She awoke much later to find herself face down on the bed where she had fallen. The key was nowhere to be found. She started to panic until it rose out of the flesh of her left hand. Then she panicked for real, holding her hand away from herself and watching the key melt back into it. "What the FUCK!?!"
A faint, ghostly shape faded into view several feet in front of her. "Easy, mistress. It means you no harm," the figure said in a quiet, low soprano voice.
Sophia backed slowly away, coming to rest with her back against the lattice of the middle window. "What...what is going on? Who are you? Where am I?"
"Easy, mistress," the voice said again. "You are in no danger. I am Tatyana Zerina Merilen Cheryenko Petrovka, Tyana to my friends, and I certainly hope we can be friends! I am the Hut, well, the master control system that runs the technology of the Hut at least. The key has activated, now you and I and the Hut are joined. I am here to help you, although you should lower your heart rate. It's really not good for it to race like that." Slowly the ghost faded into solidity.
The room spun in front of Sophia, her vision closed down to a narrow, dark tunnel, and she would have fallen if Tyana hadn't caught her, helped her to the bed, and eased her down on it. "Maybe I should come back later?"
"No," Sophia replied slowly. "Just give me a chance to breath." Her eyes slipped shut and she drew in long, slow breaths until the darkness began to fade. "I get panic attacks," she said uneasily.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Perhaps, as time goes by, I can help you with that." The bed settled slightly as another body settled onto it. Sophia slowly opened her eyes once the darkness had receded. Above her, warm brown eyes in a round face, stared down at her. "Are you better now? I didn't mean to scare you, it's just most...it's just I didn't expect you to be so frightened. Aren't you used to magic or technology?"
"Things don't disappear into people's hands. Holograms don't become solid, shit, hologram projections like you don't even exist where I'm from. And magic is parlor tricks performed by sleight of hand."
"No arcane magic users? I'm very sorry. Your realm sounds very backward indeed. But no matter, you are here now, where magic and technology have evolved to a very high art." Tyana motioned around the room. "You'd never guess this was stabilized energy in a pocket dimension, would you? And it is for you, a gift from Irena."
An icy chill stole over Sophia as the words sank in through her panic. "What is going on here? Where am I? And how can you be named Tatyana? That's a name from a story, from a game, not from reality."
"One Realm's reality is another's fantasy. That is one of the truths of the multi-verse. Some can see through the veils and catch glimpses of the other places. Artists and writers do this better than most. This will give you an advantage."
"Send me back."
"Haven't you read the book yet?"
No. I recognized the Key. If this is like what we were working on, then the book will be a short bit of background with the final bit being, 'oh, so sorry, but you need to finish the quest before you can go home. Oops, my bad.' Am I right?"
Tyana looked embarrassed as she replied, "Well, sort of, yes. The book does explain it. Short answer, the Hut is damaged and you need to fix it to go anywhere."
"You trapped me here deliberately?!?"
"Not deliberately! Just as we shifted you here, there was a ripple in time and space, caused by one of the power groups. We don't know which one, just that it damaged the Hut as we placed you in it."
"What the fuck did you do and what gave you any fucking right to do it?"
"I told Irena it was a bad idea, I really did, but she said there was no time. We had to live with the dangers of cold recruitment, in the hopes enough would understand fast enough. I know it will make no difference, but I am sorry you were brought here this way. If we had time, we would have done this differently."
"Fuck! And I thought Shandi was crazy."
"Maybe she wasn't. If you get the Hut working, you could try and go back and see your friend. Let her show you what she was talking about and determine her sanity then." Tyana dropped her voice, "I did disobey Irena a bit. I left a Summoning Crystal for your friends. If they use it once the Hut is fixed, they might be able to call you home."
"What does it look like?"
"A fist sized, heart shaped sapphire."
"They'll recognize it."
Tyana's eyes lost focus for a few moments. "I have a status report ready for you. Would you like me to display the short summary or the full report? And would you like it here or in the control center?"
"Uh?" Sophia swung her eyes around the room, looking for a display, "Summary and here, I guess, if you could show me the terminal?" Tyana made a small motion and a glowing screen shimmered into focus in front of Sophia. She almost shrieked in surprise, but caught it at the last minute.
"This is the summary, mistress."
System Log: SUMMARY - display only failure mode data
system cold restart - initiated - successful until
WARNING: energy spike - space/time distortion pulse
WARNING: nav system damaged
WARNING: Interface Fault:
System Malfunction.
