Wednesday, December 4 - 8 PM Eastern, 5 PM Pacific
Despite his bold declaration, Jason has not managed to shake Tracy, Cadena, or Inari loose; instead they are riding along on a vintage nuclear-powered Polytechnic Motors 'Capricorn' motorcycle, Inari in the sidecar and Tracy (being smaller) in the saddle behind Cadena. RIU clings to Jason's shoulder as he glides just over the treetops. It's only 5 minutes by air from the farmhouse to the guarded border of the Palmdale Weapon Testing Grounds for the VTOL transport, but it's a significantly longer trip by ground, following roads or at least avoiding the most difficult terrain.
As they proceed down the road well past the 'No Trespassing' and 'Government Restricted Property' signs, the forest starts to look twisted. Rocks are half-melted on one side and the trees grow crookedly. Glowing eyes watch them from the underbrush.
On the way, Thomas Whaley gives them a sitrep in a hushed tone of voice. In the background, the aircraft rings with the noise of equipment being hauled about, weapons being loaded, soldiers suiting up in heavy armor. "The brass is going over the map of the Shengsheng Jiang labs with the strike team. In about an hour, I'm going to lift the ATV up onto the deck of the Ouroboros, then they'll roll it into the gateway chamber, where the plan is to drive into... I don't get how it's going to work, but it sounds like they're going to open some kind of portal right into the enemy base. Insane! The whole giant flying battleship thing was crazy enough to start with."
A message alert chimes. Thomas Whaley looks up at a different display. "Uh oh. We just got a new order update. They're tracking incoming ground traffic. They want us to send out a Valkyrie and turn them away before they get close enough to see the Ouroboros. Ah, that's you guys, isn't it?"
"That may play into our favor. Any chance we could hitch a ride on the ship after a faux firefight that 'destroys' the intruder vehicle?" Jason replies into the comm. "And as for the portal, I highly doubt it'll open to where they expect, to be honest. In fact, I can guarantee it won't."
"It sounds like the airship is where the portals open and close, rather than the whole thing traveling," Tracy laser-links to the others. "So, we want to be in the strike force, but sneak off before it portals and get into the ship.. or go through and see where they end up? Or.. both?"
Thomas Whaley nods. "Roger that, Jason, I'll alert the Valkyrie so they can be ready for a pickup. Uplinking intercept coordinates to you now." Jason's on-board map lights up with a 3D view of the countryside, along with Tracy's wristcomm and Cadena's link. A blinking red dot shows the ground vehicle to be interdicted... Which isn't the motorcycle, or the armor -- both are apparently too small or not enough metal to alert the sensors. It's a hovertruck chugging down the road a short distance ahead of them.
Cadena doesn't contribute to the discussion as he continues to keep the bike on the road, eyeing the occasional twisted bit of terrain -- a remnant of the effects of the Fracture Event as it twisted reality in the vicinity, years ago. He can't help but cast a brief and pointless glance upward, as if trying to seek out the eye-in-the-sky that right now might be picking out his bike and measuring a response.
"Wait. That isn't us, Thomas. It's some sort of truck. We'll intercept it. It's probably some kook group and they don't want to get involved here," Jason says into the comm again and diverts his course to intercept the incoming truck.
RIU zeebles on Jason's shoulder, clinging tightly! It cranes its neck, looking around... And spots the truck rumbling past a dead tree and a rock outcropping! It's a brown truck withthe logo "Starving Students Movers" emblazoned on the side.
Inari cranes her neck, trying to see past Cadena and the Capricorn's handlebars, but can't quite make it out.
"You've got a scope on your rifle, right Inari?" Tracy asks the fox. "Can you get a look at the driver through it?"
"I could, but I don't have line of sight," the golden vixen replies tersely. "You'll have to turn that way."
Over the comm, Thomas reports, "Valkyrie team is on its way. They'll issue a vocal warning to turn back, then open fire if the vehicle continues."
"The vehicle has 'Starving Students Movers' on the side. This is some kook group, Thomas. Just try and disable the vehicle if you get there before we do," Jason sends back through the comm.
Sergeant Thomas Whaley nods. "Copy that."
"Unless it's another echo or whatever we just experienced at the farmhouse," Tracy opines.
The truck chugs along slowly, but so far they don't have a line of sight on the driver's window.
The motorcycle continues along the road at a cautious pace, far behind the hover-truck.
"What's that about disabling?" Cadena asks over his com-set. "Are we trying to intercept that vehicle?"
"Yes, we are. It's probably a bunch of college kids on some conspiracy theory jaunt. We need to stop them before they actually get hurt," Jason answers.
"Well, we can't let them make it to the hot zone, or they'll get shot up," Tracy says. "So as long as they don't start shooting at us.."
"Okay," Cadena says. "I'll pick it up a little, then. Maybe we can get their attention, get them to pull over." He gives the motorcycle a little more "throttle."
The truck continues to drive down the road at a steady pace. Above, the grey fox-shaped armor zooms just over the treetops, while Cadena drives at nearly the same rate, following the road. Inari sights down her rifle, trying to catch a glimpse of it. They round one curve and enter the beginning of another, as marked by a fading yellow highway sign reading 'WARNING! CURVES AHEAD!'.
"Funny, I would have thought the curves were behind Cadena since Inari is riding behind him," Jason comments about the sign.
The 3D view shows the Valkyrie approaching them; it'll be on top of them in about 30 seconds.
"I'm behind Cadena," Tracy notes. "Inari is in the sidecar. Can't you tell us apart when we've got identical jumpsuits and helmets?"
The golden vixen squints through the scope of her Naginata Divine Mercy laser sniper rifle as she tries to get a positive ID on the truck's inhabitants. "The back gate is closed," she reports. After a second she adds, "I think I see icicles on the lock. Didn't think it got this cold in California."
"Ice? That truck might be Randall and Mara!" Jason says into the comm.
Cadena's bike navigates the turns of the twisty road at a faster pace, but still not at break-neck action-movie pace. Although he's gaining a bit on the hovertruck, there's no way at this rate that he's going to intercept it before the guy in the flying armor is going to get to it.
"Uh, do you know what channel Randall would be on?" Tracy asks.
It used to be a hobby to take over the old satellite emergency controls of trucks 'back in the day' through a wireless hack panel. Why the time he got a hold of that RV and had it reverse-flush all the toilets on that family was ... well, a tale for another time! The old relays for calling for emergency and allowing vehicle shutdown in the case of theft were never very secure. Using a global key is just asking for trouble. Jason adjusts the transmission power to weaken his own signal to make it 'appear' like it came from a satellite, and broadcasts the 'navigational control' override signal; the familiar ping of 'accept' comes back like sweet, sweet, music. He cuts the engine power to half to slow it down to buy a little more time. "Randall, if that's you," Jason transmits over old comm bands they've used in the past, "You've got an armed airship about to bomb you."
Cadena thumbs a lever on his bike, emitting a simulated "classic tractor-truck horn" blare in a bid to get the hovertruck driver's attention.
"Augh!" Tracy squeals at the sound of the horn. "That was us?"
