Brotherhood of the Machine (IC Thread) [PG/14] {02}

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Sally and Babs sat beside each other in Exo's van.  The young girl squirrel seems depressed but then smiled a moment and jumped up to looked at back to the other van. "Josh is happy about something," she thought.
The otter woman just look at the girl, and Bab scrambled back into her seat and looks out the window..  The Doc just patted the girl on the shoulder and smiled at her.  Babs looks less worried and then sighs

"What is happening to me? ah  What will happen to me.?" asks Babs to the window...

"We don't know.  We are all going through changes, but we will have to see about you.  You will have to find some of your own answers but you can talk to us.  We help you thought it." says Sally and looks back to the other van.  "It will take time, you have to give yourself and Josh some time, too."

"Somehow, I don't think I have much time to sort it out with Josh... I barely know him, but I feel I must be near him, hug him and love him now, right now.  And then I questioned myself why? I have no answer. but  "BECAUSE, YOU MUST" then I get scared" says Bab.

That is Lust,, He is cute.. fearless, a little dangerous.  But he is a good male, I can tell, he doesn't want to hurt you" says Sally.

"Lust?  No this drive is something more than that something deeper .... But it is not love either" says Bab puzzles.  "And what about my folks?  Can I call them?" cries Bab.

"We will try to call them..." Sally reassures Babs "Exo, Can we get a secure line to Bab's house?"

PBH

[Tapewolf]

"Is there some local taboo about cybernetic implants?" Dorcan asked nervously, as Jexx didn't seem so happy about his confession that he had augmentations.  It was true after a fashion...

[techmaster-glitch]

   Jexx turned back around in his seat at Dorcan's question, a sort of incredulous look on his face. "Um, no. Well, at least, near as I can tell. Like I said, I haven't been around for long, and my contact with others has been...limited...But from what I can gather, most people who can afford 'em got 'em. Ususally just little implants to optimize someone's life, but it's not uncommon for augmentation mods or even full-on replacement."

[Tapewolf]

"You're right, I keep forgetting that," Dorcan said.  "Still, two years or whatever it was is still two years longer than I've been here."

[lucas marcone]

"Guess you're right." Josh said. "Yay for b**** work. So I guess that Babs girl's on board.... so much for get the chip n' get out."

[Azlan]

"I hope she can prove useful, liabilities make missions very difficult." 

Morgan quietly hoped that these people would all settle into a cohesive group, but too many wildcards existed.  Oh well,  he thought to himself, they could all be kids and pacifists.

[lucas marcone]

"Time will tell. The old mages used to say a day of experence is worth decades of studing. I just hate to see her drug into this mess 'unwillingly'." Josh shifted in his seat and yawned.

[Arcalane]

The 'bot shrugs. "A secure line is unlikely given the Brotherhood's perversion of technology, but we may be able to arrange something once we get back to HQ. Until then, however, outside contact will have to be minimal in order to maintain cover. The network may be big, but we still can't afford to lose anybody."

[Prof B Hunnydew]

"Thanks Exo...Why Bab, we will have to wait. I'm afraid if we try to call your parents the Brotherhood may take notice of them. " says Sally.  Bab groansand just looks out the window until they get to HQ.

PBH

[Ryudo Lee]

As the group approached the city that held their HQ, some obviously rebellion vehicles intercepted them, and provided an escort.  They were smaller, fast moving vehicles with rebellion logos, a sword behind a shield, painted on their sides.  The escort led them to the warehouse where they had first gathered, and then led them behind the warehouse, into a structure behind it where other vehicles were parked.  It appeared to be some sort of vehicle staging area.  As the group would disembark, they would be approached by a rebellion officer, a rather musclebound looking wolverine, bearing the insignia of a lieutenant.
"Good job in Northon everyone.  You really hit 'em where it hurts.  I'm Lt. Armstrong.  I'll be debriefing you until Jackson arrives.  I'll need you to all to return any weaponry you were given to the armory, and then we can begin the debriefing." He says in a gruff voice.
He points over to the other side of the staging area where there was a door with a sign that simply read 'Armory'.
"Just give your weapons to the man in there and then report back to the main warehouse for debriefing." He says. "I'm sure you all have questions, but save them until after the debriefing."
With that he turned and walked out, heading towards the main warehouse.

[Tapewolf]

Dorcan couldn't help but feel a trifle let down by the reception.
Don't be silly... what were you expecting?  A party?  The slaying of the fatted calf?  Nonetheless, he walked calmly into the armoury and handed in his weapons as expected.

In the back of his mind, there was a faint tingle of paranoia.  If the Brotherhood had somehow taken over while they were away, handing over the weapons would have been the ideal first step.  And it might explain why Jackson had delegated the reception to someone they'd never seen before.
Don't be daft, he told himself, as he headed to the briefing area in the warehouse.  You've been watching too many movies.  The Brotherhood haven't displayed any subtlety at all so far... it's probably just a safety precaution.  Besides, you didn't have much in the way of weapons anyway, just a handgun and some stunners...

