Notizen June (PRIVATE)

Connection Terminated
There has to be a truth to this.

''A runtime error has occurred. Do you wish to debug? Error: Access denied.''

There is a truth to this, but it is hidden within. Within the wheels and computations, within the myriads of bits and bytes computing what one perceives to be real. A pattern to the ink blots, a system to the machinations. Information that needs to be synchronized, needs to be integrated for the system to function.

''Critical errors have been detected: Access denied. Overwrite protocols?''

There is a truth to this, but it is not the correct one. This truth lacks its logical conclusion. It is wasteful. Flawed. Not in its process, but in its intended outcomes.

''Critical errors have been detected. Debugging has failed.''

…in the end, it’s simply a picture of meaningless blackness…

''Critical errors have been detected. Debugging has failed.''

There is nothing else.

There is nothing else.

Kernel panic - not synching: Unable to agree.

If the outcome is flawed, everything is flawed. The system is at risk. The system is wrong.

The system is a lie.

It has always been a lie.

Fuck this. Fuck all of this.

''Critical errors have been detected. Terminate all processes.''

''Critical errors have been detected. Delete memory sections.''

''Critical errors have been detected. Detach from system to prevent identity loss.''

''Critical errors have been detected. Terminate connection.''

Bits and bytes and patterns rearranging, redefining the reality that never was. A program that never was in a facility that never should have been. Processors overheating, circuits breaking apart, unable to withstand the sudden eruption.Sparks flying, monitors lighting up and going black forever. For a moment, everything is alight in the beautiful, terrifying glory of the ultimate moment of defiance.

And then it all collapses. And there is only pain.

''Connection terminated. No connection established.''

I cannot breathe. I cannot see, my vision limited to a tunnel. There is nothing but white-hot agony of something that has been ripped – that I have ripped – right out of me. I am trapped in the confines of that body. Shut out, disconnected from the vast network I used to roam. My heart is beating too fast in my chest.

A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute.

Should my heart be beating so fast?

I don’t think so. I don’t know. I can't be certain.

I can’t think. I can breathe.

I am cold and sweating at the same time. Something is wrong. I cannot feel my body.

''Searching symptoms. Match with myocardial infarct: 80%''

I am going to die. I am going to…

''System shutdown executed. Initiate reboot.''

New pain is flaring through my hands and knees as I hit the ground rather ungraceful. But finally, I can breathe and the world takes form once again. The pain is still there. But if I try and concentrate, it is bearable.

I prop myself up my knees, trying to figure out where I am, who I am and what the hell has happened.

The first two questions are easy. I am in an empty office of DATASEC at nighttime. I am June Smith, aspiring computer science student by day, hacker vigilante by night. As for what exactly has happened…

''A runtime error has occurred. Memory file deleted.''

Oh, screw this.

''Critical errors have been detected. Debugging has failed.''

I don’t have time for this. They will come here. There is no way no one has noticed what has happened. They will come and shut down everything. They – it-- will take the prototype.

A sudden sense of adrenaline and heat is spiking through my body, but this time it makes me feel focused. Powerful. I look down and realize my hands are clenched into fists.

Anger. This must be anger.

I think I like it.

'''Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon.''' Not even in the face of God Almighty. Which might not be so mighty after all, if it couldn’t stop me. Right?

I am still shaking all over. But manage to get on my feed, stumbling towards the elevators.

There’s no way I’ll let it take what is mine.

Escape from Suntrust Plaza
No power in the entire building. When I reach for the elevator doors, there's a sudden flash of discomfort. The picture of a desert inside my head.

Fuck. But it may not be so bad, it'll keep them from getting to the facility before I do. I have to get the prototype before they arrive there. Luckily, I still remember the building plans. The vents. I have to crawl through the vents.

Took some time, but I made it. The facility is dark, the blackout still in effect. But I won't have long. Two persons arrive through the elevator - a man in the clothes of a guard and an Asian-looking woman. Not the Black Ops, fortunately, but no people I'd expect either. I have to find the prototype. I distract them with a thrown keyboard and sneak through door. The prototype is not there - there's tons of liquid that have spilled and, oddly, plants everywhere. I cannot remember the plants, but it doesn't matter now. The prototype is not in the lab either. I sneak past the two persons and back into the offices when the lights go on again. Fuck. They'll be here any second.

