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Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Several days after the events involving Psyche and Whisper going to investigate a building suffering power issues, and Phyx is more or less back up to snuff, though for the most part exceedingly grumpy about the affair. But he'd been fully and properly healed and so was more than ready to get back into the swing of things. Or taking a swing at things, if he could manage it.
With his contacts in the area related to the Mages being a select few, he'd sent texts to both @Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him) and @Jane Murphy - connie (she/her) to ask if they could meet him at the gas station, after the day had worn on some and the second shift staff had come on. There were a few more folks around now, solid, dedicated employees who greeted people warmly and kindly, clearly following in the same mold Phyx himself had cast. For a few though their behavior was a little different, and the Sotaria and Bones both received nods of acknowledgement, understanding that these individuals were on a particular list, if not necessarily why.
Phyx himself was in the garage, empty of jobs at the moment and looking as clean and tidy as it usually did. He was dressed in a long sleeved shirt and simple jeans, boots on his feet and a cap on his head as he waited for his guests to arrive, leaning on a workbench and having a late evening cup of coffee.
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
Jane came a jogging. She didn't go on foot the whole way, but SEPTA is finite, so she had to do the rest. No problem, she's fit enough and arrives with barely any sweat on her. She goes in and heads on to the garage, "Hey, hey, howsit?" She says with an affected accent before getting back to normal. "See this place is turning into a proper Going Concern. It's nice."
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
The masculine presenting Dr. Thomas Shanks walked through the main gas-station door. They bought a few snacks and drinks, before popping in through the garage.
"Good afternoon, my friends."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx raised his mug to Jane as she entered, grinning broadly. “Goes alright. Got all the bits and bobs back where they should be. Still pretty steamed but all told could be worse. And I understand Psyche is now doing ok, so that’s a load off. Thanks again for the extraction. How’s it been with you?”
As Thomas walked in rather than Tommy Phyx did admittedly look a bit confused at first, having never met this version of Bones. His head tilted slightly at first, as if to listen for something, then he nodded slowly. “Huh… that’s pretty neat. And probably handy.” He raised his hand to the man in greeting. “Bones I gather?”
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"Eh, had a moment of feeling like... 'Well, guess I'll just be healing the sleepier folks,' when I'd saw how you both got back to 100%. But there's a lot more of them, so I still got plenty of work to do."
She looks between Phyx and Bones, "Oh, yeah, heh. Guess you haven't seen 'guy mode'?"
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"Indeed. Genderfluid, with the extreme due to magic. Dr. Tommy Shanks, at present. Bones is when I do... more magically important things. I've decided to make a divide between the two," he rolled his neck, letting it pop like crazy for a second.
He popped open his Diet Dew and took a long pull, before continuing, "So you got to meet up with Fox? You look like you're in one piece."
(sorry, someone came to door)
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
(no worries)
Phyx dipped his head in a nod to Jane, wincing a bit. "I can empathize. I admit I'm feeling a little deflated knowing that some magical knuckleknobs in space can just yank my designs, and then blow them to pieces." He grumped at that and took another sip of coffee. "You want any? We'll move rooms in a minute, but coffee is coffee."
At Thomas' explanation Phyx just gave a nod. "Magic does seem to do that. Cause extremes that is. And hey, I can dig it. I do much of the same myself."
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"Oh? Is that what happened to the armor?"
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"I'll take some coffee." Jane pretty much never turned the stuff down.
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Nodding, Phyx went to the complicated apparatus that produced his coffee and poured Jane a mug, gesturing over to the sugar and cream options in the little, glass front fridge next to it as he handed it over. He nodded to Thomas. "Yeah. Turns out these Mark II things have a self destruct. Brought the whole damn building down on top of us. And yeah, got to meet Fox briefly. Much obliged for it too, and gotta set up another meet."
He looked a bit annoyed. "The blast shouldn't have shredded my gear like that. So there was something hinky there too. But yeah, while I was trying to pull it's head off I think whoever was controlling it somehow used magic or something to get a hold of the design. May turn out in our favor a bit, but that does mean they've got some very high end armor plans to work with. So now not only do I have to build better stuff, I have to figure out how to keep them from just yoinking it. We did learn a lot though."
