He pauses for a bit and then begins again less enthusiastically, "Portly uploaded the data to a private server. The only reason you'd need that data is if you were trying to jump dimensions. He promised if I helped him get super-toddler he'd help me get home, but as soon as you jumped, he acted like he'd already gotten what he wanted."
Verve looks pleased that they were able to save Nissa, and gives her a hug.
Having said what she felt she needed to, Verve say no more on the previous subject.
As Theo comes rushing in, Verve smiles and says "We are just fine."
“Isn’t Verve amazing? She forced the bombs away and… well, I’m lightly toasted, but I’m okay. Just need to rest. Like that meditation I did before, y’know, like after we fought off the killer plant.
“But before I do, I wanna tell you what Verve told me. She said relationships can be tricky in this business. So, yeah… you being in danger scared me. And maybe the thing with the bombs scared you. I’m really sorry about some of the things that happened, but you’re alive and I’m not stuck as a fairy.”
She smiles, and if L.C. permits, she holds her hand.
“You said you don’t pick up bombs and jump dimensions like I do. Well, do you want to? Er… jump dimensions, I mean. Nobody wants to pick up bombs.
“But there’s this multi-world TAROT, and our world might soon be recognized as the 22nd world. Only a select few of us will represent our world, and whether you’re my girlfriend or colleague, you should be a part of this.
“If you want to.” She gives the hand (if held) a gentle squeeze, and is ready to listen to anything L.C. has to say.
Moore stares off into space for a bit. "That's not a real problem though. I mean, they only got the 'address' to the super-toddler origin story. You can't let him upload the data from your return trip though. That would be the address here."
Moore stares off again and then asks, "I don't think this was about kidnapping Superbaby at all. Although, I guess they could always do that themselves now."
L.C. looks embarrassed and angry and not really herself, "I just think you should be careful. I mean, we should be careful."
She fumes for a bit and then you both get an alert that Scarlet has arrived at Boston Theoretical and is ready for whatever Nissa has planned.
If L.C. would rather not see Scarlet in-person, Nissa offers to call her comm so she can participate virtually, audio-only. If she wants to come, Nissa is glad to have L.C. close by. She trusts herself not to do anything crazy with L.C. watching.
Nissa reminds herself to be strong for Scarlet when she greets her at the door. “Miss Meadows, I’m so sorry for your loss,” she says, clasping the woman’s hand gently. “Thank you so much for coming.”
• L.C. loves me back—I’m sure of it!
• Oh, shit! I can’t think that now! It’s not fair that Greer and Scarlet couldn’t date, like TAROT’s some overprotective parent forgetting her kid’s all grown up.
• They shot Greer after I called out to L.C. Maybe it’s my fault.
• And those four men I killed. When’s that supposed to catch up with me? Did I *want* them to die? I keep thinking I forgot about the propellers, but… did I really?
• Okay, shut up, Nissa! The plan. Stay strong for Scarlet and think of the plan.
• What plan?
• Oh, right. We find out what Portly knows, preferably the whereabouts of his bosses. And how to stop them so they can *never* come.
Charles trails off, frowning. "So if one of them is here, why do they need the address do you suppose? Did they come here by accident? If so, how do they have the resources to pull off all of this?" He waves his right hands around vaguely. "I know, I know, you probably don't know... but you ended up here. How easy is it to come to a place you don't have an address for?"
Ms. Meadows blinks twice while looking at Nissa and asks, "I'm okay, dear, but do you need to sit down? You seem like you're having a day."
Moore thinks about Charles' other questions. "I don't think any of them are here. Portly believed they were from the future and only got messages from them. They've obviously got people here. I think they're communicating with us from their home dimension and trying to come here. The information they're asking for is more than an address. It includes a lot of dimensional tuning stuff--the fine details you need so that you don't arrive turned inside out, or the wrong size, or a billion years in the past. Sending a signal is a lot easier than sending a person. Or a bunch of people."
"Do you think Enyo and Adon would take me back to World V ... without arresting me? Some of those TAROT types are real uptight jerks about us fictionauts."
He pauses. "So PhDestruction wasn't from our world, either? Did you get any clue of where he's from?"
Nissa replies, “I’ll be okay, Scarlet. Well…okay enough to do the job.
