Project: Daedalus (Issue #1)

[Agamon]

Checking this out for the first time? Read this first.

Heading East on Hwy 82 in Colorado

0850 hours, MST, Saturday, July 5th, 2014

The sun finally begins to poke up through the peaks and trees as the van travels briskly down the highway. Traffic is beginning to become more voluminous as people head to Aspen for the weekend, but not too thick, as ski season is still months away.

Things having quieted down, Minotaur has reverted back to Max's form, still lying in the back of the minivan. He's covered himself with a blanket found back there.

Kiro sits alertly in a seat in the middle of van, Samantha sitting beside him, back in her human form. Aaron, still feeling somewhat under the weather, leans against the window.

Tyrone and Miguel sit in the front bench seat. Sarah is seated in the passanger seat. Jaya drives the minivan.

"I'm going to try to stick to the less busy areas. We don't need to be slowed down. I think we'll try to skirt Colorado Springs," Jaya says, checking over her shoulder as she prepares to pass a slower car. "By the way, you can stop calling me 'doctor', my name is Jaya, Jaya Kalam," she adds, smiling as she looks at the others in the rear-view mirror. Though looking somehwhat haggard from lack of sleep and the arduous escape, Jaya appears as an attractive woman of East Indian descent in her mid- to late-twenties. Her shoulder-length black hair is tied back in a pony-tail.

"Okay, I'm sure some of you have some questions, this is a good time to ask them, and I'll try and answer them as well as I can," Jaya says.

 

[Mimic]

"Okay, I'm sure some of you have some questions, this is a good time to ask them, and I'll try and answer them as well as I can," Jaya says.

Lightly dozing Miguel's head snaps up with a snort, fully awake now.

"No kidding your going to answer our questions senorita. First of all what exactly was that building that we just left? Secondly and most importantly, what were they doing to us and what was your role in that? And lastly," eyeing the doctor suspiciously, why are you helping us now chica?"

Miguel stares at Jaya for a few seconds and then quickly blurts out.

"Why us? I mean what did we ever do to you anyways?"

OOC: woot first post

 

[Master_Pugs]

Kiro watches Jaya calmly from the corner of his eye as he continues to watch for signs of pursuit. His calm is momentarily broken by the question of why us, his eyes snapping to the back of her head. The slip is soon smoothed over as he once again returns to scanning.

She may know why I was chosen, I had not considered that. If I'm lucky she may know of my family as well, I'll have to ask her to extrapolate later in private if I get the chance. Kiro thinks in a flash then returns to biding his time.

 

[Renfield]

Wow, this is a different take than most story hours I've seen, the players actually putting in their input? Heh, Who have ever though, kudos guys, I'm going to be keeping an eye on this one for sure.

 

[Calinon]

Tyrone scratches the back of his head on and off as he looks out the window, as if he'll remove the chip in his head by rubbing, all the while trying to block out the horrible easy-listening music coming from the radio.

"Needles, drugs and experimentation," muttered Tyrone, getting grumpy from his own fatigue. "I hope Vanguard threw a lot more than a suitcase of money at you for the trouble, yo." He turned his eyes to glare back at the doctor in the rear view mirror. "Lemme aks you a question, lady. Think flashin' those pearly whites is gonna make me your friend?" Tyrone leaned forward so his face was between the two women in the front and he could look directly at the doctor. "Think again, girl. Sure, I'll play your game and see if you'll get these chips outa my skull, but I'm done being your freakin' guinea pig. Yo, for all I know, this is part of some freakish test.

"But you lead us on to Nebraska, you know, where they'll track us the entire way, know exactly where we are and send some death squad after us. Once these things are out of our heads," he continued, scratching his head again, "I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve that don't involve you making plans for us."

He finished by reaching forward and turning the radio to 98.1, where K-Soul, Colorado Springs favorite Rythm, Rap and Blues radio made its home.

"Now that is something funky for a brother to drive to!"

 

[Elementor]

I am still obviously shaken by the whole ordeal.