Paranoia or no, he resolved to keep his eyes and ears open...

[lucas marcone]

Josh put his toys away in the armory, but he could help a sniffle when he put away the holo projecter thingy. "I barely knew ye." He kept, however his hand gun that he had brought to the first meeting. it was his after all.

[techmaster-glitch]

   Jexx nonchalantly looked at his handcannons, gave a slight huff, and said to himself, "Just gimme something else to shoot."
   He followed the rest into the briefing room.

[Azlan]

Morgan stretched after disembarking from the van, he coolly regards lieutenant Armstrong before nodding courtly and moving off towards the armoury. 

Wow, what a stunning welcome and congratulations.  I did not exactly expect a parade and an executive suite, but it just seems bland.  Oh well, as long as the pay is worth it, I'll get over it.

At the armoury, he produced a single 10mm pistol and a few extra clips, "did not see much use I am afraid, or is that a good thing?  The stun pistols, the second autopistol and anti-materiel rifle are all mine to begin with or were acquired on mission, but not from your assets."

He then produced the laptop and handed it over, "This was of great help, please be sure to wipe it clean after you pull any useful data off of it."

With that task completed, Morgan immediately headed to where Armstrong had gone.
   

[Prof B Hunnydew]

"Bab, you need to stay here...." Sally calls after the young squirrel, who goes after Josh, but she stops at the door to the armory.  She waits for him to come out.  She smiles at him alittle when he comes out. 

Sally doesn't go to the armory since she did get a weapon from the weapons.  She waits for Lt Armstrong to starts

PBH                                                   

[lucas marcone]

Josh grabs her shoulder and walks with her. "Let's go get you and Jackson aquainted."

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Bab smiles at feel of Josh's paw and lets him lead her into the warehouse  and tales a seat near him.  She wishes to lean towards him. but straightens up and looks at Lt Armstrong 

"Jackson who?" she asks when she finally wonders about what Josh said.

[Arcalane]

Exo parks the van and climbs out, going straight for the warehouse as all of it's equipment is it's own, although it does make sure it's handgun is unloaded and that there are no rounds in the chamber. Once inside the warehouse and debriefing room, it takes up position in a quieter corner of the room, arms folded.

[Ryudo Lee]

As soon as Babs is brought to the warehouse, a couple of rebellion soldiers approach her and Josh.
"She needs to be taken to be screened." One of the soldiers says.
The other takes her by the arm and leads her off.  Babs looks over her shoulder at Josh.  The other soldier pats Josh's shoulder.
"Don't worry, she'll come back in one piece.  We just gotta be sure she's not a spy or anything.  Security protocol, you understand." He says. "You on the other hand have to report to the debriefing room."

Once everyone was situated in the debriefing room, Lt. Armstrong entered, carrying a handful of files.  He strode over to a podium and dumped the files on top of it.  He cleared his throat rather loudly to get everyone's attention.
"First off, we are considering the whole of your Northon operation a success.  You will notice that your various bank accounts have recieved a healthy sum from several reputable sources.  That is your payment." He says.
He clears his throat again.
"We are relatively pleased with the way things happened in Northon.  As it stood, your orders were to investigate the situation and report back your findings.  Optionally, if you felt that you could remedy the situation then you were given the green light to do so." He said. "Your investigation revealed that the Brotherhood was actively controlling the minds of an entire town.  To what end, we have yet to figure out, though there are quite a few theories, and to top it all off, they're being tight-lipped about the entire thing.  They're even going so far as to claim that the whole thing was perpetrated by a splinter cell within the Brotherhood.  We don't believe that for a moment, and few others do as well.  We've been recieving reports from our white-coats about the nature of the devices used to control these people, as well as all the information produced by Dr. Joywaves on the subject.  In any case, you completed the primary objective of the mission."
He stopped for a few moments to let that all sink in.
"The optional objective, to remedy the situation, was also completed satisfactorily.  The squad that was dispatched to that area was sent specifically to remedy the situation should you have chosen not to do so, and then further secure the town.  Instead, you utilized them in the destruction of the transmitter.  We are rather pleased with your resourcefulness.  The squad's sergeant sent us a report, but I want to hear from you about what happened at the transmitter.  What exactly happened when you got there?" He asks.

[Tapewolf]

I haven't got a bank account, Dorcan thought.  Nonetheless, he'd led the transmitter expedition, so it was only right that he should make the report.

"Did you have anything specific in mind, Sir?" he asked.  "We approached the transmitter via the tunnel.  Jexx destroyed most of the turrets, which did cause him to glow in strange ways.  Anyway, we eventually made our way to the transmitter, which was suspended above a void.  As this point we were attacked by an Exo unit of some description, which we destroyed by blowing the catwalk out from under it.  We then sent a detailed report of the transmitter configuration back to base so that they could determine the optimum points to place charges.  This we did, ran like heck and blew it up."

