Pilatus

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

Paige Kennedy

Paige wasn’t entirely sure why she was headed to the Luna Sports Facility other than when she heard it on the scanner earlier next to Club Aether, her instincts simply told her GO and her gut feeling seldom ever let her down. The small light bar on the dash of her BMW scattered the traffic for the most part and she made it to the expansive parking lot of LSF only catching a few glimpses of the smoking MODUS building along the way. Elvin was dead and his office was on fire, but it would have to be dealt with later. Sol City Fire & Rescue wouldn’t be letting anyone near an active blaze. Her frustration mounted. The whole morning felt like they had been set completely back to zero and she gritted her teeth furiously at the thought. Nothing Shannon said had been true, but the fact that CT had unknowingly seemed to verify it was even more unsettling. She stopped to text Milo where she was and flung the door open letting the heat of the interior clash against the cool morning again.

Staring at the massive facility, she stopped in her tracks momentarily before closing the door. The parking lot was still mostly full and people were chatting outside, coming and going, even making light of the situation. In spite of the morning she was having, it was interesting to remember that to the average citizen, things still weren’t that off-kilter: There was a fire in a high-rise and an unfortunate gas ignition at The Run had exploded overnight. Fires happened and gas exploded- Power outages happened. It was still Friday and people were glad for the weekend, everything else be damned. Paige glanced back inside the car at her gym bag and then back towards the entrance. Her instincts again tickled at her subconscious. The bright yellow lettering on her blue Marshal’s jacket would make her arrival evident along with her standard brash entrance. Her lips twitched in consideration, playing out the possibilities in her head before she tossed her jacket in the trunk, tucked her gun and badge in her gym bag and set off.

Not wanting to go through the main entryway, she found what she was looking for in a local contractor working to restore the outage. A service-van was parked on the curb outside an emergency exit and the technician had propped open the door with a cone saving the trouble of having to continually unlock the mechanical handle. Her intuition was forming a clearer picture and she was sure she was being followed as she swiftly ducked through the open door unseen.

The corridor inside was dimly lit in a blue-gray wash of light from backup power. Still, she could hear the sound of conversation from the lobby echoing through the walls. The area she entered was not a part of the regular facility, but reserved for the professional sports teams. She crept carefully along the wall passing various posters and placards displaying the Sol City Angels football team that she so loathed until she found a women’s restroom and checked over her shoulder before going inside using the light of her cellphone.

Reemerging a few moments later Paige’s glance was partially concealed under the brim of a weathered Florida baseball cap. The rest of her ensemble blended in nicely with those congregating in the lobby: A black form-fitting tank top, some olive drab shorts and high-socks that matched the hat with black sneakers. She ran a hand through her ponytail tucked through the cap and put her phone against her face as she walked though there was no call on the line. The lobby was in a fairly jovial attitude, much like the outside and with the power outage the smoothie bar was giving away the entire stock for free before it spoiled. With the outage it seemed the management hadn’t even attempted to vacate the building, but were merely just trying to wait it out like everyone else. Scanning, she walked on between small gatherings and others making calls or simply hanging out. The sound of free-weights clanging from the gym amidst more chatter could even be heard with the regular ambient music silenced. The great skylights of the lobby made visibility at least somewhat workable though the realization that was catching up with her finally brought her to a stop and she leaned against the wall dropping her bag and sliding down to the floor.

The trail was cold…

She didn’t know what or who she was looking for and felt stupid for changing her clothes just to blend into the crowd. Her senses felt scrambled, like a bloodhound that had lost the scent and she felt it was the fact that she didn't know what do that she was really running from and not some unknown pursuer. There were no leads and nowhere to go. While she sat alone watching everyone moving about so careless and oblivious, Nikki and his thugs were likely laughing at the whole Marshal Service operation and her especially. It was supposed to be her big opportunity, her big score and instead the whole day had been a complete disaster just like everyone else that attempted to tackle the Giancana file. She felt exactly as she had when they told her she was being reassigned from Delta to Sol City: Completely Defeated. She hung her head. Goddamnit Paige, you fucking dumbass. She thought. Her mind was blank as she stared ahead at the carpet, cursing herself silently. Different faces passed through her mind: Milo, Sio, her fellow Marshals- She didn’t want to show her face back at the office and she thought about how the others would view her failure. No one would say anything openly, but it would just be there like a wet blanket on her career right next to being transferred from her home and in the din of a moment she hated herself. An image of her father drifted behind her eyes and as she thought about him, did something she hadn’t done in years.

