[Tecumseh]

The hours pass as Ohanzee keeps watch. He digs through his commlink, looking for clues, of which there are precious few. He cross-checks the file that Katsina sent him with what he can find on the Matrix. Everything seems to be accurate. He checks in with Dolphin, who continues to fruitlessly search for Gloria. The space around the cabin stays clear of astral threats, although he frequently sees drones, helicopters, and private planes passing by in the sky overhead. How much of this is normal Friday traffic for Aspen and how much of it might be actively looking for you is an open question.

The snow stops around 10:00. The clouds are thick and the weather remains overcast, but any excursions now will leave tracks in the fresh snow. Late in the morning, the neighbors to the north arrive. Ohanzee spies on them from the living room window. They are an older couple driving a Ford-Canada Buffalo (an RV), which they park in their driveway since it won't fit in their garage. Why they drove an RV to a weekend home is an open question, unless Aspen is their base of operations and they're just now returning from a road trip.

Ohanzee makes more coffee for the team, as they will surely awake soon. He looks at Katsina's scones and has a notion that he can cook too when the situation calls for it. Sure he can order the autocooker to make pasta, but he even knows how to do it himself, and make a sauce to go with it, and select a bottle of wine to complement it. Maybe it's all part of his charm, the way he can wine and dine and talk sweetly.

The house begins to stir.

[8-bit]

Sam shoots an annoyed glance at him, clearly annoyed that Chino talked. Whatever, I'm tired of running from everyone, even my teammates. Everyone breaks off and Chino manages to drag himself into a bed. He barely has time to get in before he falls into a nightmare-plagued sleep.

Chino finds himself surrounded by darkness. He looks around, but nothing happens. He takes a step forward, but is pulled down. The darkness has gripped him with its tendrils and is pulling him into itself. He doesn't even have time to scream.

He's staring at an oak floor. He pushes himself up to his feet and looks around. He's in the house, in Aspen. There are bodies, dead bodies, everywhere. He even recognizes their faces. There is Ace, there is Katsina. There are too many to count, yet they are somehow all visible as distinct corpses. There is Ohanzee, at the top of the stairs. He turns around and sees Doc, lying there, slumped against the couch, covered in blood. But he's not dead. Somehow, Doc manages to stand, and he shouts, "Look at what you've done! Why didn't you tell us ... us ... us?" The last word echoes as Doc fades from view. Chino hears a whisper in his ear, "What kind of person are you ... you ... you?" As Chino stands there, he tries to say something, anything. Until he realizes there is nothing he can say. A tendril of darkness rises out of the wooden floor and wraps itself around his leg, climbing up towards his eyes. He vainly struggles against it, but as they reach his eyes, the world goes black.

He finds himself in some sort of maze, everything is dark. Even the walls are dark, not even visible. As if shadow was turned into solid form. He sees bright spots, but he doesn't understand. As he stands there, uneasy about what he just experienced, the a shadowy arm rises out of the floor and grabs him. Before he can struggle, Chino is thrown towards one of the lights.

And then everything is bright again. Chino raises his arm to ward off the blinding light, as his eyes get used to his surroundings. Now where am I? A car, a cliff. He's back at the crash. Except, something's different. Chino opens a door on the car. No one is there. He looks around, there are no footprints. After a minute, he looks in the back of the car. Lying there, is a crate. The same crate with the obelisk. In a flash of anger, Chino rips the lid off of the crate. The obelisk stares back at him, it's black surface smooth and shining. The devil is always smooth and shiny, that's how he gets you. Chino looks up, and sees Sam staring at him. His body is riddled with injuries. In a strong voice, he commands, "Destroy it. It is the only way." Chino looks down at the obelisk; it stares back at him, as if it's alive and can see through his soul. He glances at his hands, and then looks at Sam. "Destroy it!" Sam shouts before collapsing. Chino roars in rage, raising his arm into the air. He brings his fist down with every intention of destroying it, but the obelisk shifts and shadow coalesces around it. As his fist connects, the shadow eats his arm, slowly crawling towards his chest. It burns as if he was burning alive, yet it is agonizingly cold as if he was freezing to death. He is in so much pain that not a sound escapes his mouth, and he watches in agony as the shadow eventually consumes his body. He closes his eyes, as he is unable to watch the shadow move towards his head.