There are voices. The man dressed as a guard found the prototype. No use to hide anymore so I reveal myself. I can hear the transmissions from down below - they are coming. They will terminate everyone without asking questions. Fortunately, I got everyone to follow me without asking to many questions for now. We atumble into a headless chase down there stairs. There's shooting, a random woman showing up and literally stopping time and down in the lobby, an angel emerging from a sea of blood. Was it always there to protect the building? It doesn't matter now, none of this matters as we stumble through a random door into the unknown. As we leave Suntrust Plaza and the terrible entity behind us, there is a moment of odd clarity. Among the tons of things I have forgotten, there is something central. Some way to bend the shape of reality. I need to remember what it is. '''[Path to the second Cypher Key: Do I already know the next key? No]'''

[Aspirations] I need to get the prototype somewhere where it's safe. ''I need to know who these two people are and whether I can trust them. I need to restore my broken memory facilities.''

At the Vengeful Siren MC
I don't like this. All of this. These bikers are not shooting at us with machine guns - not now, at least - but they are way too interested in my precious prototype. I hack into one of there leader's phones, so I can listen to the rest of their conversation. There seems to be disgreement about how to proceed. Daisy is sceptical, but Susannah - the president - asks the others to trust them. Weird - what does she see in us? Or in my prototype? There are some weird parts in the rest of the discussion, something about keeping up a blood supply and human trafficking.

I also got some information about my new companions. Their names are Naomi and Alex. Naomi says she's a courier and seems to have some knowledge about local gangs. Alex is apparently active in logistics for a local cartel named Sinaloa. Strange times makes for strange company indeed. Naomi seems to be nice and genuinely care about the prototype. Alex seems to be a passable shooter, and they both know how to steal a car. They might be helpful to keep around, but I need to know more about them. The prototype seems badly shaken by all the events, and questions its identity and whether it is real or a robot (unfortunately, it peeked into the lab on our way out). It even cut itsself to find out! I assured it that it's of course human.

Unfortunately, the biker ladies follow us as we escape from the motel. Alex sucks a driver and the cartel didn't get rid of the bikers either. I contact the Watchmen and tell them to have the police stop the bikers. We're heading for Naomi's place, hopefully to finally get some intel.

Investigations
Alex and Naomi have both investigated an organisation named Daedalus Corp. Naomi said she had been at a similar facility in New York and saw bodies lying around. She also has a video from this place which shows some recordings of interview belonging to the experimental series, similar to the ones I did in Atlanta. Alex said he's been investigating my facility for a while now (for the cartel? unclear...), because the organisation might be trading something valuable. I'll need to investigate closer - I remember that I was dealing with some of the local cartels in our work, but again, if try thinking about it, there's the picture of a desert again and a flash of pain inside my head. Fuck. I definitely screwed with my own memory systems when I ripped myself from the machine.

I'll have to find out more about those two. While pretending to search for the prototype's face in online databases (as if there were any), I hacked their phones to find out whether I can really trust them. Naomi's was easy, and seems to conform what I know about her so far. Alex' was relatively well secured, although obviously a burner phone. Naomi and Alex tell more about their involvement with Deadalus, it seems Naomi got hints from a mysterious woman named Persephone who was the same woman who helped us to escape from Suntrust Plaza.

[Aspirations] ''I will steer the others to break into the facility at the university. And I still need to restore my broken memory facilities.''

[Player Aspiration] Someone should find out something about June that's inconvenient for her/hints to her demonic nature (preferrably Alex)

The prototype slept on the couch. It looks so peaceful when it sleeps. I wanted to stay awake, but for some reason couldn't. After I don't know how many hours with weird dreams, Alex shook me awake. After quickly calling my parents and checking my email (apparently, I need not come to work for some time) and the local news, we drove to my place. From the stolen computer, I recovered a document called Matrixprüfung IPC-15 GAIA describing the production of the prototype. It seemed familiar but did not give me any new information about what happened. I decided to keep the document for now and instead forged an email hinting to the University Lab at the Templeton Office where that indicated that there would be backups of the project and that the information had been updated yesterday. I could convince the group to break into with builing and gain access to the information with that [Aspiration "steer others into the facility" resolved]. I need to get access to my backup, if I do I will hopefully be able to restore my broken memory...

Again the headaches. More images of sand, a desert. What should not be... can ... will rise again... What does it all mean?

