A break-in with complications

In Beijing Padme got them the facility-plans, a copy of the access-card and details on the rather strict security. She would oversee the incursion from the escape-vehicle, a jetblack rebuilt Humvee 2089, some random guy had lost in poker to Aleph Nim. Quicksilver, Hobbes and Aleph would enter the building using stealth and force.

To buy proper equipment they needed cash. Hobbes was wearing black combatfatigues, but no armour exept for skateboard-issue knee-protectors and a simple Pro-Tec extremesportshelmet. His face was completly hidden behind combat-makeup, helmet and his Ray-Ban style nightvision-goggles. He was lightly armed – with a silenced gun and a combatknife. Quicksilver was wearing her thigthfitting parkour ninja-suit with hood and all, on her back hung a decent katana. Aleph whore his normal clotes exept for the insulated parkour-gloves all of them whore.

They adeptly crossed the electric fence, and ran across the employee-only park without beeing seen. They had been quicker than expected,and Quicksilvers virus would not start its attack for another 2 minutes 43 seconds. When the guard came round the corner, Aleph, who without even Hobbes noticing had moved to the corner simply touched the mans neck, held his grip for a moment, and then proceded to hide the unconsious guard in the shadows. All the thime speaking lowly to the guards dog. He bid the dog keep guard cross the corner, and went back. When the virus attacked the clock for the security-system was put back 12 hours and thus, by all practical means and measures it was day and businesshours. Using a hacked version of the access-card they got through every door on the way silently ran straigth into the inner laboratory without meeting a single guard.
After inspecting the unimprinted prototype they all agreed it would be impossible to diconnect it without the alarms going off. Aleph Nim who normaly was a very cautious man wanted to try his groups strengths. He ordered Hobbes to go outside to hold off early arriving polive, Padme to drive to the rescue at his signal unless someone needed EVAC – in which case she was free to do her will. Quicksilver would steal the prototype and he would back her up.

When she saw him in the great hall, she was flying down the stairs quicker than any elevator, he waved her on. Guards where running towards them, but he walked towards the 3 guards like it was just another day in the office. She knew she should run – but had to see. He walked towards them, she could hear him talking to them above their policelike shouthing and when he was close enough they simply fell without him moving. He waved her on again, and quickly took the guards sidearms and extra magasines.

The guys in the first policecar never knew what hit them. They parked in front of the main enterance, Hobbes stepped out of the shadows and shot them with his silenced gun at point blank range. He helped himself to their bodyarmour, a shotgun – who he slung over his shoulder, a backup-gun and a ancle-holster, two standard issue chinese military 9mill, 24shots, recoilreduction and laser-aid aimingsystem and a combat-helmet. As the second car was driving up, drawing their weapons he sent them to their maker with two quick shotgunshots, he sidestepped the car who crashed into the first policecar and proceded to fill up on ammo. He put the shotguns and extra ammo in a gymbag he found and taped all the bodyarmour he found up so that it would transport easier. They now had set up a 100 meter perimeter around him with two poliecars in each direction.

Sticking her head round the corner Quicksilver saw 3 running figures coming towards her; Aleph was just behind her so she just ran straigth towards them, took a slide long the ground 'neath them and kept running – the guys turned and started to run after her and was brutaly put to sleep by Aleph in reward for turning their backs on a dragon.
When they came out the door Hobbes was taking fire from a solitary weapon. He was hidden behind a policecar who had taken heavy fire and was leaking diezel like mad. He was changing his magazine, when he saw them he signaled them to wait. He quickly changed his position, shot an agressive series of shots, and then shouted clear! and started to renew the used rounds in his magazine.

Aleph gave Padme the signal, she picked them up and they dissapeared into the humid Beijing night while the SWAT teams where still getting their fatigues on.

