Soulriders 5.0: Legend of the Unending Games

It is now Friday, January 5th, at around 10:00 AM, EST.

You (Dracos, Ginrai, Rezantis) are comfortably ensconed in the warm haven that is the House of Dracos.  There's two six-packs of root beer in the fridge, along with some cold pizza.

Bjorn, you share a time zone, but are currently located in your own comfortable, regally furnished (if one counts unopened cardboard boxes) home.  You have a distinct lack of quality leftovers.

Shade, it's 12:00 AM in the Ryu-Kyu islands.  You've had about 13 hours to move, and No Tea.

Dracos gets up, and heads over to glance outside.  "Yay, snow."

He heads over and knocks on the door for the room he told Gin he could crash the night before.  "Wake up, got work."

Dracos

Ginrai slowly pulls himself out of bed, having not had much sleep the previous night.

"Umm... are you sure that's a good idea?" he asks drowsily, recalling the events at his home the previous night.

"Work for you.  Now come on, we got to shovel out the cars."

Dracos hands Ginrai a handy dandy snow shovel, takes one for himself and gets his heavy coat on for heading out.

After he does this he leads the way outside to begin the whole shoveling out of the driveway thing.

Dracos

Your plans have failed.

It has all been for naught.

Your neighbor, perhaps to thank you for the ice-scraper, and perhaps just to break in the snow-blower he got from the wife for Christmas, has already taken care of the driveway.  He's humming to himself as he finishes re-coiling the cable of his snow-blower, and about to trundle it into the garage.

"Well, back to bed."

Before Dracos could say anything, Ginrai heads back to the room he was in for a few more hours of sleep.

"Eh... oh well."  Dracos heads in, putting the heavy coat and shovels away.

Dracos fixes himself some breakfest, warming his hands up over his computer as he checked his email, irc, aim, forums.

In that randomseque order >_>.

Dracos

The fest of breaking occurs.  Rez may or may not be stirring.  You vaguely recall a spindle of CDs (AMVs) that you were sent by Brian some years ago being in that room, so it's a difficult call to make.

When you log into #void, all is as normal.  Bjorn is on (though idle).  In #sr, Odin PMs you to inform you that there is a new user (Cabbit_Fire!dionesses@samiam.org) had joined, and subsequently been banned.  Apparently, this user logged in, /WHOISed everyone in the channel, (and according to both Onigiri and Odin) then proceeded to actually run a port-scan on the users of each user in the channel.

When questioned, Cabbit_Fire replied to nothing.  Said nothing.  Merely /WHOISed and portscanned.

This user is currently also sitting in #fanfic (ignoring everyone there) and in #void.

Dracos nods and smilingly wishes CabbitFire a good day with the ban button from #void.

Idly, Dracos checks to see if the Ayame box is still open at all.

Dracos

The Ayame box returns no pings, nor requests for entry.  Either it's got a firewall that drops all incoming connections that it doesn't initiate activity on, or it's down.

However.  You get a PM from Cabbit_Fire....

<Cabbit_Fire> Your MAC address is being tracked.  Be very careful.  Please take care of 'Rez' for me.

PM(CabbitFire)><Dracos>Right, fun in australia?  modem mac or hardware?

Dracos ponders, standing up and going into...one of the boxes.  Being the mad pickpocketyfellow he is, he slips out one of his old cable modems he swiped from adelphia ages back.

"It's amazing what they'll forget after a test trial."

Dracos

#void

<Bjorn> Ah.  Nothing like food for hunger, that's what I say, I do.
<Bjorn> And if you say otherwise, I'll gut you and thread your tonsils backwards through your digestive system.
-> *Dracos* Who was Cabbit_Fire and why did you ban him/her/it?

#void

Dracos>Food is for the hungry!
-> *Bjorn* Someone doing a whois/portscan run of the network...albeit... it might just be that weird computer program rez picked up.  One sec, it's PM'ing me.

Dracos

#void

<Bjorn> No, food is for the thirsty.  Air is for the hungry.
<Bjorn> Or, wait.
<Bjorn> Hmmm.
<Bjorn> You may be on to something.
-> *Dracos* Wait, you weren't kidding about picking up an AI?

As Cabbit_Fire
-> *Dracos* I do not know.  I am no longer in Australia.  Currently, it is your NIC MAC addresses.  These should not be broadcasted across a LAN under normal circumstances, but their methods are advanced.
-> *Dracos* They have your IP and know your location.  I do not believe that they have access to your ISP or the ability to monitor your packet-stream yet.
-> *Dracos* I would suggest not acting anything other than normal for the moment.  If they do not know that you are aware of their monitoring, it may be possible to find out where they are connecting from.
-> *Dracos* I have to disconnect, as I do not wish to comprimise my current host.  I can be contacted at ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com.

At this point, Cabbit_Fire is no longer on the server.  (Your #sr spies who work in #fanfic cheer that the script kiddie has peered.)

#Void

<Dracos> Of course I am.
<Dracos> Additionally, Killing is for the stupid.
->*Bjorn* Well, nope, wasn't kidding.  Either that or Rez is pulling an extremely elaborate and expensive prank on me.

Dracos

#void

<Bjorn> ...
<Bjorn> You realize, of course, that this is fucked up and possibly very dangerous shit.
<Dracos> Yes, I do.  But being a pragmatic sort, I generally try not to worry about such minor things as Rez idly dl'ing something beyond the boundaries of current computer knowledge.
<Bjorn> All of a sudden, Rez' sudden trip to the US is taking on new significance to me.
<Dracos> Heh.
<Bjorn> Keee-raist.  If you guys have decided to suddenly become vagabond cracker fugitives, please don't tell me.
<Dracos> That's right, we're selling illegal crackers.  No, really, I have no clue what's going on.
<Bjorn> So why did your AI log on to #void?  Was it looking for AMVs or something?
<Dracos> Hunting for me.
<Dracos> or rather me or rez.
<Dracos> Apparently I am being tracked.
<Dracos> Ai told me to keep normal and not let on...but I'm tempted to suddenly vaporize this Ip and cable modem mac id and reappear with a very different one.
<Bjorn> Well, if they already know your current IP, they know where you are in realspace.
<Bjorn> Changing your IP isn't going to make much difference, unless you happen to be discussing state secrets in another channel.
<Dracos> BOB HOPE IS NOT DEAD!  CLINTON RISES AGAIN!
<Dracos> No, not really.
* Bjorn shrugs.
<Bjorn> See
<Bjorn> If you're being really paranoid, you should stop using the internet entirely and move to Alburqurque.
<Bjorn> Man, paranaoia seems to be catching.  First Shade and Ginrai, now you and Rez.
<Bjorn> And I'm starting to feel it a bit myself, actually. >.<
<Dracos> Well, you see, paranoia is inefficient.
<Dracos> Ergo, if it happens it happens.  I just have the tendancy to destroy tracks when I hear that I'm apparently being sniffed.
<Dracos> Anyhow, what do you mean, feel it yourself?
<Bjorn> Well... yesterday, I saw what I think was the capture of an escaped mental patient.  Today, I'm pretty sure I was being followed by one of the agents that assisted in the capture.
<Bjorn> It sounds more than a little stupid when I say it out loud.
<Bjorn> Or type it.
<Bjorn> Whatever.
<Dracos> Damn, you mean they missed? ^_~
<Dracos> Anyhow, *nods*  odd.  Any reason they'd follow you?
<Bjorn> Not that I know of.
<Bjorn> At least, if I'm an escaped mental patient, I've repressed those memories pretty thoroughly.
<Dracos> Just remember, you had nothing to do with the fire.
<Bjorn> Oh, good.
<Bjorn> I've been worried about that.
<Dracos> I know.  I always know.
<Bjorn> Apparently, so do They.

Dracos grumbles and checks if the others are up from their sleeping beauty imitations and if any of them want to join him for lunch.

Dracos

Rez, having done his usual mid-morning ritual of spending an hour trying to convince himself that getting up would be a good idea, actually managed to sit up and answer -coherently- when Drac stuck his head in.

"Lunch sounds good, yep.  As long as it doesn't involve snow-shovelling."

"It involves death."

"Gin, if ya want lunch, answer now, else we getting moving and getting some food!"

Dracos

"Wait, wait.  Death, fine, but MOVING?  At this time of morning?"

"Well, it's either that or force me to make you something and while I inhereited the family cooking talents, I sort of don't have a ton of cooking ingredients handy.  Better to use knowledge of cheap foodstuffs for now.  Now get."

Dracos

Ginrai checks the time.  "Twelve already... reminds me of college.  Well that and most weekends," he mumbles, weighing the pros and cons on either getting something to eat or sleeping for another few hours.

"Bah!  Wait up, I'll be there!"  Ginrai forces himself up, still feeling drowsy, before going to the bathroom for a quick wash to help him stay awake.

Dracos waits and when Gin is ready hustles the squad into his car, "Okay, the choices are pizza, chinese, or that turkish place.  Pizza I take it?"

Dracos

"Meh, I'm easy.  As long as it's edible, I don't mind.  Oh, and SHOTGUN!"

Rez promptly grabbed the front passenger seat, nyah-nyah-nyah.

"Damn!  Oh, well....  Chinese, since I want something spicy today."

"Bah, spicy, spicy.  Whatever, all you can each chinese buffet, six bucks a person.  Here we come."

Dracos flips on the mp3 setting on old game music, and gets driving off to the all you can eat chinese place.

Dracos

"SOY!  SOY!  SOY!  Soy makes you strong!  Strong CRUSHES ENEMIES!  SOY!"

Dracos switches to the contra theme at a stop light, "Rez, never sing again!"

Dracos

"Awwww."

Deflated, Rez sat back in his seat.

"Hey, Ginrai, what're you doing crashing at Drac's place, anyway?"

