With folded arms, Theo looks up to the viewing area. "I'm not scared. I was worried my hard-earned gold was gonna fly everywhere. Does nobody know how to treat a hero in this whole damn place?!"
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With folded arms, Theo looks up to the viewing area. "I'm not scared. I was worried my hard-earned gold was gonna fly everywhere. Does nobody know how to treat a hero in this whole damn place?!"
"I'm not talking about you, soldier; I was referring to this poor civilian hiding beneath the desk beside me. To his credit, he does not appear to have wet himself."
Verve slams the boat into the wall one last time out of spite more than anything else.
She then turns and says "It was this or I'd slam him into the wall. Seemed like the better choice."
Verve moves to the desk and says "I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't intend to threaten you or scare you in any way and I completely apologize for harming you in anyway."
She offered her hand towards the man hiding under the desk to help him out.
Verve slams the boat into the wall one last time out of spite more than anything else.
She then turns and says "It was this or I'd slam him into the wall. Seemed like the better choice."
Verve moves to the desk and says "I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't intend to threaten you or scare you in any way and I completely apologize for harming you in anyway."
She offered her hand towards the man hiding under the desk to help him out.
The young man takes Verve's hand and gets out smiling sheepishly. He seems about to explain that under the desk seemed like the smartest place to be, but Colonel Greer starts talking instead, "Four of my soldiers are on their way downstairs to arrest Dr. Moore. You don't think Nissa and Charles would stop them, do you? You must have gotten to know them over the last three days. Dr. Preston told me about Beowulf; I'm assuming time passed the same there as here."
Downstairs, the heavy glass door to Dr. Moore's section of Boston Theoretical no longer shuts properly, Verve having bent one of its hinges when she slammed the door. The soldiers find nothing stopping them and soon arrive at Dr. Moore's library.
"We're here to arrest Dr. Moore," one of them explains to Charles and Nissa.
"No, I doubt they'd stop the soldiers." helping the man up, Verve smiles and says "again, I am sorry about my behavior."
“Why would you do that?” Nissa demands to know. “We agreed to travel inter-dimensionally, and Dr. Moore’s technology worked.
“Don’t ya hafta read him his rights? Or am I supposed to say ‘under what charge?’”
"I'm not sure military police work that way?" Charles half-says, half-asks. "And, um, even if you don't feel like there was anything wrong with the whole trip, locking yourself up in company property (or is this US Government property? I don't really get the exact relationship) is definitely illegal."
"I'm not sure military police work that way?" Charles half-says, half-asks. "And, um, even if you don't feel like there was anything wrong with the whole trip, locking yourself up in company property (or is this US Government property? I don't really get the exact relationship) is definitely illegal."
"Colonel Greer said he'd come up with the charges after he found out what happened, but he mentioned lying on a security application for a grant seeking military funding, tax evasion, endangering the lives of civilians by not disclosing specific known dangers of an experiment, and, possibly, being an illegal transdimensional alien. Also, we pulled Dr. Moore's birth certificate; Colonel Greer finds it highly unlikely that his parents were actually named Mama Bear and Papa Bear, so there's probably something there."
Dr. Moore shrugs and smiles half-heartedly, "This world is so boring and I just want to go home."
Nissa says, “Oh, duh! It’s totally obvious anyone who calls himself a Fictionaut comes from a storybook himself. I’m such a ditz!” Nissa walks up to Dr. Moore and asks, “Do I remind you of anyone? Short, blonde, pigtails? Maybe she has curls. Anyway, any chance you’re wearing a cloak like Charles has? ’Cause if you are, you might wanna remove a disguise that could confirm you’re…
“Baby Bear!”
Nissa says, “Oh, duh! It’s totally obvious anyone who calls himself a Fictionaut comes from a storybook himself. I’m such a ditz!” Nissa walks up to Dr. Moore and asks, “Do I remind you of anyone? Short, blonde, pigtails? Maybe she has curls. Anyway, any chance you’re wearing a cloak like Charles has? ’Cause if you are, you might wanna remove a disguise that could confirm you’re…
“Baby Bear!”