She prayed.

It wasn’t anything reverent or even particularly spiritual, but it felt right and she knew her dad would be glad she had done it. She sat alone watching, thinking about how she could possibly make a living as a private investigator when her phone blinked with a new message on the floor next to her. Thinking it was likely Milo, she swiped her thumb.

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

@MST3K 4ever

You got plenty of time, go for it. We're gonna do an epilogue after this skip to finish off the chapter.

What Are You Listening To?

X-Men: The New Era

Coleman St. John

“Yeah, I dance,” Cole replied with a smirk that implied where the rest of his tone was going, “About as well as you say you can relax.” He studied her face cooly for a moment from across the table letting the jab playfully sink in some. He could see her mind drifting off some towards the students as usual. She had a clear tell when they were on her mind. The past few days had her busy taking care of transfers and other drama which usually seemed to revolve around the the same five or six “frequent flyers” as they came to borrow from the police slang. However, he knew how difficult it could be to detach from work and that it was never really possible in either of their respective roles. Looking away from her briefly as the last vestiges of day were officially gone and ambient night lights covered the city, he could sense the familiar, lingering premonition still in the back of his mind. Sometimes it would hang in his consciousness for days, weeks even, a slowly forming picture that never went away until it was satisfied. He’d never told anyone about it, but he’d never met anyone like Kaylee or the other students and staff of the Institute. Somehow it remained hidden from their heightened awareness.

The nature of her question allowed him the opportunity to hide it away in consideration and he rubbed at his stubble a bit listening to the ambient music being played, His expression fell noticeably as the song changed. “God, I hate that song...” He said with a small shake of his head. The feeling in the back of his mind was building with the haunting growl of Layne Staley’s voice connecting down to the pit of his heart like a roiling fire in the distant night. He drank from his own water and glanced around slowly keeping his expression neutral and returning his thoughts to her question. “Tough one though,” He said, thinking. “This sounds like one of your entrance exam questions.” A few names played through his head, all truthful candidates to the prompt, but he wasn’t going to let her off so easy by only mentioning one. In the back of his mind he reached for the biggest contrast he could come up with just to see her reaction. “Carl Sagan probably would be one… and Jesus? Can I say Jesus or is this another trick question?” His smirk returned. “Oh, and Jimmy Buffett too, that would be fun.”

@Almalthia

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

Joel Nicolosi

Joel drove up and parked under the service tent finding Sio waiting. After discovering the wrecked car, they doubled back and took the parkway more directly to the old mill where the team was based. He was mildly irritated they couldn’t finish their practice stage and was really in the zone when they abruptly stopped. If the car had been empty, then they would have picked back up and kept going and in his own private thoughts, Joel had thought about doing it anyway. He’d been around cars his whole life and was uniquely aware of how stupid people could be behind the wheel. More than a few of his creations had met similar ends as the white Bentley, with many of those endings being decidedly more gruesome for their owners. At any rate, they were nearly done with the stage and would have been headed back anyway, so it wasn’t a total loss and he felt like he’d done his civic duty for the year.

Shutting the engine down, he and Max stepped out as the crew set to work. Joel took his helmet and Hans restraint off running a hand through his matted hair a few times while giving a quick wink and a smirk to Sio. The cold air felt good against the sweat that accumulated over his face and he rubbed his eyes as she spoke. The team boss told them over the radio about the excitement going on in town and he was glad enough to be miles away from it. He’d come to like the mountains more and more in his time with Rebellion and the prospect of making a move was becoming increasingly more appealing: Clean air, quiet and no drama. All he needed was a south facing cabin and some garage space. However, Sio’s admission that she had nearly been in the midst of the trouble caused his expression to fade some. Empathy wasn’t really one of his strengths and he really didn’t know what to say. She was here with him, distracting the crew with her cooking and looks and that was perfect. There was no need to worry about the rest.

