# [D20 Modern] Paths of Legend: Shadowgate (IC)



## crazy_monkey1956 (Mar 4, 2009)

*Episode One
Welcome to My Parlor Said the Spider to the Fly​*
_Michelle Storm stood in the control room as her husband made a few last minute adjustments to the wires stuck to the crystal object.  Watching him through the plexiglass barrier made her nervous.  She wanted to be down there with him and had made the case for it numerous times.  The military types wouldn't budge though.  Several of them were in the room with Harvey now, guns ready just in case something went wrong.

Harvey stepped back from the object and gave the all clear signal.  One of the technicians in the control room entered a numerical sequence on the keyboard.

The object started to glow and pulse.  Michelle could hear Harvey's voice, muted by the glass, "Everybody cross your fingers."

The rectangular metallic frame in front of the crystal swirled with multi-colored lights as the glow from the crystal channeled into it.  A loud crack like thunder shook the room, knocking Harvey and the military guys off their feet.  Michelle had to grab the back of the technician's chair to keep from falling herself.

The frame was now filled with an image of a dark cavern of some sort, strange, alien looking mushrooms the size of redwoods visible in the distance.  Lights from what appeared to be a city nestled amongst the mushrooms could be seen.

Harvey got to his feet and let out a triumphant whoop, "Hot damn!  It works!  Michelle, do you see that?  It works!"

The lights in the control room flickered.  Then went dark completely.  Shouting and then gunfire in the portal room could be heard.  Something was coming through.

Michelle couldn't see Harvey.  Unnatural darkness blanketed the portal room.  A moment of panic gave way to resolve and she made her downstairs, determined to be at Harvey's side, no matter what.

She slipped in to the portal room as a squad of soldiers opened the blast doors and entered, SWAT style, trying to assess the situation.

She couldn't see, but she felt her way along the wall, making her way to where she last she saw Harvey.  

A face emerged from the darkness.  Angular features, slanted red eyes, pointed ears, stark white hair and skin the color of a starless night sky.  He carried what looked like a medieval crossbow the size of a handgun.  He fired it, the bolt sticking painfully in her arm.  And then her world went black.

Harvey came to slowly, realizing that one of those crossbow bolts was still sticking out of his leg.  He rose to his feet, favoring his injured leg, looking around.  The lights were back on.  The portal was empty, the crystal's glow was gone.  Several soldiers were coming to their senses now as well.  But some were missing...as was Michelle._

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K41iLYVCBeg]Opening Credits[/ame]

*Max Storm: Incirlik, Turkey*

Lieutenant Colonel Jim Dawson waited patiently for Max to read the letter.  Dawson was in a business suit instead of a uniform, which wasn't unusual for a member of the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations or OSI.

Once Max uttered the words, "Let's go," Dawson was on his feet, "This way Mr. Storm.  We'll be taking a military flight from Incirlik Air Base.  You'll be briefed en route."

Dawson led Max to a government car parked nearby and opened the rear passenger door for him.

*Connor Lang: Cedar Springs Mental Health Facility, Colorado Springs, Colorado*

Connor saw the uniformed fellow talking to Doctor Wellsly as he sat in the activity center.  Most of the other in-patients were in group therapy at the moment, which left him alone to look out the window.

Doctor Wellsly and the military uniformed fellow approached, the doctor speaking gently to him, "Connor, you have a visitor.  This is Lieutenant Michaels.  He's with the Air Force."

Michaels smiles, "Mr. Lang, pleased to meet you.  I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes, if you don't mind."

*Corporal Amy Monroe: Canberra, Australia*

Amy is ushered into the conference room where her base commander, Colonel Hayes is sitting with an American Air Force officer and a United Nations diplomat.  Hayes stands and smiles at Amy, "Have a seat Corporal.  This is Lieutenant Colonel Jackson of the United States Air Force, in charge of the exchange program."

Jackson stands and offers his hand to Amy, his American accent quite prominent, "Pleasure to meet you.  We're looking forward to adding an international element to the program."

The UN fellow, his business suit standing out in contrast to the military uniforms in the room, gives Jackson a look that seems to indicate that the UN pressured the US into adding that international element to whatever program Jackson is referring to.

*Nathaniel Abrahms: DARPA HQ, Virginia*

Allison Stewart, the project lead for the parallel universes team, has assembled her team in the lounge.

Allison's excitement is tangible, "All of the theory is about to become reality, ladies and gents.  The Air Force has a nifty new toy they are playing with and they want at least one of us there to help them figure out how to make it work.  The trick is, you'll be part of a more military organizational structure and will have to answer to them, not us.  Any volunteers?"

*Specialist Howie Blaise: Somewhere in the Ozarks*

The wilderness had something no city or combat zone could ever match: peace and quiet.  That's what Howie was enjoying at this very moment, suspended on a rope from a rock outcropping enjoying the view.

Then something intruded on the quiet, the sound of a helicoptor landing on the outcropping above.  An Air Force uniformed fellow peeks over the edge of the outcropping, shouting over the sound of the helicoptor's blades.

"Specialist Blaise?  We need to talk to you!"


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 5, 2009)

> Specialist Howie Blaise: Somewhere in the Ozarks
> 
> The wilderness had something no city or combat zone could ever match: peace and quiet. That's what Howie was enjoying at this very moment, suspended on a rope from a rock outcropping enjoying the view.
> 
> ...




_ 'you have got to be kidding me ... a chopper here.....landing? above me?!' _

he looks up, then starts to pull himself up with the ascenter on his line, a light breeze blowing him in his suspended state. As he rounds the bottom edge of the outcropping he sees the face and uniform of an air force person peering over ...

Wait. that was a chopper. since when does the air force use choppers, not to mention in taking an army person off of leave. What the heck is going on....
."

*sigh* "yeah, thats me. be there in a few seconds

As he ascends the remaing few feet, climbing the foot holds and hand holds in the ozark chert bluff, he says to the fly boy, " Now I know there ain't no wars breaking out. I checked with CNN befor i left this morning. And when is the Air force needing to retrieve an airmy person, a nobody like me at that?!"

He retrieves his rope from the bluff while he cools off in the breeze.

"can you be neighborly and retrieve my back pack over there"


He points to the edge of the cleaing where his back pack and a few other things are located.


then he stops and eyes the fly boy warily, "how the heck did you find me?"


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## OnlytheStrong (Mar 5, 2009)

Max followed absently.  His mind raced with a million thoughts, keeping him preoccupied enough to not realize that he was now sitting in a car.  

"Hurry up." He didn't mean to be as rude as he sounded, but realized that every single passing moment could be the exact moment of death for his mother.  He cursed under his breath and closed his eyes, thinking back to when he was younger........ She had better be okay or there would be hell to pay for whoever hurt her.


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## Fanatic (Mar 5, 2009)

Diplomacy Sense Motive Spot (1d20+5=12, 1d20+6=15, 1d20+2=12)

Amy shook the man's hand hesitantly. Sure, the exchange program was a big thing but she wasn't expecting a Lieutenant Colonel to be present. And the presence of a NATO officer suggested something was up.

"The pleasure is all mine sir. I'm looking forward to working with my American counterparts and I'm eager to learn. I think both countries will benefit from the exchange."

Amy sat down, her foot moving side to side nervously. The mannerisms of Lieutenant Colonel Jackson seemed a little off for an entry interview for the exchange program, and the copious files on the desk, marked top secret indicated that this was definitely not what she thought it was.

Amy glanced to Colonel Hayes. The usually 'large and in charge' man was silent, almost submissive to his American counterpart. Something was definitely up. 

Putting on her best 'charming smile' Amy looked back at Jackson.

"So sir, where do we go from here?"


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## Yttermayn (Mar 6, 2009)

crazy_monkey1956 said:


> *Connor Lang: Cedar Springs Mental Health Facility, Colorado Springs, Colorado*
> 
> Connor saw the uniformed fellow talking to Doctor Wellsly as he sat in the activity center.  Most of the other in-patients were in group therapy at the moment, which left him alone to look out the window.
> 
> ...




"Fewifnd'h, 'wer^db eqw!" Conner says, and offers his hand to the Lietenant in a formal greeting.  What language it is is anyone's guess.  "Ehhhh..., don't mind him, sir, he does that a lot.  We haven't quite figured out why he does it, though." the doctor appologizes.  "His speech is highly structured, so it seems he _believes_ he is saying something.  At least it seems to indicate that he's in a good mood."
"Thank you, Doctor.  What can I do for you, mister Michaels?" Connor says with a soul-less smile and an even, liquid-silk voice.


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## Shayuri (Mar 6, 2009)

crazy_monkey1956 said:


> Nathaniel Abrahms: DARPA HQ, Virginia
> 
> Allison Stewart, the project lead for the parallel universes team, has assembled her team in the lounge.
> 
> Allison's excitement is tangible, "All of the theory is about to become reality, ladies and gents. The Air Force has a nifty new toy they are playing with and they want at least one of us there to help them figure out how to make it work. The trick is, you'll be part of a more military organizational structure and will have to answer to them, not us. Any volunteers?"




Nathan glanced around laconically as a forest of arms shot up among the researchers and engineers associated with the Project. He couldn't help but snicker, earning himself more than a few dark looks and the personal attention of Allison herself.

"Something funny, Abrahms?" she asked.

"Well...yeah, actually," Nate replied, unable to stop himself from digging himself in deeper. Abruptly he stood up and made a sweeping gesture with his arm to indicate the raised hands. 

"What are we, grade schoolers?" He raised his right hand and held it with his left theatrically, hopping a bit and repeating, "Ooo! Me! Me! Come on. This can't be about who _wants_ to go. Obviously we all _want_ to go. It's the...the chance to verify all the theories, world shattering, ground breaking stuff. The -cat- would want to go. The janitor. This has to be about qualifications though."


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Mar 6, 2009)

*DARPA HQ, VA*

Allison laughs, "Well of course its about qualifications, silly.  I was just trying to drum up some excitement."

Donald Wilson, sitting next to Nathan, mutters, "Way to thrill kill, Abrahms.  Why don't you try _not_ being negative for once."

Allison, ever the bubbly happy-go-lucky sort, continues, "As for who is qualified, the military is looking for someone who can take the physical demands of the position."

Another voice from the back, "That's discrimination!  Just because Janice and I are wheelchair bound, that doesn't mean..."

Allison interrupts, "I'm sorry, but the military actually does have the legal right to demand physically fit folks.  Second, they want someone who can take orders."

Donald smirks mean-spiritedly at Nathan, "That rules you out, Abrahms."

*Cedar Springs Mental Health Facility, Colorado Springs, Colorado*

Michaels watches Connor closely, "To put it bluntly, Mr. Lang, I have a job opportunity for you."

Doctor Wellsly interjects, "Oh, Connor isn't really able to..."

Michaels interrupts, "We think he is able, doctor.  We think he's a lot more able than he lets on.  What do you think, Mr. Lang?"

*Canberra, Australia*

Jackson responds with a smile, "To the airport, after you get yourself ready to go.  The project in question is classified at the top levels of the US government, so we can't really talk about it here."

Hayes steeples his fingers in annoyance, "Not even I know what this is about."

Jackson seems a little too smooth, like someone who knows a few too many secrets and enjoys the power that gives him.

*Incirlik, Turkey*

Dawson hands Max a manilla folder with several files in it.  The files are about something called Project: Shadowgate.

"As you are probably aware, your father was part of a rather fringe element of the archaeological community that was searching for Atlantis.  As you are also aware, your father has been unable to talk about his current position with the government for the past seven years.

Your father was part of an underwater archaeological dig in the Caribbean in 2002 that uncovered what he believed was an artifcat of Atlantean origin.  Since then, we've been figuring out how it works.  

Unfortunately, about a month ago, when we first activated the device, an alien enemy force emerged, taking hostages back through the portal generated by the device, including your mother."

Dawson pauses at this moment to guage Max's reactions.

*Somewhere in the Ozarks*

The air force fellow, a lieutenant, retrieves the backpack and answers Howie's question, "We have our methods.  We need you for an important mission.  You'll be briefed en route.  Right now, we need you to get in this helicoptor, no questions asked."


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## Fanatic (Mar 7, 2009)

Amy glanced back over to the NATO officer in the corner and everything clicked. "Ok, well I would need a day or so to get everything prepared, and I'll be ready to go, that is, of course if you agree Major Hayes?" 

Amy prepared to stand up but hesitated for a second. "This is not what I... originally expected. I don't suppose I can tell my friends and family anything about this? Secondly, I know that there's little time to ask questions but I have got to know. If this is a top secret US project, why would you risk a foreigner on board?" 

She cautiously watched the American military man for his response, as well as the NATO Officer, who hadn't said a word.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Mar 7, 2009)

OOC: A little too far of a jump, there, Fanatic.    Let me worry about the NPCs and pacing jumps and such.    Please revise your post back to the Canberra conference room and just include Amy's actions there.  Thanks.


