Personification Life - IC Part VIII [open]

[Cerillium]

"Oh, that's no trouble. We can't reproduce either. No kids for me, unless somehow I died and became one of Minerva's people. That would be a bit strange even for me, though," Chrys answered, referencing the information she (and Luce) had gotten from Minerva in an earlier conversation. "So really, making sacrifices is something we have in common, it looks like."

"You could always adopt," Hans suggested. His disposition had brightened considerably.

"How does one become a Conservator, if you don't mind the question? What are you? Transcended human? Demigods? You don't seem demonic at all."

[The BranRiech]

"I am a mechanic. But when that first explosion hit the city, I was the one out flying to see if everyone was alright." Bran hissed. Albert was getting pushed to the side, something he didn't want. "Yeah, we're heading over there now."

"I picked it up from spending so much time fixing them. The government needed to dumb-down the controls, couldn't afford training pilots who can't read. I learned on a Ka-65, but the roles are basically the same, and the controls are standardized."

He lied not, simply finding no need to. He knew he was the better man in this situation. Ray simply had a superiority complex.

They would eventually reach the pet show, and he waited to see where he could take Laika up.

[Torsiedelle]

"Good point, Dora", Katya said. She felt beautiful, getting so much attention. "Yoshi, I love what you're doing with my hair. It's awesome. Anyway, Dora, What are we going to talk about?"

[New Aksarben]

"Yeah, and if they do hit, it's game over." Bran snarled. Ray was just being a typical westerner, always so pompous and "Superior" He rolled his eyes at the notion. "So, why'd the city even hire you, eh? You fly news choppers, or what?"

he sounded indignant, Bran really didn't know why he was apparently qualified.

Ray was suddenly even more annoyed that Bran actually wanted to continue the discussion, even if no one else felt it was getting them anywhere. If anything, it might even be turning into a scene of sorts. "Oh, smart guy, doesn't want to continue the conversation and then strikes it back up. For your information, I was trained by the 161'st Special Operations Helicopter Airwing of the Democratic Union Army. Got it as part of my SPRA training, for your information. Never flown a news chopper, but I own a UH-60, M model." His response was a half-truth. It was never as part of his SPRA training, it was really just one of his SPRA friends who was a part-time duty pilot with the 161'st SOHA. "And where'd you get your training? I heard from your wife that you were a mechanic. How does a mechanic learn how to fly? Oh wait! You're not flying, are you?" He continued walking as he spoke.

"RAY. Drop it. NOW." Albert growled. He was getting annoyed by the fact that Ray had ignored his previous request to just drop it. "You too, Bran. You are co-workers now. You must get along, otherwise you will not be as effective. Ray can bring up his dissatisfaction with using that helicopter later. But for now we should enjoy ourselves. This is a festival, not a place where we argue for no good reason."

---

"No problem." Jacob told Dora with a smile. Max hovered up a bit higher for some reason, likely so he wouldn't be in the way of other people. "I have the same question as Katya, for the record. What did you want to speak with us about?"

[Tiltjuice]

"First thing? Well, as you noticed on the trip to Urran, I wasn't exactly subtle about my polyamory. It didn't exactly seem right to keep going with either of you without making sure you two were fine with sharing me. Just as Yoshi here knows." The PI had to give him credit for that. 'The life' was definitely not for everybody, and it took getting used to. "And one other guy, but he's not here."

"Second thing is a private deal, between me and Yoshi. Though I'm sure Katya might be hearing about it after." Dora grinned at Yoshi, as if to signal she didn't mind if he told Katya.

---

"You could always adopt," Hans suggested. His disposition had brightened considerably.

"How does one become a Conservator, if you don't mind the question? What are you? Transcended human? Demigods? You don't seem demonic at all."

"True, there is that! I hadn't thought of it." Chrys took another few sips of beer. "As for what we are...transcended humans. Luce calls us priests and priestesses of Time. Dora did, sometimes, back when she was officially one of us. We get picked if old man Time and old lady Fate decide we're the kind of person they want. How they decide, I really have no idea. The process of actually becoming a Conservator involves some very odd things, including wearing a hollow red pony head and being dunked in a tank of wine for three days."