And then he reopens them, all pain gone. Panting from the effort, pushes himself onto his hands and knees. Another hardwood floor. Am I back where I started? He looks down at his arm, it's not his. It's Doc's. He stands up and looks around, only to find his eyes settling on, well, himself. He hears himself say, without even thinking about it, "This sneaking shit's not really by thing." Chino, the other Chino, laughs and says, "Okay, okay, The only things holding us back are fear and good judgement." This is familiar, why is this so damn familiar? He hears himself say, "Never had a problem with either." Chino replies, "Me either. Let's hit it!" He kicks the door open, and the world seems to go out of focus.

When it reappears, Chino is back in his own body, looking at what could only be called a slaughter. Chino goes forward to take a closer look. Their faces ... all of their faces ... oh, Ghost, what have I done? What have I done! Chino stumbles back as he recognizes the victim's faces; they were all one face actually, APB's. The world flickers as he is whipped back to the cold mountains, APB's face a dead stare into Chino's eyes. "I'm so sorry," he says, as he reaches out to close her eyes. Her arm whips up and catches his hand. Chino stares in horror as the dead elf speaks. "You. You! You did this! Look around! You did this, and you enjoyed it!" She flings his arm away, and his vision darkens.

For the final time, he is in the maze, but this time, he sees no lights. Only the cold, bitter, darkness. Chino sits there and stares at his body, realizing the truth in APB's words. Blissfully, his consciousness fades into oblivion.

[Malevolence]

Once the first team member wakes, the others follow suit. With the sun streaming through the cabin windows, the runners find it difficult to sleep. Most are well rested, but Katsina wakes with the rest of the team despite having only had about 5 hours to rest. Though the team speaks softly and moves as quietly as they can, the heightened senses of a runner make it difficult to sleep when there is any activity about.


Katsina, after her earlier success in the kitchen, decides to make more food for the hungry group. The scones were great, but with what their bodies have been through, they will need more than just carbs. She puts a pan on the stove and cracks some eggs into it. She frowns, looking at the eggs, and starts picking out bits of shell with a fork. By the time she gets all of the pieces of shell out, the egg has burnt itself onto the pan and is plainly inedible. She tries again with a new pan, breaking the egg into a bowl first so that she can pick the pieces of shell out without burning the egg, but ends up burning the egg anyway after pouring the shell free yolk into the new pan. Frustrated, she sits down in a huff, leaving the meal to someone else.


Ohanzee had managed to poke around the kitchen in order to make a new pot of coffee, having finished the pot from earlier. During this exploration, he realized that he was no stranger to the kitchen. Women love a man that can cook, he figured, also assuming he could dance as well. He'd never imagined it from his stature, but it was turning out he was quite the lady's man. He took the opportunity of Katsina's failed effort to try his new found skill.


All there was to work with were bachelor supplies and some basics. Bread, eggs, the milk was expired (what a waste), bacon and a few other sundries. No spices (other than salt, pepper, and sugar) and no flour (though there was pancake mix). No fresh fruits or vegetables - no perishables at all other than the eggs it seemed. And somehow, with the help of some creative reuse of pre-packaged meals, he threw together a hearty breakfast. It started as bacon and eggs and toast, but grew into quite the repast - bacon and cheese pancakes, omelettes with steak and ham (from some frozen dinners), And a hearty biscuits and gravy.


He looked upon his handiwork and knew with a certainty that the odds of him doing so much with so little ever again were remote. Somehow, there had been the perfect mix of ingredients available, despite a cursory inspection revealing so few. If this was to be their last day alive, they would at least have a final meal to remember.


The kitchen was devoid of conversation while the group ate. But soon the clank of silverware on plate and glass on table died down and the conversation started.

[Tecumseh]

Katsina is wearing her mask so she doesn't partake in Ohanzee's amazing breakfast. Instead she uses the opportunity to share what she knows while the others eat.

"I did some research on the Pueblo Corporate Council while I was on watch. Here's what life is like around here.

"Local law enforcement is in the hands of the Pueblo Security Force. A SecForce trooper serves equal time in the Civilian Arm (police) and the Defense Arm (national armed forces). The cross-training shows. The cops pack (and know how to use) military-grade hardware when the situation demands it. Normally they carry machine pistols and wear armored jackets, but if things get hot they go to heavy armor and anything from assault shotguns to gyro-mount cannons. Since the police and the armed forces are the same guys, the cops can mobilize a full military response with a single call. Some are chromed, a few to the max, and many have some type of headware. Don't slot with these guys unless you want to get us all ripped to shreds. Remember, the PCC is a corporation. These guys aren't your average street cops; they're corporate security. They're well-funded, serious, and don't want to get embarrassed by having any VIPs geeked on their turf. If they need it they have the hardware to guarantee a one shot take-down on anything. Anything."

