Thriller The Sins of the Fathers

ooc: Post 300!


Laura Blohm
Speicherstadt, Hamburg


She wanted to scream. She wanted to shout out all her pain and make the world admit it did this to her! she wanted to die and be dead and she wanted to never be born.

More than anything she wanted to know there was hope. To know there was a chance at ever being happy again.

Collapsing to her feet she began to cry. She was alone. No shame in crying, when the world itself was gone. You can do whatever you want when the world is gone. You are the world. You are humanity. You are all that matters. Markus? His time was counted, as was Karl´s. She understood now. She understood all of it. ALL OF IT. And how had Thomas once said . . .

How hard is wisdom, if it brings no profil to the wise!

Unbearable silence.

Unbearable sweet silence.

Stumbling into the maze that was the Speicherstadt she knew everything, except what to do.


Tag: Fin, Myself

 

OOC: Thanks for quite artfully covering my little error before, chaps. I may be slightly slow at the moment, about to go travelling and the preparations are taking up much of my time.

Rudyard Vane-Tempest
Private Room, New Rose Hotel, Tokyo

"How old are they? Your sons? They are in Britain I suppose?"

The first question caught Rudyard off-guard. To his surprise and shame, he realised that he didn't know the answer.

"They're fourteen and eleven," he lied. "Yes, they're in Britain with their mother. And their stepfather, I suppose."

He took a drag from his cigarette and a sip of his whiskey. He could feel the sweat beneath his arms and on the back of his neck. His shirt was damp. The eye of God, the wrath of Heaven. Whatever you wanted to call it, it was upon him now. And why? For what? What had he done to merit being placed in the middle of this chaos?

It is all the same; that is why I say, He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.

"And even if we find the answers to the Change," he mused, speaking more to himself than to his companions, "what bloody use are they to us now?"

He paced the room, arriving at the door. He didn't turn around. He had barely processed the photographs from the laptop, and had been quite content to let Rufus and Ghost handle it. The rugged, fast-talking New York private eye and the precocious Asian hacker. They made quite the 21st Century team. Made him feel like something of a relic, in all honesty. Him with his private superstitions and his reserved British ways, and his near-xenophobic mistrust of anyone he'd met in this damned country...

"I'm going to head down to the lobby," he announced. "While you're otherwise engaged, it's probably good for us to have a physical presence outside the confines of this room. We're easy to get at in a single space. Keep doing what you're doing."

Tag: Draco, LordT

 

ooc: Lost my Ghost, Sanders and Adam post. So, good I still had this one in word. Sorry everybody else, I´ll do the other tomorrow.

Carl Weber
Hamburg

Weber, still leaning against the jeep, looked at Markus and then nodded. The most approving reaction he could give, right now. Robbed of his mimicry he honestly appreciated the loyalty. He needed Markus. He needed him ore than he ever needed a human before. Because even after all those years, he did not exactly understand some things about humans. Like being a father . . . Caleb could sing a song about that.

"Good. I believe you two share a weakness, then. You both would do anything for your daughters. And while yours is save on a ship in the nothern sea, his is running from him. As much as I hate to do it, Markus . . . she might be the only incentive we can give him to do anything. We need her. And we will most likely need to use her against him." Carl nodded. "At least she needs to tell us where he is." He handed Markus the keys to the car. "The nav will tell you where to go. Our sats have located her in the old Speicherstadt." Carl nodded again and entered the car, the laptop he grabbed from the car, he put on his legs and began typing. "My last remaining team is with your daughter and I plan to keep it that way, so we will need to get her."

All the ressources he had lost and it did not mean a thing. You did not challenge Gods with an army. That was silly. Ridicilous. You challenged with ideas. And Carl had a few especially dangerous ideas in store for Sebastian Falk.

Tag: Mitth

 

IC: Markus J. F. Christianson
Hamburg, Streets

Listening Markus nodded, whilst nibbling his bottom lip. An annoying habit but at least one which no longer left tell-tale signs afterwards. ?I can ask, but I cannot force her. When we just parted ways I told her I would not force her to come or go anywhere.? Well perhaps not in so many words but splitting hairs was something he had never been fond of let alone good at. ?She did ask me to give you her regards, I don?t think she knows about you.? Was all he could think to add after taking the drivers seat and beginning to head towards the GPS location Karl was showing him. Well okay that last had been a jab at Weber, but it was his true assessment, if she knew him by what even he knew he doubted that she would of acted so to his mention of meeting with him.

This kind of brought to mind a book he had read for relaxation a while back, by William H. Murray The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, particularly the part about committing to an idea or task. Even more specifically a quote of Goethe?s couplets: ?Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.?

At this juncture he felt himself throwing the proverbial knapsack over the wall, committing himself to find a solution. His daughter was now superfluous to this goal, even if she was the end benefactor he had in mind, the goal itself was now the thing. Save the world, convince the nanny.

That whole meeting with a monster comment was probably going to come back to bite him now, but not all monsters were useless like Thomas. Some found a purpose in the world, and the world was better for them. Now he was the mental string giving Karl a link to Sebastian just as Laura soon would be the fulcrum placed upon him, Karl would have to be the leverage if he was beginning to see this correctly. "This is going to be interesting. Isn't it?"

TAG: Fin, LordT

 

Carl Weber
Hamburg


Carl sat next to Markus and allowed his thoughts to move in circles. Creation in many ways consisted of circles connected to each other and that made this line of thought often more effective than one thought. Sebastian, Laura, Markus, Caine, Africa, himself. Himself, Africa. Caine. Markus. Caine, Markus. Markus Laura. Laura Sebastian. No, there was no Markus Laura. Only Laura. And Laura Sebastian.