"Doctor, can you tell us how we got to this base in the first place? I don't remember what happened..."

I listen as the others direct their anger and frustrations towards Jaya before piping up again, "If we are going to your friends farm, wont the Death Squads Tyrone mentioned attack your friends too? I mean, I don't want someone else to get hurt just because we are in trouble." I pause for a moment and then point out, "And isnt Nebraska kinda far to go? That place was mega high tech so I doubt their resources are very limited. The further we go, the more chances they will have to catch us since they can already track us."

I think for a moment, Hmmm....I wonder? then turn incorporeal to see if the chip will just "fall out". Then promptly return to normal. Worth trying anyways

"And Doctor? Thank you for helping us"

 

[Mimic]

The further we go, the more chances they will have to catch us since they can already track us."

"The cabrito has a point, we need to get these chips out of us fast and is there any chance of getting a new set of threads? I kind of want to get rid of the I'm a convict look. Plus any chance of ditching this car? Any pigs driving by are going to be pretty interested in the bullet holes."

Miguel winces slightly like he is just remembering something, looks over to Sarah...

"No offense intended of course. And just what" Looking over to Tyrone "is Vangaurd?"

 

[Calinon]

"He kid," Tyrone says looking back at Arron, "I'd save that thanks until we actually get away. We're way from home free yet."

"Not a what, brother," replies Tyrone to Miguel. "A who. Vincent Vanguard. He's the cat that runs Vanguard Secure Computing; real intelligent too, probably an elite at that. He's an alright boss to work with, if you ignore the," he says raising his voice a little, "murdering people and the whole selling me into bondage thing.

"He likes to have people whacked to get his way; a real personality flaw if you ask me, yo. One I caught him at too. Guess he thinks he got all the tapes."

Tyrone grins to himself then falls silent for a few moments. Looking into the rear view mirror at the doctor, he asks, "Yo doc, gotta cell? I need to make a call."

 

[Master_Pugs]

Kiro glances at Tyrone and grins a bit, "It's true we may be a little ways from home base but the good doctor has still put her life on the line for us. It's also extremely unlikely this is a form of test, if you remember the basic principles of science a test is based on controlling several variables and leaving one or two to fluctuate so you can study them in more detail..." He pauses and gestures outside the van, "There are quite a few too many variables in this situation entirely uncontrolled if you ask me. I also see no point in ditching the car or our... "Threads"... the normal authorities will have no chance at capturing us and the real threat, which is coming from behind, can track us no matter what we drive. I believe in this situation speed is imperitive and don't worry, they won't send a death squad. They built that facility for us judging by the new technology and I doubt chips with tracking receptors run cheap. As wasteful as governments can be, I doubt they'd just shoot us after investing so much time and money."

Kiro returns to staring out the windows, frowning slightly, "Then again, they were shooting at us like they intended to bring us down... strange"

 

[Deva]

Adrenaline no longer pumping through her veins, everything was beginning to hurt. Her shoulder burned where she had been shot by the security robot, and her head.... the throbbing in her head made it easy to forget about her shoulder. The motions of the van didn't help, neither did Tyrone's insistence to play that music - Not bad taste though - nor everyone's voices sounding not only inside the van but in her head. After going for a while without concentrating and blocking everyone's thoughts, it was a little overwhelming to have her abilities back in such close confines.

She sighed and looked out the window. How long has it been? A week? Two? More? Sarah forced the thoughts of her friends - and her job - back in New York our of her mind and glanced back at the others. They were dishevelled and looked exhausted, and no doubt she looked just as bad. Her eyes turned back to the road and traffic ahead, trying to quell the desire for revenge when they passed over Jaya's face.

Let the others interrogate the good doctor. She inspected her newly acquired weapons, removing the magazine and checking the ammo, before stashing one in the glove box and the other on the bucket seat between her back and the cushion- uncomfortable, but easily accessible. When we've stopped and I can get her alone, I'll have my turn.