Food for Thought

[Brian]

"Yesterday I thought you worked for the Forge," she says quietly.  "When we found their agents quartering in on your location, we got the idea that you weren't with them.

"As far as why you, it seems that you have friends in high places, so to speak.  I guess you're not aware of him ... but there was someone else in that storm with you.  I don't know who he is, he hid himself too well for me to know more than that he WAS there.

"Also, there is the fact that while Ashnod is pyrokinetic ... you were able to shield yourself from that blast.  The Forge would love to get their hands on someone who could work as a suicide bomber more than once."

[Bjorn]

"The Forge?  As in, 'Blow-Up Australia' Forge?  What interest do they have in metahumans, or is it just the obvious human weapon angle?"

[Brian]

"That's most of it," she agrees.  "They also need them to oppose the Home Guard, though.  That's the biggest key."

[Bjorn]

"Opposing the Home Guard?  What does..."  Bjorn visibly checks himself.  "Okay.  We're going about this the wrong way.  Before I ask any more questions, why don't you tell me everything you think I need or really want to know?"

[Brian]

She raises an eyebrow at that, then nods.  "The Home Guard and the Forge are like us.  They're ... secret organizations.  At least, they were.  Both the Forge and the Home Guard were originally part of the U.S. government at one point, I believe, but we can't prove that.

"The Forge's designated task was to reforge the then-broken world of post World-War II, and the Home Guard was set to establish defense against any retaliation that the Forge might provoke.  Offense and defense, I suppose.  All of that is speculation, of course, as we don't really associate with them.

"But it seems reasonable to us given what we do know.  Now, the Home Guard of today has goals that escape me, in all honesty.  My superiors think that they're trying to unify the world peacefully, given their zeal to solving things with minimal loss of life.  Except for the Forge, which you'll notice they slaughtered on the Abul Kalam Aazad.  Oh, that was the nuke smuggled in via cargo vessel.

"The Forge, on the other hand, seems to just be out for random destruction, and damn the loss of life that comes of it.  The ends justify the means, and they're trying to unify people forcibly.

"Personally, I think they're both groups of fanatics that have lost their grip on reality.

"However, there are some meta-humans in each group.  Only one we have a positive fix on, and he's sane, as far as we can tell.  In the Home Guard.  He ... eats radiation, in some sense.  We're not sure of the specifics, but he's the one who neutralized the nukes in Washington and south of L.A.

"We think the Forge has at least one, but ... to know more, we'd have to work with them, and world domination isn't our goal.  We just want to get everyone who's different to be able to work together, until eventually we understand what meta-humans are well enough to reveal them to society without fearful backlash.

"I know, a lot of people these days would be accepting of some degree of this ... probably not Ashnod, but there are meta-humans with more constructive abilities, too.  I know a little girl who can mold glass like clay, and someone who can accelerate the healing process while rejuvenating the tissue it's being accelerated in.

"The world could benefit from this, but ... a lot of people wouldn't be willing to accept it.  From the stereotypical witch-burning Christians of yore, to the scientists who insist that it's simply not possible.  We just have to work until people are more accepting.

"I guess that's our goal."  She frowns suddenly, and stares at her nails (manicured; pink).  "I sound like I'm recruiting.  Sorry.  That's pretty much the long and short of it, though.  There are other groups out there, but most keep to themselves.  It's not like everyone has mutually exclusive goals."

[Bjorn]

Bjorn nods, slowly.  "Okay.  And if I get this right, the Forge was trying to capture Ashnod, and stumbled across me the same way you did.  Now they're trying to 'recruit' me?"

"And, on that subject, why didn't you just deal with me at the same time as you grabbed Ashnod?  Not that I don't appreciate it, mind you...."

[Brian]

"I thought you were already working with someone," she says with a shrug.  "You weren't alone, remember."

"And I think they're after you ... someone is, anyway.  I ... kind of felt I needed to apologize for yesterday, and you are pretty much innocent in all of this, so....  So that's why I'm talking to you.

"Oh, man.  Um, my name is Jessica Taylor.  I, uh, knew I forgot something.  Your name is...?"

[Bjorn]

"Right.  Sorry.  My name is Bjorn Christianson."  Laughing wryly, he adds, "Sorry, but I was beginning to assume that everyone already knew my name, my shoe size, and all other essentials."

As he says that, though, he's evaluating Jessica -- her body language, how she's acted, how she's looked at him, how she said the things that she's said -- trying to judge whether he trusts her, and how much.

[Brian]

She seems trustworthy to you.  Right now she seems more embarassed than anything else, staring at her hands guiltily over not remembering to give her name so far.

"No, I ... we knew where you lived, but all I really knew was where you worked.  You told me that in the supermarket."  She finally looks up, as the waiter approaches, deciding that you've spent enough time in the resturaunt.  She pays him wordlessly, leaving a reasonable check, then rises.  "So...  I can't guarantee your safety, really, no matter what you do.  But now you know enough to decide if you want to just stay where you are, or ... well ... you can always come with us."

[Bjorn]

"Does the name 'Pax Arcana' mean anything to you?"

[Brian]

She blinks, and considers it for a while, then shakes her head.  "The world's a big place, and there's a lot of people in it.  I've never heard of them, though."

[Bjorn]

"Well.  Apparently, they're looking for me too.  I seem to be popular for all the wrong reasons."

Bjorn rises and looks Jessica in the eyes.  "I know that I'm involved in all this by accident, but... if you don't mind, I'd like to go with the Workshop for now.  Apparently, I have a lot of questions to answer."

[Brian]

She looks at you and smile slowly.  "I'm glad you're with us," she says, offering a hand for a handshake.

[Bjorn]

"I'm glad somebody's with me," Bjorn replies wryly, returning the handshake.

"So where from here?"

[Brian]

Jessica's pager beeps, and she checks it.  "San Fransic ... oh.  Oh, no.  I'm glad we got your stuff before we left your place.  It looks like there's something going on.  I'm going to call in some backup to check it out, but first things first, and that's getting you to safety.  The skies are getting worse with this weather, so we should probably take a ferry across the lake.  With the new storm-front rolling in behind us, any pursuit should get stuck."  She looks up from her pager to meet your eyes.  "You sure you're ready for this?"