ic [IC] Fight the Power

[Supercape]

Synth

 

Synth turned into Woolback street, one of the filthiest, smallest streets known to the refuge collectors of Freedom City. It would be tough to get a car down here. He vaulted over one, then two dumpsters, and clear over a mesh gate in a tumbling swoop. 

 

He landed like a panther, sweating. He paused just a few seconds, juggling his muscles back to firmness. Less metabolic demand. 

 

Evading police would have been relatively easy. AEGIS was another matter, they had already displayed highly sophisticated technology and no doubt were well trained. On his side, he was faster on foot and new the streets of Freedom City better than most. 

 

A few seconds adjusting his muscles gave him an idea. Perhaps not the best idea, but he didn't have time to swirl around the risks and benefits of every course of action. 

 

He tore loose the manhole below him, dived down, and pulled the manhole cover. 

 

The sewers. 

 

Dark, and (hopefully) free from surveillance. 

 

Now, he couldn't see in the dark, but his uncanny senses gave him a sort of feel for the environment, and he had only developed eyes late when growing. Blindness was not strange to him. 

 

Hand to the wall. Cold, masonry, a little damp and even some fungus. 

 

His feet in water. His nose assaulted with the worst of smells. 

 

And now, as orientated as he could be, time to run...

[olopi]

GM

 

Synth managed to clear the perimeter he’d scouted in barely any time. By the time he’d done so, one car had managed to follow him down the street, but it didn’t fit through all of them, so he shook it off without much further issue. And while the agents in it got out to chase after him, he once more changed the direction he was going in.

 

And then, downwards. A quick glance to make sure nobody watched him, and he soon was down in the depths of Freedom’s sewer system. Would he stumble across anything down here? It was hard to tell, but from above he could hear the faint rotations of, almost certainly, a helicopter, so it probably was the right choice.

 

He continued running, doing his best to ignore the sewer’s assault on his senses. Perhaps they’d think as far as to follow him down here, perhaps they wouldn’t. Still, he was moving away from the building, so they would have to catch up to him if they did.

[Supercape]

Synth

 

Synth paused for a moment in the darkness, to catch his breath. He had at least a few moments to think about his next course of action. 

 

He hoped he had an at least vague idea of where he was, but he could not be sure. The important thing was not to run in circles - keep heading broadly the same direction. 

 

Despite the pain, he spent an agonising half minute changing his appearance once more. 

 

Same clothes, but now the face of a homeless woman in her fifties or more, with life-weathered skin and a nest of grey straggly hair. The smell, when, after chasing along the sewers, it was a perfect fit. 

 

She waited for the fire to down down from her bones. Oh, how it hurt - it was only the knowledge that it was transient that made it bearable at all. She felt her teeth grinding together, trying to bite down the scream. It would echo like a trumpet down here. 

 

Now, to find the subway. 

 

Most refuge collectors were at least vaguely familiar with the subway and sewers of freedom city. Different departments, but they were close enough to be on speaking terms. There were plenty of maintenance hatches and the like leading from one to the other, some so old that nobody even knew about them. It was home to a dozen and more urban myths of insect men and giant mutant alligators. Whilst Synth didn't pay any of them credence, she could not help a sardonic thought about how she didn't want to make any more enemies right now...

[olopi]

GM

 

As Synth made her way through the sewers trying to find one of the few hatches, she could soon hear the sound of boots, slowly walking through the water, behind her. They were far removed, she had more than enough time. But the sewers made it all sound a lot louder than it was, so it felt a lot closer. She continued to run, and, after about a minute of searching, managed to come across one.

 

Immediately, she slipped through and closed it behind her. Would it be enough to fool them? Perhaps. It would certainly buy her some more time. The inside was dark and cramped. Both things Synth was becoming a lot more used to. As she made her way forward, she came across a fair amount of spider-webs, and at least twice some of the local wildlife ran away from her. Judging by all that, and the place’s general look, nobody had been in this particular shaft for quite a while.

 

After some time of fighting her way through, she found the other end. It led into a subway shaft, but Synth could see the station, only perhaps one hundred feet down. The lights were turned off, only some safety lights still bruning. It was clean, so it clearly was still in use, but it appeared to be closed for the night…

[Supercape]

Synth

 

Finally!