[Swith Witherward]

The pet show. Ah, such an event. In any other city, it would have been spectacular. In Bielefeld, a city recently plagued by terrorists and unknown factors, the show was much more tame.

City planners realized a drawn out event would possibly cause these terrorist to target it as a blow to the citizens' hearts. Instead of contests for classes such as "most bizarre" or "cutest", the city elected to do a pet parade. Entrants were asked to line up at the north end of Main and walk as a group through the street.

There were a lot of pets. The citizens had turned up in full force to support their beloved city. There was everything from small gerbils to large draft horses. A few of the less-normal citizens brought large herd animals. The Bielefeld zoo brought in all four of its giraffes as a symbolic gesture to replace the missing statue.

Entrants gathers amidst a bustle of talk, barks, yips, tweets, meows and roars. Naomi was there with Boopsie as well as a small animal perched on her shoulder. This creature was very docile. A red bow adorned its neck and it almost seemed asleep as it hid beneath her hair and pressed into her neck. They set off, citizens and building inhabitants and pets. It didn't matter if people had reached the parade start or not. They were encouraged to walk as the participants caught up to their location. Plenty of people elected not to walk at all, and they remained near vender stalls with their pets in order to browse wares or sample foods.

People along the parade route applauded and awed as the creatures passed by. There were a few cringes regarding some animals, such as poor Erwin or Boopsie. It was a very cheerful moment, however, and the majority of the crowd seemed to enjoy the spectacle.

They reached the far end, which was only a block from Chaos, and the event planners handed out coupons for the nearby pet shop.

The Festival had ended. Dusk was setting in. Only the Beer Garden set up in Memorial Park would remain open until late.

[Erucia]

"RAY. Drop it. NOW." Albert growled. He was getting annoyed by the fact that Ray had ignored his previous request to just drop it. "You too, Bran. You are co-workers now. You must get along, otherwise you will not be as effective. Ray can bring up his dissatisfaction with using that helicopter later. But for now we should enjoy ourselves. This is a festival, not a place where we argue for no good reason."

Ray easily shut up, an empty and nervous feeling blasting through his stomach. He still felt incredible anger towards Bran, and yet he thought that he shouldn't be 'dragged down to Bran's level'. Still, he wasn't going to let it go that easy. "...Alright, I'm dropping it! I tried to drop it a few minutes ago but Bran just had to try and prove that he has the bigger ego in this pointless argument, and that isn't my fault!", his voice was carried with a angered displacement that was only quieted by Albert's insistence.

"Sheesh, how'd this guy ever get someone as nice as Rylli to marry him? Guy's come from a country of people who can't even read en-mass," Ray then muttered to himself. He had felt that this meeting would go much better. However, the pet show had surely managed to set aside the poor conversation and set something new on Ray's mind.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

As Neil and Gretta lead their chicks through the parade as Erwin was going to stay dead a while. Dissapointed that the prizes were cancelled, they made the quartet of Badgermingos sing anyways. Neill hummed a bar to signal them, it was quite nice but unnerving coming from flamingo bodies with badger heads.

Robert, Jenny, and Swift wished Erwin would have been alive to see all the people. But of course, a dead cat is easier to herd than a live one.

[Urran]

"Good point, Dora", Katya said. She felt beautiful, getting so much attention. "Yoshi, I love what you're doing with my hair. It's awesome. Anyway, Dora, What are we going to talk about?"

He giggled and kept doing what he was doing. He trusted Jacob enough to do this in front of him, but he was usually quieter about his romantic life, as most people knew. He nodded to Dora and smiled. He wouldn't take Dora or "share her" as she put it. He only wanted Katya but he didn't mind sharing her with Dora.

[The BranRiech]

Sure enough, the pet parade did shut Bran up for the moment, and Ray's little jab at the end didn't help, but he did shut up. Now through the pet parade though, he allowe dhis wife to take Rachelle and Laika home for dinner, while he planned to get a Beer.

