(no subject)

[sociallychallenged]

[Text]

This is Hank Anderson, and I recently got my promotion so it's now Det. Hank Anderson. Which is why I wanted to make this announcement.

[Hank still wants to research into the missing people and initiate his vague plan to devalue the iterations. Right now the public see them as a protective force for good. Hank wants the people to see other fucking people as their reliable protective force. That in the many variations of temperaments and personalities and creative resolutions to conflict, they can find their safety.]

I have a case that could use some assistance from some specialized outsiders. If you could come to me and lay out your experience and training, I would like to offer you temporary deputy work in helping solve this case.

Necessary qualifications include:
-Combat against armed opponents
-Negotiation and Interrogation
-Ability to secure an area until CSI arrives (cursory crime scene analysis a bonus)

Due to Dualis's policy on providing payment through credit, if you would want rewards we would have to attach a name to your activities. However if you'd want to work off-record [which is as close to anonymously as he can get] we could come to some sort of arrangement such as donated payment.

I'll be at the cat cafe to conduct interviews 4:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon for the next week. You can show up when it's convenient to talk. Sounds like a fucking weird place for it, yes, it'll make more sense when you're there.

I've also arranged for donated goods to be offered when people come in and might find themselves in a state of disrepair or any nicer version of saying fucked the hell up. New clothes, medical things like crutches for people with chronic conditions, sanitary supplies like soap and toothbrushes, things of that nature. So if you want to donate something to the people coming in there's a donation box in the dormitory's lower entryway and they'll be taken to the temple.

[Action]

Like he promises, Hank's waiting around at the cat cafe whenever someone shows up. Usually reading a book, sometimes bored, sometimes deeply into it. Right by his side though? A mammoth green cat, purring and resting her head against his arm. She's twitching her tail to and fro.

Hank is pretty sure he'll be able to tell if someone is bullshitting their credentials and whether they'll do intentional harm with their new role. It's hard to do background checks when different universes are involved, but he thinks he's figured out a way to beat the system without having to use any of the department's lie detectors.

Note: Plotting post here.

Comments

[sociallychallenged]

The billiards hall isn't quiet and that's exactly what he was looking for when he rented it. The backroom is a little more mellow than the front, but Hank's brought a radio with decent speakers. He's got a cake in a box and he's got booze on a food table (along with some plates generously provided for by the establishment) and he's got one of the tables set up so it can look like they're having a friendly game of pool. By the time anyone gets there he'll already be cutting into the whiskey.

First thing he does is turn on a song, leaves it to play through a playlist, and uses that for cover as he's speaking

"So I was right that we weren't meant to go home. Start playing pool. Look like you're doing something." He continues talking, though, not missing a beat. "We're meant to be replaced by clones at some point. The Head's still using us in one of his expirements. Not saying the disease isn't still a threat but this does absolutely nothing for it. Thing is, all the clones have the same memories and and experiences of the originals.

"So, we're gonna need to take care of this problem. And we know there are other people out there in the city that aren't replaced yet." And honestly he's pissed off that the Heart withheld information under what amounted to the guise of, 'you can't handle the truth' when honestly a fuck ton of them already dealt with doubles or dubiously programmed machines.

"I'll tell you whatever I know. Just don't ever fucking tell any of this during one of those meet and greet things," which he's carefully talked around his uneasiness there before, trying not to mention things too specifically, but now he's just going to avoid it at all costs. "Don't talk about it in one of the Head's fuckin' events. Don't do it on the network at all. Always talk in person, fake being casual hard if you can, and always talk where there's a lot of background noise and not too close to be overheard.

"The Heart also recently lost their hacker to a double. Which means his double is out there with all the knowledge to do something about it. Travis was his name. Guy in glasses. As is that guy the Head killed in our memories. His name was Suzaku, I found a memo mentioning him. At best I'd like to break the Head's control over the fuckin' doubles, and we could use these guys as a test run for our hackers. At the very least, we have to know what they know."

Breaking control would be optimal in his opinion. It would preserve the memories of everyone the Head had killed and give them more options. It would also mean if it came to a fight, it'd be less people running at them. But he knows that might not be the end result.

"If you have powers you can't use 'em at full capacity at the moment 'cause you have a chip in your head limiting you. It's also what's downloading our memories. You gotta be nigh on immortal to get it out. But we gotta pool resources. Learn about the forest and the area around the city. Gotta do it quiet or we're gonna end up fuckin' dead ourselves."