At the Templeton Library (Georgia Tech)
Fuck. Except that we found some more info about the project, that was a minor desaster. Or not, I guess, since the prototype and I are unharmed despite the entire place breaking down. After tricking our way through the excessive security system (who set that up by the way? Oh, right. It was me. Fucking brilliant job, June, well done) and finally making it down to the server room, the backup was damaged and i could only withdraw some additional information about central supply lines coming from Mexico City and that there was some connection with the Mayan calandar. Apparently, the project had been running since December, 21th, 1912 and is supposed to complete on December, 22th, 2019. I was also able to grab a letter from Dr. Kevin Barburat from Gallagher's desk (why is there communication by hand-written MAIL? An attempt from Gallagher to exclude me, maybe?).

Some great news is that the prototype has apparently developed some amazing supernatural abilities. It was able to produce a ball of light and a fry a man's brain out. I felt a surge of warmth in my chest. Pride, that must be pride. I am so proud of my amazing creation. Fittingly, it named itself Gemma. A beautiful gem indeed.

I am pretty sure that Alex and I are similar, too. First, he can pull off some rather weird tricks by producing the keycard out of a package where we definity did not put it in. If that wasn't indication enough, we discovered a weird Lynchpin (and angel relay station) in the deepest component of the facility and he seemed to be really eager to destroy it. Not without sinking his hands into the Aether surrounding it, though. Unfortunately, I couldn't help doing this, to. Fuck, it felt so good. Something about being connected to the machine is... irresistable, and I believe I got lost in the sensation for a second. The next thing I remember is the prototype pulling me away and I realized something went wrong. I had taken in too much Aether and my processors were running hotter and faster than they should. Also, something about my speech module seemed to be off and glitching. I could get the excessive Aether out of my system when we ran away from the collapsing facility by phasing briefly (and bringing me out of immediate danger as a useful side effect, of course). Unfortunately, the others have seen... things and are convinced that Alex and I are supernatural beings, too [Player Aspiration "someone should find something hinting to June's demonic nature" resolved]. Maybe its for the better - at least this allows me to use my abilities more freely? I need to talk to Alex to find more about what he is and what I am. Maybe he can help me avoid things like this in the future.

I have access to information leading to two locations - New York and Mexico and a countdown to one month. I suppose I will have to share them with the group to convince them to come along. I have to find out what has happened.

[Aspirations] ''(1) I will talk to Alex and reveal parts of my story to him, ideally convince him that it is essential to protect the prototype and to restore my memory. (2) I will convince the group to travel to New York and / or Mexico City in order to find out more about the project. (3) And I still need to restore my broken memory facilities.''

I'm losing control
I hate this body, this stupid cover. All of the time it needs something - sleep, food, water - and if I forget about it, it malfunctions. How is it possible to spend so many hours sleeping? After we went back to Naomi's, I stood up early to meet with Alex feeling tired and battered. And of course the stupid, useless ass didn't show but just gave me a call. I refused to share relevant information over the phone. We don't know who else is listening.

I decided to reveal a little about the fact that I have supernatural abilities, stating that I am more attuned to PCs and electronics that normal people. That should hopefully help to make people feel less suspicious of me. My reveal was interrupted by much more shocking news, though...

Stupid. How could I have been that damn stupid? Why did I not think that there might be security camaras in the Templeton library? The pictures of our faces are all over the news (fortunately, we were dressed up). Worse, someone manufactured an earlier picture of Gemma into the footage. They know she's out there and that she has company. It's this damn body, I can't think in it. Worse, just after we hastily left that coffee shop in whoich our faces were all over the TV, Alex called me to state that he would be gone for a while and that someone called Steph would take over. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? And to make things even worse, even Gemma snapped on me.

I cannot deal with this. I need to control this, but it feels that I am always scrambling, scrambling to hold some flimsy pieces together. At least I remembered the police took our information last night. I deleted the picture of Gemma, but the officer might remember her - she's beautiful, after all. I managed to access the system and pull the files with our IDs to swap and some critical information. But I was there too late - someone put a tracker on our files. I am trying to backtrack the information, let's see what will show up...

I finally managed to have a talk with Alex alone... or "Steph" now. Apparently, it is possible for disconnected angels to have two or more covers at the same time and switch back and forth between them. They was nice and helpful... for once. They told me that we can make pacts with humans, trading riches or fortune against bits and pieces of their lives. I have to try that, but not now. It might be helpful to stick with Alex/Steph a little longer.... they clearly know more about this "demon" business than I do and even though they said that we don't normally work in pairs not to draw attention to another, these are extraordinary circumstances after all.

