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Post by Marcel Lestrange on May 9, 2015 5:19:35 GMT
Peace and quiet at last. That delusional girl finally stopped talking and gave him time to think. But all her hassle around her survival aroused memories. Unpleasant memories about blossoming France, transforming into icy tundra, ruled by sick minded artificial intelligence and it's scrappers, who enslaved whole population, including Marcel. And ever since he escaped from slaver and joined Resistance and became trained killer and saboteur, he never wanted to be a slave any more. His personal freedom was something, he highly valued. It's an every man for himself world, with few exceptions, like his old rival Volodja, with whom he had been competing so long time, that he has become almost like an old friend to Marcel. A friend he never wanted of course, because he represented totally different point of view, so they never will be real friends, but always remain to be rivals. But most of the people are willingly taking advantage other each other, so Marcel is not an exception here at all. He is just better in doing that. He is not a tool, but they are tools for him.
But satisfying with mere survival, like that Lena did, is not a life. Its just a form of existence. You have to have ambitions, like Marcel did. To be the best, to be influential and stop only, when he gets too old and tired and end have his own private island, where he can write memoirs and keep the poor folk outside from his well arranged small world. But until that he wanted to be fully functional and superior as long as possible and get enough scrip to afford his island one day. But he is not collecting his funds being a servant like Lena, but as a master...
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Post by Volodja Uljanov on May 9, 2015 5:44:06 GMT
Away from all that trouble and clash of different world views, was Volodja, who just had a brain washing device attached to his neck, enabling him to look world from totally different point of view too. He was testing their make believe memory sequence, meant for Lady and at moment he was busy hiding his emotions behind indifferent expression in his handsome face, when he saw how Sandy, hit by several bullets fell down the floor. His common sense told that it was masterfully recreated simulation and everything is all right with her, but his heart still felt pain. It was probably good to have that traumatic experience anyway, because knowing that they did everything possible to save her and succeeded, was part of self therapy for him. Hopefully that very same pattern works for Lady's cure too. Especially the part where she was smashing Lena against the wall. Lady showed herself there as a fighter, not a helpless victim. And so did Sandy - she heroically protected Lady with her very own body, fully knowing what will happen to her. That's why they must succeed in curing Lady now, because she deserved to regain herself back after everything she went through. And Sandy deserved much more Volodja could ever give her...
Volodja opened his eyes and said: "Perfect! Almost like a real thing. Painful, but pain is necessary element here and so are heroic deeds and knowing that everything ended relatively well. But I need your help, dear Tinkerbelle, to deliver the message to Lady. She trusts you, but I am not sure that she will trust a stranger. Don't forget that she and I don't know each other yet. I am nobody to her, so why she should listen me? You better be there and explain her that it is only a memory and everything is fine with her now, like you reminded me about that earlier. And maybe we can add some familiar smells too, to smooth her mood afterwards, so her every sense of her's could give it's part to convince Lady that she is safe after that experience."
He closed his eyes again. More tests are needed, if they want to succeed so once again he entered Lady's and Atticus's cabin to live through that memory, they created. If they don't succeed at first try, they musty repeat the procedure with Lady again, until they manage to break through her mental defences only to rebuild them again, but in more suitable way, so Lady can go on with her life, without fear and pain.
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Post by Atticus Batman on May 9, 2015 7:29:09 GMT
Sitting at his desk, Kaj contacts his officers again. "Can you please have Ralph the cook come in here for a minute?"
When Ralph walks in a few minutes later, Kaj greets him. "Greetings Ralph always good to see you. I am afraid however that this is a business meeting. So can you please havea seat?" After Ralph sits Kaj begins.
"Ralph I need to know a few things and ask you a few questions as part of my job, I hope you know it is nothing personal. So please be honest. I already know that you are the head cook, and that you take pride in your work. I also know that you grow your own herbs. What I do not know is; how, when, or why some of those natural herbs, that can cause food poisoning, were placed in Lena Marr's food that you "personally" made and sent up to us. So please enlighten me and do remember to be honest about everything."