She pauses for emphasis, looking around the dining room at the larger examples of metahumanity in the group.

"And to cap it all off, the majority of the SecForce is Hopi, the more dissatisfied segment of the population. Get my drift?

"The Koshari are the primary syndicate around here - also mostly Hopi - although there are some Mafia guys too, mostly out of Los Angeles or Las Vegas. Aspen's too expensive for your common class of criminals, but there are some of your high-end services around here. High-stakes animal fights and other thrills for execs letting off some steam. That's probably what those poachers were bringing the horned bear into town for last night.

"The Pueblo 'net is literally years ahead of any other part of the Matrix. Ask Doc. As a result, there are more technomancers around because they're drawn to the Pueblo grid. We have to be mindful of comm security.

"The PCC has the highest population of Anglos of all the Native American Nations, primarily due to the annexation of Los Angeles back in 2061. Nationwide the percentage of Anglos is about 40%, but probably even higher in Aspen due to the seasonal influx of tourists. There will be a lot of corpers around town. That's good news and bad news. It means a lot of private security, but it also gives us a chance to blend in. One idea might be to put Ace in a suit and have the rest of us pose as a security detail. This Moran guy has some clothes here but he's a bit of a butterball. The clothes are going to be tight on Ace or loose on Doc. If we want to go that route, I can work on the tailoring once we're done here. I think Ace has the background to play the part."

She looks at Ace, giving him the opportunity to add his thoughts to that.

[rednblack]

The smell of coffee had been invading Ace's dreams for hours, but he had willed himself to keep sleeping, ignore it, hope there would still be some left when his body was more recuperated.  After a few hours, Ace couldn't wait any longer. "Frag it," he says kicking himself to a sitting position on the couch, and wiping his face.  Looking around the room he notices his new teammates, and goes through the house doing a mental checklist.  In the master bedroom Ace finds Katsina with her mask off, her hair tousled, and a knife in her hand at the sound of his approach.  Thatta girl.  Upon seeing him, she relaxes her hold on the blade and smiles a little sheepishly.  Something about this picture feels very familiar to Ace, and he leans with his foot against the door frame to soak it in, then travels to look out the window facing the front of the house, careful not to move the blinds and see what there is to see.  The RV at the house to the north looks promising.  We could sure use a sweet ride like that.  The next stop is the master bathroom where Ace rummages through the drawers looking for prophylactics, floss, a comb, and other sundry items that may prove useful later

A few minutes later, Ace goes downstairs to check on the coffee, and sees Ohanzee has just brewed a fresh pot, and one that's a little thick at that.  Ace pours himself a cup and nods in thanks.  I think I like a little grit.  Interesting, he thinks.  Ace doesn't think this is the first time he's ever had real coffee, but it just might be the best cup he's ever had.  Katsina follows shortly behind, and tries her hand at making breakfast, but Ace is silently glad when Ohanzee takes over, especially when the smells of what the dwarf has cooking start to waft around.  Bacon and cheese pancakes?!  This meta deserves a medal.

Once everyone has gathered in and finished eating, Ace says, Ohanzee, your call, but I've been thinking about when we make a break from here.  What if we leave a little note for the rightful owner that says we've hidden that rifle of his somewhere, somewhere that LE will definitely find?  His DNA has got to be all over the thing, and they wouldn't take kindly to him having it, right?  At the very least that should buy us some time.  It's an alternative to the partying corp kid idea, at least."

[Poindexter]

Sam eats quietly. He listens to the idle breakfast chat without adding anything to it. Gazing over at the masked woman who's not eating with them, he thinks It's creepy how she never takes that mask off. I'm supposed to trust a woman who can't let a gang of amnesiacs see her face? I don't like her. I don't her or her creepy star mask. He listens to her whole spiel about not engaging with security around here, obviously pointed at him, but doesn't have the energy to react to any slight, imagined or actual. He doesn't really care too much about any of this, but he does wonder when Ohanzee is going to stop fucking around with frying eggs and start addressing the elephant in the room.

