MAX'S XMAS PLAYLIST
(And a Shout Out to the H247 Dragons who are keeping watch over crisis transmissions during the ritual time)
Showing posts with label tarot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tarot. Show all posts
20151225
20151221
Hyperplex: Battle Part Two
Shortly after the Dragons began infiltrating the Museum the building came under attack from a LEGACY tactical team. A furious three-way battle erupted.
The Ashen Tradition deployed their psycho-theurgic toxins, transforming infected LEGACY soldiers into ravenous human-beast hybrids that turned on each other.
LEGACY operatives fired swarms of nano-enhanced smart-rounds that used echolocation-sensors and micro-fluid architecture to course-correct in mid-flight and track their targets.
Aqua, safe in the armour of her Mech, alternated pulses of autonic energy to disrupt the AT toxin fields and quantum-chaff to destabilize the trajectories of the LEGACY munitions.
Goner fired bursts of energy from his upgraded arm and Angst evoked designer combat-spirits from Liminal Space.
And Mags jumped into the middle of it all, punching and throwing and kicking.
From the shadows, Frank scanned the minds of the Tradition Mages and the LEGACY Agents, infiltrating their psychic defences like a ninja or occasionally smashing through their conditioning like a tank.
He learned that the source of intel that had tipped off the Ultraviolet Lodge to the Tradition's portal was someone they had pegged for a System operative. Which suggested that the Tradition were in sync with Counter... Except that more hidden thoughts revealed that the Tradition had been pointed to the Hyperplex by another operative who also seemed to be serving System. And that same operative appeared to be the one who leaked the Tradition's plan to LEGACY.
Was one of the leaks actually a Counter agent? Or had the System set all of this up as a trap for the Dragons? Or did they want the Dragons to reach the Hyperplex?
The Ashen Tradition deployed their psycho-theurgic toxins, transforming infected LEGACY soldiers into ravenous human-beast hybrids that turned on each other.
LEGACY operatives fired swarms of nano-enhanced smart-rounds that used echolocation-sensors and micro-fluid architecture to course-correct in mid-flight and track their targets.
Aqua, safe in the armour of her Mech, alternated pulses of autonic energy to disrupt the AT toxin fields and quantum-chaff to destabilize the trajectories of the LEGACY munitions.
Goner fired bursts of energy from his upgraded arm and Angst evoked designer combat-spirits from Liminal Space.
And Mags jumped into the middle of it all, punching and throwing and kicking.
From the shadows, Frank scanned the minds of the Tradition Mages and the LEGACY Agents, infiltrating their psychic defences like a ninja or occasionally smashing through their conditioning like a tank.
He learned that the source of intel that had tipped off the Ultraviolet Lodge to the Tradition's portal was someone they had pegged for a System operative. Which suggested that the Tradition were in sync with Counter... Except that more hidden thoughts revealed that the Tradition had been pointed to the Hyperplex by another operative who also seemed to be serving System. And that same operative appeared to be the one who leaked the Tradition's plan to LEGACY.
Was one of the leaks actually a Counter agent? Or had the System set all of this up as a trap for the Dragons? Or did they want the Dragons to reach the Hyperplex?
20151102
Surveillance
“There's surveillance everywhere! Every-fucking-where I go I'm being watched!”
“Max, okay, let's slow things down,” Angst said softly.
“Don't try and de-escalate me, I'm the one who fucking de-escalates people. You know it's true – they are watching me everywhere I go. And don't you dare cast one of your fucking spells on me. I don't want to be calm.”
“Okay,” she said. “That's fair.”
Max could tell he was scaring her. He took a deep breath and activated the appropriate implant. The equations began processing.
“I'm sorry, Angst. I'm not mad at you. I just got scared.”
Her posture relaxed slightly. “I know. And you're not wrong – you are being tracked. We know that.”
Max rubbed his forehead. “Do we? I mean... Jesus, it's just that everywhere... It's so loud everywhere, you know? All I hear is alarms and cries for help. And even the silences between them are just spaces for more alarms to fill. And I'm trying to figure out this whole System thing, and the Counter-System. If they're even fucking real. How do I know? It's something Control told me, but what if it's just another thing I made up. Like Maggie.”
Angst tensed again. “Maggie's real, Max. I've met Maggie.”
“How do I know you're real?” He looked at her, his eyes wide.
“Max, okay, let's slow things down,” Angst said softly.
“Don't try and de-escalate me, I'm the one who fucking de-escalates people. You know it's true – they are watching me everywhere I go. And don't you dare cast one of your fucking spells on me. I don't want to be calm.”
“Okay,” she said. “That's fair.”
Max could tell he was scaring her. He took a deep breath and activated the appropriate implant. The equations began processing.
“I'm sorry, Angst. I'm not mad at you. I just got scared.”
Her posture relaxed slightly. “I know. And you're not wrong – you are being tracked. We know that.”
Max rubbed his forehead. “Do we? I mean... Jesus, it's just that everywhere... It's so loud everywhere, you know? All I hear is alarms and cries for help. And even the silences between them are just spaces for more alarms to fill. And I'm trying to figure out this whole System thing, and the Counter-System. If they're even fucking real. How do I know? It's something Control told me, but what if it's just another thing I made up. Like Maggie.”
Angst tensed again. “Maggie's real, Max. I've met Maggie.”
“How do I know you're real?” He looked at her, his eyes wide.
20150923
Gemstone
Max rolled over, hit the alarm, dragged himself out of bed.
Cut through some back streets to avoid the crowds. Hot summer weather, low-orbit satellites visible in the clear sky between corporate towers.
Friendly wave from the young woman selling occult trinkets from a stand by the intersection. He had bought a few since moving to the neighbourhood. Her name was something like Melancholy? Agony?
The sounds of traffic reminded him of dreams he couldn't remember. Billboards advertising the new action movie, MAGENTA.