Interface Locked to Nearest Target
interface system damaged
- status -
Off-Line
AutoRepair requested
AutoRepair
FAILED
control crystal matrix damaged
- status -
Off-Line
AutoRepair requested
AutoRepair
FAILED
standard defcon grid deployed
defcon blend selected
defcon established
power system malfunction
- status -
Primary
Off-Line
Interface System
FAULT
Secondary
Online
defcon control
- status -
Off-Line
defcon locked cur config
Waiting Power Restore
autoconfig started
navsys destination purge - succeeded
autoconfig parameter error - terminated
config repair
succeeded
config stable
auto-repair launched
- status -
Running
------
Halted
Primary Power FAULT
Interface System
Manual repair required
crystal matrix
replacement(s) required
"Could you tell me what this all means in a non-technical summary?"
"Normally the auto-repair systems can handle most any failures in the Hut. There are a few things that are required for the auto-repair to work, though. One of those items is a complete set of control crystals. One or more are damaged, so auto-repair cannot work. You will need to find replacements before the Hut will be able to fix itself. I hope replacements are available where we are, otherwise, I am not sure what we do next."
"How do I know what to look for?"
"Check the diagnostic terminal in the Core Systems and then a physical examination of the various units should give you an idea. After that, you need to find out what sort of world we are in and where to look for crystals. I'd also recommend reading through the book. Irena went to the trouble of writing it up. It might actually help. I must concentrate on what auto-repairs I can make," Tyana began to fade.
"What if I have more questions?"
"Talk to the Hut and I will answer."
Friday, October 19, 2007
Irena - With Shandi
"The police came by today, just like you thought," Irena said when Shandi came in from work.
"Yeah, I expected they would. They were quite thorough with us. Were you ok?"
"I think so. Although the detective mentioned her computers were cleaned. I didn't clean them, just copied stuff. Also, he said her bed was made. Someone else has been there."
"And now we can't really get in. It'll be flagged off as a crime scene until they are done with it."
"Do you think Sophia ran?"
"Not at all. She was team lead, happy, and loving the chance to see this game go live. Something happened to her. Aren't you out of here soon for your trip?"
"Tomorrow. I didn't mention that to the cops, but they didn't tell me to hang around either. Should I still go?"
"I don't see why not. Nothing we can do except wonder about Sophia. I have no idea when the police seals come off a place during an investigation."
"I don't think they'll find her. This seems too weird and I can't imagine there are many clues, unless they find something like prints."
"I keep thinking about what we've gotten involved in. Who'd believe that could happen? And there is the crystal."
"What are you trying to suggest, Shan? You think that crystal might be real?"
"Remember what else it'd do? If you expose it to light, it will try to summon again. I think we should go outside tomorrow morning, before you leave, and see what it does. Where is it, anyway?"
"In my underwear drawer, wrapped in an old silk top I have."
"So, you are wondering too."
"I had the silk and it seemed like a good idea last night, so yeah, I'm nervous about it." Irena had remembered silk supposedly stopped magic when she had driven back from the game company the night before. It had taken her a couple of hours to dig it out from the box in the storage locker in the basement. It was a painful reminder of a bad relationship several years before.
"I never saw you as a silk person."
"Yeah, well..."
"Was that from what's his name? The one just after you started at Waverly's?"
"Yeah, it was his idea, along with the cuffs and chains. I sort of miss the swing, it had potential, but he was such a clumsy lover."
"And a total ass-hole! I'm very glad you dumped him."
"I know, I know. And I wish I'd listened when you told me. Not off to Uru tonight?"
"Nope. Too much brain burn at work, trying to get everything covered. Could I persuade you to mix me something interesting?"
"Of course. Any desires or should I surprise you?"
"Surprise me. All I ask is not too sweet tonight."
Irena returned a few minutes later with two small glasses filled with dark blue-black liquid. "This is a new one I found on-line. It's called a 'Black Ice' and is vodka and blackberry schnapps. I'm thinking of adding it to the Waverly's list."
"It's good. I think you should," Shandi replied, sipping slowly. "Tonight I kind of wish you'd used the grain alcohol instead, though."
The next morning they carried the wrapped crystal out on the deck. Irena carefully loosened the silk, then drew it off the top. As soon as the sunlight hit the crystal it flashed a brilliant violet and the deep sound echoed around them. Shandi looked around nervously, expecting people to be staring, but no one seemed to have noticed.
