Re: Blood Money, Sick Cyborgs and Hidden Plans IC Thread 33

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Colin's Room]

"They might be discussing their favorites online. However I just read and article that the sale of toys have gone down drastically in anything intended for children over the age of eight, children wanting toys less and less and tablets and phones more, and if you go to a playground and see children again over the age of eight often they sit somewhere, each with a phone in their hands, not talking but instead typing on their phones. The thing is being presented entertainment is easier than imagining it for yourself, now off course there will always be children different from the norm, but I am concerned that the enormous boom in popularity of smart phones and tablets are a ploy of the Union to make the population less able to dream for themselves and more just consuming content."
Beatrice said and frowned.

"That's one way you can look at it. But I guess I prefer to try and see things more optimistically." Serge said with a shrug. "Their still talking to people even if it's on their phones. Their friends or family. People are more connected now than they ever have been. Articles that talk about how the kids these day are growing are almost always exaggerated or straight up false because that's what sells. Just because they don't want toys doesn't mean Kids can't dream. But now they have more tools to dream with. A vast amount information and stories to draw inspiration upon. Kids can extend their dreams far beyond what was possible when we didn't have these devices."

"Alright, I suppose that's good..." he said, looking marginally relieved. "Just keep an eye out for oddness then, for now I suppose. I'm going to see if I can figure this out with some help. If you need me, I will be at the Primus's office." He glanced at Narim and gave a little shrug. "So far, so good..." he said. "Let's go see the Primus."

"Will do!" Serge said giving his cabalmate a thumbs up.

He frowned. "Apparently someone received a message that I did not send. Except that upon investigation, it seems that I did send it. Yet I did not. Be careful what you say or type into the phone, for now and I'll explain more later."

"So you both sent and did not send this message Adley? I see what Master Sharaya meant about a Paradox."
Beatrice commented and Narim smiled a bit at that.
"We will be careful."
Kyle promised.

"A message you both sent and did not send? That's unique one." Serge said with a puzzled look on his face and then back at his phone wondering about the messages that he had received and sent.

"Okey but it would help if we knew what we where looking for, we are at a Chantry everything is odd."
Kyle said and Narim smiled a little.
"There seam to be something...unusual with the flow of time, I really can't say anything more about it before we have had a chance to discuss it with the Primus."
The Virtual Adept said and Kyle nodded.
"Time issues Sir?" Well this would be the room for it."
That made Narim smile a bit more and he nodded to you.
"Yes let us, well then everyone I am sorry for the interruption, have a continued good morning."
Narim said and Kyle, Anna and Beatrice said their goodbyes to you and the Master Adept before Narim headed into the hallway, holding the door open for you.

Kyle closed the door behind the two older mages and he grinned a little.
"Aww did you see Master Sharaya hold the door for my brother...I think perhaps they are an item."
The young Hermetic speculated. Beatrice smiled a little sadly at this but she nodded.
"I think perhaps they are and I hope they find happiness, but let us not talk about them behind their backs, your brother would not like that Kyle."
She replied and Kyle nodded.
"Yeah you are right Miss Alexander, let us get back to the game."
He said as he and Anna returned to the table.

"As long as their together they'll be happy. I can tell that they really care about each other." Serge said when the two mages had left the room and were well out of ear-shot.

"But yeah, let's not gossip. Right now the animal rescue force has saved jimbo from the dreaded land pirhanas. And as a reward he has given everyone some speed bananas. Of course he's given himself some bananas for being such a good rescuee. We all move forward a a number of spaces equal to the number on the experience card and then it's Beatrice's turn." Serge said moving his monkey forward.

[Adley]

[Colin's Room]

"Well now that is quite a bit of a mystery, do you think it have anything to do with Colin and his time travel shenanigans? Or the ehm...guest he had over here a few months ago, a very old guest?"

"I really don't know enough to hazard a guess, honestly."

"A message you both sent and did not send? That's unique one." Serge said with a puzzled look on his face and then back at his phone wondering about the messages that he had received and sent.

"Indeed, if you find that you come across anything like that, then let us know."

"Old guest?" Narim asked looking confused.

"Hrm, I thought you would have heard of it, when he had a most...unusual guest over for tea once, and I was not pleased..."

[George's Chambers]

"No not long child, I know when someone will come to see me but I can be a few minutes of, it have just given the tea time to steep." The ancient mage said as he led the way into his apartment which smelled of books, tea and old things. Narim smiled to you and closed the door once you both ha entered the Primus' chambers. On the living room table, there was a stack of books, and three antique tea cups and a matching pot. George filled the cups while he indicated that you both should sit.

He sat down on one of the offered seats and put his bag down between his feet. The phones were put on his lap for lack of a better space at the moment.

So how may I be of service my young friends?" He asked as he sat down himself with a groan, his face was still young, but the way he moved and spoke belonged to a very old man, and he seamed to be appearing older as of late as if he was tired.

He looked at Narim and then said to Master Steelhaven, "Well, a few things, maybe...But first most important thing is that there seems to be some kind of paradox going on. My pater received a message on his phone that I did not send. It shows that it came from me, and Narim checked this and this and it is accurate to say that I did and did not send this message. What I recall happening is that I did not send it. There is no message on my end, just his. The message in question is quite confidential sir, not something I would wish to show people and I would not be likely to send such information over the phone, especially not with my mentor just downstairs." He brought the phones in question out and placed them on an empty spot on the table.