He cursed himself for sending a part of himself to the dead place. He understood now, it had been more than a fatal waste of resources. It had been a DIVIDE. One that had changed everything. But it was irreversible. And he had taken care of that. Carl had to smile at that.

Even by his standards the murder of a part of you bordered insanity. And Carl understood quite often what so called insane really thought. A glimpse at the truth did that to you, as Markus showed so wonderfully. He had to deny the truth, HAD to deny the truth, to go on. He could not ask the right questions, had not even asked for proof of his daughters life. He wanted to believe in her continued existence.

Humans.

And Carl was so jealous about it. They had no idea that the ability to evaluate things in a wrong way, to make them less mysterious, stressful or even hurtful was so unique. So precious. With greater power always came greater wisdom. Ultimately omnipotence brought omniscience. And omniscience was a painful thing. It really was. It was a state of mind where no hope existed anymore. Everything was bound to happen. Everything was in perfect order and the cold visage of the coming things showed only one inevitable truth after another. Sebastian Falk had ended that and given Carl the gift of not knowing. And maybe, maybe Carl himself had gained the ability to put things together in a way most comfortable to himself.

Tapping into the stream of consciousness he found . . . Goethe. He had expected Shakespeare, but Goethe had always been the wiser. Carl regretted almost to never having met him. After all The Faust had such an impact on Milton, obviously.

Omniscience. Carl returned to the original topic. Cricles closed, after all. Omniscience. what could have done to the poor mortal mind of Sebastian Falk? Carl had come close at times, but never had really total knowledge. He had never desired it. Knowledge was so hard to bear, at times.


"This is going to be interesting. Isn't it?" Markus asked. Carl turned his had and gave the man a smile.

?Oh Markus, I have seen Empires rise and fall, Gods die and the way of thinking of your species change through a single thought at the right time written down, but believe me if you like interesting . . . THIS is your age.? He looked at Markus. ?He might be right about Notre Dame. Sebastian. Maybe the message was not for us after all. Assuming with us he meant me and my borthers. You mind hearing that story while driving??

Oh Markus. Markus.

"It´s a ghost tale, barely known, but one that actually hcanged the world. In all approriate secrecy, of course.


Tag: Mitth

---

[b]Ghost[/b]
[i]Motel[/i]

She began to click slower, so the stupid American had more time to look. Or did he just observe better than her? She took the idea of them being the same and ran her prototype face recog. "Yes, the same man. Not in my databank." She shook her head like a small child. "I hack toshiba´s website. I can find out who bought this toy to Zinsky." She was a bit jealous on that thing, obviously. "And the second hard-drive is in works. An hour perhaps? Not a good code, but complicated and this laptop is slow." She excused, still avoiding eye contact to both men. As Rudyard suggested to go, she became nervous. She had not excatly spend time with men in room too often. Her amazing sel-consciousness and big mouth was remarkable absent now. "What do you know about this Zinsky?" She asked Rufus.

[b]Tag: Draco, Winged, Fin[/b]

 

IC: Markus J. F. Christianson
Hamburg, Streets

?Sounds like a perfect tale for a drive in this city. A better setting cannot be made.? Markus replied with all sincerity as they drove through the desolation that had cropped here after the Change. It was all so, so much that a heart merely in disconnection from image to emotion could keep them at bay. Even yet that ghostly image of a stain on a wall, seeming to move without moving, seeing Kiel. Perhaps there was a better place for ghost stories, as was though, this one with it?s now personal horror?s would more than suffice.

He grinned slightly at that, Emily Wilding Davison came to mind from 1913, he doubted it would mean anything to Laura when they approached her. Sadly he wondered if what Weber was going to ask of her was not unlike that woman throwing herself under the King?s carriage due to lack of women?s rights. Well, the grin faded as he followed the thought through, and a part of him wondered if the solution was not in a problem that had been pushed to the periphery of thought, something that was set aside because humanity did not feel quite ready to broach the problem. Many things known today came about from one or a few individuals broaching those sequestered problems and proposing solutions based on something beyond imagination to most of humanity at the time.

Sometimes these were in egregious error, such as the link between the tomato and death, which wasn?t disproved to the populaces taste until a certain man stood in town square and ate a basket full of them and stayed to prove he didn?t die from it. Even covering food to prevent spoiling wasn?t a common idea until the recent studies performed within a couple hundred years into their past. Or perhaps as a teacher might of said in Sunday school, ?Nothing new is under the sun, merely things that are rediscovered by humanity.?

Such as life is, so does life does. He could only hope that he was not the proverbial frog in the warming pot.

TAG: Fin, LordT

 

Carl Weber
Car, Hamburg


"Yeah, actually it is a perfect setting. It certainly is." Carl finally closed his laptop and looked out. he sorted the events for a moment, before he began to talk. his words were chosen with wisdom and his speed perfect alt all times. He had simply told these stories for so many years., although this particular story was quite old. And it had not been told in quite some time to anybody.

"It was 1244 anno Domini in Paris the story took place. The great Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris was finally about to be finished and the great Master Jean de Celle had been ordered to create some additional reliefs for what was already the most artful church of it´s time. A terrible sight to behold. A church to make believers fear their God and despair, so they would crawl to the church for forgiveness of their sins . . . for a price, obviously. This Jean de Celle had a good friend of mine in his company. One of my brothers, let us call him Tony for now. Tony has a weak spot for genius in all it´s form and therefore he could not resist to see a masterpiece of it´s age completed. They spend the night there, working. Or doing whatever they did, when thy were alone. And when they left in the early morning hours, they locked the Church and told the guard to let nobody get near it unless the Bishop ordered them to. Not even them. The guards did what guards do. They followed the orders. And indeed that night the Church lay in total silence.? Carl stopped for a moment, smiling to himself, as if he saw the scenery before himself. ?The next day the Bishop, the Master and the Bishop´s whole court . . . yes he was that kind of Bishop . . . entered the Church. And it was so marvelous. Ever been to Notre Dame? A perfect gothic church, creepy and dark, majestic and yet very intimidating it was. A perfect masterpiece. And then a young Priest who went by the name of Charles de Gelle, saw something that shouldn´t have been there. Right over the gates there was a block of pitch black marble and in the marble there was a writing. It said:? Carl made a pause again and his voice was thundering as if he evoked some of his power with the very words.