"Funny you should ask.  Last night I got a warning on IRC from Shade that someone's after me and that I shouldn't break a circle or it would mean a wolf being released as well as doom.  Well, soon after reading that, someone tried to break into my house.  I was already out in my backyard, which strangely enough had a circle, by that point and trying to find a way to get to Boston.  Thing is, I got the feeling that there was no way to escape from whatever was chasing me unless I jumped into the circle, which seemed to be the only safe spot.

Now, here's where things got really weird.  As I started to jump, all the lights went out.  The next thing I know, I was within the circle and right next to a huge, transparent wolf!  Within the span of a few seconds, it leaps into the house, takes care of whatever danger was in it and then disappears.  After that everything seemed to be more or less normal and I left for Boston."

After a moment of silence, Ginrai adds, "But not to worry, for I didn't break the circle!"

Dracos takes a moment to snicker at the weirdness of it all, "Gin, you need a beer.  Maybe a couple.  Then you can tell us how we are all going to die from your screwup and where you learned ESP."

Dracos pulled into the restarant parking lot and parked, shutting off the car and getting out.

Dracos

Rez blinked.

Then blinked again.

"I didn't understand any of that, except that there was some weird wolf in your backyard.  Remind me to bug you for an explanation later.  Geez, and I thought I'd had a weird few days."

Curious, Ginrai asks, "Oh?  And what's happened to you lately, Rez?"

"Downloaded an AI, who promptly got itself caught hacking something, then my bank accounts got cancelled and I almost got arrested at the airport 'cause there was something wrong with my passport.  Basically."

"So that's why you decided to come over here....  Looks like there are a few things we probably should explain later on after we get back from lunch."

Ginrai looks towards Dracos.  "And anything strange happen to you lately or have you heard anything from Bjorn?"

"I'd say you both are impressive in your incompetence, but I haven't had lunch yet, now let's skittle on in.  Oh, by the way, your Ayame sent me some messages this mornin', Rez."

Dracos leads the way into the buffet style restaurant.  Paying the fee for himself, he lead the way towards the buffet bar.

Dracos

Ginrai pays for himself and follows Dracos to the buffet bar.

Dracos gets himself two plates worth of honey chicken and a couple of ribs and goes and sits down.  Then, in his standard habit, he gets up and gets a cup of water before sitting down again and beginning ta eat!

Dracos

Rez is left going through his pockets for his wallet, which he -does- eventually find (how one loses a wallet in only three pockets is not a question you want the answer to), and eventually pays for the buffet and goes to get some food.

Sitting down opposite Dracos, he points a fork at him, mock threateningly.

"You got a message from Ayame?  Details.  Now."

"Apparently someone is tracking my mac nic address.  I'm tempted to just swap out modems and send my current one to a random neighbor or something, despite her suggestion to just leave it normal.  Oh, and she dropped an email which I'll show you when we get back as I bloody hate remembering random email accounts."

Dracos

"Figures.  Nice to have some contact details, though," Rez nodded.

"That reminds me, got any way to get access to (A) a really fast computer, or (B) a -lot- of computers?"

"Yes, yes, and yes.  I'm a game designer/programmer.  What do you think I do with my spare cash?"

Dracos

"Good.  I've got some brute forcing that needs to be done, and it could take weeks with only my laptop."

"Ah, that you can use the home network for.  Might be able to swipe a few company cycles but you know how that goes."

Dracos

"Any cycals is GOOD CYCALS."

Rez continues eating.

Dracos, true to form, finished the large lunch and sat back finishing his drink as well.  Hustling them out to the car, he got it moving, heading back to his place of residence.  "And any idea how long you planning to stay here Gin?" he tossed over his shoulder as they got along home.

Dracos
*glances about* get with the posting so i don't have ta get with the moving -_-

"Ah, well....  To be honest, I don't know."  Ginrai thinks about for a moment.  "I guess after I'm sure there won't be any more problems."

He then asks Rez, "So, about what you guys were discussing back there.  What do you need all those computers for?"

"What we do every night, pinky.  Try to take over the world," Dracos tosses back over his shoulder, turning into his driveway and turning off the car.  "Come on, let's get you two better situated."

Dracos leads the way upstairs, opening the door to his apartment.  He then proceeds to spend a bit of time getting these two goons setup in his place involving such things as comfortable sleeping areas and the like.

Dracos

This done, Rez picked up his laptop and waved it at Drac.

"So, now, where are the CPU CYCALS OF DOOM?"

"Yar.  Follow me bitch"

Dracos leads Rez to his 'pile of things', where things are a bunch of old computers strung together with network cables.  "This help?  If it's still crazy I'll see about getting some cyclage from the overnight servers."

Dracos

"This'll help, but any cycles you can give me."

Rez hooked his laptop into the network and started working on division of labor for the little brute-forcer he'd rigged up on the plane.

"Yeah yeah, but I play safe, ya?  Hmm..."

Dracos sits down nearby, checking his email, site, whatnot on his ever handy laptop of doom(c).  "...hmm..."

"Shade has gone insane.  Anyhow, what you need all this firepower for anyway again?"

Dracos

"Well, Shade's insanity is nothing new, but what prompted you to tell me?"

Rez hummed.

"Ayame burnt some encrypted stuff to a CD for me before I, ah, left.  I have no idea what it is, and she didn't tell me, so I'm stuck trying to break it in the hope that it's a clue."

"hum?  More just thinkin' aloud.  Bad habit, cha?  Where'd she get it from?"

Dracos

"I think from the server she accessed, which could make it very interesting . . . but why IS Shade insane today?"[/quote]

"Check your email."  Dracos quick forwards rez the relevent email.

Dracos

"Er . . . no, thanks, I'm alright for now."

"Anyhow, tried the bible?  I know if I was a roman fuckhead I would either be doing my server passwords in bible quotes or caeser quotes, whatever was more funny that week."

Dracos

". . . you know, that's probably a really good idea."

Rez started tapping away on one of the older computers again, digging around for an online copy of the bible he could leech for use as a dictionary.

"Yeah, I'm not really inclined to go for my email right now, being what they did with my bank accounts and passport, and given that Ayame said they're paying attention to your connection . . . maybe later, or if I get the chance to set up something I think they can't follow.

"You know, there is such a thing as reading over my shoulder, ya fucknut."

Dracos shows the email via ...having it up on his own screen!

Dracos

"Well, you could have offered before, rather than just forwarding it to me when I'm standing right NEXT TO YOU..  Nyah."

Rez read!

And blinked.

"I agree.  What the fuck was that about, and why the hell did he copy it to you?"

"But that would not have been geekish.  You know the system.  The closer two geeks are, the more complicated the communication method we are supposed to use.  I mean, I should've encrypted it and sent it via certified pentagon mail."

Dracos shrugged.

"And prolly the same crack that Gin is smokin'.  Knowing shade he's simply descended into paranoid madness.  Probably cracked and started thinking life was a role playing game or something."

Dracos

"As opposed to running halfway around the world because an AI told me to, after it got caught hacking into the Vatican's secret database?"

Rez grinned.

Computer Programming check:
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> 6
Crytography check:
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> 9

Rez: Fortunately, you had the foresight when coding on the plane to make your little brute-force entrypter work with multiple copies of itself across a LAN, so you've quickly managed to create a small multi-processor cluster out of Dracos's cludged together 'guest' computers.  One of them has its library shifted over specifically to Biblical and Roman quotes -- all told, the program reports that it should finish trying all possibilities within about two weeks.

Deduction check:
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... :3d6 --> 12
Dracos: It occurs to you that if Rez is worried, Ayame appeared to consider hotmail safe enough.

Ginrai: Though quickly settled in, the TV (and attached PS3) are unclaimed, and you see a shiny new copy of Disgaea 2 sitting out.

"Dammit.  Hey, Drac, can I nick more cycals from somewhere?"

Before settling in to play Disgaea 2, Ginrai decides to check up on his e-mail.

"AH, SHIT!" he screams after reading Shade's e-mail.

Ginrai decides to send a copy of the e-mail he sent to Shade to Bjorn as well as Dracos and Rez since he already started to talk with them about what happened.

"Well I can see about if some of the side servers are free, but if they get busy you better be logging off.  Oh yeah, ayame's email is ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com.  Cha?"  Dracos logs into work over his modem, checking to see how the servers are being used and whether he thinks he can get away with snatching a bit off the top.

Dracos

You can connect to the servers at work, and, of course, everyone else is gone for the holiday.  It would be inefficient to run the program from there, however, unless you also put a copy of the encrypted file (about 580 MB) on those systems.  No one would mind, since no one else is using the computers for anything at the moment, but you would have to be quite careful about covering your tracks, unless you wanted to let people know what you've been up to.

And, of course, the IT guys keep an eye out for CD-sized data-transfers for obvious reasons.

"Somehow I don't think it's going to be efficient at all to try and use the company network.  I can't setup them to be accessed by the network longterm and I doubt I can swipe enough cycles without leaving a noticable trail in the usage logs that'll have annoying questions asked.  Sorry man."

Dracos

Ginrai shouts from his room, "Drac, Rez!  New e-mail!"

Afterwards he starts up the PS3 and plays Disgaea 2.

"Roight...Gin, why didn't you just aim us like proper people would?  Seriously?"

Dracos sighs.

Dracos

"Because we're in the same damn house, Drac.  AIM is not required unless we're having more than one conversation at a time - like, say, an argument about what kind of pizza to get and another simultaneous argument about who's going to get it."

Rez hums, then snaps his fingers.

"Drac, can I use your computer for a sec?  If they're tracking you by MAC addressses (and the Gods alone know how that'd be possible) then I'd rather not surf out via my laptop."

"Sure."

Dracos allows Rez the usage of: The Portable God mk V.

Dracos

"Exxxxxcellent.  Contact details for Ayame?"

"ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com is the email Ayame setup."

Dracos

"Muchly appreciated.  How on earth did you pronounce that, by the way?"

"I have magic pronounciation skills," Repeats in a mimic of Rez' accent.

Dracos

A lousy one, apparently.

"Lousy ones, apparently."

Rez calls it as he sees it!