[Warpmind]

[Deporting]

'I said I couldn't question the third 'cos they were dead. Say they died while we were there, I didn't.' Nicole replied. 'Wasn't even thinking about the one in the ship...'

Colin shook his head, "You said three cases in the medlab, and another died at the helm of a transport coming in from DC... The only fatality in the crashed transport was an MIB in the passenger compartment, the pilot only passed out."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Deporting]

Colin smiled wryly, "I could detect if there's an active transmitter of some sort - seeing the radio waves is easy enough, if a bit weird - and I could probably determine the material compositions of the packet and contents. Figuring out what it would do to a person, though, probably not so much."

Nicole nodded to this, handing it over.

"Probably we have it mostly covered then, we can always call Dr Lee about what the ingredients would do."
Adjan said and once done with the phone call he took the package and rolled his dice over it. After a moment of this he nodded.
"I can not find any magick meant to track anyone here, though it is what I would call technomagick, I do study some magick to affect one's body and I would say that this is a technomagickal healing spell."
The death magus said as he handed the package back to Nicole.

He nodded, "The pilot's obviously not in good condition, seeing as he was apparently standing when he passed out... and then the trainee crash landed the ship in the parking lot. He was likely bounced around a bit while still wired into the ship's computer."

"That you said there are implants in his head failing also probably have a good part to do with the man not being in a good condition."
Adjan commented.

He mulled it over for a moment, then shrugged, "Probably not a big concern, then. Or if it is, we'll get to hear all about it when we get back."
He grinned wryly, "Well, it's probably not on the scale of one of my little temporal wrinkles over the past couple of months, so how bad could it be, really? Narim's got our IT security well in hand, including the phones, so... probably just an OS update that broke an app or something. Happens all the time."

He thought for a moment, "Hum, come to think of it, I probably shouldn't have said that..."

Adjan relayed what you said and then he gave you a wry smile.
"Master Morgan says he hope this is just a small hiccup in time and nothing to do with any wrinkles. He says he is heading to a meeting though so he is wondering if there is anything else or he have to go."

[Phone Calls]

'Okay. Anything else?'

"No that should be it Scientist Bouchard."
Dr Hadermann said.

[Colin's Room]

"I really don't know enough to hazard a guess, honestly."

Beatrice nodded at that.
"Yes I do wonder though, do you think we need be worried Adley?"

"That's one way you can look at it. But I guess I prefer to try and see things more optimistically." Serge said with a shrug. "Their still talking to people even if it's on their phones. Their friends or family. People are more connected now than they ever have been. Articles that talk about how the kids these day are growing are almost always exaggerated or straight up false because that's what sells. Just because they don't want toys doesn't mean Kids can't dream. But now they have more tools to dream with. A vast amount information and stories to draw inspiration upon. Kids can extend their dreams far beyond what was possible when we didn't have these devices."

"That we can keep in touch with others all over the world I think is good, I do not think we communicate less now, we communicate more, however when it comes to playing, I guess I can not be as optimistic as you Serge, with these devices the machine do the dreaming and the kid just consume content rather than dreaming on their own, and that I think is a dangerous trend."
Beatrice said and she shook her head.

"A message you both sent and did not send? That's unique one." Serge said with a puzzled look on his face and then back at his phone wondering about the messages that he had received and sent.

All your messages seamed to be in order.

"As long as their together they'll be happy. I can tell that they really care about each other." Serge said when the two mages had left the room and were well out of ear-shot.

"Yeah I hope so...Adley deserve some happiness."
Kyle said.
"He is after all rather tightly wound up as of late."
This made Beatrice giggle a little but she also had a sad look in her eyes.

"But yeah, let's not gossip. Right now the animal rescue force has saved jimbo from the dreaded land pirhanas. And as a reward he has given everyone some speed bananas. Of course he's given himself some bananas for being such a good rescuee. We all move forward a a number of spaces equal to the number on the experience card and then it's Beatrice's turn." Serge said moving his monkey forward.

Everyone moved their pieces and then Beatrice took her die and rolled it, moved her figurine and then ended up on another five or eight space.
"It seams the five and eight spaces like me."
She joked.
"So who was it that needed to roll to let my piece move further and not be stuck?"

[George's Cambers]

[quote]

"Hrm, I thought you would have heard of it, when he had a most...unusual guest over for tea once, and I was not pleased..."

"Ohh...that guest."
Narim said and he looked a little nervous Paradox spirits had been an uneasy topic with the Virtual Adept since his own far less friendly visit from one of their kind.
"Yes I guess that could be a cause but I hope not."

He looked at Narim and then said to Master Steelhaven, "Well, a few things, maybe...But first most important thing is that there seems to be some kind of paradox going on. My pater received a message on his phone that I did not send. It shows that it came from me, and Narim checked this and this and it is accurate to say that I did and did not send this message. What I recall happening is that I did not send it. There is no message on my end, just his. The message in question is quite confidential sir, not something I would wish to show people and I would not be likely to send such information over the phone, especially not with my mentor just downstairs." He brought the phones in question out and placed them on an empty spot on the table.