"Let's go get a beer, eh you two? We can continue our wonderful conversation."

[New Aksarben]

"First thing? Well, as you noticed on the trip to Urran, I wasn't exactly subtle about my polyamory. It didn't exactly seem right to keep going with either of you without making sure you two were fine with sharing me. Just as Yoshi here knows." The PI had to give him credit for that. 'The life' was definitely not for everybody, and it took getting used to. "And one other guy, but he's not here."

"Second thing is a private deal, between me and Yoshi. Though I'm sure Katya might be hearing about it after." Dora grinned at Yoshi, as if to signal she didn't mind if he told Katya.

"Well, I am okay with it. My nation has quite the easygoing attitude for things other nations and cultures might find odd, with a few exceptions of course, so I really have no reason to not be okay with it, honestly." Jacob responded with a shrug. He had actually expected it to be something else she had wanted to talk about. He was not quite sure what, but just he thought it was something else.

---

"Thank you Ray." Albert said, giving a small kiss to Ray's cheek. He looked over at Bran with a nod. "Yes. We can go get drunk. If you want to have a nice conversation, I would suggest choosing a more civil topic. That is, if you don't want me to knock your heads together. I want to have fun, and my boyfriend arguing with his new co-worker won't help that in the least. "

[Cerillium]

"True, there is that! I hadn't thought of it." Chrys took another few sips of beer. "As for what we are...transcended humans. Luce calls us priests and priestesses of Time. Dora did, sometimes, back when she was officially one of us. We get picked if old man Time and old lady Fate decide we're the kind of person they want. How they decide, I really have no idea. The process of actually becoming a Conservator involves some very odd things, including wearing a hollow red pony head and being dunked in a tank of wine for three days."

"Heh." The grin on Hans' face smoothed away careworn lines. "We were strapped to a slab and shot in the head. Let's go back in time and suggest your method to the SS. But, I have to ask, do you ever regret your choice? You left behind family, no? Dora retired yet she didn't go back to her time so I assume none of the other Conservators would be able to as well?"

As Neil and Gretta lead their chicks through the parade as Erwin was going to stay dead a while. Dissapointed that the prizes were cancelled, they made the quartet of Badgermingos sing anyways. Neill hummed a bar to signal them, it was quite nice but unnerving coming from flamingo bodies with badger heads.

Robert, Jenny, and Swift wished Erwin would have been alive to see all the people. But of course, a dead cat is easier to herd than a live one.

Several of Klaus' men joined in on the song. Barbershop quartet was a favorite hobby for a few of them. They loudly applauded the Badgermingos when they were finished.

[Erucia]

"Thank you Ray." Albert said, giving a small kiss to Ray's cheek. He looked over at Bran with a nod. "Yes. We can go get drunk. If you want to have a nice conversation, I would suggest choosing a more civil topic. That is, if you don't want me to knock your heads together. I want to have fun, and my boyfriend arguing with his new co-worker won't help that in the least. "

Ray blushed at the kiss, feeling better already that he was receiving some nicer attention. And although he was still holding lingering feelings towards Bran, he did feel that a make-up might be better. "...Alright, let's get something to drink. As long as we can talk like normal people and not insult each other, I'm fine with spending more time around you," Ray added on with a shrug. Still, he purposefully added a tang that was directed towards Bran. He sincerely hoped that Bran would stop being, in his thoughts, incredibly egotistical and elitist. In fact, Ray's mind was coming up with reasons to hate Bran, whether they be legitimate or not.

[Urran]

Blossom, under her umbrella, dashed outside with a massive tarantula on her shoulder. She joined up with the others and panted a bit. 'I'm not late I hope!"

[Primordial Luxa]

Meanwhile in the Von Eldritch house....

