how to use a cell phone?” Frank had his doubts about the barbarian; he was weird even by Plex measures. Frank preferred it when things stayed military, corporate, and he could even handle a little supernatural, but cross-cultural time-travelling holy warriors who may have originated from somewhere in outer-space stretched his comfort-zone. Truth be told, the entire magical subway creeped him out. But Maggie trusted Akimoto, and if Frank started questioning her judgement he would end up doubting his own place here...
Max showed him the pic. It was definitely a giant, horrifying monster. “Alright then,” Frank said. “Stealth mode off.” And he slipped his SMG out from under his coat.
Maggie pointed to the two poster ads on either side of the steps leading up. On the left one a large green cross was prominently featured, some sort of environmental initiative, and the right was a car ad, a picture of a sun-lit country road. Frank nodded and drew his cell phone as they made for the stairs. Tapped open an app that performed localized location searches. He had a bit of trouble getting a signal at first until he tinkered with the hacked LEGACY code that his phone used for wireless access.
“I've got a hit on a bar called 'The Crossroads' about two blocks from here.” He tapped open the satellite map. “This looks like a pretty standard downtown neighbourhood...” He glanced at the prominently displayed weapons of his companions.
Max shrugged. “The pic Akimoto sent was clearly of a monster.” He fished out his cell, started tapping the screen.
“Does he even know how to use a cell phone?” Frank had his doubts about the barbarian; he was weird even by Plex measures. Frank preferred it when things stayed military, corporate, and he could even handle a little supernatural, but cross-cultural time-travelling holy warriors who may have originated from somewhere in outer-space stretched his comfort-zone. Truth be told, the entire magical subway creeped him out. But Maggie trusted Akimoto, and if Frank started questioning her judgement he would end up doubting his own place here...
Max showed him the pic. It was definitely a giant, horrifying monster. “Alright then,” Frank said. “Stealth mode off.” And he slipped his SMG out from under his coat.
20140705
v.Cyber Akimoto
20140526
v.Hollywood
Max (Kiefer Sutherland - early 30s)
Maggie (Yvonne Strahovski - early 30s)
Aqua (Dakota Fanning - late teens)
Dexter (D.B. Woodside - late 30s)
Frank (Demian Bichir - late 40s)
Callan (Chia-Hui Liu - 30s)
Angst (Keira Knightley - early 20s)
Suki (Fuka Koshiba - early teens)
Wraith (Maggie Q - 30s)
Goner (Michael Pena - early 20s)
Darius (Shawn Ashmore - late teens)
Akimoto (Vladimir Kulich - early 40s)
20140412
+ PLEX TOURS .5 The Subway
- The Bunker
- The Lab Level Two
- The Cast
- The Bookstore
- The Brownstone
- Metafesto
- The Diner
- Chronoplex
- The Lab
1. Bishop: No two people have ever described the conductor of the Subway in the same way. His physical appearance and personality seem to vary as much as the worlds at each stop on the journey. Bishop once told Max that the Subway was powered by a Mystery Engine fuelled by inputting data about heavily researched but currently unsolved topics like Bigfoot Sightings or the JFK Assassination. The origin of the Subway is its own greatest mystery, a subject Bishop is silent on...
2. Akimoto: Often found meditating or practising his sword forms in the aisle between seats. His worn army jacket draped over a stack of folded tropical shirts.
3. Aqua: Listening to the most current club mixes on her headphones, her signature cowboy hat and battle gauntlets on the seat beside her.
4. Suki: When she isn't bopping and skipping up and down the aisle, or watching the psychedelic blur outside the windows, she'll stretch out on a row of seats and use her school books as a pillow. The Godhammer is always within reach.
5. Max: Usually reading newspapers or comic books.
6. Doors: Always opening onto different platforms, different worlds, different possibilities.
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