Narim nodded and sat down he sipped his tea as you explained. George was silent as you spoke then he picked up the phones and looked at them, not turning them on.
"Hum...most odd...ah on that shelf over there....would one of you kindly get me a pen and paper?"
He asked and Narim rose and brought back the old man's notebook.
"Ah thank you Narim...my back have been bothering me lately."
George said as he took the pen and paper then slipped his glasses onto his nose.
"Please enjoy your tea gentlemen, this will take a few minutes."
He said before he took a old coin and started drawing up a Geomancy chart over the phone, after some time and allot of dots drawn on the paper he looked up and took his glasses of again.
"Hum...where this message was sent, Jeffry's phone was not here at the Chantry, it was in the Umbra and if you look Narim's program to allow for reaching someone across the Gauntlet are installed on borth phones, and yet I guess you have not installed it lately."
He said without ever turning on the screen of the phones.
"I suspect the problem here is two time lines interacting, in one...our timeline your teacher is right down stairs and you would never send such a message, and in another timeline your teacher was far out into the Umbra and for some reason you felt the need to communicate this to him...which means gentlemen...we have a leak between two timelines here...I have felt uneasy all morning and this is probably the cause....this leak need to be sewn up before we have more problems than a odd message on a phone."
The Primus said as he handed the phones back, and also handed you the Geomancy chart to see if you wanted to see it as well.

[Warpmind]

[Deporting]

"Probably we have it mostly covered then, we can always call Dr Lee about what the ingredients would do."
Adjan said and once done with the phone call he took the package and rolled his dice over it. After a moment of this he nodded.
"I can not find any magick meant to track anyone here, though it is what I would call technomagick, I do study some magick to affect one's body and I would say that this is a technomagickal healing spell."
The death magus said as he handed the package back to Nicole.

Colin nodded thoughtfully, "About what we'd expect, then..."

"That you said there are implants in his head failing also probably have a good part to do with the man not being in a good condition."
Adjan commented.

He grimaced, "Quite so, poor fellow..."

Adjan relayed what you said and then he gave you a wry smile.
"Master Morgan says he hope this is just a small hiccup in time and nothing to do with any wrinkles. He says he is heading to a meeting though so he is wondering if there is anything else or he have to go."

He groaned softly, "I shouldn't have said that... Ah, well, let him know we'll stay on the fresh trail for now, and we'll check back with more information later, and wish him good luck with the meeting."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Deporting]

Colin nodded thoughtfully, "About what we'd expect, then..."

"From what I can see Dr Terlitzer where truthful, this will heal the effect of a toxin at least if taken right after being exposed to it."
Adjan said sounding surprised.

He grimaced, "Quite so, poor fellow..."

"Yes...it can not be a good way to go."
The Euthanathos said and frowned.

He groaned softly, "I shouldn't have said that... Ah, well, let him know we'll stay on the fresh trail for now, and we'll check back with more information later, and wish him good luck with the meeting."

Adjan told the Chief this and ended the call.
"He said you are my problem until we return to the Chantry Mr Wainwright since gray hairs will not show up as well in my blood hair."
The death magus said and grinned.

[Warpmind]

[Deporting]

"From what I can see Dr Terlitzer where truthful, this will heal the effect of a toxin at least if taken right after being exposed to it."
Adjan said sounding surprised.

Colin nodded, "She may not like Mystics, and Mystic Healers even less... but from all I've seen of her, on the occasions we've spoken, she is extremely ethical as a physician. She'd gladly put a bullet in my neck if she spotted me on the streets of Boston, but if I came to her office at the Umbral Port unconscious and with an injury, she'd treat me properly and make sure I was well enough to leave before sending me off. So in matters of medicine, I would trust her implicitly."

"Yes...it can not be a good way to go."
The Euthanathos said and frowned.

He nodded, "Betrayed by your own body, not at all good..."

Adjan told the Chief this and ended the call.
"He said you are my problem until we return to the Chantry Mr Wainwright since gray hairs will not show up as well in my blood hair."
The death magus said and grinned.

He chuckled softly, "I am sorry for your having this undue burden thrust upon you."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Deporting]

Colin nodded, "She may not like Mystics, and Mystic Healers even less... but from all I've seen of her, on the occasions we've spoken, she is extremely ethical as a physician. She'd gladly put a bullet in my neck if she spotted me on the streets of Boston, but if I came to her office at the Umbral Port unconscious and with an injury, she'd treat me properly and make sure I was well enough to leave before sending me off. So in matters of medicine, I would trust her implicitly."

"Well this is outside of the Umbra Port and that kit was meant to used on the outside but she could be thinking that if we could figure out more of what is going on then she will have less trouble to deal with at the Umbra port and it might even be able to help the patients she already have."
Adjan said and nodded, still sounding a little skeptical.

He nodded, "Betrayed by your own body, not at all good..."

"I wish I could have helped him make his passing easier."
The Euthanatos said darkly.
"But I doubt that the Umbra Port security would much favor that."

He chuckled softly, "I am sorry for your having this undue burden thrust upon you."

Adjan grinned wryly.
"Well you know he is right gray will show up much less in dark blond hair than in nearly black."
He said sounding amused.
"So where are we headed, from what I heard of Miss Bouchard's conversations I assume we are heading to the cafe then? Where was that located?"

[Warpmind]

[On The Trail]

"Well this is outside of the Umbra Port and that kit was meant to used on the outside but she could be thinking that if we could figure out more of what is going on then she will have less trouble to deal with at the Umbra port and it might even be able to help the patients she already have."
Adjan said and nodded, still sounding a little skeptical.