The truck throttles down. A Hispanic-looking man in a blue worker's coverall pops up on Jason's comm. The video call gets copied over to Tracy and Cadena's links as well, in 'lurk' mode. "What the-- huh! Jason! What are you doing out here?!" he says. To his right is a Japanese woman also in worker's coveralls, looking anxious and worried. "Why are we slowing down? Is something wrong with the engine?"
"I have control of your truck," Jason answers. "You're about to get bombed if you don't turn around. why are you out here anyway? I'm supposed to be the only person on a suicide mission."
As the truck slows, Jason has ample time to catch up and get a visual confirmation. Yep... That's Randall in that goofy mover's cap.
"What are you two doing out here and why didn't you tell us.." Tracy starts to say, then remembers: they're all supposed to have been shot down and killed while escaping from Avatars..
Randall grumps. "Great! Well, you're in control, get us under cover!" Akiko peers out the other side and yelps, pointing up at the Valkyrie fast approaching.
"Any chance we can just ask them not to shoot the hovertruck?" Cadena asks. "For that matter, not to shoot us once they see us? Do I need to head for cover, too?"
Over the comm, Tom Whaley reports, "20 seconds until they're in range. You got a line on that incoming bogey?"
"And I thought that mustache was bad. The hat is far worse," Jason remarks rather dryly. And cover coming up, hold onto that doofy hat!" And that's about when Jason makes the truck take a hard left so that he can bring it under tree cover. That will at least make air attacks more difficult. "Irongrip is flying that transport. We can hitch a ride back on it, but we're going to have to make some sort of convincing distraction ... like blowing that truck up once everyone is off it."
"Thomas, the truck is Randall and Akiko. They're old friends of the Irongrip too. I'm taking the truck off the road. Think we can set up a convincing ruse and be picked up?" Jason asks in the comm.
The harried-looking logistics officer says, "Setting it up now. Yeah! Hold off on bolting the ATV down, General's orders, he wants to inspect it himself." This last is an aside call to the soldiers in the cargo bay of the Eagle Security Transport.
The truck has a few dicey moments as Jason steers it off the road, having to pilot it through a third-person point of view, but it's finally safely parked under the cover of the trees.
"Inari, do you have enough power to disguise Mara?" Tracy asks the vixen.
"Okay, so, I think we'll soon have a lift back on that bird," Jason says as he goes into land near the truck. "And maybe they'll have a way to get all of you out of this zone. It'll make it easier for me to work out how to blow that old battleship without worrying about your safety."
Cadena pulls the motorcycle up alongside the hovertruck, now that the both of them are off the road. He comes to a stop and nods in acknowledgement to the driver of the other vehicle, then casts his gaze skyward to gauge the few seconds until they're all intercepted by the air support, for better or worse. "What's the new plan? Hide? Flee? Hitch a ride?"
Randall jumps out of the truck, with Akiko emerging on the other side. The police officer runs to the back of the truck and struggles to open it... But seems to be having problems with ice holding the doors together. "Mara!" he yells accusingly. "Did you breath on the door?!"
"I'm hopping on board. All of you should get out of here," Jason grumbles.
An apologetic roar comes from the inside of the truck.
RIU giggles on Jason's shoulder.
Inari slings her laser rifle back over her shoulder. "Long time no see, Randall," she says.
"Jason, you can't just blow up the ship and think that will stop the project," Tracy points out. "Dantech might have backups of Jason Zero. We have to break Dantech first."
"One moment, I can probably use the jets to pull the door," Jason grumbles as he thumps his way over to the frozen door. He grips one side with his hands and locks the micro-servos and synthetic muscles. The other he places one of his boots on the door and tries pulsing the rocket jet to yank the door open.
"Why not just use them to melt the ice?" Cadena asks, though too late.
Ka-CHUNG! The door cracks and opens suddenly, sending Jason flying back a few steps before he can recover. Inside is of course, Mara, a large ice wyvern with armor that resembles a hoverbike's. A thin layer of snow covers the moving truck's interior, making the tools and storage cabinets inside into shiny white boxes.
To the north, the sounds of a Valkyrie's engines grow louder.
Seeing that Jason is occupied, Cadena turns to Tracy behind him -- and Inari. "Okay. Time's short. What do I do? Leave these folks behind and hit the road to aim for the base, and let Jason catch up?"
Inari considers. "Yes," she says to Tracy. "I can make Mara invisible for a few minutes, but I hope you can explain Randall and Akiko."
"Looks like we're about to find out how well we can trust Irongrip," Jason remarks dryly as he looks up towards the incoming ship.
"We need to get on the Valkyrie," Tracy says, and climbs down from the bike. "I hope Mara is all healed up and can fly on her own!"
"Trust... Irongrip?" Randall says to Jason as if he had suddenly started speaking in tongues.
The wyvern emerges from the truck, then slurps! Jason appreciatively.
"You know we can claim Mara is some prototype monster for their silly game-looking warship," Jason notes, beslurped and thankful he's armored right now.
Akiko runs up and hugs Inari! Then the rest of them so they don't feel left out. "What are you guys doing out here?" she asks. "Randall was feeling a bit cooped up in Omega Ranch so we decided to get out and investigate the local serial killings. All signs are pointing to this place up ahead being the epicenter of the events."
"Long story, Randall. Irongrip was apparently used as a 'patsy' regarding the attack on you," Jason notes.
"And I'm not really dead," Tracy adds.
"Sadly, she is not a zombie, no," Jason agrees.
Cadena says, "Nor Mr. Edwards here, either, but we're hoping we can persuade him not to try to go out in a flash of glory just to get at his Evil Twin Brother."
Tracy looks like she wants to kick Jason for that comment.. but she's not about to test his armor. "We've got like one minute before the gunship lands.." she notes instead.
Randall says dryly, "So I see..." He gives Jason a hand up, then gives him a manly slap on the back. "You got your armor working! Now I can hide behind you if that Valkyrie starts shooting."
Inari hugs Akiko back, then surprises the Japanese woman with a lick on the nose. Eeee!
"In any event, the safest way on base is on the airship about to land. No way we can fight past the defenses," Jason remarks and looks skyward ... only to rock forward from the slap. So, he looks over his shoulder to comment, "I'll just throw your body into one of the canon barrels. You look like a pipe cleaner anyway..."
The Valkyrie hovers into view, sunlight splashing against its westward side.. "Attention, this is a restricted area. Turn back or we will open fire," a male voice says through a loudspeaker. The speaker crackles, then resumes in a quieter tone of voice. "All right, pleasantries aside, you've got about thirty seconds to get clear before the fireworks start. Want to get aboard before that?"
"That's our call. All aboard before the explosions start!" Jason tells the others before transmitting to the airship. "We're coming aboard. Thanks for the lift."
"Are you gonna ride Mara and keep her invisible?" Tracy asks Inari as she heads for the aircraft.
"They shoot up my bike, I'm going to be awfully sore," Cadena says. "I'll get over it, but I'll still be sore." He pats the bike.
"Park it further away then," Jason tells Cadena. "It's apparently too small to be picked up anyway."
The Valkyrie looks to have enough room for them, excepting Mara. The golden vixen nods. "That seems safest."
Cadena wastes no time complying, and pulls the bike away and toward some scrub that he hopes will be far enough away to avoid any debris from the "fireworks."
"Try not to be jealous about Inari riding Randall's dragon," Tracy teases Jason, then hurries to board the Valkyrie.