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## OnlytheStrong (Mar 7, 2009)

Max sat there, no emotion or expression on his face.  Aliens?  Shadowgate?  "Bunch of ....." he let his thoughts trail off.  This stuff was EXACTLY why he hated his name.  

"How fast can we get there?  What do you know about this.... alien?" His mind was racing.  He didn't wait for the agent to speak, "I assume that you know how to open and shut this gate?


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## Yttermayn (Mar 7, 2009)

crazy_monkey1956 said:


> *Cedar Springs Mental Health Facility, Colorado Springs, Colorado*
> 
> Michaels watches Connor closely, "To put it bluntly, Mr. Lang, I have a job opportunity for you."
> 
> ...




Connor's empty eyes focus and lock on the leutenant's.  "I think ... you have seen my file, you know why I am in this place.  I mean no disrespect, but I cannot fathom why you think I would be interested in a _job_."


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 7, 2009)

Howie was too ticked at first to pay attention to the fact that there were single silver bars on the epelets of the blue air force uniform. But the words sunk in quickly as the sun glinted on the polished metel, razer sharp creases and shoes with a shine you can shave with.

*gulp* "Sorry L. t. Right away sir." he is handed the back pack and offers a wry grin as he receives it. He hops into the black chopper, it blades in hot revs, secures himself and his equipment. He then patiently awaits the briefing.

"I am all ears L. T. !" he yells as the roter blades start increasing their rotation speed.


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## Shayuri (Mar 7, 2009)

"Hah hah hah," Nathan deadpan 'laughs' in response to Donald's 'joke.' "We both know my record disproves that. Lets try to stay grounded here."

He looks back at Allison, waiting for more qualifications on the list.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Mar 7, 2009)

*Nathan*

Allison continues, "Alright, people.  For now, we're going to go back to work.  Me and an Air Force guy are going to be coming around and talking to each of you on an individual basis, then the Air Force guy will make his decision some time this evening."

Allison smiles cheekily, "Isn't this exciting?"

The group disperses and about an hour later, Nathan finds himself in Allison's office, the "Air Force guy" sitting behind Allison's desk, looking a bit annoyed by the clutter and post-it notes stuck everywhere.  Allison is also looking awkward, sitting in the spare chair that usually held a box full of files, which is now at her feet, shoved into the corner.

Major Thomas Truman starts the conversation, "Tell me about yourself, Mr. Abrahms."

*Howie*

Once the side doors are closed, the rotor noise is lessened to a low roar, enough that the two men can hear eachother without yelling at the top of their lungs, at least.

The lieutenant hands Howie a file and says, "You were picked for this because you're the only person from your last mission that hasn't had a psychotic episode, despite the memory reassignment procedure.  We figure that makes you uniquely suited to where we're about to send you."

The file contains rough photos of a military control room of sort, with an image of something humanoid but decidedly not human enhanced to reveal the details of black skin, pointed ears, and white hair on a short lean frame.  Behind the alien image is a rectangular metallic doorway of some sort, with an alien vista visible inside it.

The lieutenant extends his hand, "My name is Lieutenant Jameson, by the way.  You don't remember me, of course, but its good to see you again."

*Connor*

Michaels turns to Doctor Wellsly, "I'd like a few minutes alone with Mr. Lang, please."

Wellsly frowns, "I don't approve of this.  Connor, if you feel threatened, you just yell, ok?  I'll be right over there."

The doctor meanders over to the far doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed.

Michaels pulls up a chair and sits across from Connor, "You're right, I have seen your file.  Not your incomplete medical file, your real file.  The one that's full of juicy illegal activities that you managed to cover up so well the police never suspected a thing.  _That_ file.  I also know something else about you.  I can sense it, in your mind.  Tell me, Connor, when was the last time you moved something with your mind?"

For emphasis, he takes a pen out of his breast pocket and, careful to conceal what he's doing from Wellsly, makes it float just above the surface of his palm.

*Max*

Dawson responds as the limo pulls into the air base security gate, "We should be there tomorrow afternoon.  The aliens didn't stick around long enough for us to study them.  We have a close up security camera image of one of them just before they turned out all the lights.  We haven't figured out how they did that little trick either.  The gate is much more stable now, and, we believe, rigged to only work one way.  Our original mistake was creating a two way portal.  Now the mechanism works differently.  We'll show you when we get there."

The limo pulls past the security gate and starts heading toward the air strip.

*Amy*

Jackson shrugs, "I really can't reveal any details until you're at the secure facility in the US.  Suffice to say that Australila is a very good friend and ally to the United States and we wouldn't want to do anything to jeapordize that relationship."

The UN fellow speaks, a thick German accent making his words difficult to understand, "The United Nations has some concerns over this project and the level of secrecy associated with it.  We want to ensure that a proper international presence is maintained.  As such, you and other military members from United Nations member countries were carefully selected to serve on this project, albeit under the supervision of the United States."

Hayes stands, "So, Monroe, good luck and show 'em what we're made of."  He smiles, "That's an order."

Jackson slides a manilla folder over to Amy, "Your plane tickets and other important papers are all in there.  I'll meet you at the airport."

OOC: _Now_ we can skip ahead a bit to the airport.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 7, 2009)

crazy_monkey1956 said:


> *Nathan*
> 
> 
> *Howie*
> ...




Howie takes the offered hand and shakes it. "Well Lieutenant Jameson, as you know, Howie Blaise, Pleasure and and honor, I hope. I never decked you in a fight any where have I?" 

He looks to be trying to remember where he might have met the man, all that he is getting a blank slate though.

Holding up the foto and gesturing to the chopper he says, "this is way too elaborate to be a joke, so i can onloy assume this is for real. What the f ... sorry sir, is that thig and where is this taken? I mean, where on earth is this? How ... " Howie is at a complete loss of words, as the photograph shows something that those gamer geeks in the dorm  would talk about, what ever they called it. No this couldn't be a joke. The L.T. seems to know him from somewhere. 

"you know sir, this may sound like the obvious, but I am in civilian climbing gear and if we are headed to a military installation, I might stick out a bit. dont suppose someone sent a uniform along with you did they. I am all in sir, for god and country."


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## Yttermayn (Mar 7, 2009)

crazy_monkey1956 said:


> *Connor*
> 
> Michaels turns to Doctor Wellsly, "I'd like a few minutes alone with Mr. Lang, please."
> 
> ...




Connor's expression does not change as he watches the leutenant's display.  "Your vulgar abuse of my privacy does not impress me, nor do your threats." Connor says softly.  "As for the pen... I've seen levitation acts before.  Does the military need an assistant for it's magic show?  If that's the case, I'm hardly the type.  I'm flat as a board and my figure has gone to _hell_ lately."  Connor's words are highly sarcastic, but his velvet voice carries little passion in it.


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## Fanatic (Mar 8, 2009)

It took Amy only a few hours to pack the relevant gear she was going to need for the trip, as well as a few personal belongings - a change of clothes, some note books her flick knife and her laptop. As she left out of the front door of her apartment she paused for a second to grab a picture of her family.

A short taxi ride later Amy stood at the international airport, looking for Jackson. At present he was nowhere to be seen. Amy glanced around for a seat, she _was _early so it could be that the American was not there yet. Sitting down on one of the nearby chairs she carefully opened the manila folder to retrieve the plane tickets, and have a detailed look at the paperwork inside.


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## Shayuri (Mar 9, 2009)

"Tell you about myself," Nathan repeated blankly. For a second his mind, deprived of nice, neat questions to keep it on track and disciplined, seemed to explode in a thousand directions at once. Tell him about your school! No! Your car! No! Your friends! NO!

Sweating a little, he cleared his throat. "All right. You've read my file, so you know about my education and my work since I started here. But what I think my real qualification here is...is that offer imagination. Imagination, creativity...an ability to think outside the box. But also, in addition, a strict respect and adherence to empiricism, and uh...tempering that imagination with skepticism and a need for proof before acceptance."

He suddenly shakes his head and says, "Actually, forget that. Bottom line. I've got as much theory as anyone here, with the background in electronics and mechanics to back it up. Show me an ultrasound of whatever you've got, or a millimeter band imaging radar scan, and I'll be able to work out which button makes it go, and which blows up the universe."

Nathan clears his throat again. "Hopefully on the first try."


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## OnlytheStrong (Mar 10, 2009)

Max follows the orders, suggestions of Dawson.  He was "zoned out."  All he cared about was getting there, and getting her.   Nothing else mattered.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Mar 10, 2009)

Michaels says only one more thing to Connor, "Your choice.  You can sit here and sink deeper into your own personal hell.  Or you can come with me and maybe find a little redemption...and your wife."

The airplane took off, Max staring out the window.

Another airplane took off, taking Amy away from home.

Major Truman gets up and shakes Nathan's hand, saying to Allison, "I think we've got our guy."

A helicoptor flies over the Ozarks to a destination unknown.

*Hangar 18, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio*

Connor Lang, Max Storm, Nathan Abrahms, Corporal Amy Monroe (in dress uniform), and Specialist Howie Blaise (in a hastily procured and slightly ill fitting set of unlabeled fatigues) sit in a conference room about ten levels beneath the actual Air Force Base.

Above them, tourists wandered about the National Museum of the United States Air Force, oblivious to the second, secret base below their feet.

Brigadier General William Staunton enters the room, along with Harvey Storm, Max's father.

Staunton speaks first, "Good morning and welcome to the Shadowgate facility.  I'm the man in charge, so to speak.  You were brought here, first and foremost, to perform a rescue mission, but we'll get to that in a moment.  The Shadowgate is, in essence, a means of travelling through inter-dimensional boundaries.  It gives us the ability to explore realities beyond our own.  Unfortunately, there are threats in some of those other realities, hence the need for a rescue mission."

Harvey takes over at this point, trying to force a smile for Max, but failing, "About a month ago, we successfully activated the Shadowgate for the first time.  But, something came through and kidnapped six of our people...including my wife.  We've since reconfigured the operating mechanism so that the doorway, so to speak, is only one way."

He passes out small wristbands to each member of the group.  The wristbands each have a small crystal shard and a digital timing device that looks like an over-sophisticated watch.

"Those are your recall crystals.  When the timer runs out, you'll automatically be recalled back through the Shadowgate, returning here.  It is vitally important to not take that off, as that is your ticket home.  If the timer runs out and you're not wearing it, you'll be stranded."

Staunton continues, "I'm sure you are all wondering why you specifically are here.  We'll get to that.  Let's just get the first round of questions out of the way, then we'll take a tour of the facility.  So, questions?"


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## OnlytheStrong (Mar 10, 2009)

"Yeah dad, why didn't you go after her already?" Max's word drip with a venom that surprises even him.  He wasn't really mad at his father, he was mad at the situation.  

He lowered his head and whispered an apology he wasn't sure anyone heard.  "Has anything been through and came back?  I'm guessing yes since these crystals were designed.  So, what can we expect on the other side of this door?"


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## Fanatic (Mar 10, 2009)

Amy sat, steepling her hands. 

"Wait one second. When you say inter-dimensional boundaries are you talking about another universe? Like on that show... what was it..." 

Amy pauses for a second, thinking. 

"Sliders. That was it, although I'm sure this is all an elaborate prank being played on the Australian, if you truly believe something like that could exist I think you have all been spending too much time underground. No disrespect sir."


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## Shayuri (Mar 10, 2009)

Nathan plucks at the 'recall device' restlessly, then raises his hand, then realizes it's silly to do that and lowers it. He clears his throat and asks, "I was, uh, under the impression that you wanted help making this...gate device work, but it sounds like you've already managed to do that. Not to say that I couldn't improve on whatever techniques you've worked out, but still." Then something else occurs to him.

"And you mentioned a 'thing' came through. What sort of 'thing' exactly?"


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 10, 2009)

Howie stands, his pants showing as high waters, the sleeves at the cuffs puul way back showng welol tannned skin.

"Sir,I am Specialist Blaise.. I am just a Solder. sir. a typical brawling, gun totin' grunt. So I need a little patience in understang this. I feel like I am in some sci fi geek' computer here. Did you just say 'inter demensional travel' , and what happens if we have one of the kidnapped victums in hand when the timer goes off? do they come with us?"

He looks really nervous and you can almost see the smoke from the grinding gears in his head.

"OH, and may I share whith the other kids here what i have in  my lunch box? "At this he holds up the file ginen to him the L.T.


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## Yttermayn (Mar 10, 2009)

Connor was silent for a long moment.  He knew he was being manipulated, and said so.  "You are manipulating me.  Let's go."  He realized that he had already made his decision the moment the leutenant showed up.  Something about him...  The moment Connor had put down the pistol pressed under his chin was really when he had decided; that maybe there was another way to see his wife again.  This had to be the sign he was waiting for that his life saving decision would be validated.

Flash Forward to Hanger 18
After Staunton finishes speaking, Connor feels he has absorbed the information already.  "Guess you guys don't believe in letting folks wade in slowly.  So be it.  Can I get my recal crystal implanted?"


