Nicholas Calen, Void Engineer

Vegas   

Arrived at Area 51 today. I'll be based out of the Special Response battalion 51 (3rd Division!) here. Heavy artillery, heh heh. Our motto, we make things go boom.
They're giving us a week on leave to enjoy Vegas before we really start integrating into the command. Nice job they did of it too, couple of nice hummers and rooms at the Tropicana. We're heading down to see Fremont first - I hear it's one of our biggest primal taps in the state.

still in Vegas   

Figured I'd upload this during the limo ride. Maria won a couple of passes to see some show at a place called Club 57. Saw it earlier on our drive through and noticed it was packed...with deviants. Not sure that this is such a good idea - we're on leave after all, with orders to avoid trouble but...

There's that message. "Rules were meant to be broken." I don't know what the little sphinx symbol meant, but something clicked in the back of my head when I read it. Maybe we're being foolish, but the hell with it. We're gonna be pretty structured for the rest of our lives, may as well cut loose. Besides, I've got a reputation as a troublemaker to uphold.

There was a deviant in the bar at the hotel, though. An Adept, judging from the laptop. He spotted us, but I think he was about as ready to shit a brick at the sight of us as we were at him. Stayed out of trouble, though, just got out and headed for the club.

lesson learned   

Rules were made to be broken, my skinny white ass. I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to upload this, but I'm making it in case one of Us finds my log.

So we get to the club, and, as I thought, it was jam packed full of deviants of all sorts. A quick scan even showed some fucking Outsiders just waiting to slide through a breach and wreak havoc. I showed the readings to Maria and she saw the danger, too. Called in a quick report to my Sgt, and damned if he didn't tell me a strike team was being dispatched. That was kind of surprising - I mean, the Deviants were fucking with people, sure, but they weren't REALLY hurting them yet. I'd have figured they wanted more observations first.

Anyway, I'm sitting there relaying information when we start getting some glitches. We weren't even doing anything unstable, but something was sure interfering. Then I started getting nervous - Control was supposed to be checking in every 5 minutes until the team arrived, and almost 15 went by. I started to make another call, when he rang in, saying he was on schedule!

We knew then some sort of temporal field was up. Kept the line up with Control and started feeding them live data on what was going on. The lights, the food, the people - all of it was tainted.

I scanned the sodas the waitress brought over, and they were clean, or so I thought. Turns out they were drugged. Stupid of me, so used to thinking of the complicated dangers.

Then, all hell broke loose. MIBs stormed in the front and back firing at the deviants with disruptors. Great Newton, I thought, they're really pissed off about this. It's not like it was a nest of naphandi or garou or some shit like that. I went to grab Maria and pull her down out of the line of fire when some jackass dropped an EMP grenade on us. Learned later his name was Oz. Big African-American motherfucker. Big fucking gun, and not one I've used, all bad. He and the waitress both had 'em, and hustled the two of us out of there. A whole pack of Deviants was waiting outside, in a range rover, and that fucking Adept was driving.

That's what I get for listening to that stupid voice in the back of my head.

Rules were meant to be broken, indeed.

Captured   

[Message Recovered]
Obviously, the pulse wore off eventually, or I wouldn't be able to get this onto my journal. Wasn't too much permanent damage to my scanner, either, able to recover the logs I'd been making:

So, there we were, hustled into this range rover full of deviants by two more fuckers with big-ass guns. Who were we to argue, right? The Adept was driving like someone insane, and Oz was shooting at the MIBs out the back window. Not that I can blame him, but I managed to knock his aim off some anyway.

Looking around the SUV, there was some street kid in the front with the Adept, a hippie looking couple (Dreamspeakers?), another couple - all style, no substance - the two with the guns, and the singer from the band.

At least the Outsiders got smoked. I hope.

I spotted the adept's laptop jammed in under my feet, but the woman with the gun pistol-whipped me when she saw me reaching for it. Never mind, now that my equipment's back online, I'll find another way.

The driver was apparently following some predetermined escape route that eventually led us to, of all places, a bordello. They led Maria and I downstairs and jabbered and moaned about how 27 people were killed. 27 deviants for the two of us, not a bad trade, even if we were the lost one. At least I can die knowing I did well.