A black circular portal opened up in the living room ceiling, dropping a man in an orange jumpsuit to the floor. Landing on his white boots upright, he could only think of how he wasn't in a white room they were aiming for. But the multiverse was full of surprises, he held his ASHPD firmly as he ventured into the room. The style was Gothic Victorian, and seemed old. He reassuringly patted the orange duffle bag on his back as he looked for where to upload or sneak the plans into. He still assumed he was in an alternate Aperture, maybe this one had wizards or ghosts, or steampunk. Dr. Koontz hoped it was steampunk, that would have been cool. He opened an airlocked door with "VE" in ornate letters to one of the testing chambers where various creations tried out their firepower. Remains of Nurse-Bots, Zombies, and Pizza Guys were scattered in front of targets.

A bit unnerved he found his way to Neil's Office. Dr. Koontz tried to look for a password on the surprisingly heavy duty keyboard. The nearby bookshelf held no clues except confirming his suspicions that this was a science oriented facility. However on the first bad login attempt... the house went into lockdown. The Multiverse portal dissipated and closed, with the house surrounded by a deadlock. His radio went dead, cutting off communication with Aperture. He feared the worst as soon as the klaxon alarm blared throughout the house. Nevvie kicked open the door while wielding an energy weapon. The sight of the lizardwoman startled Dr. Koontz.

"On the floor mammal!" She shouted at him.

Koontz thought quick and tried to portal behind her, however the deadlock prevented him from placing portals.

"NOW!" Nevvie ordered.

Koontz was speechless, he went to throw one of the heavy texts at her, to try and slip past the lizard, but the book only came halfway out. With a spin of the bookshelf Koontz found himself in a secret passage. With no time to question the logic of his fortune, he ran down the passage.

The passage turned into more of a catwalk as he moved behind the walls. He looked and saw what reminded him of the Aperture facility, ever moving rooms. However this was wrong, there seemed to be nothing beyond the void, no salt mine, no sky, no outer space. Just the rooms mechanically held together as they moved around like a Rubik's cube with too many dimensions. It was making him a bit sick so he got back inside one of the rooms.

After passing through another airlock, the sound of klaxon's still filled the air. This was a new room, like a caged jungle in a metal dome. Sounds of experimental animals filled the air as Koontz hoped there were no Mantis-men or Sentient clouds in here to tear him apart. He began to think as he wandered through the jungle, what sort of place was this. It was a Science facility for sure, maybe run by lizard people instead of humans, like that Cat Aperture, or Mantis Aperture, even the one where everyone was a being of pure light. He found it easier not to think to hard about it, with an infinite probability that he was wrong. Then again he had an infinite probability of being right. Shaking his head again, he tried not to think too much about the contradictions of his work. He looked to a clearing and saw a waffalo grazing. He was definitely not parallel to Aperture Prime, this was one of those backwater universes practically perpendicularly alternate.

An airlock far off slammed open as Nevvie entered the jungle, hunting down the intruder. Running through the foliage, she tried to pick up his scent. It wasn't long before she found the trail. Sniffing the air she was right on a fresh trail...that led back to the airlock she just came in from.

Dr. Koontz ran as fast as his long fall boots would allow, which wasn't much. Down the long hallway he thought he could see the front door. Suddenly his path was blocked by a giant of a "man" in a tuxedo. Koontz stopped in his tracks and went to run back when he saw Nevvie closing in from behind. He took the side door quickly and found himself in an entertainment room.

The television had been left on. There was something familiar about it. Dr. Koontz stepped closer, and saw...it was his co-worker Dr. Susan Tiemann, and she was doing... that low budget kids science show that was only played at the daycare center back at Aperture. It was odd seeing that here. Occasionally the screen snowed up and showed security feeds briefly of one of his other co-workers finding one of the mantis-men in an elevator.

His attention was shifted back to escaping as The two pursuers were trying to bash down the door. Dr.Koontz quickly went to the next room over as they realized he hadn't locked the door on them. He went back into the hall, but found himself on the opposite side.