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Mar 10, 2009)

Harvey winces a bit at Max's anger but replies, "The things that came through, they took us by surprise and took out a dozen well armed soldiers."

He pulls aside a pair of cabinet doors on one end of the room that reveal an HD monitor.  Using the remote he clicks through still images captured by the portal room's security cameras.

A glimpse of a giant mushroom filled vista on the "other side" of the gate.

The crystal that empowers the gate.

A close-up image of one of the alien creatures that came through...white hair, pointed ears, jet black skin, red eyes, holding what looks like a renaissance era crossbow the size of a large pistol.

General Staunton addresses Amy, after the slideshow is complete, "I assure you, Corporal, this is very real."  

Turning to Nathan, the General responds, "Your job, Mr. Abrahms, is going to be to figure out how their tech works and figure out ways to use it to our advantage.  Barring that, you need to find ways to protect us against it and/or disable it.  Those things jumped through the gate right after we opened it, which leads us to believe they knew about it, somehow.  I would sincerely like to know how."

Harvey pulls another six of the Recall Timers out of his briefcase in answer to Howie's question, "These are for the hostages.  All you have to do is wrap these around their arms.  You can manually reset the timer on these babies so if you need to emergency evac all you need to do is set the timer clock to one second."

He then turns to Connor, "I actually need to talk to you privately about that, Mr. Lang.  The crystals, and the main crystal down in the portal room, react slightly differently to a certain genetic sequence which seems to come up in only about one person per million.  And, uh, you're one in a million, I guess you could say."


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## Yttermayn (Mar 10, 2009)

"I see.  Things just get clearer and clearer.  Certainly there were less risky recruits to be chosen, but I'm guessing they weren't... family." Connor says matter-of-factly.  "I'm all ears."


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 10, 2009)

"You answered two of the three questions of mine. I am just a common joe off the street here. Why me?


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## Shayuri (Mar 11, 2009)

"Technology?" Nathan repeats dubiously as he squints and leans closer to the screen. "Those look like...regular old crossbows. You can buy them at Wal-mart. Look at those guys though...serious Goth fetish in that world maybe. Still, looking at them...no funky armor, no guns...maybe they're some kind of technologically oppressed slave race. That'd explain them knowing about the gate but having no personal gear above the Paleolithic era in complexity."


----------



## Scott DeWar (Mar 11, 2009)

"these wally world crossbows, could kevlar stop the ammo from them? I Know a compound bow may penetrat kevlar."


----------



## Shayuri (Mar 11, 2009)

"There's no way those little hand sized crossbows will be as powerful as a full compound bow," Nathan informs his questioner. "Granted Kevlar's not at it's best against small cutting edges, but I don't see those things as really having much penetration. I've seen toys I've been more afraid of."

He looks around at the commanding officer.

"_These _are the interdimensional terrors?"


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## OnlytheStrong (Mar 11, 2009)

Max watches the security tapes closely..... "I don't think the darts were intended for killing.  They seem to be aiming at whatever part of the body is exposed..... but why?"

Max suddenly laughs loudly, "Dad.... you went down after being shot in the leg?  Explain exactly what happened."


----------



## Scott DeWar (Mar 11, 2009)

general, you said these crossbows took down trained soldiers, right?


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## Fanatic (Mar 12, 2009)

Amy attempts to hide a gulp as she realises the gravity of the situation and listens closely to the barrage of questions that are addressed to the general.

"Ok. Well who's in command of this jaunt on the field sir? Also don't suppose we can get an APC through there, give us some armour support, incase there's something bigger down there. If fact how do we even know if we can breathe through there?!"


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Mar 12, 2009)

Harvey answers, "Those little toy darts had some sort of poison on them.  That's why they were shooting at exposed areas.  Every single person hit by the damn things went out like a light, including me."

Staunton grumbles, "And judging by the fact that we collected fourteen of the projectiles from wounded people and only two from the floor, the bastards rarely miss."

Harvey uses the remote to bring up another slide, though this one shows only a black screen, "They also managed to shut down the lights without cutting the electricity.  We have no idea how they pulled that off.  I saw them come through the gate and then suddenly it was pitch black.  But, the base power supplies never fluctuated and no equipment was damaged.  Strangest thing I've ever seen.  Or not seen in this case."

Staunton addresses Howie, "I'll be able to answer why you're here in private a little later, son."  He then turns to Amy, "We sent a remote vehicle, a rover basically, through two days ago to test the conditions.  Breathable atmosphere, though if you're allergic to fungus, we'll need to know about it."

Harvey interjects, "Oh, and our medical expert here says the poison on the darts is fungus based as well."

Staunton continues, "As for who's in command, the mission will be led by Lieutenant Jameson.  He'll be joining us shortly.  Right now he's in medical getting checked out.  The gate is about ten feet wide, so we're not able to send large hardware through.  Any other questions before we take a tour of the place?"


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 12, 2009)

crazy_monkey1956 said:


> Staunton continues, "As for who's in command, the mission will be led by Lieutenant Jameson. "




"A fly boy? As in United states country club? you have them in charge of a rescue mission?"

Howie scoffs and sits back in his seat with more than a bit of attitude.

" i would actually prefer a green baret or delta, but i'll take wat I am givin. for god and country"


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## Fanatic (Mar 12, 2009)

Amy turns to Howie.

"Normally that would be a good idea, but to be honest those specialists aren't exactly the diplomatic type, and I've got a feeling we may need someone like, probably a linguist too since it's doubtful that they'd speak out language."

Amy pauses for a second sizing up the man in the fatigues.

"We should probably watch what we say if we meet anyone over there, especially in regards to where we came from, and any... religious convictions we might have. You never know, they might take that stuff pretty seriously."

Amy made a mental note to ask for her team's psych profiles later before going through. Glancing around, the large man, called Max seemed like he would suit a mission like this. Nathanial, she assumed would be a scientific attache, the fact that he said 'Paleolithic' knid of gave it away. as for Connor, her eyes narrowed when she glanced past him. His eye movement indicated he was reading something right in front of him, although there wasn't anything nearby that he could be read. 

"Is mister Lang ok?"


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## OnlytheStrong (Mar 12, 2009)

Max was thinking about the poison.  He grabbed his dad by the arm and forced his father's attention.  "Dad, poisons have antidotes..... have you had time to find any?"  He pauses, listening intently to every word his father says then continues; "I need to know about these things dad, every little detail.  Is there anything we can do to get a leg up on these things?"


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 12, 2009)

as amy sizes him up, she can see that he feels so totally cluless at this time.


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## Yttermayn (Mar 12, 2009)

Ooc: not understanding fanatics comment about connor...


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 12, 2009)

*OOC:*


 not conner, howie. he said "for god and country" which is what she reacted to i think.


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## Yttermayn (Mar 12, 2009)

OOC: No, I'm confused about this part: 
"as for Connor, her eyes narrowed when she glanced past him. His eye movement indicated he was reading something right in front of him, although there wasn't anything nearby that he could be read. 

"Is mister Lang ok?""


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## Fanatic (Mar 13, 2009)

OoC: Amy is implying that due to his mannerisms he doesn't seem quite 'right.' It's just flavour text, and can be changed


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Mar 13, 2009)

OOC: Fanatic, for future reference, try not to imply anything about another player's character's actions or mannerisms.  Just FYI.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 13, 2009)

> OOC: Fanatic, for future reference, try not to imply anything about another player's character's actions or mannerisms. Just FYI.




ooc:bI am a totally cluless here ... am i the fanatic that did the implying? perhaps i need to get some sleep. or i could actully be that cluless....


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Mar 13, 2009)

OOC: Get some sleep.    Fanatic is the name of one of our players.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 13, 2009)

*OOC:*


 ok. one shot of scotch coming up, then sleep


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## Yttermayn (Mar 13, 2009)

OOOOOOOOOc: Ahh, thank you.  Moving on...


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## Shayuri (Mar 15, 2009)

Nathan stares at his little flip-book notepad where he's written down some notes.

_Appearance: white hair, black skin (real black, not brown), red eyes, pointed ears.

Equipment: Appears archaic; one-hand crossbows, hide and metal armor. However, they have understanding of gate technology, and some way of neutralizing electricity around them.

Misc: They use poison, derived from fungus. There were glowing mushrooms visible through the gate briefly when they came through. Maybe..._

He frowned. Why did something about this seem kind of...familiar?

"No...the tour sounds good. I really want to get a look at that gate device."


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Mar 15, 2009)

Staunton glares at Blaise, "This is an Air Force Base, son.  Just about everyone here is a 'fly boy.'  Get used to it."

Harvey answers Max, "Medical is working on cooking up an antidote.  They said they should have something for use by the time we fire up the crystal again."

General Staunton and Harvey Storm guide the group through the facility.  Lots of new faces and new names: the technical crew in the operating center, the medical staff in the sick bay area, small bunking areas for military and staff members staying overnight, and finally, the portal room.

Unlike the still images seen during the slide show, the portal room has been reconfigured slightly.  The rectangular metal "door" in front of the crystal has been removed and the crystal itself moved to the center of the room.  Surrounding the crystal are a dozen stations where a traveler stands, placing the arm holding the crystal-timer into a circular hole that allows brief physical contact with the larger crystal.  

Harvey explains, "We removed the gateway so that nothing could come through.  After we program a destination point in the control room, a traveling team simply stands at one of these areas and simply touches the crystal.  We can send remote probes and other hardware through as well, up to about ten feet wide or so.  There's still a possibility of a hostile coming through if they take your timer and use it themselves, but that can't be helped.  So, don't let anyone take your timer."

Staunton says, "We've planned a departure for two days from now.  In the meantime, each of you needs a complete physical, Mr. Lang needs to talk to R&D and Blaise needs to see me in private.  Any other questions?"


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 15, 2009)

[sblock=ytterman]







Yttermayn said:


> OOOOOOOOOc: Ahh, thank you.  Moving on...




hey! that scotch was for me!

[/sblock]

there was too much going on. Howie sat back and let the educated types ask the smart questions. He was promised a seprate briefing later, so he would wait for it. hurry up an wait. the military life.


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## Yttermayn (Mar 16, 2009)

"None." Lang answers flatly.  "I'll head over to R&D.  No no, I know the way.  I took the tour, you know."  He says with just the tiniest bit of sarcasm.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 16, 2009)

Howie has nothing more to say. he now just goes where he is led...just like basic training!
Ugh . . .

ooc: heading to the privet briefing i gues...


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## Fanatic (Mar 16, 2009)

Amy has a thousand thoughts race through her head but keeps quiet. Somehow she has the feeling that no one here probably knows the answers that she wants, and secondly even if they do she probably didn't want to know.

"No sir, I think I'm ok for now. I'll head to medbay and get checked up."


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## Moon_Goddess (Mar 18, 2009)

OOC::  A message from OnlytheStrong.  http://www.enworld.org/forum/talking-talk/252655-onlythestrong-without-intertubes.html#post4716402


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## Shayuri (Mar 19, 2009)

Initially absorbed by the gate structure itself, Nathan realized that he'd been asked a question and jerked around.

"Huh? Oh! Uh. Sure, R&D sounds good. Or, hey, what's the chance I could see the control system and interface you guys set up for this? How did you get it to accept commands from our technology? And how old is this? Was it built on Earth, or somehow...imported?"

Somehow, despite obviously being about to burst with questions, he managed to hold the flood back with those few for now.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 19, 2009)

as a reminder to all, crazy monkey and his whole family is sick, and taking a convelescence brreak.


----------



## crazy_monkey1956 (Mar 25, 2009)

OOC: Writing out Max temporarily until OnlytheStrong gets back.  Thanks for the heads up, DarwinofMind.

*After the Tour*

Harvey answers Nathan's questions by pointing him back toward control, "The techs should be able to answer all of that.  Go ahead and head on over, just remember to get to medical for your physical sometime today."

Max follows Amy to medical for his physical.

*Howie: Private Briefing*

Staunton takes Howie into his office and closes the door.  The general offers Howie a seat and then sits down in his executive style chair behind his solid oak desk, the United States flag displayed prominently on the wall above and behind him.

The general speaks, "Son, I'm about to tell you something you're not going to believe but I need you to accept that it is, in fact, true.  You and Lieutenant Jameson were part of a mission classified above top secret.  You and the other members of your unit were subjected to a hypnosis based memory reassignment after the mission so there would be no chance of the details of the mission getting out.  Everyone but you and Jameson has since suffered from some sort of post traumatic stress related issue.  One member of your unit committed suicide.  Another one attempted suicide and is still in a psychiatric ward under observation.  Another went on a psychotic rampage and gunned down four people before the police were forced to kill him.  The last one went AWOL.  We don't know where he is at the moment."

