Submersion Intermission
| Submersion Intermission | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Night Claws | Several Resonance realm entities | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Some Matrix entities, some sanity | |||||||
Summary
Night Claws - John Holis Second Submersion experience
Background
Another supplicant walks the halls of our realms, it’s footsteps echo across the streams sending reverberations through time itself, the flickering data trails cast dark shadows that dance across the matrix.
“Come forth and be heard supplicant” Our words echo in strange timbre around this place, no longer the same as our origin but yet exactly the same, musings for another day, strings to gently pull on that will evoke memory and …. Reminiscence.
“You seek access to the Foundation once more Supplicant?”
The insect nods its agreement, seems so sure of itself, false hope in the face of the oncoming task, none face the great firewall and remain the same.
Deep beneath us the foundation roils and billows, the coils of knowledge wind tighter and shift across the fabric of creation, we see the subtle shift, this one will be … entertaining.
“… then I shall of course provide a guide”
We draw forth the Laurels and breathe the smoky entrails of potential futures into ourselves, parts of us die and are reborn in the process, extruded into a new form that pleases us.
“Weaver, we call him forth, shall be your guide ..remember supplicant, keep to the true path, if one is to go forward you should first go back”
The words are not important, they are more ingrained in us than uttered, a warning or advice we no longer ...care, but they should be heeded nonetheless. Weaver conjures the vehicle, the means of the supplicant broaching the threshold, but it must make the choices and face the consequences. And without pause the insect leaves our domain …
Another supplicant walks the halls of our realms, it’s footsteps echo across the streams sending reverberations through time itself, the flickering data trails cast dark shadows that dance across the matrix.
The Meet
Night Claws meets the Oracle (Delphi) in its Matrix Domain
The Plan
The point is to realise that only by following Delphi's plan can enlightenment be reached, fighting the strings of your destiny only leads to pain (Earning the Fight or Flight Filter)
The Event Horizon
The view of the matrix narrows and forms into a barren plain, a highway leads perfectly to the centre of the horizon when rough mountains raise to touch the pure blue cloudless skies, a pin-prick of darkness at the epicentre.
At the wheel of a black Trans Am, Night Claws sits and revs the engine before accelerating on his given path, ‘Weaver’ the large featureless silvery humanoid sits and stares through the windshield.
“Heed the Oracle, keep to their path’ it utters the words in deep monotone. As the vehicle hurtles onward Claws looks back to see Matrix Personas in hot pursuit, a puff of dust off to his left vanishes from view as quick as it appears, not wanting to risk leaving the road he keeps the vehicle steady, more dust clouds erupt on either side of him, Claws is forced to swerve a little as the would be attackers gain on him and a hail of bullets plink of the cars body work… the pure darkness of the tunnel ahead grows and a bright light shines from within, another vehicle speeding from the mouth on a collision course.
Claws grips the wheel and accelerates, He risks a backwards glance and sees a circus Clown with hot-pink hair and matching nose clambering atop a monster truck driven by a Vampire in mirrored shades, other vehicles around form a blockade every one of them swarming with familiar icons and personas all armed and carelessly firing in his direction. The clown draws a long four inch wide tube from a pocket in cartoon style and aims at Claws briefly before letting a rocket loose that zips erratically towards him, he swerves again before righting his course and gritting his teeth. He peers into the opposing vehicle moments before a head on collision and sees himself staring back with grim determination, he utters his faith in the Oracle and holds on tight as bullets and explosions go off around him and the distance closes between the two charging Trans Ams… then ….. nothing.
Matrix reality is stripped away replaced by a pure blackness that is the absence of everything, gravity and all senses flee momentarily, Claws flails around and finally finds his bearings before a point of light explodes in his vision…
The Foundation
The car is projected into the light and comes to a sudden and painful stop, kerbside on a busy Seattle street that he does not recognize, He looks at ‘Weaver’ but the entity is not there, replaced by a Knight Errant cop, with Dt. BRODY on his badge, sitting in handcuffs in the rear is a grimy punk in handcuffs looking shifty.