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Post by Belle Starr on May 9, 2015 8:34:29 GMT
Belle Starr watched for five full minutes Lady Christianna and Atticus Batman looking comfortable in Atticus' hospital bed, and had to smile, thinking, "They are such an odd couple, but they look so natural together! I hate to disturb them, but it is time to get this show o the road!" Then Belle said out loud, "Atticus, I need to wake Lady up to explain her treatment! Volodja and Wolfram, mostly Volo, have come up with a device that will let her relive the experience with Lena, thereby awakening her memories and hopefully her sight as well! It's not sure fire, but Volo has confidence in it, and I have confidence in him!" Sandy, Lady's EGO psyche, appeared as a hologram, saying emphatically, "I don't think that's a good idea! Time is the best medicine here! I'm sure of it!" Belle furrowed her pale brow as she tilted her blond tousled head, her diamond blue eyes narrowing as she asked, "Why Sandy? Volo tested the device personally, so its safe! We always have time if it doesn't work, but I know, and I'm sure Atticus will agree, that the sooner we have Lady back to normal the better!" Sandy looked confused as she stammered, "I-I-I just think so! I just have a bad feeling about this... and felt a need to say something. No... I don't have any concrete data that this could end badly... just a strong need to try to talk you out of doing this... and a memory of a purple light. I'm... going to go now..." With that Sandy disappeared, leaving Belle to wonder what that was all about, so she asked Atticus, "What do you think? Should we go forward with Volo's plan?" ***** "Simple, I did it and take full responsibility, although all of us in the kitchen thought it a good idea," Said Ralph the Cook as he sat across from Kaj in the brig. "Everyone in the Mess has been saying the bosses have been too easy on Lena after she tried to kill out Lady. Lady may not know it, but Lady is like all our little sisters - a pain in the ass at times but a delight to behold, and Lena, one of us, tried to kill her. This was our way of telling Lena that you attack one of us, you attack all of us. I'm a master herbalist, so I knew which herbs and how much of them would give Lena a hell of a stomach ache but not hurt her in the long term. My herbs, my preparation of the food, my responsibility, but Lena had to learn!" With that, Ralph turned his grey head and craggy face to look at Lena in her jail cell laying on her bunk with her back to them. Without turning to look at them or even moving much, Lena raised her slim chalk white arm and gave them the bird gesture with one alabaster hand.  |
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Post by Atticus Batman on May 9, 2015 9:02:24 GMT
I look at Belle, concern on my face and in my voice. "Belle the only purple light I know of is when the baby seems to be trying to communicate and Lady's locket glows. I have sensed some grid type power usage, that wasn't mine, a couple of times while laying here and would notice the locket glow purple shortly after. So that could explain the purple light. I am not sure. I do know nobody wants Lady back more than I do but NOT at the risk of hurting her! Sandy is Lady's EGO so she should know better than us, what Lady needs. But I don't dakking know! I am not a doctor, nor do I pretend to know anything about helping anybody! I just know I want Lady alive, healthy and perferably to remember and love me again. However I will not risk her life just for my wants and needs! Atleast some of her love for me is obviously present, since she is the one that chose to climb into my bed and cuddle with me, and she seems to feel as safe with me as she did when she knew who I was. So I just don't dakking know! How the dak would I? I know nothing about any of this!!!"
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Post by Volodja Uljanov on May 9, 2015 9:10:57 GMT
Testing period was over. It was time to start Lady's treatment, but before they could do that, Sandy opposed the whole idea and Atticus became really indecisive about that matter. It was understandable, because he didn't want to harm Lady. Unfortunately that meant sudden delay for them or even cancelling their plans.
"We can wait, of course," said Volodja. "There is a chance that she will recover by herself, although it takes time. Anyway - it's up to you to decide that matter for Lady, because our position here is therapist's one and we have to stay neutral here. That's why we won't affect your decision. Wolfram and I had our chance to play experts, we did what we could to find a cure, so I think that we will be in canteen and expect your decision, which will occur as soon as Giant clears his mind. We have or own little reason to celebrate. If you haven't noticed, then Wolfram had successfully won his agoraphobia during last couple of days, so he deserves little treat. I guess that we can order Wiener Schnitzel, to pay our respects to Sigmund Freud."
"Volodja du schweinkerl! You tease me again, but your idea is way too tempting, not to accept it. Wiener Schnitzel it is. Nichts wie raus hier, Volodja! I mean - let's get a hell out of here!" replied Wolfram. "We will be ready to act if they give us a chance."
"Agreed Wolfram. I would like to know, why Sandy is objecting our idea, but unfortunately she seems to be avoiding that topic and I am the last one, who is going to twist her arms about that. She means too much for me, so I can't force her," said Volodja with a hint of worry in his calm voice, before heading to a door with Wolfram by his side.
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Post by Belle Starr on May 9, 2015 9:21:03 GMT
Belle smiled sadly, missing Vo in the moment, saying with conviction "Your love will show you the way! Always! Listen, when MOM was my EGO, I would sometimes retreat to be with her in her EGO, so maybe you can do the same thing with Dinara, and go from there to contact your unborn child! It's obvious your child is what is affecting Sandy, as a purple light has always been present when he acted out!"