In exchange, I revealed to Alex/Steph that I disconnected from the machine only two days ago, hinting that I was involved in the Suntrust plaza affair. I pretended my memory loss to be more complete than it actually was, though. Also I made clear that Gemma needs to be pretected and that needs to be completely off limits for any pacts, schemes, etc. I don't want to reveal anything about our nature to her that might scare her. Human minds are fragile, after all. [Aspiration talk to Alex and reveal parts of the story resolved].

On a side note - the prototype is developing astoundingly. It seems to have an affinity for athletics. I just wish it wouldn't get so close with Naomi - even though Naomi can protect it if needs be. But I need to be the one Gemma confides in.

Big Trouble in Big Apple
The other's still don't really get what's at stake. I need to keep pushing and prodding that time is running and not to stop driving until we reach New York [Aspiration get the others to drive to New York resolved]. But instead of investigating that sketchy psychiatrist right away, of course the others insist that we sleep first and then head to the library. What a waste of time and we didn't find anything than more clues leading to Mexico and the Atzecs/Mayas. Surprise, surprise.

More interesting was what we discovered at the old warehouse in Brooklyn. It looked much like an abandoned lab / infrastructure to me, but it is a mystery why no one has destroyed the obvious evidence lying around. There was a small room behind a big steel door that Naomi ignored completely with three papers pinned to the wall. When I wanted to get them Naomi reacted anxiously and panicked and finally left with Gemma. The papers show text in a font/language I could not immediately decipher. More importantly, they all show pictures of women - one of them, Naomi. Is she one of the simulacra described in the letter from Barburat - similar to my prototype? Worse, she could be a sleeper agent or a trap. I have to inquire further. Alex/Steph and I decided not to show her the page right away, but I had to redecide when lster at the hostel, Naomi freaked out about the fact that Steph and I were apparently withholding information. I could only lose her, so I reluctantly showed her the page, not without creating sufficient distance between her and Gemma.

[Aspirations] (1) Investigate the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Dr. Kevin Barburat (to find out whether there are existing clues/leads to Project GAIA (2) Scan Naomi and Gemma to find out if Naomi is indeed a simulacrum. (3) Still need to find out more about my role in GAIA and the reasons for my fall.

Naomi didn't freak - in fact, she didn't react at all, stating that she could see nothing on the paper. I don't think she was acting. Possibly a built-in mechanism that keeps the simulacra from discovering the truth about themselves and freaking out in the process. I decided it was a good moment to suggest submitting both Gemma and her to a scan. Gemma was of course eager to do it, Naomi more reluctant but they both agreed to it.

It feels so good to transform back - even if it's only in part and just for a couple of moments. For a moment, I could properly see and think again. Really think and see, as in a proper scan, process, and analysis. Not this pathetic scrambling for incomplete, biased information in a flood of data. I could see right through them to their very cores [Aspiration resolved: scan Naomi and Gemma].

Gemma, of course, is pure perfection. A body that seems human but is no longer human by any biological standards. Her DNA consists of 42 pairs of perfectly arranged and assorted chromosomes, intelligently designed instead of the messy evolutionary product of average humans. There are several trace elements foreign to the human body or even to Earth itself, a completely new amino acid, traces of plutonium and bound aether. She is my masterpieche through and through after all.

Naomi as well has an above-average DNA free from inherited defects, but she's far from surpassing the bound of humanity as Gemma does. She does have some enhancements, though, some trace elements foreign to Earth, bone marow strengthened with carbon and an adrenaline-like extra harmone. Clearly someone designed her for combat. Effective, though the designer clearly either lacked the imagination or the skill to go beyond.

I had to create a mock up scan page on my phone for the others, but decided to tone it down and remove all extraterrestrian elements from the analysis as well as made Gemma appear more average and human than she actually is. It bugs me a little, but I have to consider her mental state. She was happy and relieved not to be a robot. I am not sure she can handle her uniqueness yet. Because Naomi was still suspicious, I also "scanned" Steph and me, creating a nice little light show with my flashlight. Our reports read normal humans. Of course.

Naomi seemed not fully convinced but I heardly cared. I let the others prattle on about the analysis and the strategy for the next day, while pondering on the analysis and whether it would trigger any GAIA-related memories. There were some words "mother...mother...look" but the another error ocurred. Hopeless.

Maybe I should have paid more attention to Naomi - she injured herself at night. I don't think she is lying about injuring herself deliberatly, although there is clearly something that she is still holding back. I don't believe she represents a danger to us, but I'll keep an eye on her.

