IC 2076
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IC 2076
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[Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench]
It is difficult to tell with the combination of invisibility and ruthenium face masks but Silk appears to be unbearably sad rather than righteously angry…no doubt that will come later
<<All this…for me? I believe in the Pattern and the shaping of fate and I always believed that the events at Stillwater and what happened to Balefire were part of something bigger, not something to change the path of one individual. There has to be more to it than this… but I think you are right Isaint, he is talking like a believer, we should look for links to a faction of the Seers Guild. Much as I would like to give in to the temptation to kill him or leave him to the mad bitch there are more answers to be had. But perhaps we can work with her to get to him? Alyce, I want to talk to her in VR, will you watch my back? Then one of you can pull the plug on me if it looks like something is going wrong…>>
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#36 -
[Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench]
“Well sheeeeee-it. Jist fer the record, ol’ Al don’t believe in no Pattern crap, an’ even if it were a thing, this here feller’s a Grade-A son of bitch needs ta be made ta watch his pecker git gnawed off by devil rats while listenin’ ta second-wave goblin rap…then killed to or three times before havin’ his ass whupped….talkin’ ’bout a woman’s mother fer pity’s sake.”
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Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench
Alyce chuckles. “I am not sure what to believe about this, either. I have always thought that I was the one in charge of my fate and what I do in this life. Goodness knows I have made some very wrong decisions and suffered the consequences for my mistakes.” She glances over to where Al is sitting then looks away again. “And at least made one very right decision and hopefully more. But it is all me. So I don’t really understand all that is being said.”
Alyce nods to Silk and sits down after tossing Al a wink and slips into VR, sending her avatar trailing after Silk’s. Her intent is to follow as far off as she can and still be able to provide support if it is needed.
4
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<<Funny, you Pattern believer call Al and me fate breakers, but all that differentiates us from the other players seems to be the willingness to do what is right instead of what is easy. My code and believe in St. George binds me just as tightly to a preset course of actions – and that seems all it takes to upset your pattern.
Rick and I will keep an eye on both of your aura’s. As soon as it seems you are taking damage we’ll pull the plug. So better don’t go in with hot sim>>
Isaint took position next to the connection and opened his third eye again. -
[Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench]
<<It isn’t your actions or even your non-actions that earns you the title Fate Breaker…it is the fact that the Pattern cannot predict what you will do, and even what those physically close to you will do. Anyone who has studied you and has some knowledge of your modus operandi might be able to predict what you will do through psychological profiling, but Fate cannot see it. Do not underestimate how powerful a gift that is. Divination may be in its infancy in the Sixth World but it is a powerful tool for those of us who can read the Pattern and in some instances bend it to our will. What is more there are one or two, yourself chief amongst those, who cause the Pattern to act in unpredicatable ways. Have you never stopped to consider how improbable your continued existence is given what you do? I’m not trying to belittle your skills, far from it, but how many veteran shadowrunners do you think there are in the world and just why that is?>>
The transparent glass tablet of the Navigator cyberdeck lit up under the gentle stroking of Silk’s fingertips and then she plunged in to cold VR. Her amazon warrior persona had been set aside for this mission and, just like in the meat, she wore Mother’s old persona wrapped around her. A strong orc warrior woman dressed in a skin-tight spider mesh armour, the cyber programs represented by drones orbiting her
<<Are you here? I want to talk to you about Monarch>> she shouted in to the host…
The air rippled as the AI appeared, the host accommodating her sudden presence. She was tall, too tall for the matrix protocols that were supposed to govern persona heights. A silvery female humanoid but with extended talons that suddenly reached out to grab Silk’s form and hold it still
<<I Know You>>
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#37 -
Alyce’s avatar is slightly modified from what it used to be, but is still essentially an elven woman, but without the rather dramatic physical attributes it used to possess. This reflects Alyce’s decision to slowly retreat from her current lifestyle. She has lately experienced less and less enjoyment from participating in her sharing groups and is coming to grips with the chinks in her armor of self assuredness and the avatar is a representation of that. The clothing is certainly more demure, covering much more of her body than the previous rendition. She has also changed the avatar’s hair color to white and is considering doing the same for her own hair.