?Eritis sicut dii scientes bonum et malum.? Carl grinned.

?Old latin. Ancient latin, actually. It means YOU SHALL BE AS GODS, KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL.?

Carl nodded. ?The thing was, there had never been black marble ordered or used in the construction and the block was so big, not five men could have carried it. The Master was baffled, but the Bishop loved it. A mystery. The word soon spread and obviously it had to be the devil who put it up there, if not God himself. Some poor fella burned for it. As they did in that time, when something extraordinary happened. And the block remained in place. Until this very day. Nobody ever found out how it came to be. How it found it´s place in the church. We did think about it, though. The block appearing in the presence of one of us? It could not be a coincidence. And the devil, he does not exist. The reflection of a church on the darker side of creation And God? God was dead. We had killed God 1500 years before. So who put it there? And more important what was the message supposed to mean? It changed our ways. It changed the way we saw ourselves, me and my brothers. Because who in all creation could follow this order better than us? Who could be like a God more so than us three who were so close to our father. Who were all that remained of him in the world. My practices changed, my take on things. The same was true for my brothers. From limiting ourselves to human ways we began to build and to create . . . opportunities for humanity. Much like our father had done. And now Sebastian says it wasn´t meant for us. He obviously thinks it was made for you, the humans. And indeed his has become like a God, but does he know good and evil? Good and evil, the so called dualism of morality is such a new concept. Yet, I feel like he abandoned it already. Or did he?? Carl leaned back. ?Next left.? He said and obviously he

 

IC: Markus J. F. Christianson
Hamburg, Streets

The tale changed all those thoughts, it was one he remembered from a Sunday school teacher that enjoyed history. Only the teacher he could not remember sharing about the inscription upon that granite block, merely the mystery of how it could have been snuck in, how it could have been smuggled and installed into the church and by who. Now someone from times before it revealed his own bafflement by that self same stone.

The words though, words brought to mind a disturbed dream, a woman without a mouth. Blood falling from eyes as black as space viewed within the periphery of a red nebula, filled with sadness, filled despair that made those silent sob-less tears of blood a plea without words. Then around that frail visage of femininity in the bleakness of a wasteland desert, those words had echoed: ?And you shall be like gods. . .?

He missed the turn, he hadn?t registered the order until he was passing the street. Stopping the vehicle he threw it in reverse and backed up. ?Sorry.? Was all he could muster before he put it in forward motion again. Driving as Weber had directed. ?It reminded me of the snake, garden of Eden. . .Is it wrong not to want to be a god, but not able to stop from looking behind the curtain?? She still hung there in his mind, the tears of blood staining her face. The sadness.

And you shall be as gods

TAG: Fin, LordT

 

Rufus Jameson
New Rose Motel, Tokyo

Rufus looked at the Brit as he told him about his kids. Divorced and far away from home. This man had much more to loose than he did, anyway. He lit his next cigarette and the nicotine slowly helped him think. without saying anything more about family he turned to Ghost again. "Whoever paid for that computer, I bet we will find a ticket from Hamburg to Africa on his account, too. Somewhen summer 2011. Someone sponsored our guy. And that certain someone had ressources. Question is, what do you need a German student for? Looks like they spend millions on him, right? I heard he was some kind of computer genius, just like you. Maybe he hacked something for them? Then again, in Africa?" And why would he have to move there? You could do this kinda thing from the other side of the world, right? And zinsky was a respectable computer science guy, as far as Rufus knew. There had to be better suited people for that line of work. He exhaled the smoke and stared at the computers working.

Vane-Tempest implied he should watch the lobby. Not a bad idea, actually. "Remember, this guy can change shapes and he is quick. Really quick. If he shows up, shot for the legs. Saved my life in Nepal." Then he turned to the screen fully again and sat next to Ghost. "Give me that picture of the man before he went ill, yes?" He sighed and looked at the man. Did he know him? No. But something seemed awfully familiar about him. "European, hasn´t lived in Europe for quite some time though, I´d say. Pretty good taint. He looks happy. Satisfied. In the background is something like a birdfarm. Guess there a lot of those run by Europeans, hm? Can we somehow identify the birds? Might be a clue." He was trying to hold on to straws, but waiting wasn´t his good side and he had to wait a lot since all of this began.

He took over the keyboard for a second and switched through the pics. A tundra like environment and then a desert. So wherever this is, it is close to a desert. A desert where a dig takes place, somewhere in Africa. Not helpful either, hm?" He sighed and kept on smoking. "And that strange sandstorm. It meant something to Zinsky, like the woman. The dig. The house. He witnessed something, but so few photos? I guess he did a shot here and there and only afterwards the meaning became clear, so he kept what documentation he had. And fled to the other side of the world. Maybe from that guy."

Picking into the fog with a fork the Germans called that. "Can you trace any deleted photos? Maybe he had more snapshots and did not deem them worthy to survive."