“We got two prisoners from the ship and Portly. We think we know what he was up to, and how close he came to success. Now we just gotta make sure there’s no loose ends.
“From Portly, I wanna know where the address his boss wants is stored so we can see that information doesn’t get sent. I also wanna know where his boss is. Can you get a mental picture of what he’s seen of that world. Oh! And I have a theory too… there are two men from a world where Ms. Gray and her men might actually be. So whatever we learn of Ms. Gray’s world, those guys should get a description… or a visual if that’s possible.”
Nissa isn’t sure if Scarlet can see memories. She tries to picture Ms. Gray on the screen, as she saw her (saying ‘my time is up’ before snapping her fingers).
Can you see what I’m thinking, Miss Meadows?
** spoiler omitted **
He looks contrite for a while and, then, cheerfully says, "Oh well, hindsight's 20-20."
Scarlet Meadows explains that she can read surface thoughts, even ones people try to hide, but she can't see their memories or dreams, at least not consistently. Her powers work best if other people ask the questions and she listens to their answers. She suggests that the group of you interrogate Portly and the others and she, from a viewing room, can relay their thoughts to you, which may not match what they actually say to you.
Seeing how events have slowed down a bit, Theo catches up with his godling family.
“Sounds like a plan. Should I, and others on the team, get some earbuds so you can clue us in or tell us when you got what we need?”
Nissa then informs the team (World 12 Guys, Enyo and super-friends included) that they’ll question Portly. She asks the soldier to help set that up, and of course Portly will remain wherever he’s locked up.
** spoiler omitted **
Your job is to virtually assemble these scanned ieces and figure out what this device would be. You have the holoprojection room at your disposal when you do. If you prefer to work in life-size, the room is large enough, or you can shrink the pieces down to a scale that you can loom over.
[ooc]An Engineering check of 15 will assemble this, an Engineering check of 20 would figure out what it probably does. An Engineering check of 25 and a computer check of 20 would get the real thing together and operational.
** spoiler omitted **
Verve was quiet now. She made a follow-up call and thanked the voice on the other end, and then opted to take a shower. It had been a long day, and she wanted to get the dress she was still wearing clean before returning it. It was far too conservative for her tastes, and the gloves looked ridiculous on her.
Theo asks Enyo to give him a few minutes to change and he'll be ready to take his sister to a local craft bar for her mead.
“I got questions. What makes you so sure Ms. Gray’s in the future? It makes no sense if she’s talking to you, you’re talking to her… changes in real past would make a 4th-dimensional conversation impossible.
“You lied to me. I say they lied to you. But you’re no idiot. What’s the proof that they’re in our world’s future?”
Even with the prototype BINAH assembled and supposedly operational, Kai stays far away from office politics and wild speculation. Instructions are received via text, together with the 3D schematics, and Kai gets to work, happy to have a challenge and something useful to do.
Putting the puzzle together is not that difficult, and Kai has some theories about what it is supposed to do, which Kai includes as comments in the few dozen lines of code which make up an executable script that virtually assembles the equipment and highlights the various functions and components.
** spoiler omitted **
Portly looks relaxed and comfortable when Nissa enters the area outside his cell.
"Ah, the lovely Nissa, still trying to wrap your pretty head around the forces you've interfered with. She showed me the future," says Portly leering obviously.
"He's trying to annoy you," says Scarlet through the ear piece. "Trying to make you uncomfortable."
"She showed me the video. I saw America burn. I saw the Statue of Liberty bombed. I saw the Colossus of San Andreas fall into the crevice it straddles. I saw the midwest turned into a dustbowl again and the people of America--proud mid-westerners--living in refugee camps paid for by the Mexican government," says Portly. "I had the videos authenticated. They were real."
"He believes himself," says Scarlet. "And, somehow, he manages to be in love with the sound of his own voice."
"Now, unless something has happened in the last few hours" says Portly. "The Statue of Liberty still holds her torch and the Colossus San Andreas still stands proudly, a testament to our strength in the face of one of the worst natural disasters the world has known. Oh, and the mid-west is still free."
The next thoughts come as Kai runs an activation simulation on the holographic device. "So we are missing at least one key component here - the signal generator. And... a power source? Or is this self-powered?"