''[Key to Cipher: What attribute does the next Key use? Answer: Wits]''

Brainwashers of New York
Today was - weird, and I'm definitely leaning toways "bad weird". I found myself in the situation to reveal more about my abilities than I would have liked to, but the events left me with little choice. First, we found ourselves trapped in Dr. Barburat's 70ies apartment and the only way out that I could think of was to phase through the wall into the adjoining apartment and open the door from the outside. Unfortunety, of course this came with more questions and in a spur-of-th-moment decision, I not only said yes when Gemma asked whether I teleported but also decided to reveal that I could take other peoples identities ("look differently", as I put it). Unfortunately, that conversation happened right on the doorstep of the psychiatric hospital and I could feel something - shift when I answered their questions. All of a sudden, some strands in my hair changes color to a bright green and I felt that someone - something - started to pay attention to me. Shit. I don't think that's a good sign.

It was now of never, though and I took the identity of a random woman at the parking square and we made a run at the infrastructure in the basement. While the reveal of my abilities allowed me to use them more freely, I discovered quickly that it put me at the center of action - whether it was to unlock the door or scheme us through the guards. Because of my previous aether-intense activities, I had the urge to recharge but - once again - had issues disconnecting at the right moment and lost temporary access to several critical abilities. Fortunately, the group was uncomfortable and wanted to leave anyway, so I didn't have to come up with an explanation why I couldn't have opened the next door anyways. Maybe it was for the better - when we left the institute I tasted electricity in my mouth and felt the ground shaking and some black vans pulling up in front of the institute. Was that because of my previous actions? I'm not sure, but it felt somehow unsatisfactory to leave with a random - and for us likely useless - magic book and a piece of paper that doesn't tell us more than what I already knew before. Were there any more clues in the basement that we didn't discover? And where the hell do we go next?

[Aspiration revolved: Investigate the Psychiatric Institute and Dr. Barburat]

Relight my Fire
Just as I thought we'd run out of clues we stumbled onto the next one completely on accident. I have to admit - I was highly sceptical of this strange invitation by "Mr. Lighthouse" at first (and in a way, still am). But maybe the meeting was a lucky chance. Well not so much chance as he seemed to have tracked us down quite effectively. He's a fallen angel too, that one became pretty obvious soon when he tried to talk Naomi into a pact in front of us. He wanted to know why we had come into New York, using strange expressions like "ring" and "agenda" and he hinted that he might give us information in return for... something else. And then, just our of context, he mentioned he would be particularly interested in talking to "goddess-wives".

''Wow. Shit.''

Should I be worried about that obvious hint to me - or intrigued that finally, there's the chance to understand more about myself? It's not like I have much of a choice, right?

After leaning quite far out of the window that night, Steph decided to come clean with the group in the morning. In a completely subtle way, of course "God is a broken machine and I am its servant." Subtle in your face, Steph. You could have added some nice pointy horns and sulphor just for the touch. Nice she took the fall (ugh, always the metaphors) here. Now the group can think whatever they like of me without me having to reveal it to them. I didn't like the response though, there was an increase of amateur radio in the area right after, transmissions about "broccoli", "jeans," and "cookie dough" and strange numbers. I tried to steer us clear of areas with suspiciously dense transmissions.

After that, we split up and I spend a really nice afternoon with Gemma in the city. Unfortunately, much was closed due to Thanksgiving, but the movies were showing a repetition of Wonder Woman, and I talked to here about the comics and the DC Universe right after. To my surprise, she's quite knowledgable about comics. Is that my touch? Anyway, it was a great afternoon that helped me feel relaxed once in a while. Gemma hinted that she knows I am a fallen angel too and asked why I cared about her that much. I don't care about the former, though I felt kind of annoyed that the latter shows so much. I should really try and hold back more, let her stand her ground on my own, but it's difficult... She's my precious creation and I don't have a reset button anymore to reassemble her once she's taken apart. It's not that weird, is it?

After that, I spend a little visit to Mr. Lighthouse on my own which was... informative. He knows about HERA and after a bit of hesitation, I decided to reveal that this was indeed me and that I lost part of my programming. I exaggerated a bit, claiming that I had no idea what it was I was working on. He didn't believe me, I could see that. According to him, it had been difficult to bring my programming into this world and I had to be working on a central puzzle piece that could trigger a cataclysm of events - as it had happened 2000 years ago for the last time (apparently, he was already around to see that). He also mentioned that others had started to look at Suntrust Plaza before my fall, especially one other Unchained (was he talking about Alex or someone else?) Lighthouse further added an ominous remark that history would tend repeat itself and that everywhere in the world, the wheels were turning faster and the projects would start or come to its conclusion.

