Reality Check
A dilapidated warehouse in what was once the thriving technological office district of North Bend before Mr. Arcadia eclipsed it with his vision of a futuristic arcology. The parking lot is empty save for several abandoned cars which are lacking their tires, engines, and batteries - probably taken by scavengers intruding from the Dregs, which are not that far away.
The warehouse looks freshly painted with a cheery "Reality Check" signboard next to the front door. Privacy screens line the roof, providing a barrier to sight and sound - from an angle lower than 30 degrees to the ground, at least. Stairs lead up along the right side as one faces the door, to a locked gate accessing the garden on the roof.

The pallet of Eagle Security Sentry robots arrives as promised. Immediately Jason sets to work assembling them - and luckily for him, all the heavy machinery that he needed to build his powered armor suit turns out to be also useful for this sort of work, these are not designed to be assembled in your kitchen. As Cadena pads about the warehouse cleaning things up, and Tracy uses Jason's 3D-printer to make some stencils in the gauntlet-and-hammer logo of Irongrip Security, Jason and Kimon lock precision joint assemblies into place and perform systems checks.

His experience with powered armor has taught him a lot about robotics as well. These kinds of robots are consumer grade - they're not up to military specs. While he's at it, he replaces power conduits with heavier duty versions, and adds spiky armor around the joints and on the head and back of the neck. Not only will these make them much better at taking damage, they'll change their silhouette so they look more menacing at night.

A coat of paint will finish the job. With the assembly done, Jason turns them over to Tracy to paint, then starts in on what's left of the lunch she's made for them. There's nothing quite like the sight of a dog washing dishes, scouring pad held somehow in one paw to distract him from the cold thought that after he goes through the PDA memory chip Tracy recovered, he's going to have to get ready for his meeting with Akiko Summers.

Dinner? Date? What will he do if she invites him back to her place-- wait, he has to pick up the ashes of his putative former self in any case. And then, the rendezvous with Mr. Desoto, who promises that he can deliver a high-grade sneaksuit for the sum of a thousand NewDollars... And who happens to be behind the kidnapping of Randall Cranston and his ice wyvern, Mara, both in unknown condition, presumed at least injured.

Just then, Kimon chimes. "Jason, you have a video phone call from Adam Dexter in Los Angeles." Tracy is in a well-ventilated part of the warehouse nearby, coating the robots down in primer black.

"Who is Adam Dexter? Summarize, please, if possible: Age, height, race, and job," Jason remarks, looking up from a mess of little claw grips holding a chip steady while he affixes a modified reader to help in bypassing encryption.

Kimon says, "102,513 matches found. Caller ID crossreferenced to provide unique match. Age 17, height 5'4". Caucasian. Student."

"Encrypt link and and connect," Jason remarks as he sticks his micro-soldering gear back onto its mount.

Covered in an apron, filter mask and shower-cap, Tracy pauses in her paint-sprayer work to come and watch this. "Hey, isn't Mike's brother's name Adam?" she whispers to Jason after taking off the mask.

Adam Dexter turns out to be a young-looking teenager, thin and blond. It's bright daylight where he is, noon judging from the shadows, and behind him are the spires of the Avatars theme park rise. Happy parkgoers mill about, their sussurus muted by the video phone software. "I'm sorry to disturb you, sir. Um, this is 'Jason', right?"

The white dog's ears flick as he picks up fragments of what's going on elsewhere, and he spares a glance in the general direction of Tracy. For the time being, however, he sticks to his current, humble, but easily-defined task of washing dishes. Such a simple task is, to him, a welcome oasis in the midst of a sea of chaos that others more experienced than himself are currently navigating (or so he quietly assures himself).

"Jason is correct, sir is not. I'm not that old yet," Jason remarks, mildly amused. He was hoping that Mike would have been with him but also isn't terribly surprised he is not. That kid got himself into a world of trouble. Question is now can he keep his brother from doing the same. "What can I do for you?" he asks.

Adam grimaces. "I was asked to pass a message along from my brother. Frankly, I'm not sure I believe it myself, my brother has played a joke or two in his times, but I haven't been able to reach him on his phone to confirm it."

"Hey Adam, this is Mike! You won't believe this, but... I'm trapped in the Gloaming! I mean, I'm really here!" The video included in the 'in-game message' shows Mike just as Jason and Tracy and Cadena remember him from their meeting at the Lucky Seven Dragons, looking as if he's just escaped a firefight. Blood trickles from scratches on his cheek, and his clothes are singed. Behind him is one of the skyscrapers of New Metropolis, distinguishable from a typical New York skyscraper by the curlique brass running up the sides to terminate in gargoyles leering down at him. Anonymous passersby mill to and fro behind him, some with strange metal fins projecting from where their ears should be - Personae, human-like robots.

"The airlock thing was a portal!" Tracy whispers to Jason. "Maybe there's another one leading back to the tower. It could be how he got to California so fast after we met him."

There's a clink of dishes being set down, and then the blast of the kitchen hand-dryer (or paw-dryer in this case), and then Cadena pads in, as apparently the conversation has taken a weird enough turn that his curiosity just won't abide.