Turns out the hippie looking fellow is a dreampseaker. He seemed really pissed off, but completely unable to do anything about it. Heh, love tweaking those guys, especially after that horror out by Neptune. I hate nephandi.

Was kind of amused by how shocked they were when I mentioned I'd be evaluated and reconditioned if I returned to the Union. They seemed to think I didn't mind giving up my free will or something. Idiots. Gee, let's let someone who's been tampered with by Reality Deviants wander around without looking to see if they planted any subconscious commands in him. Yeah, that'd be smart.

Brainwashing, indeed. It's s simple psych evaluation to remove any tampering and reinforce the anti-torture conditioning, nothing more. People brainwashed into believing something are useless - completely devoid of innovation and curiosity. That's not what the Union needs, but they can't see past their 'Oh, technology is evil' blinkers. You'd think the Adept would know better, at least.

Well, the stylish woman with big hair is finally coming around. Wonder if one of the Agents tagged her? Her boyfriend...though, now I think about it, it seems more like she's his fag-hag...has been pretty quiet for awhile, but seems to be firmly in the 'shoot us both' camp.

Their 'horror' at my 'brainwashing' didn't seem to extend to their own methods of trying to force me to accept their way of thinking, though. Sounds like they might be planning to torture us, though. Well, they're in for a surprise if they try. Not going to be pleasant for me if my higher brain functions self-short, but they won't learn anything. Gotta get Maria out of here, though, I don't want that happening to her.

Hrm. They're all debating what to do about us...grab the antenna wire from the TV...hook it up to the DS Scanner, and lock on to the QIF receptor back at the base...allright girl, here youEOF

Interrogation   

Back online again. Got Maria out but the damn thing glitched before I could get through. That's what I get for not paying more attention to my digital circuits Prof, I guess.

That voice is screaming at me again, I've got to get back to my tablets. Trying to tell me NWOs gonna cancel us both. Why would they do that? We led them to the deviants after all, and now we know where to find another nest.

The blast sure got their attention. Well, the eyebrows will grow back and the ionic looks perfectly pressed as usual. Great stuff. Oh, here we go with the questions. At least they seem to have decided on interrogating me. Miss bighair just keeps staring at me while the holy roller 'just wants to know where she's gone'. Wonder if those drugs are still in my system....better start the focusing exercises just to be sure.

F(s) = I{-inf:inf} f(x) exp(-i 2xs) dx
2I{0:inf}E(x) cos(2xs) dx - 2I{0:inf}iO(x) sin(2xs) dx
...

Freedom   

I'm a freaking idiot. They just let me stroll out. The Adept with the gun didn't look happy about it, and the others seemed confused, but they just up and told me I was free to go. So I did. Maybe they felt they'd made sure I was safe when Ms. Bighair snapped my shades in half. They were a little shorted out, but I could have fixed them, dammit. Well, I've got spares at the hotel.

There was a line of taxis, one from each hotel. Didn't want to make it easy to track me, so I grabbed one back to Caesar's, and made sure the driver saw me go in. Gave the cab time to get away, then headed back out and up the street. Tried calling Maria, but no answer. Left her a message that I'm freed and returning to the hotel...where what do I find?

Of course. NWO.

And then things got worse   

*sigh* Gee, a white room with two MIBs in it. How depressingly typical. The standard battery of questions, how did that happen, how did this occur... ah, here we go. Why did you allow yourself to be captured? Damn good question. It was like the ones that took us were waiting for us. We'd obviously been made, given that our drinks were drugged.

Allright, this is getting inane. They think I set them up to help Ortega and Meyer escape? Great Newton, don't they check the records? Why in the Void would I help a couple of Deviants get away from NWO? Especially when I'd been the one feeding them the scouting reports? This makes NO sense.

Trying to determine whether I've been comprimised is one thing, but they've gone way beyond the normal protocols for that. No torture, though, so at least they're aware, or suspect, my conditioning. Doesn't seem to matter, though, I'm starting to suspect they're not going to let me just walk out of here. Time to start exploring other options.