[rednblack]

"The PCC has the highest population of Anglos of all the Native American Nations, primarily due to the annexation of Los Angeles back in 2061. Nationwide the percentage of Anglos is about 40%, but probably even higher in Aspen due to the seasonal influx of tourists. There will be a lot of corpers around town. That's good news and bad news. It means a lot of private security, but it also gives us a chance to blend in. One idea might be to put Ace in a suit and have the rest of us pose as a security detail. This Moran guy has some clothes here but he's a bit of a butterball. The clothes are going to be tight on Ace or loose on Doc. If we want to go that route, I can work on the tailoring once we're done here. I think Ace has the background to play the part."

She looks at Ace, giving him the opportunity to add his thoughts to that.

"Yeah," Ace says with a heavy sigh.  "We need to talk about that.  I've been trying to piece together a timeline in my head, not just of the run, I don't have enough to work with there, but about the legwork, the team or teams coming together, the whole thing.  The best I've got goes about a month back.  And I'm afraid you're not going to like it much," As Ace talks he walks around the kitchen with the cup of coffee in his hand.  He finally stops in front  of the picture window and continues.  "I'm going to be up front with you guys regardless.  For everyone's survival, I think we need to get this out front and center: I am, or was, I think 'was' is the correct term given what else I've been able to piece together, yeah, I was a corper.  As of December of last year I was working for an Ares subsidiary in Denver.  And then I received this:"  Ace plays a recording from his commlink.

>>We have a new mission for you. One of our agents has gone missing, and was last seen en route to Aspen. We do not know if she is dead, compromised or gone rogue, but she missed her last check in and has not responded to any attempts to contact her. We need you to find her, and find out what went wrong. Attached is a dossier on the agent and her last mission. An alibi has been provided to explain your absence from your current assignment. Read it, Memorize it, and follow standard procedure. We do not want these files falling into the wrong hands.

"Now, I've been trying to piece together who this contact was, and I haven't come up with much.  Neither APB nor Katsina here make much sense.  Neither has the stench of corper to 'em, and I'd know.  The rest of my mission parameters are here," Ace points to his head, "in a rating 10 datalock."

"The rest of what I've been able to piece together is much fuzzier.  I know that somewhere along the lines my loyalties to Ares died, and I suspect it happened before the two groups came together for this job.  So, that's where we stand.  Katsina's right, if you guys want to play with me as corp plus retinue, I can play the part.  If this is the end of civility between us, you'd better come hard and fast because I'm not going to go quietly into that good night.  And if you have something to add, some piece that I've missed, anything at all, truly, I'd love to fucking hear it."

[8-bit]

Chino shivers as he opens his eyes. He's covered in a cold sweat. Already, his dreams are fading into memory, as dreams are apt to do.

He sits up on the side of the bed, rubbing his eyes. The heavenly smell of coffee forces him onto his feet.

He enters the kitchen, Ohanzee, Katsina, and Ace are already there. Chino grumbles, "Mornin'." He pours himself a cup and takes a seat, slowly enjoying the liquid going through his system. After he has taken a couple of sips, he notices that Ohanzee is cooking some sort of delicious breakfast. It isn't long before everyone else shuffles in and breakfast is ready.

"Ohanzee, you're a saint." Chino digs in and listens quietly as the others converse.

"The rest of what I've been able to piece together is much fuzzier.  I know that somewhere along the lines my loyalties to Ares died, and I suspect it happened before the two groups came together for this job.  So, that's where we stand.  Katsina's right, if you guys want to play with me as corp plus retinue, I can play the part.  If this is the end of civility between us, you'd better come hard and fast because I'm not going to go quietly into that good night.  And if you have something to add, some piece that I've missed, anything at all, truly, I'd love to fucking hear it."

Chino finishes his food and puts down his silverware. He says, "Hell, it doesn't matter where you came from, we're all in this together now."

He looks around at his teammates before looking back at Ace. "I think the plan could work. Me and Doc can probably get us another vehicle, and we could make a convincing, if large, bodyguard entourage." It's amazing how much easier it is to think, I guess I really needed that sleep.

Chino leans back in his seat as he waits for the others to respond.

[Zweiblumen]

The smell of coffee drags Doc from his sleep.  Bleery eyed he stumbles into the kitchen.  He pours himself a soycaf, and takes a sip.  His eyes jolt open.  "This ain't soycaf!"  He savors the flavor of real coffee, pure and black.  He grabs one of the now cold scones that are the best food he can remember, or even remember remembering.... He shakes his head at that thought.  As Katsina and Ohanzee work through the kitchen, he excuses himself and gets a shower.
He makes his way back downstairs and sits at the table to enjoy the feast Ohnazee has prepared.  He notices the bran cereal in the cupboard and pours a bowl of that, dumping beer on it instead of milk.  Then grabs 2 pieces of stake and dumps that on top of the cereal.  As he's making his way through this bizarre assembly of food he notices that he's started gnawing on the spoon.  Looking at his setting versus everyone elses, he looks up and says, "We gotta talk.  I may not remember much, but this is not normal."  As he gesturing with his half spoon.