Belle laughed good naturedly, advising, "Atticus, I never thought I'd be saying this to you yet, but you need to talk to your kid!"
Before Volodja could get out the door, Sandy appeared before him seeking to embrace him, but forgetting that there were no hard light holo-emitters in the infirmary, so her holographic arms went through him, so she blurted, "Damn! I so wanted to give you a passionate hug! Missing you like Hell! But you know, have to stay at my duty post until Lady is well, so this will have to do!"
Sandy stimulated the nerves of his lips, giving him a long warm kiss, then she smiled and winked as she said, "Think of that as a prelude for pleasures to come! Oh Hi Wolfram, keep Volodja out of trouble for me, will you? Have fun at the canteen."
Sandy disappeared back into Lady's EGO, her virtual heart soaring from her stolen kiss from Volodja, and hoping that she could be with him soon, which made her even more confused as to why she wanted to delay Lady's treatment.
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Post by Atticus Batman on May 9, 2015 9:52:51 GMT
Kaj glances at Lena and chuckles seeing the middle finger. "Ralph I do understand why you did it. However it was not appropriate. Be glad Commander Batman is still on the injured list in Medical, and that Miss Widowmaker is respecting me enough to let me handle my job. Go back to the kitchen and leave the poisoning to that crap the night cook calls "meat" stew. If you really wanted Lena to be sick, then you would have served her that. Biomen have a much better constitution and that "meat" stew even gets to me. Man that cook can not cook!" Kaj chuckles at his last remark, which gets everyone to glance at the big purple guy and roll their eyes at what he thinks is a good joke. "Anyway Ralph you need somesort of punishment. My militairy training would say KP duty for you but puting a cook on KP is not a punishment is it? So I have a different punishment for you. You will be the first one to sign up for the Iron Giant's intermediate hand to hand combat class. Enjoy learning to defend yourself. You will need it anyway if you keep letting that guy make his "meat" stew."
I look at Belle. "Starr Eyes I can probably retreat and talk to the little one, but remember I have a dillema that you don't. Due to sharing space in my head with 2 others, whenever I retreat into my mind one of them must take over. I know the baby's "Uncle Kakusi" won't hurt Lady or anyone else if they aren't an immediate threat to Lady or me. However if I can decypher that memory right, I also know that Kakusi's presence makes my body look alittle more gridlike and he definitely talks differently. I was also told by Haele that he was very condecending to Volodja and the others in the room, understandable since the Grid species see themselves as superior in every way. So it may upset Lady if she wakes up while I am away, but I hope it doesn't. However if you are willing to deal with Kakusi's arrogance and help him keep Lady calm, then I will definitely go talk with junior! Is he too young for a spanking?"
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Post by Belle Starr on May 9, 2015 10:57:48 GMT
Belle bit her lower lip as she considered what Atticus said, then smiled as she had an idea, "Sandy can keep Lady asleep while you are gone! She seems to need a lot of sleep anyway with her pregnancy, so it won't hurt her to have a little more!" Sandy, Lady's EGO psyche, appeared as a hologram next to Belle affirming, "I can do that! And Belle is right , it can only do Lady good, not harm!" "I can keep Kakusi company! I've been told I'm quite the conversationalist, and I've always wanted to talk to a Grid! Just kidding! Anyway, we can strap you back in the bed whose syphon functions can keep him in control if he gets frisky! I'll stay here until you get back, but I don't recommend a spanking! This is your first meeting, and you want to make a good impression!" Belle refastened his restraints, then said with a smile, "Good luck! Let me know if its a boy or a girl when you get back! I need to know if I should have pink or blue decorations for Lady's baby party!"  |
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Post by Atticus Batman on May 9, 2015 12:14:44 GMT
"I doubt you have to worry about Kakusi, but I suppose the restraints wouldn't be a bad idea since he has much better control of "our" powers than I do. If you talk to him, I am sure he will talk back. I just can't be sure how nice he will be. By the way Dinara will happily argue with Kakusi, if you need her to. So no spanking and I have to be nice? Damn this parenting is already hard and the kid isn't even born yet! Oh well. I will do my best, for Lady. You really want to know the baby's gender? I thought women liked to be surprised or does that only apply to the mother? Alright here it goes." I concentrate and close my eyes. After a few seconds, they open as they flare bright blue and my skin takes on a more noticable blue tint and my aura flares brightly before sttling down some. Kakusi looks around and smiles arrogantly after seeing Belle. "Well you are a much nicer sight than that male fleshling I saw last time. Volo I think it was? Suppose he was not a bad guy. Atleast he cared about Atticus and his youngling, Lady. As well as Lady's compu-lady. That guy sure must care about her, the way he was concerned for her at the time. Never knew a human would care so much for an electrical being. You people do keep surprising me. No wonder Atticus insists you are all his tribe. Silly Irathiant notion. Grid hiveminds are always superior to a tribe mind, but atleast you try."
