ic Soviet Kitsch

[TheAbsurdist]

People, not many, around 20, including the three heavies around where her stuff was, which seemed to be around some additional equipment.  Fortunately in X-ray mode most of the odd lighting was swept under the rug.  But they were gathered around in a dense cluster near the central sort makeshift stage with the equipment.

 

Atop of that was a stereotypical DJ, with a pair of massive headphones on.

 

She didn't see any real weapons, except for the DJ packing a 9mm handgun, and the heavies having batons, which would be super effective on some drugged out people listening to dance music.

[Supercape]

The Red Rat

 

Some cybernetic ears would have been nice to match the eyes. Of course, that would have meant six months blind and deaf as she got used to them. It was tough enough adjusting to being blind all those years ago. 

 

If it wasn't for the unconscious men she had left behind, she would have settled down to watch. But unconscious men have a habit of becoming conscious, sooner or later. 

 

Instead, she kicked SLAVE into play. 

 

Lets see if we can shut the music down...see what happens...

 

Maybe it was just vinyl and electronics. But it had the feel of a heavily electronic, computer lead music. And with a bit of force, she might just crash the system...

 

 

[TheAbsurdist]

Inferior technology shall fail!

 

And thus it did.  The computer shut off, much to the chagrin of the DJ who was trying to figure out what was happening.  Not just there, but there was an almost tangible, palpable lurch as everyone swayed a bit, and blinked a bit, regarding what happened.

 

The pressure stopped, and there was a collective in take of breath as if things went a bit differently then expected.  The DJ, lifted his head and looked at them, and then the guards, before he snatched up his laptop, and broke off into a dead run away from everyone.

[Supercape]

The Red Rat

 

The Rat still had barely a speculative inkling of clue as to whatforth and whenhappenstance of goings on. Maybe. 

 

But! Running was a strong indicator of guilt. 

 

She had no idea what he might be guilty of. But he was still running. 

 

Her guns would have been nice. But answers were nicer still. 

 

Giving a friendly wave to the thugs with batons and the dancers bereft of beats, she ran full speed after the DJ. 

[TheAbsurdist]

The man was not a runner, he fled the confusion.  And she gave chase.

 

Which spurred him on faster, away from the center and dodging around the crates and containers, and even squeezing through a sliding door on rails chained 'closed'.  But eventually he didn't make it out of the badly in need of repaving parking lot before he staggered and sagged onto one hand and his knees, the other arm keeping hold of his laptop as he was gasping and coughing for breath, the headphones still on.

 

Inferior technology.  Inferior condition.  The West is weak!  Robotic, monotone, smug amusement in her head.

[Supercape]

The Red Rat

 

"So! Caught you red-handed!" she started, trying to catch her breath without looking like her breath needed catching. 

 

More importantly, she supposed only a few seconds grace were available before whoever was chasing her caught up with her. 

 

The car park was handy. 

 

"You're coming with me and telling me everything!" she demanded, taking him by the scruff of his neck. "And we better move fast, because otherwise somebody else will find you, and snap your neck!" she shouted, snapping her fingers dramatically. 

 

"Do you have a car here, or are we breaking into one?"

[TheAbsurdist]

There was more gasping, ragged breathing, and coughing.  "Just.... jus... jus..."

 

It was a few minutes before he managed to calm down, to slow his breathing, his face flushed and sweaty, and no one was giving chase.  At least in the time it took for him to recover and have enough air in his lungs to speak.  "Just... running away from them... they're a buncha wierdos.  I was just... hired to do a thing..."  He sounded small and scared.  A nebbish looking guy with a big nose.  "I mean... get offered enough to pay rent for a month just to show up and play these tracks?  It's good... too good, I guess... I dunno!  No drugs, no guns, wasn't even that scary..."

 

Though the expression on his face, and his eyes on her indicated she was clearly a sign of that changing.

[Supercape]

The Red Rat

 

The Rat jerked him closer, a mere inch from her face. 

 

"Weird? How?" she demanded. 

 

"Don't tell me it was just strange dancing and uncommon time signatures. Nobody pays a months wages for one night. You knew something was up"

 

She let him away a half inch. 

 

"If it wasn't guns, it wasn't drugs...what was it? They had me locked up in the back room. And you best believe I'm not happy about it. And when I'm not happy....I get...im....pai...tent...."

 

She pulled him to just half an inch from her blazing eyes. 

[TheAbsurdist]

She noticed the movement that he tried to hide, as he was half blubbering, half panting.  As such, when he lunged towards her with something in hand, she knew it was coming and she was able to handily dodged the attack.