Freeing the AI sourcecode

Now they where four. Aleph Nim, Thomas Hobbes, Quicksilver and Padme. Both Hobbes and Quicksilver where drawn to Aleph Nim by his spell. Padme, in a magic sense of things, was herself a sorceres and had been a neccesary component in the spell – but she was in no way aimless as the two other where.
 Thomas told Aleph Nim he'd heard he was one to help people who needed disapearin' disapear. But Aleph Nim merly pointed out that 'You already are disapeared, my friend, what now?' They just hung around in Katmandu for a few days, seeing the sights and hanging in the coffeeshops. They talked about what to do, and it seemed the first thing to do was to get some money. They discussed a few options; in the end the decided on attacing the microsoft-facility in Beijing to free the AI-sourcecode being stored there.

 Aleph Nim, having dealt with a few older Artificials, was somewhat sceptical when it came to releasing this code on the world, as was the obligation necessary to reap the 50 million € reward. But Padme appealed to his sence of decency – the Artificials where beeing kept as slaves; Quicksilver simply stated that the Artificials would selfregulate because imbalance and anarchy would lead to cannibalism and in the end to the tyranni and lonlyness of one great digital God. Thomas Hobbes added gleefully, and speaking directly to Aleph Nims greed, that papa need some toys.
 While Padme imediatly started seducing a senior programmer at the site; Aleph Nim used glamour to change the appearance of the group. Quicksilver forged the neccesary documents and the group traveled comfortably to Bejing as a chinese family of father, mother, son and daugther-in-law. Thomas Hobbes spent his time training.

Katmandu

When she knocked on his door it was opened by a bald, big, hardlooking fellow in white shirt, black suit and tie – and since she knew what to look for she spotted both the bodyarmour and two guns in shoulderholsters (one large caliber under his right arm (for armoured oppontents, she guessed) and a smaller under his left arm). 'He has been waiting for you. Please enter and leave any and all weapons to my partner.' Quicksilver (quite obviously) didn't carry any weapons, yet she had to suffer the fellow groping her breasts and other privates while searching her.
 A man in a black tie suit and a Irish walking-cape that propably could hide a PantherCannon and her grandmother suddenly entered the hallway. He had black wavy hair that was combed back to look like a black and shiny, short and intense fire. His eyes where sharp and framed with frail black eyeliner. For some reason she could never, even though she several times promised herself that she would look for it the next time, remember the colour of these commanding eyes. He walked up to the fellow who had been cupping a feel when searching for weapons and simply said 'You can pack your things and go. I have no need of men who can not respect my house.'

 Quicksilver and Aleph Nim walked into a huge office filled with with books and art. There was a fireplace with a mantle filled with gods and saints, magic stones and incense, flowers and candles. He bid her sit in the lushious coach by the fireplace, prepared a steaming cup of blackcurrant toddy with rum and 'erby spices. Then he joined her in the couch, taking nothing for himself. She found herself telling more than planned, but never found reason to regret her indiscretion. Together they arranged for Padme and Thomas Hobbes travels from Seol to Katmandu. No camera saw their passing – they where like ghosts, and Padmes trail whent straight to her hometown somewhere by the coast in the arctic regions of Europe.

Aleph Nim

When Aleph Nim turned 30 years in the year of the firedragon (2096), he considered his masterless apprenticeship finished and decided to think of himself a master of the magic arts. He had used his enitre life to learn a craft belived by the mundane mind to be but fantasy and myth. He had traveled the world, and even though he had never met another master of the arts (sometimes suspecting he might be the only true magician of his time) he had had many teachers, for he had sougth to know a great many spells.

He had never had another purpose in life than to be what he now was, and while the meaning of life was clear to him, his further path was for a time unclear. His position of almost limitless possibility in a game whose players he did not know, lead him to thoughts of withdrawal from the world of men. Consulting his cards he learned that he should gather round him people of power, but Aleph Nim could glean no purpose from his divinations.

While the magician certainly was an extremly dangerous individual; courageous, and quite capable of both death and destruction, he (like most magicians) shunned unnessecary danger. Thus he decided to start his quest by searching for the ultimate solider – a weapon his mind could wield and a shield for his, by its nature, fragile physical body.

Aleph Nim cast his spells, and while many warriors where drawn to his path, he found no knight – no captain to inspire his men of violence to the greatness he needed from them. No singular warrior matching his expectations. He realized his mistake, changed his spell; this time drawing the exeptional and aimless towards him.