"It's possible. All those conspiracy sites about the event four years ago are ... well, some of them are accurate. He isn't playing a joke on you," Jason says in a strange fit of honesty. "The how and why would take a long time to explain and involves quantum physics so ... Anyway. This is actually good; it means he's safe for now. I warned him against taking the job he did but ... the track record of kids listening to me is low." The last sentence is punctuated by Tracy getting a hard look from him. "Now ... what I need you to do is erase that message, completely. Then after it is erased, over-write it a hundred times with garbage data. There's a program that does that; Mister McNasty's Data Destructor, or something like that. That will keep it from being recovered if your PDA is stolen. Once that is done ... live a normal life and try to forget everything. This is something you don't want to get involved in."

Mike continues, "You've got to get a message to Jason. I gave him their contact info, but if he goes to that address, he might wind up like me, or worse!" He looks worried as he reels off Jason's contact number, looking at his PDA, then gives the address of the Face Reality front in the Arcadia Tower. "They walked us through this airlock-lookin' thing into a base, so I figured we hadn't left North Bend, but when I escaped - it's a long story - I wound up here! Well. Not here here, but I was keen to lose anyone following me, so I kinda ran like a headless chicken. Especially when I saw these guys in funny outfits with all the guns looking my way..."

A greenish tinge comes over Mike's face. "Send me a message when you can, all right? I don't think those tacos I had down the street are agreeing with me." The message ends there.

"And well ... that is useful. But ... it's unlikely the front stays in one place long," Jason adds as he taps on his system and records the address ... as well as the message. He doesn't inform the kid that eating the food in that world is likely not good for Mike on the atomic level. Best to not cause further worry.

Adam shakes his head. "If this is true... It's proof that we Believers are correct," he says somberly. "The world of Avatars... And the Gloaming too, if this is right. They're real places!"

"There must be a synecdoche in the tower.. I mean, another one," Tracy whispers. "I'll check it out in whatever analog they have set up in-game. If I can find Mike and get him there, maybe he can get back through it.."

"RIU, come here," Jason calls out to summon the little dragon. "It's very real, and very dangerous. I know this all too well. It may sound cool and a grand adventure, but trust me on this, it isn't."

Adam leans forward. "But, if it's a real place, and my brother is trapped there... How do I get him out? You sound like you know more than a little about this!"

"You don't. I'll handle this. I escaped from a similar trap before," Jason says and thumbs towards RIU. "Meet RIU, one of three Avatars that came through some years back. I'm a bit of an expert in this, you could say."

Cadena pads around, next to Tracy, but mindful to stay out of the focal range for the camera input and the main pickup for the audio.

RIU blinks large blue eyes at Adam's image, then winds around Jason's shoulders a few times. Whirr!

Adam studies RIU intently, then Jason, then grins. "Really, you don't tell a King's Explorer to go away and not mind a big mystery just waiting to be solved."

For her part, Tracy stays out of frame as well. "He plays both games, it sounds like," she notes to Jason. "That's an Avatars Guild."

Cadena closes his eyes and shakes his head, then looks pleadingly up to Tracy. "We need to tell him something he can do, or he will find something to do on his own," he whispers.

"Actually, I can and just did. If you want your brother to live, your best course of action is to lay low. There are dangerous people involved," Jason remarks. To Tracy, he adds, "I'm aware of the guild, I met of of them when I was trapped there." Jason then eyes Cadena and ponders. "Do you have any other siblings? Mother and father?" he asks Adam.

Adam nods. "I've got a sister, she's eight. She's with Mom and Dad, back in the Works in North Bend." He lifts a finger. "Before you tell me to go away again... I think I have a clue for you."

"They're going to be targets. You all are," Jason notes a bit grimly. "The woman behind part of this is ... psychotic. So if you must do something, you'll need to keep them safe." He then nods and prompts, "I'm listening."

"Ever since the Breakdown of 2065," Adam continues. "Some people saw things at the Avatars theme park while it was still under construction, that led them to believe they were seeing into a real world not our own. There were disappearances, attacks by monsters, appearances by actual Avatars in this world..." He nods toward RIU. "The King's Explorers have always been about exploring Avatars's uncharted depths, seeing where the edges of its reality lie. What we were finding is that it went a lot deeper than we ever thought possible. And one thing that struck us about all this winding up in the Avatars theme park was that, maybe, it was because it was so similar to the real thing."

Adam asys, "Then the Breakdown happened. Some of us set up camp in the Gloaming, and frankly, we were a little dissatisfied. It just didn't seem as real as Avatars somehow. The NPCs were a bit more mechanical, the realities just a bit more plastic and pixelly. But. They improved. And we had an idea."

Glancing down at Cadena, Tracy chews on her lower lip. She hadn't figured that part out for herself. It had to be explained to her. "They tried to create a link between the two, I bet," she whispers.

Jason laughs briefly at that. "You're actually rather close. The closer the similarity is between a place in both, the easier it is to open a bridge at that point. It's how I was trapped there some years back," he notes, "Now don't get any ideas on trying to find the bridge points. If you stay too long in the other world, you'll never be able to leave it. Anyway, sorry for the interrupt, please continue. What has happened in Gloaming?"

