Aberrant: Triangle Nova Investigations, Book One, Chapter 4: Case Unfolding
Game Date: 27 Apr 2014
Present: Tabby Sara, Paul, and Maer
Canon Date: 12 Mar 2010 (US)/13 Mar 2010 (India) – 13 Mar 2010/14 Mar 2010 to 13 Mar 2010 (US)/14 Mar 2010 (India)
US, 12 Mar 2010:
Gemma and Chad need to figure out what they'll do next. They aren't sure what to do. Canvassing the apartment complex might look suspicious. So would the two of them sitting in a car on a stakeout. The desk manager was sweet on Gemma. Is that something they can turn to their advantage?
As usual when things get snagged, Chad's interest wanes and he goes on to the next bright idea.
Chad: Wanna take in a theme park?
After all, he can warp them anywhere in the world to any theme park ever.
Gemma puts her foot down. No. No theme parks.
India, 14 Mar 2010, 0200 local time:
After Irina and Javier are checked out by the local Utopia Project medical personnel (Javier) and local Normal medical personnel (Irina), they are detained for a spate of questions. The Utopia Project personnel ask Irina questions as to her eating and caffeine habits. They suspect she's a Nova. She thinks they're nuts. Of course she sucks down Nova coffee: she's an ex-cop and cops live on caffeine. Nothing new there. As for her eating habits, they're irregular because she forgets to eat when involved in a case and when she does remember, she's understandably hungry. Again, nothing to see here, move along. More questions from the Utopia people, more plausible denials from Irina. She's adamant. They finally let her go around 0200.
By then, it's the next day, they've skipped lunch and dinner, and they find a night market to get something to eat. Irina noticed that Javier had been taken aside by Utopia personnel while she was being questioned. What did they ask him? Javier admits they asked him about her. Irina asks why. Utopia thinks Irina's a Nova. Irina tells him flat out she's not. When the migraines first hit her, she had herself tested: the results came back negative. She's a Normal.
As they eat, Irina pulls her phone and catches up with all the reports Gemma sent her. The pictures of the apartment, their report on people seen, etc. Everything. Irina tells Gemma to investigate the chair. There can't be too many of those in the world and making one, by whatever channels, is bound to leave evidence they can use. She also emails the chair pics to Zero Cool and asks him to investigate amongst his contacts for information.
US, 13 Mar 2010, 1300 local time:
Irina's orders come through and Gemma tells Chad to investigate the chair using his online resources and search engines.
She investigates the individual parts for the chair under the guise of doing a student project. she makes some calls to the Utopia Center, making sound like she's helping out a Nova. They refer her to a guy named Quinn Johanssen and transfer her to him. She shows him pictures she'd taken of the parts on the chair, concealing the chair itself.
Meanwhile, Chad gets some results in the form of rumors:high level Novas are getting cyber chairs. Gemma manages to come away with a hug list of prices and sources for the parts from Utopia.
India, 14 Mar 2010, 0300hrs, local time:
Irina and Javier rack out. It's been a long day and they need their sleep if they're to function once the sun is up again.
US, 13 Mar 2010, 1400hrs, local time:
Gemma compiles a report of her results to send to Irina. Chad tries locating the car from the apartment complex parking lot. Gemma's not sure.
Gemma: By yourself?
Chad: I can blend.
He doesn't exactly blend. He's noticed and has to withdraw. Meanwhile, Gemma works on her homework. She's got classes and needs to keep up with them.
India, 14 Mar 2010, 0700hrs, local time:
Irina gets a call from Zero cool. He has the results of the search she's asked him to do. In summary, his own chair was made using parts and such from Cisco, Occidental Industries, and his own custom builds. The apartment chair is made mostly of Occidental, IBM, and Cisco parts from over overseas, mostly from China. Irina thanks him and tells him that they're still working on getting him new eyes.
She cuts the call and reads the reports Chad and Gemma have sent her:
On Chad's report, she reads that the car in the parking lot was unmarked, that there are rumors of high level Novas getting cyber chairs.
On Gemma's report, she reads the list of suppliers and costs of the supplies for getting a cyber chair made. The apartment chair's estimated cost is ≈ 1.2 million, mostly for the interface connections and the coolant. It would need a bunch of blade-style servers.
Irina sends back orders: Gemma is to work on her homework and keep up with her classes. TNI does not intend to interfere with her education. Chad is ordered to befriend/ingratiate/make himself useful to Zero Cool. If we are cultivate the man as an asset for TNI, starting sooner than later would be best. Irina believes that Chad is bright enough to learn computers and cybernetics from Zero Cool in a more informal setting than a straight up class.
Thoroughly awake and unable to go back to sleep, Irina does her daily dozen workout and waits for the coffee maker in her room to brew the first pot. The coffee's weak, practically ditchwater for all it does for her. She hears Javier stumbling awake in the next room over and she knocks on his door to tell him she's ready to start the day when he is.
Javier and Irina plan their day. They will get a Ufiber suit for Irina and ask old money society people about Garrick as their tailor. They may be able to shake a lead or two about his whereabouts or who planted that bomb at his shop. Javier tells Irina that it's entirely possible that Garrick planted that bomb himself. Why? We don't know, but it's not a scenario we can afford to rule out.
They go down to the lobby to grab the Continental breakfast. There's Nova coffee available to go with. It has to be poured into special polymer cups—which feel a little weird to Irina—because it would eat through regular paper cups.
Of two possible places for real Ufiber suits is actually run by Garrick's son. Irina and Javier go that one. They get the address from the hotel concierge. It's on the 45th floor of a high rise building in an affluent Indian neighborhood. When they get there, they're stopped by security. Javier manages to talk them through it and they're given a pass to the 45th floor.
The elevator opened directly to the shop, half display room and half manufacturing floor. It's made to be seen by the customers, however, so it's all very nice and neat. Racks of suits stand to one side and one wall is completely made of windows, letting the light and the view of Calcutta in. A woman mans a desk and it's obvious right off that she's a Nova—she has trained her suit well. She asks several questions of Irina about her Eruption and how long she's been Nova, to which Irina replies in the negative. She's just here to buy a suit.
Frustrated by the shopping delay, Irina touches a suit at random to forestall any further questions and the suit responds by crawling over her fingers and onto her forearm.
What the freakin' fuck?!
If she were a Normal, the Ufiber would have lain inert. Shocked but determined not to let it slow her down, Irina says she'll buy it. The suit transfers itself to her body under her clothing and Irina spends an uncomfortable moment waiting for it to settle. It definitely feels weird—nobody expects your underwear to move. She makes herself listen and memorize the care and feeding instructions. Following instructions, she manages to make the Ufiber suit turn itself into a pair of gloves on her hands and then settles on having it mimic her favorite leather jacket.
Javier, meanwhile, leaves behind information for Garrick's son. He leaves the usual contact info, the name of the hotel he and Irina are staying at, and a name to ask for him by: "Pancho".
Irina and Javier leave the shop and Irina is not happy at the prospect of being a Nova. She's not entirely convinced she is, but the evidence is piling up—however circumstantial—that she is no longer the Normal she believes she is.
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