Dropping some coins in the cup of the Veteran camped outside the bank. Young guy, the side of his face burned, missing an arm.
Into the lobby of the office building, pulling his lanyard from his satchel and draping it around his neck just in time for security to check it. The older guard who always wore sunglasses. It was policy at the agency that staff were not to ask the guards' names.
He gave him the nod and Max proceeded towards the elevators.
"Oh, sir?" the guard said, catching his attention. Passed him an envelope that had been left at the desk for him.
In the elevator, heading to the fifth floor, feeling tired, opened the envelope. Handwritten note, unsigned:
'Thank you.'
Cut through some back streets to avoid the crowds. Hot summer weather, low-orbit satellites visible in the clear sky between corporate towers.
Friendly wave from the young woman selling occult trinkets from a stand by the intersection. He had bought a few since moving to the neighbourhood. Her name was something like Melancholy? Agony?
The sounds of traffic reminded him of dreams he couldn't remember. Billboards advertising the new action movie, MAGENTA.
Dropping some coins in the cup of the Veteran camped outside the bank. Young guy, the side of his face burned, missing an arm.
Into the lobby of the office building, pulling his lanyard from his satchel and draping it around his neck just in time for security to check it. The older guard who always wore sunglasses. It was policy at the agency that staff were not to ask the guards' names.
He gave him the nod and Max proceeded towards the elevators.
"Oh, sir?" the guard said, catching his attention. Passed him an envelope that had been left at the desk for him.
In the elevator, heading to the fifth floor, feeling tired, opened the envelope. Handwritten note, unsigned:
'Thank you.'
20150907
Versus
"That's not what I meant!" Angst said. "And don't you dare say 'I know what you're thinking'."
Frank rubbed his eyes. "I told you, it's off right now. Listen, I'm just concerned you're not factoring in all the variables."
"That's so patronizing, Frank. Just because I'm leading with my feelings doesn't mean I've lost all reason. I was the one who made first contact - maybe I have a better perspective on the situation?"
"And maybe you're too close to it! I'm just not sure taking action right now is going to make things better in the long run."
"So we don't do anything?" Angst asked.
"Now who's being patronizing?"
"What would Max do?"
"Who the hell knows? Some days he's X and some days he's Y."
"Okay, what would Maggie do?"
"'Haunted Warrior Maggie' or 'Guardian Angel Maggie'?"
Angst sighed. "Fine. I give up."
Frank sighed. "Okay, get your gear. We'll go."
Angst smiled.
Frank rubbed his eyes. "I told you, it's off right now. Listen, I'm just concerned you're not factoring in all the variables."
"That's so patronizing, Frank. Just because I'm leading with my feelings doesn't mean I've lost all reason. I was the one who made first contact - maybe I have a better perspective on the situation?"
"And maybe you're too close to it! I'm just not sure taking action right now is going to make things better in the long run."
"So we don't do anything?" Angst asked.
"Now who's being patronizing?"
"What would Max do?"
"Who the hell knows? Some days he's X and some days he's Y."
"Okay, what would Maggie do?"
"'Haunted Warrior Maggie' or 'Guardian Angel Maggie'?"
Angst sighed. "Fine. I give up."
Frank sighed. "Okay, get your gear. We'll go."
Angst smiled.
20150831
Complimentarity
"Yeah, we're going to disrupt the Mayor's press conference," Dexter said into the cell. "He's been dodging questions about the school closures all week. No more."
"My sources are saying he's got a lot of corporate connections, maybe some occult ones too," Wraith's voice came back through the phone, a hint of static.
Dex's brow furrowed. "You think there's another angle to this?"
Wraith paused. "With everything we've seen, you have to wonder. And your town's not the only place where schools are being closed at an unprecedented rate."
"With a disturbing lack of public outcry."
"So...?"
Dexter sighed. "You think we should call Max. Wraith, I... I was never sure whether Max helped straighten things out or whether he just made them weirder. I know we did a lot of good, and we still are-"
"I know," Wraith interrupted. "Some days Max was Ragnar and some days he was Floki. Some days he was Longshot and some days he was Constantine. Some days he was Kirk and some days he was Picard."
"Yeah, but was he the problem or was he the solution?"
"Dexter, I still have the nightmares too, about the War. And I still wonder if any of that really happened. I guess... Well, I guess I don't really know."
Dex smiled slightly. "At least we're not alone then."
"My sources are saying he's got a lot of corporate connections, maybe some occult ones too," Wraith's voice came back through the phone, a hint of static.
Dex's brow furrowed. "You think there's another angle to this?"
Wraith paused. "With everything we've seen, you have to wonder. And your town's not the only place where schools are being closed at an unprecedented rate."
"With a disturbing lack of public outcry."
"So...?"
Dexter sighed. "You think we should call Max. Wraith, I... I was never sure whether Max helped straighten things out or whether he just made them weirder. I know we did a lot of good, and we still are-"
"I know," Wraith interrupted. "Some days Max was Ragnar and some days he was Floki. Some days he was Longshot and some days he was Constantine. Some days he was Kirk and some days he was Picard."
"Yeah, but was he the problem or was he the solution?"
"Dexter, I still have the nightmares too, about the War. And I still wonder if any of that really happened. I guess... Well, I guess I don't really know."
Dex smiled slightly. "At least we're not alone then."
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.
20150720
A Recollection Of A Reflection - Summer's Recollection
Summer sat on the bluff overlooking the sea, enjoying the gentle breeze as it caressed her skin and whisked her hair about. The sun was setting upon the horizon which painted the sky with a reddish glow which reminded her of a Bloody Mary.
She poured herself a cup of coffee from the thermos beside her and took a sip.
She then placed the cup down and picked up the mic of the cassette recorder and pressed the play and record button at the same time. She could see the wheels of the cassette moving which told her that she could speak. She brought the mic up to her mouth and let out a breath.