"That's pretty much what we thought too," Adam agrees. "But here's the thing. Maybe when you have enough people in a VR, when they believe in it enough, it becomes more like the real world. A world of its own. That's the only explanation we could come up with for why the Gloaming was getting better, in ways that we'd tested in Avatars before."

Cadena shudders, and keeps watching and listening, nose, eyes and ears darting back and forth between Jason and the representation of his caller.

"Well, it all involves quantum mechanics and probability. Brain activity does induce a low-level electric field. It is possible that mass belief might be somehow affecting it, but ... that won't be entirely the reason," Jason says and shrugs. "And be honest ... you're not going to let this go, are you? No matter what I say?"

"It's a quantum-computed world, so maybe the observer effect is more real there?" Tracy summarizes.

"Even if I weren't insanely curious, now that I've got a brother who's stuck in the VR somehow... And it might be my fault..." Adam spreads his hands. For a young teenager, he seems remarkably well spoken.

"Then I suppose I'd best tell you what you could do that would be useful ... and not dangerous. Okay, You and all of the Explorers ... keep an ear out and an eye out in both worlds. In this one watch the news; watch your neighborhoods; keep track of any and all brownouts and where they occur. Whenever a gate opens, there is a massive power draw. So a brownout may be a sign. If we can get enough data points we can triangulate the location of the gate, or gates," Jason suggests. "Also, how long will you be in LA?"

Adam says, distracted by Jason, "A couple days! We're having a peaceful demonstration, get the message out that VR is real. You know... Counter-example to those Face Reality jerks." He frowns. "Though learning that VR is really real takes on kind of a different meaning when you've got someone 'in the rabbit hole'."

"Face Reality is a huge group ... and not above killing. Just ... keep that in mind," Jason warns, "Now ... hm. Are you a fan of Inari and Fracture?"

"Who isn't?" Adam grins. "Though it seems awfully coincidental that she popped up a little bit after the Breakdown, isn't it?"

"Adam, what is your group's affiliation in the Gloaming, and where are you based?" Tracy leans into view to ask, trying to distract from that line of thought.

"Now that's just a conspiracy theory. Anyway, you're close to her now, I think. If she isn't on tour, anyway. If you find yourself in serious trouble; life-threatening trouble, try to get to her. Tell her Jason sent you and that you need help. She's ... an old friend of mine. She may be able to protect you," Jason says.

"Most of us are League, some are Wild Hunt or Shadows, but we generally think they're just in-game distractions, like picking sides on a dodgeball game," Adam responds to Tracy's question. "They're not what we're really all about, finding out how deep the rabbit hole goes."

Cadena sighs and shakes his head. "Naming one's band 'Fracture' immediately after such an event would imply a deliberate attempt to suggest causality for the sake of sensationalism," he whispers to no one in particular, "not normally indicative of some shrewd attempt to hide it from the eyes of those fond of conspiracies."

Adam boggles a bit. "Like, I'm going to walk up to Inari? Like I'm even going to be able to walk up to Inari?"

Cadena ear-perks at this, and then looks to Jason, as if he seems to think the kid has a point.

"If she knows you know me, you have a chance. At least in theory," Jason says and shrugs again. He taps his fingers on the desk for a second, then looks to Tracy. "I also think I have a job for both of you."

"Maybe CERT should be a first choice go-to in case of emergency," Tracy suggests.

"Our only contact there is ... in capacitated right now," Jason points out, "But if he wants to try there instead. He'll need to refer to Randall."

"Right, Officer Randall Cranberries," Tracy says, then smacks her forehead. "Cranston. Officer Randall Cranston. Say you have information on the Face Reality attack in North Bend."

Adam gives Tracy a funny look about 'Cranberries', then frowns as she mentions the Face Reality attack.

Adam says, "That kind of brings me to what I wanted to mention... We undertook a small experiment. We bought up some VR estate in New Metropolis, and we set about remodeling it - funny how easy it is to make money, when everyone thinks that the in-game currency is worthless. We rebuilt it into a replica of North Bend, called Potemkin." He looks wry. "After the stories of the Russian general who made fake villages to fool Empress Catherine, y'know? We figured it could act as a lightning rod for, y'know... Incidents."

Cadena reaches up and tugs on Tracy's hand gently with his mouth, and then does a little head-tilt and eye-roll gesturing toward the side.

"I'll want to see that!" Tracy says as she's being called away. "I'm Treasa Truclaw in game.. hold on, gotta walk the dog!" She lets Cadena lead her away off camera. "What?" she whispers.

"Adam, whatever you do, do not talk to a woman named Alexandra Regis. Not about your brother or anything else. Don't agree to meet her anywhere. Stay away from her. I have no idea if she'll contact you or not about your brother but ... consider that a warning," Jason adds.

Off as far as he thinks he can drag Tracy away without totally losing track of the conversation, Cadena whispers to her, "Please pardon my asking ... but how well do you and your friend Mr. Trenchcoat - er, Jason - know this fellow and his brother? I take it you must have known them at least in passing before our chance encounter atop the Chinese restaurant?"

Adam frowns. "Isn't she the Face Reality 'news reporter'? By which I mean to say, 'mouthpiece'?"

"Well, no, not at all really," Tracy admits to the canine. "But Mike pretty much managed to do some damage to the attack group, and didn't hurt anyone.."