Dr. Moore chuckles, "No, I'm not Baby Bear. This timeline sucks, so I try to have a little fun, especially with all the freaking the forms. I have met Goldilocks, however, and, as much as I would not trust a word that comes out of that thief's mouth, the story you've heard is generally true; she robbed the house, fell asleep, and got caught."
“Oh,” Nissa says, sounding a tad disappointed. “Well... I’m probably the only one here trying to save your sorry butt. You better come up with an apology. And have cuffs on when you give that apology to Verve.”
To the soldiers, “If Dr. Moore promises not to start laser-eyeing us and just lets you cuff him peacefully, can you at least bring him to Greer so we can talk this through. I feel like a misunderstanding got wicked escalated while we were away. Jail doesn’t feel right.”
Then to Moore, she adds, “Don’t be a wuss. Let ’em cuff you. You can just break the chain and fly away anyway.”
“Oh,” Nissa says, sounding a tad disappointed. “Well... I’m probably the only one here trying to save your sorry butt. You better come up with an apology. And have cuffs on when you give that apology to Verve.”
[dice=Bluff, Sidereal (take the liberty of... b+%%**~~ting)]d20+11+d6
To the soldiers, “If Dr. Moore promises not to start laser-eyeing us and just lets you cuff him peacefully, can you at least bring him to Greer so we can talk this through. I feel like a misunderstanding got wicked escalated while we were away. Jail doesn’t feel right.”Then to Moore, she adds, “Don’t be a wuss. Let ’em cuff you. You can just break the chain and fly away anyway.”
[dice=Bluff: Pass Secret Message (DC20)]d20+11
** spoiler omitted **
"Ah, yes, fly away with my alien superpowers," Dr. Moore says too loudly to be believable. He allows a pair of detainment cuffs to be placed on him, restricting his movement and giving him a shock if he gets too far from his handler. The soldiers escort him back up towards the Flight Deck.
By the time you get there, the copy of Seamus Heaney's Fardwellers is now a copy of Seamus Heaney's Beowulf. Dr. Moore looks over at you sadly and says, "There's always the next story."
"You were amazing in there, Charles. The poet contrasted you and Grendel, with him looking more human, but your soul being purer despite your appearance being more bestial. And, then, later, when you're locked in combat with Grendel, the poets have you triumph because you do not give in to your bestial nature. It would have been quite great stuff."
When he reaches the Flight Deck he says loudly, "I would like to apologize unreservedly for sending you through a transdimensional gateway and placing your lives in danger. I should have been honest with you about what I knew so that you could make informed choices. I mean that sincerely ... to everybody ... well, not to Theo because he's not really my fault; that one is on Dionysus's head apparently. But, anyhow, to the rest of you, I'm deeply sorry."
Nissa says, “All due respect, Greer—and I know people usually say that right before throwing shade, but I really do say this with respect.
“I think arresting Moore will cause more problems than it’ll solve.
“Think about it. Yeah, he kinda misled us, but—assuming Charles is right that Valerie went somewhere else, we all survived. And… the experiment did as expected. We traveled to another world. It’s just that Dr. Moore failed to tell us he’s a Fictionaut.
“So then, we arrest him? And cancel the whole project? I mean, no skin off my back—I learned much about my powers in the Beowulf world and can do just fine as a heroine here. But… I’d hate to waste the taxpayers’ dollars. I think if doctors Moore and Preston work together, you can recreate the conditions needed to open a rift or whatever.”
Nissa looks up at the monitor, “I know I’m a ditz, Dr. Preston, but do you wanna at least heat my—whaddaya call it—hypothesis? The thing you do first when you say something outrageous, then a bunch of smart people figure out if it’s possible.
“Can you come join us? I’d rather tell you in-person, not talk to a screen.”
Everybody gathers in the Flight Deck room, around the smashed remains of Theo's boat, to hear Nissa's hypothesis.