Tag: Fin, LordT, Winged

 

Chapter One - An American Nightmare


The Penthouse

Milton Prest raised his brows and showed no other sign of being nervous except that. He then laughed out a short, barking laughter and took mouthful of his Cocktail. ?I see. I am in trouble, right? Maybe I should call my lawyer.? He turned his back on the two policemen and took something that looked like a small radio. ?A drink? I can really get you something, even without alcohol. The city is going to war, you don´t know when you will get another drink.? He said and waved his hand to the panorama of burning Washington D.C.. Gunshots could be heard from far away.

Malone licked his lips and then shook his head. ?Is that all you gotta say about the accusation?? He tried to put more pressure on Prest, but the lawyer did not seem to realize that. He smiled at him and leaned against the balustrade.

?I actually had a call with Carl Weber this morning. Yes, it was suddenly over and yes I have heard he was found dead. Where was my mind? How could I have missed the obvious connection? But we were talking about economic projects of his and how to put them on ice until things were . . . calm again. Contracts, payments and the things a lawyer does for his client, you know?? He put his hand to his head and then his fingers spread as if to underline how confused his mind had to be. Then he returned to his folded arms and his eyes turned from Malone to Garret. ?His death is such a tragedy. A brilliant, brilliant man.? Milton looked out to the city and then his face grew serious and showed a deadly, threatening calm, as if to hide some rage beneath it he had decided not to unleash. Malone avoided eye contact.
?But kidnapping? KIDNAPPING?? Prest shook his head. ?That is a serious accusation. I don´t abduct little girls, Detectives. Little girls. Really, how do you come to the conclusion I could have to do anything . . .? He stopped midsentence and then laughed. ?Oh yes, I actually remember there was something. But you really got a twisted version of that, if you accuse me of kidnapping. I advised this morning a Colonel to send a team to free a girl from the custody of some psychopathic gang from the East End. I haven´t got word what became of it, but I thought some media coverage about Marines saving little girls might keep the mob from burning down the white House. Foolish me, is it??

Malone exchanged a look with Garret. His thoughts were written all over his face. Prest hired the gang and then send the marines to kill the gang and no proof was left he was involved.

Prest smiled a cold smile, as if he had read his mind. ?Foolish me.? He repeated and this time it appeared to be said in another, yet to be revealed context.

Tag: HS29



The Car

Sanders looked at Basset and seemed to consider his words.

?I?d also appreciate it if you told what?s about to go down before we move in. I know we?re trying to get ?Alpha?, but what about these soldiers? How bad has the U.S. military gotten in these times??

Sanders then sighed and leaned back. ?We are not there to get Alpha. You are there to get alpha to Mr. Prest. It is my duty to make sure we got no witnesses left to tell about her . . . special nature.? He said and looked out of the window. ?Don´t worry, you were marked trustworthy. And that means something, coming from Prest. Guess you´re too smart to double cross him.? Sanders said the last sentence with a pain in his voice that indicated he had not been smart enough once. ?So you go in and get her. I take care of the rest and come to the car then. If she resists, we must keep her from fleeing at all costs.? Sanders smiled. ?As usual. The only thing that is important are the secrets. Human lives. We got 6 billion of those. Negotiation mass, you know??

Tag: Spy

 

The End of Chapter 3: Nietzsche was right


Lobby of the New Rose Hotel, Tokyo

Rudyard found the lobby to be not a bit more clean than the rest of the Hotel. But it was more active. Actually it was much too active to make sure nothing escaped your attention. Musicians were down there with their band and then several people waiting. A business man, who certainly had no ?ordinary? business to do around here. Several prostitutes. One looked like an expensive escort. And German tourist. Four or five of them. Fat, sweating, photographing tourists.
There was also the couple with the backpack. It was one of those strange, young fashion aware couples.

[image=http://www.tokyofaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/japanese-fashion-two-girls-boots-hats.jpg]

They were sitting there with their backpacks and looked like they had not really a good time. They did not catch the eye, nor did they try to get any attention. Yet, something was strange about them.

Tag: Winged


Limousine of Leonard

Leonard looked at Lilith. ?He does not have that kind of power! Lilith, he cannot do anything like THIS!? Turning on the small TV in his car he showed the pictures of what had recently happened in California.

[image=http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/independence-day-los-angeles-disaster.jpg]

[image=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4585938956_9c9a83f404_o.jpg]

[image=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eUMjuqRbo0k/TLCeFUElwhI/AAAAAAAAAVg/r3yRhA8GSFE/s1600/2012-movie-431x300.jpg]

The news of a burning White House and the possibility of a civil war in the US were send through the pictures every few seconds. Leonard switched channels and this time Paris was seen. It was empty. Just like Hamburg. Or Dallas. The mass vanishing now jumped from one city to the next in Europe, travelling west. People were fleeing east. Probably where the change would strike next.

[image=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qkdNWALUYgM/S8IO1FasGjI/AAAAAAAAFkw/pifpm5QU5PY/s1600/cazarines.vox.jpg]

Leonard took Lilith shoulders. ?Whatever he does, did or will do. It has something to do with Zinsky. It makes sense. Remember what Rufus told us. It was Caine who found and Caine who killed him. The old fool just did not get that what he looked for was on the computer. We need to know what is on it. You need to make Rufus share it with us. And then we need to find a way to kill your son!?

Leonard had a fire in his eyes as Lilith had not seen it since he lead the Mongols into China. He was ready for a war. His first in 12 centuries.

Tag: Sinrebirth

 

Chapter Five - Sinners

Speicherstadt

[image=http://www.hamburg-tourism.de/typo3temp/pics/Speicherstadt_Nacht8_55de240336.jpg]

Karl and Markus finally arrived in the Speicherstadt. It was deserted just as everything else in Hamburg. It was growing dark and hte lights of the Speicherstadt were still working. Independant energy sources had truly their advantages. The historical part of the city build right out of the sea, with it´s red stone buildings and the tiny streets and many, many bridges had once been a center of business life. The traditional place for hanseatic business, as they called it. The Thalia, the big market lay right in front of them, as Karl and Markus stepped out. Laura, according to the nav and sat data, was in there. And she was alone.