"You two are cute together," Jason quips to Inari and Akiko in passing. "And excuse me, I have a teenager to go kill." He heads off after Tracy.
The VTOL's inside is similar to the Eagle Security Transport, writ small: there are jumpseats on both sides of the inner compartment, large enough that one could ride in full armor, and compartments overhead provide gear storage. The armed soldier inside looks a bit on-edge as he welcomes them aboard. "The General says welcome, but we'll have to hurry, they're about to load the strike team on board. Tom's inventing delays."
Akiko blushes at Jason! Inari laughs, then goes off to kill Jason.
Or, at least lick his ear viciously.
Over a short rise, Cadena powers down the bike, grabs his stuff off it, then unrolls a tarp from a sidecar compartment and throws it over; it's not camouflaged by any means, and the few bits of scrub he throws over it won't pass muster, either, but there's just no time to spend on doing a proper job. He rushes back, gear in tow, to catch up with the others before the craft lifts off.
"Here, Akiko," Tracy says, and hands over her Irongrip jumpsuit before taking a seat (and setting her sneaksuit to black, so it looks like a jumpsuit from a distance).
"If you die I'll never forgive you. In fact, I'll find a way to bring you back and kill you for dying," Jason quips to Inari after his armor finds itself licked. He's such a romantic.
The Japanese woman blushes harder as she realizes that it means changing out of her coveralls in mixed company!
Inari hugs Jason before leaping onto Mara's back. She throws a jaunty wave. "I'll hold you to that!" she says before waving her hands, cloaking herself and the wyvern.
"You know, mister, that might go both ways," Cadena says in a low tone, passing Jason as he loads into the craft.
"There won't be enough of me left to bring back. I intend to leave a crater," Jason quips as he finds a place to sit onboard the craft. "No turning back at this point. We fail, well ... the world may end. No pressure or anything."
Once they're onboard, the pilot of the Valkyrie takes it back up. "Nothing valuable left on the truck, I hope," he says as he arms the guns.
Akiko makes people turn their backs so she can change! Randall smirks, then brings out his wristcomm and makes some alterations... His brown mover's outfit changes and then becomes black! Some more work and use of his wristcomm's camera allows him to duplicate the Ironfist logo and uniform trims. "Amaranth Emperor's Clothes outfit," he explains. "A thousand and one possible uses!"
Cadena does a quick check to make sure RIU is in here and not snacking on hovertruck batteries.
RIU peers out the back of the valkyrie at Mara and Inari! Even though they're invisible. Maybe especially because of that.
"Why didn't you get Akiko one of those?" Tracy asks Randall.
"Don't tempt me to really make it simulate the Emperor's clothes," Jason remarks. And RIU earns a comment as well! "If I didn't know any better, I would think you're worried about them. Could it be that you're starting to like her?"
Cadena reaches out the pats the little dragon lightly. "Guess it's like a reunion for you, little fella, huh? Don't worry. We'll meet up with your buddies again soon."
The Hispanic man protests, "I didn't know she'd want one! I expensed this one for job purposes."
RIU nips Jason! Then chirps happily at Cadena's patting.
"And not to impress Akiko on your date?" Jason teases Randall after poking at a very nippy little dragon!
"So, are we going to try and get onto the Ouroboros from the troop carrier?" Tracy asks. "I'm sure Inari already knows where to get Mara in, and you guys know that ship.. but Cadena and I don't. It must have a Q-Core in it if it's opening portals, right?"
The Valkyrie revs its guns up, the chainguns nearly silent as they function with pneumatic efficiency. The pilot speaks over the loudspeaker, "This is your last warning... Employing lethal force." Ratatatat! Flechettes rip through the brown moving truck. Randall holds his hat -- it's not part of the Emperor's Clothes, evidently-- over his chest in a moment of silence for the vehicle.
Cadena sighs, shaking his head sadly, as he sees a perfectly good machine get shredded to bits.
"Not necessarily. Portals were opened before without one," Jason notes, having to pause and wince at the obliteration of the van. "I want to get to the main engineering deck so I can sabotage the engines. I should be able to make it go up in a blaze of glory."
"Could we not just blow it up and kill everyone?" Tracy asks with a wince. "We don't know what Jason Zero's real plans are. That strike force could be going into Dantech HQ for a double-cross.. and if that's the case I'm all for cooperating! And if the ship isn't the thing actually opening the portals, then blowing it up doesn't do much. I mean, it's from VR! They can just recreate it all again."
"Okay, catching up time," Randall says. The soldier and the pilot are in the forward compartment now, leaving the cargo area clear for them. "I'll go first. The way I figure it, this area is charged with some kinda quantum instability, and that's causing sympathetic portals to open up nearby, letting simulation critters out for a wander... Avatars can sense portals nearby, it turns out. We took Mara out for a spin, and we managed to find one. Want to guess where it went?"
"To.. the Diadem?" Tracy guesses.
"No, they can't," Jason retorts, "I customized that thing! It's one of a kind." He even crosses his arms. He then can't help but blink and look to Randall. "Where?"
"Test North Bend! Remember where we ran into Sage Fjalar and Blake and his kiddie friends?" Randall glances over at Akiko and Inari. "No offense, 'course."
"That's an odd place to open a portal to, expect of course we already know they're modifying the world in there," Jason comments.
Inari says over the comlink, "No offense taken."
except, not expect
Akiko adds, "I told him not to go in there! What if it snapped shut while he was in there?"
"But.. that simulation's Q-Core was destroyed.." Tracy notes. Then blinks and says, "Oh.. Randall, Akiko.. this is Cadena! He used to be my dog, sort of, but now he's someone else."
"Did he try to go in anyway?" Jason asks.
Cadena waves a hand to Randall. "S'why I'm keeping the helmet on. Helps avoid embarrassing questions."
Randall looks skyward. Well, at the ceiling of the Valkyrie, anyway! "Of course I did! It was crazy, there was this black cathedral looming over everything, weird vanes on all the buildings... And the citizens were just walking around doing business as usual. I saw a few monsters flying around, but it looked pretty intact otherwise."
Akiko peers into Cadena's visor!
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Summers," Cadena says, leaning forward and offering a hand to her to shake.
The young Japanese woman hugs Cadena. ^_^
"Good boy!" Jason praises Randall. "Sounds like the modified data we saw. I think that's Dantech's new 'base', so to speak. Probably designed by my counterpart."
"It's possible," Randall agrees. "But if they destroyed the Q-Core it was running on..." He shakes his head. "Or maybe they substituted a fake Q-Core!"
"We know that Jason Zero sort of stole that data," Tracy points out. "There was also an invasion attempt by the Empire of Stars on Avatars LLC that he was involved with! Not sure how many Dantech people are Empire infiltrators now.."
"Then how would I have gotten any of the data at all? Including the biosignatures that Arcadia wanted?" Jason points out.
"Geh!" Cadena blurts out, surprised by the excessive display of friendliness, perhaps. He awkwardly reaches out and hugs Akiko back, but it's more like one of those awkward "manly-hug hugs" involving a bit of patting on the back.
"You never had trouble being hugged when you were on all fours," Tracy points out to Cadena.
