Participants:
| Scene Title | Anonymous Chat |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Four people get an invitation to an anonymous chat room, as the Red King begins to set his board for a new game. |
| Date | April 24, 2019 |
This is your invitation to help protect the future. Find a stable online connection on April 24th at 2:17pm EDT and click the image link above if you would like to know more.
It was a mysterious message that showed up in the email and text in-boxes of those contacted, all the more curious that it seemed impossible to locate an original sender - the sign, usually, of a technopath’s work.
Intriguing enough that at least some of those contacted followed those instructions.
Upon touching the icon, a fairly generic-seeming chat room was connected to on the web, asking for a user alias. Anything close to an actual name wasn’t accepted, as if someone was working overtime to ensure anonymity, but anything else was.
Chat Room: TFN
Current Users Online: 1
Userlist:
Redking36
New User Connected: SkepE43
New User Connected: Dagger
New User Connected: cheshire
New User Connected: 1ivewire
Current Users Online: 5
Redking36: And here I was worried that nobody would show up. Good afternoon. Some of you might know me, others, well, you will soon enough. I’m glad you were curious enough to come.
Dagger: Never could resist a cryptic message. Obviously you know that.
SkepE43: yeah, nice to meet you. are you going to jump right into the ponzi scheme presentation or are you going to wax philosophical first? this is kind of a bad time of day for me.
1ivewire: What is this all about?
cheshire: i would also like to know what this is all about.
Dagger: Am I the only one having fun? I feel like no one else is having fun.
1ivewire: Oh, I wouldn't say I'm not having fun.
cheshire: ill be honest. im more a corner table at a bar type.
Redking36: it’s so hard to find a good bar these days. Also we have a technopath encrypting this in realtime which is helpful. And no I’m not going to wax philosophical, I’ll spare you that at least.
Redking36: I’ll get right to the point, at the risk of sounding like I’m wearing tinfoil. Our government has for a very long time been controlled by one conspiracy or another. The Company held a great deal of sway in its heyday, only to be dethroned when the Institute moved in, who in turn had their control taken away by the Humanis First movement. That hasn’t changed. Currently, the group that controls our government is known as the Deveaux Society, who put Praeger into place and keep their people in positions of power.
Redking36: And frankly I’m not certain they can be trusted any longer.
Redking36: The four of you have been asked here because you are all resourceful, and in some cases are in very good positions to listen and learn. And right now I think we can all agree we want to know how far our government can be trusted.
Dagger: Less fun now.
Dagger: But yeah, if we need another revolution, the sooner we know about it, the better.
1ivewire: I haven't had enough coffee for this.
1ivewire: Say you're right. What do you expect us to do?
SkepE43: Not sure what you expect me to do here, yeah. (Also, what the fuck?)
SkepE43: Like sure, say I buy these people are a front for the Illuminati. Do you have a plan to replace them or are you just trying to confirm your hunch they've gone bad?
Redking36: I’d rather not have to do anything. I’d rather be proven wrong that all the sudden changes in governmental positions and behavior don’t signify something particularly nefarious. This isn’t an action committee. This is an overwatch group, a failsafe to keep an eye on things.
Redking36: But there are some things you could do. For instance, someone in here is in a position to inform the Horsemen that their business partner, Praxis Heavy, is controlled by Adam Monroe. They might find that useful to know.
Dagger: They have a history with Monroe?
cheshire: true. still looking for one. any of you have suggestions im definitely listening.
cheshire: a good bar i mean
cheshire: okay what
cheshire: i look away for a cup of coffee and suddenly were talking illuminati conspiracies?
cheshire: i love a cryptic invite as much as the next guy but are you sure you got the right email for this?
Dagger: I wish you could all see how much I am laughing.
1ivewire: Welcome to the conversation. Glad you could make it.
1ivewire: Now go back to the bit about Monroe.
Redking36: Your existence is a conspiracy, cheshire. I was at the crossing.
Redking36: Yes. All intel gathered to date suggests that Adam Monroe is in control of Praxis Heavy, and is quietly gathering evolved-supremacists to his banner.
Dagger: Evolved-supremacists, that's a new one for me. What's he want? World domination? No more Non-Evos? Praxis has a pretty nice foothold in the US. And gaining as we speak.
SkepE43: What else do you know about Adam Monroe?
cheshire: not my existence. only my presence. but. you have my full attention.
1ivewire: And mine. Go on.
Redking36: More than most. Not as much as I’d like. Company founder, far older than the Company. Potential origin point of medieval-era Japan, but he could be older still. Cooperated with the Nazi regime during WW2 with projects Icarus, Hydra - both continued on by the Company later. Evolved supremacist. Worked with the Vanguard in their attempt to release a virus that would wipe out most of the world. Very polite. Likes tea.
1ivewire: Oh good. A polite Nazi. Those are my favorite. /s
SkepE43: that's a long resume but i guess he *IS* immortal
SkepE43: but I digress. he's not a part of this Deveaux group, (right??) which you're interested in…
SkepE43: do they have a hand in SESA?? or rather, do you think they do?
Dagger: He's a regenerator. He's immortal as fuuuuuuuuuuuck.
1ivewire: If Monroe has a hand in SESA or the Deveaux Society, it'd be news to me.
SkepE43: What about a DS/SESA relationship?