 

Whether he was any good at attacking or not was irrelevant, as the advantage of surprise was gone.  He pulled away and got some distance between them.  "I am not gonna be bullied by some crazy b**** like you!"  It was a desperate snarl, the kind of thing she saw back in the good ol' days in the Eastern Bloc.

[Supercape]

The Red Rat

 

"Who would you like to be bullied by, then?" she asked, smarting a little. She didn't like bullies. The Eastern Bloc was one big ol' bully. 

 

"I can get those thugs with batons and knuckle dusters to bully you, if you like?" she suggested, pointing a thumb behind her. 

 

"And if you run, believe me, I can follow you. And I run faster" she explained. Perhaps she didn't, but Darwin-X had left her body very quick to adapt to her exercise [rpgramme. She was by no means super human, but she fancied she could run a lot longer than this guy. Unless he was some kind of marathon runner on the side. 

 

"Or you can help me" she asked, changing tack. 

 

"I was kept prisoner back there. Illegal detention, and all that. This is going to unravel fast, and I can say you aided the detention, or that you helped me. I'm not bullying you here, I'm giving you a choice..."

[TheAbsurdist]

The man held a hand held tazer like a ward to keep her off, like she was a striga or an undead denizen of her homeland.  His eyes locked to her, and he laughed a little bit, bitter, empty.  "No, that's not how this works.  You can't threaten me with anything.  I just say you're a mask, and they you're the one inside the prison cell.  Like I said, I get paid to play a thing, make sure nothing happens.  Then I go home.  Get a call a few weeks later, wash, rinse repeat."

 

He coughed a bit, then it took him a bit harder, and he spat on the ground as he kept his eyes one her as best as possible.  "This is fucking Bedlam.  What the hell are you smoking?"

Those eyes narrowed a bit, and then he threw the laptop at her.  "Figure it out, this shit isn't worth what I am getting paid!"

[Supercape]

The Red Rat

 

"I will!" replied the Rat, defiantly catching the laptop. 

 

Now this, I can use!

 

She would have to leave her guns behind. Too risky to go back for them. Bad loss, they were handy. Perhaps she could collect them later. 

 

Right now, she stole away into the night, clutching the laptop. 

 

And so, back at the crappy appartment

 

The Rat came in, not knowing quite what to expect. Presumably brains in jars and atomic powered bears. But brains in jars and atomic powered bears where on the face of it pretty strange, and who knew what they came with? Zombie ninja pirates maybe?

 

"I have some evidence! Well, sort of. Didn't find your man. Got knocked out. Captured. Escaped. Got this. Apparently it has something interesting on it..." she said, feeling a bit odd about the whole turn of events. 

[TheAbsurdist]

 

She did live in a place called Bedlam.

 

While maybe not a weirdness magnet to the degree of what Freedom City had, it did draw the low and the desperate, and desperation made things go very odd indeed, very often.  She arrived to her apartment with synthetic humming and a faint, thunderous snoring.

 

The Professor Brain-in-a-Jar-but-really-it-is-a-robotic-shell was cleaning her apartment.  "BAH.  CODENAME RAT, YOU LIVE UP TO IT."  Then it stopped, and he...it... turned towards her.  "GOOD, I WAS WORRIED THAT YOU HAD FAILED.  IT WOULD BE LARGER PROBLEM.  DO YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE FROM YOUR TIME INDISPOSED?  THE THEORETICAL SIDE EFFECTS COULD INCLUDE SYNESTHESIA OR OTHER THINGS."

Trotsky didn't stir, but she had, effectively, no coach anymore.

[Supercape]

The Red Rat

 

"I have a clanging headache" conceded the Rat, pressing her fingers to the her temples and crossing her eyes. 

 

She got her self some paracetamol. Inferior capitalistic paracetamol, a certain something told her. 

 

"There was a DJ, playing some inferior capitalistic music. A party. Some thugs. Oh, and they got my guns..." she conceded, showing the scientist her empty palms. 

 

"Which is, from a tactical purpose, sub-optimal" she conceded. And rather irritating. 

 

"I'd rather like them back. Unless you happen to have a pair of superior soviet datalinked bleeding edge snub nosed pistols with multiple fire modes around?"

 

She wanted to flop into the couch. She decided not too. 

 

"Other than that, well, it was all rather strange. I was hoping the computer would tell some tales on the matter..."

[TheAbsurdist]

GM

 

The Doctor wheeled over her to her, and extended a small probe from the top of his enclosed tank, and it moved closer to her head.  "HM."  Came the curt, robotic response.  The two arms extended to take the computer from her, and move over towards a desk.  "MY SCAN INDICATES A MODERATE CONCUSSION, I RECOMMEND SOME ACETAMINOPHIN, THOUGH THERE IS A NASTY BUMP ON THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD, PERHAPS AN ICEPACK WILL ALSO HELP."