 

Fortune was swinging her way at last. The only difficulty was the subway shaft itself. A hundred feet would be a terrible drop even for her. At least there was some small amount of light.

 

Still, a climb down in almost darkness whilst trying to be quiet would be a challenge, and one to take slowly. SHe felt rather than saw her way to the nearest handhold, and followed suit with her other limbs, edging carefully. 

 

By her judgement the worst of the chase was over in that the immediate trail had gone cold, but AEGIS had not given up the hunt yet. It depended upon their resources and speed of mobilisation. At worst, they would shut down the subway systems but even at this hour, that would not be politically wise unless a robust justification could be produced. 

 

Too many variables to consider. Right now, climbing down to the subway without falling was the priority...

[olopi]

GM

 

The climb was not an easy one. There were some handholds, but thanks to the light condition, even spotting those took valuable time. Valuable time, during which Synth’s muscles grew more and more exhausted. Even his body would not be able to last forever, and the weight of the entire day was starting to show itself. It was not bad yet, but it was starting to appear, and that wasn’t the best position to be in right now.

 

The station appeared to be a rather small one. From what Synth could tell from the first glance while descending, it only served one line, with only two tracks in total. The room was rather small, and he could already spot the escalators, connecting the station with the world above.

 

Slowly, he descended. One step at a time, managing a few feet a minute. Still, after some time he made his way to the station. It probably cost him most of his lead, but from here on out, there were a lot of places he could go to. Of course, there still was the issue of them potentially recognizing his clothes…

 

 

[Supercape]

Synth (as Hobo Woman)

 

Synth paused a moment to turn her clothes inside out and smear them with the residue of subway stations; black soot. It was not ideal, but a casual glance might be fooled.

 

She had endured quite the trek in the last few hours, but Synthetic flesh was resilient. Still, it did not take much acting to bend over and start walking with a slow shuffling gait. 

 

A touch of Parkinson's disease! came the memory. It was a fair suggestion for a hard living woman in her fifties with no medical care. Barbarians! spat Synth inside her head, wondering at the state of medical care and inequity of wealth. 

 

She shuffled onto the platform of the subway, pondering next move. She would draw the kind of attention that was not attention - people would avoid her furiously, both physically and with their gaze. A well trained agent would look twice, she was sure. 

 

As much as it sat uncomfortably, she would have to steal again - clothes. Perhaps a shopping bag left unattended, if there was one. 

 

The other option was to sidle off to the subway "Staff only" section, maybe grab some uniforms and change shape again - although she did not relish the thought of another rapid transformation. 

 

[olopi]

GM

 

8:22 AM

 

AEGIS had spent the entire night searching for Synth. Yet, through a cunning mix of hiding and disguise, Synth had managed to avoid them, with one incident where her cover had almost been blown. Still, she came through, and managed to even get some rest in the time until AEGIS would begin investigating her claims. It happened later than she’d expected, and hoped, but such was bureaucracy.

 

Still, after a few hours of lying in wait in various places, Synth could see more and more AEGIS vehicles making their way towards the building she’d now escaped out of twice. Cars approached, doing their best to stay inconspicuous as usual. And even when she approached in her current disguise, she did not get stopped. There no longer was a perimeter, or any sign thereof. The only thing that remained were some of the vans, parked alongside lots of other vehicles, but standing out to all those that knew what they had to look for.

[Supercape]

Synth

 

A grumbling sense of frustration, perhaps even despair, hit Synth, watching the building. She was still dressed as a depressingly filthy tramp. It seemed even the tramps avoided her. She muttered a bit about the CIA microchip in her head just to add to the facade. 

 

Paranoid delusions with thought insertion! came the memories. 

 

But AEGIS had the place locked down tight. And it had no become a less fruitful target. Firstly, she had seen what was inside, at least to some degree. Secondly, whatever there was in there that could help would be locked down even tighter, or, probably, the scientist had either destroyed or removed. 

 

It was worthy of a sigh, and a sigh she gave it. 