Tag: Mitth, LordT, Sirak

 

Laura Blohm
Thalia Market, Hamburg - Speicherstadt


The tears dried on her cheeks and she realized they had not been fair. She had no right to cry, nor did it make sense. There was nothing to cry about. There was nothing.

Nothing.

Laura finally returned to the present with her senses and shook her head almost violently. Raising her arm, she suddenly realized the jacket she was wearing was not her own. The jacket she had been wearing all along was not hers. Where did she get it from? And when? Irrelevant. The question about when was irrelevant.

Ich erkenn mich nicht
In den Schaufensterscheiben
Entdecke nichts, was mir gefällt
Ich brauch die schönsten Kleider
Und die schlausten Männer
Und eine Hand, die meine Hand für immer festhält

Looking up into the mirror she saw the green anorak and the beige cap she had been wearing and half-consciously she grabbed the cap and dragged it from her head. Then she allowed the jacekt to fall of her shoulders. Smiling to herself she turned and wandered away from them. To forgive and forget. Why could she not get rid of that goddamned tune?

Wovon soll ich noch träumen?

Laura closed her eyes, then she collected herself and smiled. a forced, sad smile. Her eyes snapped open and the next window reflected her pathetic attempt at looking happy. she had to laugh about herself. she looked like a small child again. "Maybe I should call my Doctor, hm?" That made her laugh only harder. Was she hysterical? No, it was funny she decided. It was simply funny.

Wovon sollen wir träumen?

She pushed the gun she still had in her hand . . . or had it mysteriously returned there? . . . she pushed it into her belt and her steps began to get faster. A black leather jacket caught her eyes. She had never enough money to get one of those. Looking around as if it was important what she took and what not, she smiled and went through them to look for a European 32 or a brit 34. She found one and quickly pushed it over her body. it smelled so good. she took a deep breath and smiled. Leather. She never had a thing for leather but this one smelled expensive. turning towards the mirror she realized her jeans looked totally cheap with that jacket and her top was not the right colour. turning around, playing with her hair, she saw the tops far away. Maybe something of Joop? One of those wonderful cut sweaters which she had seen? The black one? And a blue jeans. An expensive one. Oh yes, she guessed there was no harm in a few new shoes, too. No heels, also she would have loved to have those. But probably sneakers? Nike? No, those italian shoes they had here, imported from Montepulciano. If they did not have it in her size she would ask . . .

She would ask nobody.

There was nobody.

She did not get far, when she suddenly realized this and stopped again. And as crazy as the world was, even this truth did not hold for very long. Outside a car arrived. She could hear it, could see the lights. Her hand reached for the gun. Only to stop and let it go before she pushed it out of her belt. What? Did you want to protect yourself at all costs? Because you don´t wanna die?

Actually she wanted to. she dragged the gun out of her belt, but the safety to off and put it to her head. Staring out of the window, as she heard the car doors open and shut again her finger lay down on the trigger.

Thomas, dear Thomas. She knew he had wanted her to surrender, but his logic had been perfect. This world just was not about logic anymore, was it? Things had changed. Maybe the had to. Maybe they had to change and change until this was a good world. A descent world. closing her eyes, she realized it would not work. Changing things back by pulling the trigger. But she could pull it anyway. Just to see what happened when you were dead. Would the gun go off? Would it change anything? Father? Would it?

Her mind realized it would be Markus. Markus and Karl. Who else could it be? Who else? Mark

 

Karl Weber
Hamburg, in front of the Thalia

Karl nodded as they reached the Thalia, the big shopping center in the center of the souther speicherstadt and got out of the car. It was cool, as always in Hamburg when you got close to the sea. He wondered that he recognized. "She is in there." With a sigh he handed Markus the gun. A Glock 17, like ESTI used them. It was one of ESTI´s actually. Maybe Markus would even recognize it, if he cared. But what difference did it make now. Karl would not explain anymore for now. He had to find Blohm. And through her he had to reach her Father. Because sooner or later, the change would be done with humans and Karl had little doubt he was on Sebastian Falk´s list to be Chenged away.

[image=http://www.asiaforexmentor.com/webpages/gun.jpg]

"Let´s get inside. According to my sat she is alone."


Tag: Sirak, Mitth

---

[b]
Ghost[/b]
[i]New Rose hotel, Tokyo, Room[/i]

Ghost wanted another computer, or two. The eye of the American was sharp. She understood now, why he had been hired Her face recog software she had stolen some month ago from google when it had still been a prototype recognized the face. And then found a third entry. It wasn´t on the desktop. It had been painted.

[image=http://www.deco-artdesign.de/galerie/ArtDesign/Portraet%20v.%20Goetz%20George%20in%20Bleistift.JPG]

That one had a name. "Sebastian Falk." She said with a terrible japanese accent. Then she smiled. "Now that is something I can look for." She said and smiled amused. She had cracked Zinsky´s first secret the old fashioned way. "Another thirty minutes until we encrypt and maybe as long until I crack the toshiba firewall. These computers are slow and start to get hot." She excused herself and then realized it was probably fast for Rufus Jamesons standrds. The way he typed with two fingers told her, he did computers rarely. And then out of necessity.

"I can look for Falk menawhile." Taking her second laptop she opened her Darkfox and waited for the browser to open. It was terrible slow now. She used that time to have a long look at smoking, drinking Jameson. He was taller than he looked on Video. They all were. And there was a fever in his eyes she knew from the reflection of her computer on busy nights. Dedication. This man would not stop until he had unravelled those secrets.