"I'm exhibiting clasic symptoms of an overabundance of hard nanites.  Something is causing my nanites to reproduce at an alarming rate, or I've got something very unusual implanted that I don't know about and can't find any information on.
I would appreciate any or all of those able to do a full assensing on me, specifically looking for irregularities in systems.  I'm also for doing test along these lines while closer and further away from the oblisk to see if there's a possible connection there.
As for Ace, I'm sure he isn't the first and won't be the last ex-corper I work with.  As far as I'm concerned anything that happened before yesterday is washed clean.  Amnesia can help wash away our sins... at least until they come back and haunt us.  And, like Ace, I'd really like some fucking answers."

[Malevolence]

As Katsina talks, Ohanzee assenses the team. The events of the early morning have him feeling a little more paranoid than usual, and it occurs to him that he has never cast so much as a suspicious glance at his teammates. Ohanzee quickly notices that tensions are high, and left unchecked things could quickly start spiraling out of control. The conversation starts well enough, but soon his fears are proven correct.


Katsina shares with the team the information she shared with him privately earlier. All of it is good information. He wonders how closely Ares and Lone Star are tied in with the Pueblo Corporate Council. If they can call in some favors, their lives would be very difficult. He voices that thought, and also comments on Katsina's suggestion to have Ace play corp.


"One exec with 5 bodyguards in one of the safest cities on the continent might be more than a little suspicious. We could limit the security detail to just Chino and Sam - by virtue of size alone they look the part. Katsina can act as a romantic interest - wife, girlfriend, paid companion, whatever. But Doc and I don't really have a role in that scenario. I think we could work well from the cabin anyway, so there may be little need for us to travel. He can provide matrix overwatch and I can send a spirit or just tag along astrally. Of course, if Katsina refuses to take off her mask, it'll make it difficult for her to travel inconspicuously, even as a bodyguard, so she could just stay here with Doc and I. At least, that's how I envision it working. Thoughts?"


Ace comes clean, and Ohanzee is sharply reminded of his dream. Perhaps he had been suspicious after all. But honesty goes a long way. He wouldn't be turning his back on him any time soon, but for now he seemed genuine enough (Ohanzee reflexively scans his aura to be sure) and his advice to Sam from earlier still rings true - keep your enemies close. He thanks Ace for his honesty, but is highly concerned for how the others might take it. The room was already a powder keg, but this revelation seems to have gone over well enough. That agent he was supposed to meet, missing. He knows a female that also went missing - could he have been played while trying to play the spinster professor? Did he discover her deception and take her out? So many questions, and no clear path to answers. Cursed amnesia!


Chino proposes grabbing another vehicle and Ohanzee remembers to his half conscious suggestion the previous evening. "Could you grab two? One obvious that will be reported missing quickly and one less likely to be noticed for a few days? The first we can use as a decoy as I suggested last night - if the plan still seems sound - and the other for use as you suggest, for hauling our VIP" he indicates Ace "around. The first one only needs Doc to command the pilot to drive it to the next town, so you don't have to spread yourselves too thin managing two vehicles at once."


All through the conversation, he can see Sam growing more and more impatient, casting more than a few glares at the dwarf, encouraging him to bring up the artifact. Sam was smart and disciplined, but trolls were legendary for their short fuses. Ohanzee knew he wouldn't stay quiet, much less calm, for long.


But before he can speak, Doc obliquely brings the artifact into the conversation. The spoon he holds aloft as he speaks is more than a little disturbing, and Ohanzee double checks his aura, sure that nanites should have a telltale effect on one's aura. But try as he might, he still can't seem to see what Chino mentioned, and the lack of any suspicious black holes in his aura - indicative of cyberware or other non-living matter - makes the evidence of Doc's behavior a real blow to Ohanzee's trust in himself. Something is obviously wrong, but I can't see it. This makes it very likely that something is wrong with me. Suddenly, Sam's irrational fear of the artifact seemed significantly more rational. Straining to see what he knows must be there, he is suddenly able to finally see the infection. It clustered around Doc's nervous system, mostly the brain, and was practically everywhere. It was much less pronounced in the others - and all but absent in Ace and Katsina - but still there.