Verve has calmed down by the time Dr. Moore is escorted upstairs. She has even started cleaning up the boat and putting the rather shattered remains neatly in one corner.
Upon hearing the man's apology, she uses a trick that Escalation taught her: stare intently at the hollow in the person's throat, between the collarbone and the bottom of the adam's apple on a man, and stare like you're trying to look through them.
Nissa runs up to Dr. Preston. She looks up, smiling and resisting the urge to give her a hug.
She says, “What if you upgrade The Bombshell?
“Like… with some tech to simulate whatever was going on in Valerie’s head? You must have nano-technology that can do that. It’s just that you didn’t ’cause… no scientist knows what the inside of her head is like.
“But I do. There maybe is a thing you can hook up to my head and see my memory of the two times I was in her brain.” To Dr. Moore, she says, “Anyone who can figure out how to talk to Goldilocks must know how to view someone’s memories.
“I’m willing to… well… assuming you would just see my view when I was in there, and not my deepest thoughts, which are kinda personal and can easily be taken outta context.”
Nissa gets off her odd tangent. “Nevermind that bit.
“Verve still has my little ship. Does my hypothesis seem worth a shot?”
Sense Motive to see if she thinks his apology is genuine
She says, “What if you upgrade The Bombshell?
....
“Maybe is a thing you can hook up to my head and see my memory of the two times I was in her brain.”
....
“Verve still has my little ship. Does my hypothesis seem worth a shot?”
Dr. Preston says, "Well, some colleagues in Europe have developed some amazing techniques for probing visual memories, but it might take a couple of weeks to set up."
Dr. Moore, still in restraints, offers, "Upgrading the bombshell still requires a gate generator. The only one I knew of in this reality when I arrived was the one PHD used when he jumped and I followed. After I lost track of him, I assumed he had left me behind in this reality. I joined Boston Theoretical to study Uncanny Valerie, but, then, Charles was found and hints PHDestruction could still be here. He could have a gate generator for Boston Theoretical to study, if we can find him."
Colonel Greer contributes to the brainstorming as well, "Now, about this boat. This is how you arrived in Beowulf, Theo? What kind of gate technology did you use and is it- er ... was it installed on board?"
The Olympian chuckles. "I have no idea. For all I know, it was just a boat. I don't remember the means how I arrived at the Beowulf theme park. My guess, 9 times out of 10, is the work of Dionysus, who was the last god I had company with, or just all the Olympian Gods. I got the feeling I was part of a pissing contest between the Olympian and Asgard gods."
The Olympian chuckles. "I have no idea. For all I know, it was just a boat. I don't remember the means how I arrived at the Beowulf theme park. My guess, 9 times out of 10, is the work of Dionysus, who was the last god I had company with, or just all the Olympian Gods. I got the feeling I was part of a pissing contest between the Olympian and Asgard gods."
** spoiler omitted **
Dr. Moore looks very concerned by Colonel Greer's suggestion.
He shouts to the lab tech who had been hiding from Verve earlier, "Minion, ...""It's Ron."
"What is?"
"My name."
"Oh, I think I'd know if your name was Ron! Are the omnisium filters picking up any radiation from ..."
"They were," says Ron.
"Were?" whimpers Dr. Moore.
"Were."
Dr. Moore turns to glare at Verve and then he remembers he is scared of her and glares at the remains of the boat instead.
Verve glares back at him for a moment and causes one of the pens in his pocket to move, then turns and ignores the man.
Charles folds all four of his arms. "Whatever we may feel about Dr. Moore here, if PhDestruction is going and gathering things like troll DNA for his experiments, we still need to track him down somehow. I mean, imagine if he gets into one of those old Godzilla movies or something."
Charles folds all four of his arms. "Whatever we may feel about Dr. Moore here, if PhDestruction is going and gathering things like troll DNA for his experiments, we still need to track him down somehow. I mean, imagine if he gets into one of those old Godzilla movies or something."