"Professor Doctor Sebastian Falk. Linguistic, Humbold University Berlin from 1979 to 1987 when he took a science-year and never seemed to have come back. He is sixty-five these days, widower and he has a daughter who is named Laura Falk. I´l add her to the search parameters. Damned, ESTI is down. Needed me a month to get in there. But I downloaded about 70% of their database, maybe I can find her there." She began to open the mobile harddrive, too. "You don´t have another computer by chance?" She asked, as she saw how incredible slow her quadcore became now. Then it finally opened and she entered the name. The file blinked up immediately. They had not copied it, but there was a remark. She opened it and saw she was a wanted person. A-list. 776. "776, does this code tell you anything? German police, maybe. She is wanted."

[b]Tag: Draco, Fin[/b]

 

IC: Markus J. F. Christianson
Hamburg, Streets

As they pulled up and got out of the vehicle he couldn?t get her off his mind now that he drudged that image up. It was like when he had first seen the mutated images of Geordi on The Next Generation, it stayed in his head. For this he needed to ?gird up? his mental loins. For he was definitely feeling a mental draft as Weber handed him an ESTI standard issue Glock 17.

Firstly he needed to do something that was well over due. He set the mental landscape, a curved table, tall screens floated before his mind?s eye. It was time to set things in order. Like lightning though, he knew the inherently unfocused nature of such things. He would not travel the proverbial straight line, no like unto that phenomena post mortem memoriam he would arch and turn, twisting on the molecules of the air of thought. Following the scent to what would be his ground zero. Never would he turn back on himself, but ever onward he needed to go as a guided bolt from Zeus? hand.

If Karl or his ?brothers? ever went by or started Zeus he didn?t want to know at the moment after that thought. Pausing he put away the weapon and leaned against the cooling hood for a minute as he continued to collect himself, putting off that fateful meeting until his mind was further sorted.

First was the flight down here to the German lands. The dream, or was it a vision? So hard to parse such hairs, and yet one he must leave unparsed now, no matter how dark the granite that begged the parsing.

The bits of that mystery he had first dreamed and perceived blasphemous, and so branded the woman a demon spectre. Now he doubted that to the core of his being. He had known a demon, Thomas, and he knew a progenitor of evil if ever there was. He had known love as well and if those tears were natural, then it was likely the woman was more a wounded heart given form. Was not the descriptions of the beasts and angels of heaven something most would assume came from the other lower realms if ever they met outside such cheerful splendor?

There it was and so it must stay, much as the woman?s own words un-uttered.

?Weber, can I borrow that satellite phone for a moment? I would like a moment before stepping into the den of possibilities.? He wanted if just for a moment to speak with that sweet voice he had been so thoroughly denied since first coming to this forsaken country. Then again he probably hadn?t had a very good showing, and now there seemed none left to show him another brighter side. Perhaps what laughter and smiling faces once may of filled these shops where Thomas had likely hunted. It was all as such, tainted.

And you shall be as gods

TAG: Fin, LordT

 

Rufus Jameson
The Motel, Tokyo


She was good. Half an hour? Hell, he had thought about having a nap. She broke into computers like he could lockpick a door. If it was an easy lock.

Rufus nodded and took out another cigarette. the fourth? He decided against it and put it back into the box, well knowing he would soon come back to that little nail in his coffin. Well, he doubted there would be coffin. Or a funeral, as a matter of fact.

"He looks a bit deranged on that picture. It is a strange way to picture your host. I assume that´s what he was. The taint, the way he carries himself on that photo. I guess the man and the black woman were the hosts of Jacob Zinsky in Africa. So once we found him, we can follow that trace back to . . . "

"Professor Doctor Sebastian Falk. Linguistic, Humbold University Berlin from 1979 to 1987 when he took a science-year and never seemed to have come back. He is sixty-five these days, widower and he has a daughter who is named Laura Falk. I´l add her to the search parameters. Damned, ESTI is down. Needed me a month to get in there. But I downloaded about 70% of their database, maybe I can find her there." The girl gave her computer a worried look. "You don´t have another computer by chance?" Rufus just shook his head. "776, does this code tell you anything? German police, maybe. She is wanted." Rufus raised his brow. Indeed it meant something to him. "Europol code. She has escaped from custody. And it must have been a hot escape. Means someone is pissed at her." Rufus leaned forward. "Can you locate where that happened? Must be somewhere in Europe. Do they not have that Agency they founded because of the Change? Like Prometheus over in the states? What was it´s name? Leslie or something?" He leaned forward. "Recruited a lot of Europol guys, maybe they come back to mama when something happens and use their old codes." She was in Europe. Probably Germany. That was awful far away. Rufus thought a moment about it. It was especially damned far away from Nepal. "That Professor, I heard his name in Nepal, I believe. And he had a daughter." rufus shrugged. "Maybe Berlin. Could have been recruiting for Daddy. He took a science year and never came back? so he goes to Afrika and his daughter recruits a staff? He is a linguist, much like Zinsky. I mean . . . the connection is there. What the hell did they work on, is the question. Guess that will be revealed in about half an hour, right?" Rufus smiled. They were making progress. They were really making progress.

"Ghost, I have recently fallen in love and it´s a complicated thing. If I had not, I would so totally ask you for a date." He smiled at her. "You´re amazing."

Tag: LordT

 

Karl Weber
Speicherstadt, Thalia

Karl gave Markus a look and then he took the phone from his jacket and handed it to Markus. "The Laptop you can have too. You can see her with it, it´s satelite linked, too. But . . . " Karl looked into the sky, then he checked his watch. Mimicry of human habits. He knew exactly what time it was. "She will still be in the air in my helicopter on the way to the ship. So you won´t reach her for another 40 minutes, probably. I ordered them take an indiect route for safety reasons." He gave Markus a long look and wondered if a sorry was adequte, but decided against it. "So we should probably get Laura first.. I also think your daughter would like to see her. They were very, very close."

