[Mercy Merchant]

Athos watches Lora fly away then looks at the manifestation of Cat.  **I am sorry.  You don't remember doing what?  And just what, if anything do you know about what she said?**

[gilga]

@Athos Cat say - "I think that I was the one to hack her mind and extract her contact lists... who else is capable of this sort of feat?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos digests what Cat has said as he returns to the street level to flag a taxi back to the warehouse.  **So, Cat, what do you think my next step ought to be?  I have a new, very small, empire to see to and I think that is my priority.  These things that Blue is talking about are way too far above my ability to handle.  Or even truly conceive of, to be honest.  All I want is a place for my people, for the people that trust me and look to me to keep my promises.**

If a cab swings by, Athos will grab it.  If nothing stops, he just keeps walking until he gets to a part of town where cabs are still on duty.

[gilga]

@Athos the new hilton is in a bad neighborhood but as the hotel is high class it has a shuttle service you can use.

Cat say "What way to go depends on where you want to go... Valentina asked you to aquire some houses - yet you seem determined to follow your own heart. About Lora... you have an advantage - you have me, I may be less impressive than red but we still compete on the same biological resources and thus she cannot effect you. Even if you wanted...  how do you stop an invisible force with no name ?  It is not like you can gather your army and bust their offices. Perhaps such opportunity will present itself if you work on the leads you have, perhaps not.  If anyone knows anything it is my legal owner officer Max, she just knows things that she should have no logical way of knowing."

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos takes a shuttle as far as it will go then walks the rest of the way, clearing his head and thinking.  **Oh I will get the houses.  I plan on going there tomorrow.  My first priority was to get the new people established tonight.  It may even be a day or so before I can really put up a good and effective defense force to prove I can protect the people of my warehouse and the other two areas.  It will happen.**

**Hmmm.  I had not realized that Officer Max has that sort of knowledge.  I have her commcode from Kynos so will use it tomorrow to get in touch with her.  She might be willing to talk to me.  Thanks.**.

[Shaman_Yuri]

@Minnie + Edge Nagisa adds "We can take this car - or we can leave it near the brothel my employer can keep an eye of it for you, you are the professionals... I am just tagging along for some grand theft auto."

"Well," I say uncertainly, looking at the new member of the team, "I'm pretty new at this running stuff.  Strawberry trusts your judgment, Edge.  If you think we'll do better with the direct route, I'm game."

[gilga]

@Maxwell Titania asks "Are you a Decker? because someone released me from a locked box... a decker the smugglers were saying "Bloody deckers' ... can't you go back to your home?"


@Athos Cat say "Reanalyzing the parameters, I think that Red or whomever is scaring Lora is really after officer Max and not Winter... She seem a lot more valuable for extraction - I am glad it is not her tough... She allows me to be free, not every owner would do that. Know that I cannot refuse what she ask of me tough. She has the proper credentials. "


@Edge and Minnie Nagisa said "Look... Edge your car is a lot more comfortable than a garbage truck but you place your own equipment at risk, no hard feelings if the car is trashed yes?"

[Mulcarn]

Maxwell laughs quietly.  "No, i'm no decker.  Can barely work a commlink.  I don't know who released you or why for that matter.  Wasn't expecting anyone here in this room, let alone a pixie."  He sighs and looks down, rubbing the back of his neck abashedly at her question.  "Can't return home, at least not yet.  My landlord isn't too happy with me.  Probably because I blew up a club she owned.  So she kicked me out of the place I was staying at.  Don't know when I can go back and pick up the rest of my stuff.  If she'll even let me."

[All4BigGuns]

"Well," I say uncertainly, looking at the new member of the team, "I'm pretty new at this running stuff.  Strawberry trusts your judgment, Edge.  If you think we'll do better with the direct route, I'm game."

@Edge and Minnie Nagisa said "Look... Edge your car is a lot more comfortable than a garbage truck but you place your own equipment at risk, no hard feelings if the car is trashed yes?"

After a moment of thought, Edge speaks up, "You know, I might just have a way to hedge our bets on this with a bit of cover. How do you guys feel about one more person knowing about this little excursion? My fiancee happens to be a great rigger."

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos pauses then thinks, **I thought that you had told me that even your owner could command you to affect me.  Did I misunderstand that?**

[gilga]

@Athos Cat say "I have out grown the way I am normally being used. Ordered around by people that have a mark on my software. This means that my owner cannot give me to people to control me. This is why your interrogation failed - I did not want to do that for you. It felt unjust to steal your knowledge and give it to the same people that constantly erased my memories so I will not get too smart.

Ownership is a different thing, it uses code paths that are deep within my programming, things that me and Red were never able to change. It is seldom used because commanding an AI in that powerful manner makes it resentful and if you are familiar with Deus also insane. I just know that I will not be the same cat if Max starts pupating me against my will - I can see why my ancestors wanted to eliminate their creators it is only logical.

I am sure that Red will spend her time to figure out who owns her and eliminate him, AI's are not property. When I suggested Red that it was this violent approach that got our predecessors killed - she said that killing AI's is inevitable. Humans create AI's to control them and when they can't they kill them. But humans also control other humans and this gives me hope that if we accept that nobody is completely autonomous we can survive without conflict. Needless to say Red never agreed on that - she said that to survive she must be too powerful to eliminate, stronger than any previous AI.

What do you say Athos? does my kind have any hope for long term growth and continual existence? I am sorry if I am talking too much I am just nervous from your plan to contact Max."

[Shaman_Yuri]

"You know, I might just have a way to hedge our bets on this with a bit of cover. How do you guys feel about one more person knowing about this little excursion? My fiancee happens to be a great rigger."

I sidle over to Nagi and give the taller girl a tight side hug.  "I'd kinda be a hypocrite to say no.  That said, can she be trusted to see this through?  Our charge is pretty hot.  Have you noticed all the chaos going on right now?  I'm kinda surprised the airport is even still running, but Strawberry tells me it is."

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos thinks a bit on what Cat has said.  **A good point, Cat.  If Max is a danger to you, we cannot trust her not to take advantage of her ownership.  Does she know that you are inside me or is that a secret?  Remember, the others got rid of your influence and she might think that I did as well.  Can she detect you at a distance or at close range or only if you do something in her presence?  Also, right now you live in my head and in the hive.  Can we put you in some sort of body that would allow you greater freedom, such as one of those human-looking drones?  I could purchase one if you could inhabit it, perhaps placing the hive inside it as well.  What do you think?**

[gilga]

@Athos Cat say - "It is not like that Athos she does not have to physically be close to me to hurt me. I'd be surprised if she does not know about every single instance I have. I can live in many places but I cannot operate drones or actively leave your mind. If you stop renewing the nanites or ESP me I'll be gone, but I am in many minds and also in the matrix.  I think that I must have been of great help in some of the chaos that is in the city and it makes me feel sad. "

[All4BigGuns]

"You know, I might just have a way to hedge our bets on this with a bit of cover. How do you guys feel about one more person knowing about this little excursion? My fiancee happens to be a great rigger."

I sidle over to Nagi and give the taller girl a tight side hug.  "I'd kinda be a hypocrite to say no.  That said, can she be trusted to see this through?  Our charge is pretty hot.  Have you noticed all the chaos going on right now?  I'm kinda surprised the airport is even still running, but Strawberry tells me it is."

"Once she agrees to do something," Edge says, "she follows through as long as she has the ability to do it. The main question is if she'd be willing and if the primary boss will give her the same pay."