Dr. Moore nods enthusiastically and says, "Agreed. We should definitely track down the gate ... and the very bad and dangerous man with the gate."
"You're not going anywhere," says Colonel Greer. "Until we have this all cleared up, the only way you're leaving Boston Theoretical is transdimensionally. I'm confining you to this building until I'm satisfied you're not as dangerous as you seem."
Nissa says, “As long as house-arrest isn’t uncomfortable, I think that’s reasonable. I mean, it’s actually less confining than the past couple days.
“I trust he has access to a shower, change of clothes and all that?”
Nissa says, “As long as house-arrest isn’t uncomfortable, I think that’s reasonable. I mean, it’s actually less confining than the past couple days.
“I trust he has access to a shower, change of clothes and all that?”
"Yes, but it doesn't mean he'll use them," says Dr. Preston.
Theo turns away from the others and reads the datapad. With a sigh, The Olympian turns back to Dr. Moore and nods.
Charles scowls at Dr. Moore for a moment. "So how are we going to search for the bad doctor? We can't exactly do much while he's out world-hopping, so are we looking for a home base of some kind to raid?"
Charles scowls at Dr. Moore for a moment. "So how are we going to search for the bad doctor? We can't exactly do much while he's out world-hopping, so are we looking for a home base of some kind to raid?"
Colonel Greer looks at Charles and says, "Maybe we should set that aside until you have all had medical attention, a chance to rest, and a chance to be debriefed. Boston Theoretical has plenty of space for guests if you'd like to stay here."
What Colonel Greer doesn't tell you is that the space for guests is in the form of containment cells. With the doors wide open and lots of pillows they are not uncomfortable.
Looking to the older gentleman in the military uniform, Theo asked, "Colonel Greer, right? Listen. When will this 'lockdown' end? I have to call my agent. Probably thinks I'm dead for been gone for so long."
Looking to the older gentleman in the military uniform, Theo asked, "Colonel Greer, right? Listen. When will this 'lockdown' end? I have to call my agent. Probably thinks I'm dead for been gone for so long."
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20 + 9
Colonel Greer smiles, "You're free to come and go, soldier. I know who you are and we've got a file on you. It's Dr. Moore who has been keeping secrets. You're more of an open book."
"This area was built to contain transdimensional beings, whether they were hostile or had special environmental needs. It looks like a high-tech prison, but we can make it more comfortable," says Dr. Preston.
"Okay, I'm fine with staying here. Can someone show me to the medical bay please? I want to make sure I'm not carrying any diseases."
Colonel Greer directed Theo to a nearby office with a landline phone. The godling closed the door behind him and made the call. After a few seconds, Theo spoke in a loud, upbeat tone.
"Yes! it's really me!"
"Well, yeah! I was in another dimension! It's kinda hard to call you!"
"What's going on?"
"WHAT!"
"Power Thirst cancelled my sponsorship!"
"Fines? What fines!"
"NIKE TOO! Come on!"
"Okay. We'll talk at the penthouse and strage..."
"Where's all my stuff?"
"REPOSSESSED?!"
"THIS IS BULL$#|+!"
"Ugh. What's left.."
"THAT"S IT?!"
What follows is a 53 second tirade of cursing and swearing.
"Okay. Okay! I will call you tomorrow so we can figure out what to do next. Bye!"
The resounding click of an ended call could be heard in the silence.
"F#<K."
Putting on his best face, The Olympian left the office to realize everyone could hear him. Undeterred, the godling walked up to Colonel Greer again and smiled, "So, how much does it pay to be a, whatdoyoucallit, a 'fictionaut'?"
"Okay, I'm fine with staying here. Can someone show me to the medical bay please? I want to make sure I'm not carrying any diseases."
"There's a small medical unit in the prison- ... guest complex. It's being stocked now. We didn't expect to be using it," apologizes Dr. Preston.
"So, how much does it pay to be a, whatdoyoucallit, a 'fictionaut'?"