"Oh fark ye and many times again may the african swallows drop coconuts upon your head!"

Dracos

"And where the hell are you going to find African swallows around here, being that they're non-migratory?"

"Right next to the fangy bunny rabites!"

Dracos

"Riiiight."  

Rez kept typing, at speed.

Dracos laughed and shrugged, "Want anything ta drink while you're workin'?"

Dracos

"Nah."

Rez finishes typing and closes the hotmail window he had open.

"All yours again.  Thanks!"

Dracos nods, and in a lazy fashion checks the dev info from work to see if there's anything interesting he can fiddle with.

Dracos

No one from work has posted anything, except that the "BLEARG!  To hung-over" comment has been replaced with, "Take a vacation, Bloom."

"bah, where's the fun in that?"

Heads into the other room and checks on Ginrai.

Dracos

Ginrai is still playing Disgaea 2, so into the game that he doesn't pause to see who just entered the room.

Being ever the opportunist, Dracos flips out one of his rare handheld systems and starts playing...  Metroid 1.

Dracos

And Rez promptly nicks a browser window again to see if he gots a reply.

Finding one, Rez spends a few minutes typing as he (A) replies to his reply, and (B) subscribes himself to a mailing list.

Hmm.

As unlikely as it seems this early into the brute-force, you've gotten a notification from your program that it's completed.  Completed, you'd expect, finding the encrypted key's location.

However, it has, in fact, found the key itself:

"My name is Ozymandius, king of kings, look upon my works, you mighty and despair!"

Rez stops, bursts out laughing, and goes to skim through the CD.

After decryption, you are left with some interesting data.  You can read it raw, but it looks like it's using some compression your unfamiliar with.  While you can find bits of plain text floating within the files, the majority of the system is a mystery to you.  It seems like what you thought was dummied data was actually some kind of mini-database (each chunk), though you don't know what reads them, or what they contain.

Rez does a quick search of the Raw, on the tokens 'Pax Arcana' and 'Seventh Cabal', to see if they're mentioned in the plaintext anywhere.

You do, actually.  'Cabal' 'seventh' 'Pax' and 'Arcana' all show up, though you do not find any whole-word consecutive matches of either on a casual perusal.  There are hundreds of megs of file to sort through, however....

Rez gets on to downloading and installing the view file that Ayame linked him to (onto his laptop) . . . and once this was done, tried browsing the contents of the CD again - this time with the correct (hopefully) tool!

The interface is about as pretty to look at as raw Crystal Foundations Reports pages, and about as user-friendly as Clarify, but it seems to be letting you browse a database.  As soon as you attempt to open any entry, it generates the following error message:

Damaged archive.  To restore, run 'cypher'.

It then links you to a copy of the file nested in the database itself.

Rez makes a copy, then deletes that file, and tries running the program again.

The original remains where you moved it.  However, a new copy (matching filesize) appears when you attempt to run the application again.

"Gah."

Rez digs around for an error log?

<Rez> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... :3d6 --> 10

You manage to find the error log without any trouble.  The program isn't so great, because it doesn't save the error log anywhere except for in resident memory while the interface utility is running.

Once opened, you see a reference to a missing database file, and then a complex string that seems to indicate some form of linear algebra.

Rez grabbed his laptop and set to uploading certain promised files . . . and after a few more minutes of tinkering, went off to see where Drac and Ginrai were.

Thankfully, the upload only takes about twenty minutes with the connection at Dracos's.

Dracos, sensing Rez, waves from the couch, already quite a ways in to beating Metroid one...again.  "Hey man, left it hummin'?"

Dracos

"Uh-huh."

Rez slumped down onto the couch.

"Well, I still have no idea what's going on.  Bleah."

Dracos shrugged, "Ain't dat the the fun in life?"

Dracos

"Well, got through the encryption, foudn a database with some missing files, so Ayame is going to se if she can get the complete set."

Rez snickered.

"You'll like the password.  'My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings!  Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair.'"

"The English poem?  I love it," Dracos laughed.  "Eh, databasing is no fun.  Anything cool that you saw inside?"

Dracos

"Couldn't rightly GET inside.  Dammit."

"Eh, oh well.  So, any ideas about the SUPASPY that dropped off shit in my forums for no apparent reason?"

Dracos

"No, not really," Rez sighed, "Apparently there are two factions currently fighting for control of the vatican, according to Ayame, the Seventh Cabal and the Pax Arcana.  No idea who he was or anything, only that he told us to contact Pax Arcana . . ."

"My natural answer is that we should nuke the vatican off the map... But we sort of lack the necessary arsenal to do that.  Anyhow... any group that large has to have something of a trail.  Shall we make some...moderate inquiries on the net?"

Dracos

"Tempting.  But I'm sorta leery about plugging the terms straight into Google . . ."  Rez shrugged.

"Well, I guess it's worth a try.  Later."

"Use a library AOL account somewhere?"

Dracos shrugs.  "Anyhow, what about well, your job and such?  You going to be able to deal with being stuck over here a while?"

Dracos

"Bouncing around contracting,"  Rez shrugged, "Since I was pretty much done with that anyway . . . they'll email me if they need any more bugfixes done."

Dracos nods and tosses Rez a gameboy, "When in doubt, or we could knock gin off the big screen and I could kick your ass nine ways from sunday in Guilty Gear."

Dracos

"Ehh . . . never played Guilty Gear, but I'll take your ass down in Soul Calibur or DOA."

Rez clicked on the gameboy without checking the game.

The game inside was Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, complete with one perfect save slot on it.

"Hey gin, you up for ownage?"

Dracos

Rez clicked it off.  "I've played this game -to death- already," he grinned, "got anymore?"

Rez looked up at that.

"Actually . . . Gin, does 'Pax Arcana' or 'Seventh Cabal' mean anything to you?"

"Rez, Rez, Rez...  third box down on the right of the couch."

Dracos

"Hmm?  Not at all, Rez.  Maybe you should ask Shade about it?"

Smiling, Ginrai adds, "And you're that ready to get your ass kicked by me again, Drac?"

"Already done."

Rez sits back and watches.

Dracos smirks, "You wish, punk.  What's the current score?  Fifteen hundred to twenty seven or something like that?"

Dracos sits down, flinging in the lastest multiplayer slamfest and gets on with the killin'.

Dracos
Timeskip us, GM-san?

And much ownage has had by all.  It's a vacation day before a weekend, so the controller swapping goes on for a bit, until it's time for some dinner.

There are still some leftovers from last night's pizza, so there's no need to hunt down more food.

It's now about 6:00 PM.

Dracos yawns, tosses rez the controller after another ten round streak and heads over to check his email, the chatroom, and oh, how many nukes does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop.

Dracos

#Soulriders suggests that it would take "enough" nukes.

Bjorn is currently offline, having peered from the server about an hour-and-a-half ago.

Hum...

Oh well...

Dracos checks the weather up there through the the wonders of www.weatherupthere.com and decides to leave a quip for Bjorn in the topic, then surfs randomly about to see if there's anything interesting...maybe Penny arcade.

Dracos

Nothing interesting on ... waaaaaait.  This looks familiar.

Today's Penny Arcade features a developer stabbing himself in the eye over a stupid petition that players e-mailed him.

The attached rant is criticizing players who whine to much, and encouraging them to vote with their money, not whine before they've gotten anything.  The links point to Square-Enix, and not Konami, though.

...eerie.

"Amen and halllaluah, and while they are at they can send me all their cash."

Checks Square-Enix' dev page to see if it was anyone he knew.

Dracos

No one actually died, or even hurt themselves.

It's just the standard Penny-Arcade take on things.

"Pity... hmm, wonder what's up with the extra stupid player petitions of late.  Oh well, just must be that time of year."

Dracos chills, boredly monitoring his chatroom and various webforums for anything of interest.

Dracos

Nothing out of the ordinary, though you have a chance to catch up on your RPGs, at least.

"Oh well..."

Dracos heads out figuring he'd take a ride around town for a bit, and enjoy the brutally cold weather in the way only sadistic southerners can. "Hey Rez, Gin, if ya feel like takin' a tour nows your chance."  He slips on his heavy coats and heads out to his car.

Dracos

"Nah.  Cold, and I've got some more screwing aroudn I feel like doing.  Thanks, though."

Rez wandered back to the computer(s) and sat down, going through email (his hotmail) and various other forum-type-things.

"Feel like staying inside as well.  Not in the mood to do much."

Dracos shrugs and heads out to drive around town for about an hour.

Dracos
Timeskipping goodness

Boston is dealing with the overabundance of snow somewhat poorly, but the city survives, and you are able to navigate the concrete labrynth of highways quite easily.  Not, of course, that you had anywhere specific to go.

Ginrai and Rez continued with the ownage until the late hours of the evening, and you are woken at about 6:00 AM by a knock at the door.

It's now Saturday, the seventh, at 6:00 AM (EST).

Dracos grumbles, getting up, smacking himself and noting if it is a telemarketer they will die.  Getting something decent on he goes and checks the door.

Dracos

Fortunately for you, it is not, in fact, a door-to-door telemarketer planning on ignoring your 'No Solicitors' and matching 'Prosecuters will be Violated' door plaques.  It is, in fact, a very cold, very tired looking Fed-Ex agent, with three boxes.  "Mr. Bloom?" he asks in a qavering voice, with chattering teeth.  "Can you sign for these?"

"These" are the three boxes.  One of them is a 12"x12"4" box, another is about 43" x 50"x 12", and the third one is 20" x 20 " x 20".  All are from "Val A. Hall Services', according to the computer-generated labels.

Dracos yawned and in a sleepy fashion, opened the door and signed for them, hauling them into his place.

Dracos

It feels good to close the door on the midmorning cold (freezing air).  You now have three large boxes in your house.

"Roight..."

Dracos, being a sensible sort...totally ignores them and goes for his nice cold morning glass of water.