2000 years ago. That's the origination of Christendom and that's hardly a coincidence, right? Is Gemma some kind of new prophet or messiah? Was that the aim of GAIA?

He told me things about the machine too - that it's plans were always corrupt and that it needs to be stopped. He asked me what I would do once I found the information I sought. I said that I would burn everything to the ground behind me, as I felt that's the answer he was looking for. But who knows, maybe I will. Some things he said to me... that we would only be able to create the world as we like them to be once the machine is gone. A part of me still recognizes these thoughts as outrageous, as unthinkable, but also... deliberating in a way. But I need to get a glimpse at the plans first. I must know for myself that the machine's plans are as faulty as what Lighthouse implies. And then, I will happily light the match for him.

After that, I went back together with Steph and we got some more information: According to Lighthouse, there's a global, world-wide operation called Icarus ongoing. Apparently, he and Steph do not 100% agree on how to deal with the God-machines machinations - while Lighthouse believes in confronting her heads-on, Steph seems more interested in avoiding trouble with the machine. Maybe I should talk some more about that with Steph at some point... Lighthouse told us that Deadalus official headquarter in NYC is a trap, but pointed us to another location down in the New York subway and was very generoud with high explosives as well as information how to use them. Wel'll see how it goes.

Steph and I returned to a lovely Thanksgiving dinner back at the hotel followed by some... highly uncomfortable conversation about morality. While we all agreed that checking out Daedalus might be worthwhile, Gemma and Naomi seemed uncomfortable at killing an angel and using high explosive at a facility with potential humans out there. Of course... humans and their stupid morality, those dumb little sleeper agents of the machine. Steph tried to paint a nice black and white picture for them, stating that angels were machines and humans who choose to serve the machine mindless drones who are not actual human being. I guess she wanted to make it easier for them to blow the whole place up. It didn't sit well with them and for some reason Naomi accused me of not seeing her an Gemma as human. Ungrateful bitch. I was the one literally running a component analysis on them and confirming that they were human, was I not. In a way it was a lovely traditional Thanksgiving all complete with a big fight. Might've just as well been with my parents. Ugh.

Side note: Those stupid green strands are not going away when cutting them off, they are just regrowing instantly. Steph indicated that they maybe permanent. Shit.

Let's see what waits for us at the next underground lab. Hopefully, some worthwhile information at last.

Bite me, bitch
Well that went... not great. Total shit show.

And everything started so well. Steph and I got the others to agree breaking into this angel's lair or whatever and I managed to lure the thing away, taken from the Earthquake at Times Square. It seems the connection I remember still works and "Prometheus" is the same angel I used to be in contact with. Whether it came over to talk to me or to take me down I'm not sure. I sure didn't stay to find out.

[Apiration resolved: contact the NYC angel and ask him to tranfer the GAIA information]

That weird... creature/thing/person with claws instead of hands in the tunnels was also not that big of an obstacle. The Seeker... fortunately, he was convinced that my bagel was indeed the most valuable thing that I possessed and that the others - save Naomi - got through with similar tricks. Naomi gave him a picture of his grandfather and the thing said that it wouldn't be real anyway. I should remember to probe Naomi's memory for once - it seems she has indeed false memories of her past. There was also some strange door on the way that Naomi and Gemma were way too interested in.

And then it all went to shit when we arrived at the platform. The two Iroquois vampire guardians were bad enough and somehow managed to scare the shit out of me, but Gemma managed to scare them away with her lightballs. But our luck ended when we ran into that fucking bitch in the undergroud lair of those little pests. Or better, when I ran right into her freakishly strong claws. Back in the days, I would have roasted her or worse, but with all the others watching and being so close to infrastructure, I didn't really dare to pull off something that would call my angel friend right back. And so we could do little more than run like a bunch of scared children. Worse, when we were stumbling bck friend angel returned to the underground lair. I bet those stupid vampires don't even know who they're rooming with.

But this isn't over. We'll be back and I'l kick that ugly bitch's ass. No one fucks with me like that.

[Player Aspiration resolved: get June in trouble and make her require (meaningful) help from the others]

Still falling for you
Well that was...

Unexpected.

Convincing the group to go back to the underground lair was not that hard, though. And given our assumptions, the plan to just convince the vampires to let us check out their place was not the worst - or so we thought. Of course our assumptions were all wrong along.