OTA! mingle mingle

[notalive]

Connor remembers telling Hank he liked metal. That was before he had any idea what it even meant to like something - he knew only that Hank liked it and Connor needed to get along with Hank. Months later, with his own opinions and feelings, able to pass judgement on this highly important matter, he can confirm - he doesn't like metal. Not as much as almost any other genre of music, anyway.

He read through the rules of pool before he got here, so he's setting up a game as Hank speaks, quick and efficient, but there's a frown twisting his features the whole time.

a) Catching somebody's eye across the pool table, he jerks his head at them, looking between them and the balls. Your break.


b) A little later, he's sidled up to the food table and pilfered a glass of Bailey's and a slice of the cake. He iced the thing - with the very precise lettering to Hank's specifications - he might as well try it with his newfound ability to eat and drink.

And, to any of the guests, whether he recognises them or not, he says quietly, "If the Heart were any good at making their case, we might have made progress by now."

But they're not, they're the opposite of 'any good'. But that's what they've got to work with.


c)There's another guest, albeit not one who paid much attention to Hank's speech - their android dog, a doberman, and as Connor leans up against one of the tables, staring off into distracted nothing at the floor, angles herself right into his line of vision, snapping him out of his fugue. Drink, cake and all, he slides right down to sit next to her - she leans her whole weight against his side, and he wraps the arm with his drink in hand around her.

"I don't think you'd like this," he says...but offers her what's left of his cake anyway. Maggie eyes it, then him like he's just done the stupidest thing she's ever seen. Connor manages a grin, and eats the last bite himself.

"Maybe I'll get you a stomach too."

a) because it's about time Loki meets Connor

[morethanatrickster]

Loki was glad to have been included on this particular guest list, though the news they were provided did little to calm his nerves. What it did inspire in the frost giant was a burning need to burn this entire city to the ground, to Hel with whatever innocent was caught in the crossfire.

He knew that was unacceptable, but his temper was flaring. He was trying to rein it in as best he could, which meant he needed a distraction. He raises an eyebrow at the unspoken invitation and approaches, having grabbed a pool cue, following suit of the others around.

"You're Connor, aren't you?" He nods before he has a chance to respond. "I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with this game. Care for a lesson?"

/gathers into very late embrace

[notalive]

Somehow the man he just locked eyes with recognises him, which makes Connor's brow furrow a little in confusion. Back in Detroit, he was used to being recognised - here, an anonymous traffic cop, it's far more of an anomaly.

"Yeah, that's me." He's still frowning a little as he leans over the table. "And I only learned this today, but I'll try to explain it."

His explanation of the basics isn't exactly fun-filled and dynamic, but he gets the point across.

"I'm afraid I don't know who you are, by the way," he says as he steps back, waiting for the other man to start and eyeing him curiously.

/is gathered

[morethanatrickster]

Loki actually prefers the quick and dirty explanation of the rules Connor provides and once the other man is through, he nods, setting the cue ball and lining up a shot as he responds.

"I know. Hank mentioned you as his partner. My name is Loki. He and I secured the precinct." Perhaps Hank had mentioned his accomplice that night. His aim could use some work, but the break he achieves sinks a solid and he nods again, thoughtful. If he understood correctly, that was now his color, which he started to aim for again. "He speaks highly of you."

[notalive]

Connor actually grins. "I'd hope he would." He's not sure if Hank was clear about the meaning of partner - maybe it's one of the perks of having gone from genuine police partners to...a more general and romantic meaning - but either way, it's still nice to hear Hank's mentioned him to someone. In a good way.

"Loki, right - he mentioned you." Didn't 'mention' him so much as think about him directly into Connor's mind, but that's a good enough placeholder for now. "You figured out the doubles weren't finished, right? We were talking about it.

"You're not a cop, right?" Connor would have seen him around if he were - even if Connor is just a traffic cop.

[morethanatrickster]

"Did he? Only good things, I hope." He smiles playfully, though. Even when serious, it was rare that Loki came off as such. He nodded at the young man's question. "I did, yes. There was no other explanation, really."

But when Connor asks whether or not he's a cop, he laughs, shaking his head. "Heavens, no, at least...not at the moment. Consider me a...concerned citizen. I take personal offense to being replicated, especially so poorly."

b) /slams in here gently

[silentnarration]

"They're paranoid. I don't blame them." He doesn't approve of it either though. That's not how they should have asked for help at all. He pokes at his own badly-sliced cake. He doesn't feel like eating, not after what he's learned.