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"What sort of information do you have? I spoke to Klaire but ..." he shrugged a bit, before drinking his soda more, "we spoke more of other things."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
Jane takes her coffee black, and gets to sipping. She nods to Bones, "She described the Mark II's mind as showing her images of a location in space, cratered, kinda reddish. When the critical damage was done, it said something about going back to Hermes. So, my first thought was: Marsbase Hermes. I mean, it could be another Hermes space base out there, but we know of the Mars one.."
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"We've also both been there. And we've seen the mechs. Those could be..."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx nodded. "Yeah. Hermes Base. I think it's the same thing, which gives us some connections." He held up a finger and pushed off from the workbench now that everyone had a drink. "We should continue in a slightly more discreet place, now that everyone's here."
Phyx gestured with his head toward the giant, heavy furnace that took up a fair bit of the garage's corner. Giving a tilt of his head to make sure no one else was around, he tapped the wall to produce a small panel that, when fiddled with, produced a door that was in fact an elevator. He took a step in and gave a nod. "Come on in. Totally fine."
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"Recording devices can't pick up what I'm saying at present anyways, but sure. To the Spectre Cave."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
Jane follows along, "You guys get your wands and spells, we have our batcaves and fortresses of solitude," she says, joking to Tommy.
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"I have my own little rookery of sorts."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx side eyed. "It doesn't have a name yet... and I'm not sure which I'm going to use either. It's complicated stuff. Gotta find the right aesthetic..." He chuckled. "But more or less yeah. It's less about people hearing us and more about being able to plan in a more comfortable and coherent environment."
The elevator carried them down roughly two stories, a short and comfortable trip featuring synth-y elevator music. When it opened they were let out into a large, clean space that was neatly set into different sort of areas. There were workbenches as above, but far more complex and clearly meant for weaponry and armor and other such things. There were bays for chemistry and science, a large system of computers and other electronics, as well as something not unlike a living space, which is where Phyx led them. "Take a seat, get comfy."
"So yeah. Mars Base. That was one. The second is that for the most part? The autonomous robots aren't autonomous. They aren't just programmed with some high degree of AI. Someone's in there remote operating it, and I think it's a pretty solid psychic link. Whoever was controlling the one we met experienced a fair amount of mental and maybe physical discomfort when we hit it, and that's a pretty big deal. If you could get them in one or two shots, might manage to actually kill them, or screw them up good and proper."
"Then there's the self destruct thing and the fact that they can someone manage to analyze and steal really complicated and detailed and hard to put together designs without actually seeing blueprints. They're using these things to try and deal with all sorts of different stuff, but I get the sense that not everyone running them is exactly some high level magic person or something. I think that's more like managers and admin. They're not afraid to set off a bomb in a public place if they think someone might be trying to snag one of these things too. Oh, and when remote controlled they can be influenced by psychic stuff.
"But when the operator leaves, that seems to not be the case. Means of dealing with that, maybe locking someone into this thing, or cutting off connection to it, that'll be a big one. That and figuring out how to shut down the self destruct thing. And break through their armor. They don't like being blinded though, and the robot itself can be physically fought at least. I managed to sneak up on it and almost got it's head off before it just blew to smithereens."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
Jane gets off the elevator with them and settles in on a fairly comfortable couch chair, "If it does have to do with the Mars base, then we may wish to avoid trying to harm them for right now. Still in a bit of a diplomatic process with them, I think?"
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"How sure are you that your system down here is secure?" he asked as he stepped out, "Any surveillance devices that could be hacked? Any recorders? Anything they could use to observe?"
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx shook his head at Thomas' questions. "Not at the moment. Security is mostly me, and the fact that this place is set up for me to take advantage of it. But the system itself is secure. Or should be. That being said it sounds like there's enough I dont know that maybe I want it to be more secure than it is. So if there's some trick or whatever, I'm down to try it. In exchange, this place and what it offers I'll put to use for Philly and the right folks who need it."