“Yeah, I called it in.” Joel replied nonchalant. “Looked like someone probably had too much to drink and went over the side.” He said. “It happens.” He leaned back and looked at her for a moment not entirely sure if she was trembling from the cold or from genuine fear. Taking her wrist firmly under his driving glove, he placed her hand firmly on his stomach with a lopsided smirk in time for her to feel and audibly hear the grumble of emptiness underneath his driving suit. “I’m so hungry, I don’t care what it is,” He said seeing other members of the crew, including his co-driver listening intently at the prospect of a freshly prepared meal like meerkats peeking over the plain on their hind legs. The team headquarters was comfortably furnished and often staffed by a professional chef, though in Joel’s experience, Sio’s cooking was every bit as good as the pros. “Hope you made enough for the whole class.”

@Almalthia

X-Men: The New Era

Coleman St. John

The ride down the mountain back into town went smoothly. The exhaust popped and growled with every gear change and the weather was the perfect balance against the heat coming off the engine beneath them as the old cracked pavement flowed beneath them. Kaylee’s grip was firm behind him and she smartly leaned with the turns as he angled the bike over the sidewalls. He couldn’t remember the last time he carried a passenger, but the piercing feeling that spurred in his conscience when she first got on, like the millimeter point of a needle, continued to feel like it was being pushed slowly through his chest. His grip on the handlebars was firm and he knew there was no doubt she could sense it. The wind blew against them and the expanse of the city towards the Pacific flashed by between the trees. He could feel his leather glove crack against the throttle.

The small venue wasn’t much more than a hole in the wall, not far from the Rose Bowl and still at some elevation, affording a comfortable view of the rest of the city spotted by evening lights and the setting sun. In the outlaw fashion, Cole backed up his bike into an open space with the front forks facing back towards the highway. The clientele was fairly middle-class like most of the dirt parking lot: Fords, Chevies, Asian imports and the occasional BMW or Audi convertible. Cole returned a few of the gawking glances the bike drew with a short wave and a modest grin as he helped Kaylee where just for a moment their hands touched. Several old trees folded over the small clubhouse providing shade against the evening sun. The simple banner above the front door read in a weathered old font The Blue Dahlia. Music was already pumping out into the open air and the sound of raucous laughter and jovial Friday night chatter greeted all those that arrived.

Cole let his grin remain somewhat at Kaylee’s question and quick retreat from it. He knew the curiosity was eating her alive. He gave a small shrug and let her hook her arm under his. “Maybe in a little while, let’s see what’s going on in here.”

The band was a local favorite and surprisingly good. A male and female vocalist who both played as well as a bassist and a drummer. They hit a few of the classics and a some originals. The atmosphere was great and Cole had to admit that he was having a pretty good time. Their table, only a few meters away from the band on the back patio, sat beneath one of the large trees that shaded the property and grew up through the wooden decking that was built around it. A combination of strung lights and tiki-torches lit the air as evening took over. Cole leaned back slightly in his chair and balanced himself against the rough bark of the old tree with one hand as the band finished a set and decided to take a break. There hadn’t been a lot of room for conversation against the thrall of guitar riffs and pounding drums. “I have to say, I’m not usually a cover-band person, but this has been a pretty good choice.” He said with some satisfaction. His apprehension from earlier had subsided, but there was another feeling creeping in, one much more familiar. He glanced out over the cityscape for a moment hearing the familiar sound of sirens in the distance, helicopter rotor blades and the regular cadence of flights descending over the mountains from Las Vegas. Someone put on a music stream as the band had a few drinks and relaxed and the volume of conversations rose slightly. “Relax,” He said giving Kaylee’s chair a nudge with a smirk. She was loosening up and having a good time after a couple drinks, but he could tell the students were still on her mind.