"Did you get promoted too?"

/slammed!!

[notalive]

"Me? No." He shakes his head, but he's not particularly put out about it. "Hank got here before I did, and he has a lot more experience. I only ever worked one case."

For about three days. Of his three month life. He's not really surprised he hasn't been promoted yet.

"I don't blame them for being paranoid, all things considered." He jerks his head towards wherever Hank is in the room - meaning, what Hank just told them. "But they have to offer us something in return for what they're asking."

He looks thoughtful as he takes a bite of cake...but didn't realise that cake is very crumbly and half of it falls apart in his hand. Smooth. He stares at it in sudden consternation.

"That one meeting they had with us..." And, pretending that didn't happen, he puts the remains of the cake on a paper plate instead and turns back to Squall. "Were you there? Did they talk to you?"

[silentnarration]

Squall sees that cake crumble, stares for a second, and then looks to the side. Totally didn't see anything. We good.

"I was there. I didn't talk to them." He did listen though. "It doesn't feel like they agree with one another. If it comes down to it, they might sacrifice us to save themselves." And he can't really blame them for that either.

Though, hang on. He turns back to Connor with surprise.

"You can eat?" He refused the ice cream before, didn't he?

[notalive]

"I can now." He sucks frosting off the pad of his thumb without any shame, then grins around it. "I got a couple upgrades. I can heal from wounds now if I ever get hurt and..." He nods at the remains of cake. "Now I can eat. It felt like I was missing out on a lot."

Turns out he was. There's something truly satisfying about it, once he got past how strange the feeling of fullness was at first, the extra weight in a place he had never experienced extra weight going.

"I talked to a couple of them," he says, and his tone is neutral at first, but then, "They have no idea what they're doing and I think you're right - recruiting us means that they have someone to put into the line of fire before them.

"Not all of them," he clarifies, because he wants to be fair. "One of them's friends with Hank, she told him about all this."

[mrsarcastic003]

Tim takes a piece of cake to have something to do during this promotion-slash-information sharing party (also to just enjoy the cake, because cake is delicious). He listening to Hank's speech while he gets the cake, and what he's saying makes a lot of sense, considering the attack from their robot buddies. Tim's double had fought just like him, which means at the very least that it could do what he did. Knowing that it would probably have the memories of learning it all to go with it is a little unsettling, actually. He'd already been uncomfortable with how all of that had happened, without adding this... memories and experiences thing into the mix.

He takes a bite of cake. Pretty good.

"Do you think it's possible to break the Head's control?" That would be his preference, too. Does he like the idea of a double of himself running around? Of course not. But he dislikes the idea of destroying sentient creatures even more.

[sociallychallenged]

"I think it's that or shut them down completely. When they're activated they can swarm people and tear 'em apart. And the clones we met were incomplete. These can have the powers of their originals. It's not just neatly one for each of us. It's a whole city of them.

"But I know they get drunk, they talk about their families, they go fuckin' play at businesses, they eat. They do all the shit we do. There's just something about them that goes all invasion of the body snatchers."

Either way, they do have to be stopped. And Hank, unfortunately, can only do what the mod has given him.

[morethanatrickster]

Loki helped himself to a glass of whiskey as well, as he joined Hank at the bar. He was dressed more simply than Hank may be accustomed to, a dark suit, dark shirt beneath. Casual for him if a tad formal for a bar. He doesn't look the part of a prince at any rate.

He watches the game of pool, not being overly familiar with the game, and smiles as he responds, as though something Hank commented on might have been pleasantly amusing, or a jab in his direction.

"They'll pay for this cheek, that much I can assure you. I assume you have plan?" The question, mixed with the music, could have been anything, even a quest after mutual friends, if the tone was to be followed.

[sociallychallenged]

"Best plan I got relies entirely on our hackers." Hank grimaces a little. "I know to accomplish anything, we're gonna need what those two men knew. I know there are doubles out there with all their knowledge. So either we make them think for themselves, or else they can mob us when the Head feels like it. Or we can turn them off. Keep in mind, whatever that thing's done to us, it can turn off our powers completely. We can be sure we can handle this shit and then he can just go, 'Yeah, now try it.'