Randall looks confused. "How did..." He shakes his head. "I don't know, honestly! But we figured the answers had to be in this area, all the killings center on this base. We were hoping that by riding around in the moving truck, we could avoid questions, but..." He glances over at the Valkyrie pilot.
Once the hug is over with, Cadena reaches into a jumpsuit pocket, looks at one of the monitors, pulls out a scratch-pad and stylus, and scribbles some notes, looking aloof, perhaps. Or just awkward.
"The Ouroboros came out of the big hangar, but could there be another portal to Test North Bend that it came through?" Tracy wonders out loud.
"Right. We'll just drive around in three tons of dense metal. I'm sure that no sensors could possibly detect that. Nope, there wouldn't be microvibrations in the ground, or an emf signature, or," Jason teases Randall. "You're brave, bud ... but not so good at thinking through the security angles."
Randall grimaces. "Yeah, once we crossed the 'no man's land' signs, it might have been a better idea to get out and fly."
"I've got some scary news for you, Officer Cranston, about what we found here," Cadena says. "You know how virtual critters who come into the Real World start to melt into goo and turn all zombie-like? Well, we found a spot where that happens to creatures from THIS world. It went away ... but for all we know, it could happen again somewhere else."
The Hispanic CERT officer pauses. "... What."
"Yeeeahh," Jason agrees. "And I'm not so worried about that, really. That was likely due to temporal distortion. That was the same world, just time-shifted..."
Randall looks a bit worried. "Time... shifted? How do you figure that?"
"I don't know about you," Cadena says, "but frankly, introducing time travel into this whole mess is just about as scary." He casually tears off the top sheet of his scratch-pad and hands it over to Tracy.
"Except the past was 'more real' than the present," Tracy notes. "Oh, and we learned the dirty secret about Dantech's quantum-core systems - and they want to erase our memories because of it." She looks at what Cadena just handed her.
"Only if things can cross over, which isn't happening so much," Jason points out.
Akiko says, "So what are you guys doing here? Is Jason Zero the one behind all these portals popping up? Dantech? What are they doing?"
"The answer to that is they both are. My clone is head of this project from the scientific bent," Jason answers. "Under the auspices of Dantech."
Randall raises his eyebrows. "Q-Cores have a dirty secret behind them? I'm curious now."
"Cloned brains," Cadena says.
"... Madre de Dios," Randall says. "If that were to get out..."
Tracy blinks at the note Cadena gave her, then hands the paper back after reading it. "We found that out after the invasion of Avatars LLC by the Empire. It was the BLACK, and Jason Zero.. sort of. He's high up in the Empire, apparently, and was the one who gave orders to the agents they sent through. So they have some way of making virtual people real."
Akiko asks, "What is their project?"
"Q-Cores have giant living brains in them." Jason explains simply, "And their secret project is to build a portal system for the military to invade other countries. They're about to test it on the Chinese bloc right now. Or so they claim."
"It all depends one what Jason Zero's plans are, really," Tracy adds.
The Palmdale Weapons Testing Grounds loom ahead. The Ozymandias continues to float at the center of the cleared circle of ground, with a handful of planes parked around it. Behind it is the massive hangar; from this view they can now see the interior of the thing, which appears to be incongruously made up like a stage set of North Bend. Pulsing red power lines connect the Ozymandias to huge machines within the hangar. The red-glowing crystals scattered across its surface look to be nearly fully charged. Einhorn Crowd Protection mechas patrol around the perimeter of the base-- perhaps it's just as well they didn't attempt a frontal assault.
Randall frowns. "A... portal system? They're using the portals to shuttle people into VR, then from there into somewhere else?" He frowns, shaking his head. "I thought something was fishy when my superiors told me not to worry my pretty little head about the implications of portals and VR, and that I had more important work to do!"
Akiko gasps, catching sight of the Ozymandias. "What is that doing out here?!"
"If we're to believe the cryptic warnings," Cadena notes, "Jason Zero wants to become 'a god' or 'the god,' and Dantech wants to shut everything down -- no 'gods,' no 'magic.' Given how much it's been messing with reality, I could sympathize with the latter, except that Dantech has been just a bit too evil for my taste."
"Defying gravity," Tracy says.
Jason leans to look out the window at the ship and its power lines below. "I wonder if I could reverse the flow and suck all the power out of my ship," he mutters. Louder, he adds, "Those rat-bastards stole my ship and claim its their invention, that's what!"
Randall looks over the pilot's shoulders. "What have they done to my ship?!"
"Your ship? I rebuilt it! It's my ship!" Jason argues.
"Now, kids, play nice. There's plenty to share ... unless you blow it up first," Cadena says.
Sergeant Thomas Whaley's voice crackles over the intercom, interrupting the argument. "Be ready to join the ATV crew," he says. "Are you all suited and ready to pass inspection?"
"I won't come close to passing inspection, will I?" Jason asks.
"As ready as we're going to get," Tracy confirms, and puts her helmet back on.
"Yeah, I reckon I'm up to it," Cadena grumbles. His helmet is on, his tail concealed. "My tail feels about dead. I look forward to standing up again."
The logistics officer shrugs. "Merc outfits like ours are known for a bit of... eccentricity from its personnel. Lots of our staff have their own personal touches on their armor. As long as they shoot when the General says fire, and it does damage, he's all right with that. I'm more worried about if the brass comes by."
"I'm as ready as I can possibly be, I suppose. I think I'll keep my weapons-systems charged though, all the same. And RIU? To my shoulder and cloak yourself. I think you can recharge here due to the instability anyway..." Jason says.
The Valkyrie comes around for a landing, parking next to the larger Eagle Security ES-4070 Transport. Once there, the soldier emerges from the front compartment to open the hatch for their passengers. Outside are mostly Irongrip soldiers milling around, setting up a camp.
The mini-dragon beeps obediently! It shimmers out of sight, its tail curled snugly around Jason's neck-armor.
Tracy makes sure her pistol and taser as secured in the sneaksuit's built-in holsters in case she has to activate the camouflage system.. and hops down to the ground.
The General stands nearby, barking orders at his troops. A graying older man with a slight paunch in a uniform jumpsuit, he manages to look intimidating through sheer presence as he points at lieutenants and directs them to camp construction activities on the west side of the testing grounds.
Jason tries to get in the middle of the troops heading for the ES-4070 transport that exist the Valkyrie. He's trying to look as inconspicuous as someone in dull power armor can, at least. As he walks, he monitors the area for hackable comm signals or anything else that might be at least 'interesting' to probe based on its signal structure.
Cadena files out, right behind Tracy. His form is obscured in a bulky field-coat-and-armor security outfit, with his primary conventional weapon consisting of a holstered shotgun, and a bundled-up staff slung over his back with a visible powered attachment of some sort, suggesting a device meant for riot duty or perhaps fending off wild animals. He also carries a visible med-kit.
Tracy keeps close, but also looks across the field towards the Dantech VIP group, to see if there's any activity.
The local comm traffic seems to be standard military grade encryption, from what Jason can pick up, meaning that it would probably take several minutes to break through any particular target's security... And would make him a target for the government defense troops that are guarding the installation.
Jason mutters something about government paranoia.
Andrei is no longer visible on the scene-- most likely he's gone to supervise the experiment, either from the radar and communications building visible to the east, or possibly on the Ozymandias itself.