"I don't have anything else to add, since the events beforehand are just jumbled fragments of memories. Did any of it happen? I couldn't tell you. It felt real, it felt dream-like, it felt like images on a silver screen projected before my eyes."
She paused for a few moments, letting the wheels spin away, dragging the fabric of tape before she brought the mic up once again.
"I'm convinced of whatever happened and the world keeps spinning. I'm grateful to the powers that be that opened my eyes to the frailty of what is real and what is truth. I'm only making this recording of what happened as a personal journal, a record of events that happened and now the traces have been wiped away by the Monitors of Time. Who knows, maybe when the next time someone presses play on this thing all they will get is static..."
She poured herself a cup of coffee from the thermos beside her and took a sip.
She then placed the cup down and picked up the mic of the cassette recorder and pressed the play and record button at the same time. She could see the wheels of the cassette moving which told her that she could speak. She brought the mic up to her mouth and let out a breath.
"I don't have anything else to add, since the events beforehand are just jumbled fragments of memories. Did any of it happen? I couldn't tell you. It felt real, it felt dream-like, it felt like images on a silver screen projected before my eyes."
She paused for a few moments, letting the wheels spin away, dragging the fabric of tape before she brought the mic up once again.
"I'm convinced of whatever happened and the world keeps spinning. I'm grateful to the powers that be that opened my eyes to the frailty of what is real and what is truth. I'm only making this recording of what happened as a personal journal, a record of events that happened and now the traces have been wiped away by the Monitors of Time. Who knows, maybe when the next time someone presses play on this thing all they will get is static..."
20141225
20141115
20140121
Underground Dramatis Personae
STONE - detective turned conspiracy theorist
RIVETA - detective turned metaphysical investigator
DONNELLY - ex-principal or maybe a priest
SCORPIO - geek turned double-agent
SIMON - mystery man
AKIMOTO - temporally-displaced norse samurai
TATTERDEMALION - strange girl from another planet
AQUA - teenage tiger-fist
FRANK - reformed LEGACY hitman
GONER - ex-mercenary
ANGST - cheerleader avec uzis
20131106
Barbarian Poet
The room was dimly lit by a single candle. Hunched over the small table sat a very large man clad in worn leathers. He tossed a small white projectile over his shoulder; it struck the floor softly and came to rest among a gathering of similar looking objects. The great shoulders rose and fell with a sigh that sounded more like the growl of a bear. A large calloused ink-stained hand more accustomed to the grip of a sword delicately held the tiny writing implement. A trail of black droplets led from the ink well to the new sheet of paper at the center of the wooden table. There the big hand held the quill to the clean white sheet, a stain of black grew slowly on its surface. The hand began to move, the penmanship surprisingly light and eloquent for one with such a brutish appearance. The story began.
“In the darkness of his cave sat the barbarian, the day had been long and full of great toil, but no…….”
The quill snapped; fingers struck the paper smearing the words that only a moment ago were the beginning of his tale. The warrior threw the broken implement aside and stood quickly slamming both fists into the table as he did. A low growl was audible from his massive form. His scarred muscular arms moved, slowly he lifted the ruined sheet of paper from the table and crumbled it tight with both hands. Turning towards the door he tossed the small ball of black and white onto the floor where it came to rest among its’ brethren. Ignoring the fur cloak that hung to his left he threw open the iron bound wooden door. Wind and snow rushed into the tiny room.
The barbarian stepped forward and was instantly swallowed by the darkness. The sound of his boots mercilessly crunching the thick snow could be heard for many moments and then was gone. The door remained open. Snow was drifting into the small chamber. On the floor the many crumpled balls of paper had blown about, and a skiff of snow now intermixed with their pattern. Had anyone been there to see it, they may have thought that the paper and snow had come together to form the image of a small northern island. An ancient land, a distant land, a land of three nations and one Queen…
The wind blew again and the image was gone. So too was its creator.
20131105
Impaired Visual
EXT. CAR - MORNING
Two LEGACY members sit in a black sedan in a parking lot outside a rundown building. Cell 1 is a bald black man holding a strange pair of binoculars. Cell 2 is a young latino woman sitting behind the steering wheel.
CELL 1:
Unable to maintain visual. Switching to ultrasight, now.
CELL 2:
Verification Niner-One-Oh.
CELL 1:
Unable to locate. Targets must have shifted.
CELL 2:
Informing HQ. Relaying negative.
20131103
Come What May
Max just wanted to have a cup of coffee and a smoke; he didn't want to get into fight, but damned if he was just going to sit and let something like this go unchecked.
"Oh look the old timer is getting upset," Hood said mockingly. "What's the matter old man? You want me to get off your lawn?"
Hood had turned back to give a wink back at his other two buddies, which gave Max the second he needed. His hand reached up and grabbed Hood's earring and tore it from its once secured place.
Hood screamed out in pain. Max stepped forward and brought up his right hand and connected with Hood's jaw, sending him spinning around like a lopsided top.
Hood's two young friends started to come forward but stopped dead in their tracks.
Kelly, the waitress, had appeared over the counter holding onto an axe handle and told them point blankly, "I would turn around and walk out that door now."
Hood staggered away from Max, giving Kelly the evil eye as he passed her. He made a detour around her as he did so.
"You want another mug, Max?" Kelly asked of Max as the door closed and the thugs ran off.
"I would like another cup if you don't mind," Max said as he took out his cellphone and hit a speed dial number; he knew well enough by now that those bangers would be back in full force. It was time to fight fire with fire.
20131102
Metaplexperiment: Remix 2 - the Mashup
Archived Fragment: I Know The Secrets...
Archived Fragment: The Train Kept On...
Archived Fragment: The Snake Moon
Archived Fragment: The Element of Surprise
Archived Fragment: A Matter of Music
Archived Fragment: A Difference of Opinions
Archived Fragment: The Ballad...