*insert Scooby Doo door chase here*

Dr. Koontz ran out the front door ad he left his attacker stuck in a closet. and was on his way to freedom. Fresh air! Sunshine! People! All that came to an end when he was about to reach the sidewalk...the deadlock shield was still up, and he smacked into it face first and fell to the ground flat on his back.

With the sound of bones splitting a character appeared in front of Dr. Koontz. Reality bled from the place where he stood and the world seemed to bend strangely into a hole her had stepped out of. The hole slowly began to close sparking with light and thunder as it did so and leaving strange geometrical objects behind in its wake. The Figure looked down at him with a curious glance before hunching down to his eye level, he was pale skinned with dark colorless eyes, he wore a strange black trench coat that was filled with unmentionable devices and wicked looking knives. He racked a knuckle on the deadlock shield before saying “Well I didn’t expect this.”

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

"Thank you Ray." Albert said, giving a small kiss to Ray's cheek. He looked over at Bran with a nod. "Yes. We can go get drunk. If you want to have a nice conversation, I would suggest choosing a more civil topic. That is, if you don't want me to knock your heads together. I want to have fun, and my boyfriend arguing with his new co-worker won't help that in the least. "

Ray blushed at the kiss, feeling better already that he was receiving some nicer attention. And although he was still holding lingering feelings towards Bran, he did feel that a make-up might be better. "...Alright, let's get something to drink. As long as we can talk like normal people and not insult each other, I'm fine with spending more time around you," Ray added on with a shrug. Still, he purposefully added a tang that was directed towards Bran. He sincerely hoped that Bran would stop being, in his thoughts, incredibly egotistical and elitist. In fact, Ray's mind was coming up with reasons to hate Bran, whether they be legitimate or not.

A laser sight appeared on Ray's shoulder as a suppressed shot was fired....it was blocked by a pony that was charging at Ray. The animal fell to the ground dead. The tiny claw marks in the animal's rear flank signified that it was the same one the raptor chicks had been riding earlier.

The Scout cursed from her second story perch. Of course the round wasn't meant to kill Ray if it had hit...just a warning shot to show that the GSM were watching him. Worrying that her position was blown she packed up the rifle and left the empty building quickly before the boys in blue showed up.

[The BranRiech]

"How about a healthy buzz? I'd rather not get drunk." Bran said. He was a drunk who's dominant emotion shone through the most, only when he was drunk, and if Ray was nearby, then he'd probably be a bit angry.

"Beer garden's still open, so we'll head there. Yeah, I'd like to make it up to you, Ray, I'll buy the drinks."

He freaked out a bit at the dead pony, and jumped back a bit. "What the flying fuck!?"

[Cerillium]

Ray blushed at the kiss, feeling better already that he was receiving some nicer attention. And although he was still holding lingering feelings towards Bran, he did feel that a make-up might be better. "...Alright, let's get something to drink. As long as we can talk like normal people and not insult each other, I'm fine with spending more time around you," Ray added on with a shrug. Still, he purposefully added a tang that was directed towards Bran. He sincerely hoped that Bran would stop being, in his thoughts, incredibly egotistical and elitist. In fact, Ray's mind was coming up with reasons to hate Bran, whether they be legitimate or not.

A laser sight appeared on Ray's shoulder as a suppressed shot was fired....it was blocked by a pony that was charging at Ray. The animal fell to the ground dead. The tiny claw marks in the animal's rear flank signified that it was the same one the raptor chicks had been riding earlier.

The Scout cursed from her second story perch. Of course the round wasn't meant to kill Ray if it had hit...just a warning shot to show that the GSM were watching him. Worrying that her position was blown she packed up the rifle and left the empty building quickly before the boys in blue showed up.

"Hello."

A cold, cruel hand latched onto the scout before she had packed up the rifle.

"Naughty girl. Security is extremely high today."

Girl and man vanished with a snap.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

The passage turned into more of a catwalk as he moved behind the walls. He looked and saw what reminded him of the Aperture facility, ever moving rooms. However this was wrong, there seemed to be nothing beyond the void, no salt mine, no sky, no outer space. Just the rooms mechanically held together as they moved around like a Rubik's cube with too many dimensions. It was making him a bit sick so he got back inside one of the rooms.