He paused.  "At least, I presume we blew it up.  We didn't exactly go back and check.  Oh yes, and when we were under attack by the robot, Jexx was glowing again.  I believe it happens when he is feeling particularly, uh, psyched up," he added lamely.

[techmaster-glitch]

   Jexx had a confused look on his face when the 'bank accounts' and 'payment' were mentioned by Armstrong, but he seemed a little smug when Armstrong started complimenting the job they did.
   Then when Dorcan started talking about him specifically, he shuffled uncomfortably and unconsciously ducked his head a bit, trying to become smaller and more unnoticeable.

[Tapewolf]

Dorcan glanced at Jexx with an apologetic look.  "I'm sorry," he said, "but they have to know.  It might be important."

[Ryudo Lee]

The lieutenant nodded to Dorcan's explanation of what had happened in there.
"Yes, the reports from the squad did mention an EXO-1800.  I thought we had gotten the last of them, but it looks as if the Brotherhood still has some in reserve.  And the explosives did wreck up the transmitter something fierce." He says.
He stops to think for a moment.
"Jexx, if you'd consent to it, I think that we should have our whitecoats look you over.  This glowing thing seems a bit odd to me.  If you think you have everything under control, then it's fine, but we will need to be monitoring you." He says. "Oh, and another thing, I know some of you don't have bank accounts... so we've taken the liberty of setting up accounts for you, under assumed names of course."
He picks up one of the files.
"Now let's see here... who do we have..." He says as he rummages through the papers in the file.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

"Lt Armstrong, The money is good and all .  But I would like to be in on that the girl's exam, and Josh's exam with the Labcoats..  There is something about these two.  Bab's powers seems to attach to Josh, or he is amplifies her powers.  The girl is a raw recruit, she has no skills and her raw power is barely under her control.  She need our training and help but I am not sure she should go on the next mission.  She is also connect to Josh, which way I don't know, but I will report in private with Jackson and Josh once I know.  She and Josh will have to work somethings out themselves.  I fear that her survive depend on her getting powers under control." said Dr Sally

PBH

[Tapewolf]

"Out of interest, how are bank accounts accessed in these parts?"  Dorcan asked casually, glancing at Jexx of the metal arms.  "I've seen a number of people with augmentations, so I presume it's some kind of passcode or ID number rather than biometrics, right?"

[lucas marcone]

"Sir," Josh spoke up. "The money is nice, but....where will we be staying? I really feel like a warm shower and a good hot meal." Josh shifted in his chair and it creaked. "And, uh, not to sound like an ungrateful asshole but, how much did we get? And how do I access mine?"

[Tapewolf]

"Good point," Dorcan agreed.  "Not all of us exactly have homes to go to."

[Ryudo Lee]

The lieutenant shook his head.
"You know we can't do that doctor.  You can have a chance to examine her if she clears the screening process.  Don't worry, you know as well as I do that the screening is a painless process, unless she's got some kind of psychic shielding." He says, and then clears his throat. "To answer your other questions, you can go to any of the First International Bank branches and simply present your account information.  Here is your account information, along with how much you got."
He passed papers to those who didn't already have bank accounts.  The papers showed their current balances, which displayed a healthy sum of money, not quite enough to retire on, but enough to do almost anything else with.
"Those of you who already have accounts will find that they're nicely fattened up." He says. "Also, if you want, we have barracks here.  Though you'll find a hotel to be much more accomodating.  But if you prefer, and if Mister over there will agree to it, we still have his home, still safe and in one piece.  Any other questions?"

[techmaster-glitch]

   Jexx raised an eyebrow as his account papers were passed around, looking them over in his metal hands. Having never used a 'bank' (or even money) before, he had no idea what it was, or what all the numbers on the paper meant. He briefly thought of incinerating it just because, but since everyone else seemed to take great interest he decide that whatever, maybe someday it will become important to him to. He folded it up and placed it in a pocket on his shorts.
   Having no concept of raising one's hand, Jexx simply blurted out, "All this 'bank' and 'money' and 'hotels' and stuff is all nice 'n'all, but when do I get to go burn some more Brotherhood? I didn't get enough at that Northon place, just a couple wimpy zealots, some autoturrets, and a knockoff of our own Exo here, which I didn't even have the pleasure of killing. So, we gonna get a new mission soon? Or do I have to find one myself?" Jexx didn't sound like he was joking. "And where's that Jackson guy? I just wanna make sure he remembers our deal."

[lucas marcone]

"Cool it Jexx, enjoy your down time, other wise you'll find you passion just may kill you." Josh didn't seem to show much infletion in the statement, it was just kind of there. "Everything is fine, Sir. If you don't mind I'll stick around to fill Babs if when she gets out of screening."