"Yes. And she would also put you in a meat grinder in an instant," Jason answers. "Stay away from her. And please tell me she isn't at that demonstration."

"So you've worked with him, then?" Cadena asks in low tones. "Please pardon me if I'm interrupting an obviously important discussion ... but from what you have told me so far, it seems that we've just divulged the identities of a several contacts we might have to someone that we apparently know only because of a chance encounter by his brother who just happened to land atop a Chinese restaurant with an easily fixable engine problem right after my hand-off to you, just as he was about to go to a job involving a caper that we all appear to be wrapped up in somehow."

Adam shakes his head. "Not so far as I know." He looks worried. "Here's what I'm worried about. From what my brother describes, I think he was moved through Potemkin. If Face Reality is using our district as a base of operation... God help us, we never meant for it to be used for armed assault on real life!"

Tracy blinks at this. "You make it sound so unlikely," she notes to the dog. "I mean, if I hadn't come across that sneaksuit, I never would have gotten in touch with Jason, and thus never learned what really happened four years ago and been totally unprepared for that attack."

"Don't blame yourself. No one would have considered that making a copy would cause problems," Jason says, "And right now you can't afford to feel guilty. There is a lot to do and guilt is going to be a distraction. Just keep calm, keep low, and be wary."

Cadena frowns. "I get the distinct feeling that you would have been caught up in things, one way or another, eventually. My only point here is that, as I have been entrusted with the task of trying to lend you aid and protection, I think it appropriate to exercise a certain amount of caution."

Adam takes a breath, then looks around. No one about seems to catch his attention though. "Got it. Keeping calm. I don't know about low though... I'm supposed to be coordinating this lot of unruly troublemakers for the next couple days." He forces a grin.

"Caution.. you're right, Cadena," Tracy says. "So while I finish painting the robots, I want you to use your VR gear and create a character in The Gloaming. You can watch my back while we try to find Mike then!"

RIU chins on Jason's head, looking down at Adam's image on the video phone session.

The dog's eyelid twitches a bit, but he nods nonetheless. "Yes ... caution.... Ahem. Let me clarify. By caution, I mean ... have we given any information to this fellow that, if it were forced or tricked out of him, might bring harm to those we care about? That is all."

"My advice would be to not cause problems right now ... but I know you won't listen to me. I don't know what it is about people in their teens that causes them to think they're indestructible," Jason complains. "I'll have an agent try to find Mike and get this mess cleared up. Just ... keep track of the things I asked for and mail me the results weekly ... or if anything major comes up. Make sure to encrypt it."

"Caddy.. they're already after us, so I don't think it can get much worse," Tracy notes. "Horses, fires.. barn doors.. and so on. I can't remember the aphorism, but.. Anyway, we can't be hurt in VR, only Mike can. And if the enemy is using that mock-up setting to move around, we can maybe ambush them!"

"We are indestructible," Adam says with a grin. "So that was, send you notices about power draws in 'our neighborhoods'... What neighborhoods, or just anywhere?"

Cadena bows his head to Tracy and ducks a forepaw. "Your point is well taken," he whispers. "I will prepare the equipment, then. Thank you for your time."

"Anywhere in general. Your group is fairly large, yes? It could be operating in several locations; though there is one in California. And no, I'm not giving you the address," Jason says.

Adam raises an eyebrow. "All right... And if I run into Inari, just walking down the street, I'm supposed to tell her you sent me?"

Jason laughs and shakes his head. "No, only if you were in danger ... and my friend is right, going to CERT may be easier. So, start there," he says.

"All right! CERT, aren't they the group that looks into computer viruses, hackers, that sort of thing?" Adam looks a little confused. "I'd have thought this a little out of their league."

Adam looks less confident than Jason on this, but nods. "Got it. What do you want me to pass on to Mike?"

"Yeah, he won't have an orb or other in-game communication access," Tracy points out. "If his PDA is working then there must still be an active portal nearby, right?"

"I was going to send a reply to his message," Adam says. "If that bounces for some reason... Well, I'll leave a low-level process AFK so it can ring me when he tries to message me again!"

"Okay, hm," Jason says, brow rolling in thought. "Anyway, I now have your contact information and I'm not sure there is more I can tell you other than: Don't be a hero. This will get sorted out as long as no one does something crazy."

Adam smiles. "Thanks, Jason. It helps to know that someone has a grip on things."

"And what's your game callsign too, in case he's monitoring it?" Tracy asks next.

"All right, I'll let him know you're looking into it, and not to panic..." Adam scrunches up his face in a grimace. "Oh yeah. Good luck there, Mike. My bro's kinda easily freaked. Not, y'know, good for his line of work. If I'm online, you can reach me as Aldestre, Avatars or Gloaming."

"Don't let Teresa flirt with you if you meet her in-game. I recommend cold water," Jason adds. "Lots of it."

A voice calls from off the pickup, "Hey, Aldestre! Group photo in front of the Temple! You coming?"

"Remember, calm and keep your head down," Jason repeats. "And good luck." He flicks the disconnect button.

"I bet you let Akiko flirt with you," Tracy grumbles. "I have to paint on the stencils. Can you help Cadena hook up to the workstation and find out what's on that memory chip?"