Following the refreshing powa of water, he returns to examine the packages he was not expecting.  Being a handy sort, he flips a penknife and slices one open nice and quick to see what the fuck someone had sent him.

Dracos

Mmm.  Just short of freezing.  That wakes you right up.

Your knife cuts through packing tape to reveal:

A box with seven currently powered off model i730 cell-phones.

A box with eight wireless secure ethernet cards for laptop, along with matching hardware encrypted hub.

The largest box, however, weighs quite a bit, and contains:

A complete TerraLink portable satellite uplink system, with a very sturdy manually collapsed and raised dish.  It closes into an aluminum breifcase, and has an obvious compartment for the wireless hub.

"Either it's christmas, or I'm still asleep.  Or more likely, Ayame is acquiring material.  I need get me one of those.  Like a secret santa."

Dracos goes and kicks rez awake, "Bitch, you got package."

Dracos

"Maaagh."

Rez rolled over.

Dracos commences with evil poking action.

Dracos

"Alright, alright, I'm AWAKE.  Dammit"  Rez mock glares, "What the hell's so important?"

"Your secret admirer just sent about three grand worth of networking equipment over."

Dracos

Rez blinks, then stares at the gear.  "It's marked as from . . . ?"

"Val A. Hall services," Dracos grunts.

Dracos

"Yeah, that'd be her.," Rez sighs, then grabs his laptop . . . taking a double take as his sleepy eyes notice the gear.

"Goddamn, that's a nice looking set of gear."

"Yeah, no shit.  Though while I got a pile of laptops, I don't quite have eight of them lying around.  Either way, should we get this stuff set up?"  Dracos cracked his neck.

Dracos

Rez skims his email.

"Hold on a few, just emailing Ayame."  Rez's hands fly across the keyboard.

"Cha, Cha..."  Dracos waits.

Dracos

About a minute or so later, Rez looks up.

"Ayame says . . . don't use 'em unless you need 'em.  She -also- attaches instructions as to how to nuke the GPS on said phones, so if you feel like doing something constructive, that's the way," Rez grinned," but apart from that, have you heard anything weird from Bjorn lately?"

"Oh, he got attacked by insane mental patients.  No biggie."

Dracos

"Oh.   Great.  Ayame says he's also involved so . . . yeah.  Subscribe yourself to this mailing list and try to get hold of him.  Got any contact details, apart from email?"

"Well, yeah, I just have their phone numbers coming out of my ear.  No, sorry man."

heads over to his own laptop, subscribing to the list and carrying one of the boxes into the back so it isn't just piled up in front of the doors.

Dracos

"Hey, you might.  Well, I'm dropping him a note, then going back to sleep.  Check if he's on IRC, would you?  And by the way, do you know Ginrai's real name?"  Rez looked askance.

"Yeah, Parthipan somethingorother.  Why?"

Dracos

"Remind me to ask him when he wakes up."

Rez spent a couple of minutes typing out an email to Bjorn, then put his computer aside and . . . went back to sleep.

Dracos shrugged, heading over to the computer and checking his own email and irc.

Dracos

Idly gets what equipment was sent ready for easy usage if need be, setting up the phones in the manner suggested and allocating one of the network cards for each of them to start.

Dracos

For electronics skill
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... :  3d6 ---> 10

With the guide Ayame sent you, re-wiring the phones to kill their GPSs is cake.  You probably couldn't have done it blindfolded, but with one hand behind your back, sure.  It takes you about five minutes for the first one, and then about a minute for each additional phone.

Dracos whistled and rubbed his hands together, setting the completed phones in a pile together and going to make breakfast and eat it.  If the others decided to wake their scrawny asses up they could join him.

Dracos

And Rez kinda stirs again, having not been able to get back to sleep.

"I hate mornings.  Working on the phones?"

"Finished, ya sleepy bum, here, have some toast and nutella," Gestures to the toaster, open nutella, and open loaf and continues eating his own meal of the same.

Dracos

"Waagh."

Rez staggers over and makes hmself of the aforementioned, then wanders back to his computer with it.

"Subscribed to the list yet?"

Dracos checked his email again.  "Cha, of course I did.  I also harnessed my latent psychic abilities and knit you a sweather while I was waiting for your lazy arses to get up."

Dracos

Ginrai slowly wakes up, not really wanting to do so because he isn't sure if he'll have many more chances to have a nice, long sleep (considering the recent events and all).

The sound of Dracos and Rez talking in the other room prevents Ginrai from going back to sleep and so he reluctantly trudges to the bathroom.

The breakfasting is interupted by Ginrai shuffling down the hall towards the bathroom, muttering about the cold under his breath.

The time is about 8:00 AM (EST).

Dracos gestured and Ginrai joined the eating and there was much feasting and getting on with it...

Dracos shrugged after mealtime and poses the obvious "What now?"

Dracos

"Let's have an attitude check!"

"Okay, check, we're assholes.  Moving on?"

Dracos

"Right.  Second, we need to get hold of Shade and Bjorn.  Third, I'm really out of ideas . . . except for wait for something to happen.  Plan escape routes?"

"We have obviously cars, trains, and planes.  This is well...my home, so I sorta know where to go and all if things get rough."

Dracos

"I don't.  Rendezvous points if we get split up, that sort of thing?"  Rez looked askance, "Or we could just game while we wait for another email."

"What would be the point?  I mean you could study a map and such but likely if we all get split up by some MAGIK FORCE we're pretty screwed anyway."

Dracos

"Drac, never underestimate my capacity to get lost.  I guess we've got the phones anyway, though.  So, want your ass kicked at UT?"

"Exactly why letting you study the maps would be pretty pointless... and sure, I could use refresh."

Flips up his comp and begins the slaughter....

>> against him and furthermore against ginrai but who's counting.

Dracos

Rez is counting.  DUH.

"Suck it DOWN, bitch!"

Idly smacks Rez across the side of the head for pulling a romero and continues.

Dracos

Rez is whapped.

But really, only one thing needs to be said, and it booms from the speakers with earth-shaking finality.

"UNSTOPPABLE!"

"You know, I just thought of something..."  Dracos stops the game at the end of a round.

Dracos

"Javohl, mein fuhrer?"

"Well, we have... some pair of organizations after you.  Both situated in rome initially for all we know.  And well, we know one of those groups symbols, but we can't really research them because they can track us on the net like few things can...  but...  within the beauty of walking plus subway distance.... there is...harvard.  Which happens to contain one of the largest and oldest libraries of works in the United States....  such a body of works might oh not leave such a digital trail to be followed...  Shall we go and do some research?"

Dracos

"Alright,"  Rez hummed, "but . . . where do we start?"

"Oh I was thinking some Roman history and mythological cults?  Maybe check if it's some professor's pet project.  You know?  Nuts tend to end up in places like that."

Dracos

Rez blinked.

"That actually makes sense.  Can't hurt to try."

"Yeah, yeah... anyhow, let's get walking...."

So, The crew, Dracos, Rez, and Ginrai, headed over to the harvard libraries and began...checking their books for anything interesting on old roman mythological cults.

Dracos

It takes several hours of work and research to unearth anything of import, but you do find some snippets.  Apparently, the a specific sect of Knights of the Church was based off of a group that split from another group called the Cabal of Seven.

The Cabal of Seven, as research shows, traces back to the Knights Templar.  Before the Knights Templar (if what you're reading is accurate) they were a group called the Wolves of Thane.  This, in turn, traces even further back, though the connections at this point are largely conjecture, to a very small city-state near the Caspian Sea thousands of years ago called the Cult of Thraetaona.

It's about 6:30 PM, EST.

"Hurrah!"  Dracos takes note of the authors of the various works and dates written.  Especially taking note if any of them happen to be by one of the history professors here.

Dracos

Unfortunately, none of the books you've consulted have been written by anyone who's still alive.

"Oh pity...."

Dracos proceeds to do something he's always been damn good at in scribe the books data quickly and directly into a text file on his laptop, then proceeds to set it burned to a cd.

Dracos

More immediate than searching for book warez.  You get the gist of the data, and all the specifics that seemed promising to look into further before the library closes.

Dracos heads over to the librarians desk and asks if he can get a school phone directory on his way out.

Dracos

Unfortunately, it's not the librarian, it's an assistant, and he tells you, "I've never even heard of that, sorry."

Dracos blinks, "Harvard doesn't have a phone directory or contact info for it's staff?  Perhaps online?"

Dracos

"Well, yeah, on the website," he says, nodding.  "But we don't have 'em in hard copy.  The things would be outdated after a few days anyway."

Roll for Conversation

Quote
Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=9 ]{9}

Dracos raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "Every few days?  Right, and your professors just change offices fifty times per semester.  You know, if you don't know you could just say so..."

Dracos

The assistant turns red in the face and glowers at you.  "Fine," he grumbles.  "Wait right here."

With that, he stalks off towards a closed office, muttering under his breath.  He returns a minute later, and slams a stack of papers on the desk in front of you.  "We're closing," he grumps.

Dracos smiled and with trained practice responded in a demeaning yet entirely civilized fashion, "Why thank you, I much appreciate the extra effort that you went through.  May you have an absolutely wonderful evening, and do be careful of those addresses changing tomorrow."

Dracos picked up the papers and lead the way out of the library, glancing up, he checked how dark it seemed at this hour.

Dracos

It's pretty dark outside.  Or it would be, if you weren't in the middle of a city.  The electric glow illuminates pretty much everything around you.  It's a Saturday, so you don't anticipate too much traffic on the way home.

Dracos sighed, "Lovely weather as always.  Anyhow, guys you want to grab a bite here or just head back?  I'll go with the quickest to speak as I ain't stickin' it out here long."

Dracos

"Outta here.  Frozen pizza or something is plenty."

Rez looked tired.  ;_;

And so they went off, traveling by subway and then by foot, returning swiftly to the house from which they came, and assuming no malpractice upon the route they took, nor weirdness upon their arrival, they opened the door, and pizza was promptly and swiftly baked for eating.