 

Instead, the prospect of investigating Williams and Knight reared its ugly head. But perhaps not like this...

 

Instead, a trip back to her flat. Grab the spare key in the flower pot. A shower, a change of clothes, and an attractive young blonde woman with cropped hair, the best clothes she could get, and that "power lawyer" look...

 

 

[olopi]

GM

 

It took some time to walk back to the flat. It wasn’t too far away considering the size of the city, but it still was big enough a distance that walking took some time. Not many people walked around this early on a Sunday, apart from some church-goers, so Synth managed to get from place to place without much interference. She arrived at her home soon after, and after having made sure nobody was watching, entered.

 

And after about forty minutes, an entirely different face, wearing much more sophisticated clothes, left. She’d looked up the location of K&W’s main offices, only to find out, that, unfortunately, they were a fair distance removed, up in Wading Way. Walking would take at least until Noon, which probably wasn’t preferable. The Monorail stopped close to their offices, but it was an expensive way to travel.

 

Freedom’s bus services were cheaper, but it was the bus services. They’d probably be mostly fine this early in the day, but they did have a certain reputation…

 

[Supercape]

Synth

 

Synth could probably run faster than the busses, but someone powering at that speed, on foot, down a street of Freedom City was asking for trouble. If time was permitting, she would have just walked. But something in the back of her neck impressed upon her: Time may not be critical, but it is short supply...

 

The Bus it would be. A stunning woman in a business suit might look out of place, but she would do her best to wear a icy aura. In fact, it would be a good aura to practice wearing; a suitable flavour for a high powered business woman or lawyer. She hadn't quite worked out the details yet...

 

Consultant in workplace psychology? Ergonomic management? Health and Safety? might be the best bet. But it would boil down to sharp eyes, sharp ears, and thinking on the spot. 

 

With that mulling in her mind, she stepped on the Bus and paid the money she had. Frankly, she now wished she had kept a few of "Knuckles" winnings...

[olopi]

GM

 

This early in the morning, there was not much activity on the bus. Most people weren’t too eager to get on, even if most of the bad reputation was, according to many others, a thing of the past. But reputations were hard to get rid off. And once Synth got on, she could tell that perhaps, this was going to be one of those times where the bad reputation only got stronger.

 

Sitting in the back of the bus was a man, probably in his early twenties, dishevelled and probably still drunk from the night before. Still, his clothes suggested money wasn’t an issue to him, so that only made his presence more confusing. The only other passenger was an elderly couple, who were off minding their own business. And as soon as the bus had driven off again, the man stumbled forward, towards Synth. His words were slurred, and judging by the smell he was still rather inebriated.

 

“Heeeeyyyy… Whuzz a …bretty lady like you doin’ hee…ere?”

[Supercape]

Synth (As Bella McEally)

 

Her nose flared in an involuntary spasm. The smell was impossible to ignore, driving up her nostrils like a sledgehammer. She was used to bad smells, but on garbage. Then again, this man was not so far from garbage. 

 

Of course, she had herself just waded through a sewer and disguised herself as a hobo. It would be improper to be too judgemental. 

 

Stale alcohol...stale sweat....schwarma?

 

"I'm lecturing on epigentic variance in mitochondrial ATP metabolism at the University" she said, bluntly, like a tank rolling over conversation. "I would be happy to discuss it. Otherwise, lamentably, I must decline the offer of further interaction"

[olopi]

GM

 

The man’s reaction was about what could be expected. He looked at her with big eyes, jaw hanging slightly open, and processed what had been said for a few seconds. No movement, just him staring at her while slightly tilted to one side. Next thing Synth knew, his arm was making its way towards her shoulder. Slowly. It felt as if he was moving in slow motion. And it certainly didn’t help his balance, already way off before moving his arm forward. At this point, a light breeze would’ve probably taken him off his feet.

 

“Whuuu… I like you. Mito …whu. Those cell things. Come … oon, I’m sure I can ca … cov… convince you…”

 

The eldery couple off to the side of them did the best to simply act as if they weren’t there. Both of them stared out of the window, without even thinking about turning to look. And the bus driver, for his part, didn’t seem to care much either, too busy weaving his way through the streets of Freedom.