She stands back from where Silk is and notices the arrival of the AI and watches it reaches out to hold Silk. Her companion is not giving any signal that she is in danger yet, but Alyce wants to be ready if needed. First, she sends a quick note to the others.
>>Al, ISaint, Rick……….an update. The AI has appeared and is holding Silk in place. There does not seem to be a conflict yet, but I am ready to help her if I can.<<
Alyce does not really understand the Pattern Silk was talking about but she did notice that neither Rick nor her were mentioned as Fate Breakers. Well, she would have to see about that. Alyce gets busy writing code to be prepared to assist Silk if necessary. HER Pattern is the matrix and she is good at what she does, gathering materials about her in the form of gazillions of zeros and ones, combining them and then morphing the combinations to her own will to create tools and weapons specific to the task at hand. She will not let Silk down.
5
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<<Interesting. If I had to guess I’d say it is the Dragon Slayer St. George himself that keeps his protecting hand over me, obfuscating my steps from prying eyes. It’s true, I survived quite a few things that by rights I shouldn’t have. I’ll have to think about that when we are out here again.
Hush now, concentrate on not getting eaten by the AI.>>
Isaint concentrated on Silk’s aura – he could sense her anxiety and her clear sense of purpose all too well. So far she looked healthy and he wanted to keep it that way. -
[Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench]
The titan strengthens its grip on Silk’s persona and in the meat world Isaint clearly saw her aura ripple in consternation
<<Do you mock me with the face I used to wear? I had thought that Monarch’s games were done but it seems not. One more twist of the knife to remind me what I have lost.>>
<<I…>>
<<Enough…I will not allow your games to distract me any further…>>
<<Isai…>>
Silk convulsed…
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#38 -
Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench
Alyce acts at the first sign that Silk is in real trouble, throwing the data spike she has been working on directly at the avatar of the AI. Her avatar glides forward, prepared to do battle with the monstrous intellect.
>>Al, ISaint, Rick……….not sure what you can actually see, but the AI is attacking Silk. I am trying to distract it, so take whatever opportunity you can to extract her. Leave me jacked in for the moment in case I can still help her here.<<
6
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Isaint ripped the cord out of the jack as soon as he noticed the wave of black that threatened to overwhelm Silk. The dumpshock would be brutal, but probably the better option compared to what an AI could do to your brain.
With the other hand he reached out to prevent Silk’s head from hitting the ground as her muscles convulsed.
<<Go to AR this very instant or I dumpshock you too. This is nothing I compromise about. Don’t fight the AI in VR!>> -
Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench
Without arguing, Alyce immediately drops back to AR then to the meat world. She is a bit upset at the peremptory tone ISaint had used, but she remains silent for now so that she can regain her composure before simply reacting. Instead, she moves over to where Silk is to see if there is something she can do for her.
7
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Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench
Al puffed calmly on a cigarette. “Well, that sounded exciting. Ya got a playback o’ the action, so’s us non-matrixey types can git up ta speed?”
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Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench
Alyce asks ISaint to put Silk on one of the tables and answers Al while hooking her up to one of the medkits in the room. >>Not much to talk about, Al. The AI appeared as a titan of some sort and exchanged a few words with Silk then attacked her. I am a bit puzzled by what the AI said, though. She asked Silk, and I quote, ‘Do you mock me with the face I used to wear? I had thought that Monarch’s games were done but it seems not. One more twist of the knife to remind me what I have lost.’. If Silk is looking like her mother, would that mean that the AI thinks it is Silk’s mother? Can we use that against it somehow?<<
>>Maybe we can ask her in a few seconds when I have her back on her feet. The dumpshock from cold-sim is pretty light. I am actually surprised that she is out like this. Let me check the bio-monitor to see.<<
Alyce checks the bio-monitor attached to Silk to determine why the woman is unconscious.
8
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<<You didn’t see what I saw: That wasn’t a normal biofeedback attack. Despite it being cold VR the AI managed to override the RAS Override. I’m pretty sure there was some psychotropic element to it. Otherwise her equipment would have been damaged more than her.
Hopefully, the disconnect was quick enough to prevent permanent damage.
