Chapter 24: Pity the Flu

[Bonifaz Artz-Lehrer]

"Fine, we'll meet up with you later." Bonifaz says to the android. He walks off with Archer, walking a few blocks before they come upon Horacio's home. Bonifaz doesn't need to open the door, since it is already opened a crack from whoever was the last person to enter.

He steps inside and notices his half brother Armin, who looks half dead on the ugly sofa, and an assortment of others. He also notices the man who he thought was a Genetech soldier earlier. He turns back to Archer, but doesn't say anything.

Lastly, he notices that attractive woman who he has never met before. She is the only one in the room who is a stranger to him.

[Dinari Dollar]

"Yeah, let's escutchen...." Dinari says, not sure what that word means or where he heard it. Come to think of it, it probably does not mean go, but, he doesn't care. He is powerful enough to make lingual rules and meanings, so henceforth, escutchen is spanish for go.

Dinari walks away from the parade as the pig floats by and another float heads down the street. The next float was from the High Temple in London and for some reason it features a troll like creature chasing children. At least the float throws candy. Dinari assumes that it must be some abstract thing too deep for him to understand.

He walks with Calithin to a teleportation booth. "Can we just teleport there, it's faster.." Dinari suggests.

[Rust aka "Chaos"]

Chaos jumps up in one swift motion and moves to the young man with a disgusted look on his face. He loves his ego to be boosted so this is very amusing to him. He doesnt wish to be underestimated however. Suddenly Worm's personal computer begins playing the death march rather loudly. A skull and crossbones flash on the screen in accordance with the song.

"Today I am a mechanical marvel I am. Nothing can touch me nothing can hurt me. You see anything they might send to me as long as it has a machanical part or is machine computer, banks, or android alike I can control. My lovely, up until about a day ago I was a trojan horse for the pharmacuetical company. I dont remember much before that. I do know who my creator was...a man named Gespard Rustings. I was origionally named after him in a way as a tribute. Might prove interesting to see him now to show him what fun I can have with my newest 'upgrade'. This upgrade being a new level of badassidness. You seem very eager to play with me. Want to blow shyte up? Wanna make things burn? Wanna show everyone that we will rebuild from the ashes and accomplish everything we ever dreamed? Wanna rock?"

Chaos hangs his arm around the younger mans shoulders and puts his face dangerously close to his. His nose touching his ear. He smirks and licks the mans earlobe laughing as soon as its done. Chaos keeps a firm grip on Worm careful to not let him go.

"Was that a bit over the top? I can never tell when I go too far..."

[Li Violette]

Calithin and Dinari leave and I am left with Momo and Annette, not exactly the best company.
"I think I would like to get a closer look at the parade...from elsewhere..." I say to my companions, then quickly leave so that I don't have to deal with the personalities of Annette and Momo, which together would be quite unbearable.

I wander up the parade route and take my place with a bunch of strangers. They eye me, since they know who I am, but, I only offer a smile and return my attention to the floats.

[Salome Weil]

"Perhaps this android could help us with the Eyes of God. Maybe he could...cause the computers used to launch the missiles with the satellites to malfunction on the launch date." I suggest to the anarchists there. This seems like a good idea to me anyway.

I notice Bonifaz and Archer arrive, but I don't know them well. I have seen them before at other meetings and am aware they are nihilists, but other than that, I know little about them.

[Armin Lehrer]

"Hey Bonifaz.." Armin says weakly. He is not too surprised to see his brother here, but a little alarmed by the behaviors of Chaos. He is a frightening guy and Armin feels uncomfortable around him. Armin coughs a few times and motions for someone to get him a glass of water.

"I've had this cold that just won't go away. I hope I start feeling better soon." Armin says to Bonifaz, though he doesn't suspect that Bonifaz is the source of this disease.

[Bonifaz Artz-Lehrer]

"Sorry to hear that you are not well. You shouldn't have come here. You'll probably get us all sick." Bonifaz scolds his brother. Of course, Archer and Bonifaz have already been immunized against the Cat Flu, so they should be fine. Still, he thinks it was foolish for Armin to come to the meeting. The only good thing is to see that the flu has at least spread a little. "Is anyone else sick? Maybe there is a bug going around..."

Bonifaz turns his attention to Chaos, who explained himself and now at least Bonifaz knows he is the upgraded version of Rust Whitesell. He isn't sure what to make of this new information, but, at least he seems to be on the side of the anarchists.

He does not suggest an outlet for Chaos' destruction, merely listens to the machine and can understand why Amelia wanted to stay behind.

[Tahlia Malkes]

Tahlia gets an uneasy look on her face as she looks at the scene between worm and Chaos. She barely notices the new people when Armin begins coughing all over the place. She also rolls her eyes when no one gets Armin a glass of water.