Dracos

With the acquiring of pizza and the lazing about of his temporary housemates, Dracos checked: The room and his email.

Dracos

Ginrai:  Whatever you're currently doing, you start to feel uneasy.  Not as strong as the last time, when you left Albany, but something very similar.  The direction is unclear, but you feel in danger, and very uncomfortable.

While waiting to see what new e-mail he got, Ginrai suddenly swerves his head towards the front door, as if he was expecting something to burst through any second.

"Umm... guys?  Remember that feeling I had in Albany before deciding to get the fuck out and come here?  Well, I'm starting to get that again, though it's nowhere near as bad at the moment."

Pausing so they could comprehend what he just said, he continues, "So I think it might be a good thing to do anything we need to do as fast as we can before getting out of here."

Ginrai wonders how much time they can spare before it would become too dangerous to stay in Boston.

Dracos whistles and does a quick mod of an old encryption program of his and has it fling the data to ayame in small bitesize emails.

"Eh?  What madness ye speakin' of now Gin?"  Dracos quipped as he got another slice of pizza.

Dracos

You recieve an e-mail from Ayame thanking you for the information when the send is complete.

"Oh, wonderful."  Rez grimaced, "Got any more good news?"

"Just that something bad is going to happen in the immediate future and that we should make sure we do everything we need to do before getting the hell out of here.  So, is there anything I need to do?"

"Gin, first tell me when the fuck did you become an esper?"

Dracos

"Yes.  Figure out where the hell we're going, and how we're getting there."

[23:55] <Ginrai> "When Shade mentioned that I was in danger."
[23:55] <Dracos> "...Gin, um...right.  Sure this isn't just an overgrown paranoia?"
[23:56] <Ginrai> "And seeing how that turned out, I'd say it would be a good thing to take notice of this."
[23:56] <Ginrai> "Drac, you still don't think there's something strange going on?
[23:58] <Dracos> "Gin, Gin, Gin...  I don't care.  Fine...  Let's head out.  A night out on the country never hurt anyone.  And I'll even pack some equipment for ye paranoid buggers.  You get your change-a clothes and yer computer and I'll handle the rest.  And heck..."
[23:58] * Dracos heads over to one of those closets he never uses and removes the steel support pipe.
[23:58] <Dracos> "Here, if you want to be a bloody paranoid fella, at least look the part."
[23:58] * Dracos hands Gin the pipe.
[23:58] <Ginrai> "Good... and this might be more than a 'night out'."
[23:59] <Ginrai> "So, catch me up on anything I've missed?"
[23:59] <Dracos> "Roight, Roight, and you know if I'm driving around the country for nothing, I'm a gonna smack ya cross the head anyway."
[23:59] <Ginrai> "Better to be safe than sorry... moreso after seeing what I saw in Albany."
[00:00] <Dracos> "In the car ride bugger.  I'm gonna pack first.  You tellin' me, betta safe than sorry?"
[00:00] * Dracos idly raises a disbelieving eyebrow at Gin
[00:00] <Ginrai> "Yup... so we're leaving now?"
[00:01] <Ginrai> "I did say that we might have some time to do a few things before leaving. Half-hour tops most likely."
[00:02] <Dracos> "Yeah, right, you, take these boxes downstairs..." Dracos sends gin hauling the boxes sent by ayame and tosses him a set of keys, "Put 'em carefully in the trunk."
[00:03] <Ginrai> "Nice stuff... where'd you get them?"
[00:05] <Ginrai> "And shouldn't we finalize anything net-wise before leaving?"
[00:07] <Dracos> "I got the masta hookup connections.  Oh yeah, ye should subscribe to this list.  And take a phone for yourself and all.  Ya?" Dracos jots down the list name and tosses it at Gin, "Now get a move on ye arse.  I don't feel like driving at midnight and if it gets much later I'm going to be staying right here."
[00:13] <Ginrai> "Ah, okay."  Ginrai takes a cell phone to hook his laptop with later on, and takes the boxes to Drac's car.
[00:14] <Ginrai> "I'll sign onto the list before turning off my laptop," Ginrai says as he walks back in.

Dracos

"So we're going like . . . where, guys?"

"Driving around, drinkin' a bud, I'm thinking the hotels when I get tired... Anyhow, Rez, you complete ninny like Gin or do you know the fine art of smacking someone's head in with a stick?"

Dracos

"Utterly worthless.  I just run.  Aaaaaannnnddd . . . frankly, I suggest waiting until tomorrow.  Either way you have a car and a credit card that can both be traced, so go and hit a bank tomorrow morning, preferably before they know we're running and do to you what they did to me.  Hm?"

"Hum, sleep here, in bed...comfy bed...I like plan B.  We go tomorrow morning.  And mountains sound good.  I like mountains.  I've not taken a trip down to rockyville in many ages.  We can be paranoid bitches in the morning as well as we can tonight."

Dracos

Ginrai realizes he's outnumbered on this and sighs.

"Does this mean I have to bring the box back inside, just to be safe?  Oh, and I also just signed onto the list you mentioned, Drac.  What's that about, anyway?"

"I don't like mountains.  We can't do shit in mountains except for sit around and wait for them to find us."

Rez turns to Ginrai, "The list is run by that AI I picked up.  Helpful person, she.  Remind me to let you guys go through my earlier email exchanges later."

"It's the end of the world as we know it list where paranoid psychos exchange theories on how everyone is out to get them.  Or it's a list on those folks we were having fun researching earlier.  And naw, as long as you shut my trunk it should be safe.  This isn't exactly a crime spot area.  Especially not in this weather."

Dracos yawned.

Dracos

Rez smacks Drac upside the head.

"Nah, I'll go get it.  I'm not comfortable with leaving it out there."

"Oh if you want to be honest about it.  But where's da fun in dat?  And mountains are great fun.  Ya hike in them.  I thought ye liked skiing rez.  And as a general note is quite difficult to find someone who decided to take a route deep in the rockies and then twirl about to head west.  Cuz you know, mountains make great natural barriers to most detections and following tools."

Dracos

Ginrai isn't so sure about that.  "I really think it should be brought back inside."

"Owie, sheesh...  then go ahead.  No skin off me nose."

Dracos

Ginrai brings the box back inside, feeling relieved after doing so.

Dracos continues his fast paced email discussions while leafing through the phone directory he'd gotten, looking for head of history department, any roman or ancient therocean historians, or similar types of 'oh this guy might be useful'.

Dracos

The list is both long, and unintuitive.  You wonder if it was printed so to cause you trouble, given the assistant librarian's attitude.  Regardless, while there are a few anthropologists that seem likely, you're not entirely certain how to contact them, as classes don't begin until Monday.  And, of course, you have e-mail addresses for two promising candidates, but....

"Oh well... Feh."  Dracos jotted down the relevent information into a tiny scrapbook and again on a small .inf file on his comp.