Out of the frying pan   

[Las Vegas, May 29]

6 hours of sitting in this chair...man my ass is sore. Oh, here come the MIBs.

Or not. Dead. And dissolving. On my boots. Eck.
Who's this, then? Man in white? Oh, hell. And a blond. Got Syndicate written all over her. But, they're pissing off NWO and getting me out of here. Even giving me time to run through the storeroom. New specs, nice new Communicator with all the extras. No DS scanner, but then NWO wouldn't have 'em. Serviceweapon and uniform in a locker with my serial number on it. Very convenient. Allright, let's get the hell out of here.

The man introduces himself as Number 1. He wants to be mysterious, fine with me, I'll look for explanations later, once we get the hell away from here, wherever here is...ah, Tidewater. Pre-eminent re-education clinic on the west coast. NWO wasn't just screwing around with me, this time. Only the worst deviants get brought in here. What the hell did I do this time? It's not like I could fuck up any ongoing missions while I'm on leave.

Well, maybe my rescuers will have some answers...

Sphinx   

[Las Vegas, May 30]

Allright, gotta pull these notes together. All of the deviants that kidnapped us mentioned getting some sort of commincation from the Sphinx entity. Kind of like the message Maria and I got, trying to encourage us to break the rules and go to the club, even though we know about the deviants.

Main difference is, theirs were pretty specific. Go to the third row and find the green car sort of thing, while ours was very simple and interpretive. Maybe they send detailed messages to ones they're pretty sure will follow them blindly, and subtle ones to people they need to direct more gently, lest they rebel.

Let' see....the witch, (Arden? I think) got her message in a 'vision'. Yeah. Probably drinking too much and saw what she wanted to see.

Mark, the Chorister, got tickets to the club with his sphinx symbol.

The Adept, Mac, was getting emails left and right, it seems, with the most detailed instructions. Guess they need to make sure he doesn't fuck things up.

Kyle just happened to be there. Yeah, right, coincidence. Sure.

The Dreamspeaker, Paul Ortega, was brought by a friend. Another coincidence?

Oz, 'Zydeco', and Johnny were there to work or perform. Presumably Johnny was the reason for the grouping.

And then Aurora, the bordello's Madam, got a sphinx note to prepare for our arrival, timed with the directions Mac was getting over the car's GPS.

Well, got my linkup back, let's see what the DB has on this 'sphinx'...damn, a lot of files, all from the last couple of months. Used as a marker on messages with helpful information, mostly for Deviants, but a couple records where the messages helped ferret out someone within the Union who was acting against the Precepts.

Interesting, a group of Unionists have teamed up with some of the Deviants to intercept and block the messages...they think it's coming from some Outsiders who are working to breach the gauntlet. That'd be no good. Even the RDs recognize that.

Oh, great, the Holy Rollers think it's the hand of God, a higher order come to set creation right. Ugh.

Hm, somehow the Sphinx is tied into what's being called the Rogue Council, a group trying to set up after the old council was destroyed.

Messages seem tagged with the phrase: Enigma takes you were Dogma can not. You do not create the path to Ascension, you explore it. Mine did not. A fake? Someone setting me up?

Most recent Engineer contact with the sphinx, barring my own involvement was the receipt of an old Void Seeker record about the first Deep voyage craft. 1557 CE. Third of the crew returned alive, and half of them were mad. Jumped into the far deep and were lucky to get back at all.

Suppose it's just as well I don't believe in omens, then.

The proverbial hard place   

[Las Vegas, May 30]

Well, #1 had some very interesting info to impart. Foremost among which was that my journals have been compromised, so nothing sensitive in here until I find a more secure place for them. Suffice to say a faction within the Union has offered me a mission and a shot at redemption. Since my current record indicates that I've been terminated, and such an end is likely waiting for me if I just stroll back into HQ, it doesn't look like I've got much choice.

Never mind the other threats. Oh, and vague promises of a reward I don't really want. This deal gets better all the time.