A moment he allowed Markus to wonder about it, then he began to walk towards the shattered glass of the entrance of the Thalia.

Tag: Mitth

 

Jack Basset
Washington D.C.

?We are not there to get Alpha. You are there to get alpha to Mr. Prest. It is my duty to make sure we got no witnesses left to tell about her . . . special nature. Don´t worry, you were marked trustworthy. And that means something, coming from Prest. Guess you´re too smart to double cross him. So you go in and get her. I take care of the rest and come to the car then. If she resists, we must keep her from fleeing at all costs. As usual. The only thing that is important are the secrets. Human lives. We got 6 billion of those. Negotiation mass, you know??

Jack nodded as he drove through the empty streets. Get in, get out. He didn?t bother to say anything else. He doubted his ally expected a response. On the long drive, Jack realized what state the U.S.A was actually in. Boston had become a nuclear wasteland. One of his best friends had lived there, actually. Big, science type. Unlike most of his ?friends? when he had been making his way up the political ladder, his friend had actually stayed by his side. Frequent contact, especially during the period after Katherine?s death. To think that, along with his friend, the rest of America was being snuffed out. Washington D.C. was the next target. That saddened him, as he had personally loved the place.

His phone vibrated in his pocket once again. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. How bad did he actually want to answer the phone and hear his daughter?s voice? Hear the jingle in her laugh that sounded so much like Katherine? But now was not the time or the place to try and reconcile. Or maybe it was. He couldn?t know for sure if he would actually survive this mission Prest wanted him to do. And even if he did, how much longer would he have after that.

He muttered a prayer for her. It wouldn?t hurt. She had, like her mother, been devoted to church and religion. When she had been a child, after Katherine?s death, Jack couldn?t understand why she would turn away from him and to God. He had gotten into vicious fights with her when she was a teenager. Was it fair for him to have been so cruel to her? Didn?t she deserve answer to a phone call, after everything he had put her through?

When Jack had finally arrived at the location, he stopped the Honda. Exchanging a look with his ally, he prepared himself for the inevitable. Whatever this girl looked like, she couldn?t be more scary than what he had seen.

TAG: Fins

 

IC: Markus J. F. Christianson
Speicherstadt, Thalia

Catching the phone and moving for the laptop he paused at Karl?s words. At first his lips had made to make a smile, but now it down turned once more as the question yet hung upon the air. ?Yes, well, I gathered that when she held me hostage.? That was all would say on that matter of Laura and his daughter, all he would think of it as well.

You know that saying? And you shall be as gods, it really should of added something to it, like his flat-mate back home after his divorce was fond of saying: ?a fine kettle of fish that does for ya.? Which had baffled him somewhat, well until the friend gave him a kettle of jellied carp as an example, it also showed what horrors can come from trying to take idioms too seriously.

Still activating the tele he decided it was better to dial up the boat and tell them to call back as soon as Alicia arrived. That would minimize things abit. After all he would be able to gage the boats reply to see if they even were expecting her. Walking with it to his ear he followed after Karl, time keeps on moving and it was time to move in sync.

TAG: Fin, LordT, Sirak?

 

Karl Weber
Hamburg, Thalia


GM Update


The voide on the other side was young, female and cold. "Sir?" It asked. But as soon as Markus said a word she cut him off. "Who are you and where is Mr. Weber?"

Where was he indeed. Almost mindless wandering away from Markus, looking into the air as if it contained the most wonderful thing in the world.

---

Karl had to smile at Markus attempt to secure the kowledge Karl had not betrayed him. As if he would be so . . . amateurish in that. Twnty-five thousand years of existing in this state made you a Master of deception by necessity. But the truly funny thing was, that it would obviously be Markus who would need more trust than he was ready to offer Karl. Markus would at one point ask Karl to hand him Alicia. A woman he had not saved twice, despite being offered the chance. The truth was . . . and htey probably both knew it . . . there had been things much more important to Markus. He was in this and the game did not allow distractions. No, Markus lied to himself when he believed he had anything but abandoned what made him most human. He had. And that meant . . . he developed quicker than the others.

Karl closed his eyes and remembered those who had come before. Was Markus different? So far Karl had assumed that Sebastian was aware of the technique and imitated it whenever he wanted too. But assumptions were dangerous. Maybe Markus looked at hte outside the same as the other mortals but was really rooted in a very different idea or purpose then mere existence?

Then something crept into the awareness of Carl´s more unusual senses. Like an itching on submolecular levels, there was a new entry into the book of creation. He felt it. Someone was changing the code, right now. Karl´s eyes snapped open. Incredible. It had to be a massive change, if he could perceive it without even trying.

The chains were broken. A million consequences mapped and planned out from the beginning of time were broken and shattered, only to be reassembled. Into what? It was almost hurtful how impossible it was to make out. Evolution, the principle of space, genetic determination, temporal progress, gravity, the quantum field principle . . . they vanished for moments so short, they were hardly perceivable even by creatures with such a heightened awareness as Carl. Then Carl realized it was not ture. the change had simply not happened in linear fashion. It had happened, but had not yet happened. The symptoms inverted from a future point in time, just as he had expected the Change to do it. Carl went to his knees and took up the smalled stone he could find. Holding it against the setting sun, his eyes pierced it´s simple structure. His gaze was feverish, as he tried to look into the very nature of the stone.