After passing through another airlock, the sound of klaxon's still filled the air. This was a new room, like a caged jungle in a metal dome. Sounds of experimental animals filled the air as Koontz hoped there were no Mantis-men or Sentient clouds in here to tear him apart. He began to think as he wandered through the jungle, what sort of place was this. It was a Science facility for sure, maybe run by lizard people instead of humans, like that Cat Aperture, or Mantis Aperture, even the one where everyone was a being of pure light. He found it easier not to think to hard about it, with an infinite probability that he was wrong. Then again he had an infinite probability of being right. Shaking his head again, he tried not to think too much about the contradictions of his work. He looked to a clearing and saw a waffalo grazing. He was definitely not parallel to Aperture Prime, this was one of those backwater universes practically perpendicularly alternate.

An airlock far off slammed open as Nevvie entered the jungle, hunting down the intruder. Running through the foliage, she tried to pick up his scent. It wasn't long before she found the trail. Sniffing the air she was right on a fresh trail...that led back to the airlock she just came in from.

Dr. Koontz ran as fast as his long fall boots would allow, which wasn't much. Down the long hallway he thought he could see the front door. Suddenly his path was blocked by a giant of a "man" in a tuxedo. Koontz stopped in his tracks and went to run back when he saw Nevvie closing in from behind. He took the side door quickly and found himself in an entertainment room.

The television had been left on. There was something familiar about it. Dr. Koontz stepped closer, and saw...it was his co-worker Dr. Susan Tiemann, and she was doing... that low budget kids science show that was only played at the daycare center back at Aperture. It was odd seeing that here. Occasionally the screen snowed up and showed security feeds briefly of one of his other co-workers finding one of the mantis-men in an elevator.

His attention was shifted back to escaping as The two pursuers were trying to bash down the door. Dr.Koontz quickly went to the next room over as they realized he hadn't locked the door on them. He went back into the hall, but found himself on the opposite side.

*insert Scooby Doo door chase here*

Dr. Koontz ran out the front door ad he left his attacker stuck in a closet. and was on his way to freedom. Fresh air! Sunshine! People! All that came to an end when he was about to reach the sidewalk...the deadlock shield was still up, and he smacked into it face first and fell to the ground flat on his back.

With the sound of bones splitting a character appeared in front of Dr. Koontz. Reality bled from the place where he stood and the world seemed to bend strangely into a hole her had stepped out of. The hole slowly began to close sparking with light and thunder as it did so and leaving strange geometrical objects behind in its wake. The Figure looked down at him with a curious glance before hunching down to his eye level, he was pale skinned with dark colorless eyes, he wore a strange black trench coat that was filled with unmentionable devices and wicked looking knives. He racked a knuckle on the deadlock shield before saying “Well I didn’t expect this.”

"Oh, I opened a portal¹ to Hell, didn't I? It was just a matter of time." Dr. Koontz muttered as he got up. He patted the duffle bag to make sure he didn't break any of the gels, and was satisfied. He reached out and felt the invisible barrier again, revealing faint blue hexagon tessellations as he applied pressure.

"Hard light barrier?" he inquired. "Are you going to help me or swallow my soul?" he added as more direct question to the stranger.

The Portal gun still wasn't going to help while he was inside. The lock-down was still activated, with Scarface and Nevvie breaking the closet door inside. There was not much time before they would be out here to capture the man from another universe.

1. Portals! Ha!

[Swith Witherward]

Ray blushed at the kiss, feeling better already that he was receiving some nicer attention. And although he was still holding lingering feelings towards Bran, he did feel that a make-up might be better. "...Alright, let's get something to drink. As long as we can talk like normal people and not insult each other, I'm fine with spending more time around you," Ray added on with a shrug. Still, he purposefully added a tang that was directed towards Bran. He sincerely hoped that Bran would stop being, in his thoughts, incredibly egotistical and elitist. In fact, Ray's mind was coming up with reasons to hate Bran, whether they be legitimate or not.