@Almalthia

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

Paige Kennedy

The wind shifted briefly curling the smoke and embers away through the morning sky. It was cold downtown, damn cold. Like the first time she arrived in Sol City fresh out of Florida. Paige leaned against the front of her car wrapped her in heavy blue Marshal’s jacket as police worked the perimeter around the scene. There wasn’t much to do as there wasn’t much left. A pumper truck arrived through the barricades to help bed down the remaining flames. She ran a finger over her lips looking on at what was left of Club Aether. They had heeded her warning and no one was around when the explosion levelled the building. In truth, she wasn’t sure what would happen, but the lead up just kept them in the back of her mind: The fight, the bad press, the arrests, the sales and the offers. One thing was for sure, the demise of the Club was definitely not an accident, but it made no sense. Why would Nikki destroy a building he was just trying to add to list? Elvin wasn’t answering his phone.

Wisps of blonde danced over her eyes burning forward in thought, not focused on anything. He could have poisoned the water or just had the owner killed outright. The Syndicate had the resources. No, he was proving a point. He didn’t really need the property. It was just like Shannon had said, Sol City was his big move, but there was no motion at any of the banks. Paige knew the Club had to be the distraction, but from what? She exhaled a breath of frustration. They were definitely pros. The closer she got to them, the better they seemed at covering their tracks. The files were like tracking a ghost. She felt sorry for Dustynn. The girl didn’t know what was really going on and Paige knew that telling them the extent of their case against the Giancanas would have only put all of them in greater danger. For now they were still alive and that was enough. If Nikki wanted them dead, he wouldn’t just stop at blowing up the building. Her phone buzzed inside her jacket and she dug it out finding a call incoming from Xi.

“Hey, you at the Club still?” Xi said in his regular, unphased monotone.

Paige came out of her thoughts at the sound of his voice. “Yeah, I’m still here, what have you got?” She couldn’t hide the disappointment in her voice at how things were going on the ground and hoped he had good news. It felt like they were starting over from scratch.

“You talked to Santos?” Xi asked.

“No, you got a line on him?”

“Yeah,” Xi replied. There was a short pause in his voice and Paige instinctively knew the news was definitely not good. He sighed a slight breath of exasperation before he continued. “Yeah, staties found his car wrecked over a mountainside out west. Somebody called it in, local race team or somethin’.”

“Shit,” Paige spat. “You’re there aren’t you?” Her glance narrowed. She didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for Elvin, but she did feel like she was missing a lead that could help them.

“Yup.”

There was silence between them for a moment. She wasn’t about to board a chopper and fly out all the way to the mountain range. She would have to concede that one to her partner. Her competitive nature firmly took its stance. There was more coming, she knew it, it had to.

“At first they thought the steering wheel caught him right on the temporal when he went over the side, but if you look close... you can see the knuckle marks.”

Paige’s eyes widened slightly at the scene imagined, “Jesus…” She immediately regretted uttering the broken commandment as if sensing her father’s unapproving glare within earshot and she happened a glance over her shoulder. An officer came around passing out cups of coffee and she took one listening to Xi on the other side of the line and a radio attached to the officer’s lapel as he passed by. “Hold on Xi,” She tucked the phone in the crane of her neck and snatched the radio off the man’s chest while he was still passing, hearing the sound of a familiar name come across the channel. The officer cut her a sharp stare, but she batted her eyelashes enough to disarm his apprehension for a few seconds. “What did they just say?”

Seeing the large, circled star on her jacket, the officer smugly accepted his radio back and asked for a repeat of the last call:

“Power outage reported at Luna Sports Facility”

“I’ll call you back, I’m going to the stadium.”