When I open my eyes again, I am in darkness but see a feint purple glow. I am wearing my blue jumpsuit with gloves but no mask, for once. May as well let the child see his or her father's face. I think for a second and make a blue beamed flashlight appear in my hand. Then I walk towards the purple glow. "Little one are you there? This is your father. We need to talk about your mother. So please come out, so I can see you. Besides I would love to be the first to hug my child."  |
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Post by Volodja Uljanov on May 9, 2015 12:28:00 GMT
Sandy should not had been worried about Volodja's safety in canteen. Only danger there was somehow upset Ralph who was reading morale to unfortunate night cook. "WE CAN'T COOK, HE SAID!" Ralph exclaimed. "I will personally observe, how you are making that stew! We will make that bioman eat his words and swallow his tongue with them, once we are finished!" Ralph greeted them enthusiastically, although Wolfram earned somewhat suspecting look from him, but everything went smoothly after they were formally introduced and Volodja treated Ralph with another recipe, saying: "Hello, Ralph. Looks like that someone isn't exactly happy with your art of cooking. I will give you an opportunity to prove them to be wrong, Here, have this new recipe and impress us with you talent once again like you did last time." Ralph actually liked that feature in his customers, because most of the time he provided people with simple, nutritious and delicious meals (Except that meat stew, maybe, but he would not fed that dish even to his worse enemy, to be honest. Everyone who ordered meat stew, did it at their own responsibility). Most of his customers just preferred table d'hôte approach, but his soul of the chef was secretly longing for making real gourmet food. And now he got two customers who were very specific in their needs, and that made him happy and energised. "You know what we are missing from having complete bliss? A glass of Weißbier," said Volodja. "But where we can find it?" "Volodja, Volodja. Don't tempt me, please," sighed Wolfram. "I tasted decent Weißbier back in Europe, where we still had some left. Oh that long gone golden era." "Getting nostalgic?" asked Volodja. "I think we should concentrate to our future. Erika's children are our next worry, but this time you will be Victor Frankenstein and I will be Igor." "You are right Volodja. Their healing process is slowed down and we are in verge of the danger that we must start all over again. Hopefully those holo rooms will be fixed soon. They are essential to our therapy and...I would like to visit Europe again." "I would like that too. I still want to go to Venice and take Sandy along. She could use a vacation after her near death experience and all those things troubling her at moment. And I could use some romance." "Get your feet back to the ground, Volodja. Food is getting cold," replied Wolfram. After his remark they both were quiet, because talking with full mouth is usually not very polite, but soon another discussion started, after Wolfram asked jokingly: "Was rülpset und furzet ihr nicht, hat es euch nicht geschmecket?" "Why you don't burp and fart? Didn't you enjoy your meal?" translated Volodja immediately. After that remark they talked a lot about manners in general, waiting results of important decision, made in infirmary.  |
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Post by Marcel Lestrange on May 9, 2015 17:59:48 GMT
Marcel was on the bunk bed on his back without bothering to remove his heavy boots. He didn't asked to be taken under custody, so they had to clean after him as a result. Watching Lena's salute brought an entertaining element into his otherwise boring day. Marcel waited for Volodja who will release him from his cell and then he is ready to get even with Varus and that hooded douche bag. Lena ignored him, making everything even more boring. All he could do was to smoke, so he lit another cigarette and started to blow smoke rings. Ashes went to the floor as usual.
"Feeling really proud about of yourself?" he asked from Moira.
"Absolutely," was her reply. "Really proud, because I held you back making a complete fool of yourself."
"If you wanted to do that, the you just should have told me about my target's pregnancy," said Marcel.
"That would have not been fun. Seeing you getting caught was really amusing. And I managed to meet Volodja and his EGO psyche Sophie. I really envy her. She has everything I could dream of - a super host, EGO friends and she told me that people of the base arranged instalment of EGO emitters, so she can really FEEL and TASTE things."
"Bunch of useless dreamers they are," stated Marcel. "Obviously they don't have better ideas about investing their scrip than making their EGO-s feel better."
"You will never understand them and their intentions. You are way too self centred for that. By the way - your cigarette is burned up. Watch your fingers."
