Zero Divide: Episode #2 "Black Star"

[Vanifae]

The Dark Hallway

"Nice to see you too...Ashana," Michael says, frantically deciding on what to say next. "Even under the present circumstances. I never thought they would send you." He lets out a short, barking laugh, shaking his head. "This doesn't change anything, does it," he asks, raising his hands into the air. "You know, I could have sworn I saw a small child run around this corner," he adds with an amused smirk.

Ashana stares at Michael for a long moment, “I didn’t see any child,” she says with a slight accent, “Why are you…” She shakes her head, “How are you here, you’re dead, for quite some time I might add. What is this some kind of trick?”

She stands training the weapon on Michael’s double, “Who are you?”

The Lighted Path

The path does as the VI instructed it brings them right to the elevator. Dee presses a button and the door opens, “Let’s go, Michael keep the hostile busy. Ian, I don’t have the answers but right now I am going with the best chance we got, Mira may screw us over in the end but currently she is the best lead we have for getting out of here.”

Façade
[sblock]You are sitting at a desk, it must be yours, and although the office is not overly large or spacious, it is yours. Across from you is Commander Reese, the United Alliance liaison. Her military record is impressive, although she has a reputation as a ruthless military mind and a hardened soldier. You break the ice, “Okay, I understand the UA’s stance on this issue but this is a privately financed venture, my people should have the first look at this.”

Commander Reese replies, “I am not trying to deny your people anything, I am just concerned about alerting the Republic about what we found here. You do that and your company won’t see anything until they are done picking it clean. They will simply state that humanity is not ready for this kind of responsibility.”

“We can’t just ignore a Galactic Republic mandate,” you reply.

“Of course not, but why not press ahead with your excavation and then report your findings after the fact. The UA is committed to the success of this mission, if we wait for the Republic to allow us to do anything it will be centuries before we are allowed to even wipe our own ass without permission,” she retorts.

“You are exaggerating, if we want to show that humanity is ready for larger responsibility in the galactic community we need to work with the system; not against it,” you sigh.

“Fine, but you are losing your best chance at unearthing new Progenitor technology; you do this and VSC get’s nothing. I don’t have all the answers but right now, the best chance we have at advancing mankind is in those ruins, now you need to decide right now if you are willing to let that one chance slip away from you.,” she shrugs.

You give her words some thought. This could be exactly what humanity needs to work on even ground with the other Galactic Council species, “Fine, we do a cursory recon operation I want the team to be small, I will oversee everything personally. If at any moment I feel that we are endangering the larger mission I will pull the plug on the whole operation.”

“Understood,” Commander Reese responds.[/sblock]

 

[Shalimar]

Haven moves along in the wake of Dee and Michael watching back the way they had come, looking for the others to follow them or for an enemy coming up behind from one of the other junctions. Without a weapon he couldn't do much more than shout a warning but it was better than being caught unawares.

Feeling frustrated the blonde teen puched the wall in anger at how things were going. He looks at it in shock, having felt a resonance like he did with earth...it made sense, if powers could be seen as actually making sense, but he wasn't going to question it. Reaching out, he ripped a strip of metal from the wall about 3 feet long. Grasping it, Haven took a couple of test swings with the improvised sword and grinned, much better than nothing and if he could move metal with his mind once he could do it again, and this whole place became an armory.

Grinning he waited by the elevator for the others.

 

[Velmont]

"Make sense." is the only words Ian can tell. He was looking at the empty corrdior, expecting to see the cleaning team coming out of the corner at any moment.

 

[Hammerhead]

Ashana stares at Michael for a long moment, “I didn’t see any child,” she says with a slight accent, “Why are you…” She shakes her head, “How are you here, you’re dead, for quite some time I might add. What is this some kind of trick?”

She stands training the weapon on Michael’s double, “Who are you?”

"This isn't a trick. I'm me. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I did just crawl out of a glass tube. My basic guess, at least right now, is that I'm a clone, but I'm still me." Michael frowns for a moment, clearly thinking. "How long have I been gone?"

 

[Shayuri]

Facade starts to enter the elevator when she pauses. For a moment she just stands there, her eyes distant...unfocused.

She seems to snap out of it a moment later and resumes getting on the elevator.

 

[Victim]

"We don't know the layout here; presumeably they do. The more time we spend inside, the more likely it is that they'll catch us." Ashley gets into the elevator. And it's not likely we could be trapped in here.

"Haven, that's a little too obvious. Take metal in a way and in a place that's not going to be immediately obvious. No need to give away information about our capabilities."

 

[Shalimar]

"I didn't even know I could do it, or intend to do it. Its better to be armed than not, but your right." Haven admitted, thinking for a moment about how to fix the tell tale sign, he pushed outward magnetic force bending and ripping the metal until it looked like someone had gone through the wall as oppossed to just pulling a bit of metal off of it.

"Better?" Haven asks as he walks into the elevator.

 

[James Heard]

Meanwhile, Alan waits calmly and quietly back in the powerless room to make contact with people who are in authority.

 

[Vanifae]

"This isn't a trick. I'm me. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I did just crawl out of a glass tube. My basic guess, at least right now, is that I'm a clone, but I'm still me." Michael frowns for a moment, clearly thinking. "How long have I been gone?"

Ashana looks nonplussed, “A clone?” She does not return the smile but rolls the words over in her mind. She finals speaks after a long moment, “Well thank you for that bit of information, well if this is you, or even just a clone you have been dead for nearly 50 Earth years; last time I saw you… him…”

She shakes her head keeping her weapon raised, “This does not make any sense. I don’t know who you are or what you are doing here but you are not him. He is dead.”

She looks around cautiously keeping her weapon trained, “Are you here alone?”

Back at the Elevator

Dee gets on the elevator and assuming the others follow, she glances at Façade, “Are you okay? You look a little distracted we need you stay focused on the here and now.”

Assuming everyone gets on…

A male, or male like voice sounds from speakers once the door closes, “Greetings humans I am Talos, I hope my security mask has kept you invisible from the cleaning crew; I am waiting at Tram B3. Now do not be alarmed I have taken care of everything, you must have very powerful friends, and they have paid quite well to see you from here safely… I was beginning to think you were already dead. That would have saddened me, or as you humans say it would have broken my heart muscle.”

Dee questions, “Are you our contact?”

“Why yes human female,” the voice responds, “Shall we continue with your escape?”

 

[Vanifae]

Meanwhile, Alan waits calmly and quietly back in the powerless room to make contact with people who are in authority.

There is silence in the room but Alan thinks he hears Michael talking to someone out in the hall... well he thinks it might be Michael, it could also be one of his duplicates.