<> * Rochelle starts walking along, pretty quickly. "We can get there in maybe twenty minutes, I think. These suits do a lot." * Threnody nods, plodding along. "Alright." He pauses. "What was this general like?" * Rochelle shrugs. "Calm. Tall. Looked like he'd been in a war." Was kinda surprised he decided to talk to me. * Threnody blinks. "I have to admit it seems curious, considering... you and I, in this world, have serious criminal backgrounds, right?" * Rochelle nods. "Yeah." Dunno why she bothered. It's kinda pointless. * Threnody pauses. "...she?" Yeah, the other me. Or whatever the hell. Ah. * Threnody walks! It's terribly exciting! * Rochelle does, too. She's every bit as good at it as Thren. (For the love of god, talk, think of something, I'm dealing with three channels here. ._.) (Ha, I know. ;P) * Threnody wrings his hands, actually, for a moment. "You were really almost raped? You're sure you're okay?" He pauses, then sort of mumbles, "I'm sorry. I promised I'd look out for you." * Rochelle blinks. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine." He was gonna do it. I mean, I knew he was gonna. So when he didn't let me go... * Rochelle snickers, just a bit. "He wasn't wearin' an exo." ...oh. So, yeah. He's probly in the medical center, or somethin'. I see. * Threnody seems to waver between morality and sympathy pain before giving a hearty "Serves him right." * Rochelle shrugs. "Yeah. I did humanity a favor." You're not used to stuff like that, though. * Threnody tilts his head. "I'm not sure what you mean." You were surprised. You, and Ian, and... Leo. * Threnody pauses. "That someone tried to rape you? Why shouldn't I be surprised?" * Rochelle shrugs. You kinda figure... It happens, y'know? * Threnody shakes his head. "Accepting the reality that it happens and expecting it to happen aren't the same." * Rochelle pauses for a bit before she says, "Yeah, I guess so." * Threnody grins faintly. "You don't sound convinced, but that's fine." He pauses. "I think I'll be unhappy with myself if I ever stop being shocked at the concept of rape." <> * Rochelle nods. "I sorta stopped being shocked a long time ago." (Uh... what's in 'em again? ^_^) <> * Threnody looks around. "...this seems out of place." It's where the civilians hang out, I think. I saw some kids last time. * Rochelle pauses. "Not in the tanks, I mean." * Threnody laughs. * Rochelle smiles a little. <> <> (Yay. Rochelle will turn into a real girl soon.) (Woohoo!) (Impossible.) * Threnody breathes out. "It sort of makes me feel better to know that no matter the situation, there is still some hope for them." <> If we take care of whatever it is, we'll get out of here, and things'll be better for them. * Threnody looks around. "I want to believe that, but..." He pauses. "Somehow this dimensional Robin Hooding we're doing doesn't strike me as the right thing to do." Yeah? Then what is? * Threnody shakes his head. "I wish I knew. I believe in helping people, but... I think it comes from investment, not necessity." * Rochelle looks at Thren. "You say that like it matters." * Threnody blinks. "Maybe it doesn't, but..." He mmms. "I understand that there's never any way to trace the consequences of what you do very far, but how do we know what we're doing is right, rather than what's right for us?" <> <> So you'd feel better if it wasn't? * Rochelle quiets when they walk in. %% I'd feel better if we didn't disappear the second we did the right thing, %% he adds mentally as they enter. He can't stifle something approaching a 'grk' sound of surprise at the Bug victory. <> * Threnody frowns, peeking at the general mentally. %% He doesn't seem surprised we're here, %% he adds to Rochelle. %% But you'd do this anyway, even though we're just gonna disappear. And yeah. %% * Rochelle idly looks out the window. * Threnody folds his arms behind him as militarily as possible. "We're losing..." "Yup." "Have been for months." <> "Doesn't matter, though, they're just about done." * Threnody tilts his head. "Just about done, sir?" <> "There. You see?" Yeah. (And now I am going to make Anders very angry at me.) * Threnody tilts his head. "A demoralization strategy?" He frowns. "But why? That's not the point of the Game..." "Cats get bored with mice." * Threnody shakes his head. "That's not it..." %% The point of the Game was to force another AI's 'race' to submit, or to simply kill them... %% he adds to