Colonel Greer smiles like Theo is making a joke, "We keep an eye on most supers, son, and you've been off the grid for a number of months. Given your reputation for week long parties, we hadn't updated your status to 'missing, presumed dead,' but your agent might not have been unfair. You have no memory of the last few months before you ended up in Beowulf?"
Later, Dr. Moore leans in and explains to Theo helpfully regarding pay and being a fictionaut, "What you want to do is get yourself a discreet backpack of holding so you can avoid taxes, and remember, it doesn't matter if it is ornate and decorative, gold all looks the same melted down. Go for weight, not style."
"Looks like he's a tax dodger too Colonel." chuckles Verve as she gets directions to both the medical unit as well as the showers. It had been a long day, and there was alot to process.
Once in the clinic, Verve will take time completely undress and then thuroughly clean all of her wounds with alcoholic. While she wasn't too badly injured compared to the others, she was still hurt enough to be worried about infections.
Once she was treated and had showered, she pulled her civilian clothes out of the storage in her utility belt and wore them, though she kept her mask on. Her uniform was stored inside the same place, and she then returned to the group.
Colonel Greer smiles like Theo is making a joke, "We keep an eye on most supers, son, and you've been off the grid for a number of months. Given your reputation for week long parties, we hadn't updated your status to 'missing, presumed dead,' but your agent might not have been unfair. You have no memory of the last few months before you ended up in Beowulf?"
The Olympian sighs. "The last thing I remember is the Fat Tuesday party in Brazil, where Dionysus was in attendance. Either I had experienced 'lost time', or dimensional travel affects time differently, or I was completely smashed; either theory could be true."
Folding his arms, Theo continued. "So, if I worked here, would I be considered a government employee, you know, with full benefits: dental, health, 401k?"Regardless of the conversation, the godling smelled himself and noticed he was a little rank. Theo followed the rest down to the medical clinic to get checked out and got a shower afterward. If the facility didn't have spare clothes for the half-god to wear, The Olympian would hang out in a towel, waiting for his costume to be washed and dried.
Charles follows after Verve, thinking she had a good idea (cross-reality diseases sounded like a terrible thing), though he waits outside the clinic area until after she's done to take his turn. He realizes when he's getting dressed again that he'd still been wearing the cloak. After a bit of debate he decides it could probably use a wash, too, so when he emerges again his four-armed monstrous form is visible.
With a certain amount of trepedation he approaches the Colonel.
"Colonel Greer... if we're going to be going after PhDestruction... I'm going to need to learn to fight with something other than my claws and teeth. The mad doctor's sure to have some creature that's a bad idea to get close to. I should get some weapons training. Umm... can I do that?"
"Colonel Greer... if we're going to be going after PhDestruction... I'm going to need to learn to fight with something other than my claws and teeth. The mad doctor's sure to have some creature that's a bad idea to get close to. I should get some weapons training. Umm... can I do that?"
Colonel Greer grins widely, "Yes, you can certainly do that." Colonel Greer will arrange for an instructor in whatever weapon Charles selects. Colonel Greer watches as many sessions as Charles allows, but he seems more interested when Charles fights in the ways he was designed to.
Nissa asks Dr. Preston if she would join her for coffee or tea. “And I don’t mean the cafeteria this time. I mean, like, out there in the public eye!”
Nissa asks Dr. Preston if she would join her for coffee or tea. “And I don’t mean the cafeteria this time. I mean, like, out there in the public eye!”
It's June. Dr. Preston would happily join Nissa for coffee outside. She doesn't like the powdered-mushroom coffee substitute they serve at Boston Theoretical.
Nissa makes sure to wash off (by filling a sink and plunging in in mote form). It takes her less than a minute, then she’s ready when Preston is!
Nissa says, “So like, I’m not wicked smart like you. If you think The Bombshell upgrade idea I had sounds totally impossible, no offense taken. I just didn’t wanna see Moore her hauled off to jail, and our project get shut down.