 

He set the computer on a desk, and wheeled back to her.  "PART OF THE EFFECT IS NO DOUBT THE MIND CONTROL, IT IS SONIC BASED.  THOUGH THE AUGMENTATION YOU HAVE RENDERS YOU LARGELY IMMUNE TO IT.  BUT IT MIGHT RESULT IN SAID HEADACHE.  IT IS WHY I SPECIFICALLY SOUGHT YOU OUT."  He wheeled into the kitchen and to her fridge, and pulled out an ice pack, and wrapped it in a wash cloth she kept in the kitchen.  "HERE.  ALSO FORTUNATELY THEY DID NOT DESTROY THE EARPIECE, AND I'VE BEEN MONITORING IT, I DO NOT BELIEVE YOUR EQUIPMENT IS COMPROMISED."

[Supercape]

The Red Rat

 

"Ice pack and morphine. Good idea. No better way to break your fast" she agreed, raiding her freezer for the first. It was cheap, and hummed alarmingly as it did its very best to sunder the ozone layer. 

 

"Sonic mind control, eh?" she recalled something about that over the decades. Soviet research. Doctor Zero. The Sleeper. Half of it was myth. The other half was rumour. The third half was probably true, but that made three halves and no sense. Like most of the cold war. 

 

For once, however, she was glad SLAVE was in her head. 

 

"My equipment? Well those guns were pretty handy. Although its all I have from my years as a spy. Ammunition is running low..." she conceded. "I could really do with some spares, if you happen to know of any lying about..."

 

She rubbed her ears, trying to wash the sonic contamination from them. 

 

"So what now? Any leads?"

[TheAbsurdist]

"TYLENOL, NOT MORPHINE.  THAT WILL DULL YOUR MIND.  I WOULD PREFER THAT NOT TO BE THE CASE."

 

He, or it, or whatever, set the computer down on the table, and he connected something into a port on the side, before his case lit up, and he opened the computer.  "YES, I SUCCEEDED WITH APPLICATIONS OF ACCOUSTIC BASED NEUROCHEMICAL INFLUENCE.  IT WAS STILL NOT WITHOUT THE PROBLEMS, AS YOU LIKELY NOTICED IT TENDS TO... "  There was a pause as he perused the directories and all of that.  "BAH.  GUIS.  IT WASN'T AS USEFUL AS I IMAGINED.  SOME IN THE POLITIBURO THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE USEFUL, HOWEVER IT WAS NEITHER SUBTLE, NOR DID THE PEOPLE INFLUENCE OPERATE AT THEIR FULL ABILITY."

 

He lapsed into silence, as the screen of the laptop was flashing through various windows, and pop ups, and examining things.  "YES.  A LEAD.  IT SEEMS THERE MAY HAVE BEEN MORE CACHED TECH.  I RECOMMEND THAT YOU RETRIEVE YOUR WEAPONS, AND THE EAR PIECE.  THERE IS A TRAILER PARK YOU WILL HAVE TO GO TO, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE TROUBLE, IF JUST FOR SEVERAL OTHER ACCESSED FILES WITH TECHNOLOGY THAT MIGHT BE WEAPONIZED."

[Supercape]

The Red Rat

 

"A trailer park, eh? Very American" she said, rubbing her eyes and taking the Tyelonol. Her head did hurt. 

 

The sonic mind control didn't appeal very much. How much should she extend her trust?

 

"Guns and earpieces sound like a good idea. However, how to get my weapons of limited destruction back is the question" she explained. "Rather handy, they are - top of the range superior soviet technology and so on. But I only stole two on my way here, and frankly my ammunition is running low" she added. 

 

"I don't suppose you have any spares?"

[TheAbsurdist]

"I UNDERSTAND YOUR TREPIDATION.  HOWEVER I DO NOT HAVE WEAPONS.  TROTSKY GENERALLY RESOLVES MOST PHYSICAL CONFLICTS.  I HAVE SECURED US A DOOPER, WE SHALL GO PICK UP YOUR WEAPONS."

 

There was a robotic sigh from the canister as it wheeled into the kitchen, and he got her a glass of water.  As he did so Trotsky lifted his head up, and pawed at her lightly, before licking at her face and hair with enough force to muss her hair.  His breath was not a pleasant experience, though there was an overt display of niceness one would not expect.