Nissa doesn’t give the pleasure of showing she’s rattled.
“So you’re saying you saw a video of the Statue of Liberty bombed in the future, and it’s still standing in the present, and what…? You think your actions have anything do with that? When exactly is this disaster supposed to happen? If that time is passed, what do you think you did to prevent the disaster?
“Also, you told me they wouldn’t kill hostages. Did you really believe that Ms. Gray intended to return Greer, Moore and Preston to us alive?” She moves a step closer…
…and says, “And whether or not you know the truth of that, you’re surely smart enough to realize I do. So here’s a question: do you think your life is worth a damn, now that you’ve either given Gray all she wanted, or can’t because you got caught?”
Verve returned to the common room, this time dressed in her outfit.
"Where is everyone?" she asked the first person she found.
He sounds like he's trying to convince himself of this.
"He's rattled," says Scarlet.
Portly ignores the threats. "Ms. Gray ... FATE showed me the future that we needed to prevent. If you saw the things I have seen, you would understand why I do anything to save this country from this fate ... you would too. I turned over Colonel Greer and your girlfriend to fellow Agents of FATE. They would never have hurt them, even if they weren't so valuable to us alive. We are authorized by the President to work with our future allies and provide them with the help they need to help us protect ourselves from the threats that are coming. I'm sorry this is hard for you to accept."
[b]"He believes this," says Scarlet. [i]"Most of it. I don't think he cares one way or the other about the hostages."
[/b]
Theo eventually runs into Verve. "What's going on?"
Time for a field trip. And although this makes Kai incredibly anxious, perhaps time to test the BINAH in other than lab conditions. The device is discreet, and Kai's hair covers it almost entirely, with only a thin wire visible slightly beneath the hairline.
"No idea. I went to take a shower and change and everyone is gone...interrogating people, it would seem."
Ron stands smiling at Verve and Theo for a bit, hanging out like he's just one of the superhero gang ... and then feels awkward and says, "I'm just here for the real coffee. They're still serving Cawfee(TM) ... the mushroom stuff ... on my floor."
He picks up his cup and starts heading to the elevator when he bumps into Kai. He smiles shyly and says, "Verve and Theo are back."
Kai knew this already. Kai can see them. They're in the room behind Ron.
Ron stands smiling at Verve and Theo for a bit, hanging out like he's just one of the superhero gang ... and then feels awkward and says, "I'm just here for the real coffee. They're still serving Cawfee(TM) ... the mushroom stuff ... on my floor."
He picks up his cup and starts heading to the elevator when he bumps into Kai. He smiles shyly and says, "Verve and Theo are back."
Kai knew this already. She can see them. They're right behind their in the room behind him.
“I meant you’re not worth a damn to Ms. Gray. And she is a killer. She killed out of spite. I was there when it happened. When I went to rescue L.C., I heard laser-fire.” Nissa isn’t about to give away her ability to pass through molecular structures. “I found a hole I could slip in, and Greer was dead.
“That’s why I shot you in the face, by the way. You sent L.C. to killers, and when I disabled the gun and camera, she activated bombs—two of them, under Moore’s and L.C.’s chairs! You should have seen that cold look, and the way she snapped her fingers, as if to give me an eff-you before I die with my girlfriend. The bombs exploded only a few seconds after they were activated.”
She will most definitely not tell how she saved L.C. She wonders if Portly will even ask.
“So if I wanted to murder you for revenge, Ms. Gray would do nothing. What fellow FATE agent will she go to now that you failed?”
She has another question too.
“Before you decide it’s patriotic not to help me, I want you to consider how you fooled me into thinking I was going to the year 1938. I believed the lie, even when I was there in the Superman origin story!
“So is there a work of fiction that depicts the disasters you saw? Also, how does a fourth-dimensional conversation work? Think about it. If any part of your conversation alters the future to Ms. Gray’s liking, then the future changes and she has no reason to call you.”
Nissa considers Bear Guy’s theory that a new world is created from the altered timeline, while the original remains intact. Then a fourth-dimensional conversation—ahh, my head hurts! This is why you date smart. Ask L.C. later!