Archived Fragment: Wounded Puppy
Archived Fragment: After the Fire...
Archived Fragment: Unlike a Flesh Wound
Archived Fragment: Out of the Frying Pan
Archived Fragment: The Decoy
Archived Fragment: When Do Bullets Cry?
Archived Fragment: Gunfire Choir
Epilogue:
Bailey skipped down the escalator. She was worried that she was going to get in trouble for getting separated from the rest of the kids on the field trip but she had been sure that woman had been the actress who played Katniss and she wasn't going to miss the chance for an autograph. Not her though, so now she was late with nothing to show for it. Mr. Haskins was a cool teacher but he would probably still be upset.
When she arrived on the platform she was amazed at what she found. Dozens of unconscious men in suits scattered about. Some bullet-holes and scorch-marks on the walls. A group of people were gathered at the far end of the platform, shaking hands and laughing. Mr. Haskins was there, and Kelly the volunteer. And was that her sister, Peyton?
Bailey wondered what had happened. Then she noticed that one of the men in a suit was still moving... His hand was reaching slowly towards a weird device that looked like some kind of futuristic bomb. No one in the group noticed...
His hand was almost on the button when Bailey stepped over him and punched him squarely in the face. Knocked him out cold. She pulled a bunch of wires out of the device so that it wasn't a threat anymore and headed towards the group. It had been quite a field trip.
Archived Fragment: The Train Kept On...
Archived Fragment: The Snake Moon
Archived Fragment: The Element of Surprise
Archived Fragment: A Matter of Music
Archived Fragment: A Difference of Opinions
Archived Fragment: The Ballad...
Archived Fragment: Wounded Puppy
Archived Fragment: After the Fire...
Archived Fragment: Unlike a Flesh Wound
Archived Fragment: Out of the Frying Pan
Archived Fragment: The Decoy
Archived Fragment: When Do Bullets Cry?
Archived Fragment: Gunfire Choir
The
train rumbled on.
Max lay across a row of chairs; he couldn't sleep and hadn't been sleeping properly for the past few nights. Though he didn't feel tired at all; he hadn't been since the events that had transpired a few weeks ago.
If I truly fall asleep I will slip away from here.
He didn't want that. He was growing into this comfort zone, he was liking the company, the adventure he was having, and he would die if this reality faded away into the nothingness, like a dream after waking.
He'd grown accustomed to the shunting of the train, and the companions he had met along the way. For the first time in what seemed liked an eternity he felt the feelings of bondship.
It would be shame if I were to disappear.
And then one of the voices – he could never be sure which was which, and they were more of a feeling than an actual voice – said: You know it will end some time.
clickety-clack
A few seats away, Goner plopped down beside Suki. "What's going on at the moment?" he asked.
"A whole lotta nothin'," Suki replied with a smile. She was sipping on a soda and watching the platforms passing by, merging realities into one plureality. "Just watching the worlds meld before me. It's better than television!"
Goner chuckled. He had begun to miss some of the shows he had grown accustomed to.
"We've been traveling for a long while without any stops," Goner noted.
"I know," Suki said. "And I have to go to the bathroom!"
clickety-clack
On a subway platform several men in dark suits took position. They began ushering out people waiting for a train; flashing ID's and assuring them that all was going to be okay. Andy and Jeremiah kept strumming their guitars, cases open before them with a scattering of coins inside, each wearing their busker permit around their neck. They exchanged a wary glance when they saw the swarm of suited men.
clickety-clack
Suki fished a comic book out of her school-bag, the latest adventure of a group of mutants who were at a special school due to their gifts. She enjoyed reading since it helped pass the time between here and there. Depending on where there was and how long it took to get there, she would indulge in a trivial form of reading.
Her attention was focused on the sound bubble of each page, reading the story that unfolded. Drawing her in deeper and deeper into the continued story arc.
She was just getting to a good part when she flipped the page and the story arc was To be continued... and that irked her to no end.
“What's the matter?” Goner asked.
“They just met this cool new hero named Raven – she's got this awesome sortof telepathic reality-warping power – and now I'll never get to find out what happens next! The chances of finding the next issue in the next version are pretty slim...”
Goner nodded. Living a life broken up into strange fragments and shifting moments, it always felt like things were 'to be continued'. You always knew that eventually things would get weird, or dangerous, or both.
clickety-clack
The suits continued their sweep of the platform; Lee wasn't buying it. He knew the type, knew that their motives were usually suspect, and he was pretty sure that the ID's they were flashing were fake. He looked around, trying to see if there was anyone nearby who wouldn't think he was just being paranoid...
Adam watched the suits on the march, then noticed Lee, the suspicious look on his face, that rare moment when you know for certain that someone else is thinking the exact same thing as you...
clickety-clack
Angst sat looking out the window, watching the blur and listening to her mp3 player. She was listening to a classic song and moved her head to the rhythmic beat.
Suki sat behind her re-reading the comic book and sipping on a soda...
clickety-clack
Kelly gently nudged the group of children along the platform. The teacher had gone to the washroom, which left her and the other volunteer in charge of the field trip, and now these strange men in suits were herding everyone.
"What's going on?" the other volunteer asked. "Terrorists?" Kelly frowned; some people were so eager to believe some lies and so reluctant to believe some truths.
One of the suits barked at one of the kids to move along and Mark stepped in, back from the washroom, eyes locking on the man's sunglasses. “There's no need for that,” Mark said.
clickety-clack
"No way," Goner said. He had moved on down the subway car to where Frank was sitting. "Did you even watch the same game as I did?"
"Yeah, I did," Frank said. "You must be watching some fantasy version in your head."
"Clearly Redgrin had the ball in his possession before the whistle blew," Goner stated.
"The whistle blew before Redgrin could do the recovery," Frank grinned. "You are just a sore loser. You still owe me."
"Well, I don't have the cash on me," Goner said. "Wait to see if there's an ATM at the next stop and I will get it to you."