"I don't see your BFF," Tracy notes to Jason. "Is he the type to lead from behind, or will he be on the ship?"
Akiko follows the others, looking distinctly nervous as she hefts the assault rifle over her back. Somewhere in the air, Inari and Mara are making their way to the Ozymandias where they can hover and keep an eye on things.
"Don't make me stuff you into the head, head first," Jason all but growls to Tracy. "Andrei will be on the ship. He can't stand it if he's not there to wave his tallywhacker in his own private victory dance. my clone is likely on board as well. Probably also behind armor and guards, which is why I just have to blow the ship up..."
Sergeant Thomas Whaley waves them onboard. "Held off inspection as long as I could, but they're going to review you any minute." There are six heavily armed and armored soldiers standing nearby, presumably the strike team that was intended to take point in the invasion of the Shengsheng Jiang Labs.
"If Jason Zero could copy the North Bend simulation, then he could have copies of the ship, himself... everything," Tracy points out, and tries not to look nervous about the inspection.
"You had better be ready for anything if they do manage to power the portals up," Jason remarks quietly to Thomas. To Tracy he adds, "He wouldn't because why copy what is already perfect, eh?"
"Paranoia?" Tracy suggests.
"He wouldn't copy himself. He would be a threat to himself and all that," Jason points out.
"I dunno," Tracy counters. "If that were true, why hasn't he killed you yet?"
"Because as you pointed out, he wants to beat me," Jason notes.
Sergeant Thomas Whaley inspects them. "It'll have to do," he says as footsteps approach the ES-4070 transport, the General purposefully speaking loudly as he recounts the names and past mission records for his personnel.
"Then he'll go after Andrei, I bet," Tracy notes, before going silent for inspection. She probably will have to pull up the visor on her helmet for this, but hopes she won't need to.
Cadena keeps out of the radio banter, focusing on trying to look professional -- not too rigid and nervous, but also not some slacker who doesn't belong here.
"Probably. Maybe I can slip Andrei a suppository grenade and take out both at the same time," Jason muses. "It would be only fitting given what a pain in the butt he is."
An older man in Space Force blues, heavily decorated with holographic medallions and insignia, steps into the transport with the General at his side and a squad of bodyguards. "Ah! And these are the men you've described in such praiseworthy terms," he says. Then adds on spotting Tracy and Akiko, "And women."
Jason takes this as the cue to shut up and be silent. Almost there.
The Secretary of Defense is instantly recognizable from his past appearances on evening news programs where he's issued dire warnings about the nation's readiness to bring order to chaotic and lawless parts of the world, not just abroad but in their own homeland. He inspects the troopers, then stops in front of Cadena. "You! Your name and mission specialty?"
"Corporal Eli Dodge, sir!" Cadena barks, snapping to full attention. "Medical specialist, with cross-training in xenomorphic creature control!"
"Good, good. The godless Chinese might have been working on more than just portal research, from what I gather. They could have whipped up a whole army of slavering monsters!" The veteran sizes up Cadena, then nods approval.
"He's more paranoid than I am," Jason thinks. "I'm ... oddly impressed."
He moves on to the next soldier in line, then another, and confronts Randall. "And you?"
"Sir, yes sir! Private Gray Cranston. Ni hui shuo zhongwen ma-- I'm a linguist." The Hispanic-looking man salutes.
The Secretary of Defense looks suitably impressed. "Good thinking, General." Irongrip nods tightly.
He moves on next to Jason. The gray fox-shaped helmet sets the Secretary of Defense aback. "Impressive suit of armor, mister," he says. "I'm guessing you're the muscles in case we need some heavy lifting done?"
"Specialist in heavy weaponry and demolitions, sir," Jason replies. "If it's in the way ... well, it won't be for long."
The Secretary smiles. "That's the spirit! Let nothing keep us from bringing freedom to the entire world!"
He moves on next to the two pretty women, and looks at Tracy first. "Name and specialty?"
Tracy pulls back her visor and salutes in the same motion. "Specialist Tracer Fuseli, sir," she claims, trying not to squeak. "Infiltration and Strategic Asset Recovery."
The Secretary takes this in. "Well, honey, I'll keep you in mind on the assets recovery end of things," he says with a wink. "If this proves out, there're bound to be a lot more operations like it."
"Thank you, sir," Tracy says.
Akiko for her part stammers as she answers, standing up straight and holding onto the strap of her assault rifle. "P-p-private May Summers, sir! EM monitoring and jamming." The Secretary of Defense inspects her minutely, frowning.
The secretary cracks a smile. "New on the team, huh, darling? Well, relax, you're in good hands here." He claps her on the shoulder, then lets his hand linger a bit, before lifting it away to clap his hands. "All right, get in and let's get this show on the road!"
As Akiko shivers, the General makes as if to escort the Secretary off the VTOL transport. "As you can see, sir, our mercenaries are a colorful bunch--"
"That's all right, General," the Secretary says. "I'll ride on up with these gents... And ladies, of course. And wish them luck in person as they head through the portal. I aim to see this historic moment with my own eyes!"
Tracy closes her visor so that her less-than-thrilled expression is hidden when it becomes clear the Secretary is going to be looking over their shoulder.
Under the General's supervision, the strike team boards the ATV. The ES-4070 transport itself has plenty of room for the escort soldiers, of course. From the pilot's compartment, Sergeant Thomas Whaley announces, "Lifting off in thirty, folks. Strap in tight!"
The Secretary of Defense and his two bodyguards buckle up on the left side of the cargo compartment, with the General and his aide de camp on the right.
"Accidents happen. It would be terrible if the Secretary fell into an exploding outhouse," Jason thinks rather darkly as he straps in for the transport movement. He also wonders just where Inari and Mara are, but he can't look for them. Another annoyance in a day of annoyances!
Sitting down, Tracy removes her helmet, tightens the bun she's got her hair pulled up into, and then pulls up the hood of the sneaksuit so that she just has to pull down the mask to use it.
The strike team looks at their newcomers curiously as they strap in. Once the ATV is shut, the lieutenant speaks to Jason in the fox armor. "Sir, the General said we should take our cues from you. What's the situation?"
Akiko shudders. "I want to take a shower," she whispers to Tracy.
Cadena pats Randall on the shoulder while boarding. "Don't worry. I can weakly sense Miss M," he whispers. "She's doing just fine." He then straps himself into a harness.
"Don't tell Jason," Tracy whispers back. "He'll be distracted by the thought for an hour.."
Randall grins. "Yeah. They're hovering nearby, Mara tells me. They'll be ready when we make our move."
"I know the 'plan' is the portal is to take us to some lab in China. I suspect, however, it will take us someplace entirely different," Jason says as he looks straight ahead. "The head scientist of this project is not to be trusted. For now, we try to determine what their exact plan is; I'm just fairly certain it is not what the Secretary thinks it is."
The lieutenant nods. "Should we go through, or do you want us to assault the portal setup and try to take control?"
"Until I see the setup, I cannot make that call," Jason admits. "Has anyone here been designated as initial reconnaissance? Or .... do they expect us to all go through in one shot?"
"No probe to send through first?" Cadena queries. "You know, to make sure we're on target, on the other side, before we're all committed?"