"Okayyyyy. That was what I expected but didn't think would happen," Shandi said slowly. Irena just nodded, staring intently at the crystal. "Wrap it back up, ok?"
"Uh, sure. I could stay..."
"You should go. You've been planning this trip for months. I don't think we'll hear anything from the police for weeks and the crystal will still be as strange when you get back. I've got to run. Things are really crazy trying to keep on schedule with Sophia gone."
Irena slid the crystal back in her dresser then stared at her laptop. She had been going to leave it home, but the disks from Sophia's systems were too tempting.
"Yeah, I expected they would. They were quite thorough with us. Were you ok?"
"I think so. Although the detective mentioned her computers were cleaned. I didn't clean them, just copied stuff. Also, he said her bed was made. Someone else has been there."
"And now we can't really get in. It'll be flagged off as a crime scene until they are done with it."
"Do you think Sophia ran?"
"Not at all. She was team lead, happy, and loving the chance to see this game go live. Something happened to her. Aren't you out of here soon for your trip?"
"Tomorrow. I didn't mention that to the cops, but they didn't tell me to hang around either. Should I still go?"
"I don't see why not. Nothing we can do except wonder about Sophia. I have no idea when the police seals come off a place during an investigation."
"I don't think they'll find her. This seems too weird and I can't imagine there are many clues, unless they find something like prints."
"I keep thinking about what we've gotten involved in. Who'd believe that could happen? And there is the crystal."
"What are you trying to suggest, Shan? You think that crystal might be real?"
"Remember what else it'd do? If you expose it to light, it will try to summon again. I think we should go outside tomorrow morning, before you leave, and see what it does. Where is it, anyway?"
"In my underwear drawer, wrapped in an old silk top I have."
"So, you are wondering too."
"I had the silk and it seemed like a good idea last night, so yeah, I'm nervous about it." Irena had remembered silk supposedly stopped magic when she had driven back from the game company the night before. It had taken her a couple of hours to dig it out from the box in the storage locker in the basement. It was a painful reminder of a bad relationship several years before.
"I never saw you as a silk person."
"Yeah, well..."
"Was that from what's his name? The one just after you started at Waverly's?"
"Yeah, it was his idea, along with the cuffs and chains. I sort of miss the swing, it had potential, but he was such a clumsy lover."
"And a total ass-hole! I'm very glad you dumped him."
"I know, I know. And I wish I'd listened when you told me. Not off to Uru tonight?"
"Nope. Too much brain burn at work, trying to get everything covered. Could I persuade you to mix me something interesting?"
"Of course. Any desires or should I surprise you?"
"Surprise me. All I ask is not too sweet tonight."
Irena returned a few minutes later with two small glasses filled with dark blue-black liquid. "This is a new one I found on-line. It's called a 'Black Ice' and is vodka and blackberry schnapps. I'm thinking of adding it to the Waverly's list."
"It's good. I think you should," Shandi replied, sipping slowly. "Tonight I kind of wish you'd used the grain alcohol instead, though."
The next morning they carried the wrapped crystal out on the deck. Irena carefully loosened the silk, then drew it off the top. As soon as the sunlight hit the crystal it flashed a brilliant violet and the deep sound echoed around them. Shandi looked around nervously, expecting people to be staring, but no one seemed to have noticed.
"Okayyyyy. That was what I expected but didn't think would happen," Shandi said slowly. Irena just nodded, staring intently at the crystal. "Wrap it back up, ok?"
"Uh, sure. I could stay..."
"You should go. You've been planning this trip for months. I don't think we'll hear anything from the police for weeks and the crystal will still be as strange when you get back. I've got to run. Things are really crazy trying to keep on schedule with Sophia gone."
Irena slid the crystal back in her dresser then stared at her laptop. She had been going to leave it home, but the disks from Sophia's systems were too tempting.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Sophia - Second Awakening
Sunlight and the sound of birds woke her. Stiff muscles screamed in protest as she moved from the twisted position she had landed in. A need to relieve herself got her fully to her feet and headed to the archway. Beyond, a worn stone stairway descended to her left, revealed by the sunlight from a high skylight. Across the way a small room held a sink and toilet. She stepped onto the landing and felt a faint tingle pass over her. She felt the same tingle again when she entered the far room. Once she was finished, she returned to the bed chamber, stopping and moving slowly through the archways. The tingles happened in the exact center of the openings. If she moved really slowly she could almost see a hint of empty blackness right at the tingle point.