Frank rolled his eyes back and said, "That's if you do have an account in this version."
clickety-clack
Debashis and Joy stepped off the escalator onto the platform. “Consequences aren't merely arbitrary effects designated by the person with the power, they become the way that the person being helped understands that their actions are significant and important, as long as the person with the power is exercising it with self-awareness...” Debashis was saying.
“Or as we say on the frontline, 'shit's gotta mean shit',” Joy replied. Debashis laughed, until he saw the scene playing out before them and a suit started walking menacingly towards them.
Joy's cell made a strange beeping noise...
clickety-clack
Mags was sitting beside Bishop's booth, keeping the conductor company. She knew better than to ask him when their next stop was going to be. She hummed a tune as she dragged the whetstone along the blade of her katana. And then a strange feeling came over her...
She stared down the length of car, Max dozing, Suki reading, Angst listening to music, Frank and Goner chatting, the new girl Summer knitting. And someone else, a man sitting at the far end of the car; he was writing in a notebook and paused to roll some oddly-shaped dice. When he did, Maggie suddenly noticed a soft grey glow around Summer, then Frank, then a darker one around Suki...
clickety-clack
Chance and Peyton were listening to the buskers and talking about anime when the suits began their push. They watched for a moment then looked to each other. “Do they look familiar to you?” Peyton asked.
Chance nodded. “Do you feel that? It's the same feeling... from years ago...”
Peyton's eyes widened. “I remember,” she said. Then looked down at her hands, where two massive battle-gauntlets had appeared. Then at Chance's chest, where a gold cross suddenly materialized.
clickety-clack
Tim rolled the dice again.
clickety-clack
Most of the crowd had been chased off. Another LEGACY cell moved onto the platform, carrying some cases and setting them down. They moved with the purpose of a strike team. Opening up the cases revealing heavy weapons. They began to mount them on the platform, quick and efficient; with pressurized drills they were putting the mounts into the floor.
Anthony had been waiting on a bench, reading Nagel's 'What is it Like to be a Bat?'. He had watched the first LEGACY cell move in and begin clearing the platform. It was as if he could see it from different angles. He had noticed the way that the buskers' playing provided a soundtrack for the scene. And he had started having these brief flashes, like jump-cuts, to the interior of an approaching subway car, a strange group on board. A sense of tension rising.
And when the second team appeared and began setting the weapons, that's when the music stopped. And the silence was as loud and as profound as the noise had been. And that's when the shouting started and Anthony knew something very bad was about to happen.
clickety-clack
There were three dozen LEGACY members waiting. Three mounted cannons and each soldier armed to the hilt with weapons.
Jeremiah and Andy were standing now, clutching their guitars. The appearance of the weapons had surprised them, but not as much as seeing the cross materialize around Chance's neck and the gauntlets on Peyton's hands.
“That's very cool,” Jeremiah said.
Andy looked to the LEGACY team, then back to Chance and Peyton. “I think we're with you guys on this.”
Lee and Adam had instinctively moved towards each other. They were staring down a handful of the suits, who seemed surprised that the two men hadn't followed the order to leave. Close enough now that Lee could see some of the devices that they were carrying. “Dark Tek,” he whispered.
Adam held up a pack of handmade Tarot cards, cutting the deck and handing half to Lee. “Light tech.”
When the LEGACY suit tried to shove Mark backwards he got himself rugby-tackled. The kids behind Kelly cheered, “Yay Mr. Haskins!” The other volunteer started to run. Kelly sighed. “Alright kids, stay behind me!” And she faced the oncoming soldiers, and noticed that the suit Mark had tackled had dropped a device...
Joy was trying to understand how an app that she had dreamed about – there had been a spooky well, and this weird guy, who she somehow knew – was now actually installed on her phone and warning her that an 'OMEGA CLASS ANOMALY' was being detected. Debashis had advanced and was trying to negotiate with an approaching suit, with little effect. Joy was tapping the screen, trying to understand the strange software, trying to remember the dream, the odd conversations she had had with the weird guy...
Debashis, using every counseling trick he had to try and connect with the expressionless agent before him, had his own dreamy memory – a pathworking ritual, years ago, a vision of some trolls attacking a defenseless deer, and the knowledge that sometimes you had to stand up to the bullies...
Anthony stood up. And there was a woman beside him. She was looking at the chaos erupting before them on the platform. Anthony asked, “Aren't you a character from a comic book? A friend of mine reads a lot of them...”
Raven looked thoughtful. “I might be, in this version. What do you say? Shall we watch or shall we join in?”
Anthony smiled back. “Fight scene?”
Raven smiled. “After you, Butch.”
Anthony nodded. “My pleasure, Sundance.”
Kelly grabbed the device, thin like a pen but with a glowing light on the end. Mark was on his feet again, throwing a block at another agent. “You know how to use that thing?” he asked.
Kelly smiled. “I watch a lot of sci-fi.”
Adam smiled as he drew the first card from his deck and began accessing the necessary trance-state to engage the symbolic interface for tulpa summoning. “Do you know how to use those?” he asked Lee.
“I'll figure it out,” Lee said. “I play a lot of role-playing games.” He smiled.
Debashis turned back to Joy. “I'm gonna punch this guy out, if you're okay with that?”
Joy smiled as she finally figured out how to use the app to send a signal over-ride to the LEGACY heavy weapons systems, effectively shutting them down. “I accept that,” she answered.
Chance smiled at Peyton. “Alright, just like the old days!” And he charged the agents.
“Follow us!” Peyton shouted at Jeremiah and Andy, and she followed Chance into the fray, gauntlets swinging wildly.
“This is some pretty weird shit,” Jeremiah said, smiling. “I'm kinda freaked out but kinda excited.”
Andy nodded. “'It's the duplicitous edge which we all walk upon'.”