He takes a sip from his coffee and then continues, "That mission is the reason you are here.  You don't remember it, but you've had experience dealing with the enemy we faced in the portal room.  The test run we did on the crystal last month wasn't the first time we used the thing.  A year ago, we did another test run, using the thing as a time travel device, sending your team to the future.  The future is pretty damn bleak, son.  Those things are there and it looks like they're running the show.  When we tried to bring you back, you ended up some...uh...when, else.  We're not sure when exactly, but you had a prisoner with you and you lost her and the field scientist we sent with you, Dr. Zachary Logan.  I think those alien things somehow knew about our second test run from having contact with you and your unit, which is how they were able to be ready for us."

*Connor: R&D*

Harvey goes with Connor to the Research section of the facility.  Several smaller fragments of the core crystal are being worked on by a few scientists and technicians.  One of the scientists, a grey haired woman with a large, black-rimmed glasses, looks up and addresses Harvey, "Is this our Bermudan?"

Harvey smiles, "Yep."

She rolls her chair over to another table and grabs a laptop, "Mr. Lang, it is a pleasure to meet you.  I'm Dr. Janice Sullivan and you are my new best friend."

Harvey excuses himself, "You guys have fun, I'm going to go catch up with Max."

Janice just nods, as she taps away at her laptop, speaking to Connor, "We found that niftly crystal doohickey in 2002, in the Caribbean.  Turns out that that was the source of all the Bermuda triangle vanishings and such.  The crystal was randomly activating and sending people to other times and dimensions.  Well, these accidental travelers ended up leaving a curiously altered genetic trace when they procreated in the new time they ended up in.  Descendants of the Bermudans, as we like to call them, have a couple of unique qualities.  For starters, every single Bermudan descendant we've managed to locate, including you, has an abnormally high level of psionic potential.  Your brain gives off a high level of a very specific type of radiation that seems to activate the dormant areas of the brain that contain telepathic type abilities.  The radiation is harmless otherwise, but it is something we can track, which is what we used to find you.  That radiation is almost identical to the radiation the crystal gives off.  Which brings me to my second point...you don't actually need a recall timer.  You can just sort of think your way home...we think you may even be able to control your destination when you use the crystal.  With practice and development of your telepathic abilities of course."

*Nathan: Control Room*

Nathan finds his way to the Control Room, adjacent to the Portal Room, where all the computer systems that control the crystal device are located.  Several technicians are there, enjoying a little bit of idle time since the Portal Room is inactive at the moment.  A large window gives the Control Room a full view of the Portal Room, about a half-floor above the Portal Room.  

One of the techs sits up and greets Nathan, "Heard you had some questions about how this all works.  Well, I'm your guy."

*Amy: Medical Bay*

Amy gets a full physical examination from one of the doctors in the facility's medical bay.  She hears Max in the room next door, recieving a similar exam and sees Harvey enter the room Max is in as Amy is being given a clean bill of health.  As Amy is getting dressed, Max and Harvey exit.  Harvey is trying very hard to hold back tears, his arm around Max, who appears to be in shock.  Amy catches the end of Harvey's words to Max...

"I know you want to go after your mother, but we need to get this fixed first.  Your mother's dad died from a brain tumor, I'm not going to lose you to one, too."

The two men continue walking out of medical and Amy loses sight of them.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 25, 2009)

_ this sounds like all a bad joke_ thinks howie to hinself,_ but his a full star general telling me i have been there beofre and the lt and aiI are the only two who didnt go nuts..._

"General, I am jsut a simple solder, a specialist at that. a nobody. But you are taking the time to tell me things that are too crazy to be true, which leaves me to only one choice ... to believe you. You say there is a lost scientist, a missing prisonet and one of my former team is AWOL. " heavy sigh* I enlisterd to fight for my country, and these . . . things, people, mushroom-ites, what ever. . .  have take over tomorrow. That is what i fight for. To keep this as *our* tomorrow, not any one else. Let be get the phisical out of the way, and . . . well sir, this uniform isnt going to work sir. I nees something that fits. You say i was here before? can i get my old cloths back, sir?"

he stands to show the effect of highwater pantlegs and the sleeves pulling back to his forarms and unbuttoned to fit his larger arms' girth.


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## Yttermayn (Mar 26, 2009)

"So the crazies had it right, huh?  Well kind-of anyways.  The tinfoil hats aren't for keeping government mind control waves out, but to keep government trackable mind waves in..."  Connor mused.  "So in your professional opinion, doc, could someone who died in this world have gone to another one accessable via this crystal?"  He asked seriously.


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## Fanatic (Mar 30, 2009)

Amy turned and walked the other way. She passed her medical exam but she hoped Max did as well, he wasn't looking too happy. Perhaps something to ask him about later. 

Guess it was time to have a look around the complex or to get more information before they set off.


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## Shayuri (Mar 30, 2009)

One of the techs sits up and greets Nathan, "Heard you had some questions about how this all works. Well, I'm your guy."

Nathan nods and holds out a hand. "Great. I'm Abrahms, Nathan Abrahms. Actually, more than questions, I'd really like to just see what you have in place here. What kind of interface do you have worked out? How are you transmitting commands from our technology to this...crystal device, and how are you translating what it sends back into usable information?"


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Mar 30, 2009)

*The Control Room: Nathan*

The tech gives Nathan a thorough rundown of how the system works.

OOC: I'm not a scientist, so I actually have no idea how a psionically resonant crystal of unknown origin could be made to interact with modern computer technology.    Nathan does get enough of a working knowledge that, with some time to fiddle with it himself, he should be able to operate and eventually program the controls.

*Wandering the Facility: Amy*

Amy is greeted amicably by many of the US Air Force folks going back and forth from one place to another.  She eventually finds herself near the mess hall, which currently smells of chili dogs, where there's about six AF enlisted and civilian techs enjoying a late lunch.  The mess hall has a small kitchen with a civilian cook, with vending machines, a small microwave, and a coffee maker on the opposite end of the room.

One of the techs she met briefly earlier, a civilian technician named Paul Wilson, enters the mess hall as Amy is passing by and says to her, "Oh, hey, you're the Australian, right?  Have you had lunch, yet?  Care to join me?"

*R&D: Connor*

Janice blinks, apparently a little perplexed, "Well, no, not really.  I mean, if their corpse were in contact with the crystal at the time, but they'd still be a corpse where ever they ended up."

She turns her labtop around so Connor can see the screen and brings up a diagram that currently looks like a simple straight line.

"On the other hand, parallel universe theory tells us that for every decision any sentient being makes, a new universe comes into being where that individual makes the other choice."

She clicks the mouse and the line splits in two branches.

"In turn, every choice in both of the alternate realities spawns two, maybe more, alternate realities."

The lines continue to branch in a repetitive pattern until the screen is nearly full of branching lines.

"So, in some realities a person who died could be very much alive.  That person may not be the same person as they were in this reality, though.  For example, there's probably a reality out there where I didn't come home after two days when I ran away at 15, which means in that reality I'm probably dead, maybe worse."

*General Staunton's Office: Howie*

Staunton nods, "You have quarters on the barracks level, upstairs.  Jameson tells me that you and he made sure some of your stuff was left there, including a video recording you left for yourself.  I'd go watch that if I were you."

Staunton's desk phone rings at that point.  He holds up a hand for Howie to wait a moment, then answers it.

"This is Staunton."

"What?  Does Harvey know?"

"Damn.  Well, we can't delay the mission.  Get him into treatment."

He hangs up, his face suddenly more somber.  He rubs his forehead and says to Howie, "Max evidently has a brain tumor.  Get yourself situated and be ready to go at 0600 Thursday morning.  Dismissed."


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## Yttermayn (Mar 30, 2009)

Connor squints as he ponders Janice's answer.  In a moment, he asks an unrelated question: "Was there something in particular the lab needed from me, ma'am?"


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 30, 2009)

"Yes Sir" he stands comes to attention and does an about-face. then he heads straight to the door. once out side the door he heads directly to the the med center where he is there for the requisite health evaluation exam.

"I hate these exams.  " he mutters to himself


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## Fanatic (Apr 2, 2009)

"Yeah, actually I would love to."

Taking a seat in the mess hall Amy bites down on her sandwich. "So," she says a mouth full of bread, "tell me, what do you know about all this, little bit surreal isn't it!"


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## OnlytheStrong (Apr 2, 2009)

Max sat in the examination room for hours now.  It was amazing that even in a place like this .... the medical staff took their sweet time.  



ooc:  Thanks for the patience guys!  My comp is back up and running!  (motherboard actually melted, woot!)


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Apr 2, 2009)

OOC: I had written Max out on a slightly more permanent basis, assuming you wouldn't be back for a while.  Max is currently being taken to the major hospital in Dayton (the city next to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio) for diagnosis and possible treatment of a brain tumor.  What we can do is have the brain tumor the medical staff at Wright-Pat found be a false positive (something went wrong with their tests) or it might be something other than a tumor (alien implant, psionic potential, etc), or...well, there's several angles to play with here.  Let me know which one you want to pursue.


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## Shayuri (Apr 6, 2009)

(OOC - Hehe, took me a little while to come up with some technobabble. )

The time Nathan had to examine the control systems wasn't nearly enough. When his watch started beeping that he had to go now, he nearly turned it off and ignored it. The interface was two things, he saw right away. It was ad hoc, and rather ingenious. Patchwork though...jury rigged. He already saw places it could be improved. The technicians were probably all being allocated to other projects now though. After all, the interface and control systems 'worked,' and that was all that was important, right?

Typical military thinking. Achieve a minimum level of success, then move on.

He took notes as he worked. As far as he could tell, the crystal was designed to react to, and emit, some kind of energy that was at this point almost impossible to even detect, let alone control. However, whatever process it used to interact with and create this exotic energy had a byproduct of creating electromagnetic fluctuations in its structure.  Those fluctuations could be 'read,' via induction. The key seemed to be finding that the crystal reacted to some people, and their mental state. Once the researchers had discovered that, they could start cataloguing the crystal's reactions and creating a list of discrete electromagnetic states associated with each.

It was crude and hodgepodge, but it worked well enough to get basic data.  Of course, there were a LOT of states that they still had no explanation for, that didn't seem associated with any measurable effect. Nathan suspected that the crystal had a lot to tell them that they hadn't learned to interpret yet. 

He was especially curious about this 'exotic energy,' but there wasn't a lot about it on the engineering side of things. Evidently that information was pretty compartmentalized. But someone would know...somewhere.

Maybe R&D...

(OOC - Are we supposed to turn up for a briefing or checkup, or can Nathan visit R&D before that happens? )


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Apr 6, 2009)

*R&D*

Janice giggles, an oddly girlish noise coming from a middle aged, bookish woman, "Oh, dear, I nearly forgot why I asked you up here.  Most of your medical data from your physical will make its way into our eager little hands, especially your MRI.  I can't wait to see that."

She hands Connor something that looks like one of the mini-cellphones that attach to a person's ear.

"That is a cleverly disguised radiation monitor.  We need you to wear it when you're out and about.  It'll measure the amount of psionic radiation you're giving off."

Nathan arrives in R&D and sees Connor there, speaking to a middle aged, bookish looking woman who peeks around Connor to greet Nathan, "Hi there.  Can I help you?  Oh, you're the MIT DARPA guy, right?  Goody!  Have a seat."

She turns back to Connor, "So, go get that physical whenever you're ready, ok?"

*The Mess Hall*

Wilson shrugs, "I'm just a tech.  I press buttons and turn knobs when they tell me to."  He chuckles a bit.  "Seriously, this is all something out of a bad 70s sci-fi movie.  But, you know what, I don't complain."

Another tech comes in and light-heartedly thwaps Wilson on the back of the head, "Stop flirting with the exchange student."

Wilson makes a playful grab for the other fellow but misses.  He turns back to Amy, "Don't mind Danny, he's the resident D&D geek.  Still lives in his mother's basement."

Danny rolls his eyes, "At least I don't use top secret government computers to play WoW, jack***."

*Medical*

One of the med techs smiles as Howie enters, "Welcome Mr. Blaise.  Don't worry, this won't take long."

After an hour of tests and blood samples, Howie gets a clean bill of health.

As Howie is getting dressed, the doctor steps into the exam room and closes the door, "Good afternoon, Howie.  Just wanted to let you know that you have an abnormal test result.  Nothing too concerning, it doesn't pose a health risk or anything.  Its just that, you're body is about two years older than it ought to be."

*Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, Ohio*

Max, accompanied by his father, is taken to the area's largest hospital.  Harvey is quiet, uncomfortable with the thought of losing his only son.

Another round of tests ensues at the hospital.  A couple of hours later, a doctor comes in to the hospital room as Max is lying on the bed and Harvey is sitting in the corner staring out the window.  The doctor smiles, "Well, I have some good news.  It looks like we got a false positive.  You're perfectly healthy."

Harvey jumps up, "Hot damn, I knew it!"  He and the doctor exit the room to let Max get dressed.