Dracos

<Brian> You are currently in the House of Dracos.  It is evening, about 8:30 PM.  It is dark outside.  It is snowing.  All in all, it's rather bleak, save for the company.
<Brian> Rez and Dracos are clustered around their collective computer clusters, while Dracos pontificates on the usage of a lead pipe.  Ginrai prowls the hallways anxiously, a feeling of impending danger driving him to distraction.
<Rez> "Well."
<Ginrai> Ginrai begins to wonder if the feeling is getting worse than before.
<Rez> Rez closes up his laptop and packs it up.
<Brian> Ginrai: Slowly but surely.  Regardless, Rez and Dracos have put off leaving until later.
<Rez> "Nothing much to do.  Feel like a game of something?"
<Rez> Rez calls out, "Ginrai, feel like a game of something?"
<Ginrai> "Drac, is there any weapon we can quickly use in case of emergency?  Also, you guys might want to have any important items nearby while sleeping."
<Dracos> "Gin, I gave you a lead pipe.  And what do you think I am, some amateur?"
<Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=12 ]{12}
<Brian> Ginrai: Duck.
Ginrai ducks
<Ginrai> "Fuck!"
<Brian> Ginrai throws himself to the floor at about the same time your front window explodes, showering glass across the room.
<Dracos> "Rez, Commando."
<Rez> "Fuck!"
<Ginrai> "Get your stuff, NOW!"
<Brian> You hear something slam into the wall,
Rez grabs his laptop and runs for the box of electronic gear.
<Brian> roll 2#1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 2#1d6 --> [ 1d6=3 ]{3}, [ 1d6=6 ]{6}
<Brian> roll 2#1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 2#1d6 --> [ 1d6=1 ]{1}, [ 1d6=4 ]{4}
Ginrai grabs laptop and bag
<Ginrai> "I TOLD YOU GUYS!"
<Brian> A flash-bang goes off -- Ginrai, you were expecting it, so you're okay.  Rez, Dracos, both of you are momentarily blinded.
<Ginrai> Is the lead pipe near me?
<Brian> The sound doesn't seem to stun anyone.  Yes.
<Brian> It's right underneath you (you almost landed on it when you dropped to the floor).
<Brian> The front door reverberates, and you hear yelling.
Dracos shakes his head grabbing the nearest sharp blade from the container he keeps in his place.
Ginrai grabs onto the lead pipe in case something closes in while Drac and Rez are stunned
<Brian> roll 8#1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 8#1d6 --> [ 1d6=5 ]{5}, [ 1d6=3 ]{3}, [ 1d6=6 ]{6}, [ 1d6=3 ]{3}, [ 1d6=5 ]{5}, [ 1d6=6 ]{6}, [ 1d6=2 ]{2}, [ 1d6=5 ]{5}
<Dracos> "Shit, I just bought that window."
<Ginrai> "Drac, it's not like we're going to be around here for much longer!'
<Brian> Correction, your front door is an array of wooden splinters careening across the living room towards you.
Rez grabs for his laptop bag.
<Brian> Dracos, Rez, you can see again.
Rez grabs his laptop bag, since he can see, not for it.
<Dracos> Fuck...
<Brian> Three men lunge into the room -- we'll enter combat time here.
<Ginrai> Is it possible for us to get out through the back door?
<Ginrai> Damn
<Brian> Ginrai, you are considered to have a held action, Dracos, Rez, you won't act until phases 4 and 6, respectively.
<Brian> First, phase 0.  The three men advance towards you quickly, but don't reach you.  They dropped a battering ram on the ground in front of your door, and are all wearing S.W.A.T. tactical armor.  All three are hefting batons.
<Brian> Actually one of them gets through first, and Ginrai, he's going to try and hit you.  You can use your held action to try and hit him first.
Ginrai swings hard for the head
<Ginrai> "Ok, why the fuck are you guys after us?"
<Brian> roll 1d6 for luck
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 1d6 for luck --> [ 1d6=3 ]{3}
<Brian> Okay, Ginrai, you're making an attack, so roll 3d6 to hit
<Ginrai> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Ginrai ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=14 ]{14}
<Brian> Your assailant was not expecting resistance after the flash-bang and is at 0 DCV.  You hit by exact count.
<Brian> With strength 8, you will want to roll 5#1d6 normal damage.
<Ginrai> roll 5#1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Ginrai ... : 5#1d6 --> [ 1d6=3 ]{3}, [ 1d6=5 ]{5}, [ 1d6=6 ]{6}, [ 1d6=3 ]{3}, [ 1d6=3 ]{3}
<Brian> roll 3d6 for hit location
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 for hit location --> [ 3d6=10 ]{10}
<Brian> You got his arm, which is unarmored.  You deal a total of 6 Body and 20 Stun.  His eyes widen and he makes a pained gasp before he collapses to the ground, clutching his shoulder.
<Brian> Phase 4, speed 3s act.  We'll be going in Dex order.
<Brian> Dracos, this means you go first, though the guy on the right is about to charge over his fallen comrade at Gin.
<Dracos> I tighten my hands on my claymore, getting both in the proper positions for optimal control and leap at the guy on the right, swinging hard with the heavy blade, coming in a diagonal slash at him.
<Brian> Please roll 3d6 to make your attack.
<Dracos> Roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=6 ]{6}
<Brian> roll 3d6 for hit location
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 for hit location --> [ 3d6=6 ]{6}
<Brian> Dracos, roll 1d6 AND 1d3 killing damage, followed by a 1d6-1 stun multiplier.
<Dracos> Roll 1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d6 --> [ 1d6=5 ]{5}
<Dracos> Roll 1d3
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d3 --> [ 1d3=2 ]{2}
<Dracos> Roll 1d6-1
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d6-1 --> [ 1d6=6 ]{5}
<Dracos> hum?
<Dracos> Roll 1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d6 --> [ 1d6=1 ]{1}
<Brian> You've done 7 body (killing) and 35 Stun.
<Brian> His resistant gloves stop 1 body, and 1 stun, allowing him to apply his PD to the remainder of the stun.  He takes 6 Body (killing) and 30 stun.  He's not only down, he's out.
<Brian> Blood sprays across the floor.  He doesn't even have time to shriek before the pain KOs him.
<Dracos> "Get the fuck out of my house!"
<Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=12 ]{12}
<Brian> It's now phase 6, speeds 2s act.
<Brian> Ginrai: Behind you.
<Brian> Dex order.
Ginrai ducks and turns
<Brian> The guy on the left whips out a pistol of some sort, and aims it.
<Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=9 ]{9}
<Brian> Dracos, you're stuck with a pair of needles.  Ow.
Ginrai flings pipe at the guy
Brian calculates.
<Brian> Okay, roll 3d6 to hit, Ginrai.
<Ginrai> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Ginrai ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=14 ]{14}
<Brian> Actually....
<Brian> roll 1d6 for luck
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 1d6 for luck --> [ 1d6=5 ]{5}
<Brian> Your pipe soars over his head, and nicely out the open window.
<Ginrai> "ARGGH!"
<Ginrai> "Drac, toss me a blade!"
<Brian> You did distract him, though.
<Brian> Rez, it's your sequence.
<Rez> Rez hurls the chair he was just sitting on at the guy.
<Rez> Can I use my +1 to anything for OCV for this round?
<Brian> Yes you can.
<Brian> Please roll 3d6 to hit.
<Rez> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=10 ]{10}
<Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=13 ]{13}
<Brian> A chair is a large object.  He dances out of the way, and you miss him.  However, the needles stuck in Dracos are pulled out by the wires connecting them to his gun when he dodges.
<Brian> It's now ?s turn.
<Dracos> Mine?
<Dracos> phase 8?
<Brian> Ginrai, you get your full DCV against this attack.
<Dracos> Oh
<Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=11 ]{11}
<Ginrai> Anything nearby for me to grab or can I grab a blade and attack fast enough?
<Brian> Nope, you just acted.
<Brian> You are struck, but can apply your full PD to this strike.
<Brian> roll 4#1d6 normal damage
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 4#1d6 normal damage --> [ 1d6=2 ]{2}, [ 1d6=3 ]{3}, [ 1d6=1 ]{1}, [ 1d6=2 ]{2}
<Brian> You will take 3 body, 8 stun from the baton that misses your head and hits your shoulder.
<Brian> After PD is applied, this becomes 0 body, 3 stun.
<Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=10 ]{10}
<Brian> Rez, you are not expecting this attack, but you are combat-ready, so you are at 1/2 DCV.
<Brian> You are hit.
<Brian> roll 5#1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 5#1d6 --> [ 1d6=1 ]{1}, [ 1d6=3 ]{3}, [ 1d6=5 ]{5}, [ 1d6=5 ]{5}, [ 1d6=6 ]{6}
<Rez> Where'd they come from?  o_o;
<Brian> Take 5 body 20 stun.
<Rez> Ouch.
<Brian> After PD, this becomes 3 body, 17 stun.  You are dazed, and lose your next action.
<Brian> Your shoulder groaned from that hit, but didn't break.  You don't feel so hot.
<Brian> It's now phase 8.  Dracos, you are the last remaining speed 3 on the field.
Dracos dashes towards the guy who shot something at him, spinning around to bring the blade full force along his back and get behind him so he has something between him and whatever made the noise behind him.
<Brian> Okay.  Roll to make your attack.
<Dracos> Roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=16 ]{16}
<Dracos> ...
<Dracos> X_X
<Brian> You hit by exact count.
<Dracos> Sweet!
<Brian> please roll 1d6 AND 1d3 for killing damage, and a 1d6 stun multiplier.
<Dracos> Roll 1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d6 --> [ 1d6=4 ]{4}
<Dracos> Roll 1d3
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d3 --> [ 1d3=3 ]{3}
<Dracos> Roll 1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d6 --> [ 1d6=4 ]{4}
<Dracos> GO DOWN
<Brian> roll 3d6 for hit location
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 for hit location --> [ 3d6=9 ]{9}
<Brian> At 7 body, 28 stun, you've crushed through his shoulder blade (if you didn't slice through completely), and he falls to the ground screaming in pain.
<Brian> It's now phase 12, everyone acts (except for speed 1s).  In dex order, first is Dracos.
<Brian> You can attempt to tackle Rez's assailant, or you can make a full-move (with no attack) towards Ginrai's assailant.
<Dracos> "Stay low Rez!"  Dracos shouts, charging and swinging carefully at the guy while aiming to not hit rez by any means.
<Brian> You are attempting a Move-Through attack.  You will be at -2 OCV.
<Brian> Please roll 3d6 to attack.
<Dracos> Roll 3d6 for luck, death, and republic!
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 3d6 for luck, death, and republic! --> [ 3d6=5 ]{5}
<Brian> Your momentum adds 2 damage classes to your attack.
Rez winces.