Fear, anger, and curiosity warred as she slowly walked back to the bed and her clothes. She grabbed them to start dressing, stopping when a dark leather bound book and a small ivory carving dropped onto the bed. Once she was dressed she sat back on the bed and examined the items next to her. The ivory item was carved to look like an oddly shaped key with the blade shaped in a simple fashion as if for a very old lock. A short, sharp needle stuck out from the end of the blade and the top of the key was worked into a perfect miniature skull, with rubies set into the eye sockets. "What the hell?" she whispered as recognition dawned. She reached out to pick it up and froze when her hand touched it, locked rigid as a cascade of energy and imagery slammed over her. For a few seconds her awareness almost kept up with the onslaught, then, finally overloaded, she fell into blackness.
Fear, anger, and curiosity warred as she slowly walked back to the bed and her clothes. She grabbed them to start dressing, stopping when a dark leather bound book and a small ivory carving dropped onto the bed. Once she was dressed she sat back on the bed and examined the items next to her. The ivory item was carved to look like an oddly shaped key with the blade shaped in a simple fashion as if for a very old lock. A short, sharp needle stuck out from the end of the blade and the top of the key was worked into a perfect miniature skull, with rubies set into the eye sockets. "What the hell?" she whispered as recognition dawned. She reached out to pick it up and froze when her hand touched it, locked rigid as a cascade of energy and imagery slammed over her. For a few seconds her awareness almost kept up with the onslaught, then, finally overloaded, she fell into blackness.
Irena - Police
The next day the police came in to talk just after the lunch time rush. "Excuse me, Ms. Valinskya, do you have a few moments?"
"Sure, officers. What can I do for you?"
"We are looking into the disappearance of a Ms. Nelson and would like to ask you a few questions." He proceeded at Irena's nod. "You last saw Ms. Nelson five nights ago, here at Waverly's, is that correct?" She nodded again. "Did she seem distraught, agitated, or nervous in any way?"
"Not at all. She had a couple of drinks, she talked about her day, then she left."
"What did she say about her day?"
"Nothing that sounded out of the ordinary. To me, it sounded the same as always, too many deadlines and too much stress, but exciting as well."
"Was anyone taking undo interest in her? Anyone watching her that would have left right after her maybe?"
"No. She sat at the bar, two stools over from where you are right now, if I remember right, and had three, no, two drinks, Kahlua and creams, as I recall. She talked to me a bit about her day, then left."
"Do you always remember what people have to drink?"
"If they are regular patrons, yes. Sophia was a regular, always sat at the bar, but had just started to talk a bit more over the last few months. She seemed reasonably happy, but lonely. Even so, she didn't strike up conversations with the sharks that sometimes come here."
"Would you know of anyone who had keys to her place? Did she ever mention a boyfriend or other close relationship?"
"No. She talked a bit about dating, trying to find a boyfriend, but it sounded like she wasn't having any luck. Might I ask why?"
"Just exploring all options. Right now it looks like she just ran away."
"Without telling any of her friends or co-workers?"
"We see this a lot. Young, professional person gets in over their head, either socially or financially, then runs rather than try to sort it out."
"Was she in financial trouble? She always paid here."
"I'm sorry, I can't discuss that."
"Oh, right. Of course."
"I think that's all for now. If you think of anything out of the ordinary, please give me a call," the man said as he handed her a card. On it was 'Detective I. Kowalsky'. "Oh, one more thing, did you know where she lives?"
"Out on Kingfisher St., in an apartment. She had me call her a cab a couple of times. I'm sorry, I don't remember the apartment number."
"That's ok. Her work gave us that."
"Should I be worried? My roommate works where she does and said I might have been the last person to see her."
"No, I don't think so. Like I said, it looks like she just ran off. Shame to abandon your stuff, but many do that."
"Abandon her stuff?"
"Looks like most of her things are still in the apartment. Odd about the computers, though."
"How so, if I might ask?"
"She had two of them for starters and they were both wiped clean, the drives blanked so far they wouldn't even boot."
"Is that odd?"
"For a runner, yes. Most would have just left them. Wouldn't necessarily have made the bed or straightened up the bathroom either. Now I've said more than I should. It's been good talking with you, Ms. Valinskya."