"Tracy, while I'm out your job is to find Mike in your catskin," Jason remarks as he taps on his console. "So, yes, I can. I also have to get Kimon to make sure the link is multi-level secure so someone can't hack your bra ... agth!" He has to wipe at his be-licked ear!

"Oh.. are you gonna send a message to the General warning him about Sasha?" Tracy asks as she gets her painting mask back in place.

"And something you should know," Jason adds as he eyes Tracy. "Sasha's Avatar was a Panther. So, bear that in mind about your own skin. Don't let anyone confuse the two. The General? Uh, no."

"Maybe you should then," the girl suggests. "He's not officially an enemy yet, after all, and might appreciate it. And as for looking like Moonlight.. well, if the portal to their base is open, that could be handy for getting up close and personal with Sasha.."

Tail wagging slowly, Cadena unpacks the VR gear near the workstation. "Panther Avatars are no more unique than Cadenas, White or Black, if it's any consolation."

"I watched the recordings," Tracy points out. "The last time they were both conscious together, she had tried to eviscerate him and nearly succeeded. I can't think of any reason he'd work with her. For all we know, everything he's been doing has been to prepare for this."

RIU flits up to a rack mount, which in the old days would have held twenty computers. Now it's being used for shelves on which a variety of spare parts and tools are stashed.

"Anyway, let me finish setting up for data extract on this chip, then I'll get station set up," Jason says.

Tracy nods and heads back to the robots, replacing the black paint can on the sprayer with silver for the Irongrip logos.

Cadena notices the faux Irongrip logos, then notes, "If you hope to strike up a friendly relationship with the General, then mightn't trying to impersonate his security forces be working at cross purposes to that goal?"

The PDA chip, easily broken - using his mother's maiden name for a password, spoken with his voiceprint, hardly qualifies as security - contains a large amount of unmemorable information about Mark Berkowitz's life, including the fact that he broke up with his last girlfriend only recently, but also identifies him as being a Gloaming player. The most interesting bit is a message addressed to all Wild Hunt players.

"Be prepared and unpredictable," Tracy says as she works. "That's what mom said."

"And given that it was his company that contracted to have Randall shot down ... I'm less inclined to believe he would be on our side," Jason adds as he goes through the memory card. "Hm, interesting. He taps the last message to bring it up."

The white dog shakes his shaggy head in what might be the canine approximation of a shrug.

"So I'm not suspected, yes," Jason counters. "I want it to look like I was just a pawn too. I'm secure here, but not military secure. And they have a street-sweeping robot."

"I'm just sayin'," Tracy notes as she sprays the stencil onto another robot. "Easier for an ally to find out dirt on you than for an enemy, so may as well at least pretend to be thinking of the General as a former ally. I guess I could ask my mom to do it though.."

"Be prepared, Hunters, for a new challenge has now been issued by Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, Lady of the Wild," the message reads, against the moon and arrows logo of the Wild Hunt. "Your hunt will take you into a place stranger than any you have ever seen, for it takes place in the waking world and not the world of our dreaming."

A hologram of Tracy Trudeau appears. "Here is your quarry, Tracy of the house Trudeau. Let the first to reach her pronounce the terms of the Wild Hunt, and that is that she must elude us for five days, until sundown on the Sixth of December. We shall use any means within our grasp to capture her, but she must be taken alive, for death is the unworthy tool of the unworthy hunter. Should she elude us, Artemis will grant her a single boon within the abilities of the Wild Hunt or any of its number, but should she be captured, for the victor in this hunt, he or she who successfully brings home the quarry, the sum of ten million gold shall be paid in coins of the realm, or one hundred thousand New Dollars."

The message goes on to give an anonymous contact point at which notice of Tracy's capture can be given.

"Oh look, you're popular! You know I could do a lot with one hundred grand," Jason remarks as he reclines his chair and looks amused.

Other data on the PDA suggests that Mark was bragging to his friends that he knew this girl and he'd totally have this one in the bag within the hour.

"Well, capture.. but no reason why," Tracy remarks. "I guess Artemis is Sasha, or else whoever is above Sasha. What can you do with the contact info?"

Cadena glances at the time/date readout on the VR console, verifying that it's Monday, December 2nd, 2069. (Moon phase: Waning Gibbous.)

"I don't play in Gloaming and I'm not a member of the Wild Hunt ... so probably not much," Jason points out. "Which is a pity, I could use the money."

"Oh, and can you get onto their mailing list to receive updates?" Tracy asks as well. "I mean, after they find out what happened to Mark, I'd like to know if they just think I'm more of a challenge or too hot to handle."

"Depends on how the list is managed," Jason notes. He sits back up and tries to decipher if there is a named list ... and what servers handle it. Might be able to set a clone-bug on it to forward copies to a private account.

"If Mark is in custody, maybe you could pretend to be him and try to claim the reward," Tracy suggests. "Take a picture of me tied up or something to use as proof."

With a little work, Jason has no trouble adding an anonymous contact of his own to Mark's feed. If he gets another Wild Hunt notice, Jason and Tracy should get a copy.

"Done. You are now a voyeur," Jason comments. He now checks when the message was sent, before or after the attack on the building.

