It's a Dog Eat Dog World: Act 2

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[DASH=cyan]Atticus stepped out of the elevator into his "basement." Much deeper underground than a normal basement, his basement was also the home of the Information Network, the ISH's communication center. The IN was a secret even more secret than the ISH's real mission throughout the territories. While its existence was necessarily known by the agents who relayed information through it, no one but Atticus and Ace knew of its exact size or its location. And no one but the two of them knew the entry phrase or would be recognized by the voice and tactile recognition program. Such limited access was a necessary precaution in an organization such as the ISH and with a tool as powerful as the IN.

In stark contrast to his "upstairs," the underground facility hummed with technological advancements. Rows of computer servers blinked with an indistinguishable pattern of lights and one could hear the whirling hum of a hundred cooling fans at various oscillating RPM. Although his upstairs accurately reflected Atticus in its unassuming simplicity and sincerity, his downstairs reflected him no less accurately with its complexity, logic, speed, and efficiency. Most who "knew" him would put him squarely in the former category and many would likely scoff at the notion of his adeptness and "savvy" in such a technologically saturated environment. Atticus never enjoyed deceiving those he knew, even if the deceit was through omission or a "lack of correction," however, he knew that many people really weren't after truth so much as they were after that which was familiar and could be most easily made sense of. To those he cared about, he afforded them the illusion in order to not upturn their world anymore than it already had been. To those he opposed, he used the illusion to subtly manipulate their perception of reality against them, sometimes with lethal efficacy.

Atticus continued past the rows of servers, giving them a quick assessment as he walked past to ensure that all were running as they should be. He didn't spend much time with the assessment knowing that any real faults would be relayed to him through the IN's monitoring program. The Artificial System Assistant and Monitor or "SAM" as he was called by Atticus monitored the system for any problems or anomalies as well as kept tabs on the overall security of the IN from outside threats. Atticus walked through a glass door that parted as he approached and closed behind him cutting off the monotone hum of the server's cooling fans and leaving him once again in silence. The room into which he entered was simple comprised mainly of polished stainless steel and glass. Other than the entrance through which he had just walked there was only one door which led to the basement's support facilities which housed various rooms which were conducive to living and which could sustain life for up to a month without any connection to the outside world. The focal point of the room was a large wall that seemed to be made of a dark reflective glass material.

Atticus walked up to the wall and placing his hand on it said, "Good morning, SAM." A blue light traced the outside of his hand then flashed once. Immediately the wall sprang to life revealing it as a monitor. On it were dozens of images of missing people of various ages, pictures of territories, maps, notes, documents, and numbers with lines drawn between many of them indicating relationships and connections. "Good morning, Atticus," came the smooth voice of the IN's "SAM" program. Atticus stood back to take the wall in with a deep breath. His eyes scanned and roamed each piece of information and his mind raced in a disciplined fashion as he retraced the lines indicating relationships which were the results of various levels of information collection and analysis. To an outside view it might look like the work of a madman but to Atticus' mind it was an intricate web of a vast interconnected whole and each piece had a place in the puzzle and the greater image it revealed.

"I have a strange feeling today's going to be an important day, SAM," he spoke as he scanned. He didn't know exactly why he felt that way but Atticus had long since learned to trust his intuition. As he scanned the wall his eyes kept returning to a wanted declaration issued by Haven for a young man and a young woman. There were many strange connections leading to and from Haven and Atticus had long since held the belief that the government protected territory was not at all what it seemed to be or what it wanted others to believe it was. "Beware a wolf in sheep's clothing," he thought to himself when a small light and tone on the monitor indicated an incoming call from Ace. Atticus touched the light on the monitor to connect the call and with a smile on his face said warmly, "Good morning, Ace! How are you my boy?"[/DASH]
 
Montgomery hearing the phone gets up off his bed and goes over to the phone and answers it saying "Hello. This is Montgomery."
 
"Hello, Montgomery. It's Josie, Ace's friend you met yesterday. I was wondering if you're in the mood to do a bit of searching for the twins? If you are, pack everything you can from your room and meet us out in the parking garage. Just ask the front desk attendant where that is. Also, check the closet in your room. the ISH has tons of training gear in there that will come in handy for this. We'll tell you more about this when you get to the garage."