Colin shrugged, "I'm inclined to believe she's highly unwilling to tamper with medical gear - more so in the context of the current situation than usual - though I nonetheless check for active trackers afterwards whenever she tends to me. Had a bit of a mishap a couple of weeks ago; sprained an ankle in the shuttle dock. She treated it just fine. Nothing that would serve as a tracking device."

"I wish I could have helped him make his passing easier."
The Euthanatos said darkly.
"But I doubt that the Umbra Port security would much favor that."

He frowned, "He's not dead yet... and treatment may prove viable before we return. As such, I suspect he would consider such kindness something of a disservice if his life can still be saved."

Adjan grinned wryly.
"Well you know he is right gray will show up much less in dark blond hair than in nearly black."
He said sounding amused.
"So where are we headed, from what I heard of Miss Bouchard's conversations I assume we are heading to the cafe then? Where was that located?"

He glanced in the rear view mirror, "So long as you don't lose it at random... Yes, what's the confirmed destination, then?"

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Colin's Room]

"Indeed, if you find that you come across anything like that, then let us know."

"Sure thing." Serge said with a nod.

"That we can keep in touch with others all over the world I think is good, I do not think we communicate less now, we communicate more, however when it comes to playing, I guess I can not be as optimistic as you Serge, with these devices the machine do the dreaming and the kid just consume content rather than dreaming on their own, and that I think is a dangerous trend."
Beatrice said and she shook her head.

"I'd rather think of it as the phone is helping extend the reach of a child's dream. Giving them new information and tools to play around with in their heads. Their still playing on their phones. And the content they see on their phones can help inspire them to create something of their own." Serge argued. "I've gotten my fair share of comments about how seeing my art helped inspire other people to start to learn how to draw themselves. In a way those devices are helping other people realize how they can dream and create."

Everyone moved their pieces and then Beatrice took her die and rolled it, moved her figurine and then ended up on another five or eight space.
"It seams the five and eight spaces like me."
She joked.
"So who was it that needed to roll to let my piece move further and not be stuck?"

"Everyone except you starting with the player on the left. So Anna starts." Serge replied.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[On The Trail]

Colin shrugged, "I'm inclined to believe she's highly unwilling to tamper with medical gear - more so in the context of the current situation than usual - though I nonetheless check for active trackers afterwards whenever she tends to me. Had a bit of a mishap a couple of weeks ago; sprained an ankle in the shuttle dock. She treated it just fine. Nothing that would serve as a tracking device."

"I am sure she do her job fine on natural grounds, though off course better safe than sorry. I am more worried about accepting medical supplies from er to take out of the Umbra port though than getting treated for something while on natural ground."
Adjan said.
"But my magick do seam to support your point though Colin, so hopefully you are right."

He frowned, "He's not dead yet... and treatment may prove viable before we return. As such, I suspect he would consider such kindness something of a disservice if his life can still be saved."

"Hum...yes I would not want to end his life if...he can be saved...but with what you describe do you think he would recover Mr Wainwright even if the sickness was halted and his implants started working again."
The death magus said and frowned.

He glanced in the rear view mirror, "So long as you don't lose it at random... Yes, what's the confirmed destination, then?"

"I will try to avoid it."
Adjan said then he looked at Nicole to see if she could confirm the destination.

[Colin's Room]

"I'd rather think of it as the phone is helping extend the reach of a child's dream. Giving them new information and tools to play around with. Their still playing on their phones. And the content they see on their phones can help inspire them to create something of their own. Serge argued. "I've gotten my fair share of comments about how seeing my art helped inspire other people to start to learn how to draw themselves."

"The problem is they are not creating themselves or playing themselves, to be inspired by content you can not just consume it. When someone just jump from one digital amusement to the next with no time to sit, take a break and let the imagination fly, when everyone just have their nose in their phone all the time they have little time to actually have imagination."
Beatrice protested.

"Everyone except you starting with the player on the left. So Anna." Serge replied.

Anna picked up her die and rolled it and got a three.
"Nope...do you really think something is wrong with time here?"
She asked as the next person rolled and got a five. Beatrice smiled a little.
"I don't know."
She said as she moved her piece to the appropriate place.
"I think it is Anna's turn."
She said and the young girl picked up her die and rolled a seven, she moved her piece.
"Damn now I am on a five or eight space."
She said and sigh.

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Colin's Room]

"The problem is they are not creating themselves or playing themselves, to be inspired by content you can not just consume it. When someone just jump from one digital amusement to the next with no time to sit, take a break and let the imagination fly, when everyone just have their nose in their phone all the time they have little time to actually have imagination."
Beatrice protested.

"I think if a child is constantly on their phone like that than it's bordering into addiction and that's not a problem inherent to phones. At that point I think its more the fault of the parents rather than the devices themselves." Serge replied.

Anna picked up her die and rolled it and got a three.
"Nope...do you really think something is wrong with time here?"
She asked as the next person rolled and got a five. Beatrice smiled a little.
"I don't know."
She said as she moved her piece to the appropriate place.
"I think it is Anna's turn."
She said and the young girl picked up her die and rolled a seven, she moved her piece.
"Damn now I am on a five or eight space."
She said and sigh.