"Although if the contact point is in the game, maybe Cadena could be the claimant," Tracy suggests, finally done with the painting, and gets out of the heavy smock and mask. She's still got her wig on, since she hasn't had a chance to clean up yet and her hair is probably a mess.

The timestamp indicates that it was sent at about the same time as the attack on the building.

"We can deal with trying to fake a capture later. Right now we have a real capture to deal with," Jason points out.

Tracy sits down at the workstation and helps get Cadena's gear connected. "I guess I'm supposed to find where Randall and Mara are being kept during your distraction - assuming they'll be brought along anyway. Do you know when Desoto was supposed to deliver stuff to Irongrip?"

"So you don't know for sure if he'll have everything he's meant to deliver along with him, and not just the sneaksuit?" Tracy asks.

"No, I don't," Jason notes. "And it is unlikely they would bring them along. They'll be back in their base in the old rail system tunnels."

"Is there anything in the news about this?" Cadena asks. "I can't help but think that the abduction of a police officer, particularly when it involved the launching of a missile, would ... well ... attract some attention."

"Huh, yeah," Tracy says, and brings up the local news channel on the workstation. "Should see if Mark got picked up too, and if so.. is he being held because I disappeared."

"Of course," Cadena says, "if there isn't anything in the news about it, that could be just as informative, in its own way."

"You may want to consider using your sneaksuit to get Randall out while I keep them occupied," Jason says. He reaches under his desk and pulls out a suitcase. After a couple biometric verifications (thumbprint, retinal scan, and voice print), he opens the case. Inside is a standard-issue bullet proof vest, along with a police-issue model II handgun, complete with biometric lockout and several ammo clips. Jason draws it out and verifies the gun is still keyed to him.

"You'll have to show me the layout and access points," Tracy notes. "We need to see if they're still there before I go looking."

"That is the point of a recon sneaksuit," Jason remarks. "Kimon, download the map recordings from the suit data to Tracy's terminal, please."

The Face Reality 'coverage of VR addicts gone berserk' continues to be the top story of the hour. Eyewitnesses, shaking and sobbing, recount their reactions to what appeared to be terrorists accompanied by fantasy game characters. And look, there's Tracy being censored by the news' nudity filter again. The theory of the moment seems to be that very sophisticated animatronics were used, then self-destructed when the point had been made.

A face Jason had hoped not to see again appears on the screen. "And we go live now to Dantech's VP of Virtual Reality Worlds, Andrei Romanov! Mr. Romanov, do you have any comments on Face Reality's claims that VR addiction leads to violence and insanity?"

"Oh look, him," Jason grumbles. He does actually aim the unloaded weapon at the screen for a second. "Don't I wish," he mutters and returns the gun to the case and closes the lid.

"Curious," Cadena says. "The things I heard the terrorists shouting at the time of the attack would seem to put them ideologically in line with the message being delivered by this 'Face Reality' group purportedly showing these same terrorists to be an example of what's gone wrong."

"I suppose," Cadena says, "but couldn't they coach their participants a little better? I mean, it's akin to sending in a bunch of terrorists with guns, shooting up the place, while screaming, 'Guns are bad!' It certainly gets the message across, but it does call into question just what in the world the messengers are thinking anyway."

"So.. what exactly happened with this guy?" the girl asks. "Were you working together? Did he hire you to hack Dantech? Just lure you in to a trap? And heavy-handed stuff goes over well with paranoid mothers, Cadena. Gives them an excuse to point and say, 'See? I was right all along!'"

Andrei shakes his head. "Modern psychiatric studies show conclusively that VR is no worse than reading, watching multimedia, or playing video games. In past years, people would have as easily blamed alcohol or cults for creating such psychopathic violence. It is wishful thinking at best, the working of a malicious agenda that seeks to deny others at worst, to suggest that people cannot control themselves when exposed to any kind of imaginative work." Jason recalls past debates with Andrei on this subject in school. Andrei was always something of a control freak.

"He's a control-freak jerk. The type that will alter records to make it substantiate his own opinions and agenda," Jason answers. "He never could see facts, even when they slugged him in the nose."

"Is he as good as you in skill though?" Tracy digs. "Could he have tampered with your mail system?"

"Him? Unlikely," Jason says. "I'll look into the mail issues later. I don't have time today to deal with it."

The white dog shakes his head. "I am going out on a limb with this, I realize, particularly since I don't quite understand the 'rules' to this quantum weirdness you've described, but I'm just entertaining the possibility that this group might not be as well organized as might be supposed. What if a group of like-minded individuals were told to run into what they thought was VR, in order to 'wake up' the people there and ruin the 'roleplay' mood ... when in reality they were shooting real people? What if they were tricked into this because they were not otherwise capable of participating in deliberate murder? Granted, in this day and age, I find it hard to believe it would take much effort to find people perfectly willing to kill for real, if they thought they would suffer no retribution.... I'm just wondering if there is any way to find out who these people were." He looks to Tracy. "Didn't you seem to know one of them? One of the 'werewolves'?"

"Basically he's all theoretical. How things should be than how they really are," Jason adds. "A man in quest of the perfect algorithm, which is impossible given all we have is imperfect hardware."