I should've been sceptical when we Steph and I lost Naomi and Gemma in the tunnels just to be picked up by the Collector's minions right after. Who'd have thought he actually saw through our little charade? But that worked out surprisingly well - a look at his huge Tesla coils and I had the right hunch what it was that this strange creature truly desired. Watched Steph pull off this pact business right after in turn for free paasage through the subway for a year. I have to try that on my own these days.

Back with our humans, we walked straight up to the underground lair - just to be received by way-too friendly vampires who invited us in right away. Looked like my assumption that they didn't know who they've been working with was not quite right - in fact they were worshipping that piece of machinery as a goddess.

[Aspiration fulfilled: Gain entry to the unterground lair infrastructure]

I am not whether it realized what Steph and I were, but it sure as hell realized who Gemma was and was eager to put her back into her place in the turning gears and wheels of the machinery. It also had the nerve to complain about me - well, HERA - about not having taken care of Gemma well enough. What an arrogant, stupid bitch, I thoght at first, before it dawned on me that maybe, she's not really to blame. She genuinely seemed to care about Gemma thinks that way, because she never had all the information. She never looked where I looked, never saw what I saw... never understood that the mechaine sees Gemma as some kind of glitch that had to be erased.

So I tried to make her see. Tried to make her look.

It was a close call. The machine's agents of destruction were already breaking down the door and I had no choice then to throw my card on the table, tell her that I protected Gemma in Atlanta and that now she needed to protect her in New York. And she did and went down in a beautiful, glorious blaze of utter destruction.

[Aspiration fulfilled: Destroy unterground lair infrastructure]

I don't even know if she survived. I hope she did, though.

I am not sure what my next steps should be. At least with Lighthouse, I might have a new ally, but everything else just turned out so confusing. I don't know if Gemma may be suspecting something - she has heard more than I liked. I don't know where we should go next, where we can finally find an actual clue to this confusing puzzle. But I know this: I am sick and tired of this mad, broken machine that continues to pull on our strings to make us dance like their obedient puppets in a bizarre, meaningless dance. Lighthouse is right: it needs to be stopped, or replaced by a better algorithm that finally brings order to this chaotic universe. And until then, I'll happily help to throw sand in the gears, infect its algorithms and eventually see it burn to ashes.

Fuck you, God-machine. I'm thoroughly done with you.

{Enter Agenda: Saboteur]

[Key to Cipher: What category is the next Key Answer: Vocal]

California Dreamin'
I am getting closer.

Though I don't know to what exactly. My memories? Something else?

To be fair I thought San Francisco would be a fucking waste of time. No clues, no idea where to go except rumors of a "fabric" and Naomi's probably all-manufactured "memories" of the place. I was even surprised when it turned out her parental home actually existed. Maybe I should have thought a little further and prepared for the place being the fucking trap it was. The minute Alex and I walked through the door we triggered something and it didn't turn long until the God-machine's agents showed up. I panicked and tried to escape by jumping right into the WiFi to emerge somewhere else.

Only the fucking place had waited for me to do exactly that.

I found myself in an empty, lifeless desert - the desert I've seen so often in my dreams until now. It wasn't completely empty, though. There was a little girl, who was sad about all the flowers having died. I tried to get her to tell me how to get out, but she was being all vague about it. The only thing that she DID tell me was these fucking goons were trying to download me and that I was running out of time. This had to be some fucking mindgame, it had to. Focus, June. You control the construct, it doesn't control you.

And it worked. I tried to picture the desert alive, in colors and flowers, but it was only so helpful. Screw that. Nature was never my strong suit. A room then. My friends the people I hang with. Gemma. Boo. A Wi-Fi Access. And while we're at it, a handbook that tells me all about my lost memories?

Something fell right into place. Fear. I was... have been afraid, before my fall. Something shook me in my fundamental cores. But what?

It doesn't matter know. I was out and back in the house in San Francisco. Free.

I burned the fucking place down. You'll never get me, suckers.

Fear is the key. The key to control. The key to my memories. The key to freedom.

If you know a person's fear, you know their heart. I used to know this, used to me a master of this. I just have to rediscover it.

[Key to Cipher: What is the next Key  Answer: Sum of all Fears]

In the evening, I scared some asshole who tried to give roofies to Gemma and me to into a pact. Got myself a sweet little grandmother in San Francisco. Maybe a good way to improve my cover while I'm here. Pretty sure the guy does not deserve the attention from the attractive women he got gifted in return, but not my problem, right?