Thomas Whaley counts down seconds to lift-off... And then thrust momentarily pushes them into their seats as the ES-4070 launches from the ground. The ATV driver's compartment lights up its viewscreen with the exterior view. They're approaching the Ozymandias now. The afternoon sunlight wanes steadily toward the orange of sunset, limning one side of the massive battleship.
Jason eyes the familiar battleship intently, trying to estimate just mow much has been changed from when he worked on it.
Lieutenant Striker shakes his head. "Apparently once the portal is in place, it'll be just like a window to the other side. We'll hit 'em hard and fast. That's why we're in an ATV, maximum protection."
"And to secure the portal point too," Tracy guesses. "It goes both ways. I could sneak back through though with the suit."
"Or we melt and die after we pass through," Jason remarks. "We have to be careful, Lieutenant. I highly doubt we will see a Chinese lab on the other side."
"Mr. Edwards," Cadena notes quietly, "I don't detect that sort of energy reading. I don't quite have the right ... ah ... technobabble to say it right, but I'm pretty sure this isn't like the phenomenon at the farmhouse. And whatever's forming, it's still building."
The ES-4070 swoops over the Ozymandias, giving them a good look at the crystals that have been mounted on the ship, pulsing with an eerie red light. The main guns are still massive armored behemoths that fire some kind of horrific energy, but the smaller guns have all been replaced by modern Phalanx anti-air guns that track the ship with computerized precision. Modern sensor arrays probe the air around it... Inari's invisibility must apply to more than just the visual spectrum or she and Mara would have been noticed by now.
They come around to the back of the ship, where a hangar opening looks onto a long track running through the middle of the ship. Dimly visible are rows of robots where the small ship storage would normally be.
"I wonder how many are on board that ship. Well, besides a ridiculous number of robots," Jason mutters. they might be hackable, but then if his clone helped design them ... well, that won't be easy.
"Just to clarify," Cadena says, leaning over to whisper to Akiko, next to him, "we might have a lot to worry on, but at least not us being turned into goo -- not today. Although ... just curious, but are you picking up that energy build-up, too? It ought to be strong enough."
Akiko murmurs to Cadena, "I... I feel something in the air. It's like electricity. A storm about to break out."
Cadena just nods, then leans back. Any expression of his is hidden under that helmet and visor.
Sergeant Thomas Whaley says, "Coming down the home stretch, gang. Hold onto your hats!" The ES-4070 whooshes down toward the hangar, then turns in place and drops down to the deck. After a few seconds, the cargo door begins to crank downward to form a ramp.
The Lieutenant grimaces. "And here we just spent the last hour going over our attack on the Chinese labs. I don't know about you, sir, but I hate surprises."
"It sounds like we have some time before the portal actually opens," Tracy says to Jason. "Maybe time to check out the setup?"
"I need to figure out where the power lines are," Jason thinks. Tracy gets a snort nod from him, "If there is time and we are allowed to." His attention then returns to the Lieutenant and he asks, "What did the lab look like? Did it look Chinese, exactly? Or something other-wordly, in the battle plans?"
The cargo door clangs as it strikes the deck. One of the strike team takes the wheels. "Looks like we've got an honor guard of robots, sir," he says. "Why couldn't they have sent in robots instead..."
"Robots aren't much good without someone human in command," the Lieutenant points out. "No smarts."
Jason, just because, checks the area for command links to the robots he could hack.
"I reckon it's still increasing," Cadena says, turning his helmet to "look" from Tracy to Jason, "but I didn't exactly get an owner's manual. I can tell you if it's like or unlike something I sampled before ... but I can't tell you what the end-point is. Could be minutes ... could be any second now. If there's something I can do to help, and fast, please give me the word."
"And don't forget that RIU and I can become invisible," Tracy adds. "Assuming we can crack open the door enough to let one of us out."
The Lieutenant assigns two guards to man the side gunports and one for the top. While the driver goes through the checklist, he asks Jason, "Guns blazing or follow the ops plan?"
Tracy looks thoughtful, then suggests, "Jason.. the power for this may be coming from the local grid, but there was those red feed lines coming from the hangar and the mock-up of Test North Bend. Randall's portal leads there - maybe Inari and Mara can go through and try to disrupt the red energy supply to the ship?"
"Hold for now, seem to be following the original plan. I am still trying to figure out what is going on here," Jason says. "I don't want to throw any wrench prematurely. We need to know what the real goal here is."
"As for the base... Standard military base, it looked like," the lieutenant adds. "Modular construction, airlocks between major sections, internal murder holes in case of attack from outside... The book of base design's about to get tossed out if teleport attacks take off."
Cadena nods to Jason. "Might be a chance this really is gonna be a raid on a Chinese base, to get rid of the competition ... and the surprise won't come until just after that part is done and we try to get back home."
"That may be, but frankly my gut says otherwise," Jason says as he continues to look out of the ATV and probe the area. "Come on. Where am I? Engineering? Bridge? One of those," he thinks. He actually tries a new gambit, he tries to probe for his own or a similar signal.
"We think the ZEUS system can be used to prevent portals from opening too," Tracy notes. "So it could be there as a defense, assuming that once we use the portal technology a few times the other powers will catch onto it and reproduce it."
The lieutenant nods. "Start it up," he says to the driver. The ATV roars to life, chugging down the transport. The Secretary and his bodyguard follow at a comfortable walking pace, admiring the Ouroboros. "Remarkable vessel. Truly remarkable. I hadn't believed Dantech capable of such... Enormous construction." The General nods soberly as he accompanies them, but eyes the robots with glowering suspicion.
"They aren't. Andrei is a putz, Jason thinks.
A loudspeaker clicks on. Andrei Romanov's voice. "Of course. You must learn to think with portals, Secretary. With simulation technology, we can imagine any craft, no matter how large or small, then import it into the real world. The only restriction is the energy required to construct the gateway."
"Okay," Cadena says, "now I'm not sure how the tech works ... but portals form from the point of least resistance between two 'bubbles' of reality. Or something like that. But portals don't ... don't go right from point to point in the same world, do they? You'd have to hop from one bubble to the next ... then hop back to your own bubble, only you'd want the bubbles to touch at a new point. So we're probably going to go through somewhere in between first. That could be the weak point, then. Or am I just way off here?"
"If you want me or RIU to sneak off, it'll have to be soon," Tracy notes. "Maybe they figured out how to open a portal without virtual entanglement? They're using an awful lot of power for this, after all. Maybe brute-force is good enough?" she says to Cadena.
"You're correct, Cadena," Jason notes. "And did anyone else catch that? Andrei ... his voice is betraying him a bit, there. I think he plans to somehow completely destroy this world. He betrays a certain distaste for it, at least..."
The hangar has been redone in modern technology... But down the gunmetal hall they can make out what looks like an elaborate virtual reality setup-- not only holograms, but modular wall blocks hinged on robotic arms, painted a peculiar flat gray that suggests optic camouflage. A giant arch dominates the middle of the chamber. A large armored door behind it is set into a wall flush against the back end, with thin observation slits in which Andrei and Jason Zero's faces can be seen, watching them approach.
Randall frowns. "He did say real in an odd way. Like he was being sarcastic about it being real."