"Merde! And you are telling it to me now!" shouted Marcel. "First you get me lost into pointless conversation and then you just let me burn my fingers. I already wonder, who's EGO psyche you really are." And Marcel dropped his cigarette stump to the floor and started to suck his aching fingers to ease the pain.
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Post by Belle Starr on May 9, 2015 18:03:34 GMT
Kakusi looks around and smiles arrogantly after seeing Belle. "Well you are a much nicer sight than that male fleshling I saw last time. Volo I think it was? Suppose he was not a bad guy. At least he cared about Atticus and his youngling, Lady. As well as Lady's compu-lady. That guy sure must care about her, the way he was concerned for her at the time. Never knew a human would care so much for an electrical being. You people do keep surprising me. No wonder Atticus insists you are all his tribe. Silly Irathiant notion. Grid hiveminds are always superior to a tribe mind, but at least you try." "Yep, we are a very trying race! Get it? Trying as in tiresome, but also as in trying to do something? Its what we humans call a double entendre, a type of humor," Explained Belle, not sure where to start a conversation with a Grid, "Hi, I'm Belle Starr! I'd shake your hand, but you are a little tied up at the moment - oops, another attempt at humor! We humans often revert to humor when nervous! Do Grids have a sense of humor? I sure hope so! If not, then this really isn't going well at all! Sorry! So, tell me all about yourself - but only if you want too!"  |
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Post by Volodja Uljanov on May 9, 2015 18:15:02 GMT
"...Erasmus of Rotterdam said in his "De civilitate morum puerilium" ("A handbook on manners for children"): "Some teach that boys should keep in the gas of their bellies by compressing their buttocks. But it is not civil to become ill while you are trying to seem polite. If it is possible to leave, let him do it alone, but if not, follow the ancient proverb: Hide the fart with a cough."" finished Volodja his lecture and concluded their discussion with words: "As you can see, there are always arguments for and against farting in public places." "Aber natürlich, Volodja," said Wolfram peacefully. "We should have brandy and cigars now. At least brandy would be nice." "If you ask politely, then I arrange us some. As long as you keep your so called aqua vitae away from me." And Volodja went to Ralph and let him pour three glasses from his special bottle - one for Ralph himself, others to Wolfram and Volodja. So they sat some more in canteen, kept talking about significant and less insignificant things and tried to hide a feeling of nervous expectation in their hearts, because waiting seemed to last forever. Both of them really wanted to help Lady, but since nobody gave them permission yet, they had to wait more and more.  |
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Post by Lady Christianna on May 9, 2015 18:47:50 GMT
"Little one are you there? This is your father." Said Atticus, "We need to talk about your mother. So please come out, so I can see you. Besides I would love to be the first to hug my child." The little Irathient boy in a white loin cloth came within two yards of Atticus and stopped, appraising him up and down with electric blue eyes. The purple glow seemed to emanate from the boy, who appeared to be about five or six years old. After a moments hesitation, the boy ran up and hugged Atticus's knees, then stopped and backed way. "You shouldn't have come father! I love you, as does mother, and I know you love her, but you are dangerous to her, and I must protect her from you!" Said the boy with conviction, and Atticus could tell from the boy's posture that her was determined to do just that. "Why do you say that if you know I love her?" Asked Atticus, "Why have you taken not only her memory of me but her eyesight as well?" "Because, Father, she has almost died several times since she met you, with no near deaths before that," Explained the boy, "People fear you father, I can feel it even from in here, and I know of your reputation from the records in Mother's EGO, Harbinger of Death. Surprisingly, Mother did not know the word, but Sandy knew that harbinger means a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another; in your case death. I do not want you to announce death to Mother. People fear you, as I said, and looking at historical records in EGO tell me that people try to kill what they fear. Sandy's memories of the Pale Wars tell me that as well. I do not want Mother to become collateral damage when they try to kill you Father, which they will always do you being who you are. Furthermore, if she cannot see, then she cannot continue her life as an ark hunter either, and I have removed the two greatest impediments to her safety. I am sorry Father, I do love you, but I must protect mother, and this is the most logical thing to do." "If you know all this, then you must know that she is happier since she met me than before," Argued Atticus. "That is true Father, but she was not unhappy before she met you, but she was much safer," Countered the boy. "Mother's greater safety is more important than her greater happiness. I would think you would agree, knowing how much you love her. If you have any other arguments, I will be happy to entertain them." The boy smiled enigmatically, so like his mother even though that was genetically impossible, and waited expectantly while Atticus pondered what to do.  |
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