She knew it was a lot to register, but if he was willing to find the twins, like he said he was, then he would take the bait.

Josie hung up the phone and looked towards Matt, "We can wait a few minutes in the garage right? At least, to see if he's willing to do this."

They headed towards the ground floor parking garage. Josie had already found her Harley with the side car weeks back, but also found two more bikes that were in way better condition and with the keys in the seat compartment. So, she gave her motorcycle up and moved all of their gear, including the side car, over to one of the bikes. Now that Montgomery might be joining them, it looks like she'll need the Harley after all. She began to wonder though if Matt would want her to drive...

"Here's our bike, and the two that I'd found." she jumped on her Harley, throwing the two bags into the side car. "So far, so good, right?"
 
Montgomery, after hanging up the phone, goes to get his things packed. After packing up he goes to his closet and gets the training gear and packs it also as he was instructed to.

He then takes a look at the twins picture again and then he exits his room and shuts the door.

He then goes down to the lobby and over to the front desk and asks the attendant "Hey. Do you happen to know where the garage is?"
 
"Yes, just take the elevator to the ground floor - it takes you directly to the hall that leads to the inside of the parking garage."


((Jessica, you can talk and move NPC's when you need to. The Front Desk attendant is an NPC. Just respond for her how you know she would respond to Monty and keep going. This helps to avoid the 'one liners of doom', as you see above.))
 
(Okay I will^^)

Montgomery "Okay. Thank you."

The Front Desk Attendant "No problem. Have a nice day and I'll see you when you return."

Montgomery "Okay. See you then." He goes and gets on the elevator and goes to the ground floor. He then gets off the elevator and goes through the hallway and reaching the end he goes through another door going into the parking garage.
 
[DASH=cyan]It had been roughly three months since Ace's call and the implications of the information he had provided still staggered him. Haven was running the Trades! Haven, the supposed beacon of light and good after the fall. And under the nose of New Nation who supported and protected them! Surely it was in ignorance. New Nation had plenty of its own faults but Atticus knew they would not continue their support for Haven if they were aware of the territory's true nature. Perhaps he would be able to help remove New Nation's ignorance in a way that masked the source of the information keeping ISH's secrets safe and protecting Ace's friends.

And then there were the Trades themselves. "We never should have…," he began in thought to himself then, "No. We didn't know they would be corrupted. We are not responsible for what they have become due to the actions of…people like those who control Haven." Atticus truly believed that he did not bear the responsibility for what the Trades had become but the lack of guilt did not stop his dedication to the destruction of what they now were. Reaffirming his duty to those the Trade had consumed, he set himself anew to action.

"SAM."

"Yes, Atticus?"

"Start digging into Haven's leadership and its role within New Nation. I want to know who's really in charge of Haven and how much power they have within the government. I also want to know how they've been running the Trades and yet masking their involvement. Find me anything that connects them to the Trades. Anything that looks out of the ordinary. Unusual immigration to Haven from territories we know are Trade affiliated. Unexplained deaths or disappearances involving Haven. Dark pool credit transactions. Anything with even the scarcest connection. And, SAM, this is level alpha-one priority with all the associated security risks and precautionary measures. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Atticus. I understand. I have already begun a search of New Nation's database for the Bishop of Haven's associations within the government and am beginning a search of Haven's credit transactions as we speak."

"Thank you, SAM," Atticus finished nodding his head.

Atticus' next task was Ace's friends. They had to be protected at all costs and that meant making sure they stayed safe at the Tower until he had time to get a better grasp on Haven's influence and their abilities…[/DASH]
 
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Matt and Josie waited by the bikes after parking them before the elevators so they wouldn't miss Montgomery. Josie was beginning to wear out, sitting herself in the side car of of the newer bike they packed for themselves.

"If he doesn't get here soon, Ace will be looking for us. It's getting close to his wake up time." Josie bit her nails in worry. To everyone who saw them, they just looked as if they were heading out for more training will all the bags of equipment and such. But, Ace would know that wasn't the case. When he wakes up to find them missing, he'll probably have the entire building shut down until they're found. Especially now, if he's heard of Josie's surprise.