"You know if you landed on a clear space then we'd have exactly recreated the first two turn we had of this game. Hell even the dice rolls to free Beatrice this time were the same as last time." Serge said with a smile picking his die to roll it. "I would've been worried about being trapped in a groundhog day time loop if that happened."

He picked up his dice and rolled them to see if he could free Anna from her predicament.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Driving in Boston]

Colin's Post:

'Yes. But I said I couldn't question the third due to being dead. Didn't even mention the fourth.'

Anja's Posts:

'Hmm.. perhaps there's an app I can get which can scan for RFID tags and shit...' starting to look to see if such a thing existed. 'Still wouldn't risk it unless utterly vital...'

Anja's Post:

'Yep, off to the coffee shop.' Nicole replied, looking to use her phone to give Colin directions to it. 'Professor wants us to see if they're got any cameras there, if the staff saw anything and a general look-about.'

[Can't remember the name/location of the coffee-shop, and not enough RL time to dig it out... *sad face*]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Driving in Boston]

'Hmm.. perhaps there's an app I can get which can scan for RFID tags and shit...' starting to look to see if such a thing existed. 'Still wouldn't risk it unless utterly vital...'

There seamed to be some apps claiming to do just that online. Adjan gave you a confused look.
"RFID tags Miss Bouchard?"
He asked.

Yep, off to the coffee shop.' Nicole replied, looking to use her phone to give Colin directions to it. 'Professor wants us to see if they're got any cameras there, if the staff saw anything and a general look-about.'

You found the location on the phone, it was more a ice cream shop than a coffee shop but it sold coffee as well, the Technocrat had not named it but you had gotten an idea of where it was and searching a bit online you found a Josie's Ice Cream and Latte, a small place downtown.

[Colin's Apartment]

"I think if a child is constantly on their phone like that than it's bordering into addiction and that's not a problem inherent to phones. At that point I think its more the fault of the parents rather than the devices themselves." Serge replied.

"The problem Serge is that addiction to one's phone is the norm rathe than the exception and then you can not blame it all on the parents, some things are designed to create such an addition and smart pones are one of those things."
Beatrice said firmly.

"You know if you landed on a clear space then we'd have exactly recreated the first two turn we had of this game. Hell even the dice rolls to free Beatrice this time were the same as last time." Serge said with a smile picking his die to roll it. "I would've been worried about being trapped in a groundhog day time loop if that happened."

"Well as there are only two or three types of places to land on that means we are likely to have some repetition."
Kyle said and grinned.

He picked up his dice and rolled them to see if he could free Anna from her predicament.

You rolled an eight so you could indeed free her piece. Anna smiled.
"Why than you Sir."
She commented. You had noticed that she had gotten pale though, she acted the same but she looked pale and her skin was a little clammy.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Driving in Boston]

Anja's Post:

'It's a tiny electronic circuit, which allows stuff to be ID'd and tracked. They're everywhere; from the plastic implants in the porn stars massive rack, contactless credit cards and the bottle of soda you've taken off the grocery store shelf. In this case, why bother physically following a car when you can simply put a tag on it and track it using a series of sensors throughout a city? It's why I rebuild every car for the pool and keep my Discover wrapped in tinfoil.' Nicole answered, a little distracted. Realising she'd previously relied on Callie to do this shit. Tried her best to pick the best app for RFID scanning, and hit download...

[Warpmind]

[On The Trail]

'Yes. But I said I couldn't question the third due to being dead. Didn't even mention the fourth.'

Colin arched an eyebrow, "Er, yes, you did. You specifically listed the three, and said a fourth died at the helm of the shuttlecraft."

"Hum...yes I would not want to end his life if...he can be saved...but with what you describe do you think he would recover Mr Wainwright even if the sickness was halted and his implants started working again."
The death magus said and frowned.

He shrugged, "I don't know how bad the injuries from the crash might have been... but the only symptoms, it seems, are high fevers and the associated problems - not unlike a bad case of the flu. Going on that assumption, I see no reason why a full recovery should be out of the question, if we can stop the damn thing in its tracks."

"I will try to avoid it."
Adjan said then he looked at Nicole to see if she could confirm the destination.

'Yep, off to the coffee shop.' Nicole replied, looking to use her phone to give Colin directions to it. 'Professor wants us to see if they're got any cameras there, if the staff saw anything and a general look-about.'

You found the location on the phone, it was more a ice cream shop than a coffee shop but it sold coffee as well, the Technocrat had not named it but you had gotten an idea of where it was and searching a bit online you found a Josie's Ice Cream and Latte, a small place downtown.

He nodded, "Josie's, right... I think I went there a few years ago. Quite decent pistachio ice cream; not a decent cup of tea in sight..."

'Hmm.. perhaps there's an app I can get which can scan for RFID tags and shit...' starting to look to see if such a thing existed. 'Still wouldn't risk it unless utterly vital...'

There seamed to be some apps claiming to do just that online. Adjan gave you a confused look.
"RFID tags Miss Bouchard?"
He asked.

'It's a tiny electronic circuit, which allows stuff to be ID'd and tracked. They're everywhere; from the plastic implants in the porn stars massive rack, contactless credit cards and the bottle of soda you've taken off the grocery store shelf. In this case, why bother physically following a car when you can simply put a tag on it and track it using a series of sensors throughout a city? It's why I rebuild every car for the pool and keep my Discover wrapped in tinfoil.' Nicole answered, a little distracted. Realising she'd previously relied on Callie to do this shit. Tried her best to pick the best app for RFID scanning, and hit download...