Let's see...two days ago I was getting ready to start the assignment I wanted, and had a week's leave to spend in Vegas with my girlfriend. Today, I've been declared a rogue agent and officially 'terminated', Maria is MIA, at best, my parents are being held hostage, and my only way out is to work with the deviants who got me into this mess and some demented faction within the Union that I've never heard of to accomplish a mission that smells more and more like a set up.

Fan-damn-tastic.

Re-secured   

[Las Vegas, May 30]

Allright, got the system setup to only receive uploads. Not even I can pull the data off without sending the emergency code. And that'll dump all the data onto the public boards - all my observations, journals, sources, and information about the Deviants and this Avalon faction.

Of course, if I don't send the 'I'm alive' transmission every 24 hours, then it all gets dumped to the Union's main information boards anyway. Though the warning letters for my parents should go out a little before that to give them time to prepare.

So, time to sort this stuff out.

Bellagio Meeting   

[Las Vegas, May 30]

#1 brought me to a meeting with the deviants at the Bellagio. Apparently it's sort of a neutral hotel in the eternal struggle. Brings in enough cash that neither side wants to disrupt it, and doesn't really have anything of extraordinary value to begin with.

Anyhow, the meeting went about as expected. The Dreamspeaker was rude, the Holy Roller was flaming, and Meyer had the worst table manners I've evern seen. The witch seemed to be wadded about something, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Something to do with her daughter being MIA, I'd guess.

Sent the Adept over some info on the Oak Island site. Just to speed things up, he'd have found it eventually. He almost shit a brick when my message popped up on his screen...wonder if that's because I figured out who to send it to or just because it was me helping him?

Dr. Hwang laid it out for them. They each have their offer, and four days to decide whether or not to help find the library. Seems I got the short end of the stick in the offer department. They get money, toys, useful information. I get threats.

Info dump to follow.

Info Dump   

[Las Vegas, May 30]

#1 claims to represent the Avalon group, a faction within the Union that claims they want to expose and eliminate the corruption within various agencies and agents. They claim they are independent from Control, and that I can speak freely. Riiiiight. They also believe that because of my...psychological imbalances...I'm the best choice of representative to work with the Deviants.

Anyhow, they are seeking the library of the Ksirafai, an old Order of Reason guild that faded away several hundred years ago. These Ksirafai were the Internal Affairs division back then, but they disappeared about the time the first corruption began creeping into the Order.

This library contains the whereabouts of 'an ancient evil', buried within the New World. If this evil were to be released, it would be immune to Technocratic science and traditional magic.

Apparently, one Dorien Sterling, a Verbena, is trying to unearth what he believes is this evil, on Oak Island. Yet another faction within the Union is possibly supporting him in this. Dorien Sterling has an enormous file, and has been involved in several incidents trying to stir up further conflict between the Traditions and the Union. He also has made several attempts to pierce the gauntlet and release dangerous outsiders. Recently he managed to break through the security at Area 51 and recover information on the Roswell incident.

Another faction, Invictus, is most likely opposing him (and us) and has dispatched a containment team to deal with Mr. Sterling. Given his past records, I doubt they'll have much success, but maybe they'll delay his excavations long enough for us to find the library and figure out what exactly is down there.

Dr. Laura Hwang, another Engineer and Avalon member, told us that the statisticians who had examined the readings cannot agree on the likelihood of what's down there, the indications continually shift like nothing they've seen.

She is to be our contact with Avalon, and apparently I'm supposed to help her liase with the deviants. On one hand, I apparently have some deep insight. On the other, they're impressed with my convictions and loyalty to the Order sucht that I won't go rogue under the Deviants' influence and the communications from the Sphinx.

So, what to do? I could turn them all in. Dr. Cooper alone would ensure my safe return to the fold simply for reuniting him with his son. For revealing the existence of the Avalon group, especially now that I'm aware of the identities of some of it's high ranking members, Control would probably give me my own Division.

On the other hand...what if Control is corrupted? Some of the files I saw certainly indicate that someone is fucking up somewhere. Directors letting experiments continue that are out of control or are entirely inappropriate and dangerous.

What if Avalon is right?