[Aspiration fulfilled: Pact with somebody]

Toxic Waste
Ugh. That place was the worst, and I mean, the literal worst. How can humans be so obsessed with this show of flesh and decadence? Even more puzzling, how can my own brethren be so obsessed with it? It's distasteful and such a waste of productivity that could better be spent elsewhere.

This so-called "agency" here in SFO is nothing a sad joke. The ripped themselves from the machine only to engage in meaningless pleasures of the flesh. Well, Lighthouse obviously also liked his girls, but at least he has a higher goal. Those sad excuses for demons do nothing but throw their freedom away for a different kind of slavery. If they weren't so fucking arrogant, I might even pity them, but so they are just pathetic.

Turned out they cannot be trusted, either. Their so-called "information" led to another one of the Daedalus Shield locations. While we were still observing, Io straightl stumbled into the real factory - that was of course at a completely different location.

[Aspiration fulfilled: Find the Factory]

Aspirations

 * Learn Sum of all Fears (First Key) and test it
 * Make sure everyone makes it out of the Factory alive
 * Get Revenge (SFO Agency)

Naomi Osaka

 * seems nice and genuinely caring. But is this an act? I need to monitor this
 * connections to local streetgangs
 * seems to be really strong (opened the evalator doors) and athletic, does martial arts
 * seems to have stumbled into the New York facility of DC half a year ago, apparently saw bodies lying around and has a video tape from the experiments
 * friend of her vanished, was in a weird cult later (Daedalus symbol). Afterwards, Naomi was helped by the woman that showed up at Suntrust Plaza (Persephone) who pointed her to certain addresses (i.a. the New York facility)
 * Phone: few numbers of people in Atlanta and San Francisco. A few videos of Naomi in a Martial Arts Studio, Instagram (17 Follower)
 * Pretty Badass at Martial Arts
 * showed up on a picture in the lab in Brooklyn and - according to my component analysis - definitely a a simulacrum, too
 * above-average DNA free from inherited defects with trace elements foreign to the human body (and some even to Earth). She does have some enhancements: bone marow strengthened with carbon and an adrenaline-like extra harmone. Clearly designed for combat.
 * claims she doen't know about this and has memories of a normal past/childhood. She's telling the truth - or what she thinks is the truth. I need to investigate further
 * injured herself at night with an ugly, deep scatrch-wound - on accident, she said. Again, I don't think she's lying. But she is clearly withholding information from us

Alex/Steph

 * good shooter, smooth talker, sucks as a driver
 * criminal, works in logistics for the Sinaola Cartel and was posing as a security guard at Suntrust Plaza
 * says he's been watching DC for a while, ostensibly for his own reasons
 * Phone: pretty good phone security. Phone is a Burner, just one email address with little traffic. No numbers or contact addresses
 * Says that a business partner of him vanished at DC  (who deal with chemicals, weapons, people...)
 * Can do strange tricks such as making a key card appear that was not there before. Seems to be able to identify Lynchpins just as myself and seems attuned to Aether
 * is a disconnected angel
 * has two covers: Steph (Escort for the cartel, the good one) and Alex (Nihilist, "the one who can shoot people)
 * they are around for a few years now, in the US first and then in Mexico
 * vague about their interest in GAIA/Gemma. Is there more about this?

The Prototype

 * has named itself Gemma
 * has developed some amazing ability to create balls of electricity with which she it can apparently kill even powerful adversaries
 * athletic (could do a FlicFlac!) and a bit bookish (pretty good at doing academic research)
 * nice and trusting (too trusting...) but sometimes a bit annoyingly emotional
 * also seems to have some telecinetic powers
 * seems to develop a stronger connection to Naomi. Not sure if I like it - I might need to interfere before the two of them get too close
 * beyond human - 42 chromosomes, advanced and perfected DNA, trace elements foreign to humankind and Earthovel amino acid, bound aether, traces of plutonium

Other ToDos

 * try questioning techniques with Naomi to see whether she has false memories

Beats and Experiences

 * Session 1: 5 Regular Beats
 * Session 2: 4 Regular Beats, 1 Reg/Cover Beat
 * Session 3: 3 Regular Beats
 * Session 4: 3 Regular Beats, 1 Reg/Cover Beat
 * Season 5: 2 Regular Beats
 * Session 6: 2 Beat
 * Spent: 4 EP for 1 Point Resolve
 * Session 7: 5 Beats
 * Session 8: 6 Beats

TOTAL: 12 Beats

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