He raised a brow at Jane. "Diplomatic? That's a new one on me. I mean... my plan was to find where they store these things, maybe try to snag one and blow the rest into next week."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"This would be why you need to be in the loop with the Awakened like I am. Get you connected with one of the Orders, and that way you can run your plans through some people who might know stuff you don't." She smirks, "You're a smart guy and all, but a brain can only handle so much, and then you throw time manipulation into it and even the best laid plans get weird."
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
The Obrimos maneuvered through the room, examining it and all the tools, casting a simple spell for them, with a few words of Ancient Egyptian...
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx snorted. "Well thanks. I appreciate that, but trust me I'm aware that what I don't know is an increasingly vast beast. So yeah, I will agree one hundred percent I need to get in on things." He watched Thomas curiously as the Obrimos looked through the room, many of the walls covered in weapons and gear, prototypes and more recent versions of things, and plenty of stuff that might fall under "probably not allowed for civilians".
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
He gave a look for spying GOetia, Spirits, and Ghosts, before focusing back on the conversation, "You should consider the Adamantine Arrow or Libertines, I think, with your martial-technological focus."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
She chuckled, "Just gotta make sure you know. I've been feeling it lately, exactly how easy it is to get over your skis when magic is in play or you're going strange places and dealing with people you don't understand. I keep finding myself watching people working cheat codes on reality." She smirks, shaking her head a bit, and takes a sip.
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx blinked. "I thought I should be looking at the Free Council. How many of these groups are there? Is adamantine actually something I can get my hands on, or is this going to be like the Great Orichalcum Debacle of 2017?"
He nodded to Jane. "Yeah that's kind of my feeling on it. Really starting to chap my backside a little, but I think I can learn to keep up. In time maybe." He looked over to Thomas again. "You were mentioning perfected materials and stuff to me before. How hard is it to get my hands on that sort of thing? And any ideas how to keep these screwballs from stealing my kit?"
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"The Summer Court of the Lost might also be useful for you," he considered, still pacing around, thinking aloud.
"There are Six Allied groups of Mages here in Philadelphia. The Adamantine Arrows, the Guardians of the Veil, the Mysterium, and the Silver Ladders are called the Diamond. Add the Free Council and you get the Pentacle. Then the local Children of the Tree, which caucus with teh Free Council... ugh politics... four courts of the Lost... and I think I've heard of at least three vampire groups working together..."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"Yeah," she gestures to Tommy after the explanation. "I'm with the Children of the Tree, so if you're with the Free Council then we're still politically part of the same general thing. I'm partial to who I'm with, but I can completely see you with the Free Council."
She looks to Tommy and then back to Phyx, "And the Arrow would definitely appreciate what you bring to the table, they're still good people. The Rabbi who the Detail sent me to, he's one of them, and a cool guy."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx pointed to Thomas. "The Lost I've started to learn some about. I gather Summer is their war camp? Fair cop." He raised a brow. "So wait, who are the libertines? The Tree? Or the Free Council? I'm still a little cross eyed. But I'm willing to work with whoever I can. I guess I need to learn a bit more about this situation, the way I understood it we're basically at war for reality or something." He shrugged.
"If I can I'd love to meet more of these folks, try to figure out what works. I'll see what I can do. And I guess for now I'll refrain from just causing property damage."