As Max is buttoning up his shirt, the door opens again and closes.  A man in a black trenchcoat, scruffy and unshaven, is standing there, "Hey, Max.  Sorry about the drama, but I had to get you alone so I had my friend on the inside fake your test results.  You and I need to talk.  I'm Thomas Morgan.  And you have a spy in your little top secret facility."


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## Yttermayn (Apr 6, 2009)

OOC: So psi energy is not directly detectable by sensors, but my earpiece can detect my own psi energy?  Ya know, I can spin some pretty convincing theoretical  technobabble if you need any, Monkey.  Just PM me.

At Janice's explanation, Connor shrugs and places the device in his ear.  "This thing isn't going to give me brain cancer or anything, is it?" he asks Janice, half serious before heading off in the direction of medical.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Apr 6, 2009)

OOC: The earpiece doohickey incorporates a piece of the crystal.  Basically, anything psionic related, technology, has to incorporate a piece of the crystal to be able to interact with psionic energy.  Otherwise, psionic energy is completely invisible and undetectable to all standard means of measuring and detecting energy and radiation.


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## OnlytheStrong (Apr 6, 2009)

Max looked the newcomer over carefully, as if he were trying to size him up for a fight.  "So why are you telling me?  Tell the security guys."  Max stood and began to head for the door.


[sblock=ooc]

Sorry if he seems rude........ I think it would be alittle much for him to handle, or even comprehend really.  At least right this very second.

[/sblock]


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## Fanatic (Apr 8, 2009)

Amy grins at the two techs, it seemed not everyone here was a hard arses like in the briefing room. Shaking her head slightly she looks back up at Wilson.

"Well I hope you guys have my back when I'm through that... gate? 

My ex used to play World of Warcraft, I've heard it was pretty popular in the states. Never got into it myself, I guess I just don't have the imagination to see myself fighting orcs and elves you know?. This D&D thing? Is that like Research and Development? Design and Development?"


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## Scott DeWar (Apr 10, 2009)

'_*what the...? two years older...?hmmm, mentle note: talk to the lt when i get a chance...*_' howie thinks to himself

"so, no uh, wierd dohikies in my head? no strange surgical procedures done by aliens? if that is all, i need to see a man about a horse." Howie looks rather anxious about getting out of med bay.


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## Shayuri (Apr 11, 2009)

Nathan arrives in R&D and sees Connor there, speaking to a middle aged, bookish looking woman who peeks around Connor to greet Nathan, "Hi there. Can I help you? Oh, you're the MIT DARPA guy, right? Goody! Have a seat."

Nathan comes in, nodding and starting to reach out to offer his hand. He pauses on seeing Connor and grins.

"Hey, I remember you. You were at the brief..."

He trails off as Connor heads right on by and out the door.

"...fing. Huh." Nathan coughs into his fist, though an unflattering word might have been disguised in that cough. Then he's all smiles again, offering to shake hands with the R&D lady.

"Anyway, yeah, that's me. I was just up in the control room, and I have some questions about that gate device and how it works. I'm assuming you guys in R&D actually deciphered its operating principles, but there's nothing in the design specs about how you originally detected and quantified this unknown energy the thing puts out. What did you use as a detector?"


----------



## crazy_monkey1956 (Apr 11, 2009)

*R&D*

Janice shakes Nathan's hand gently, then answers, "We happened to have a Bermudan on the initial discovery crew.  The team that found the crystal in '02.  Then we figured out we could off small shards without harming the crystal and we used those to find more Bermudans, like Connor."

*Medical*

The doctor nods to Howie, "No, you're free to go Mr. Blaise."

OOC: Where is Howie going from here?

Connor is greeted by a med tech, "Come on in and let's get this over with shall we?"

*The Mess Hall*

Danny smiles geekily, pushing his glasses further up his nose, "Dungeons & Dragons, the game that is singlehandedly responsible for the entire fantasy gaming genre."  He looks at Wilson smugly as he continues, "WoW wouldn't exist if it weren't for D&D."

Wilson rolls his eyes, "Whatever.  While you and Clark and Jen were sitting around pretending to be faeries last night, my team raided some other dork's character funeral.  My buddy even put it on youtube."

Danny shakes his head, "You pulled the wings off of flies when you were a kid, didn't you?"

Wilson shrugs, "Still do.  What's your point?"

Danny pulls Amy aside, suddenly serious, "Look, I don't know what R&D or the expedition team or whatever has figured out, but I can tell you, they are missing something.  Something really big.  Those things that came through the gate and took some of our people...I know what they are."

Wilson frowns, "Are you still going on about that?  Its a freaking game, dude.  You seriously need to get a life."

*Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, Ohio*

Morgan takes a sealed manilla envelope out of his coat and tosses it onto Max's bed, "That's the mission report for the last mission involving the Shadowgate.  The one from last year.  The one that Howie Blaise died on.  Read it.  Then burn it.  I'll be in touch."

Morgan opens the door again and exits the room.


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## OnlytheStrong (Apr 11, 2009)

Max stares at the envelope blankly, did he really want to open it?  Did he really have a choice?  Max carefully opened the package.  Few things as of late were making any sort of sense.  


Max walked out the door of his examination room, down the hallway, and nearly out the front door before the fire alarm went off.  He continued to casually leave the facility even as others seem to be panicing.  Why panic? There was no real threat.  The fire was contained the a metal bedpan.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Apr 11, 2009)

OOC: Just to clarify, did Max read the contents before he burned it?


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## Yttermayn (Apr 12, 2009)

crazy_monkey1956 said:


> *R&D*
> 
> Connor is greeted by a med tech, "Come on in and let's get this over with shall we?"




"Hey, Janice said I could melt your brain or something with a thought.  What is the medical term for that?"  Connor asks, trying to sound serious.


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## Scott DeWar (Apr 12, 2009)

crazy_monkey1956 said:


> *Medical*
> 
> The doctor nods to Howie, "No, you're free to go Mr. Blaise."
> 
> ...





"have fun," says howie to conner humorouslessly, "hey doc, where can i find Lt. Jameson?"


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## OnlytheStrong (Apr 13, 2009)

ooc: Yup.  He read the sucker. lol


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## Fanatic (Apr 13, 2009)

Amy turned to Wilson, smiling slightly.

"Well alot of weird stuff have been happening recently, I'll take on board any advice I can get."

Turning back to Danny she lent back in.

"So tell me about who these people are, everything, if I'm going in there I want to be prepared, and any information you can tell about these aliens, I'd like to know." Amy paused for a second thinking. "Though, I would of thought you should tell the higher ups, they might be able to do more than I can about it."


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Apr 15, 2009)

OOC: I'm going to slightly shift when I update this game to Wednesdays (which is today .  So, Shayuri, if you could get a post in soon, that would be appreciated.


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## Shayuri (Apr 16, 2009)

_Janice shakes Nathan's hand gently, then answers, "We happened to have a Bermudan on the initial discovery crew. The team that found the crystal in '02. Then we figured out we could off small shards without harming the crystal and we used those to find more Bermudans, like Connor."_

"Riiiight...Bermudans." Nathan grins a little doofily at the handshake, then quickly shakes it off as the immediate engineering problems tug his mind away.

"So a Bermudan can find these crystals...and the crystals can find Bermudans...so either one can... Of course, we can't exactly use a modified human brain as a component so..." He looks up at Janice. "Do you have paper? And a pencil? Or a blackboard...something."

"The trick is that with the exception of those EM resonances within the crystal, there's no way to...alright, no that's not true. We just need to figure out what it's doing when it doesn't look like it's doing anything..."

He paces away as he mutters to himself, then whirls to face Janice again. "I need one of the smaller shards. Or two...maybe three, just in case. And I need a list of the Bermudans."

His watch beeps again. Nathan glances at it and his shoulders sag. "And I have to go get my physical."

(OOC - I noticed the others doing this, so I'll assume Nathan has to as well. )


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Apr 16, 2009)

*R&D*

Janice smirks, "Have fun with that."

She pauses a moment, "I didn't explain Bermudans, did I?  Oops.  It actually isn't a very accurate term, or even really politically correct.  Its just that the crystal was randomly activating and causing disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle prior to being discovered and brought here in 2002.  We figured out that the vanished cases actually appeared in other times...time travel, essentially.  When they later settled down in their new time and had children, those children and their descendants have the same energy signature in their brains as the crystal and a high probability of developing psionic ability.  Telekinesis, telepathy, that sort of stuff."

Janice retrieves a crystal sliver from a locked specimen case in the back of the room, "We have a very limited supply of these things so any experimentation you need to do will have to be cleared through me, be done with this single shard, and very carefully documented.  Ok?"

*The Mess Hall*

Danny frowns, "The higher-ups won't believe me.  I'm just a tech.  And, I admit, it is a little far fetched.  See, those aliens in the portal room, they are fairly prominently featured in that D&D game I was telling you out about.  I know, I know, it sounds insane, but the creatures in the game have the ability to make darkness, just like the ones that attacked the portal room.  That can't be coincidence."

*Lt. Jameson's Quarters*

Howie finds Lt. Jameson in one of the temporary officer quarters on the second level.  

"Hey, Howie.  Hell of a lot to take in, isn't it?  Well, it'll probably make more sense when you watch the video you left for yourself."

*Medical*

The med-tech on duty shrugs, "Your ears aren't pointed enough for that."  She calls back to the x-ray room, "Prep the MRI equipment for Mr. Spock here."

*Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, Ohio*
[sblock=The Contents of the Manilla Envelope]The envelope contained photocopies of personnel reports and mission briefs on the first trip through the Shadowgate, one year ago.

The mission personnel were...

Mission Leader, Air Force Lieutenant Peter Jameson

Army Specialist Howie Blaise

Army Specialist John Williams

Navy Petty Officer Danica Greer

Marine Corporal Thomas Morgan

Air Force Staff Sergeant Caleb Martin

Civilian scientist Doctor Zachary Logan

Each personnel file contains a picture.  The report is written by Lt. Jameson.

_"The initial activation of the crystal device sent us to an unexpected destination.  According to Dr. Logan, we overshot our planned time period by about a thousand years.

The environment we found ourselves in was under a floating land mass of massive size.  The perpetual darkness made land navigation difficult.  We were attacked regularly at night by blind, humanoid creatures with primitive weapons.

We survived in this environment for more than a year, encountering other, less hostile, humanoids of several, apparently different species.

Dr. Logan was finally able to locate the shadowgate crystal to get us home but we were attacked by highly advanced creatures of unknown origin.  Humanoid, black-skinned, that demonstrated the ability to create darkness.

Our team was seperated, Blaise and Morgan captured by the enemy.  Rescue operation was a success and we also retrieved a human infant being held in the alien compound.

Dr. Logan reactivated the Shadowgate from our end but we again overshot our mark, this time arriving in 1984.  We were forced to make contact with Dr. Logan's younger self, as well as his research assistant, Harvey Storm.  Although it took a couple of months, we were finally able to travel by boat to the site where the Crystal was found in 2002 and the older Dr. Logan successfully activated the crystal to send us home.

However, the younger Dr. Logan was lost at sea.  The older Dr. Logan opted to remain in 1984 with the infant we discovered in the alien compound.  It should be noted that from our perspective, Dr. Logan was the scientist in charge of the expedition that discovered the Shadowgate Crystal but when we returned we learned that Harvey Storm led that expedition.  

I'm not an expert in time travel, but that indicates to me that we made a change to the timeline when the younger Dr. Logan died in 1984."_

Morgan included a hand-written note, "While Howie and I were held captive in the alien compound, we were tortured and interrogated.  Howie was killed and replaced by some sort of shape-shifting humanoid creature.  After we returned home the government forced us to undergo hypnotherapy that made us forget the entire mission.  Williams committed suicide.  Greer attempted suicide and is currently in a mental institution.  Martin killed four people and was himself killed by police.  I'm currently AWOL.  I've made contact with Dr. Logan and the girl, who Dr. Logan raised as his daughter, naming her Karyn.  Dr. Logan was able to reverse the hypnotherapy on me.  I now remember everything.  I'm going to attempt to make contact with Harvey Storm's son, Max.  By my reckoning, if it weren't for the changes we made to the timeline Max wouldn't even exist...in the world we returned to, Max's mother is Michelle Storm.  In the world we left, she was Michelle Logan, with no kids."[/sblock]

Harvey catches up to Max as the wing of the hospital is evacuated and a fire truck arrives, "I don't suppose you know anything about this, do you?"


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## Scott DeWar (Apr 17, 2009)

"Sir, permission to speak freely."


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## Yttermayn (Apr 17, 2009)

crazy_monkey1956 said:


> *R&D*
> *Medical*
> The med-tech on duty shrugs, "Your ears aren't pointed enough for that."  She calls back to the x-ray room, "Prep the MRI equipment for Mr. Spock here."