At last, Ohanzee decided it was time to get everyone on the same page. They had a plan to lay low. They had a plan to throw off their pursuers. What they didn't have was a plan for the artifact. He started with the developments of the morning - what Dolphin had discovered, their new neighbors. And then Sam's plan.


"At first, I thought that Chino was imagining things, but Doc's strange eating habits have me wondering. We still can't be sure that the two are related, but it is undeniable that all of us having amnesia at the same time is, well, unlikely, to say the least. The artifact is the primary suspect - it is obviously magic and magic has very traditionally been the go to cause for unexplainable phenomenon - especially before magic was widely accepted as existing."

"The object is old, it is - just by mass and composition - extremely valuable, and it is highly magical. It is very likely unique and quite possibly sentient. It may or may not be malicious, but due to its value, destroying it without having all of the facts is something I hesitate to endorse. However, this is a democracy, and while many have deferred to my judgement, I do not act without the support and input of the team, so we must put it to a vote. Regardless of the outcome, I would like a few hours to study it before we destroy it, and I would like to attempt to communicate with it using my mindnet spell. Once proper precautions have been taken, of course."

"So, here are the facts as I see them: We have a bomb that was very clearly designed to destroy the artifact. It was most likely created by Sam with input from all of us. So we had some plan to destroy the artifact, though it may not have been plan A. If it were, we would have simply blown it up where we found it rather than go through the effort of extracting it. We had it in our possession for some period of time before succumbing to amnesia and still hadn't even attempted to attach the explosive, leading me to believe that if our intent was to destroy it, it was likely either as a last ditch effort to keep it from being reclaimed by our pursuers, or at some specific, and possibly previously prepared, location. The former seems unlikely as we were under heavy pursuit and at the most likely time to be discovered and lose the artifact back to its original owners, so attaching the bomb would have been a high priority if it were a precautionary measure."


"So, either the bomb was placed by someone else and we removed it, or we were taking it somewhere to destroy, very likely as part of a ritual. Or the artifact got to us before we could destroy it at the facility and forced us to extract it for some reason rather than simply make us fight to the death there. Or any of many other less likely scenarios."

"Therefore, we have two decisions to make - do we destroy it or not, and if so, where and when? The possibility that it has some level of control over us further complicates the issue, but I am inclined to think it does not as we are capable of contemplating its destruction, and as Doc describes his symptoms, they are likely nanite related, which are about as high tech - and thus unmagical - as you can get. Though, I'm not willing to rule out that the nanites are benign and acting to counter the magical effects of the artifact. Without being able to see the aura of the ... thing ... inside of him - and us - I can't be sure it is magic or mundane."

"I have stated my thoughts and reasoning. I vote that we hold off on destroying it until we learn more, but that we make that our highest priority. Now it's up to you - everyone gets an equal say, and I suggest you provide your reasons for your decision."

[Zweiblumen]

Doc listens to Ohanzee's ideas, and begins nodding along at the mention of getting more information.

"As much as I admire and respect Sam, I want to find out more about the artifact before we blow it up.  I want to stress that I'm not against blowing it up, just not yet.  It'll probably take me the better part of a day to find solid information about it, but the more information we have to start, the better my chances, nea omea?"  He looks to Sam with a look of platitude, as if asking for either forgivness or forebarence... it's hard to tell which.

"I need a little bit of time to repair my deck, and then I can start searching and resting.  I could really use a day or two, or three.  But one will do in a pinch....
Speaking of resting, I can look into any physical wounds for you Ohanzee if you are taking the time to rest."

[8-bit]

"Could you grab two? One obvious that will be reported missing quickly and one less likely to be noticed for a few days? The first we can use as a decoy as I suggested last night - if the plan still seems sound - and the other for use as you suggest, for hauling our VIP around. The first one only needs Doc to command the pilot to drive it to the next town, so you don't have to spread yourselves too thin managing two vehicles at once."

Chino thinks about it for a second. "I don't see why not. Just means a little more work for me and Doc."

"At first, I thought that Chino was imagining things, but Doc's strange eating habits have me wondering. We still can't be sure that the two are related, but it is undeniable that all of us having amnesia at the same time is, well, unlikely, to say the least. The artifact is the primary suspect - it is obviously magic and magic has very traditionally been the go to cause for unexplainable phenomenon - especially before magic was widely accepted as existing."