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"The Libertines are a nickname for the Free Council, also known as the Council of Free Assemblies. The Children of the Tree are a local tribe that has welcomed in everyone to their numbers among the weird side of life."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
She looks to Tommy, "I don't think anyone's given Phyx a briefing on.. all the groups." She looks to Phyx, "Sorry, I'd have given you a rundown, but I thought from how you had already been meeting people that you'd been learning all this stuff. The Awakened, the mage guys, they have their own groups called Orders, they all have their own philosophies and interests. Can give you the cheap and quick rundown, but it's obviously a lot better to hear it directly from each, I think."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
"Aaaah. Now I'm on the trolley. I get it. I'm hip. I'm with it. Cool cool" Phyx nodded to Jane. "That I kind of understand, but only know about a few of them. I guess there's no sort of round robin meet all the clubs at school thing, but I can get out and about. Maybe I should just start sticking my nose in places." He chuckled at that. "And no worries. There's a lot to cover clearly. I'll try to go hear it directly from the horse's mouth, or what have you."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
Jane uses her interface to zap Phyx contact information for Rabbi Aaron Cohen.
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
Tommy smiles and follows along, letting the two sleepwalkers communicate. He'd never been one, so he didn't know how to talk on that level ..
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"Got you info for the Rabbi, trust me, he's cool. I think you'll get along. You know Fox, Me, and the Lodge of the Tree.. so if you have questions for that, you got that. Free Council, you've met Klaire; there's Charleville, too, and he's around the Lodge often." She's counting off her fingers, trying to remember who all she knows to point towards, when she turns and gestures to Bones, "And hey, Mysterium!" she says with cheer!
"Okay, the other two... Silver Ladder, I believe you can go to Jay." She again zaps contact information and directions to the Green Room. "And the only one in the Guardians I know is Ellie. But uhh," She looks to Tommy for confirmation, "Their whole vibe is sort of secrecy?"
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"They still employ sleepwalkers. And they might appreciate the mask."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
"And received, much obliged. I'll give him a shot. And the rest. I'm generally more of a jack of all trades sort, and there's a few that by the sound of them I could get along with, or at least do good work. So I guess it depends on what I can get away with, more than anything else." Phyx grinned at that and nodded. "Jay I think ve heard of. Ellie not so much. That being said, they might appreciate the mask indeed. And I'm good at being sneaky and discreet. Jack of all Trades after all." He winked. "But seriously, most of those divisions seem like specializations on what people do with the magic stuff they got. I tend to pull in from anything I need, and try to offer something useful in response. We'll just have to see how much I can offer that someone considers useful."
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"The Arrows believe that overcoming challenges are enlightment. Whether that's combat, or legal cases, or long term illnesses or whatever. To overcome a challenge is the ultimate self.
The Guardians believe that only the deserving should have magic.
The Free Council believe that all of humanity is capable of real magic, if pushed towards it, and thye study it...
The Mysterium believe that knowledge is magic, and so we obtain it, study it, analyze it, and use it to separate the Lie from the Truth...
The Politicians of the orders are the Silver Ladders, and they believe that one can control their own destiny, and lead sleepwalkers to awakening."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
Jane bites her lip a bit nervously, "I'm probably the least qualified right now to lay out the Children of the Tree, but the single sentence is that the world needs healing, and that humanity is one family." She smiles, "Fox could probably do a better job explaining all of it, I have to admit I kind of went from the gut when choosing."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx just smiled at his fellow Lost Boy. "I'm not too surprised. That does sound like you from the gut. I admit, I might be more inclined towards some of the others, but I try to heal in my own way. Family... I'm less good at." He shrugged there, then looked to Thomas with a nod of thanks.
"That's quite appreciated. Dunno about 'deserving', or what that means, but I understand the need to keep secrets. Arrows does sound like my kind of thing. But so does the Free Council and Mysterium." He shrugged. "Like I said, maybe I can be more of a generalist." He laughed aloud and took a sip of his coffee. "Politics however I don't know too much about. Augur focuses on that kind of thing for me for the most part, and the staff. I don't mind using it though. I'd certainly be happy to play what part I can. I'm good at that too."
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
(didn't realize it was mine, sorry)
(Kids are chaos, and friend left so they're all getting ready for dinner)
"Well, we don't do much in the way of generalized... closest you'd get is to be with the Children and Council."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
(Is ok! No rush!)
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"Well, being a generalist is no problem, but it's kind of the way things are in the city, you have to kind of have a group you're checking in with." She shrugs, "It's kind of part of the relative peace among the various atypical entities this side of the supernatural: everyone has someone that others can go to if you do something that might be a problem, and vice-versa."