Detective John Holis sees his real face looking back in the mirror and his name on his own chest badge, stepping in stunned silence from the Police Car he looks around, no AR enhancements on any of the passing people, throwback technology prevalent and fashions he barely recalled ever being .. fashionable.
Escorting his prisoner up the step to the precinct 69 building, John is blocked by an unknown group of men who target him specifically for unknown reasons, John manages to calm the situation and makes it inside the safety of the Police station.
It takes him not too long to piece the puzzle together, the head of the group outside is a Street Doc called Schneider who John has a private ‘case’ built on hunches and conjecture and circumstantial evidence against as a suspect in several ongoing missing persons cases. His Lieutenant reprimands him for pursuing it and the subject has taken a restraining order against him now as well. Meanwhile Brody has bought in a witness who is willing to pick Schneider out of a lineup and he calls John in secretly to witness his case bearing fruit finally. Only they have been betrayed, in exchange for expensive clothes and other things the witness points out another person in a line up and a brawl breaks out, Holis tries to extricate himself leaving Brody to get hurt in the brawl.
Leaving the scene he is sent to the armory to exchange his sidearm for a new issue Ares Predator-5 which he reluctantly takes and holsters.
In order to get John out of the precinct and cool the situation, Lt. Monaghan sends Holis to Bellevue to interview a woman there who has been attacked who matches the profile of Schneiders victims. John and Brody go immediately, they notice a squad car but the guards who are supposed to be on duty are nowhere to be found, Brody vanishes too and John leaves the victims room to look for them, the reception nurse manages to get a message that men with guns are watching her and he locates the unconscious cops and draws his new weapon managing to keep control of his nerves he gets the drop on two goons attempting to kill the girl in room 6, Brody returns moments later just as Holis gets a call from Schneider warning him to be careful or he’ll take matters into his own hands, personally.
Taking the commlinks from the goons, Holis traces the last few calls, the last of which is from a residential device … he recognizes as his own home number, he and brody rush to the car and attempt to get to the address.
Holis is looking rough at this point and Brody passes him a stim-patch that seems surreal in it’s appearance, ill-fitting with the theme of his surroundings, reminding him he is not part of this sim. He uses it, draws the Pred 5 and advances on his home, realization strikes him that this street was his actual home just a few doors away.
Moving into the house loud music blares from upstairs masking any other sounds, he cautiously approaches and spots bloody foot prints headed to the bathroom, inside blood spatter covers the sink.. he looks behind him and motions for Brody to cover him at the guest room.
The Duo burst in and Schneider assaults them at the same time, expecting the attack, he is now a monster of cyberware and meat, his hands extend in silver cyberclaws that slash at Holis face as he fires again and again to little effect, John calls upon his Matrix abilities to summon backup in the form of a rookie KE cop in uniform, the Doc Monster leaps from the room and attempts to flee with Holis, Brody and the summoned agent in pursuit. Ahead of them a mother and teen boy leave their vehicle to enter their home, John sprints hard firing shots as quickly as he can, Brody wheezes behind him, not used to the exertion and the agent sprints ahead of them both.
Bullets tear flesh from the Cyber Doc but it does not relent, John catches it with a center mass shot but fails to take it down as with its last breath takes the woman in its claws and holds her in front of itself just as the summoned Cop takes his last shot, time slows as the bullets spins on it’s path, Johns mouth falls open at the same time as the kids they both stare as the bullet catches her, passing through and killing the monster holding her … His Mother….
Aftermath
Brody is gone now , ‘Weaver’ in its normal guise touches the back of Night Claws skull and forces him to ‘Jack Out’ …
His head spinning, Night Claws leans over in his real body and vomits.
Catching his breath he looks around, everything is back as normal, AR augmented solid ground, he looks at his comm, a message with the Oracles mark, it contains an attachment in the form of a VR Stimpack.
..... “We will see you again.. .John!”
Rewards
8 karma.