"The object is old, it is - just by mass and composition - extremely valuable, and it is highly magical. It is very likely unique and quite possibly sentient. It may or may not be malicious, but due to its value, destroying it without having all of the facts is something I hesitate to endorse. However, this is a democracy, and while many have deferred to my judgement, I do not act without the support and input of the team, so we must put it to a vote. Regardless of the outcome, I would like a few hours to study it before we destroy it, and I would like to attempt to communicate with it using my mindnet spell. Once proper precautions have been taken, of course."

"So, here are the facts as I see them: We have a bomb that was very clearly designed to destroy the artifact. It was most likely created by Sam with input from all of us. So we had some plan to destroy the artifact, though it may not have been plan A. If it were, we would have simply blown it up where we found it rather than go through the effort of extracting it. We had it in our possession for some period of time before succumbing to amnesia and still hadn't even attempted to attach the explosive, leading me to believe that if our intent was to destroy it, it was likely either as a last ditch effort to keep it from being reclaimed by our pursuers, or at some specific, and possibly previously prepared, location. The former seems unlikely as we were under heavy pursuit and at the most likely time to be discovered and lose the artifact back to its original owners, so attaching the bomb would have been a high priority if it were a precautionary measure."

"So, either the bomb was placed by someone else and we removed it, or we were taking it somewhere to destroy, very likely as part of a ritual. Or the artifact got to us before we could destroy it at the facility and forced us to extract it for some reason rather than simply make us fight to the death there. Or any of many other less likely scenarios."

"Therefore, we have two decisions to make - do we destroy it or not, and if so, where and when? The possibility that it has some level of control over us further complicates the issue, but I am inclined to think it does not as we are capable of contemplating its destruction, and as Doc describes his symptoms, they are likely nanite related, which are about as high tech - and thus unmagical - as you can get. Though, I'm not willing to rule out that the nanites are benign and acting to counter the magical effects of the artifact. Without being able to see the aura of the ... thing ... inside of him - and us - I can't be sure it is magic or mundane."

"I have stated my thoughts and reasoning. I vote that we hold off on destroying it until we learn more, but that we make that our highest priority. Now it's up to you - everyone gets an equal say, and I suggest you provide your reasons for your decision."

Wow, he really thought through this whole thing. Or at least, a hell of a lot better than I did.

"I don't know, Ohanzee. What you're saying makes sense, but ... I don't know. Chino ponders for a moment on how to say what he has to say without looking like he's insane. "Whatever I saw, it wasn't just in Doc. It was in you, it was in me, it was in Sam. I haven't checked Ace and Katsina, but it's probably in them too. I'm not that familiar with nanotechnology, but I don't think two or three Awakened people would have a nanite based problem inside of them.'

He pauses for a moment before speaking again. "Whether the thing I saw in us is caused by the artifact is debatable, but it still seems likely to me. Regardless, I think we should get rid of the obelisk, or at the least lug it along to prepare to get rid of it in a way that doesn't give us away." He looks at Doc. "I don't know what's happening to you, or whether having the artifact around will help. What I do know, is that the artifact seems to have caused us no end of trouble." Chino looks at the others before he settles back on Ohanzee. "You said this thing was valuable, right? Clearly, it's valuable enough for someone to send not one, not two, but three strike teams at us so far, and who knows how many more they will send? This thing is hot, way too hot for us to sell it somewhere, if we even remembered how to connect with someone to sell it to. Besides, do we need the money? We probably thought so when we accepted this job, but look at us now." Chino's arm gestures around at the room. "Look at us now. We are sitting into a house that we broke into, and trying to figure out how to make it look like we weren't here because we are running for our lives."

He sighs and continues, "That artifact is probably priceless. That means we must be pretty well connected and well known, to be hired to steal it, no? If we could remember our past lives, I'm sure we were not wanting for money. Or maybe we were, but that doesn't matter. Right now, we are focused on survival. That artifact is not helping us survive. The longer we have it on us, the more strike teams will come after us." Chino rubs his temple for a moment, then continues, "Plus, we have to lug it around everywhere. I don't know how long this hideout is going to last, but I wouldn't plan on more than another day, if that. You can levitate it, Ohanzee, but that leaves you distracted and busy. At the very least, that could get you killed, or it could get all of us killed. I don't want that to happen, and not just because we would lose your abilities. We're a team," Chino looks at Ace and Katisna, "All of us. Whether we were before or not doesn't matter, we've been thrown together by circumstance. Teams trust each another, and teams look out for each other."