"If none of the Orders work for you, there is that Summer court thing, but that's completely out of my area of expertise. I barely know the tiniest bits about them."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx nodded. "I can well dig it. I more mean in the way I operate personally. It does sound like there's a few crews I can get down and dirty with, and no one ever suffered from being spoiled for choice. I am a little curious about the Lost, and I've learned a little myself, but about the same i'd bet in terms of actual amount known." He shrugged.
"Way I see it is regardless of who I'm checking in with, with everyone already being willing to work together, and me being an itty bitty mortal type, I might be able to work well with the lot of them. I'm available, is what I'm saying." He grinned, then blew a raspberry at himself. "Truth is, what I need is to figure out how to get a leg up on these things. And these folks. The uh... Seers or whatever. And whoever they're working with. Which sort of brings me back around to the politics stuff."
He looked to Thomas here specifically. "From what I figure, we've got sort of three fronts here right? There's the folks on Mars, which it sounds like is where these magical mugwumps have set themselves up." He held up one finger, than another. "And then there's the robots themselves, and whoever here on Earth is making them. They must come from somewhere, right? Registered and trademarked and catalogued by the state." A third finger. "And then the state itself. At least part of this must be some manner of social skullduggery, way I see it. Someone had to convince a fair few people in the Pennsylvania government to give this a go, and there must be like... a company or organization fronting that publicly should any media or activists or something decide to look into it. I dunno about the first, but it feels like we should be able to mess with the other two. Manufacture. Distribution. Social politicking. Get Psyche and I close enough to the right people, I bet we could learn all sorts of fun stuff." He looked now to the two of them. "Which reminds me. Defensive gear for everyone, pronto. Who wants to go first for a fitting?"
He held up a measuring tape produced from nowhere and waggled his eyebrows. "Let's get everyone nice and protected, shall we?"
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"I don't need body armor," he chuckled, "My preferred material for clothing is tweed," a scholarly joke.
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
Jane steps forward and proceeds to T-Pose, "The measurements haven't changed that much; I mean, I shapeshift so it is cheating a bit with all the waffles I eat.." A chuckle as she waits for measurement. "Do need to be a bit more precise about the Marsbase, it's not like you're going to Baikonur Cosmodrome to take a Soyuz on a long trip, it's kind of an astral journey."
Again, she checks with a look to Tommy, "That's the correct way of putting it, right?"
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"That is correct, for the Astral Journey to Mars."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx eyed Thomas and chuckled. "I mean... I can make you tweed body armor. Well... the outer layer is tweed anyway. I don't know a lot about fashion I admit, so I might need to consult for that. But I saw an ad the other day at Maddy's I'm gonna follow up on. Well.. several." He nodded. "But I can dig it."
His gaze was level as he looked to Jane for a long, long... really far too long moment before finally responding. "I mean... I was just going to build my own, much better rocket. But Astral Journey is also a thing sure. I'm just saying that forearmed is foreprepared-to-kick-someone's-teeth-in." He nodded. But yeah, I have your measurements. And the shapeshifting thing I can mostly account for. Besides, it's got a helmet on, it's not exactly like anyone will be able to see your face."
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"They aren't on Mars, the physical one, here, over there. THey are in the Astral version of Mars."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"Yeah," she nods, concurring with Dr. Shanks, "You go there physically, I'm pretty sure you don't really find anything and then you die. No good, horrible way to end a 265 day journey." She chuckles gently, "But for serious, yeah, there's a lot of angles for all of this. I still want to know what Creator's interest or involvement was with the Protocol and how that factors into everything.."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
"Oh well for pity's sake that's just some top tier BS." Phyx's brow furrowed and he actually looked more than a little annoyed. "But from there they can just screw with us over here? What the hell... Ok fine. How does that work? If you astral yourself over there, does that bring your stuff with you? Or are you just a sort of floating, hologram kinda dealie?" He scrubbed a hand along the back of his neck and muttered. "Ok so first things first, figure out how to break into that..."