"And there they are, the pair. It makes me sick seeing them together," Jason all but growls. He looks around for any sort of access point to that room those two twits are in.
"Well... uh.. from the farmhouse incident, maybe our world isn't as real as we think," Tracy notes.
Akiko looks confused. "But... Wouldn't we have noticed by now?"
RIU looks around as well! The tiny dragon dismisses the armored door-- far too obvious-- and zeroes in on the grates covering the ventilation shafts.
"Lieutenant, could this vehicle ram through that door?" Jason asks as he looks for an inconspicuous way to send RIU out and through an airshaft to get to Andrei and his 'slave'.
Tracy examines the floor for an escape hatch. She knows tanks had them for recovering soldiers.. or maybe that was just in the movies.
Cadena double-checks his gear, taking inventory of the exits, what surroundings he can make out through the monitors, the locations of fellow passengers, etc.
The ATV continues to drive forward. The Secretary of Defense marvels at the construction... But as the details of the VR chamber become evident, a depiction of some old-fashioned arcology with blazing blue skies covering the walls, he frowns. Maybe it's just a test pattern... But so close to their first operational test? The General frowns as well, his eyes going toward the walls and where to duck when the shooting breaks out.
The lieutenant frowns. "Maybe, sir. Depends on what kind of armor we're looking at. If it's reinforced, we'll need a 'Skeleton Key' penetrator missile."
"Looks like they're sending us through some sort of pastoral land," Jason mutters. "We should stop and demand an explanation. Agree?" He looks to the others.
"Jason," Tracy says, sounding a bit hollow. "What if the farmhouse event wasn't a coincidence? What if.. this isn't a portal to a place, but to a time?"
Jason frowns. "What if we're the cause of the collapse?" he suggests. "We're about to invade it, after all. And if we pass through that we're going to break down if it is, indeed, a different time."
The lieutenant nods. "Want me to talk, sir, or do you want to?"
"Is there any way we can get a message to the General, and the Secretary of Defense?" Cadena asks. "Maybe fake some sort of urgent call that the Secretary needs to take while this is going on, so he's not in here with us when everything goes down?"
"If I talk there is a risk I will be recognized. Let me see if I can adjust my voice tone quickly," Jason says as he starts to rapidly fiddle with his suit.
"The towers are still under construction in the simulation," Tracy mutters. "So.. what else happened around that time that's important? The bioterror attacks? I wish I hadn't gotten a C in history class now.."
"Stop the ATV. I'll talk," Jason says in an exact mimic of the Lieutenant's voice.
Akiko shakes her head. "The towers were supposed to have fallen down due to shoddy materials in the construction... But why go to all this trouble just for that? Maybe Mr. Romanov thinks that the world would have been a better place if Mr. Arcadia had succeeded in building a paradise on Earth?"
"This isn't time travel," Cadena says. "It's Mr. Arcadia's model. Margie's granddad's work, only ... modified."
The Lietuenant looks perplexed at Jason, but the other men jump and look at Jason. "That's... Really good, sir!" one says awed.
"I doubt it," Jason says. "Andrei is not altruistic."
The Lieutenant turns the mike over to Jason.
"Modified how, Cadena?" Tracy asks, and gets a sudden chill. "Oh.. maybe.."
Randall whispers to Jason, "Inari and Mara are bringing up the rear. They're still invisible, but they're ready if a fight breaks out."
"Also, portals usually open due to similarity of places if I remember right. I do not see how going throuygh that zone gets us to the chinese lab," Jason points out to the others. He then flicks the mic on and speaks to the outside crew. "The area displayed ahead is not the Chinese lab we have been training for. It appears to be a civilian area. Please explain why we are being sent on an alternate mission as we may not have the proper gear to complete your alternate goal," he says through the mic in the guise of the Lieutenant.
"Break into a hi-tech facility, destroy their systems," Tracy says quietly. "If our world is a simulation, could they be sending us out to the reality that's running the simulation to destroy the system? That'd be destroying this world, wouldn't it?" she asks.
Cadena looks at Tracy. "Land sakes. I will never get a good night's sleep again, Miss Fuseli. My journey to existential horror is complete."
Andrei's voice crackles over the loudspeaker. "There's been a change in plans," he says persuasively. "We have just received intelligence about a group of terrorists that have obtained a simulation of this world. Like affects like. If they aren't stopped, they could make all manners of alterations to our very reality. Even your existence could be erased this very second... And no one would remember you had existed. Proceed! Every second counts."
The Secretary pauses. "Now just wait a cockamammy minute here, I didn't get any briefing on such an attack!"
"It's Avatars.. Midgard," Tracy blurts. "They simulate the planet too, to predict trends.. that's why we're looking into what we think of as the past, because we're their prediction of the future.."
"I don't think you are being completely honest with us," Jason says into the mic. "We have been briefed and trained for one particular mission. If it is changed, then we require a new briefing so we can plan out an appropriate strategy. A change this late in a mission implies deception, which as you are aware renders any contract null and void."
Jason's voice... No, it's Jason Zero. Calm and deadly. "Are you saying you are unable to carry out a simple mission, soldier? Dantech will pay you overtime of course, for the additional work. Standard rates. All we are asking of you is to proceed into the building you see in front of you. Eliminate all armed resistance. Remove all scientists who surrender to an office, and seize all quantum cores and related computers you may encounter. Can you not do this or do we need to find more competent mercenaries?"
General Irongrip glowers, laying a hand to his sidearm. The Secretary looks around, considering the numerous robots which have surrounded them. Even though the robots haven't said anything, haven't even moved, there's a distinct air of intimidation about the way they stand.
"If we go through and do that.. you'd be able to alter our world, Jason," Tracy says. "I'm pretty sure that's what Zero and Andrei are planning."
Randall looks at Tracy worriedly. "This... If you're right, what do we do?"
We are the best because we think through our missions; we don't charge in like mindless morons such as the machines you surround us with ... which is why you hired us, correct? We are more than carrying out any mission assigned, provided that mission was assigned in good faith. Provide us detailed schematics of the target and detailed information on the terrorists in question and we will formulate a new strategy," Jason replies, just as calm. "Simply put, we want a layout of exactly where we are going. Can you provide?" The mic is flipped off and he looks at Tracy. "I may be many things, Tracy. I'm a jerk; I'm thoughtless and at times an idiot. But, I'm not a God, nor do I ever want to be. Nor will I let a younger version of myself get it."
"I don't know," Tracy admits. "This.. it depends on how it really works! Is a simulated reality still real? Does the simulation just give you access to another reality that still has its own existence beyond that? If we could, I'd so go through and then alter the simulation so that it can't happen again. But.. then the people on that side would shut it down because of the threat. Which would have the same effect - the two realities would be cut off from one another. Assuming ours would still exist."
"Pardon me for overstepping here," Cadena says, "but if he's really wanting us to trash things from the other side ... we probably want to be on the other side, and work from there, before he wises up."
Andrei says angrily, "General, if your men can't even follow a simple order--" Jason Zero cuts in icily. "Uploading schematics now. You have five minutes. After that... We'll have to take emergency measures."
General Irongrip says with fury, "Sir, my soldiers are the best-- but we expect our employers to treat with us honestly. Surprise mission changes are not acceptable."