Frustrated with her inability to really know how the 4th and 5th dimensions work, Nissa says to Portly, “Do you really think the president wants time travel to be possible—someone with a secure place in the history books wants anything to do with people who can go back to 2216 and change the results of the election.
“Or 2198, and make sure I’m…” Maybe they don’t know I’m adopted. “If not to make sure I never have superpowers, or perhaps, never [i]exist,[i] why did you gather information on my parents?”
Kai had heard about it, of course - a group of people had traveled to another dimension, and more than once. The idea is absolutely fascinating to Kai, and although the anxiety of directly interacting with people is still present, the curiosity is too great. Waving at Ron, Kai walks past him into the room where the two... what were they called? The old word "cosmonaut" comes to mind, from the Greek "kόsmos", but that's not quite right, is it? What is the Greek word for "dimension"? Dia-something? Kai is pretty sure that it is long one, at least three syllables, so adding "-naut" at the end of it would be awkward.
...Anyway.
"Hi, I work in Computer Engineering and Imaging in the other wing. I was wondering if I could speak to Dr. Moore, or Dr. Preston, I'm working on a project they sent my way and kinda hit a metaphorical wall."
Charles sighs, and after a few moments of silence responds only, "Right. Well, I think I'll go catch up with the others now."
He came out just in time to find Verve and Theo talking with someone he didn't know, though they looked vaguely familiar, like maybe he'd seen them around Boston Theoretical before. Not quite sure what was going on he stopped and listened.
Theo and Verve should look under Kai's spoiler. Kai addresses you in the last bit. Charles, in his four-armed, fox-headed form walks in just after Kai approaches you.
You haven't met Kai yet. It's a big building with lots of employees.
Nissa finds his reaction odd. “Wait. Did you think…? If I wanted you dead, I’d have killed you by now, and I wouldn’t waste my breath threatening you. I’m definitely not going to kill you.
"You shot me in the face before you even knew I had endangered the life of your girlfriend," he says. "And, now, you are detaining me in an off the books black site. Of course, I have concerns."
"He doesn't really believe that," says Scarlet in your ear.
“I meant you’re not worth a damn to Ms. Gray. And she is a killer. She killed out of spite. I was there when it happened. When I went to rescue L.C., I heard laser-fire.” Nissa isn’t about to give away her ability to pass through molecular structures. “I found a hole I could slip in, and Greer was dead.
"This is ... surprising."
“That’s why I shot you in the face, by the way. You sent L.C. to killers, and when I disabled the gun and camera, she activated bombs—two of them, under Moore’s and L.C.’s chairs! You should have seen that cold look, and the way she snapped her fingers, as if to give me an eff-you before I die with my girlfriend. The bombs exploded only a few seconds after they were activated.”
"I'm not sure why she would do that. She made it very clear she wanted you cooperative. Killing Greer doesn't make sense."
"He does believe that," says Scarlet in your ear.
She will most definitely not tell how she saved L.C. She wonders if Portly will even ask.
“So if I wanted to murder you for revenge, Ms. Gray would do nothing. What fellow FATE agent will she go to now that you failed?”
"She said that she had agents throughout the timeline. I only knew the ones in my temporal location."
"He emphasized 'said'. He's beginning to distance himself from her words," observes Scarlet. "He's beginning to doubt her."
She has another question too.
“Before you decide it’s patriotic not to help me, I want you to consider how you fooled me into thinking I was going to the year 1938. I believed the lie, even when I was there in the Superman origin story!
"Superman was my idea. Ms. Gray simply asked me for the data from your launch, but I was entrusted to develop the specifics of the plan. I thought this was quite reasonable. The President agreed that it was time for a proper superhero to stand in front of the flag ... one with American values."
"Jerk."
“So is there a work of fiction that depicts the disasters you saw? Also, how does a fourth-dimensional conversation work? Think about it. If any part of your conversation alters the future to Ms. Gray’s liking, then the future changes and she has no reason to call you.”
"Fiction?" asks Portly. "Are you suggesting that she was not showing me the future? Ms. Gray was willing to sacrifice her future for ours!"
"He doubts that. He's finally beginning to listen," says Scarlet in your ear.