He looked over to Thomas. "Know any good tricks for empowering the psychic mind to be able to push itself way further than normal? Because one of the other things I learned is that I'm not quite as up to snuff as I could stand to be." He looked over to Thomas and pointed at himself. "The psychic is me. You may have figured that out by now."
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"For non Awakened, you rely fully upon your natural mental state. Your raw intelligence, your quick wits, and your steely resolve. Nothing manifests if you don't have some magical connection to it. I can bring my magical tools into the Astral with me, or rather, summon their astral counterparts."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"For me, I basically just went like I was. I still could use my computer, but while I could access all the information just the same it kind of 'felt' like it all fit the aesthetic of the base. I couldn't really test the more physical implants because of it being first contact and me not trying to be weird during that."
She goes to sit back down, "It's entirely possible that the people operating those Mark IIs are physically somewhere else and Hermes is just a kind of secondary location they go to when their bot gets blown up. Like, the remote pilots never leave their pod thing and wake up into the physical."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx nodded at that from Thomas and tapped his temple. "Well that at least I can work with. My natural mental state is like a gyroscope. Not being able to manifest anything that's not magical isn't ideal... but if it's ALL mental... that certainly opens some options for hitting hard." He ran a hand along his chin, getting up and walking over to a nearby work bay while he kept talking. The equipment hummed to life, as he started inputting information into the system. He looked back as he did, not actually needing to do so manually.
"Finding those pods then would be a real win. Figuring out how to disable or tamper with them, or maybe try and establish a connection back to them next time I run into one. Still gotta figure out how to get around that copycat crap." He looked again to Thomas. "How about just being able to boost psionic power? Who should I talk to for that among your set? I can ask others about different options too." He paused in his work and frowned again. "I tried to control the blast. Contain it. Physically if it hadn't blown I'd have had the whole thing handled with no real trouble for anyone. Now an apartment building is rumble. Psyche is fine and that I assume means Rook is too because I don't think she'd let anyone heal her first... far as I can tell. But they got hurt real bad. I'm as far as I can get on my own in this. I can try to figure out something chemical maybe, but I'm not sure it's enough."
Bones/Roger - PatchR (he/him):
"Oh... excuse me..." he acted like he was getting a call, even this far underground and the shielding... "Uh. Huh... Uh.huh... SI. Papi. I will bring you some pasta. Say... forty minutes? I'm at the Gas Station right now."
Looking over to the pair, "I must be going, I aplogize. Have a good night. Keep me up to date..." and he headed to the elevator. (Gotta get the fam ready for bed)
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
(Thanks for the scene Patch! Was much fun!)
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
(Yeah! 😄 Thanks!)
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx nodded to Thomas as he explained he needed to leave, brow raised at the 'phone call' of sorts but by now just rolling his eyes and muttering. "Friggin' magic..." He smiled though and offered a wave. "Take care of yourself. Next time if you need to come down again the system will recognize you. Enjoy the pasta."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"Rook should be the most fine if only because he was the least injured by the blast from what I could tell, but also would be first up for healing, for sure." With Tommy leaving, she waved, "See you again soon, I'm sure." She looked back to Phyx and semi-mumbles, "I've seen these people poof into and out of existence, bringing back serum on their return. I'm sure at some step along the way, they can enhance whatever you do if it's necessary."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx nodded at that. "That's the hope. I've been clued in to the Perfected Materials thing a bit." The capitalized letters were obvious in his voice. "And maybe that will make a difference as well. Still worried about the fact that they can potentially steal whatever I throw at them. I don't want to be helping them certainly."