He pushes his plate away from him and sits back. "I say destroy it. If you need another day or two to do some research or something, go ahead. I won't say I'm not curious about it and how it may be affecting us. Hell, if it can help us some way, then that's better. I still think it's too dangerous, even if it didn't put any mojo on us."

[Tecumseh]

Katsina assenses everyone, per Doc's request. She tilts her head to the side, as if she cannot believe what she's seeing. Her voice is a mixture of curiosity and bafflement.

"I... see it. I've never seen anything like it. It's a virus, but inorganic."

She holds her hands up to express the limits of her knowledge, or her understanding of what she sees. She can't add much more than that, but she makes eye contact with Chino to confirm that what he saw was real. He didn't just imagine it.

"I don't know anything about nanites. What I do know about is Magic and crafting. We saw the obelisk. It's clearly older than 60 years, which means it is older than the Sixth World. It is magical, so that means it came from the Fourth World. Did this thing sit in the ground for 5,200 years just so we could blow it up? I mean, that's some Dunkelzahn drek right there. And I don't even want to think about the destruction of an artifact like this would do the astral space around here."

She actually pauses here and shakes the thought out of her head, as if she literally does not want to think about it.

"This is my world - the sorcery, the artificing - and I don't want to destroy the obelisk because it's an artifact of that world. It connects us to the past and those who came before. And I don't want to destroy it because the potential consequences are too horrible to contemplate. Bad things happen when you tear a rift in the fabric between the astral world and the physical world. Whatever nightmares you're having or have ever had, this would be worse."

She looks at Chino, as if she knew what he was dreaming - or at least could surmise it from his aura. Her tone is sincere, and borderline frightened.

"If we're not going to sell it, there are organizations that can study it, research it, maybe find out where our minds went. The Draco Foundation has an office in Denver. The Atlantean Foundation - Gloria Winters was a member, right? - would almost certainly be interested. There's the Dunkelzahn Institute of Magical Research and the Astral Space Preservation Society. There are plenty of people who could help, or at least ensure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

"But none of that gives us our memories back or tells us who we were. There are things we can do to give us some answers, and we can't do it all from the cabin. We should:

1) Find Ace's agent, or figure out what his assignment was here.
2) Find Gloria Winters if she's still alive, or if not find out what she knew that got her killed.
3) Reach out to our contacts to help fill in the blanks. Whatever we did last night, we did it with legwork.

"When it comes time to leave, I can go out in Ace's entourage. I can... look different."

Edit: Spelling

[8-bit]

Finally! Someone else sees it; I was starting to second guess myself.

Chino just nods and stands up, picking up his plate and silverware. He deposits them into the sink, trying to be quiet in case anyone else speaks up.He opens the fridge and pulls out one of the few remaining beers. Frag getting found by a strike team, at this rate, we'll run out of stuff to drink!

He opens it up and leans against the wall, waiting as everyone is quietly thinking over what has been said. Hell, I don't know what to say myself. Katsina could be right, Ohanzee could be right, or I could be right. We might even all be right. Or all be wrong. Chino takes a swig as he muses silently about the problem.

[Malevolence]

"Okay, it sounds like we have 2 for destroying it, and 3 for not destroying it - at least not yet. I want to stress that destroying it is NOT off the table. I suggest that we take another vote this evening after we've learned more. But for now, we proceed on the assumption that we are keeping it in one piece. So, here's how I see things going for today:"

"Doc, find a car that will be missed, but not right away - it needs a few hours to make it to the next town. Program it to drive there and park somewhere that makes it seem like it's been ditched in a hurry. Then work with Chino to find our actual ride for the next day or two, something that won't be discovered missing for at least that long. Ideally, it should be large enough to hold us and the artifact. Again, for now we are working on the assumption that we are keeping it. And even if we do end up destroying it, the pieces would be worth keeping."

"Ace, Sam, and Katsina, get ready to go into town in case we need to. We'll probably need supplies - anything you can think of. Also, if we need boots on the ground to gather intel, you'll be the boots. Chino will return here once we have a vehicle and help keep guard - I don't want us spread too thin if things go south. I'll be providing astral overwatch from here as well as study the artifact."

"Considering Katsina's information on law enforcement here and our somewhat violent carjacking earlier this morning, I think it might be wise to cut our stay here short and leave PCC territory. Most of our contacts seem to be in Denver, so that might be a good option, but I am open to suggestions."

"Keep an eye out for trouble. If you don't need it on the grid, turn off wireless. If you do, have Doc add it to his PAN."

"Any questions or suggestions?"