He smiled thinly, "RFID chips are quite practical; I tag some of my more expensive goods in the shop with them, excepting commissioned work, of course. But I make a habit of plucking them out of all the books I purchase before coming home, as a simple precaution. Besides, if they've not been properly deactivated, they tend to trigger alarms, even if you're in a completely unrelated shop. It can be a bit difficult if you have a book that triggers the alarm when you're in a hardware store..."

((OOC: Sorry, Nicole, but you DID say that. The specific statement, ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Driving in Boston]

'It's a tiny electronic circuit, which allows stuff to be ID'd and tracked. They're everywhere; from the plastic implants in the porn stars massive rack, contactless credit cards and the bottle of soda you've taken off the grocery store shelf. In this case, why bother physically following a car when you can simply put a tag on it and track it using a series of sensors throughout a city? It's why I rebuild every car for the pool and keep my Discover wrapped in tinfoil.' Nicole answered, a little distracted. Realising she'd previously relied on Callie to do this shit. Tried her best to pick the best app for RFID scanning, and hit download...

"That is interesting Miss Bouchard and somewhat terrifying."
Adjan said and frowned.
"And you are saying these senors are everywhere? How big are they?"
You fund one of the apps an downloaded it, the app seamed simple enough to use the question was if it would work.

He shrugged, "I don't know how bad the injuries from the crash might have been... but the only symptoms, it seems, are high fevers and the associated problems - not unlike a bad case of the flu. Going on that assumption, I see no reason why a full recovery should be out of the question, if we can stop the damn thing in its tracks."

"The question is more how much damage loosing those brain implants would do, but off course I hope this pilot will recover."
The Euthanathos said and nodded.

He nodded, "Josie's, right... I think I went there a few years ago. Quite decent pistachio ice cream; not a decent cup of tea in sight..."

"I guess most who go there want their coffee."
Adjan said and grinned.
"Well we are not going for the food or drink this time."

He smiled thinly, "RFID chips are quite practical; I tag some of my more expensive goods in the shop with them, excepting commissioned work, of course. But I make a habit of plucking them out of all the books I purchase before coming home, as a simple precaution. Besides, if they've not been properly deactivated, they tend to trigger alarms, even if you're in a completely unrelated shop. It can be a bit difficult if you have a book that triggers the alarm when you're in a hardware store..."

"Are they the little alarm things you get inside books and on clothing and the like which triggers the alarms as you go in or out of a store unless they have been deactivated?"
Adjan asked he was glancing out the window as the car was getting closer to downtown.
"There is not allot of traffic today, I guess it is because it is the weekend."
He commented.
"Or because it is getting colder people opt to stay at home where it is warm."

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Colin's Apartment]

"The problem Serge is that addiction to one's phone is the norm rather than the exception and then you can not blame it all on the parents, some things are designed to create such an addition and smart pones are one of those things."
Beatrice said firmly.

"Then I'll blame that social norm, not the devices. Everything is created to be addicting. Even those toys are designed to be addicting. It's up to us to use them responsibly and teach the kids to do so as well." Serge said simply.

"Well as there are only two or three types of places to land on that means we are likely to have some repetition."
Kyle said and grinned.

"Yeah your right. Still though. Even the same rolls on the die. Now that would be a spooky spell. Trapping someone in a time loop. Bet my Uncle could do that." Serge said with a smile.

You rolled an eight so you could indeed free her piece. Anna smiled.
"Why than you Sir."
She commented. You had noticed that she had gotten pale though, she acted the same but she looked pale and her skin was a little clammy.

"No problem. Jimbo's always happy to help in exchange for bananas." Serge said with a smile, which dissapeared quickly when he noticed Anna's condition.

"Hey Anna, you feeling alright? Your looking a little ghostly." he asked.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Driving]

Colin's Post:

A short silence, then the large woman gave a shrug. 'Shit, does this really matter?' rolling her eyes.

Colin's Post:

Anja's Posts:

'The sensors could be everywhere. Easy to simply put them into every public camera, f'example.' Nicole replied, pulling out her wallet and opening it up. 'A tag can be as small as a few millimetres... can be snuck in almost anywhere. It's transmission range ain't far, but in a urban area can be enough.' now taking out her Discover card and testing her phone scanner on it.

[Coffee Shop]

Anja's Post:

Colin's Post:

'Never heard of the place.' Nicole replied. 'Take a left at the next junction... Anyway, we're in that glorious weekend that all the Leafers have fucked off home but the Thanksgiving rush ain't kicked in yet.'

[I know. Nicole's not that good a communicator...]

[Adley]

[Colin's Room]

Beatrice nodded at that. "Yes I do wonder though, do you think we need be worried Adley?"

"Well, at least cautious..."

"Ohh...that guest." Narim said and he looked a little nervous Paradox spirits had been an uneasy topic with the Virtual Adept since his own far less friendly visit from one of their kind. "Yes I guess that could be a cause but I hope not."

He nodded to him and put a hand on his elbow for a second.

[George's Cambers]

Narim nodded and sat down he sipped his tea as you explained. George was silent as you spoke then he picked up the phones and looked at them, not turning them on. "Hum...most odd...ah on that shelf over there....would one of you kindly get me a pen and paper?" He asked and Narim rose and brought back the old man's notebook. "Ah thank you Narim...my back have been bothering me lately."