"The werewolf was Mike," Tracy explains. "Because he sent us a message from inside the game telling Jason they were planning some event, and even saying how they were constantly being reminded that it was 'only a game' - so yes, at least some of them were tricked into committing crimes they didn't know where real."

"Oh," Cadena says, ears tipping slightly. "Please pardon me. I didn't realize there was that connection. I am a little slow to catch up to all of this." He frowns. "That's ... that's another amazing coincidence, then."

Cadena trots over toward Jason. "I was wondering ... might I inquire a little into the nature of that problem you fixed with the sky-bike the other day?"

"Having them attack my 'neighborhood' and that Wild Hunt bounty coming at the same time isn't a coincidence," Tracy notes. "Having even more people showing up that were living out the game would have driven Face Reality's point home even more. Since in that case, it really is VR driving people to do extreme things in the real world."

"Failed injector system. A common problem for that model of bike. The parts used are cheap and don't last long to begin with. To buy a used one ... you're pretty much guaranteed that it will fail on you and soon," Jason explains to Cadena. "And expensive to fix correctly as the part costs a ridiculous amount given its mean time between failure rating. I jury-rigged him a new one using the air horn assembly since it already handles airflow. The trick is getting the cone exit the right size and shape to roughly mimic the original injector. It's not as efficient and won't pass an official inspection, but it works. It'll last longer than the original part, too."

Cadena nods. "It was not an unusual fault, then - nothing that should cause undue suspicion. However," he adds, "considering the inter-working of electronics and mechanical features in today's vehicles, is it at least theoretically possible that someone could have perhaps compromised the on-board system of his vehicle and overloaded one of the systems in some way to force the part to fail at that particular time, while it was going along that particular path - likely suggested by the sky-bike's on-board nav system?"

"In other news," the reporter continues. "Mav's Mavericks continue with their vehicular assault spree, with a rocket attack on a CERT airbike in the eastern Greater North Bend area. Local police are on the scene but so far there is no evidence of survivors. It is feared that the missile detonation may have destroyed the vehicle entirely, along with its rider."

"You can blow it by revving the engine too much when trying to 'show off' or speed because they're late," Jason says, "While it is possible to force it to fail, it doesn't exactly need a lot of help. Is it possible to compromise the nav system? Yes. Anything is. Is it likely? No, not really. They bike was in bad shape. He's lucky it didn't just fall apart while he was in mid-air."

Cadena spares a glance to the news, but returns his attention to Jason. "Where I'm going with this is ... we met Mike on the roof of the Chinese restaurant where he just happened to have a breakdown of his sky-bike, on his way to a job that we can only presume has to do with our present predicament. He was also present - in a manner of speaking - at the attack on Tracy's apartment building. He has since disappeared, and all these parts seem to line up rather nicely. When there is a great deal of 'coincidence,' I tend to look for possible links of causality."

"There is one variable that isn't being taken into account in that line though, Cadena," Tracy points out. "It would all depend on Jason actually going to help him. Nobody would predict that he'd do that. I wouldn't have thought he would."

"While the search is in its third hour, our prayers go out to the officer's family and friends, and we hope that he or his body will yet be found, to bring closure to this unfortunate event," the reporter says. "And now, a few messages from our sponsors." Cut to a commercial for Duamutef's Donuts.

Cadena shakes his head. "That assumes that only one attempt is made. If you are going fishing, you don't expect to get a bite on the first lure."

"There could have been other opportunities missed that we did not see," the dog adds, "or backup plans if this one didn't work."

"I also saw his escape and Sasha's enraged hunt for him," Jason points out and looks down to the dog. "While things do have extraordinary coincidence there is plenty of evidence that at least exonerates Mike as co-conspirator. And that all said, we don't exactly have any other leads to pursue. These people already know about all of the survivors of the first incident and they're going after us one by one. They haven't exactly learned anything new about us even if this is a trap."

Cadena shakes his head. "I'm not trying to blame Mike. No hacking would be required if he could simply sabotage his own bike and bring it down in the right place. Rather, I'm just entertaining the notion that there might be another 'player' involved in this, one whose agenda we don't yet know about. This doesn't lead me to any particular course of action - it's merely something that intrigues me, and something I would keep an eye out for, to see whether anything else fits the pattern ... or whether it's purely of my own imagining."

Oversized freshly baked donuts spin through the air, followed by a cartoonish creature that looks part lion, hippopotamus, and crocodile trying to catch them, but unable to ever actually reach them. At the end, a smiling jackal plucks one out of the air and gives it to Ammut, who wolfs it down happily.

"There's probably an AI or AD behind it all," Tracy notes, as she creates a new Gloaming account for Cadena to use.

"I always believe there are other actors involved, but I cannot spend all my time looking for them. You're also not noticing the fact that there is no reason Mike would have known any of us would have helped on the bike," Jason points out. "That would have been a guess on his part and nothing more. I could have easily walked away. And yes, there is an AD behind some of this; the name is Hecate. Sasha has an interface to it."

"Hey, Duam.. Dammo.. I can't pronounce it," Tracy says. "The donut shop. 'Yappy' was in front of it in his message. Wasn't that the portal location you found, Jason?"

The white dog bows his head. "I do not mean to over-work the point, but thank you for entertaining my questions and theories."