Nissa considers Bear Guy’s theory that a new world is created from the altered timeline, while the original remains intact. Then a fourth-dimensional conversation—ahh, my head hurts! This is why you date smart. Ask L.C. later!Frustrated with her inability to really know how the 4th and 5th dimensions work, Nissa says to Portly, “Do you really think the president wants time travel to be possible—someone with a secure place in the history books wants anything to do with people who can go back to 2216 and change the results of the election.
"I know for a fact the president wants time travel. She intends to secure her legacy by controlling the timestream from this point onwards. Imagine being able to step back a week and respond to events before they happened. This is what FATE is promising us. A world where the future isn't uncertain, because America can guarantee it. No, President Wallace has no intention of changing our past; with me as the hand of FATE, she intends to let the brightest minds at the Pentagon decide our future."
Scarlet starts humming the New American Anthem, poorly.
“Or 2198, and make sure I’m…” Maybe they don’t know I’m adopted. “If not to make sure I never have superpowers, or perhaps, never exist, why did you gather information on my parents?”
"Information, my dear, is power. I don't have the ability to shrink down to the size of a pea or blow things up, but, I do have an insurance policy. Let's just say that there isn't a member of this team that isn't vulnerable, and I've gotten to where I am today, by being observant of others' vulnerabilities."
"'Where he is today' is in an off the books black site," says Scarlet. "You should totally say that. Or, no, you do you. He's telling the truth though. He's got something on you, but he's not sure if it will be enough to save his skin. Oh, and, yeah, President Wallace really wants time travel. He wasn't lying. I can't believe I voted for her."
"Hi, I work in Computer Engineering and Imaging in the other wing. I was wondering if I could speak to Dr. Moore, or Dr. Preston, I'm working on a project they sent my way and kinda hit a metaphorical wall."
Theo was a bit thrown off by this unassuming nerd. "Um..," the godling began. "Listen, miss. I'm not sure if you heard but Dr. Moore and Preston were both kidnapped today. You might wanna check the hospital wing. I bet that's where they are."
“Greer was vulnerable to the laser cannon aimed at his head. Moore and L.C. were vulnerable to the bombs attached to the chairs theft were tied to. So whatever information you had on Greer didn’t make a difference.
“Do you really believe Ms. Gray or anybody would look back in a history book and sacrifice their own future for the past? Think of it—an MI6 agent decides to go back and tell King George to lower taxes. No Revolutionary War, and the U.S.A. becomes the U.S.G.B. Downside: the Nazis win World War II, but small price to pay to keep the sun from setting on the British empire, right? Seriously. Who does that?
“Ms. Gray sacrifices people. And the President is a fool if she thinks time travel is her personal ‘undo’ button. Is that how Ms. Gray wanted me to cooperate? Kill the woman I love so I’m tempted to relive today? That’s the very danger of time travel. You become elite. You play god. You decide who matters enough to reverse time, and who is so insignificant you erase them. Even a god wouldn’t do that to a soul.”
Nissa lets her words hang. She herself wonders if the gods somehow know who gets erased, and are those souls somehow kept alive? Or is it as Bear Guy said: the old timeline is never gone. Simply, another parallel… not now, brain! Focus on the jerk in front of you!
Nissa then asks question that she doesn’t expect Portly to answer. She wonders if just asking them will force Portly to think about the answers, and if Scarlet will get the information as a result.
She does not rush this line of questioning. If Portly is silent, Nissa waits a full minute before moving to the next.
“What do you have on me? Are my parents in danger?
“I assume Ms. Gray did not get what she wants. Since you failed to deliver, who replaces you?
“Where is every FATE facility? Who are all of the FATE agents?
“Which agent will Ms. Gray send here to kill you?
“How did the President get involved in this?”
Verve was about to say something, but then Theo speaks and she decides to let him lead the way.
If Kai has any sort of reaction to the appearance of a four-armed human-animal hybrid, it doesn't show. The tall, dark-skinned, dark-haired Boston Theoretical employee in slacks and a V-neck under an open lab coat nods at Charles, then replies to Theo.
"Kidnapped? I am very sorry to hear, I hope they are alright. In that case, I will not bother them with my request at this time."
Kai turns to leave, but stops after taking a few steps and turns around. "Forgive my curiosity, but if I'm not mistaken you are part of the team who traveled to different dimensions, is that correct? In which case, the project I'm working on might be of interest to you."