A laser sight appeared on Ray's shoulder as a suppressed shot was fired....it was blocked by a pony that was charging at Ray. The animal fell to the ground dead. The tiny claw marks in the animal's rear flank signified that it was the same one the raptor chicks had been riding earlier.

The Scout cursed from her second story perch. Of course the round wasn't meant to kill Ray if it had hit...just a warning shot to show that the GSM were watching him. Worrying that her position was blown she packed up the rifle and left the empty building quickly before the boys in blue showed up.

The slightest shimmer was the only indication that anything abnormal was amiss. The pony seemed to have stumbled. It rose up and shook itself off. Had anyone been looking too closely at it, they'd notice the claw marks were missing. It was obviously not the same pony. Very similar, though.

Minerva nodded as her cultist briefed her to the animal swap. Her lads had been jumping all over time today, and it had been a bloody three-ring circus. So far, the pony was the only odd incident to have taken place. Still, she was relieved that none had been the wiser. Such an event would have sparked the citizens and city into a blind panic, otherwise.

"What we gonna do about the dead one, Minerva?" the cultist asked.

"Supper, Jonesy. We could do with a change of pace."

[Primordial Luxa]

With the sound of bones splitting a character appeared in front of Dr. Koontz. Reality bled from the place where he stood and the world seemed to bend strangely into a hole her had stepped out of. The hole slowly began to close sparking with light and thunder as it did so and leaving strange geometrical objects behind in its wake. The Figure looked down at him with a curious glance before hunching down to his eye level, he was pale skinned with dark colorless eyes, he wore a strange black trench coat that was filled with unmentionable devices and wicked looking knives. He racked a knuckle on the deadlock shield before saying “Well I didn’t expect this.”

"Oh, I opened a portal¹ to Hell, didn't I? It was just a matter of time." Dr. Koontz muttered as he got up. He patted the duffle bag to make sure he didn't break any of the gels, and was satisfied. He reached out and felt the invisible barrier again, revealing faint blue hexagon tessellations as he applied pressure.

"Hard light barrier?" he inquired. "Are you going to help me or swallow my soul?" he added as more direct question to the stranger.

The Portal gun still wasn't going to help while he was inside. The lock-down was still activated, with Scarface and Nevvie breaking the closet door inside. There was not much time before they would be out here to capture the man from another universe.

1. Portals! Ha!

Primordial rose with him giving him a look over. "Depends on what year it is where you come from." he said running his hand scanner over the force field. He was looking for any form of weakness that he could exploit or if he could simple teleport inside.

OOC: dinner.

[Erucia]

A laser sight appeared on Ray's shoulder as a suppressed shot was fired....it was blocked by a pony that was charging at Ray. The animal fell to the ground dead. The tiny claw marks in the animal's rear flank signified that it was the same one the raptor chicks had been riding earlier.

The Scout cursed from her second story perch. Of course the round wasn't meant to kill Ray if it had hit...just a warning shot to show that the GSM were watching him. Worrying that her position was blown she packed up the rifle and left the empty building quickly before the boys in blue showed up.

"Oh, son of a bitch! Gah!", Ray jolted and flew onto the ground when the pony landed and skidded across the ground. It had landed only a few inches away from him, and it was fairly obvious that it had been shot by the hole blasted into its side. However, before he could even point it out, the pony seemed to stand up and continue on with it's business. Ray stayed on his butt and on the ground for a few moments, obviously shaken. He could have sworn that he'd seen a entry point for a bullet in the side of the pony for a few milliseconds after it had fallen, he swore he did! But there wasn't, which meant that he was either going crazy or..something else. Still, it was probably nothing...Right?

Ray picked himself up slowly and latched himself onto Albert, shaking lightly.

[New Aksarben]

A laser sight appeared on Ray's shoulder as a suppressed shot was fired....it was blocked by a pony that was charging at Ray. The animal fell to the ground dead. The tiny claw marks in the animal's rear flank signified that it was the same one the raptor chicks had been riding earlier.