Taking her tissue she walks to the kitchen area and gets a glass filling it with water and bringing it to Armin careful not to touch any of the glass surface or spilling the water.

"Here. Dont ever say I never did anything for you."

She smiles sweetly.

[Kasper Schultz]

Kasper wakes up and makes himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the kitchen of the socialist house. It is then that he realizes that Armin's shoes and jacket are missing. He leaves the sandwich on the counter and rushes upstairs to see if Armin is home. Sure enough, the room is empty.

"Stupid Armin, he'll just get sicker unless he allows his body to rest." Kasper says with frustration.

He retreats back to the kitchen and eats his sandwich. He still feels very ill. He wishes that he could get his hands on some vitamin C or at least some fresh fruit.

[Horacio Hatfield]

Horacio listens to Chaos as well as Salome and the others. He nods and thinks that what Salome suggests seems like a good enough idea. "Glad that you two could make it. We just decided that the anarchist group should be called Black Bloc. We are now trying to figure out what our group should do first.." Horacio explains to the newcomers Archer and Bonifaz. He takes the tray of meat, cheese, and crackers off of the table and offers the food to Archer and Bonifaz.

[Calithin Crest]

"Yeah yeah... Teleportation booth... It's whatever. I'm about getting where I'm going."

We find a teleportation booth, and although I am wary of them and a little sketched out to use them, I decide to just do it anyway. I pay for the transport and step into the art deco styled machine, then am instantly taken to Florida.

"Ew. Florida. Pastel colors. Tacky tacky."

[Archer Aylmer]

"Hello..."

I stay quiet and generally detached from everyone. These people don't interest me, but I do want something to be accomplished at this meeting. Blac Bloc is a mediocre name.

"I think recruiting revolutionary forces is a good objective. Generally causing confusion and distrust in the government through terrorism. The 'Eyes of God' are going to put a damper on things, but... Well, I don't know. A way will be found to deal with it. Atleast we know someone who is tech knowledgeable."

I yawn and gaze absently around the room. Chaos' announcement doesn't really stir me too much. As long as he's not causing me any trouble I don't care.

[haakon]

((My muse hasn't been working properly here...))

Haakon continued to watch in disdain as the various floats of the manalists made their crawl through the streets of Rome, finally slowly passing before him. However, it was not the parade he was even aiming for, but a person who he had not been able to spot until she moved closer to the parade route. The Speaker.

Taking his crystalline object, Haakon whispered something in ancient elf and flicked it out of his wrist. It then bounced off of the ground instead of breaking, rolling directly into the path of the floats where it suddenly started to crack and emit a ghostly mist. The crystal-like object then started to grow, something within slowly breaking it's way out releasing more icey mist with each passing moment until it rapidly grew. The thing continued to grow as ice seemed to jut out in all directions, the air becoming unbearably cold as a giant figure of ice was not standing before the floats and the gathered crowd.

The ice elemental blinked a pair of black and lifeless eyes before taking a deep breath of air and releasing a loud, shrill howl that cut the soul almost as badly as the coldness itself. Now released from it's prison, the giant ice elemental proceeded to attack the floats with a barage of ice, flexing it's muscles to send shards of ice flying everywhere before impaling a float with one of it's giant hands.

Haakon then vanished from sight, reappearing in the now panicking crowd as he made his way toward The Speaker. Incase she put up a struggle, Haakon drew his sword as he drew closer as his ice elemental released a breath of freezing wind that turned a large group of people into ice sculptures.

[Akira 69]

((To Amelia))

Akira stumbled about the streets of Rome, his motor functions rather slowed due to his head having a hole in it. His one real weakness, the part that was able to control the rest of him... with that damaged, he truely could do anything at any time. He could find no one around and his confusion only worsend as he stumbled through an alley and saw another creditor. His now completely shattered brain went on a rant of how lovely she was, but that since she was a functioning creditor would have no time for him and this deeply made Akira mad for about a few seconds before he jolted and forgot what he had been thinking of.

He then saw another creditor and decided to walk up to her, ignoring the fact that his forehead had a hole in it. "Ko-ko-konich-chi-chiwa!" Akira stuttered, his speech now worse then before if that was possible. Akira had been about to say more when he was cut off by a loud and shrill howl that chilled the air itself.

[Amelia 20]

Amelia was examining the artistic qualities of the teleportation booth she was standing nearby when approached by Akira. She quickly turned around and "felt" relieved when it was Akira and not Chaos. She recognized Akira as a fellow Creditor, but not one that she had ever met. For a moment, she thought he might be still working for Global Bank, but, he appeared to not be functioning quite right. He also seemed to be an older model. In fact, she had never seen a Creditor like him before.

"Aren't you supposed to be out of commission?" She asks the fellow machine, perhaps a little rudely, but, it is the first question that comes to mind when seeing him.

She eyes him cautiously, since she is uncertain if she should regard him as a friend or foe.