She glanced at her watch again before turning to Matt, "Do you want to give him a few more minutes, or leave now?"


((Tagging Monty!))
 
Matthew looked around waiting for mongomery to get back so that they could leave. Even though they still had time, there wasn't much and he knew the tranning schedule. He nodded at Josie's comment about Ace comming to look for them and he knew she was right they couldn't take any chances. When Josie asked if they wanted to leave or stay he shook his head. " Lets go, we cant take the chace and wait knowing that he might get caught if he wait any longer..lets wait a few more minutes but after that were leaving".
 
Montgomery walks around the parking garage looking for them wondering if he went through the right door when he entered the garage. He thinks about the twin girls while he looks for Josie and Matt and Montgomery wonders if the twins are okay having heard everything that he was told about the group he was in and what their purpose was and what situations the ones who were lost could get involved in.
 
"Monty! Hey, Monty, over here!"

Josie waved his way, trying to move his feet with her flailing. Time was of the essence right now, and there were no more moments to wait. When Montgomery was closing in, she smiled, "Hope you don't mind me calling you Monty... I'm big on short names."

She was looking up at the two guys and thinking how this was going to be a tough trip for them all; hopefully they'll end up well in the end.

"I've asked you to join us because I'd found one of the twins in the same group as Matt's little brother, Danny. We're umm...leaving early to search, and thought you would like to head out early as well. So, here we are...and with no time to spare. So, I hope you can drive a motorcycle... If not, then we'll have to try to hot-wire a three-wheeler... There's several of them in the back."

During Josie's wanderings in the past month, she'd found several little ISH secrets, from weapons, high-tech equipment, and vehicles... Ah, yes! There were so many different vehicles, fully equip with various gadgets, she couldn't decide on what to steal. But, knowing that motorcycles and other small, off-road like vehicles were best for the terrain they would travel through, she held her enthusiasm for hijacking the Hummer and helicopter.

Besides, she couldn't find the tracking sensors on those vehicles to destroy them. They were easier to find on the motorcycles.

"Well, let's get going before Ace wakes up..." She threw her helmet on and tucked herself back into the side car. She was really not in the best of shape for this, but there was no way she could stay... A nap, that's all she needs right now.

"Matt, here's the new map that was in Ace's file. It looks like we're going to be heading West, almost like we're heading between Haven and the Yellows - towards Freemont."

Josie noticed that they will be leaving the city areas, and even the lush forest areas. The areas where the Pit Territories they were searching for were sitting in desolation - the desert hills... where most of the plant life has died out, leaving topsoil vulnerable to wind and rain. There were tons of run-offs, mudslides, sinkholes, and quicksand.

"It's not nice terrain," she started, but held her tongue... She didn't want Matt getting upset or worried and forcing her to stay. "But, we'll be fine."
 
Montgomery "Yeah it's fine for you to call me Monty if that is what you wish. And you said one of the twins is in the same group as Matt's brother huh. That's convenient. I wonder where the other twin is though and why they aren't together. They must be terrified to be separated from one another considering they probably only know of eachother as the only family they have left sense their parents are gone. But yeah I can drive a motorcycle if you need me to Josie."
 
"Well then, let's get the hell out of here..."

Josie handed Matt the map and soon, they were leaving the parking garage, heading straight towards the tunneled exit heading out of the Yellows. Josie watched as they passed the stores, the vehicles, the people walking around like the world hadn't changed, like there were no problems whatsoever for anyone to deal with.

Josie knew better...

There were plenty of problems that were nerve-racking, and probably wouldn't affect anyone. But, there was one that sneaks pass their security walls, and like a thief in the night, takes one of your own. So s hope they can take theirs back. One way, or another.

"There's several outpost throughout this area... We can definitely stop at one for the night, and then move on the next day." She was already planning their moves, thinking, calculating on their best actions going to the best thoughts.

****

Soon, after several long hours of dusty, hot driving, they came to an Outpost called Surplus. It was several cabins surrounding a larger one that stood near a lake in the forest they'd entered several hours ago. Josie had fell asleep, but had woken up to the sound of waterfalls and the bike suddenly stopping. She looked up and yawned lightly. "Wow, we're here already?"
 