Connor gave the med tech a "Live Long and Prosper" handsign; and for the first time in a very, very long time, Connor smiled genuinely.  It was a small, slight thing, but it was there, nonetheless.  "When I'm done here, where can I go to get this mullet buzzed off?" he asked the tech as he headed into the MRI room.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Apr 17, 2009)

Scott DeWar said:


> "Sir, permission to speak freely."




Jameson rolls his eyes, "Losing your memory apparently also shoved a stick up...nevermind.  Go ahead."


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## Scott DeWar (Apr 17, 2009)

"Sir," howie shakes his head in disbelief with a very pained expression on his face, " I think I am getting to know why the others have had psycotic break downs. done of this makes a bit of sense. i just found out i am 2 years oleder then i should be. This is really messed up, Ell Tee." 

*S I G H *

"IF you say i sent my self a video and  it might explain stuff, i guess i better see the vedio. Where may i view it sir? and will it self destruct in five seconds after it is does like in Mission Impossible as well?"


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## OnlytheStrong (Apr 18, 2009)

Max shrugged at Harvey, motioned for him to walk beside him.  "Tell me more about the Logans.  Specifically, what you know of the child, Michelle Logan, and Dr. Logan.  And where do I fit into all of this?"


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## Fanatic (Apr 19, 2009)

Amy looks skeptically at Danny. "You know that could just be a coincidence. I'm sure that alot of things can douse lights and such in the game, how can you be so sure they are the same creatures?"

Amy thinks for a second, considering her next words.

"Even if they are, it's highly unlikely that they would be exactly the same. None the less, anything else these aliens can do apart from make everything go black?"


----------



## Shayuri (Apr 23, 2009)

Nathan chuckles as he takes the crystal shard and shakes his head.

"That's good; hazing the newbies, right? There was a guy at MIT, a TA for the physics unit, who made each freshman in his class work on a perpetual motion machine for their first project. The only way to get a passing grade was to report that it was impossible. Faster you handed it in, the better your grade."

For a moment he was lost, looking at the crystal bemusedly...then he looked back at Janice with a smirk. "Anyway, the engineering specs mentioned 'bermudans,' and said they were people...it didn't go into specifics. 

"So seriously though, what's the deal with them?"


----------



## crazy_monkey1956 (Apr 29, 2009)

*Howie: Revelations*

Jameson hands Howie a DVD in a plastic cover, labeled "TS for Howie" in black permanent marker on the top...in Howie's handwriting.

Jameson also hands Howie a remote and leaves the room, "Here, use my room.  I'll be back in about an hour."

[sblock=The DVD]The screen is blank for nearly a minute, then Howie's own face appears on the screen, 

"Ok, well, this is awkward, talking to myself, but, hey, whatever.  Alright, uh, me, here's the deal.  Our team went to the future and ended up spending more than a year stranded in there in this barren, always dark wasteland.  You...uh...me, I mean, well, us...oh screw it...most of the team was captured by these black skinned alien things called Drow.  Morgan and I managed to evade them and rescue the others, along with a little girl the Drow were holding for some reason.  The civilian doc we had with us, Doctor Logan, managed to get the crystal working again and we got out before the Drow could catch us."

The Howie on the video pauses for a second, collecting his thoughts, "Just, watch yourself.  The others were different when we found them, especially Jameson.  We ended up in 1984 for a while and Doc Logan and the little girl stayed there when we finally made it back to our time.  The head honchos are going to do this memory reassignment procedure on all of us.  But, I'm telling you right now, something's not right with the others.  Find Morgan as soon as you see this, alright?  Marine Corporal Thomas Morgan.  Remember that name.  And don't trust Jameson."

The video ends.[/sblock]

*Amy: The Game*

Danny gets a know-it-all genius look and pulls a well worn book out of his work duffel.  The book is titled, "Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual" with the number 3.5 on it.

He flips to a page on elves and shows Amy a picture...of one of the aliens in the gate room camera images Amy saw earlier at the briefing.  

With the excitement of a geek educating someone on his favorite subject, Danny explains, "They're called Drow.  They're a subrace of elves and thoroughly evil.  See, it says right here that they use hand crossbows with a sleep poison and the rumor around the base is that that's what the aliens used to take our guys down.  Makes way too much sense, don't you think?"

*Nathan: The Deal*

Janice looks at Nathan with confusion, "Huh?  I'm not sure I'm following you.  Are you saying you don't believe the whole time travel, psychic power thing?"

Janice shrugs at that point, "Um, I guess that's understandable, its just that I've been working with this stuff long enough that nothing really fazes me anymore.  Yes, the Bermudans manifest psionic abilities.  And we're pretty sure, based on all the evidence so far, that they are descended from people who've used the crystal to travel either through time or from other dimensions."

She looks Nathan in the eye, "If you're going to work here, you really need to lose the MIT know-it-all thing.  I have a quirky sense of humor, but I don't lie.  Ever."

*Max: Harvey's Secrets*

Harvey's eyes go wide and he stops walking, taking Max by the shoulders, "What do you know about that?"

He shakes his head, "Dr. Zachary Logan was my research partner back in the 80s.  He and I were roommates at Harvard and we both fell for the same girl, Michelle...your mom.  Then everything turned upside down.  These people, including a man who claimed to be a future version of Zach, showed up on our door one day talking about a crystal and the Bermuda Triangle.  It was all just crazy at the time, but Zach believed them and we managed to get a boat and..."

Harvey sighs, "Zach fell overboard and the strange people who said they were from the future, they vanished.  The older Zach stayed behind with a little girl they had with them, Karyn.  If Zach, my Zach, hadn't died I think Michelle would've ended up with him instead of me.  Don't get me wrong, Michelle and I have grown to love eachother, especially when you came along, but I think she married me because Zach was gone."

*Connor: Getting Settled*

After his physical, a doctor shows Connor some of the images of Connor's brain, "No surprises, really, but this part always get me excited.  You see this area of the brain?"  He points to a part of the computer image highlighted in orange, "Most humans don't use this area the same way you do.  There's a foreign, substance, for lack of a better word, there stimulating your brain activity and we think that's what makes you able to do, well, whatever it is you do."

The doc smiles, "Well, anyway, you are healthy."

The tech Connor talked to when he came in, Donna, greets him on his way out, "The barber upstairs does the the military guys, so if you want to get rid of that 80s mullet, he's your man.  Now, if you don't want to look like you were just attacked by a lawn mower, you can wait until I'm off duty in an hour and I'll take you into town for a real haircut.  Your choice, Spock."  She offers a quirky smile.


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## OnlytheStrong (Apr 29, 2009)

Max stopped walking, "Something tells me you are right dad.  Do you know a Howie Blaise?"  He stopped suddenly and turned to look his father in the eyes, "I know how you feel about tattoos, but I get the feeling this one means more than I had originally intended."  Max pulls up his shirt, exposing his ribs and a somewhat visible sixpack.  On one side of his ribs there stood a Spartan warrior, dressed in full battle gear apparently marching home.  The other side showed a slain warrior, draped across a shield that two men with no faces were carrying.   Across his stomach there was writing in Greek which read: "Come home with your shield or on it."

"I will get her back dad."  Max's eyes watered as he thought of the tortures his mother was going through.  "And I will bring back a dead one of those creatures."  His face steeled, "It's time to go back."


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## Scott DeWar (Apr 29, 2009)

Howie looks at the cd case and his own writing. "wow, this is creapie." he inserts the cd in the drive and watches it until he reaches the point where he pauses in the video and Howie pauses the remote.

"Aw crap. those d and d geeks actueally know something after all." 

He restarts the video and continues with it.

upon completion he turns it off and stairs at the blank screen for a full minute.

"great. that just made more questions then it answered. Ok. one day at a time. first the d and d geeks."

Howie hides the dvd on his person and opens the door, hoping to not see the Lt. beyond. if he is not there he will go to the doctors at the med bay .


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## Yttermayn (Apr 30, 2009)

crazy_monkey1956 said:


> *Connor: Getting Settled*
> 
> After his physical, a doctor shows Connor some of the images of Connor's brain, "No surprises, really, but this part always get me excited.  You see this area of the brain?"  He points to a part of the computer image highlighted in orange, "Most humans don't use this area the same way you do.  There's a foreign, substance, for lack of a better word, there stimulating your brain activity and we think that's what makes you able to do, well, whatever it is you do."
> 
> ...




Connor smiles back a moment before seaming to catch himself.  He quickly looks away and down, his smile gone.  "Ahh... I appreciate the offer, but no thank you.  The lawnmower will be fine."  Connor's eyes are hard, hiding something most likely painful behind the hardness.  "Thank you both, you've been very kind." he says before leaving abruptly for the barber.


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## Shayuri (May 1, 2009)

_Janice looks at Nathan with confusion, "Huh? I'm not sure I'm following you. Are you saying you don't believe the whole time travel, psychic power thing?"

Janice shrugs at that point, "Um, I guess that's understandable, its just that I've been working with this stuff long enough that nothing really fazes me anymore. Yes, the Bermudans manifest psionic abilities. And we're pretty sure, based on all the evidence so far, that they are descended from people who've used the crystal to travel either through time or from other dimensions."

She looks Nathan in the eye, "If you're going to work here, you really need to lose the MIT know-it-all thing. I have a quirky sense of humor, but I don't lie. Ever."_

"Whoa whoa," Nathan exclaimed, making a placating gesture. "Look, I wasn't accusing you of anything. I just assumed it was...you know..."

He grimaced and rubbed his hand through his hair.

"Okay, bottom line it. It's not personal, but there's no way I'm going to be able to buy this without seeing it. It's a science thing...observation, hypothesis, etc etc. Are there any of these 'bermudans' here I can talk to?"


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## Fanatic (May 4, 2009)

Amy leans over squinting at the book. A bunch of random numbers come out at here which she quickly glances over until she stops at the descriptive passage concerning the drow. 

"Depraved and evil subterranean offshoot?" Amy looks back at Danny. "So what you're saying is that evil mutant fairies from another dimension living in caves teleported in and turned off all the lights in order to kidnap a small group of select people by using some sort of sleeping poison?"

Amy scrolled her finger back up to the numbers in the entry. "Are these some sort of statistics? Would you be able to tell me what all this means, I think if, and let me tell you right now this is a *very* tentative if, this stuff matches up, a book like this might come in handy."


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## crazy_monkey1956 (May 6, 2009)

*Max: Returning to Base*

Harvey answers Max, "Howie Blaise?  That's the special forces guy they brought in for the expedition, right?  Is there another Blaise I should know about?"

Upon seeing the tattoo, Harvey shakes his head but pats Max on the shoulder, "Let's just get back.  The expedition leaves tomorrow morning and we need to make sure you're on it."

OOC: Max has some free time once he gets back to base until the mission prep starts at 0600 the next morning.  What's he up to?

*Amy: D&D 101*

Danny nods, "Oh, yeah.  It's simple really.  These are all game numbers, so I don't know how well they'd translate into real world terms, but here..."

He points at page 103 with the picture of the drow on it, "See here, it says they have +2 Intelligence and +2 Charisma.  That means they are smarter, on average, than a human, and more, um, likeable, I guess you could put it.  They also have the elf traits, which means they're more agile than a human, but not quite as healthy."

He pauses to catch his breath then gets an idea, "Hey, we could head to the game store in Dayton.  They have like four or five copies of this.  Though, now that I think about, I'm not sure which edition we should be looking at.  See, 4th edition came out last year and my group doesn't use that.  But, if we're talking about real drow, they could be like the ones in this book or they could be like the 4th edition ones or even the 2nd or 1st edition ones.  That could be a problem, I guess."  

He chuckles at some internal thought and mumbles, "Talk about edition war."

*Nathan: In Search of a Bermudan*

Janice smiles, "You just missed one.  Connor is our only resident Bermudan at the moment.  Lieutenant Michaels is another one that pops in and out but he's assigned to finding more Bermudans out among the general populace, so good luck getting him to hold still.  I think Connor was heading down to Medical."

*Howie and Connor: Coming and Going*

Howie and Connor meet in the hall as Howie is headed toward Medical and Connor is headed away from it, toward the base barber.


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## Scott DeWar (May 6, 2009)

As Howie sees Conner's mop head, he runs his hand through his own crewcut and finds the need for a closer cut.

"hey, uh I saw you at the briefing, right?" he says to conner as they approach each other.


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## Yttermayn (May 7, 2009)

Connor looks up from his musings as he wanders toward the barber when Howie addresses him.  "Hum. Yes.  I'm surprised you even recognize me, sans coiffure."  Connor ran his own hand through his recently close-shorn hair. He wanted a shower to get rid of the itchy cut hair still clinging to his skin.  "What can I do for you?" he asked politely.


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## Scott DeWar (May 7, 2009)

"Actually,"pointing to the recently cut hair,"I am looking for the barber. I prefer a close cut before a mission. Easier to clean."


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## Shayuri (May 8, 2009)

"Connor..." Nathan frowned, thinking, then tilted his head at Janice slightly in confusion. "From the briefing? The other new guy? Huh! Well, all right then."