"What are you doing?" He asked himself and actually Sebastian who wasn´t listen he assumed. Was this how the universe had once been created? And if so why did he not remember? Had it probably become lost in time, as time itself lost all meaning? Was Sebastian Falk klinng time? Quite literally? Or had he just seen the tiny wave of a second creation? If so the question was where to put hte first one, right? No, no sebastian could not have understood it all so well, could he? After all this was a human mind they were talking about. Then again maybe he tried and failed. Maybe that was what caused the Change.

Carl allowed the stone to fall from his hands. He had not listened to Markus, but assumed the boat would not talk to anybody without his direct permission or order.

"He is here." Carl said to Markus and then he began to move. It did not matter if Markus understood how dangerous this moment was. Carl would not wait any longer.

[b]Tag: Mitth[/b]

 

IC: Markus J. F. Christianson
Speicherstadt, Thalia

Following that man proved a shortened point. The woman?s voice was like her master?s, and for it he had no rebuttal for a brief moment. Air in, air out. Weber was now ignoring him, if able to read others and have an uncanny betazoid ability to read others then it was a purposeful slight. Not that Markus minded terribly much, if it had been after his daughter had landed he would be more crossed, but at this junction it was more a tease he could tolerate with a modicum of humor. Smiling slightly at Weber?s own grin as he stared walking aimlessly at the air, Markus had to admit this was a most unique sense of humor born from the tempering fires of 25 thousand years. ?Weber!? he called out.

No response.

?Markus Christianson, your boss handed me this phone. My daughter is in route. Call us back when she arrives and is available.? He didn?t add more or wait for a response, at the last rushed word he ended the call. It was a touch of an old bit of psychology that you learn in the medical field, and often see practiced in recordings of agents in the field. Although the usual aim of conversation is to maintain control a sound tactic when you have someone that believes they are or should be in control is to state the desired and leave the rest of it to rattle in the other?s mind. Women were master?s of this, although they also used subterfuge to seem more cordial in the process.

Karl was on his knees now, muttering something, the air must not agree as it had at first. Picking up his step he put away the phone and approached Weber. ?What is it? What do you witness?? it was an odd way to put it but he had to for the past hours effects. It was not a question of ifs, but of what?s now.

Weber dropped a small stone that he had held up and Markus if by mere wrote existence necessitated his picking it up. Palming it in his own hands for a moment as Weber spoke of him being here, and what him? Why the only one that mattered. Sebastian. Perhaps it was time to see how involved Sebastian truly was going to be in the mundane of common existence.

As Weber moved so Markus moved to follow, to witness, and by so doing perhaps save the world. As Ralph Waldo Emerson, an interesting Yank had said: ?It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.? Now it seemed was the time to test that saying, and soon weigh it?s merit.

TAG: Fin, LordT, Sirak?

 

OOC: Approved and Combined with Fins

Chapter 1 ? An American Nightmare

IC: Joel David Shepherd
The House, East End, DC

?Lola? What a beautiful name.? He looked down at the nametap that bore his lastname upon his chest, ?My name is Joel.? He then looked at her next question of where she was. ?We are in Washington, DC. The Capital,? he said with hesitation, ?of the United States of America.? He sat a wondered for a moment, ?Where are you from??

The girl looked at him with widened eyes and shook her head. From below Shep could her Jenkins talk to someone. The girl waited a sec, then she closed her eyes and wrote down another word. "DC". Then she looked at Shep and added a "WHEN?"

Shep thought that was an odd question to ask. How long have they been holding her? ?It?s afternoon on Friday the 3rd. Why do you ask??

The girl looked at him and then shook her head again. She took the pen and it was obviously painful for her to write, as she was simply not used to it and kept the pencil in her hand like a heavy sword or something similar. "YEAR" Was what she added as she looked at Shepherd.

Joel furrowed his brow, not fully understanding how she wouldn?t know what year it was, ?It?s 2012, where have you been??

Hearing the year the mouthless girl jumped up. She could not yell, obviously. But her eyes showed fear. Shaking her head she leaped to the window with such a speed Shep could not even react. She was fast, almost unnatural fast. Then she took the pencil again and wrote down words with the maximum speed. "MUST GO." She wrote and then, as if she remembered something that she had almost forgotten she added. "MOORE?"

?Moore?? Joel asked out loud. He was about to enquire some more something made him stop.

Looking at Shepherd as if she expected help from him of all people in the world, she seemed to plea for help. Behind them the door slammed open and the heavy boots of Jenkins entered the room. "The pick-up arrived, must have been near. They were pretty fast, don´t you think?" He smiled. "How does she eat?" He wondered looking at the girl. But the mouthless girl stared back, as if she looked right through his flesh into him.

?Ok Jenkins, head down to the pickup we?ll be right behind.? He then leaned in close to Lola and whispered in her ear, ?We are going out the backdoor. I?m not going to hand you over to these guys.? Joel could not figure out why, but he felt that this was the right thing to do, the honorable thing. They needed to get away from here and they needed to do it fast.

TAG: Fins

 

Co-GM Note

So I read 1st Arpil it is. Let´s hope it is not an April´s fools joke. As we will count on it. The Move is gonna happen anyway.

Fin and I will make sure everybody will have some sort of good point to have his character rest for a few weeks and I guess we´ll be pretty close to the finale by then with most of the storylines. Some will be shorter than others. But that´s totally fine.

SotF is certainly gonna scratch the end of the second third by then for many storylines. So we got another forty days to finish chapters and then the final chapters begin right after the MOVE.

In between we´ll do the interlude aka The Character Prequels. More info on them in March.

Thanks all of you for amazing us GMs with your characters!

LordT

EDIT: 1st of April is fast spreading rumor it seems and is probably more like the return date of the board. So the above stands, no matter how many days or weeks left. We´ll make sure you got a good transition point, anyway.