Rochelle before looking out again. "General, may I speak freely?" "Besides, once they've killed us, who do they have left to kill... as you will, soldier." * Threnody tilts his head. "Where do your orders come from, sir?" %% Maybe it's not playing a game anymore. %% %% But the Bugs are a hierarchical hive mind... they need to be taking orders from someone. If not the Pyramid, then who would organize this big group effort? %% %% Maybe they can wipe out more people by retreating now. %% %% Maybe... %% <> "My orders? From the Cube. You know that." * Rochelle looks at him, then out the window. %% I didn't expect that. %% * Threnody coughs, but recovers quick enough. %% I did, a little bit. %% "Of course, sir, but... have you ever seen it? How do we mere grunts know it really exists, sir?" "It exists, all right. It's the only reason we break the Bug attack codes as quickly as we do." * Threnody finds himself unable to squelch the words "Does it still like Ed McMahon?" and makes an awful noise clamping his hands over his mouth in an exo. ".. are you all right, soldier?" No, sir. I occasionally suffer from bouts of explosive verbal dementia. (Ha!) "I see." <> * Threnody pauses, then clears his throat. It's now or nothing. "How does one meet the Cube, sir?" "You have to have met him before. Nobody gets in that hasn't." Then how do ya meet it the first time? (Snerk.) (^^) "You met it before the security went up. Before we moved to this fucking mountain." * Threnody shakes his head. "My injuries included some head trauma, sir. My memories are spotty." <> "God knows I wish I could forget." * Threnody mms, then looks out over the valley. I can empathize, sir. %% 'Bout done? %% %% Well... I know approximately where the Cube is, but not how to get there... I don't think we'll get any more from him, so yes. %% %% Okay. %% * Rochelle steps away from the window and starts heading back. "C'mon, Thren. Shift's comin' up." * Threnody nods. "Sir, before we go... can I have your name? I want to remember it if I don't make it back." <> "Nathan Rohaus." (I think I spelled that right.) (I don't think you ever GAVE him a first name.) (Oh. No, you did, but presumably it was for his father.) (Yup.) * Threnody can't help but smile a little bit. "Thank you, sir." He turns to Roch so they can go. * Rochelle nods and goes. * Threnody leaves. <> <> * Katherine is following Vera. As you come up, she is suddenly laughing, saying "Wow. That is bad. I hope the other you's more imaginitive than me." (... say something, so we can go to bed. >_>) * Threnody looks pensive, but otherwise normal. "A Rohaus, but not Jaime... his father must have passed away." * Vera shrugs. * Rochelle nods. And then they come along the others! "Hey. Didja find anythin'?" ( Third time I shruged in a row. ) * Katherine catches the fact that Roch and Thren are in front of them. "Hey, Thren. Roch... Rohaus?" Yeah, some stuff. Checkin' on it now. * Threnody nods. "The general's name is Nathan Rohaus... probably Jaime's son. And he takes his orders from the Cube." * Katherine nods along with Vera,, then says, "Gah. That doesn't surprise me, but... gah." The who and the what? I have no clue. (... Jesus.) (Impressive.) ( In the words of Calc... ) ( "VIVA MEHFIKO!" ) (... *snickers madly*) (Ugh. Let's finish this up.) * Threnody looks around. "It's here in this mountain, somehwere... deep, deep below." * Katherine nods slightly, then says, sarcastically, "Great." After a second, she adds, "And Vera found out that we're looking for a tall, thin brown-haired goateed guy named Ventura Norton. That apparently Ian knows." Well, this Ian doesn't know 'im. Nah. Ian don't know 'im. They just worked together, once. I doubt they said much beyond "Work sucks." But ours does? * Katherine shakes her head. "This morning. He worked with Ian this morning." He's probably seen him. I doubt he learned his name. And it totally doesn't matter, he doesn't look the same anymore. * Rochelle thinks. "Maybe... I dunno, but it's something." We ain't gonna find him if we look for him. So we look for his residence. Don't matter what he really is; he's gotta have a place to stay. * Threnody nods. "It's worth looking into. Good job." He smiles. Yup. (We done?) * Katherine nods, then says in an annoyed tone of voice, "Yeah, and now it's about time to go to sit on the line." (I guess so.) (I can end here.) He's a civillian. He ain't gonna be heading there. <>