He chuckled and nodded. "Yeah... yeah it's crossing my eyes a little but I'm getting over it. I've seen some pretty wild stuff since I got here, and I'm starting to accept that I need to vastly expand my bag of tricks."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"You and me both. Why do you think I jumped on testing the translator implant?" She stretched out in her chair. "Have to have every edge we can get. And the translator's great because for all I know, I could get flung back to ancient Sumeria and have to negotiate to buy some bread."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx's look was a bit deadpan at that, and then he rolled his eyes again. "Ah yes. Time stuff. Ain't that a kick in the khakis? Though that's fair. I don't speak Sumerian. I should probably get on that." He raised a brow at Jane. "You said Fox installed it right? She's actually able to preform the necessary surgery and connections?" He looked like he was filing that away for several reasons. "I gotta talk to her for a bunch of stuff now. Quite the list going."
"Might try and work with her to figure out an implant that might let me push things a little. Or maybe talk to someone about more mental style training or something. We'll have to see." He looked to Jane. "How've you been doing otherwise?"
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"Oh nonono, the implant is a Detail job. Someone working on the serum problem figured out some tricks to make some of their own implants; they wanted me to test it because I've got almost everything the Protocol had, if it doesn't play well with another implant.. well, I'll be the first to know."
She smiles and nods, "I've been doing a ton better since you got me the doses. A week being at 100% was a big help to cheering up."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
"Aaaah. Now I'm on the trolley. Well that's a pretty impressive job. Definitely need to talk to the Detail more I guess. Who's the one to shoot a text to there? Fox again?"
At her improved situation Phyx just smiled and nodded. "Glad to hear. Which reminds me." He tucked into a cabinet and pulled out a similar messenger bag as the last time Jane had stopped by. "Here's your top up. Same as last time. I'd rather you stay at 100%, if I can help it."
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"No, no way. Fox and I actually met by accident, I was looking for Rabbi Cohen when I found her. He's the one the Detail pointed me towards." She zaps more contact information to him as she pops open her holdout storage to pull out the last bag and switch with him. "Big mega-thanks again, you're awesome."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx tipped his hat to Jane and winked. “That’s what I’m here for. Always got your back, Jack. Or Jane, as the case may be.” He grinned at that, probably not the first time he’s made that joke.
“If Fox and the Detail and us ever manage to get a functional or improved serum going, I may look to push further into the Protocol myself. Especially if they can get it done. Maybe lead to some info about this Creator, too.”
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"Well, I mean.. they have Creator in custody. I've not seen them myself, but I've been told about them."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx blinked. “Wait what? Who does? The Detail?”
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
She shakes her head, "The Awakened. Don't know where they are, and I'm holding back on asking after them for now. Obviously, though, I have questions."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
“Huh. Uh… ‘our’ Awakened? Or the other guys on Mars but not Mars?” He nodded. “I have questions too. I assume you mean the Other Guys though, otherwise it probably wouldn’t be so touch and go.”
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"'Our' Awakened, yes. Like, as in, the good guys." She nodded as well. "This is a whole lot bigger than just that one individual. They're just who I saw when I was in the recovery room, and probably shouldn't have."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
“Oh. Huh. Well that’s a neat bit of turnaround.” Phyx nodded. “Yeah but that’s about five thousand miles closer than we’ve ever been. Maybe anyone. That’s a pretty great position. Now I’m really keen on meeting this guy. Bring Psyche along and have her listen in.”
Jane Murphy - connie (she/her):
"May get your wish, especially once you've figured out which group you fit with best." She smirked and then rolled her shoulders. "Anyway, I hope you don't mind if I head out. I'm due for a rotation in the kitchen at the Lodge."
Phyx - Scaramouche (He/Him):
Phyx nodded at that, crossing his fingers. “Let’s hope. Maybe we’ll actually be able to get a leg up. If we can figure it out enough, maybe we can even activate the heavier modes without suffering as a result.” He shrugged. “We’ll see. And yeah, no worries. Say hi to wherever for me. I’ll try to get out and about more, but if you happen to grab any of these folks give me a ring and I’ll drop what I’m doing and come running.” He gave a lazy salute. “And I’ll get to work on your gear. It’ll be pretty heavy duty, I can promise you that. Think on if you want your head gear to have any particular theme or whatever. Or what you might want crammed in there.”
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