They raised their guitars and charged.
clickety-clack
clickety-clack
clickety clack
“Hey,” Suki said, tapping Angst on the shoulder. “Did you see that?"
Angst popped out her earphones. “Yeah... The last station we passed through, some kind of crazy battle going on... Did you guys see that?”
Frank and Goner were playing cards. They shook their heads in sync. Summer was still knitting; it was the first time that she looked even a little bit relaxed since they had brought her aboard the subway car.
“How about you, Maggie?” Suki asked. “Should we wake up Max?”
Mags watched as the strange glows surrounding Summer, Frank and Suki faded away. She looked to the end of the car where Tim was packing up his dice and notes.
Maggie smiled. “Let him sleep for a while longer.”
Max lay across a row of chairs; he couldn't sleep and hadn't been sleeping properly for the past few nights. Though he didn't feel tired at all; he hadn't been since the events that had transpired a few weeks ago.
If I truly fall asleep I will slip away from here.
He didn't want that. He was growing into this comfort zone, he was liking the company, the adventure he was having, and he would die if this reality faded away into the nothingness, like a dream after waking.
He'd grown accustomed to the shunting of the train, and the companions he had met along the way. For the first time in what seemed liked an eternity he felt the feelings of bondship.
It would be shame if I were to disappear.
And then one of the voices – he could never be sure which was which, and they were more of a feeling than an actual voice – said: You know it will end some time.
clickety-clack
A few seats away, Goner plopped down beside Suki. "What's going on at the moment?" he asked.
"A whole lotta nothin'," Suki replied with a smile. She was sipping on a soda and watching the platforms passing by, merging realities into one plureality. "Just watching the worlds meld before me. It's better than television!"
Goner chuckled. He had begun to miss some of the shows he had grown accustomed to.
"We've been traveling for a long while without any stops," Goner noted.
"I know," Suki said. "And I have to go to the bathroom!"
clickety-clack
On a subway platform several men in dark suits took position. They began ushering out people waiting for a train; flashing ID's and assuring them that all was going to be okay. Andy and Jeremiah kept strumming their guitars, cases open before them with a scattering of coins inside, each wearing their busker permit around their neck. They exchanged a wary glance when they saw the swarm of suited men.
clickety-clack
Suki fished a comic book out of her school-bag, the latest adventure of a group of mutants who were at a special school due to their gifts. She enjoyed reading since it helped pass the time between here and there. Depending on where there was and how long it took to get there, she would indulge in a trivial form of reading.
Her attention was focused on the sound bubble of each page, reading the story that unfolded. Drawing her in deeper and deeper into the continued story arc.
She was just getting to a good part when she flipped the page and the story arc was To be continued... and that irked her to no end.
“What's the matter?” Goner asked.
“They just met this cool new hero named Raven – she's got this awesome sortof telepathic reality-warping power – and now I'll never get to find out what happens next! The chances of finding the next issue in the next version are pretty slim...”
Goner nodded. Living a life broken up into strange fragments and shifting moments, it always felt like things were 'to be continued'. You always knew that eventually things would get weird, or dangerous, or both.
clickety-clack
The suits continued their sweep of the platform; Lee wasn't buying it. He knew the type, knew that their motives were usually suspect, and he was pretty sure that the ID's they were flashing were fake. He looked around, trying to see if there was anyone nearby who wouldn't think he was just being paranoid...
Adam watched the suits on the march, then noticed Lee, the suspicious look on his face, that rare moment when you know for certain that someone else is thinking the exact same thing as you...
clickety-clack
Angst sat looking out the window, watching the blur and listening to her mp3 player. She was listening to a classic song and moved her head to the rhythmic beat.
Suki sat behind her re-reading the comic book and sipping on a soda...
clickety-clack
Kelly gently nudged the group of children along the platform. The teacher had gone to the washroom, which left her and the other volunteer in charge of the field trip, and now these strange men in suits were herding everyone.
"What's going on?" the other volunteer asked. "Terrorists?" Kelly frowned; some people were so eager to believe some lies and so reluctant to believe some truths.
One of the suits barked at one of the kids to move along and Mark stepped in, back from the washroom, eyes locking on the man's sunglasses. “There's no need for that,” Mark said.
clickety-clack
"No way," Goner said. He had moved on down the subway car to where Frank was sitting. "Did you even watch the same game as I did?"
"Yeah, I did," Frank said. "You must be watching some fantasy version in your head."
"Clearly Redgrin had the ball in his possession before the whistle blew," Goner stated.
"The whistle blew before Redgrin could do the recovery," Frank grinned. "You are just a sore loser. You still owe me."
"Well, I don't have the cash on me," Goner said. "Wait to see if there's an ATM at the next stop and I will get it to you."
Frank rolled his eyes back and said, "That's if you do have an account in this version."
clickety-clack
Debashis and Joy stepped off the escalator onto the platform. “Consequences aren't merely arbitrary effects designated by the person with the power, they become the way that the person being helped understands that their actions are significant and important, as long as the person with the power is exercising it with self-awareness...” Debashis was saying.
“Or as we say on the frontline, 'shit's gotta mean shit',” Joy replied. Debashis laughed, until he saw the scene playing out before them and a suit started walking menacingly towards them.
Joy's cell made a strange beeping noise...
clickety-clack
Mags was sitting beside Bishop's booth, keeping the conductor company. She knew better than to ask him when their next stop was going to be. She hummed a tune as she dragged the whetstone along the blade of her katana. And then a strange feeling came over her...
She stared down the length of car, Max dozing, Suki reading, Angst listening to music, Frank and Goner chatting, the new girl Summer knitting. And someone else, a man sitting at the far end of the car; he was writing in a notebook and paused to roll some oddly-shaped dice. When he did, Maggie suddenly noticed a soft grey glow around Summer, then Frank, then a darker one around Suki...
clickety-clack
Chance and Peyton were listening to the buskers and talking about anime when the suits began their push. They watched for a moment then looked to each other. “Do they look familiar to you?” Peyton asked.