"If we can't make it by maybe... tenth, eleventh month. We should probably fuck off somewhere and go into hiding until we figure out a solid solution."

Hank rubs his beard.

"If we can find an immortal of some sort, it'd help us get that chip. Right now if you remove it, the person dies. But if you come across someone that wouldn't die for whatever reason? Then that'd be something else we could fuck around with. I don't know. Maybe there'd be a way to short it out, too."

A lot of questions to be answered, and a lot of info he needs.

[morethanatrickster]

His jaw worked as hey processed what Hank was saying. It didn't sit well with him, nor should it, but he'd been at a disadvantage before. He could handle this one, too, and the humans here were proving more and more capable as time wound on. "I can manage without my magic." He had before, and he could again. He'd have to begin practicing. Relying on the abilities afforded him by his powers only to have them stripped away after nearly a thousand years left one a little rusty.

"Or someone willing to die for the cause." It was spoken partially in jest, a sardonic critique of the enormity of the situation they faced. "A worst case scenario, of course." There was no need for Hank to think he was willing to sacrifice others for their salvation, though he certainly was. "A soul forge would be useful." He shakes his head. "It's something akin to medical equipment, back on Asgard. It allows you to map the internal environment of a man without going inside."

[sociallychallenged]

"Good to know. But I'm gonna do what I can to see if we can get around that."

Even if he's a human, and his greatest skills are gathering information by being a friendly giant and being a pretty good task force runner.

"Both the powers and someone dying. Maybe if we could get our hands on some specific modification gear. Again, we'd need a tech person to tweak it and know what we're looking for. Or just... fuck, who knows. A fuckin' soul forge might be laying in someone's basement. It's worth looking for."

He wouldn't know it from a hole in the ground but Loki could at least recognize it. "We should also probably start looking for a way to tinfoil hat it, you know? Just block off the Head's access or control to it. Maybe if people are dying and not coming back, he's not gonna notice if people go off the radar. Leave no fuckin' stone unturned, right?" He gets that they might need to take some losses but he's gonna go for the biggest fucking win.

[morethanatrickster]

"A soul forge would, indeed, be useful. They can be used for healing as much as for exploration. If we could manage that without the intervention of our benevolent hosts it would put us well on the way to autonomy." Which they sorely needed. It was becoming increasingly clear the Head needed to be segregated from them.

"Hmm," He's thoughtful and quiet for a moment as he brainstorms. "The Head collects all our memories through this chip?"

[wickedprayers]

Thane has always been good at blending in despite often visiting places where he stood out. While it wasn't a concern during his training on Kahje he prepared himself during his time traveling the Milky Way looking for work. He wasn't familiar enough with pool to pretend, so instead he crosses his arms — loosely, and 'watches', keeping his stance uncharacteristically lax when he talks to Hank.

He nods his head, and from afar it may just look like he's trying to follow the game and nothing more. There's a lot to unpack here. "Perhaps it would be beneficial for us as a whole to compare our abilities...work together to make up for the chip's limitations." In the event that they end up having to fight off more than they can handle. Even those who came here without powers could benefit in learning how to work with those with them.

"Do we know the extent of this chip's integration beyond the fact that it will kill whoever it's removed from? If death is only the result of a physical removal, for example."

[sociallychallenged]

Hank finds a bottle of very necessary beer to drink, because, yeah, he wasn't kidding about feeling that need for booze.

"That's a good idea, too. I don't think it damaged anyone's training. I've not been limited in any capacity." He can still throw down well. And from what he'd seen from that brief glimpse of Thane, maybe he hadn't been limited either. Unless this place somehow set him to being sick.

[silentnarration]

Squall does a pretty good job of looking like he has absolutely no clue how to play a game of pool as he listens... And he can't help it when he just slams the cue against the table at the last bombshell. He reaches to touch the back of his head, scowls and turns away from the table and Hank, unintentionally looking like a sore loser.

He folds his arms, teeth grit. What the hell? How is this place worse and worse the more he learns about it? It's not that he's not used to something in his head leeching his memories but this is something else.

"So the people you said were killed and came back... They're all clones?" He's pushing back his anger, half turned back to Hank now. "How do we know who's a clone? Or that we're not already one?"

[sociallychallenged]

"No, not like that. The people still come back as they were when they die, up until they've been here for a year. And you and I? We're a couple of people that's been here the longest. Apparently the whole -bring people back- shit system isn't exactly the same as what the clones were. The clones just move in and take your place when they're done cooking. After that, they live as you did. All the same feelings, the same ability to get drunk, to build families. What the fuck ever."