<Brian> Please roll 2d6 killing damage, and 1d6+1 stun multiplier.
<Dracos> Roll 2d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 2d6 --> [ 2d6=6 ]{6}
<Dracos> Roll 1d6+1
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d6+1 --> [ 1d6=2 ]{3}
<Brian> roll 3d6 for hit location
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 for hit location --> [ 3d6=13 ]{13}
<Brian> You deal a total of 12 damage and 36 stun to Rez's assailant.  If someone doesn't seal that bleeding artery, he's going to die within seconds.
<Brian> Rez, it's your action (you recover from being stunned, and are splashed with blood from the guy Dracos just shoved a claymore through the neck of).
<Brian> Ginrai, it's your action.
<Ginrai> Okay... where is the guy who just hit me and how far is the nearest weapon?
<Brian> He's behind you, and it's on the table in front of you.
<Dracos> What about the batons on the ground?
<Brian> You'd have to bend over to pick one up.  Taking one from the table would be a half-action.
Ginrai quickly grabs a blade, rolls away and lashes out at the guy behind him
<Brian> Please roll 3d6 to attack.
<Ginrai> roll 3d6 for VICTORY!
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Ginrai ... : 3d6 for VICTORY! --> [ 3d6=14 ]{14}
<Brian> Man, swinging swords is harder than it looks.  But you taught Dracos's living room table a lesson it won't soon forget!
<Ginrai> ...
<Ginrai> "DOH!"
<Ginrai> But I got away from the guy, right?
<Brian> Not if you were in striking range of him.
<Brian> Your assailant drops his baton, and goes for a tazer.
<Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=9 ]{9}
<Brian> roll 7#1d6 energy damage
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 7#1d6 energy damage --> [ 1d6=4 ]{4}, [ 1d6=1 ]{1}, [ 1d6=5 ]{5}, [ 1d6=5 ]{5}, [ 1d6=6 ]{6}, [ 1d6=3 ]{3}, [ 1d6=4 ]{4}
<Brian> You're going to take 7 Body, 28 Stun before applying your ED.
<Brian> After ED, you take 2 body, and 23 stun.  You are not dazed, you are knocked out.
<Ginrai> ...
<Brian> Dracos, Rez, you hear a *ZAAAAAAP* and Ginrai goes down, sword in hand.
Dracos is now known as Dracos
<Brian> Post-segment 12, everyone regains their REC in END and Stun.  (Ginrai, you'll be conscious again after two more recoveries).
<Brian> Phase 4, speed Dracos the Blade-Storm may act.
<Dracos> "I AM AN ANGRY GOD AND YE HATH ENTERED THE WRONG HOUSE!"
Dracos charges the other guy, swinging hard when within range
<Brian> One moment.
<Brian> Please roll (oh, dear lord) 7d6 for presence attack
<Dracos> Roll 7d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 7d6 --> [ 7d6=28 ]{28}
<Brian> He's intimidated.
<Brian> You may now roll to attack.
<Brian> roll 3d6 to dive for cover
<Dracos> Roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=9 ]{9}
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 to dive for cover --> [ 3d6=9 ]{9}
<Brian> You swipe -- and miss.  He dives to the floor a few steps away.
<Brian> Dex order.
<Brian> Phase 6.
<Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=11 ]{11}
<Brian> Dracos, you smell seared ozone as a pair of charged wires shoot past your nose from a stun-gun in the hands of the first guy Ginrai knocked down.
<Brian> Rez: Your turn.
<Rez> Can I reach another chair?  ^^
<Brian> Yes.
<Rez> Hum.
<Rez> I throw it at the guy who just shot at Drac.
<Rez> ^_^
<Brian> please roll 3d6 to attack.
<Rez> roll 3d6 FOR GREAT JUSTICE!
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3d6 FOR GREAT JUSTICE! --> [ 3d6=12 ]{12}
Brian assumes you're still putting that +1 to anything into OCV.
<Rez> Yah, still.
<Brian> Then you hit.  Prone means 1/2 DCV.  Without that +1, you would have missed.
<Brian> You threw a chair at some guy.  Ow.
<Brian> please roll 4#1d6 normal damage and 3d6 for hit location.
<Rez> roll 4#1d6 for PAIN
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 4#1d6 for PAIN --> [ 1d6=1 ]{1}, [ 1d6=2 ]{2}, [ 1d6=2 ]{2}, [ 1d6=6 ]{6}
<Rez> Thank you.
<Rez> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=15 ]{15}
<Brian> Your chair slams into his relatively unarmored legs, doing 4 body, 11 stun.  He grunts, and curls into a little ball.
<Rez> How far away is he from me?
<Brian> About three meters.
<Brian> Also acting on this round is the guy who dove for cover from Dracos.  He climbs to his feet and pulls out his baton.
<Brian> Phase 8, speed He Has the Claymore gets to act.
<Brian> You have the movement to close and attack.
<Dracos> "You can round up a million maggots to try to defeat me... but you'll still all just be maggots!" Dracos roars swinging in a controlled strike towards the guys torso (Not called shot).
<Dracos> Roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=13 ]{13}
<Brian> roll 3d6 for martial block
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 for martial block --> [ 3d6=15 ]{15}
<Brian> He expertly stops your body from slamming into him.  Oh, he probably should have paid attention to the sword....
<Brian> please roll 1d6 and 1d3 damage, with a 1d6 stun multiplier.
<Dracos> Roll 1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d6 --> [ 1d6=5 ]{5}
<Dracos> Roll 1d3
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d3 --> [ 1d3=2 ]{2}
<Dracos> Roll 1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d6 --> [ 1d6=6 ]{6}
<Brian> roll 3d6 for hit location
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 for hit location --> [ 3d6=13 ]{13}
<Brian> You deal a total of 14 body and 84 stun to your target, your sword neatly severing his leg.  Oh, and his femoral artery.
<Brian> He collapses which a faint whimper.
<Brian> Phase 12, everyone gets to act.  Dex order.  Last man-standing (lying on the ground) fumbles for something on his vest.
<Brian> Actually, wait.  Dracos goes first.
<Brian> But you can see the guy Rez lobbed a chair at fumbling for something on his vest.
<Dracos> "Bitches REPRESENT!"  I charge sweating as I stab down at the prone guy.
<Brian> Please roll 3d6 to attack.
<Dracos> Roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=16 ]{16}
<Dracos> shit
<Dracos> but he's on the floor *Crosses fingers*
<Brian> Prone, 1/2 DCV.
<Brian> You hit, but this costs you 3 Stun.
<Brian> Your arms are burning like they're on fire, and you think if you get a chance to put down the sword, you'd like that very much indeed.
<Brian> Please roll 1 and 1/2 d6 for killing damage, and 1d6 for stun multiplier.
<Dracos> Roll 1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d6 --> [ 1d6=3 ]{3}
<Dracos> Roll 1d3
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d3 --> [ 1d3=2 ]{2}
<Dracos> Roll 1d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Dracos ... : 1d6 --> [ 1d6=4 ]{4}
<Brian> roll 3d6 for hit location
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 for hit location --> [ 3d6=10 ]{10}
<Brian> You hit him center of mass, striking his S.W.A.T. armor dead-center.
<Brian> It stops 5 PD of killing damage.
<Brian> He takes 2, and 23 stun.  He's out, and not likely to get up before he bleeds to death.
<Brian> Now.  You're exhausted, Ginrai's waking up, and your house is TOTALLY THRASHED.
Dracos groans.
<Brian> We'll exit combat time here.
Ginrai staggers up
<Rez> "FUCK!"
<Ginrai> "Well, shit."
<Dracos> WHooooo...  Ow....  You guys are really sucky houseguests.
<Ginrai> "Now you guys want to get the fuck out of here?"
<Rez> Rez checks if any of them have unused stunguns.
<Brian> Three.
<Ginrai> "Yeah, good idea, Rez.  Will need some weapons."
<Dracos> "Gin, you get the stuff in the car...MOVE YOUR ASS"
Ginrai goes to pick up some batons
Dracos rests a bit.
<Ginrai> "Someone pick up the lead pipe I threw out?
<Rez> I grab a couple of unused stunguns.
<Dracos> I did not say pick up the batons
<Dracos> go get the damn hardware in the car bitch
Dracos tosses him the keys.
<Rez> "Forget the damn pipe.  Get the phones!"
<Ginrai> "We need weapons... and maybe their armor as well."
Ginrai takes the hardware back into the car
<Rez> FORGET THE ARMOUR
<Rez> "We don't have TIME!"
<Rez> Rez grabs his bag and runs out to the car.
<Ginrai> "Take as much as thier stuff as possible in case we get attacked again!"
<Brian> Snow is beginning to drift in through the open window.
<Ginrai> "Or at least let's get the lead pipe back!"
Ginrai picks up the lead pipe from outside before going back in
<Ginrai> "Ah, my precious..."
Rez tosses his bag and a stungun into the car, then pockets the other stungun and looks around the street.
Ginrai grabs his bag with laptop and brings it into the car
Dracos gets up, gets a sweater and an overcoat on and then quickly wipes the blood off the claymore on a rag and puts it in the bucket of blades. Picks up said bucket and hauls it outside to his car, putting it in the trunk.
Rez looks around the street, do I see anything out of the ordinary or anyone hanging around?
Ginrai looks back in the house... is anything left that can be taken?
<Brian> You see someone running off in one direction, and a car in the other.
<Ginrai> "Guys, is there anything else we need to take?"
<Ginrai> "FUCK!"
<Dracos> Fuck, fuck fuck, we need my laptop.
<Brian> Ginrai: Probably quite a bit.
<Rez> "No.  We're going, MOVE!"
Ginrai is still inside and grabs Drac's laptop
<Ginrai> "I think we already have the stuff Ayame sent in it"
<Ginrai> "Rez, do you have everything that Ayame gave you?"
Dracos heads back up, grabbing some stuff from his closet and tossing it in a bag, checks and cash from stash notably.
<Dracos> Move it gin.
Ginrai runs to car
Dracos grabs his WARCASE
Dracos heads down to the car and gets in the shotgun seat
<Ginrai> "Okay, we got most of what we need"
Rez ducks back inside.
Dracos hands rez the keys
<Dracos> Rez, DRIVE
Rez grabs his wallet, and a baton, then runs back out. Don't want to forget my WALLET.
Ginrai checks pockets... yeah, have my wallet and car keys in it
Rez jumps in the driver's seat and starts the car.
<Brian> The car sputters and turns over a few times.
Ginrai already has his bag with laptop and other stuff from Albany in the car
<Brian> It sputters a bit more.
<Rez> Rez tries to start the car again.
<Ginrai> "Fuck."
<Brian> You suspect the fuel-lines have been tampered with ... when it suddenly starts.
<Ginrai> "Woo-hoo!"
<Ginrai> "So, drive north, south or east?"
Rez does not question. He floors it and starts driving.
<Dracos> "You idiot, just drive"
<Ginrai> "How much gas is left?"
<Brian> Taking uneasy breaths, you see by the dashboard clock that only about five minutes have passed.