"And with you, detective."
"Sure, officers. What can I do for you?"
"We are looking into the disappearance of a Ms. Nelson and would like to ask you a few questions." He proceeded at Irena's nod. "You last saw Ms. Nelson five nights ago, here at Waverly's, is that correct?" She nodded again. "Did she seem distraught, agitated, or nervous in any way?"
"Not at all. She had a couple of drinks, she talked about her day, then she left."
"What did she say about her day?"
"Nothing that sounded out of the ordinary. To me, it sounded the same as always, too many deadlines and too much stress, but exciting as well."
"Was anyone taking undo interest in her? Anyone watching her that would have left right after her maybe?"
"No. She sat at the bar, two stools over from where you are right now, if I remember right, and had three, no, two drinks, Kahlua and creams, as I recall. She talked to me a bit about her day, then left."
"Do you always remember what people have to drink?"
"If they are regular patrons, yes. Sophia was a regular, always sat at the bar, but had just started to talk a bit more over the last few months. She seemed reasonably happy, but lonely. Even so, she didn't strike up conversations with the sharks that sometimes come here."
"Would you know of anyone who had keys to her place? Did she ever mention a boyfriend or other close relationship?"
"No. She talked a bit about dating, trying to find a boyfriend, but it sounded like she wasn't having any luck. Might I ask why?"
"Just exploring all options. Right now it looks like she just ran away."
"Without telling any of her friends or co-workers?"
"We see this a lot. Young, professional person gets in over their head, either socially or financially, then runs rather than try to sort it out."
"Was she in financial trouble? She always paid here."
"I'm sorry, I can't discuss that."
"Oh, right. Of course."
"I think that's all for now. If you think of anything out of the ordinary, please give me a call," the man said as he handed her a card. On it was 'Detective I. Kowalsky'. "Oh, one more thing, did you know where she lives?"
"Out on Kingfisher St., in an apartment. She had me call her a cab a couple of times. I'm sorry, I don't remember the apartment number."
"That's ok. Her work gave us that."
"Should I be worried? My roommate works where she does and said I might have been the last person to see her."
"No, I don't think so. Like I said, it looks like she just ran off. Shame to abandon your stuff, but many do that."
"Abandon her stuff?"
"Looks like most of her things are still in the apartment. Odd about the computers, though."
"How so, if I might ask?"
"She had two of them for starters and they were both wiped clean, the drives blanked so far they wouldn't even boot."
"Is that odd?"
"For a runner, yes. Most would have just left them. Wouldn't necessarily have made the bed or straightened up the bathroom either. Now I've said more than I should. It's been good talking with you, Ms. Valinskya."
"And with you, detective."
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Sophia - First Awakening
Sophia awoke suddenly, uncertain whether she had heard a deep gong sound or felt a low rumble. Her left hand fumbled for her bedside lamp as her mind tried to understand why she was seeing moonlight patterns on curtains. Fear slowly clawed up her back as she registered her surrounding. Moonlight streamed in through ornate lattice windows, a delicate scent of flowers and the sound of a fountain drifted on a puff of breeze. The bed was three times larger than the one in her apartment and far more comfortable. She sat up and stared around the room, her gaze moving faster and faster as she found nothing familiar.
The room was large, with a high, domed ceiling. Beautiful tile work covered the walls and perfectly fitted stone and plaster work created the dome. A high arched doorway opened into a space beyond. Delicate bronze lattices covered two large windows and moonlight painted the patterns on the tiled floor, scattered carpets, and cushions. A black leather corset, velvet half jacket, and long black skirt were draped on the far side of the bed. They looked like the outfit she had worn to work the previous day.
Fear built to terror and pulled a shout from her, "Hello?!? Who's there? What is going on!?!" Only the sound of the fountain greeted the silence at the end of her shout. Anger started to filter in over the terror, "What do you want? Where are you?" Trying to ride the anger she leapt out of the bed and nervously prowled around the room. She found nothing that would tell her where she was or how she had gotten here. Slowly she returned to the bed, sat facing the door, and stared into the darkness of the space beyond. Slowly the adrenaline faded and, in spite of herself, she drifted into sleep, falling back into the bed in an awkward and twisted position.