Matthew was glad to see that Montgomery was able to make it because the more people they had the better it would be for all of them. He listed to Josie and Montgomery's converstaion before looking around at the quiet streets. When they were finially ready he helped Josie into the side car and then he got in the bike after placing the bags in the side car. He listened to Josie and took the map looking ta it before starting the engine. He was worried about her but he knew she was stubborn so he began to drive. Aafter a few hours he was exausted and tired. He stoped the bike before getting off and seeing Josie awake. " Yeah were here". He kissed her forehead and then looked around. Opening on of his bags he strapped his rifle around him and his blade in his boot.
 
[DASH=cyan]Atticus sat at the steel and glass desk located in the middle of the IN control room facing the monitor wall. The top glass piece, like the wall, was a monitor in and of itself. It could mirror or control the display of the larger monitor or display smaller segments or individual pieces of information separately from the larger display.

Currently it held various documents and reports from which Haven's Arch Bishop's role within the government was either explicitly documented or could be inferred by an observer who knew what to look for. Primarily, Atticus had discovered that the Arch Bishop's explicit relationship was as counsel to New Nation's DHS. Seemingly, in exchange for that counsel, or for some other reason, New Nation provided Haven with protection. Undoubtedly, Haven's ability to keep an eye and ear so close to New Nation's inner workings provided them with the opportunity to exploit that trust and remain undetected. Atticus had yet to find that anyone in New Nation was aware of Haven's dark secret, or worse yet, was working with Haven in running the Trades. Nor had he found any explicit links between Haven and the Trades which he could hope to exploit. Not that he needed any further proof of the cunning and deceptive capabilities of Haven's leadership, but he had to admit that they had done an expert job of covering their tracks and tying up loose ends. Without the information provided by Ace's friends they might never have made the connection on their own. And now it was his hope to find another link in order to protect and keep them out of the melee. Lord knew they had been through enough pain and trouble to last two lifetimes.

As Atticus continued scanning, dismissing, and sorting the information provided by SAM's searches, the program suddenly spoke up.

"Atticus?"

"Yes, SAM," he replied without looking up.

"I have a system indication that two vehicle tracking sensors have been tampered with or disabled. They appear to have been assigned to two motorcycles located in the Tower's upper garage. Nothing else seems to be out of place and all other sensors have passed the reporting checks I ran when I discovered the indications. Would you like me to alert someone at the Tower?"

Engrossed in his work, Atticus was still head down as SAM relayed the information, "Yes, SAM, that would be..." he trailed off. Two vehicles had gone unaccounted for with no other signs of foul play. There was no protocol for an agent to disable a vehicle's sensors and even if there were there were no agents scheduled to depart this mo...No. No no no. "SAM, disregard that last, I need you to connect me to Ace immediately. Wake him up if you have to, it's urgent." What were they thinking? Had something changed that made them feel like they would be better off on their own rather than under ISH protection?

A few moments after giving the command, a sleepy voiced Ace was on the line. "Atticus?"

"Ace, we have a situation..."[/DASH]
 
Montgomery gets off the motorcycle, straps his weapons on, and looks around at the scenery surrounding them and says "It looks inviting enough but there's that saying looks can be deceiving."
 
((This is not a Pit Territory, Jessica. There's small outpost along various routes to different territories for travel assistance. It's so desolate out there, so these outpost give people a chance to take a rest and eat, and receive first aid; if need be, before they head on their way. There's people who work the outposts, they live there and keep it well stocked. The Outpost are military-designed and supplied. But, that doesn't mean they're safe. Sometimes, you'll run into either a pit crew who's taken over the establishment, or bandits. So, everyone has to be careful when entering an outpost.

So, you may want to edit your post there... or Josie's going to tell you this all over again! LOL!))



Josie pulled herself out of the car and began to arm herself from her weapons bag in the side compartment. She strapped her machete against he left hip, her .22 tied against her right thigh, the throwing knives she'd had tied around her back and was hidden by the vest she'd gain from a passed friend. She patted the handgun, as if thankful to have it. After all that training from the ISH, she's finally gained a bit of comfort and control with the weapon, but she still preferred knives...