[Supercape]

Synth (as Bella)

 

I'm sure you can't sighed Synth in her head. 

 

Vagus nerve hyperstimulation with Solar Plexus neuromuscular shock...

 

"Sleep it off, my friend" she said with a smile. Her left hand formed a knuckled and ground into his solar plexus, the right one jabbed deep into the flesh between his neck and left arm, hitting the vagus nerve. A nice drop in blood pressure and transient hypoxia. 

 

And she caught him as he fell asleep. The booze probably had helped his journey to the land of nod. 

 

"He got smashed" she said to the elderly couple, with a wink. Despite her outburst of violence, she let the man down gently onto the seat opposite and gave him a friendly pat on the head. 

 

 

[olopi]

GM

 

Neither the couple nor the driver paid any attention to Synth’s attack. Either they didn’t care, had missed it, or were simply used to it. There was a sharp turn, knocking everybody to the side just a bit, but other than that, the rest of the journey occurred without anything special happening. Just a bus, with some people getting on, others getting off. And at some point, Synth was amongst the people getting off the bus. From here it would only be a short walk towards K&W’s offices.

 

The building was one of FC’s medium-size skyscrapers. It rented out space to a large variety of companies, amongst them K&W, who had most of their administrational and leadership staff in the building. According to their website, they rented 5 floors, located in the middle of the entire thing. The reception was modern, with multiple people staffing it, and a large glass front leading out towards a small fountain in front of the building.

[Supercape]

Synth (as Bella)

 

Synth stopped outside, picking up a newspaper to casually half-read. She figured it was worth five minutes to gather her thoughts and observe who was coming in and out. What entrances were there? what was the mood of those going in and out?

 

She sat on a public bench just outside, quietly observing. It would be rush hour soon, with plenty of bustle and activity. The ideal time to slip in and try a bold gambit. But perhaps she could even the odds by sharp eyes and sharp ears. 

 

And with a bit of visibility, a chiselled cheeked woman sitting alone outside the building might attract an early worker to K&W, who might pause to drink coffee and try his (or even her luck - Synth did have a libido but little concept of the discrete nature of either gender or orientation). She harboured few romantic aspirations normally, and the few she had were limited by the reality of her true nature. But right now, she had none. Perhaps normally she might have thought twice about the use of allure, but right now, necessity overrode vague moral concerns...

[olopi]

GM

 

Granted, it was a comparably quiet day. Most people were at home during the weekend. But as large parts of the company ran all week long, there still was some office staff that was required. And of those, many were only now arriving. It wasn’t really anything out of the ordinary. Blazers and ties for everybody, many of them in quite a rush. The main door opened to everyone, and in fact was now held open by a mechanism on the inside, while the crowd poured through.

 

Only once inside there was an identification. Gates that were activated through the usage of what appeared to be an RFID card, similar in look to those one saw on the subway. Some few went towards the reception, got outfitted with a card by them, and then could pass through. Synth observed for perhaps twenty minutes in total, when somebody sat down next to her. A woman, shoulder-length brown hair and also wearing the same outfit as everybody else. A quick glance at her nameplate revealed that she did in fact work for K&W. Sarah Shaw, Executive Secretary.

 

“Hey. Anything interesting in the news?”

 

[Supercape]

Synth

 

Synth had half read the newspaper with that in mind. "Not much to write home about. Riots in Chile. Murders in Bedlam. Something about reverse RNA transcriptase mass production" she said, pointing to various pieces. 

 

"Not much for H&K to be worried about, I guess" she added, perhaps suggestively. 

 

A thought struck her. A gamble, but then - at this stage, what wasn't?

 

"Nothing too exciting in the Job's market either. I was hoping to scout out H&K today, see if there is any scope there. Got to try something huh?" she mentioned. 

 

"Sarah is it? You work in K&W? Any tips on how to get my foot in the door? I just need a break really. Somewhere I can put my skills to use...."

 

Edited April 26, 2017 by Supercape

[olopi]

GM

 

Sarah’s first reaction was that of confusion. She’d probably not expected at, but she followed along with it for now. She nodded as Synth went on, and then once all that was done, replied. She wasn’t quite sure what she was saying, judging by her tone, but she did anyways.