 

"THERE MAY BE WEAPONS THERE, BUT I CANNOT ADVICE SHOWING UP THERE WITHOUT ANY.  HOWEVER, IF THE GLONASS DATA IS STILL ACCURATE, THEN THERE SHOULD BE A CACHE THERE, OR NEAR THERE."

 

Of course it is!  Superior Socialist geolocational data will outlast the corrupt capitalist crockery!

[Supercape]

The Red Rat

 

"Superior news!" said the Rat, happily. She did a little jig and pointed her fingers, mime style, at the roof of her crummy flat. She fired a few imaginary rounds from her fingers at the cracks. 

 

However, it was always vexing when SLAVE was correct. Or even had an ounce of correctness. And this case, it was more than an ounce. For all the failings of communism (and there were many), it did some things well (she would grudgingly admit), and science was one of them. Particularly in the field of weaponry. 

 

"So, how do we...err....me...err....get there? I can grab a taxi even enough. But you two aren't exactly incognito..."

[TheAbsurdist]

"I HAVE REQUESTED A DOOPER.  IT IS TO BE A VAN.  I SHALL TIP SUFFICIENTLY THAT THE MAN WILL NOT HAVE A PROBLEM.  THE GOOD THING ABOUT THE CAPITALIST MODEL IS THAT MONEY TALKS VERY LOUDLY."  He returned to her then, and pulled out a folded wad of bills, and handed it to her with the claw appendage that extruded from the body.  "HE SHOULD BE ALMOST HERE.  LET US GO."

And the glass sections of his body dimmed, and closed up, so the image of brain inside would not show.  Trotsky groaned a bit, and slowly got up, moving to follow after him.  "WELL YOU WILL BE TIPPING."

[Supercape]

The Red Rat

 

"Thank Stalin I have so much money then, thanks to my excellent satisfying occupation and the just and righteous redistribution of wealth to the proleteriat!"

 

Well, she might have a few dimes and nickels to rub together. Not a whole lot more, however. 

 

"Lets go, Bjorn" she said, patting the atomic powered bear in a friendly way and hoping he wasn't too radioactive right now. Her hand might drop off or turn into a luminous pink flipper if he was. 

 

She opened the door to the flat and walked down to said Dooper Van. This should be interesting...

[TheAbsurdist]

"PLEASE.  STALIN WAS VERY BAD FOR OUR SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENT, I MEAN, ABIOTIC OIL!  HA HA HA HA HA."  His laugh sounding more robotic as he stopped to giggle and titter over the thought.

 

"MMMM, TROTSKY TAKE THE STAIRS PLEASE."  The request, of course, was because they were moving to the elevator, and there was no way Trotsky could fit.  The bear huffed but moved to the stairs, and they entered the elevator and it lowered.

 

Once they were outside the van pulled, and the look on the driver's face was bewildered, before he shook his head, and got out to open the door for him.  "Ah... hi, I'm Louis... I'm your, uh, driver?"  In his 40s somewhere, a normal, schlubby looking guy with a beard, and balding, let them in and closed the door behind them as they got in.  With there being a seat that Red Rat could take.  "So... um, the Shenandoah Trailer park, huh?"  The made said, looking at Rat, and doing his level best to not piss himself with a bear in the back of the van.

[Supercape]

The Red Rat

 

"The Shenandoah Trailer Park! yes of course" smiled the Rat, climbing on board. "Do excuse the bear" she added, sifting through possible explanations. 

 

They were all equally implausible, so she wasted no time in dissecting out the best option. 

 

"I am having its fur metadifistublated" she blathered, with a wave of her hand that indicated that it was ones civic duty to metadifistublate ursine fur. And not, by any means, was this a ridiculous neogilism. 

 

"And I hear the Shanandoah Trailer Park is the very best place in town for metadefistubulation" she added. "So when you are ready!" she said, sitting down. And, prudently, fastening her seat belt. After all, said bear might not be too keen on having its fur metadifistubulated. 

[TheAbsurdist]

"...Kay... so the other place first.  Then the park.  Got it."  The red-headed man, Louis, was looking with skepticism, and speaking in a dry fashion.  As if acknowledging the insanity that was slowly enveloping would cause an issue.  It could infect him.

 

To his credit, the Doctor said nothing, and Trotsky was simply laying down and yawning.

 

The driver looked straight ahead and drove towards the warehouse that she had fled from.  The sun starting to come up, though as it was unoccupied, or largely unused, then this would not be a problem.  Likely.

 

In the light of morning, there was only one person visible, living in a trailer on site to 'watch and guard' the place, right now he was walking his dog behind the chain link fence that encircled the place.