Looking around quickly, she didn't notice any other vehicles or signs of life on the grounds. "Hopefully, this outpost's not controlled by bandits or something..."

Just then, a young gentleman in an apron stepped outside the door of the office, wiping his hands on a clean dish rag. "You folks' needing a rest tonight?"

Josie saw movement coming from the front window - a gun barrel pointing out behind the tattered curtain. "Only if that barrel's full of buckshot to scare away bandits and not travelers who want no nevermind..." She stood beside Matt with a cold stare at the other man.

The young man smiled at the witty comment, seeing how she was mocking some scene from an old western movie. It was funny to him. "Well, if you're not bandits...which I know you're not 'cause they travel in large groups...and they don't have any fancy treads like that." He pointed to their bikes. "Then, you might as well come in. We're just getting ready for dinner."

The gun at the window moved away, and soon an older man stepped out the door beside the younger one. He was Native American with hair as long as the rifle he held. "You're new to the ISH, I see..." he smiled and waved them forward. "We weren't expecting any new recruits any time soon. You can park your bikes in the back, under the lean-to, to hide them from view for now."

Josie was stunned, forgetting that fact that their bikes would be easily recognized, as well as the training gear they partially wore. She followed Matt and Monty around the back before turning to Matt with doubt, "If they call the Tower, then what?" she whispered. They had to hurry up and think of excuse, some viable story they could use to give them some more time. They were only two to three hours away from the Yellows - easy pickings for Ace. Their three-man crusade would be over before the new day came.
 
Matt looked around and watched as Josie strapped herself with her weapons. The place was empty almost deserted like and they were the only people. He hoped there would be someone else. Just as he was going to turn around a man came out from one of the doors of the office and he grabbed his gun. The man didn't seem like a threat but then again he knew that it was tricky and looks were deciving. Out the corner of his eye he spotted a gun in the window and his eyes stayed locked on it.

Eventually the gun moved away and an older man stepped out. Looking from one guy to the other he made sure that Josie stayed close to him before following them around back. Putting a cover over their bikes he turned to Josie realizing what she was saying. " I dont know say we found them a few miles back and decided to use them to find the nearest place to rest because of your condition, im sure they'd be gullible and will belive it if they know your pregnat".
 
(Okay Phi. I edited my previous post by taking the last sentance off.)

Montgomery thinks trying to remember what undercover excuses he used when he was on the job while he was in the bording school.
 
Josie rolled her eyes, "If you're going to start using the pregnancy as an excuse out of tight spots, then everyone's going to treat me like fine china....," she pouted a bit. "Really, do I look like fine china to you?" She posed, expressing the weapons she wore and the fact she knew how to use them. A witty smile crossed her eyes. "You're worrying too much..." she tippy toed close to give Matt a peck on the chin. "But, for now, that's the best story we've got."

She waited until they were all done and followed them inside the outpost office, finding it well taken care of. The front area was where travelers registered, and then in the back there were a few offices, bedrooms for the landlords, and a large room in the back with tables, chairs, and a kitchen where a woman stood working hard beside the young man at the stove. She looked to be in her forties, and a spitting image of the young man; which gave Josie the impression that she was his mother.

"Oh, travelers!" Her smile was as fair as her blond hair, and she seemed overly excited to have people there, which made Josie believe that they haven't had a lot of people come visiting lately. "Good thing I'd made more than usual." She turned to the older man and nodded, "Did Redcorn do introductions, or am I going to have to?"

Redcorn shook his head, "Ah no, I was too busy making sure they weren't bandits, that's all." He turned towards Matt and Monty with a welcoming hand, "I'm Redcorn, the manager here and ISH agent. This here's my wife, Marcie, and her son, Terry."

"I'm Josie. This is my boyfriend, Matt, and our friend, Monty. We've been um...traveling for a long time, trying to reach Freemont, but only been finding trouble."

Redcorn nodded as he took a seat at the largest round table in the room, offering them a seat as well. "There's been a lot of activity lately, large groups scouting around, trucks traveling back and forth between the two pit territories in this area. Terry and I have been spying on them, trying to determine what's going on. Have you guys been with the ISH long?"
 
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