 

“Uuuh. I don’t know, really. It’s not really my field, for the most part. Occasionally something makes its way up to me, but that’s rare. Hiring goes over HR, and they’ve got all their own stuff. But, if you want to, I can ask around. You’d probably need a CV for anything, though… Do you have one on you? I can bring it up to HR, no problem.”

 

Then, she smiled, and changed her tone ever so slightly, something warmer, more pleasant. “Also, yes, Sarah. Nice to meet you, and you are?...”

 

[Supercape]

Synth (as Bella)

 

"Bella" answered Synth, giving a smile. Smiling almost always helps, and I could use one after the last twenty four hours...

 

"I'm just scouting right now. Don't have anything on me but my eyes and ears" she answered. "Probably should have come more prepared, but the first step is seeing what's out there" she explained. It felt a little thin, so she pressed on. 

 

"Actually the first step is do I want to work in the job, or for an organisation. Life's too short to drag your life through a job you hate. I'd rather be poor and happy that rich and dead from a heart attack" she said, trying to keep the mood bright despite the morbid example. 

 

"What's this place like to work for? How do you find it?"

[olopi]

GM

 

“Then I don’t think I can do a lot. Generally speaking, they put it all out on the staff page. I’ve not heard of anybody getting in through any other way. Sometimes they send out invites, but that just means those people get past the first stage. “

 

Sarah’s reaction to Synth’s second statement was rather quiet, she stopped for a bit before replying.

 

“Understandable. Can’t be too picky depending on your background, sometimes you just have to go for what you get. From what I can tell, most of my bosses are pretty happy with their job, even if it’s a stressful one. Making a difference, you know? As for myself, they’ve been pretty good to me. Better wages than the competition, good office times, and the insurance’s not bad either. I’ve been here for a few years, worked with some others before but a nice position opened. Got promoted a few months later, and have been doing my job ever since. “

[Supercape]

Synth

 

Synth nodded appreciatively. Not much to work with, the organisation was on the surface commendable, at least by corporate standards. Sarah seemed pretty happy with her work. 

 

Synth studied her carefully. Everything seemed a bold gamble the last twenty four hours, but another throw of the dice presented itself. Copying Sarah. That would need one of those identi-kit costumes, however. 

 

But for now, she studied her carefully for other reasons. Could she use Sarah to get into H&K? Was there something Sarah was not telling her? How much time did Synth have before AEGIS came? And...

 

"Whats with the identical uniform anyway? Feels like China" she said, gently joking. "And where can I get one? I think it would look great on me!"

 

 

[olopi]

GM

 

Sarah smiled when Synth mentioned the identical outfits.

 

“Oh, it’s not like we have to wear these. The story behind it is actually kinda funny. Dress code isn’t very strict, actually, but a while ago one of the Cs mentioned that there was a large online suit retailer that had a sale on one of their models because of some production issues. Turns out if you say that in a company wide E-Mail and they’re actually really cheap, lots of people are gonna get one just to have a backup. After that they didn’t have much left in stock, and the company actually decided to buy out the rest. “

 

“It’s become a sort of unofficial uniform ever since. The company keeps some down in storage in case somebody needs to replace one before a meeting, but I don’t think you can really get them anymore. Might have to check in with a tailor, or maybe find one online if you get lucky, unfortunately. They’re really nice, yeah. No idea what that production issue even was…”

[Supercape]

Synth

 

Well I could do with getting my hands on one. But how?

 

"Well, I can see myself in one. As you can see, I'm not one for style" she apologised. Guilt seeped in as she realised she was manipulating Sarah. 

 

"I know it's a bit forward, but could you show me around? Maybe give me an introduction to HR on somebody? I don't want to press my luck with you" she said, ambiguously. "But a girl's got to try, hasn't she?" again, equally ambiguously. 

 

Perhaps inside she might get her hands on a uniform. In any case, a scout around the insides. As it was, options were running a little thin. 

 

"I know my biochemistry, if its any help" she explained. "Full of knowledge, but a bit short of experience. Got to get my break somewhere..."