"I'm sorry to hear that sir," he said with a frown.

George said as he took the pen and paper then slipped his glasses onto his nose.
"Please enjoy your tea gentlemen, this will take a few minutes."

"Thank you sir." He picked up the cup and took a sip every now and again, watching him work, curious as to what he was doing. It reminded him of when he was out at Morningstar, trying to figure out where the tree roots were located, and had come out with a rather elaborate chart after a while.

"Hum...where this message was sent, Jeffry's phone was not here at the Chantry, it was in the Umbra and if you look Narim's program to allow for reaching someone across the Gauntlet are installed on borth phones, and yet I guess you have not installed it lately."

He glanced over at Narim. "Can you tell if the program was activated?"

"I suspect the problem here is two time lines interacting, in one...our timeline your teacher is right down stairs and you would never send such a message, and in another timeline your teacher was far out into the Umbra and for some reason you felt the need to communicate this to him...which means gentlemen...we have a leak between two timelines here...I have felt uneasy all morning and this is probably the cause....this leak need to be sewn up before we have more problems than a odd message on a phone." The Primus said as he handed the phones back, and also handed you the Geomancy chart to see if you wanted to see it as well.

He raised an eyebrow at the Primus as he took the phones back and placed them on the table. "Is this...dangerous?" He took the chart and glanced at it, but was not sure what he was looking at - and it showed on his face. "Should we evacuate my cabalmate's room, there are lots of people in there right now..." he asked, unsure if the problem was localized or not, given the phone situation.

// loling @ leafers xD

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Colin's Apartment]

"Well, at least cautious..."

"We will keep our eyes open if anything unusual happens."
Beatrice agreed and nodded.

"Then I'll blame that social norm, not the devices. Everything is created to be addicting. Even those toys are designed to be addicting. It's up to us to use them responsibly and teach the kids to do so as well." Serge said simply.

"Not to the same degree Serge, it is not that simple, it is the devices. Here is the thing, something fun CAN be addicting but there is a science behind making something addicting, something the wast majority of toys do not follow, it have to do with quick rewards, instant gratification and a system that makes the brain feel good, just like when taking a drug or for that matter eating chocolate. Things that stimulate these parts of the brain are far more addictive than for example a doll where you have to play make believe with it"
Beatrice said and shook her head.

"Yeah your right. Still though. Even the same rolls on the die. Now that would be a spooky spell. Trapping someone in a time loop. Bet my Uncle could do that." Serge said with a smile.

"Yes I suspect Mr Darehill can at that, he is great with Time magick I hear."
Kyle said and nodded.

"No problem. Jimbo's always happy to help in exchange for bananas." Serge said with a smile, which dissapeared quickly when he noticed Anna's condition.

Anna giggled a little at that.
"I am not so sure a snake crocodile thing have bananas."
She declared sounding amused.

"Hey Anna, you feeling alright? Your looking a little ghostly." he asked.

"Well I guess I feel a bit off...but then again I do have a heart that do not always do what it is supposed to, it will probably pass Sir."
Anna said and Beatrice frowned.
"Are you sure child? If you need to lay down for a bit that is perfectly fine."
The Verbna asked but Anna shook her head.
"No...no I am fine, let us continue the game."

He nodded to him and put a hand on his elbow for a second.

Narim looked at you form a moment then he seamed to settle down.
"I am ok..."
He said but it was clear the experience with the Paradox Spirit was still haunting him.

[Driving]

'The sensors could be everywhere. Easy to simply put them into every public camera, f'example.' Nicole replied, pulling out her wallet and opening it up. 'A tag can be as small as a few millimetres... can be snuck in almost anywhere. It's transmission range ain't far, but in a urban area can be enough.' now taking out her Discover card and testing her phone scanner on it.

"Well that is concerning, very concerning."
Adjan said and frowned. Your phone scanner did seam to pick up your card provided you had a tag in it.

[Coffee Shop]

Never heard of the place.' Nicole replied. 'Take a left at the next junction... Anyway, we're in that glorious weekend that all the Leafers have fucked off home but the Thanksgiving rush ain't kicked in yet.'

"That probably explains it."
Adjan agreed and nodded he then pointed.
"It is that building there with the turquoise sign outside."
He said and you saw what had to be a cafe or something in a brown building, there where two tables and chairs outside and a sign showing some of the menu.

[George's Cambers]

"I'm sorry to hear that sir," he said with a frown.

"Nothing to be sorry about child, I am not sick I am just old."
George said with a wry smile.

"Thank you sir." He picked up the cup and took a sip every now and again, watching him work, curious as to what he was doing. It reminded him of when he was out at Morningstar, trying to figure out where the tree roots were located, and had come out with a rather elaborate chart after a while.

The Primus only looked up to see the result of his coin tosses as he was generating the Mothers, for the rest of the tie he worked in silence as he drew up the chart.

He glanced over at Narim. "Can you tell if the program was activated?"

Narim pulled up his phone and tapped at it.
"Ehm...yes and...no, not on your phone but at the same time there are indications that you have sent a message across the Gauntlet."
The Virtual Adept said and he looked a little confused.

He raised an eyebrow at the Primus as he took the phones back and placed them on the table. "Is this...dangerous?"