“But I mean what I say about letting you view my memories. Every time I go subatomic, I get better at it! The universe just… is bigger. Atoms look like clumps of planets orbited by stars. It’s funny… I like having a power that’s unique, at least as far as I know, but I also want to show you what it’s like in the cockpit of The Bombshell, in Valerie’s head, in a drinking horn…”
Charles doesn't really like having the Colonel watching him, but he also doesn't feel like he should say so.
He practices with the Sword of Truth, and tries a variety of guns. While he doesn't *like* any of them, he starts thinking that maybe he should carry one of the heavier guns to take advantage of his strength.
Dr. Preston thinks it's possible to get the equipment to do this and she's excited by the idea and will try to get the equipment from her colleagues in Europe to make it happen.
She isn't worried about the project getting shut down, just constantly stifled. Dr. Moore was supposed to use your powers to create a gate to show it was possible, not send you on a trip. She worries that he won't be allowed to do that again even if you do get the technology. "Other than Uncanny Valerie, most of the beings that came to our reality through trandsimensional gates wanted to eat us or enslave us? Colonel Greer's job is to keep us from poking the neighbours."
A story starts playing on the screen in the cafe about the murder of a CEO's wife. Shaky drone footage shows a pink blur that could be a body suspended in a mass of green inside a greenhouse.
The murder story minimizes and slides to a corner of the screen while a string of advertisements for home greenhouses and hydroponics play.
Charles doesn't really like having the Colonel watching him, but he also doesn't feel like he should say so.
He practices with the Sword of Truth, and tries a variety of guns. While he doesn't *like* any of them, he starts thinking that maybe he should carry one of the heavier guns to take advantage of his strength.
Colonel Greer happily arranges for anything Charles needs. He also gets more information from Charles regarding PHDestruction and what Charles knows about him. Charles has, of course, shared all of this information before, but not with him.
Verve spends the next few days just trying to cope. She had killed a living, breathing, sentient being, and apparently it had absolutely no consequences?
This seemed to be the universe's idea of a joke.
Multiverse she corrected herself, [i]"We did got to another universe after all."[/b]
Verve knew that the project would be expanded, especially once someone realized that you could bring resources from these fictional places into our world, and they were effectively limitless given that the fictional places reset.
She was unsure about what to do with this realization; part of her wanted to share it so that they could finally have a real shot at solving resource concerns, but part of her believed that some people would simply exploit it for things like gold and diamonds.
Even after several days of deliberation, she still was unsure what to do with the information.
Charles is much more open with the Colonel when he asks about PhDestruction. It's clear he thinks the mad scientist is a serious threat.
"The kind of things he did with me were bad enough. Imagine if he goes into a Godzilla story or something and brings back DNA from a kaiju to play with."
Theo takes the next few days to settle in to his new role as 'fictionaut/hero'. The young warrior buys some new causal clothes, so he doesn't have to wear his armor all the time. In that time, The Olympian makes his presence known he's back on social media, at the prodding of Aharon, his agent.
Theo happens to catch verve out of her room one day and stops her for a conversation.
"Hey, Verve. There you are. Say wanna catch some lunch, my treat?"
"Sure. What did you have in mind?"
Charles is much more open with the Colonel when he asks about PhDestruction. It's clear he thinks the mad scientist is a serious threat.
"The kind of things he did with me were bad enough. Imagine if he goes into a Godzilla story or something and brings back DNA from a kaiju to play with."
Colonel Greer agrees this is a risk, "That's a worst case scenario. And, anytime I imagine a worst case scenario, someone awful has imagined it first. Still, I'd say his breeding Grendel-strength soldiers is enough of a danger. The Transdimensional Anomaly Recognition and Observation Task Force will be responsible for finding PHDestruction. You want in when the time comes to take him down?"
"Sure. What did you have in mind?"
"Nothing too fancy", Theo assures the kineticist. "I heard from the others that you weren't gonna take your share of the gold we brought back, but you just took Valeria's. That was nice of you. Just wanted to find a good way to say thanks. I was thinking O Ya, over on East street."