The room was large, with a high, domed ceiling. Beautiful tile work covered the walls and perfectly fitted stone and plaster work created the dome. A high arched doorway opened into a space beyond. Delicate bronze lattices covered two large windows and moonlight painted the patterns on the tiled floor, scattered carpets, and cushions. A black leather corset, velvet half jacket, and long black skirt were draped on the far side of the bed. They looked like the outfit she had worn to work the previous day.
Fear built to terror and pulled a shout from her, "Hello?!? Who's there? What is going on!?!" Only the sound of the fountain greeted the silence at the end of her shout. Anger started to filter in over the terror, "What do you want? Where are you?" Trying to ride the anger she leapt out of the bed and nervously prowled around the room. She found nothing that would tell her where she was or how she had gotten here. Slowly she returned to the bed, sat facing the door, and stared into the darkness of the space beyond. Slowly the adrenaline faded and, in spite of herself, she drifted into sleep, falling back into the bed in an awkward and twisted position.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Irena - Investigations
Irena took a few moments to drop the latest batch of food pellets in the lake for the algae, then returned to the apartment. Ears tuned to the sound of the stairs outside, she carefully rummaged through the papers on Shandi's desk. Under the scrap with Annoyingny written on it she found another note.
The DRC site shows Annoyingny approaching completion. I hope it isn't as annoying as the version Cyan created for their Uru Complete Chronicles release. All that running around, back and forth, back and forth, and then dropping pellets and waiting. Worse than feeding the lake because you have to stand around and wait for the few seconds of glow from the pellet. Oh well, time will tell...
They were pretty close with Er'Cana, although the Cyan "recipe" for pellets was faster and not as optimal as what others have discovered now.
A stair creak alerted her to someone's approach. Quickly she shuffled the papers back to their order and leapt into the couch. Shandi opened the door to find Irena lounging with a book in hand.
"Hey Shan, how was the day?"
"Awful. Remember that online game I told you we were developing, the one based around the magical hut of all worlds?" When Irena nodded she continued, "We're getting close, but Sophia has gone missing."
"What do you mean 'gone missing'? Like out sick with an extended illness?"
"I wish. No, 'gone missing' as in not at her apartment, not with friends or family, not in the hospitals or morgue, not anywhere we can find her. Her bots and actor driven characters were going to be the backbone of the entire adventure."
Irena sat upright. "Have you called the cops? Has anyone been to her place?"
"Andrew lives near her and stopped by yesterday on his way in. Her car was in her spot and her apartment looked fine from the outside. When did she last stop in at Waverly's?"
"Four nights ago. She seemed ok, talking about her latest creations and the pressures, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary."
"Did you notice anything when she left? Anyone following her or showing undue attention?"
"No, she just left, got in her car, and drove away."
"She didn't come to work the next day. She didn't email in, which was strange. Usually she's really good at letting everyone know if she won't be in. No one's called the police yet, none of us are related to her and her family doesn't seem to care."
"Yeah, they haven't played a part in her life for years. They disowned her during her senior year."
"What?"
"I don't know details. She hadn't told me, it must have been weird, I can't imagine Sophia doing anything all that bad."
"I know. She's one of the nicest people I know. Well, I just stopped by to get some notes I forgot on my laptop. It's back to work and see if we can fake her stuff from her files." Shandi grabbed her laptop and headed back out.
Irena stood and ran to her room, grabbing her bag from the floor. Inside was the card Sophia had handed her four nights ago. On the back was a phone number and an address. She yanked open the bottom drawer of her desk and grabbed the small leather pouch with lock tools in it. With a wicked little smile she stuffed it in her bag and headed for the door. She stopped as she reached for the door, turned, dashed back to the kitchen, grabbed a couple pairs of latex gloves, then headed out.
A few minutes later Irena pulled into Sophia's apartment complex, startled by the cheap hotel appearance of it. Before leaving her car she slipped the lock picks out of their pouch and into her hand. Slowly she climbed the concrete and steel steps to the second floor balcony and walked to the door marker 212. The training came back quickly and within minutes the lock clicked open.
Inside the cheap hotel look was magnified. A single room contained a cheap bed, dresser with a television, a grey metal desk with monitors on it, and a tiny kitchenette to the back. A microscopic bathroom occupied the back right corner. The only nice things in the place were a large ebony wardrobe against the bathroom wall, a very comfortable looking desk chair, and two new computer systems. Everything looked neat and orderly with no signs of struggle or disturbance. The black bed spread was pulled back and the sheets rumpled as if someone had gone to sleep but no clothes were scattered about. The towels in the bathroom were neatly placed on the racks and the sink and counter clean.