Dagger: Do you know who Claudia Zimmerman is?
cheshire: jesus christ this has been a trip down the rabbit hole. okay. so youre saying that this guy is an immortal ex nazi ex vanguard and he basically controls the state of california via corporate proxy. probably super rich. also being ex vanguard means hes also got experience with supremacist groups and now hes sneakily gathering evo supremacists for something. and you dont know what other than probably nothing good.
cheshire: and this was just a side tangent to the original conversation.
cheshire: my coffees not strong enough for this yet.
SkepE43: Do I know who Claudia Zimmerman is? No, obv not
SkepE43: But I just googled her and now I feel like an idiot.
Redking36: Claudia Zimmerman - Secretary of SESA. Alice Shaw - Public Relations Director of SESA. And Sabra Dalton, make up the leadership of the Deveraux Society. All three of them were formerly high-ranking members of the Company, with Sabra at one point essentially in control of it. While they were previously in the less… malevolent factions of those people, their recent actions have made me concerned.
Redking36: They removed the Director of SESA for wanting to be open with the public, and there have been other positions shuffled around suspiciously. Someone is either consolidating power, or they’re trying to hide something. Or maybe, just maybe, I’m being paranoid.
Redking36:I don’t believe Monroe is at all involved with them, but… I’m not sure what to think at this point. This is why I’m trying to expand my network. To find out.
Dagger: I mean, historically speaking, paranoia has been pretty justified.
Dagger: Maybe the Deveaux ladies mean well, but I don't like the idea of overseers. Whatever their temperament.
Dagger: Monroe needs watching, though. For sure.
1ivewire: Agreed. On both counts. We can't allow another Mitchell situation. We can't have another war of us vs. them.
SkepE43: throwing this way back now, who/what are the Horsemen?
cheshire: agreeing with sparky. one civil war sequel is already too many.
cheshire: also seconding skeps question. i was curious about the horsemen thing but wasnt sure if i should ask.
Dagger: They are a group of dimension hoppers, too. They came well before the crossing. They've been gathering people to them in Jersey. Not bad guys, not good guys, just… guys. I had a great time with them when I snuck onto their plane and went to fight robots and zombie animals and steal intel. It was a good bonding experience. They can be a little rough around the edges.
Dagger: There were some murders, though, and they tried to stop the whole… alternate world slip'n'slid.
Dagger: I didn't forget about the murders, Red, I promise.
SkepE43: I see. I'd never heard them called that.
SkepE43: They're all right. Some of them.
1ivewire: Sounds like Dagger knows how to party. (wtf tho?)
1ivewire: So we need to make sure these Horsemen aren’t providing resources to Monroe or vice versa? Is that what we’re getting at?
Dagger: They were Humanis First robots and zombie animals.
SkepE43: jesus.
1ivewire: W o w. As you do, I guess.
cheshire: boy am i glad i fortified my coffee for this. also thank you for that explanation. will try to reserve judgement about these horsepeoples should i ever meet them.
cheshire: that said i am feeling way out of my depth here. ill keep an ear to the ground, but i dont really know what youre hoping for outta me. im not exactly in a position to do much of anything that i can think of.
SkepE43: honestly? Same. But… I can at least keep an ear out.
SkepE43: one question though: why trust you here? Whose interests do YOU represent, red?
Redking36: cheshire, you have a… unique viewpoint, unfiltered by bias and history. You may be able to spot something the others would not recognize as unusual due to this. I value unique perspectives.
Redking36: Good question. :) The history books simplify and obscure a great number of things. They would have you believe that before the war, the only ‘good guys’ out there were the Ferrymen, but the truth is far more complicated. When Russo broadcast the truth about the Company, about the government, that was us. When the Institute facility in Alaska went dark, that was us as well.
Redking36: I’m not going to claim I represent the interests of ‘the people’ because that’s the sort of arrogance that leads to someone trying to lead them. But my interests are in preventing the sort of disaster that leads to mass loss of life, and seeing the world instead head down the path of recovery.
cheshire: well. consider me persuaded. ive seen one apocalypse and heard about others and ive got no desire to see any of that crap happen here. ill do what i can. in the unlikely event i hear something that makes me worry about impending apocalypses i will let you know.
1ivewire: I'm more interested in why you think you can trust us. And why we should trust each other.
Dagger: It seems to me like this is set up so we don't have to trust each other.
Dagger: And you know I'm always in, Red.
Redking36: Everyone here has had opportunities to prove they aren’t worthy of my trust. Everyone here has passed, whether you know it or not. As for each other— like Dagger said, you don’t necessarily need to. Sometimes deniability is best.
1ivewire: Good enough for me.
SkepE43: let's all mutually agree to not actively fuck with the fabric of reality, then.
SkepE43: because that might not lead to a disaster or anything.
Dagger: *again. Let's agree not to fuck with the fabric of reality again.
Redking36: I think the fabric of reality has taken enough hits lately, agreed,
SkepE43: Sarcasm and pointed looks don't carry well over the internet, I suppose.
SkepE43: So how do we get in touch again if something DOES come up? This channel staying open?
Redking36: For now it will. I’m working on more secure systems due to concerns about the security of GhostNet. I suppose for cheshire’s sake we could always default to shady bar dead drops.. ;)
1ivewire: Those're my favorite kind.
cheshire: sounds good! ill make it my homework to scope out all the shady bars in the area. you know. for research purposes.
Dagger: Count me in for that research. Staten has a few interesting spots…
Redking36: Alright, then. I'll be in touch. Get out there, find your own contacts and build your own networks, and keep an eye out for anything that might be a danger to the people of the Safe Zone, of the country, of the world, or of the goddamn fabric of reality and I can't believe I'm serious about that.
Redking36: Welcome to the Failsafe Network.
CONNECTION LOST