2014.06.10 - Little Lost Forerunner

For a long time Viza sat staring at where the Monitor had been. After years of loyal service, just left here, on this Earth. Not even sent home, just abandoned. The Monitors have to have known that sending her after two people of such ability at the same time might prove impossible.

Viza decides that she is going back to Earth-48 and explain it to them. Well, she is trained to find her targets, she can figure out how to find a dimensional scientist.

After a bit of searching, she finds an Internet Cafe. It is closed, but that is not a real problem. Getting past locks to get at her target is part of her training. She quickly bypasses the security on the building and on the computer inside...

Pryce and Vincent Von Gregory are not really the types to use Internet Cafes, not when they tend to just use thier powers any time they want to hack into a computer system or send annonymous emails that can't be traced, or whatever else someone might use such places for. They do however, have one of their secret labs set up near to the Cafe in question that Viza has decided to break into after hours, which is maybe the only reason that anyone would notice her there.

Arriving at the enterance to the lab they have set up near the cafe the two ping on something being different for that time of night. A computer on in the cafe. The lack of any alarms, and the fact that everything else is off for the night are the first things that have them deciding to investigate.

Inside the cafe other computers start to come online one at a time. The gentle whine of electronics turning on fills the room, and little lights on all of the web cams connected to computers in the cafe switch on.

Viza ignores the other computers, she has started finding out who has post-doctorate research on dimension and time travel. Richards, Reed, Von Doom, Victor, Luthor, Alexander, Holt, Michael...

The cameras show a blue skinned woman with purple hair and pointed ears searching web sites dedicated to theoretical physics.

Pryce takes a second to watch, and get a good idea of just what the person that broke into the Internet Cafe is doing before choosing actions. While observing what is going on one of his bodies moves near the front of the building and the other to the back. Once he is in place, a small smile ghosts across both of his faces as he decides just what to do.

On the screen of the computer Viza is using a small window for an internet chat service pops open. There is no names listed on the chat, but the text on it shows up in a green color. "Interesting choices in research. Any reason it couldn't wait till buisness hours?"

Viza is only slightly startled. She is good enough to get into most places long enough to find her harget and eliminate them, but this time she has had to decide what her target is, it is slowing her down.

She finds the question odd. She knows what business hours are, the times a target with a job can be expected to be at the job. The times to avoid a location when casing a place.

She decides that she should answer something, if the hacker is good enough to tracer her hear, he may be good enough to interfere. She types in, "Humans object to people using their things, even when they are not."

"Pay, short for payment, the transfer of an item of value from one party to another in exchange for the provision of goods or services." The answer comes across the chat window while at the same time another window pops open wtih the Wikipedia enteries for Payment, Money, and specficially American Money. "Forgive our curiosity, but are you Atlantien, Kree, or Elvish? Not met anyone yet with such cute pointed ears." There is proof enough for Viza, not only is the hacker keeping track of what she was looking for, but they can see her.

Viza studies the money entries with some interest, while she has used bank account information for tracking targets, it had never occurred to her that paying for things is thought necessary. Having lived in a military based communistic society, she is used to having her needs provided for and to following orders.

"I am not any of those, I have killed Kree and Atlanteans...not quite sure what Elvish are. What does cute mean? It is short for acute, my hearing is fairly keen," Viza replies...and continues her search at the same time on another window.

New pages start to pop up on the screen, these ones from Dictionary.com and a few other places showing the definition of cute: Attractive in a pretty or endearing way. "If you are looking for a target for assassination I would suggest against it. Whever you are from, murder is rather frowned against around here. :( "

After following through a few synonyms, Viza decides that "Aesthetic" is one she sort of understands. Some things can be functional and not have clean lines, others have both.

She replies, "It might be easier if I were here to kill someone, that I know how to do. Figuring out how to get home from here is much harder."

"Then that might be something..." This time, the answer is not in the form of a text message. The words are comming form a young male human slipping into the back door wearing all black with a pair of mirrored shades that cover the top of his face as effectivly as most masks worn by superheroes.

There is a jingle of a bell and the front door opens letting in a figure identical to the one that came in the back. The new figure continues where the first started. "...that we could help with." It is a bit of a risk, but if he is right then he might be able to head off a potential danger before things go bad.

Both figures stand there and watch Viza before saying in stereo. "Just so long as you can promise not to kill anyone while you are here."