"Confirming transmit of schematics. Thank you. Review in progress," Jason says into the mic ... and checks to see that they are being uploaded. With the mic off, Jason says, "Tracy's right. We have to go through and save that world from this one an somehow save this one too, which may mean disconnecting the simulation core completely, like what happened with part of the Avatar's game back when."
The Secretary of Defense considers the situation. "I'm going to return to the communications center and monitor this," he says, eying the robots worriedly. He and his bodyguards start to walk back the way they came. "Keep me advised of developments, Mr. Romanov."
Cadena says, "If it will help, I will volunteer to go out and walk through to the other side. I can be the probe."
"I don't think they can just send through a bomb or a robot," Tracy continues to speculate. "Quantum barrier.. may require a conscious observer to work? If we go through and decouple the simulation.. we'll probably be stuck there. All this energy may be to ensure we come out stable on the other side."
"You won't be stuck there. If it comes to it and we secure the core, I'll remain behind and trigger the separation once you are all back home," Jason promises.
"I wish we could ask what the invasion of Avatars by the Empire was supposed to accomplish," Tracy adds.
"A prototype for what we're about to do right now?" Cadena offers. "A portal that stabilizes those who go through?"
"Test the theory that it could be done," Jason suggests.
"What do the schematics show? Anyplace we actually know?" Tracy asks.
Andrei argues with the General while they are discussing inside the ATV. The Lieutenant listens with one ear while he looks over the received schematics. They look eerily familiar to Tracy: the insertion point will land them in the Avatars LLC research wing, where they are apparently to proceed toward the old (and much smaller) quantum core lab. If she thinks, she can remember how it looked when her mom took her on a tour...
"I think the 'Lieutenant' needs to give a response," Cadena says. "I urge that we confirm receipt of new schematics, requirements met, and continue with the new mission ... at least until we get through. Then, we draft Plan B -- and quickly -- once we see what we're up against on the other side."
Jason opens his helmet and rubs over his face briefly. "I don't like this; endangerment of all of you," he mutters. Down goes the helmet again and the mic re-activated. "Receipt confirmed; review complete. Mission analysis indicates a simpler operation than the Chinese lab. We can proceed with current armaments. Mission change accepted," he says through the mic. Off it goes again and he adds, "Take us through."
"I know that area," Tracy says, and points out some places. "Uh, twelve cores, in a figure-eight array, sort of. Big hologram of the world. It's not used anymore except for tours, since they switched to the bigger cores in the new building."
The argument breaks off. The General frowns. "Very well. Carry on, Lieutenant." He nods to his aide de camp and they begin to walk back to the ES-4070 transport as well, where the Secretary and his bodyguards are waiting.
Energy crackles along the power lines as the ATV starts up again. Ahead of them, the VR chamber shimmers. Panels move minutely, making their final adjustments. The unfinished Arcadia towers loom in the distance, while before them is what looks very much like an old-style Avatars LLC laboratory building.
"I wonder if I'm over there already," Tracy mutters. "Just a little kid.."
"All right," Cadena says, bracing himself. "If any of you folks has been chewing gum or synth-bacco while we were working out the details, now's the time to spit it out. There's a slight chance of black-out during the transition, if this works at all like I expect."
Other panels slide into place, sealing off the view of the observation chamber. They are one-way hologlass: they depict a scene on one side, but can be seen through (dimly) from the other side. From this angle, the illusion is perfect. They may as well be driving right into North Bend. The Lieutenant and his men nod appreciatively at Cadena's advice. "Buckle up, this could be a rough ride," he orders.
"I'm not going to lie to all of you. We may not be coming back," Jason says to those in the ATV. "Whatever we do, we have to be careful to not affect that world in a significant way, or our own. "We cannot be caught, so, ah, save a bullet for yourself. We're from a world with advanced technology in comparison, we cannot let it destroy that world."
RIU chirps and flutters its wings invisibly on Jason's shoulder!
"I guess this ATV is Ratatosk now, taking us higher up the world-tree," Tracy says as she checks her seat straps.
Jason Zero adds, "One more thing. We'll deploy robots to receive transmissions from you. Please keep us advised of your progress. Remember, you're all that stands between us and wholesale alteration of our world."
The flutter of RIU on his shoulder causes him to laugh. "When did I become a hero?" he asks himself. "When did I start to care?"
"I'll take credit for that," Tracy tells Jason.
"Don't worry, sir," Jason says into the mic to Jason Zero in the masked voice. "You will get everything that's coming to you."
The ATV comes to a halt in front of the portal, which has been nano-camouflaged to appear to be a big loading door.
A deep bass thrumming slowly revs up, increasing in pitch. Waves of... Intangibility? Unrealness? Vertigo passes through the ATV's occupants. Randall groans. "Is it too late to get off this ride?" he quips to the others.
"It wasn't this bad walking through the mist back at the incursion.." Tracy says. "And I won't have my horse.."
"Is Mara going to follow us, Randall?" Jason asks his friend as he braces himself against the restraints. He looks upward for lack of anything else to look at and takes a deep breath. "I guess if we all die, does it really matter?" he wonders. "Would anyone even care?"
With a lightning-crack, faerie fire crawling over the hangar that is still visible behind them... Something changes. The Avatars lab loading door feels more perceptibly real. They can see the paint strokes on the heavy metal slats. Ambient noises carry to them from the microphones deployed around the ATV. Jason Zero comments, "Pathetic security protocols... They must have been designed at least thirty years ago. Overriding their locks in three, two, one." A clang, and then the door rolls upward to reveal the warehouse interior.
Randall nods. "Inari and Mara are right behind us."
Inside the warehouse, there are a few uniformed Avatars LLC technicians at work, unpacking cargo crates and carrying replacement memory and parts to the labs inside. It's only a matter of moments before they look up to notice the ATV that's about to intrude on their space...
Jason resists a retort to his clone. It's amazing how someone just like you can really get under your skin in a hurry. Disconnecting the mic again for the moment to address the ATV, Jason gives an actual order. "We do not kill anyone here, do you understand? Non-lethal force only. Cadena, if anyone is injured, I expect you to tend to them immediately," He snaps and rolls his wrist, deploying his electrical weapons. "We have two worlds to save."
"Welcome to the 2040s," Tracy mutters. "My parents haven't even met yet in this world. They haven't even launched the game yet. And we aren't even driving in a Delorean.."
The single robot that is present in the warehouse looks to be an old model greeter droid... A prototype, really, given that part of its armored chassis has been removed to expose the underlying wires, and there are tags on the various parts. It is turned off.
"Understood, sir," the Lieutenant says. His men nod agreement. "They don't look like terrorists to me. What kind of cockamammy wargame have we wound up in?"
"Right, right," Cadena says, as he checks his gear, and unbuckles the harness. "We need to roll out. Warn off the locals, get unarmed personnel AWAY from the armed robots that are going to follow us through. Caddy doesn't exist yet, so he's got no pull here. Miss Fuseli, I sure hope your mother is present in this time-line. She might be our only hope to get the cooperation we need."
Randall nods grimly. "I'm with you on that. Whatever it is your old 'friends' want here, Jason, we've got to keep them from getting it."
"And remove their ability to ever make a play for it ever again," Jason adds. "Well, this is it. Time to play invader and hero. Lets go."