"It's a chain, Tracy. Is as likely to be a portal choice as any other location," Jason points out. "Commonly known and visited. You can't even throw a donut in one without hitting a cop."

"So how'd they get it to open in that particular one?" Tracy asks. "Could there have been something planted there to make the link stronger?"

"Nothing wrong with asking questions. They are fair points. I'm just holding judgment on any such connections until we have more evidence one way or another," Jason says and shrugs. "As for how, Tracy? No idea. If I were feeling exceptionally paranoid ... I would suspect the weather control aerials recently installed all over the place."

"That should give connections-dog something to concoct more conspiracies on," Jason jokes and thumbs towards Cadena.

"It does not inspire any further conspiracy theories at this time," Cadena concedes, "but I will be sure to let you know if any come to mind."

"Time for that later," Tracy notes. "Cadena, you need a name for your character and.. well, everything else too."

"Hmm," Cadena ponders this. "I suppose I could just make such decisions in the in-game interface. Aren't there typically randomized game suggestions to pick from if I haven't any ideas already?"

"Yeah, there's a fast setup option," Tracy notes, and starts to affix Cadena's special goggles to the canine's head. "Oh, Jason.. be sure to bring a disposable toothbrush with you, and if you're going to be out later than 10 you'd better call."

"My plan tonight is roughly this, I want to drive a wedge between Mav's Mavericks and Irongrip ... as well distract ... what? A toothbrush? Why?" Jason has to ask.

Tracy looks at Jason from where she's bent over Cadena. "To brush your teeth with after dinner, of course!" she points out. "In case you want to have a good-night kiss."

"Now you're just being silly. There won't be any kissing," Jason claims and rolls his eyes. "Anyway, as I was saying, my plan is to make the warehouse look like an Irongrip ambush with myself used as their bait (and pawn). "If I can arrange it, I'm going to make it look like one of the bots shoots me ... in the vest. To remove me from being a suspect, that is."

"Oh, do you have like.. a tracking chip inplanted so I can keep track of where you are?" Tracy asks Jason.

"No? I have tracking implants of any type. I have enough issues with having crap in my head as it is," Jason points out. "I prefer to be the ghost in the machine, 'not the here he is with a transmitter!' guy in the machine."

"Oh, Mr. Edwards," Cadena says, with some concern in his voice as he looks in the general direction of the personal body armor, "please forgive me if I am telling you something you have already taken into account, but please keep in mind that with modern body armor, there is still some risk of penetration by bullets if fired from close enough range, and even with the distribution of force across a wider area, bone fractures and internal trauma can still occur. A bulletproof vest is not yet, as they say, a 'magic vest.' You might require medical attention afterward."

"It's going to be faked," Tracy says. "No real bullets, just special effects.. right?"

"Rubber or similar, yes. I'm not about to have myself shot with an armor-piercing round after all," Jason answers. "And I can live with a few bruises. It won't be close range, it's an ambush after all. No option I can think of in dealing with this is going to be safe, quite frankly. And it's not like I can show up in full armor."

"What's Cadena going to do?" Tracy asks. "He can't really drive the getaway car.. I think.." She eyes the engineered dog's clever paws.

Cadena shakes his head. "That would be illegal. I am not licensed, and since I am at least partly an organic entity, I cannot be certified as an AI autopilot."

"We won't be killing anyone though," Tracy says, before taking a deep breath. "I'll probably need your help to sniff out Randall and Mara though, Cadena."

Cadena nods. "I am likely to be more helpful in that regard, and less likely to put random passersby at risk in that role."

"The main goal is chaos and misdirection, as well as keeping them occupied while someone gets Randall and Mara out. And be aware, Mara may be drugged," Jason adds. "And if things go badly for me, well ... Holly I'm sure can manage things in my absence."

"I thought you were always complaining about how my mother handles things?" Tracy asks.

Tracy sticks her tongue out at Jason, and links up her own VR gear. She finally remembers to take off the wig first though, revealing that Bad Hair Days run in the Trudeau family women.

"I confess," Cadena says, "I don't even know what options are available to us. For all I know, perhaps if we knew where Officer Randall was being held, we could ... I don't know ... slip through a portal in a Duamutef Donuts shop, navigate our way around in the Gloaming World, pop back out in the abandoned warehouse or subway tunnel where he's held captive, and then hop back in? I know, it sounds crazy, but it's hard to tell what's supposed to be sane anymore."

"That would work if we could control where a portal opens. We can't," Jason points out.

"That would be handy," Tracy admits. "I'll try to find Potemkin Town while Cadena gets his VR legs. And I'm sure we'll be doing as much intelligence gathering as we can before the one-o'clock meeting."

"The only thing I can think of, then," Cadena says, "would be to try to gather as much information as we can that might be relevant to this, beforehand, and why someone would want to abduct Tracy, Officer Randall, and others."

Tracy puts on her VR helmet, and reclines her chair back. Before she logs in to The Gloaming, though, she tells Jason, "It's still a date, you know."

"That answer, I suspect, is surprisingly simple. Someone is collecting all the people associated with the first event," Jason remarks as he closes his case. He sighs as he shakes his head, rising. "No, it isn't. It is dinner with an old friend," he claims and heads towards his private bedroom and bath. "A date would involve flowers, somehow."