Having recently acquired the concept, "It that a payment you are requiring of me for your services?" Viza considers trying to read the minds of the two, but reading minds is not what she is best at telepathically. These look like fairly typical humans, easy enough to kill if required.

The pair do not have two minds. They have one, shared between them and with thoughts wizzing past at high speed in a mix of English, Wakandan, A++, Pearl and a few other proraming languages. Even with no training it is easy to see into their mind, even if it would take a bit of work to translate everything there.

"If you want to think of it that way..."

"...can dig it."

"We are not exactly up on Transdemensional Physics."

"But we can at least offer some help for the lost and alone."

Given that her mind, as well as her body, works faster than normal, she can at least get some of the surface thoughts of the strange pair. She can not easily get to the subvocal and preverbal levels needed to completely bypass language. Surface thoughts are generally easy enough but deep scanning is not her forte.

"So tell me," she inquires, "how would one go about reaching the primary reality spoke fourteen dimension clusters counterclockwise of here?"

She may not know a lot about dimensional physics, but she knows where she is from on the maps they use.

There is a flare of mental activity flashing back and forth along the pair's brains. Most of it is readable, sort of, being all math and a few random bits of blueprints. Most of what they are thinking though is trying to see if they could even figure out just what way to express travel to other realities that would fit with that kind of description. "Doctor Richards would be the first person we might say to speak too. Or Doctor Strange"

There is a shared grin between the pair. "That is if you can deal with the idea of magic without it driving you insane."

"The very idea of magic jut goes against everything we stand for."

Viza responds, "Richards, Reed. He is on the list of high probability sources. I am familiar with the concept of magic, the last female target I fought had physical enhancements of a magical nature."

Pryce says, "He is the only one on your list we would trust. Doom would just use you to his advantage and never give you what you want."

"Luthor...is a business man first and it is never wise to trust someone that good at controlling his public image and the others."

"And the others are not far enough along in research that they are likely to be of any help. Actually, there is a good probability no one in this world can get you home...at least not yet."

Viza is puzzled...well by a lot of things in that statement, but part she did understand, "Not being far enough in research to get home is possible, it is a logical reason for the Monitors to leave me here. The may consider knowing I can not get home a suitable punishment."

Viza has a bit of trouble with the concept of not trusting.

The twins smile again at Viza. "You forgot the word yet. There is one thing we know is if you put the right minds at it anything is possible."

"Except maybe getting JOAN to give up her crush on SKEETS." One of them mutters under his breath a little. "Not that we have tried."

Viza says, "I suppose I should go speak to this Richards..." she Turns to the computer as if to get more information on the subject.

Pryce says, "We can give you the adress, although you might want to make an appointment instead of showing up in the middle of the night." The one by the front door starts. While canting his head to the side a little.

"Given who the Fantastic Four tend to fight and all, better not to test against whatever he put together as a security system." The other one says before smirking a little. "And if your thinking of trying the whole racist human line, he has stranger looking living with him then a cute lady like yourself.""

Making an appointment is something that as never even occurred to her, she ould no know how to go about it. She decides to ask, "How would one make an appointment?"

The twins, or person with two bodies, however Viza might think of them both cant thier heads to the side and look at her for a long second. Of course, she is an alien they should have thought about that before they even mentioned it. Hmm, what would be the best way for her to contact Dr Richards? After a second one of them pulls a cell phone out of a pocket and hands it over. "Reprogramed burner phone. Has the number for his ofice in there, a number you can reach us, and internet service. Best bet is call and ask whomever you get to set an appointment. That or you can set up an email adress and try and reach him that way."

The twin near the front door just walks over to the one by the back and grins waving a hand in the general direction of the room. Computers start to shut down around the room, and the one that Viza had been on clears out its internet browsing history and shuts its self off without anyone having to touch it. "We got this, and keep the phone. We have been planning to build a new one as an upgrade for a while anyway."

Viza will try calling Mr. Richards during...what did he call it? Oh yes, Business hours, and seeing if she can get an appointment.

Pryce makes sure Viza is on her way before slipping out and using his powers to reset the store's alarms. "That went..." "...well?" He says to himself going over what he at least managed to learn about Viza and what kind of danger she might be if things go really wrong for her. "Wonder if this is the kinda thing we should be making reports about." He says before checking to make sure that the GPS device in the phone pings and Viza can be tracked in case he can think of a good reason to find her and flirt.