Threats and Promises       

[Las Vegas, May 30]

Whoever these Avalon folks are, they're well connected. #1 presented me with an envelope of security keys and a standard issue Iterator laptop. Nice toys. The keys gave me access to...everything. Control files. Dossiers. DSEATC meeting logs. NWO termination orders. I can review everything. I thought they had to be a fake, but they had the keys to my personal journals, the ones only I should be able to open, and everything was correct. There's no way they could have faked all of what I saw.

Scanning over the relevant Dossiers, I notice several of them note that the subject had been terminated, including mine and Maria's, along with a number of the deviants from the 57 club.

I asked #1 if the fact that they had broken me out but my record said I was terminated meant that the other people were in the same situation.

There are some things you shouldn't have to learn from a Construct.

#1 went on to tell me that if I cooperated they would protect my parents from those who had terminated Maria, but if I refused to help, then my parents would die.

He also tried to promise me that I'd get a Directorship out of the deal. Little bit of carrot to go with the stick, I suppose. Like I want to be a Director, sitting back in a nice cushy office somewhere, when the real work to be done is on the Front Lines. Maybe once we get rid of the garou, then I can think about settling down into a desk somewhere.

It's time to make a choice.

Working Out   

[Las Vegas, May 30]

After meeting with the deviants and Dr. Hwang, I went to the Luxor hotel. I got several long looks, very few of them friendly, but noone made a scene and I decided not to push my luck. I got a room, booked a session with one of the personal trainers the hotel employed and wen to grab some sleep.

Not that I had any chance of actually getting to sleep. After laying there for several hours staring at the ceiling, I got up and headed down to the gym to warm up and wait for the trainer.

Once the kickboxing trainer arrived, we got a fairly good session going. He was quite a bit better than I, but I managed to hold my own. Then that damn adept walked in. I was so surprised to see him that I lost my concentration and the trainer knocked me on my ass. Dammit, I should know better.

Managed to get back on track when Oz showed up. Him, I wanted to see, but I didn't really want to talk in front of the Adept, or the trainer for that matter. Would hardly do to start discussing classified scientific theories with the unenlightened, after all. Oz worked out with us for a few minutes, and unsurprisingly, was better than I. The two hour session with the trainer was about over, and I was getting ready to head out when Oz just had to wave Mac over to join us.

I knew nothing good would come of that.

I shouldn't have let him get to me. One of the points to the sparring was to help focus my mind and stop thinking about Maria, or Hwang, or any of the shit going down. And what does the Adept do? Brings her up, flaunts the fact that she's probably dead in my face.

Son of a bitch...this is what I get for helping that fucker out. And with Oz standing there watching. He didn't seem to want to get involved when I kicked the shit out of the traitor, though. Maybe he figured I needed to get it out of my system, or maybe he just enjoyed watching us fight, I dunno.

But I shouldn't have let my temper get ahold of me like that. They both just kept pressing the issue - 'Oh, he doesn't want to talk about that, let's keep bugging him about it!' I finally snapped and told them the truth. She's dead. 'Total Energy Dispersal', as Hwang's people are calling it.

Well, that particular exercise in mental focus was pretty much an unmitigated disaster. I wonder if that Adept can even walk now?

Requisitions   

[Las Vegas, May 31]

Put in a little list with Dr. Hwang if I'm to join her little expedition. Nothing too difficult for her to manage, if her credentials are all she says.

A gauss needler, going to be on plenty of aircraft, be nice to have something that won't blow holes in the hull if violence becomes necessary.

Some new shades, with the Primium structure. Should keep the big-haired witch from fucking with them.

A plasma cannon. Hopefully we won't need it, but I might as well be prepared to do what I do best.

Satellite telemetry uplink for the GPS so I can get a better idea of what we're getting into before we step in it. And hopefully decide ahead of time whether or not I need to carry the plasma cannon. Not that it's not worth the weight when the waste product impacts upon the rotarty turbine.

Extra quantum power packs. Lots of them. Definitely going to need those.

Hrm, not sure about the recovery time, but a wireless datalink would make a nice installation. Knew I should have taken them up when I was in basic. Of course, if I had, it's use would have been logged the instant I fired it up, and that 'subject terminated' reference would be in question in a hurry.

Like it won't ever be for Maria.