And if Silk’s mother has been turned into a vengeful E-Ghost we might have both an opportunity and be in even deeper drek than we thought.
In any case we have to move – whatever truce we had is now over and we need to be ready. >>
Isaint looked at Silk’s prone form and shuddered. <<Someone has turned her dead mother into a weapon. And that someone has used her to target Monarch as soon as his location became public. Maybe that someone has also leaked the info to Silk to get her here. All in all this reeks of a trap by a hidden player.
Robyn, please try to wake up Silk – we need to talk to her about killing her mother again…>> -
<<Whoa there, Nelly. Ol’ Al appurciates the pragmatic voice o’ hard necessity as much as the next feller, but this here’s my friend Silky, an’ that’s maybe what’s left of her mother we’s talkin’ ’bout.>>
As he spoke, he was quickly getting Silk mobile by settling her inert form onto a rolling office chair, doing his best not to disturb Alyce’s ministrations in the process. He knew his coworkers could levitate her along as needed, but he preferred low-tech solutions – more reliable and didn’t drain the team’s precious Satanic energies.
<<Now, I ain’t studied too much on artificial…>> and he raised his fingers in quote marks <<…intelligences, cuz they ain’t real. Ghosts, on the other hand, well they’s as real as the devil hisself. Hell, I knew a kid back Seattle way, got hisself cacked online somewhen or t’other, spent his time possessin’ robots an’ playactin’ at still bein’ alive. But he had a good head on his shoulders, well, so ta speak, an’ warn’t a bad sort, if a bit mercenary ta my way o’ thinkin’. So maybe someone embedded a facsimile o’ this lady’s personality into a sophisticated agent as a template fer its simulation of intelligence, in which case gloves come off. But if there’s a chance this is the ghost o’ Silky’s ma livin’ in this machine, until we can be sure that ain’t her spirit in there, we got no business killin’ her. Wouldn’t let ya kill my ma’s ghost, even if she were crazier’n a cockeyed coconut with her finger onna nuclear trigger. An’ ain’t gon’ let ya kill Silky’s neither.>>
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Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trenc
Robyn nods as she bends over Silk and works her medical magic on her. The woman shakes a few times but wakes up, if a bit groggy. Robyn looks up at the others. >>She’s awake but still a bit weak from the damage she took.<<
9
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<<I’m as much in favor of not killing her as you, but she apparently crossed a few red lines that make her too dangerous to live: She enslaved and probably permanently destroyed the mind of several people, she reacted psychotically to the mere appearance of an Icon. And she doesn’t mind causing enormous collateral damage just to satisfy her own revenge.
This is not the behavior of a family member that I would care to keep around.
Our first step stays unchanged: We need to limit her ability to influence her surroundings and take away as much processing power as we can.
Once her power is diminished she might be more cautious and open to reason.>>
Isaint replied#616
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As always, Isaint made a lot of sense. <<Yup, I’ll allow she’s up ta some low-down shit. Yer plan’s a good one. But this whole place is pretty isolated in terms of wireless signals – perfect place ta try an’ put her in a box, if’n we was so inclined ta make such an attempt. We got a couple o’ fancy-pants hackers here – we kneecap her in the meat world, strip away her processing power like ya said, there might be a win in this yet.>>
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[Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench]
Silk groaned as she sat up rubbing her temples “frag that hurt…” before responding over the comms
<<Nobody is killing my mum again! If there’s even a chance that’s her…she was jacked in when I found her and the rumours of eGhosts are too persistent for there to be no truth in it. Of course I’m not going to rule out the possibility that this is an elaborate ruse either and I don’t dispute that her actions have been questionable. Rick, can you drop the spell please so that she can see me when I speak to her? I should perhaps be more cautious but I knew there was a reason coming in to this that wearing mum’s face had to be part of this thing…this seems as good a reason as any. Isaint, this is your run even if I’m financing it, so if you want to play this differently then I’ll listen…but I really want to talk to her!>>
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#39 -
Isaint nodded: <<Fine by me. Never let it be said that we didn’t try all diplomatic options before we resorted to violence. But do me a favor and stay in AR.>>
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