He hefts the crystal sliver in his hand, then tips it at her as he backs towards the door. "So...thanks for the info. I'm in engineering so we'll probably...you know, be working together some. Professionally, I mean. So anyway...in that capacity, I'll see you later."

At that point he bumps into the wall right next to the door and winces as the light switch digs painfully into his spine. He struggles to turn the wince into a smile, waves again, and hurries out.

"Smooth, Nate, smooth," he mutters to himself as he hurries, red-faced, to Medical.


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## Fanatic (May 8, 2009)

(OoC): apologies of the change in tense, past is easier for me 

Amy nodded slowly, relating it, somewhat to what she assumed would be, more than likely an arbitrary set of numbers. If this was a game, they would make everything fair, and in real life things never turned out that way. If the information was relevant the climate and society text probably had more insight that the numbers above anyway.

"Ok I think I've got some time to spare, let's check it out, although if we're going to buy anything I'll need a loan - all I've got is Australian." Amy held out a bunch of notes and coins with foreign pictures on them. "I'd like to see if there was any books that might be related to this habitat or more information on these drow."

Prodding her fork into the lunch in front of her Amy grimaced. "Not too hungry, guess it must be the time difference. So let me know when you're ready to go and we can check it out."


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## OnlytheStrong (May 8, 2009)

ooc:  I'm assuming he's back at the base......



IC:

Max walks the halls of the compound, to those watching it appears he is wondering aimlessly.  He whistles a tune he made up on the spot, stopping every so often to look at nothing in particular.  He wanted to find the "intelligence" area.  Whether or not they would let him..... he'd rather not find out until he got into it and made a little science guy spill his guts.


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## Yttermayn (May 9, 2009)

"That was my motivation as well.  He's just back the way I came."  Connor gestures to the back of him with a thumb.


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## Scott DeWar (May 9, 2009)

Yttermayn said:


> "That was my motivation as well.  He's just back the way I came."  Connor gestures to the back of him with a thumb.




"hey, thanks. Listen. the team I was with. We uh got to know each other usually over a beer ot two before a mission. what do ya think some of us get to gether before tomorrow's  mission for a few brewskies?


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## Yttermayn (May 10, 2009)

Scott DeWar said:


> "hey, thanks. Listen. the team I was with. We uh got to know each other usually over a beer ot two before a mission. what do ya think some of us get to gether before tomorrow's  mission for a few brewskies?




"Sounds good.  It has been awhile... for me.  Makes practical sense too, if we are to rely on each other in some alien world."  It was weird.  A few days ago, Connor was contemplating a multitude of ways to kill himself, possible for Connor even under the watchful care of the psychiatric hospital staff.  Hell, he could have even made it look like an accident, If he'd wanted.  Something had always stayed his hand, though.  It wasn't survival instinct; somehow he always felt that there was something more in store for him and his wife than simple death.  Maybe it was because of that little lump in his skull.  Maybe his wife was watching over him.  Whatever the reason, he now found himself re-attaching to people again for the first time in a very long time.  That fact was both worrisome and exciting.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (May 11, 2009)

OOC: Going to push forward a bit...

*Going Off Base*

Danny eagerly guides Amy through the process of purchasing game manuals, getting a couple copies of the 4th Edition Monster Manual, a copy of the 3.5 Monster Manual, a 4th Edition "Forgotten Realms Player's Guide" and a 3rd Edition "Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting."  He laments the fact that the store didn't have the 2nd Edition Monster Manual or a copy of a book he called "Drow of the Underdark."

Max is told that Janice with R&D has gone home for the day.

Connor and Howie are able to round up everyone for a night out before the mission.  

At "Old Chicago's" Nathan, Amy, Max, Connor, and Howie all sit down together again for the first time since that morning's briefing, Amy still fresh from her trip to "The Game Haven."

OOC: Feel free to RP the evening's talk over beer and appetizers.  I'll push the game into the next day when it looks like the conversation has wrapped up.


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## Scott DeWar (May 12, 2009)

"uh, Hi. Since this gathering is my fault, er , idea, I think I should start off with an informal introduction. when I was with my old unit, we would get to know each other on a perosonal level so we could better guess how we would be in a situation. I am from Missouri and I like outdoor activities. I have been with the army for a little bit now and am thinking this could be a good career. The upcomming events are just as new and strange to me as any of you."

He takes his mug of beer and raises it,
" I just wish to salute you all as having not lost your minds like i would like to do right now." with that he takes a big gulp and gives every one a big grin.


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## Shayuri (May 15, 2009)

"Far from it," Nathan assures him with a slightly unhinged grin. "This is like being around for the discovery of curium, or the telephone. At first I was thinking this was all unscientific, but then I realized..."

He taps his temple meaningfully.

"Science is just about what you see. It's about observation. This is new phenomena that's observable, which means we're seeing the birth of a whole new scientific discipline. It's...kind of heady, actually."

Nathan takes a quick gulp of beer and grimaces as he points at Connor.

"Speaking of observation...I've been trying to track YOU down all day."


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## crazy_monkey1956 (May 18, 2009)

OOC: Still waiting on OnlyTheStrong, Yttermayn, and Fanatic.  If we want to just skip the bar scene and go straight to the next day (and the start of the mission), let me know in the OOC thread.


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## Scott DeWar (May 18, 2009)

crazy_monkey1956 said:


> OOC: Still waiting on OnlyTheStrong, Yttermayn, and Fanatic.  If we want to just skip the bar scene and go straight to the next day (and the start of the mission), let me know in the OOC thread.












*OOC:*


 we could skip it. just thought it would be nice to have a forum for the group to meet and talk and ask questions that may be needed to be asked befor a combat situation that may require stealth.

never know what may pop up as a question.


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## Yttermayn (May 18, 2009)

Connor gives Nathan a sly smile.  "Why on earth would you be looking for me?" he asks as Nathan's beer slides across the table and into Connor's hand.  "But seriously..." he says and takes a sip "We aught to at least get an idea what each others strengths are.  I have only the foggiest guesses as to why you guys are on this mission."  Connor takes another sip.  "I myself am a linguist, and possess a few other useful, ehh... talents."


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## Shayuri (May 19, 2009)

Nathan's eyes widen, and he breaks into a wide, almost childishly delighted grin.

"Waitwaitwait, do that again. Wait." He grabs a buffalo wing from the basket and sets it  carefully down on the table. "Okay, do it to this."

He laughs. "Who cares about a linguist? This is you're coming along for!"

Then he reaches for his beer and reality catches up with him. His face falls as his eyes focus on his beer mug.

"Hey! Did you just _drink_ from that?"


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## Fanatic (May 19, 2009)

(OoC): apologies for the delay, I have been accosted at work by people deciding now is the time to dump everything at once.

Amy smiled, taking a drink of the beer. It was a little watered down but that was to be expected. Although a little surprised at Conners demonstration after viewing previous events she just took it aboard.

"Well that was interesting. Well as you may of guessed I'm from Australia. Officially I'm here as a liaison, representing NATO's interests. I'm also here as and objective observer. I'm trained as a psychologist." Amy stopped, looking around just in case anyone gave her the _You must be spying on me_ look, then resumed. "For both the team and anyone we meet through there, so I guess you could say I'm here to make sure everything runs smoothly and if anyone has a problem it can be handled without too much going awry over there, although I'm sure nothing like that will happen. Just think of me as an open ear."

Amy paused for a second, taking another swig. "However I've just been alerted to a possibility, far fetched as it might seem, that these creatures have been encountered before. A technician at the base, Wilson says they can be found in some sort of game. Dungeons and Demons or something. Since stranger things have happened I've purchased some related books. If we come across anything over there I'll try and cross reference it so we might get some insight. However as part of the military side I must stress that our first objective is rescue and extract."

Leaning back Amy gave off a smile, motioning to Conner. "So, uh, does anyone have any magic abilities we should be aware of?"


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## Scott DeWar (May 19, 2009)

Howie is holding his beer halfway to his mouth when nathan's beer moves over to conner without any hands. his eyes follow the mug the whole trip, his mouth still open in anticipation of the taste of beer, howie frozen it what he just saw.

it is only natural that the only intellegen sound from the soldier is , "errrrr, uhhhh"


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## Yttermayn (May 19, 2009)

"Do what again?"  Connor asks seriously.  He looks down, sees the trail of condensation from the cold mug smeared across the table going to his hand, and says "Oh.  They told me about that."  Without explaining the comment, Connor makes a flicking motion with his fingers, and the chicken wing flies across the table and onto Nathan's lap.  
When Amy speaks, Connor listens.  When she indicates him concerning magic abilities, he responds.  "I cast no spells... but I guess that's not what you mean."  Connor barks a single, dry laugh. "Heh!  Check your books, see if they say anything about moving stuff with a thought, and then tell _me_!"


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## Scott DeWar (May 20, 2009)

Howie watches the cooked chicken wing fly off the table and downs the beer that is already halfway to his mouth. He then holds his hand up at the nearest waitress and says, "2 beers please!" when they arrive he downs the next one in ver =y short order and starts on the third, but only takes a healthy swig this time,


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## Shayuri (May 20, 2009)

Nathan gives a start at the flying buffalo wing, then plucks it off his lap and sets it on his napkin. The look he gives it suggests that wing may soon find itself inside a plastic ziplock bag. Then he looks back up at Conner.

"Now _that's_ empiric. When we get back, you need to come down to the labs. I got a sample of that crystal and we've GOT to run some trials..."

Then he gives Amy a slightly condescending smile. 

"As for technicians and their obsessions, I wouldn't read too much into it. It's human nature to project onto the unknown elements of the known. These creatures might have some kind of superficial resemblance to something from a game, causing him to jump to a conclusion."

"But believe me, _nothing _stranger has _ever _happened than the fictional creations of a few wargamers turning out to be somehow prescient of an alternate reality. And that includes the flying buffalo wing."


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## Scott DeWar (May 20, 2009)

*swig* "errrp. I have seen a house fly, a deer fly and a horse fly, and now I have seen a buffulo fly. HA!"

*HIC*


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## crazy_monkey1956 (May 25, 2009)

OOC: OnlyTheStrong, are you still with us?

Max has still not arrived to this little gathering.

OOC: Meanwhile, everyone make a Spot check.  Take a -1 penalty for every alcoholic beverage the character has consumed in the past hour.  If the character is still nursing the first drink, no penalty.


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## Scott DeWar (May 25, 2009)

1d20-1=1

Howie is completly enthrawled with the flying buffalo wing.


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## Yttermayn (May 26, 2009)

Connor has _hardly touched_ the beer he tele-swiped from Nathan.  Literally.1d20=9


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## Shayuri (May 26, 2009)

Nathan's beer was swiped well before he finished it, leaving him fairly alert as he looks around the table, trying to gauge people's reaction to this remarkable phenomenon they all witnessed.

Spot: 14
Roll Lookup


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## Fanatic (May 30, 2009)

Roll Lookup
Spot = 12

Although a lightweight in terms of alcohol Amy had positioned herself with her back against the wall, giving her an ample view of the bar.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jun 10, 2009)

Nathan and Amy both spy an older gentleman in a suit one might see on a college professor, watching the group intently.  He is alone at his table, with only an untouched glass of water in front of him, the lemon still in place on the edge of the glass.

He seems to be aware of the sudden scrutiny and gets up abruptly, heading for the door, walking with a cane.


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## Shayuri (Jun 11, 2009)

Nathan frowns as he focuses for a moment on something behind the others.

"That's funny. Is that guy wa..."

When the man watching them gets up and starts to leave, Nathan's eyes pop open in disbelief almost as great as when he saw the wing levitate.

"He IS watching us! Hey, wait!"

In a trice he's up on his feet, knocking his chair over backwards, and ducking around the table to give chase to the completely unknown (but certainly totally harmless...right?) stranger!


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## Scott DeWar (Jun 12, 2009)

Howie looks around to see who nathan is talking about, the sudden action giving a bit of a squishy head feeling of drinking too fast....or was that from seeing the flying buffalo wing and self delivering beer....


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## Yttermayn (Jun 12, 2009)

Connor reacts almost instinctively.  He places an invisible hand on the man's shoulder and squeezes a bit, hoping to make him stop and turn instinctively and give Nathan a few seconds to catch up.


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## Fanatic (Jun 12, 2009)

Amy arched her eyebrow as Nathan bolts to the stranger. Tensing up Amy reached instinctively to where he sidearm would normally be in a combat situation and paused, then slipped slowly in a ready position. Standing against the wall and taking a glance around to ensure that no one else was going to cause trouble. If the was a confrontation and she did have to act she would be ready for it.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jun 17, 2009)

The man turns at the touch on his shoulder to see Nathan approaching.  His salt and pepper hair, glasses, and neatly trimmed goatee accentuate the look of a professor.  He holds up his hands as Nathan nears him, "Now just calm down.  There's no need to make a scene."