The Scout cursed from her second story perch. Of course the round wasn't meant to kill Ray if it had hit...just a warning shot to show that the GSM were watching him. Worrying that her position was blown she packed up the rifle and left the empty building quickly before the boys in blue showed up.

"Oh, son of a bitch! Gah!", Ray jolted and flew onto the ground when the pony landed and skidded across the ground. It had landed only a few inches away from him, and it was fairly obvious that it had been shot by the hole blasted into its side. However, before he could even point it out, the pony seemed to stand up and continue on with it's business. Ray stayed on his butt and on the ground for a few moments, obviously shaken. He could have sworn that he'd seen a entry point for a bullet in the side of the pony for a few milliseconds after it had fallen, he swore he did! But there wasn't, which meant that he was either going crazy or..something else. Still, it was probably nothing...Right?

Ray picked himself up slowly and latched himself onto Albert, shaking lightly.

Albert had seen the whole thing as well, and was blinking in confusion. "Strange....." He muttered, letting Ray latch onto him. It appeared to him as if someone had been targetting Ray, and the pony had gotten in the way of the shot. "...... How about we go get those beers now?" He offered, hoping to calm Ray with a tight hug as he did so. Gunshots didn't really phase him, and if anything this just made him a bit mad that someone would go after his Vulpes like that. That thought just made his hug a bit tighter, approaching the point where it could make it hard to breath for Ray.

[Tiltjuice]

"True, there is that! I hadn't thought of it." Chrys took another few sips of beer. "As for what we are...transcended humans. Luce calls us priests and priestesses of Time. Dora did, sometimes, back when she was officially one of us. We get picked if old man Time and old lady Fate decide we're the kind of person they want. How they decide, I really have no idea. The process of actually becoming a Conservator involves some very odd things, including wearing a hollow red pony head and being dunked in a tank of wine for three days."

"Heh." The grin on Hans' face smoothed away careworn lines. "We were strapped to a slab and shot in the head. Let's go back in time and suggest your method to the SS. But, I have to ask, do you ever regret your choice? You left behind family, no? Dora retired yet she didn't go back to her time so I assume none of the other Conservators would be able to as well?"

Chrys replied immediately, but still just as cheerfully as ever. "That's pleasant. No, the boss-couple are very careful about picking people who wouldn't be missed. Almost like a bad television series, except our deaths or executions don't need to be faked." She bared her teeth in a wide grin that would have been a snarl if there were any malice or anger behind it. "No family that I ever knew. Just a group of men who raised me, more or less. I was a slave, once. As for retirement, right. None of us can ever go back."

[Cerillium]

There was a single chair in a plain room illuminated by a bare bulb. Colors were distinctly lacking as if the room's occupants were standing in an old black and white film. Even the air seemed grainy. The light bulb constricted the girl scout's pupils and prevented her from seeing the faces on the other side of the orb.

A man's voice lightly hissed. The crisp Bavarian accent was unmistakable, "You'll find that any measures you wish to take to end your life and thus avoid questioning are, sadly for you, unworkable here." The light slowly moved from her face as the goose neck lamp was forced downward. She could now see several men seated behind a table. All of them wore Gestapo uniforms.

Obergruppenführer Friedrich Richter stepped from the shadows. It was he who initially spoke. He lit a cigarette and perched a thigh on the table edge. A stream of smoke escaped his lips.

"Why did the Girl Scout Mafia plant two bombs in Bielefeld?"

---

Hans paused. An odd sensation passed through him that he couldn't comprehend. The creature would have recognized it a lifetime ago but such feelings were alien to him now. It wasn't something that readily touched him but Rudolf's death had already make a chink in his armor that his inner daemon hadn't yet had time to fix. Chrys' plight wormed its way through that defect. Hans experienced a moment of genuine compassion.

"I'm sorry your upbringing was so..... difficult," he softly responded. Concern furrowed his brows. "I hadn't meant to dredge up secrets or bad memories."