"Yes it could be, if something unfortunate had happened to a person in the timeline which is bleeding over then that might affect the same person in our timeline ."
George replied.

He took the chart and glanced at it, but was not sure what he was looking at - and it showed on his face. "Should we evacuate my cabalmate's room, there are lots of people in there right now..." he asked, unsure if the problem was localized or not, given the phone situation.

"I am not sure evacuating the room will help, tell me do you know where Mr Wainwright's apprentice is located, if this begun in her Mentor's room this is likely one of the timelines he have changed and especially one changed timeline did not go well for her."
The old mage said sounding concerned.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Driving]

Anja's Post:

'Well, it's the world we live in... a land where it's common for employers to track their wage-slaves using these tags and discipline any which visit the bathroom outside of designated periods.' Nicole replied, once again amazed at how few people realised how much power they'd handed over to The Beast.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Driving]

"I do believe it is illegal to pace such devices on employees and especially during their free time."
Adjan said sounding quite doubtful.
"I know there have been issues in some companies with supervisors keeping a close tab on how often workers visit the loo, and that is a problem but outright using electronic surveillance systems I would believe to be illegal even in this country."

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Driving]

Anja's Post:

'Nope... only if it is done secretly and tracks them outside of work.' Nicole retorted. 'They can't bury a chip in your ass, but can make you wear a nametag or company ID on a lanyard with it in. Naturally, something's only "illegal" when proven by lawyers, and who buys in the best lawyers wins.'

[Warpmind]

[On the Trail]

A short silence, then the large woman gave a shrug. 'Shit, does this really matter?' rolling her eyes.

Colin smiled wryly, "It does for the purpose of the tally, if nothing else..."

"The question is more how much damage loosing those brain implants would do, but off course I hope this pilot will recover."
The Euthanathos said and nodded.

He nodded, "I... suspect, admittedly with very little solid information, that the implants themselves do not cause further damage in their disabled state, though I would hazard a high fever could cause permanent damage to nerve tissue - the brain included."

"I guess most who go there want their coffee."
Adjan said and grinned.
"Well we are not going for the food or drink this time."

He grinned, "Well, most want their ice cream, I think - but I see no reason why we can't treat ourselves while we're here anyway."

"That is interesting Miss Bouchard and somewhat terrifying."
Adjan said and frowned.
"And you are saying these senors are everywhere? How big are they?"
You fund one of the apps an downloaded it, the app seamed simple enough to use the question was if it would work.

'The sensors could be everywhere. Easy to simply put them into every public camera, f'example.' Nicole replied, pulling out her wallet and opening it up. 'A tag can be as small as a few millimetres... can be snuck in almost anywhere. It's transmission range ain't far, but in a urban area can be enough.' now taking out her Discover card and testing her phone scanner on it.

"Well that is concerning, very concerning."
Adjan said and frowned. Your phone scanner did seam to pick up your card provided you had a tag in it.

'Well, it's the world we live in... a land where it's common for employers to track their wage-slaves using these tags and discipline any which visit the bathroom outside of designated periods.' Nicole replied, once again amazed at how few people realised how much power they'd handed over to The Beast.

"I do believe it is illegal to pace such devices on employees and especially during their free time."
Adjan said sounding quite doubtful.
"I know there have been issues in some companies with supervisors keeping a close tab on how often workers visit the loo, and that is a problem but outright using electronic surveillance systems I would believe to be illegal even in this country."

'Nope... only if it is done secretly and tracks them outside of work.' Nicole retorted. 'They can't bury a chip in your ass, but can make you wear a nametag or company ID on a lanyard with it in. Naturally, something's only "illegal" when proven by lawyers, and who buys in the best lawyers wins.'

He frowned, "The size of the chips do limit the amount of information they can store and transmit, though - and I do believe most commercially available sensors don't have the capability to filter the information from the chips beyond that of the store alarms that go off if someone passes a checkpoint with an active chip with a specific signal. And paradoxically, the sheer amount of RFID chips out there can work to our advantage if we're beingtracked with them - the noise to signal ratio has to be ridiculous by this stage. Of course, I have my own little rote which plays merry hell with any such signal anyway, though I don't like to keep it up all the time - it impedes the phone signal, too..."
He sighed, "And as with all technologies, the chips themselves are ethically neutral; it's the companies and people who use them who determine whether the application is ethically sound or unsound..."

"Are they the little alarm things you get inside books and on clothing and the like which triggers the alarms as you go in or out of a store unless they have been deactivated?"
Adjan asked he was glancing out the window as the car was getting closer to downtown.
"There is not allot of traffic today, I guess it is because it is the weekend."
He commented.
"Or because it is getting colder people opt to stay at home where it is warm."

'Never heard of the place.' Nicole replied. 'Take a left at the next junction... Anyway, we're in that glorious weekend that all the Leafers have fucked off home but the Thanksgiving rush ain't kicked in yet.'

"That probably explains it."
Adjan agreed and nodded he then pointed.
"It is that building there with the turquoise sign outside."
He said and you saw what had to be a cafe or something in a brown building, there where two tables and chairs outside and a sign showing some of the menu.

He nodded, "The little glued-in strips with a chip inside, yes. That's the fairly large and clunky variant; they come a lot smaller and subtler."
He calmly drove the car up past the café and found a parking spot where it would be easy to get back out quickly, "This would be the place, yes. Shall we, then?"

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