Chance nodded. “Do you feel that? It's the same feeling... from years ago...”
Peyton's eyes widened. “I remember,” she said. Then looked down at her hands, where two massive battle-gauntlets had appeared. Then at Chance's chest, where a gold cross suddenly materialized.
clickety-clack
Tim rolled the dice again.
clickety-clack
Most of the crowd had been chased off. Another LEGACY cell moved onto the platform, carrying some cases and setting them down. They moved with the purpose of a strike team. Opening up the cases revealing heavy weapons. They began to mount them on the platform, quick and efficient; with pressurized drills they were putting the mounts into the floor.
Anthony had been waiting on a bench, reading Nagel's 'What is it Like to be a Bat?'. He had watched the first LEGACY cell move in and begin clearing the platform. It was as if he could see it from different angles. He had noticed the way that the buskers' playing provided a soundtrack for the scene. And he had started having these brief flashes, like jump-cuts, to the interior of an approaching subway car, a strange group on board. A sense of tension rising.
And when the second team appeared and began setting the weapons, that's when the music stopped. And the silence was as loud and as profound as the noise had been. And that's when the shouting started and Anthony knew something very bad was about to happen.
clickety-clack
There were three dozen LEGACY members waiting. Three mounted cannons and each soldier armed to the hilt with weapons.
Jeremiah and Andy were standing now, clutching their guitars. The appearance of the weapons had surprised them, but not as much as seeing the cross materialize around Chance's neck and the gauntlets on Peyton's hands.
“That's very cool,” Jeremiah said.
Andy looked to the LEGACY team, then back to Chance and Peyton. “I think we're with you guys on this.”
Lee and Adam had instinctively moved towards each other. They were staring down a handful of the suits, who seemed surprised that the two men hadn't followed the order to leave. Close enough now that Lee could see some of the devices that they were carrying. “Dark Tek,” he whispered.
Adam held up a pack of handmade Tarot cards, cutting the deck and handing half to Lee. “Light tech.”
When the LEGACY suit tried to shove Mark backwards he got himself rugby-tackled. The kids behind Kelly cheered, “Yay Mr. Haskins!” The other volunteer started to run. Kelly sighed. “Alright kids, stay behind me!” And she faced the oncoming soldiers, and noticed that the suit Mark had tackled had dropped a device...
Joy was trying to understand how an app that she had dreamed about – there had been a spooky well, and this weird guy, who she somehow knew – was now actually installed on her phone and warning her that an 'OMEGA CLASS ANOMALY' was being detected. Debashis had advanced and was trying to negotiate with an approaching suit, with little effect. Joy was tapping the screen, trying to understand the strange software, trying to remember the dream, the odd conversations she had had with the weird guy...
Debashis, using every counseling trick he had to try and connect with the expressionless agent before him, had his own dreamy memory – a pathworking ritual, years ago, a vision of some trolls attacking a defenseless deer, and the knowledge that sometimes you had to stand up to the bullies...
Anthony stood up. And there was a woman beside him. She was looking at the chaos erupting before them on the platform. Anthony asked, “Aren't you a character from a comic book? A friend of mine reads a lot of them...”
Raven looked thoughtful. “I might be, in this version. What do you say? Shall we watch or shall we join in?”
Anthony smiled back. “Fight scene?”
Raven smiled. “After you, Butch.”
Anthony nodded. “My pleasure, Sundance.”
Kelly grabbed the device, thin like a pen but with a glowing light on the end. Mark was on his feet again, throwing a block at another agent. “You know how to use that thing?” he asked.
Kelly smiled. “I watch a lot of sci-fi.”
Adam smiled as he drew the first card from his deck and began accessing the necessary trance-state to engage the symbolic interface for tulpa summoning. “Do you know how to use those?” he asked Lee.
“I'll figure it out,” Lee said. “I play a lot of role-playing games.” He smiled.
Debashis turned back to Joy. “I'm gonna punch this guy out, if you're okay with that?”
Joy smiled as she finally figured out how to use the app to send a signal over-ride to the LEGACY heavy weapons systems, effectively shutting them down. “I accept that,” she answered.
Chance smiled at Peyton. “Alright, just like the old days!” And he charged the agents.
“Follow us!” Peyton shouted at Jeremiah and Andy, and she followed Chance into the fray, gauntlets swinging wildly.
“This is some pretty weird shit,” Jeremiah said, smiling. “I'm kinda freaked out but kinda excited.”
Andy nodded. “'It's the duplicitous edge which we all walk upon'.”
They raised their guitars and charged.
clickety-clack
clickety-clack
clickety clack
“Hey,” Suki said, tapping Angst on the shoulder. “Did you see that?"
Angst popped out her earphones. “Yeah... The last station we passed through, some kind of crazy battle going on... Did you guys see that?”
Frank and Goner were playing cards. They shook their heads in sync. Summer was still knitting; it was the first time that she looked even a little bit relaxed since they had brought her aboard the subway car.
“How about you, Maggie?” Suki asked. “Should we wake up Max?”
Mags watched as the strange glows surrounding Summer, Frank and Suki faded away. She looked to the end of the car where Tim was packing up his dice and notes.
Maggie smiled. “Let him sleep for a while longer.”
Epilogue:
Bailey skipped down the escalator. She was worried that she was going to get in trouble for getting separated from the rest of the kids on the field trip but she had been sure that woman had been the actress who played Katniss and she wasn't going to miss the chance for an autograph. Not her though, so now she was late with nothing to show for it. Mr. Haskins was a cool teacher but he would probably still be upset.
When she arrived on the platform she was amazed at what she found. Dozens of unconscious men in suits scattered about. Some bullet-holes and scorch-marks on the walls. A group of people were gathered at the far end of the platform, shaking hands and laughing. Mr. Haskins was there, and Kelly the volunteer. And was that her sister, Peyton?