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

Joel Nicolosi

“Left five, then right six tightens, sixty, then small bump, hairpin right*

The nose of the car pointed briefly down the mountain pass as the tires rotated fiercely against a slick combination of snow, gravel, mud and a decades old cracked asphalt that hadn’t seen maintenance since it was first hastily laid by one of Solaris County’s various logging companies in the postwar boom. Joel’s hand worked the shifter, just a quick pull with every change up through the gears as the car charged down the hill spraying the loose contents of the beaten roadway in a rooster tail behind. The hairpin turn approached rapidly and he could see the break in the road where Max, his co-driver, notes denoted a bump- a deformation from years of water running over the same area, creating a shallow channel. Beyond there was no guardrail and a picturesque view of the open landscape that expanded east in all directions. He kept his foot down, cut the turns and squared up to hit the divot in the road evenly.

Driving the car had become nearly as natural as piloting the 300, perhaps moreso, though the physical demands were different. There were no real straights to pause and take a breath. Every section was an intense twenty to thirty minute drive that required complete focus. The little VW Rally Car was a simple machine. It just had to be driven. He didn’t operate the controls as much as he simply thought about them in rhythm with the pacenotes and the melody of the rise and fall of the rpms. His hands and legs moved naturally with the pitch and roll of the suspension while his mind kept mental notes of the gear position. They jumped the small channel and he rocked the wheel hard giving the handbrake lever a quick tug watching the nose briefly as the tail came around. The right front dipped only slightly into the ditch as the car rotated the corner, but Joel’s eyes were already watching down the next long descent section as Max called out another line of notes. The exhaust howled against the mountainside as he again put the pedal on the floor.

The winding trails of Mount Atlas were more akin to the Whales or Monte Carlo Rally, but as the Team Principle emphasized, if they could master car control on the old backwoods logging routes, Jamaica would be a cakewalk. In his mind, Joel only wanted to get on the podium, if nothing else, just getting there would place him as the first American to ever make it. If he could win, he would also be the first man to ever win the Sol City GP and a WRS event. Simply being in the running had ramped the media attention considerably. He was sure they had a winning car, the German engineers from VW tinkered with them night and day, when he and the other team weren’t busy ramming then through the woods, but so did everyone else with their entries: Factory teams from Citroen, Toyota, Hyundai and even a British-based team with Ford backing would be competing with much more experienced drivers. They were effectively the black-sheep of the group with an aptly named sponsorship.

The road ahead dipped under the public drive up to the observatory. A sweeping right hander under a bridge and Joel was driving through the side window as they drifted the long turn, however an unusual splash of white above caught his eye as they passed under the bridge. Bright sunlight glinted off the surface though he could tell it wasn’t snow. Joel pulled the handbrake again cutting the turn short. Max glanced up from his notes, sensing the motion of the car not in agreeance with his commands. He looked at the GPS unit in the center of the console then quizzically at Joel as the car slid to a stop facing the inside of the curve and a rock wall. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He asked. His South African dialect evident.

Joel craned his neck slightly and looked up against his harnesses and pointed. “What the hell is that?”

Max regarded him strangely with a raised eyebrow and turned his head likewise looking up the steep escarpment. “That’s a car.” He nearly didn’t believe the words as they came out of his mouth.

Releasing his restraints and removing his helmet, Joel opened the door and stood looking up for a moment cupping his hands around his eyes to shield away the light of the sun. “Shit, it’s a Bentley.” He said with some astonishment. The scene reminded him of the aftermath of the T-Rex attack in Jurassic Park when the Explorer was pushed over the side of the embankment and sat precariously downward in a tree. A few sturdy branches cradled the front of the car, but the silver wings and the letter B across the nose were unmistakable. He squinted looking harder through the dark windshield and immediately felt his stomach tighten. “Fuck, call the police.” He said turning back to Max. “There’s still a body in it.”

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

SOL CITY CHAPTER TWO FINALE

M A N O N F I R E

--------

“...most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution.”

― Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

--------

WHAT'S HAPPENING???