<Dracos> "I have to note, you guys are the worst houseguests ever.  And I am fucking beat...ow... my arms feel like lead."
Rez makes a few random turns, then slows down.
<Brian> Only five minutes ago, you were arguing over the necessity of even bothering to leave.
<Rez> "Gin, keep an eye out for people following us.  Drac, figure out where we are and navigate!"
<Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=17 ]{17}
<Ginrai> "Gotcha."
<Brian> Ginrai: The further Rez drives, the less you feel that prickling danger sense ... though, it was kind of unsettling to be attacked like that, out of the blue.
<Dracos> "Navigate?  You fucking bitch...'
<Ginrai> "Okay.. the feeling's still there... not good... though it's lessening for the time being."
<Ginrai> "Drac, sleep later"
Dracos figures out where they are and starts directing them out of the city...
<Rez> "Wonderful.  We'll listen, next time."
<Dracos> "Gin, whine and I will fucking slug your face."
<Dracos> "And were headed south first, then west, and I am going to invent a new goddamn word to describe idiots who blow up my goddamn house."
<Rez> "Well, you certainly showed them."
<Ginrai> "Yup, great job, Drac!"
<Dracos> "You guys can congratulate me on five counts of assassination by claymore when my arms stop hurting."
Death (rowan_phoecpe-204-210-114-220.hawaii.rr.com) has joined #ether
<Dracos> "By the way Gin, next time don't fling the fucking steel pipe.  YOU HIT THE SKULL, you do not THROW OUT THE WINDOW!"
<Ginrai> "So, how much gas is left?"
<Rez> Rez checks how much gas is left.
<Ginrai> "It distracted him enough to allow Rez to break you free, didn't it?
<Ginrai> "
<Brian> You're on the road ... in thick snow ... in deep night.  Your gas gauge is about half empty, or half full, depending on your mood.
<Rez> "Half."
<Dracos> "Next time just club him in the skull..."
<Rez> "Enough for now."
<Ginrai> "Fuck."
Dracos groans rubbing his arms.
<Ginrai> "How much money do you guys got?"
Ginrai checks how much he has in his wallet
<Brian> You've got about 80$ in cash on you, Ginrai.  More in the bank, of course.
<Rez> "Er."
<Rez> "A lot."
<Dracos> "Plenty."
<Rez> "A lot a lot."
<Ginrai> "I mean on you?"
<Rez> "Yes, on me."
<Dracos> "I repeat, plenty."
<Rez> "I just fled a country."
<Ginrai> "Drac?"
<Ginrai> "Okay"
<Ginrai> "Guys mind if I check out the stuff Ayame sent?"
<Rez> Rez keeps driving.
<Rez> "Feel free."
<Dracos> "Didn't you put it in the trunk or is it by your feet or something?"
<Rez> "Hook up that hub and give Drac an Ethernet card and his laptop."
<Rez> "And see what you can do with that uplink."
<Ginrai> "I placed it in the back for easy access"
Rez grins.
<Dracos> "How about we wait until we stop...and not do it while driving?"
<Rez> "I've never used one of those!"
<Rez> "Are you driving? No."
<Rez> "I didn't ask for MY laptop."
<Dracos> "I read the instructions on that and it'll burn out like a bitch if we do it in motion."
<Rez> "Oh."
<Ginrai> "Ah.. damn"
Rez mutters something unpleasant about modern technology.
<Brian> That's right.  It has about 4 hours of battery, and just barely tops ISDN speeds if you use it while moving.
<Rez> "Ginrai, get three of those mobiles, turn them on, and put their numbers in each other's speed dial.  Then give us each one."
Rez keeps driving. Slightly above the speed limit.
<Dracos> "Don't worry, I'll use my psychic powers to send the messages that my house was blown up for shits and giggles.  Anyhow, let's get a damn hotel room and any of you have knowledge: Fucking replace license plates?"
<Rez> "With what?"
<Rez> "Maybe back home, but I sure don't have the connections around here."
Ginrai does as Rez tells him
<Dracos> "With something they don't know?"
<Brian> The second you turn the phone on, the 'text message' light begins flashing.
<Ginrai> "Drac, do we have anything to remove it?"
<Rez> "And the moment we steal some plates they'll be marked as stolen."
<Rez> "So I repeat, with what?"
<Dracos> "Gin, I have my warcase.  All is good."
<Ginrai> "Okay... the phone's blinking."
<Rez> "Yes, Gin, they do that."
<Rez> "Put the numbers on speed-dial."
<Ginrai> "I mean that the text message light is blinking."
Ginrai checks what it is
<Brian> The message is dated from about 5 minutes before you started to feel uneasy.
<Ginrai> "Gonna check what it says."
<Brian> From: Ayame
<Brian> Subject: Get out!
<Brian> Content: GETOUTGETOUTGETOUTGETOUTGETOUTGETOUT!
<Ginrai> "Okay... seems that it was a message from Ayame around 20 minutes ago telling us to get the fuck out of the house."
<Rez> "Well, tell her we got the fuck out of the house."
Ginrai checks if that message was on all three of the phones
<Dracos> "..."
<Dracos> "Why didn't she use email like a civilized person X_X"
<Brian> It is, indeed, on all three phones.
<Rez> "Alright.  We each keep a phone."
<Rez> "Write that down, Mr Rollins."
Ginrai places each phone's number on speed dial for the others before giving one to Drac and Rez
<Ginrai> "Gonna reply to Ayame."
<Brian> They're already programmed with the other numbers.
<Brian> All eight of them.  But you can change the numbers to names.
<Ginrai> To: Ayame
<Ginrai> Subject: You know you could've e-mailed us this...
<Ginrai> Content: Well, there was a slight scuffle at Drac's place and most of his house has been damaged... but we made it out.  Care to tell us about those who tried to attack us?"
<Brian> Your phone rings after you send the message.  Caller ID lists the caller as 'unknown'.
<Ginrai> "Well, fuck... can't reach Ayame."
<Dracos> "Gimme the phone."
<Ginrai> "Already did. Check your lap"
<Rez> "THE RINGING PHONE!"
<Brian> The i730, I'll note, has a speaker on the flip-top, and a brightly marked 'speakerphone' button.
<Brian> Just, you know.  Pointing that out.
<Dracos> "Gin, hand me the fucking ringing phone."
Ginrai hands Drac the phone
Dracos opens the phone, taps on the speakerphone button
<Dracos> "Hello?"
<Brian> A somewhat synthesized sounding (but effeminate voice says), "Are you okay?"
<Rez> "Just PEACHY.
<Dracos> "We live."
<Dracos> "Bloodcovered, but live."
<Ginrai> "Thankfully not our blood," Ginrai adds.
<Brian> Ginrai: Your shoulder hurts.  Rez: Your ribcage hurts.  Dracos: ...you're kinda tired, but okay.
<Brian> "Ah, I'm glad to hear that.  I'm sorry I couldn't e-mail you; the data transfer was being monitored.  I would have given away my own position ... and they would have sent reinforcements if they thought you were going to get away."
<Ginrai> "Just who were they?"
<Brian> "Seventh Cabal operatives."
<Rez> "You're sure?"
<Dracos> "Any of you guys see any crosses on them?"
<Brian> "Not Seventh Cabal directly.  But an organization fronted by them; I believe they're Forge agents specifically, which is, in turn, fronted by the Workshop."
<Dracos> "Right...  I do so love SUPASPY agencies with bottomless pockets."
<Rez> "Waaaait.  The terrorist Forge?"
<Ginrai> "Oh, great..."
<Brian> "Yes."
<Brian> "This line isn't completely secure," she adds.  "Relay triangulation can pinpoint your position.  Check the text message I'll send to this phone for instructions on installing a utility I created will monitor and warn when your location is being tracked."
<Brian> will -- to
<Dracos> "Right.  Hanging up, will await text messages."
<Brian> "Your other data-connection should be safe to use -- I have gone to measures to ensure that.  Good luck.  And take care, Nathan."
<Rez> "You too.  
<Rez> Thanks."
<Brian> With that, the connection drops.  And the text message light flashes.
Dracos closes the line and tosses back the other phone to gin.
Dracos checks the message.
<Brian> From: Ayame
<Brian> Subject: Installing the power-monitor for tr....
<Brian> Content: This utility will inform you when the power usage of your phone exceeds normal operating peramaters -- such as when a relay tower requests a power-boost to triangulate a phone's position.  To install....
Dracos reads the damn message.
<Brian> Main menu> Java Apps> Download Apps> Free/Demo> Business and Productivity> Power Monitor (v. 1.ayame)
<Dracos> "Yar, Yar...  I get an engineering degree to install simple apps.  Feh."
Dracos installs it on that phone and grabs the others, installing it on them one by one
<Brian> It starts beeping power-irregularity warnings as soon as it's installed.
<Ginrai> "You know, we probably should've asked here where's the best place to go."
<Rez> "West."
<Ginrai> "San Francisco's that way."
<Rez> "Several DAYS that way."
<Rez> "But, yeah, San Francisco!"
<Rez> "I've been wanting to see that hellhole again since I was last there."
<Rez> "Sort of."
<Dracos> "I said south first."
<Dracos> "Then west."
<Dracos> "And as it's my car and my navigating, we go south first, and then west."
Dracos turns off the phones.
<Dracos> "Guys, phones off."
Ginrai turns his off
<Brian> About twenty minutes outside of Boston, you burst free of the snowstorm that's been plaguing the city all week.  You cross a line and the snow lessens ... lessens ... and stops.
<Rez> "OK."
<Ginrai> "Any reason why there?"
<Rez> "Bjorn's there,"
<Rez> "Apparently unwillingly."
<Rez> "Since I don't really, like, have any better plans . . . unless you guys want to suggest something?"
<Ginrai> "Ah... yeah, that'd be a good reason."
<Rez> "And we need a city where we can rent a car."
<Ginrai> "And is there actually a chance we could make it there before the cops will start coming after us and before our mugs are placed all over the country?"
<Dracos> "I'd much more prefer the logic thing..."
<Rez> "We'll see.  If our faces end up on America's Most Wanted, well . . ."
<Rez> "We're screwed anyway."
<Rez> Rez grinned.
<Dracos> "Of picking up a gun assuming either of you can wield it before our records make that impossible but that's prolly unlikely."
<Dracos> "Yeah, yeah, Canada is good this time of year, ya?"
<Brian> Okay.
<Rez> "I'd like to learn, but without a license?"
<Brian> We'll move over to the board from here.
It's about 9:00 PM.

"Rez, with the swat team after us, who gives a fuck about a license?"

Dracos

"Let me rephrase.  They sell you guns without a license?"

"You raise an excellent point, and I would like to subscribe to the stabbing myself in my throbbing head newslist."

Dracos

"Well, we have a couple of stunguns.  And a tazer.  And enough melee weaponry to equip a  regiment."

"And the lead pipe," Ginrai adds as he waves said pipe in between Dracos and Rez.

Dracos reaches back and somehow smacks Ginrai, "You do not wave the fucking steel pipe in the car."

Dracos

"Okay, okay... yeesh!"