Bailey wondered what had happened. Then she noticed that one of the men in a suit was still moving... His hand was reaching slowly towards a weird device that looked like some kind of futuristic bomb. No one in the group noticed...
His hand was almost on the button when Bailey stepped over him and punched him squarely in the face. Knocked him out cold. She pulled a bunch of wires out of the device so that it wasn't a threat anymore and headed towards the group. It had been quite a field trip.
20131101
Across the Uniplex...
It was the sound of thunder that woke Max. His eyes opened as nature's
freight train rattled the windows. He heard the rain fall hard against
the pane, a violent love affair streaking down the glass.
"Saigon. Shit, I am still in Saigon," he muttered to himself and then chuckled.
He got up and stretched and headed out of his bedroom and down into the kitchen. He opened his fridge and saw a solitary beer bottle; it was a sign and he took it. Twisting the cap and flicking it onto the counter, he took a long pull and went to his laptop.
He lifted the lid and the screen began to glow its radiant glow once again. As soon as the operating system kicked in he received a message
Magnum: Hi QT! I've been waiting for u.
Max smiled and than proceed to type:
CubeSquared: Morning.
Magnum: This is freaky isn't it?
CubeSquared: That it is. This has to be a first.
Magnum: It could be. But then again we could have done this before and a shift wiped any memories of ever doing this. :P
She had a point there. But this shift was kind of different since it had shattered the team into different realities, but everyone was still connected via the internet.
"Saigon. Shit, I am still in Saigon," he muttered to himself and then chuckled.
He got up and stretched and headed out of his bedroom and down into the kitchen. He opened his fridge and saw a solitary beer bottle; it was a sign and he took it. Twisting the cap and flicking it onto the counter, he took a long pull and went to his laptop.
He lifted the lid and the screen began to glow its radiant glow once again. As soon as the operating system kicked in he received a message
Magnum: Hi QT! I've been waiting for u.
Max smiled and than proceed to type:
CubeSquared: Morning.
Magnum: This is freaky isn't it?
CubeSquared: That it is. This has to be a first.
Magnum: It could be. But then again we could have done this before and a shift wiped any memories of ever doing this. :P
She had a point there. But this shift was kind of different since it had shattered the team into different realities, but everyone was still connected via the internet.
20131031
Whispers from a Tear
Lanight stood surveying the starving people around him. All of them were dying, weak and malnourished, not fine specimens to experiment on. He noticed a figure walking among the dying. It was a woman; she had stopped by an elderly woman. He signaled Talon.
"Who's that woman," Lanight inquired as he motioned his head toward her direction. "Is she a nurse? She's not Red Cross."
Talon glanced to where Lanight had motioned with his head. "You mean the old lady with the child in her lap?"
"No, the one standing right beside them," Lanight said with a hint of impatience in his voice.
"I see no one," Talon replied. He spent another round into the head of another person too tired to raise an arm in defense.
Lanight saw that she was young and beautiful. A fine healthy body that might withstand the treatments he wanted to try out.
Lanight strolled toward the woman. "Who are you? Where did you come from?".
Talon strained to see who Lanight was talking to but couldn't see anyone else other than the dozen or so villagers lying on the ground. Before moving on he ejected the clip and slid another into the gun. He began to follow Lanight.
As Lanight approached he saw the woman's face as she pulled back the cowl.
"You see me?" she asked of him and she smiled. "How quaint."
"I'm not blind you know," Lanight replied as he stopped within arm's length of her. She looked to be a healthy specimen to experiment on. "Explain yourself."
Maggie looked at him, and smiled. But the smile wasn't warm and inviting.
20131030
Pen is Mightier
The doorbell jingled as Darius entered the coffee shop; he stopped and stared at the chime overhead and he marveled at the wonders of a simple device that alerted those within earshot that someone had entered.
With the world constantly spinning ahead in technological wonder, here was an old wind-chime still doing sentry duty. He shook his head.
He kicked up his skateboard and headed over to a booth, still with a simple smile on his face.
Joan the waitress had a glass of lime water placed at a booth. She proceeded back behind the counter and placed an order without even taking it.
"You're a saint, Joan," Darius said as he slipped into the booth. And then he chuckled to himself when he realized what he said.
"Thank you, Dar," she replied and flashed him a smile.
He reached within his pockets and took out an old bible and a pen and a notepad and placed it on the table by the window.
"What do you write in your journal?" Joan pried. She was bored and just wanted to make some small talk.
"Oh you know, the usual," he started. "Battling demons, fighting hordes of undead zombies, having coffee with an angel."
20131029
Visions in Blue
Marty Tambler tried to take the glass of water that was being offered to him, but his hands were still trembling as he reached for it and thought better of it. He waved it away.
"Do you want to continue your story?" the sheriff asked. He was sitting on the edge of his desk, looking down upon Marty. The sheriff was an imposing figure, but that didn't faze him one bit.
Marty took a deep breath and then continued. "Well, one of the eight guys looked ready to kill me, he drew his gun and brought it up to my head. Then a woman's voice from the shadows said, 'I wouldn't do that if I were you.' And that's when everything went to hell in a handbasket."
"She stepped from the shadows, seeming to be glowing in very pale light, she was holding something in her hands, and I heard one of the fellows hiss, 'This is not your fight. Besides this is not even your prime, go back to where you belong.' And she told them 'All primes are mine'.
"I heard someone mention something about a plex-guardian, or something like that, and that's when she went to town on them."
The sheriff shook his head and then asked, "Is that the way it happened, Marty? You know we will get to the bottom of this."
Marty looked at the sheriff and right into his eyes; the sheriff had been on the force long enough to know this fellow wasn't embellishing his tale one bit. "As God as my witness. He sent an angel to deliver me from those evil bastards."
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