As you may or may not know, if you've been following along closely with all the posts and reading the STAR MESSENGER, we've had an underlying crime drama going on in the background plots of Sol City since near the end of Chapter One when Milo and Paige took down the shifty gangster, Jackie Costa and put themselves at odds with the Detroit-based, Giancana Crime Syndicate. Over the course of this Chapter your character(s) might have influenced this plot unknowingly... Right now this is your Friday morning in Sol City:

• There has been an EXPLOSION at Club Aether. The building has been heavily damaged and is on fire. Much of Sol City Fire & Rescue in on the scene battling the blaze. Early news reports seem to indicate the fire stemmed from a leaking gas-heat source, but perhaps foul-play was involved? More on that later. All security systems for The Run are offline as well as connections were destroyed in the explosion. Luckily, it appears no one was inside the building at the time of the detonation.
• A FIRE has been reported in the upper floors of the MODUS office building and the sleek skyscraper can be seen smoking from a distance. There has not yet been a confirmation on the source of the fire, but it seems the offices of Sol City businessman, Elvin Santos, are near the source of the blaze. Many in Sol City's elite circles will be familiar with Elvin's collection of rare antiquities and art from across the globe. The value of his collection is estimated to be easily in the millions. Fire crews are responding here as well.
• There is a POWER OUTAGE effecting the Luna Sports Facility. The Stadium, Athletic Complex and Grounds are all without hardline phones and power. Many in the usual morning to midday workout phase are finding themselves in a very large and dark building. Crews from Sol City Public Works are making their way to the scene to diagnose what is going on.

--------

THE CURRENT TIME PERIOD IS... FRIDAY MORNING

Weather is mostly clear and cool, partly cloudy. ALL POSTS need to be during this time period and reacting to current events. Please keep references to past skips (i.e.: wrapping up loose ends from Tuesday to a MINIMUM) Notice why we kept asking everyone to get their posts in so much on the last skip? This is the reason. Many of the choices characters made (or didn't make) throughout the course of the game are going to be reflected in the events of the Finale.

Good Luck

May the odds be ever in your favour.

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

SOL CITY CHAPTER TWO FINALE

M A N O N F I R E

--------

“...most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution.”

― Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

--------

WHAT'S HAPPENING???

As you may or may not know, if you've been following along closely with all the posts and reading the STAR MESSENGER, we've had an underlying crime drama going on in the background plots of Sol City since near the end of Chapter One when Milo and Paige took down the shifty gangster, Jackie Costa and put themselves at odds with the Detroit-based, Giancana Crime Syndicate. Over the course of this Chapter your character(s) might have influenced this plot unknowingly... Right now this is your Friday morning in Sol City:

• There has been an EXPLOSION at Club Aether. The building has been heavily damaged and is on fire. Much of Sol City Fire & Rescue in on the scene battling the blaze. Early news reports seem to indicate the fire stemmed from a leaking gas-heat source, but perhaps foul-play was involved? More on that later. All security systems for The Run are offline as well as connections were destroyed in the explosion. Luckily, it appears no one was inside the building at the time of the detonation.
• A FIRE has been reported in the upper floors of the MODUS office building and the sleek skyscraper can be seen smoking from a distance. There has not yet been a confirmation on the source of the fire, but it seems the offices of Sol City businessman, Elvin Santos, are near the source of the blaze. Many in Sol City's elite circles will be familiar with Elvin's collection of rare antiquities and art from across the globe. The value of his collection is estimated to be easily in the millions. Fire crews are responding here as well.
• There is a POWER OUTAGE effecting the Luna Sports Facility. The Stadium, Athletic Complex and Grounds are all without hardline phones and power. Many in the usual morning to midday workout phase are finding themselves in a very large and dark building. Crews from Sol City Public Works are making their way to the scene to diagnose what is going on.

--------

THE CURRENT TIME PERIOD IS... FRIDAY MORNING

Weather is mostly clear and cool, partly cloudy. ALL POSTS need to be during this time period and reacting to current events. Please keep references to past skips (i.e.: wrapping up loose ends from Tuesday to a MINIMUM) Notice why we kept asking everyone to get their posts in so much on the last skip? This is the reason. Many of the choices characters made (or didn't make) throughout the course of the game are going to be reflected in the events of the Finale.

Good Luck

May the odds be ever in your favour.