He raises his hands and motions towards Squall. "The reason you can't do summons could be that chip in your head. Not sure. So no matter how strong we are? We can't do anything until we take care of that. 'Cause he could get a wild hair up his fuckin' computerized ass to turn everyone's powers off. Also that Suzaku guy? He didn't have to touch him. He just had him enclosed in as pace on his turf and fuckin' turned him right the hell off."

That's what's evident from the memory, anyway.

"We don't know yet who's who. Not many. Anyone who's been here longer than a year. Maybe some people that aren't with the Heart anymore."

He thinks of something that Thane just mentioned. "Hey, can you do me a favor? Can you go ask your buddies how your abilities were all limited? Thane's onto something I think; we can judge a little more about what he's done to us. Remember to do it where you got sound and visual cover, alright?" He's going to aggressively reinforce that.

[silentnarration]

This whole thing makes his skin crawl and also makes him want to run his hands over every inch of his head. But he listens intently and he nods. Clones. Great. Just peachy.

"I know someone from the Heart who's been here a year. I go to her bar sometimes. She'll be in danger." And as much as he doesn't trust the Heart as a whole, he does kind of like Nick and doesn't want to see her dead. She'd have her clone and the Head coming after the Heart to worry about.

He shakes his head, trying to sort the information and his thoughts. "I'll tell my friends and ask the ones not from my world. It won't change my ability to summon if we turn off the chips. The Guardian Forces aren't here. They didn't arrive with any of us." He unfolds his arms to shrug off his jacket and pull up the short sleeve of his shirt, showing off a tattoo of a stylized lion on a shield. "But some of us did get the magic tattoos from the city. We'll be able to use some magic if we have to." He pulls his jacket back up.

"We have plans to gather our own resources. It might be a good idea to keep those separate for now but I'll let them know they can trust you."

[sociallychallenged]

"I think I know who you're talking about. And she already knows. She doesn't have a chip anymore- the Heart pulled it out. She's immortal- somethin's up with her, fuck if I know exactly what, but whatever they learned from pulling out her chip can't apply to someone like us."

But Hank stops and puts his hands up.

"Squall. Please listen to me. Making plans now is a bad idea." He wants to be harder. He wants to scream and curse and talk about how stupid that fucking is. But he won't, 'cause this is a child soldier, and while it does mean soldier it also means young and too ready to fight.

"It's not just that he can turn off your powers. It's that he can turn you off. Just like that. And then there are eight to nine million people in this one goddamn city. This is a huge place. Each one of them can be triggered to swarm you like a bad zombie movie. And they're not going to take turns and come at you one by one, you won't get time to rest and he's not going to pick just the big burly fuckin' men to go after you. He's going to pick everyone, regardless or age and gender, and they will tear you apart.

"And we don't know where the fuck he is. That temple? Might just be his face. Like... you know the computers in our room. The screen is in one place, but all the information is in the box, right? The tower- whatever it's called. All our memories and everything are being kept in a server farm and if you go after him from what we know, you might just punch the screen while the rest of him is just fine, still active, still watching.

"Now, trust me, please. I do wanna fuckin' attack him and take it out. But wouldn't you rather those nine-million people be on our side, or at least not a risk? They're both his victims and his tools. And wouldn't you rather know for absolute sure we're hitting the right place?"

[silentnarration]

He raises his eyebrows at the revelation about Nick. Well, that changes some things.

But then Hank continues to talk and his own expression darkens a little, a scowl forming. He's not looking to attack without a plan. He knows this is bigger than that. Even though Hank isn't wrong to think so. He's a soldier, a mercenary. His whole purpose is to fight.

He shakes his head, impatient and he's folding his arms again. He sounds annoyed.

"We're not going to just attack. We're not that stupid." As much as he wants to. And he does grip his arms as he says that, equal parts frustration and anger at the situation. "There's not enough information. I'm not risking everyone's lives for that. We have until our year is up before our clones are ready, so we'll prepare, then fight."

He loosens his grip to gesture with a hand, the petulant anger making way to a far more steeled expression - the kind expected of a soldier.

"I'll help you, whatever else you find. You'll know if I do too. But if the time comes and the city is still under the Head's control, I'll do whatever it takes." Give his life. Die trying.