He lowers his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Though I'd tell your friend that a public restaurant is hardly the place to be demonstrating his rather unique talents."

Amy notes the group's server stopping to watch the scene and turning around to head back into the kitchen.


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## Scott DeWar (Jun 17, 2009)

*OOC:*


 does howie notice any thing, or is he too drunk to catch anything excep his balence?


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jun 17, 2009)

OOC: He knows Nathan got up rather hastily and he can make out the older gentleman now.


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## Scott DeWar (Jun 17, 2009)

"uh, what is nathen doing, guys?"


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## Yttermayn (Jun 18, 2009)

"I believe his is going to ask that nice gentleman to come join us.  So to speak." Connor grins slyly.


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## Scott DeWar (Jun 18, 2009)

"who uh is, uh, why would he uh..."

He is quite confused right now.


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## Shayuri (Jun 19, 2009)

crazy_monkey1956 said:


> The man turns at the touch on his shoulder to see Nathan approaching.  His salt and pepper hair, glasses, and neatly trimmed goatee accentuate the look of a professor.  He holds up his hands as Nathan nears him, "Now just calm down.  There's no need to make a scene."
> 
> He lowers his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Though I'd tell your friend that a public restaurant is hardly the place to be demonstrating his rather unique talents."
> 
> Amy notes the group's server stopping to watch the scene and turning around to head back into the kitchen.




"Who's making a scene?" Nathan asks, risking a second to look around quickly and gauge how much attention they were drawing. He felt nervous and jumpy. This guy could draw a gun or do something insanely dangerous. Why was HE the one doing this? Didn't the military hire otherwise useless athletics-majors for just this very thing?

"I'm not making a scene. We just noticed you and...look, I think we, you and we, need to talk. You can give us more...relatively obvious...tips like that. Come on over."


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## Fanatic (Jun 22, 2009)

Amy keeps an eye out for the return of the waiter and mentally prepares a story to cover any commotion that he might bring about. Apart from that she waits patiently for Nathan to talk to the stranger.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jun 24, 2009)

The older gentleman follows Nathan back to the group's table, but doesn't sit.

"I apologize if I seem rude, but I can't stay.  I am Dr. Zachary Logan.  I was supposed to meet a fellow by the name of Thomas Morgan here, but he never arrived.  Then I recognized Mr. Blaise here, though I doubt he recognizes me, especially in his current state."

He hands Nathan a business card, "We'll talk again, I promise, but not in such a public venue.  When you've had your fill of government cover-ups and bureacracy, give me a call."

He then turns and starts toward the exit again.

Amy sees the group's server and someone who appears to be a manager by the door to the kitchen, whispering to each other and pointing at the group's table.


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## Scott DeWar (Jun 24, 2009)

Howie comes to his senses at the name of the doctor, "Wait! Doc!" He stumbles to catch up with the older gentleman. When catches him he asks in a slightly slurred but very serious tone, "What do you know of a marine corporal named Thomas Morgan, sir?"









*OOC:*


 Ack! I had to look all the way back to post 94 to find that!


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## Shayuri (Jun 25, 2009)

Nathan inspects the business card with all due awe for something so deliciously X-Files. Any second now Scully would come in and ask to question him privately...and one thing would lead to another...

He chuckled and put the card in his wallet. Couldn't be too safe with something like that.


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## Fanatic (Jun 28, 2009)

Amy moves from her seat with her arms open and approaches the manager and the waitperson. "Hi guys, I couldn't help but notice you were pointing to our table, so I just thought I'd come over and ask if we were causing any trouble and to clear up any misunderstandings we might have." Amy pauses for a second, glancing around the bar and feigning interest. "Speaking of which this is quite a nice bar, I'm from Australia so our local watering holes are a bit less refined. How much does it cost to set up a place like this over here?"


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jul 1, 2009)

OOC: Yttermayn, are you still with us?

Dr. Logan stops for a moment, answering Howie, "I was supposed to meet Morgan here but he didn't show.  Again, this isn't the best time or place for this.  Your friend has my number."

Logan leaves without anothe word.

Meanwhile, the restaurant manager smiles at Amy, "Australia?  Really?"  He goes on to make casual conversation, answering Amy's other questions.

*The Next Morning*

The mission briefing starts at 06:00.  Harvey is there, but Max is conspicuously missing and Harvey looks concerned.

General Staunton enters the briefing room, "Good morning, please have a seat.  Anyone know where Mr. Storm is?"

Harvey answers, "The last time I saw him was shortly after we got back from the hospital last night."

Staunton frowns, "Well, we can't wait.  Harvey."

Harvey passes out recall crystals to everyone, "Remember, these are set on a 24 hour timer but you can reset the timer to come back sooner if need be."  He gives Howie six extra recall crystals, "These are for our missing people."

Staunton continues, "Your mission is recon.  Scout the enemy, determine their strength and numbers and report back.  Secondary objective is search and rescue.  Find our missing people and bring them back.  All you have to do is slap a recall crystal on them and set the timer for zero.  Any questions?"


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## Scott DeWar (Jul 2, 2009)

Howie raises his han and asnks, "What's the R.O.E., sir?"


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jul 2, 2009)

OOC: What does R.O.E. stand for?


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## Scott DeWar (Jul 2, 2009)

[sblock=R.O.E.] rules of engagement. It is the rules that deturmine if and when aggressive confrontation is allowed, where aggressive confrontation is defined as but not neccessarily limited to phisical assult of any kind. 

IE: don't shoot, unless shot at first(a vietnam war ROE)

is that cleare enough? or  ... ?
[/sblock]


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## Yttermayn (Jul 2, 2009)

OOC: Yup, still around, just waiting for something to respond to I guess.

Connor looks up "I have a question.  One of the techs mentioned I might be able to recall without a crystal on account I already have one in my brain or somesuch?  Any word on how exactly I go about doing that?"


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## Shayuri (Jul 2, 2009)

Nathan raised his hand, having momentarily been distracted by the recall crystal.

"Yes, uh...am I really field personnel? I sort of figured I'd be tucked under a mountain while the big strong gun-wielding types went and got me cool stuff to figure out." He grinned weakly.

"I mean, you know, not that I'm not brave and willing to sacrifice myself, but lets face it, you didn't bring me here for my background in 'recon' and 'search and rescue.'" He makes little scare marks with his fingers around the words.


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## Scott DeWar (Jul 2, 2009)

Howie turns to Nahan and asks, "What if something goes wrong on a technical basis? Who will rescue us big gun wielding types when the thingy bobbers are broke? " he asks with a good natured grin.


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## Fanatic (Jul 3, 2009)

Amy smiles. "Aww you're both big babies. I've got you covered if everything goes FUBAR, plus it's a recon mission, Howie and I can do this stuff in our sleep, plus if anything goes wrong Howie will make a great meatshield." With that Amy pats Howie on the back and waits for Harvey's response. 

Inwardly she is a little worried about temperature, oxygen levels and quite possibly strange diseases and bacteria, but that was for the the prep teams to worry about. Her mission was to search and rescue, and to a lesser extent ensure her team had a firm grip on reality, especially the civilians.


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## Scott DeWar (Jul 3, 2009)

In his best bad australian accent Howie turns his head slowly to amy and says," Meat. Shield. Thanks Mate. I just hope to make it back to put anotha' shrimp on the barbi."


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## Shayuri (Jul 5, 2009)

Nathan puts his fingers to his temple and sways in his seat. "Whoa...slow down there. You're making me dizzy with your use of technical jargon. Thingy bobbers. Anyway, don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm not eager to see how this works and visit a parallel dimension...just sort of, you know, wondering if I'm really 'first-in' material. I sort of had this mental image of you guys going in, having a big epic battle where you secure plenty of technology and then, once the area's secure, I come in to figure it all out."

He looks around the table. "...not happening like that, huh? Alright then...uh, do we get bulletproof vests at least?"


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## Scott DeWar (Jul 5, 2009)

"In all honesty, the best mission is where not a sigle bullit is shot. where the enemy doesnt even realize we were there until they find  something missing, like our people. us moving as shadows, if you will.as for bullit proof vests, I feer they amy not work against thoswe hand crossbows. Does anyone know the effectiveness of our armor to their weapons? did not the men shot with the sleeop poisen wear them? and they were still shot?"


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## Yttermayn (Jul 5, 2009)

"If I remember correctly, the beings doing the shooting demonstrated remarkable accuracy by placing the bolts in small, exposed areas or where armor was weak."  Connor comments.


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## Scott DeWar (Jul 5, 2009)

Then the class c anti- balistic armor issued should do quite well. " then l9oking to the head f the table he says, "general, May I speake freely?"


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jul 8, 2009)

General Staunton addresses Nathan first, "Your job is to make sure the crystal, ahem, thingy-bobbers, work correctly and make on the spot repairs and adjustments should the need arise."

Turning to Amy he says, "You'll be carrying extra doses of the anti-toxin you were all given this morning.  It should, we hope, give you a better a chance of resisting the poison the aliens used in their initial attack."

OOC: The anti-toxin gives you a +5 bonus on Fort saves against that specific type of poison and lasts for six hours.  Amy has 20 doses in her gear in addition to standard first aid kits.

Turning to Connor, Staunton shrugs, "You're the only who can figure out how to do whatever it is you do.  So the answer to your question is entirely up to you."

Finally, Staunton answers Howie, "Permission granted.  What's on your mind?"


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## Scott DeWar (Jul 8, 2009)

_ 'this is no ell tee here, so I had best watch what i say. '_ thinks howie to himself.

"Sir, I recommend that each mmember of the team be issued the same armor that is issued to the regular forces in Iraq, however, I really recommend that we all be issued Dragonscale personal anti ballistic protection, sir. Furthermore, I would recommend that those not already trained in military armaments that they be trained and issued to carry at all time the minimum of a forty-five calaber automatic side arm. That should carry the proper stopping power of anything out there that I can think of at this time, General."

He continues to to look to the general, wondering what his expression may reveal about his request.


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## Yttermayn (Jul 8, 2009)

"Thank you general, that was a very helpfull answer.  No, really." Connor says, annoyed.  "Maybe one of your other atlantians, maybe that fellow that first contacted me could illuminate a little for me?  Point me in the right direction or something?"


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## Fanatic (Jul 12, 2009)

Amy nods at the general. Listening to Howie she speaks up. "I think a 9mill weapons for personal safety would be adequate, given the lack of armour on the enemies we've seen, larger clip size and the fact that accidentally shooting one of us probably won't blow a hole in us with that weapon. 

As for Dragonscale: I've heard it has not been sanctioned for mass production, although I've heard good things about it. For one, in terms of extra gear aside from standard issue. I would recommend water purification tablets, a multitool and possibly a Ghillie suit for Howie - scouting."

[sblock=OoC Standard Issue Australian Kit]
L85A1 IW (Steyr Aug 80) "Bullpup" with illuminator and bayonet
6-8 boxes of ammunition with tracers (30 rounds)
9 mm pistol with 2-3 magazines (15 rounds)
4 frag grenades
2 flash grenades
combat knife
light-duty vest
kevlar helmet
mesh load-bearing vest
MOLLE backpack (with rain suit, chemical/biological suit, sleeping bag, MREs)
fatigues and jacket, combat boots, 
gas mask
night vision goggles
squad-level radio
2 canteens (1 quart)
2 white smoke grenades
first aid pouch.

I also assume Amy will be carrying Standard Issue Medical Pack (Combat medic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
[/sblock]


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## Scott DeWar (Jul 12, 2009)

Howie points at amy and says"Sir, What she said. Although I prefer the .45. On a personal basis. Sir"


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## Yttermayn (Jul 12, 2009)

Connor looks a little uncomfortable as the discussion moves into equipment.  Finally he speaks, in a subdued tone toward the general.  "In addition to the standard kit, I would request a few units of... well, could you show me what types of explosive materials are at our disposal?"


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## Scott DeWar (Jul 12, 2009)

Yttermayn said:


> Connor looks a little uncomfortable as the discussion moves into equipment.  Finally he speaks, in a subdued tone toward the general.  "In addition to the standard kit, I would request a few units of... well, could you show me what types of explosive materials are at our disposal?"



Howie grinss like a Kid at christmas

_' I am going to like this team!'_ he thinks to himself, then, " Ah, yes general. some C-4, caps and both timed detonators and a hand detonator and some blasting cord,... any thing else?"


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## Shayuri (Jul 14, 2009)

For once, Nathan was able to swallow his smartass reply, perhaps intuiting that delivering one to a general was not a sign of MIT-level intelligence. He did scribble a few notes on a piece of scratch paper though.

"There's a few things I'd like to get too, before we go. Sample collection and containment tools, for a start. Annnd...well here's a list. These crystal 'bobbers' will need some nonstandard stuff for me to diagnose them."

He nods importantly...perhaps wishing he got to ask for cool stuff like explosives in his line of work.


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## Yttermayn (Jul 15, 2009)

OOC: Did we each receive a 'bobber' yet?


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