A large selection of gothic clothing hung in the wardrobe and a check book without a paper register sat in the desk drawer amid numerous pens and sticky note pads. Bank statements were neatly filed in the left hand drawer, revealing a very large bank balance. Software design guides and reference manuals were arranged by subject in a cheap metal book case to the right of the desk.
Irena sat in the desk chair and started the computers. Windows full of code and notes popped into view once the systems had loaded. The character descriptions and scenario notes she understood, the code bits meant nothing. Nothing showed anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. She reached for the power switch, then stopped when she remembered Shandi's comments. Taking data disks from one of the desk drawers, she made two copies of all the directories that looked like they might be game related. It took most of the meager stock to get all of it from both machines.
Once the backups were done she turned the systems off and headed for the door. A glint from the bed caught her eye. Pulling the covers back farther she found a fist size, heart shaped sapphire sitting in the center of the bed. A strange shift of shadow prompted her to pick it up. A sound, part way between a heavy bass thump and a deep gong, so deep it was almost a vibration, echoed through the room. The lights flashed and flickered until the sound faded, leaving a strange stillness behind.
The gem rested quietly in her hand, giving off warmth and a faint heartbeat-like vibration. She tried to drop it but it would not leave her hand. It dropped into her bag easily enough when she tried to place it there. She locked the door behind her and returned to her car.
It took several long pushes of the buzzer before Shandi's voice growled from the intercom, "What?"
"Shan, it's me, Irena. Can I come in for a few minutes? I have something I need to talk to you about."
"Can't it wait? I'm in the middle of this."
"No. It's something that might help you." Irena fidgeted until the door buzzed to let her in. Shandi came down the inner stairs a few minutes later.
"What is so important that it couldn't wait?"
Silently Irena pulled out one set of the data disks and dropped them in Shandi's hand. "I went to Sophia's, looking for answers. These are her files. They might help you."
"You went to Sophia's? Who let you in? What did you find?"
"I let myself in. There's no sign of her. I did find this, though," Irena pulled the gem from her bag. "Careful," she cautioned as Shandi reached for it. "It did some weird stuff when I first touched it."
"I forgot your talent with locks. What sort of weird stuff did it do? And why are you still at Waverly's instead of lock-smithing?"
"With the tips, Waverly's pays much better. And I like the music and the people. This thing made strange sounds when I first picked it up. A deep gong, boom, reverberation, I don't know quite how to explain it. Something about this seems familiar, though I don't know why."
Shandi stared at the gem for a long while, then said, "Jaime's game. Remember the Summoning Gem for the magical Hut? This looks like her description, if I remember right. Come on upstairs. She gave us permission to use her designs and ideas when she talked her company into funding the game project." Irena followed her up the stairs and to a medium sized office. Multiple monitors ringed the desk, forming a wall of images for the occupant. Shandi's hands flew over the keyboard, calling up various files until she found the one she wanted. "Here it is. Look," she pointed at an image on the screen. She made a few more mouse clicks and pulled up a text file. "See, here's the description. A deep booming gong, almost a reverberation sounds when the Summoning Crystal is activated. It will summon the Hut to the location of the holder. If the Hut is unable to respond it will return to dormancy, otherwise it will vibrate with increasing intensity until the Hut Interface is formed."
They both stared at the screen, then at each other. "This makes no sense. Unless Sophia left it herself."
"But where did she get the gem?" Shandi asked. "A sapphire that large would cost a fortune. If she didn't set it up, then what's going on?"
"A giant hoax? But where is she if that's the case? And how did she do the sound effects? There was nothing in her apartment that could do that, not even a stereo, just a fancy set of headphones near her computers."
"Then what happened to her?"
"Was there anybody that didn't like her?"
"Not here. As far as I know everyone was quite happy when she was moved to this project. Were there any odd or creepy types paying too much attention at Waverly's?"
"No. She'd come in, have a couple and leave. After we started talking she'd have three or four and stay longer, but I never saw anyone chatting her up."
"Our director is going to call the police tomorrow. Maybe they can find something. You might be prepared, I'm sure they'll want to talk to us all."
The DRC site shows Annoyingny approaching completion. I hope it isn't as annoying as the version Cyan created for their Uru Complete Chronicles release. All that running around, back and forth, back and forth, and then dropping pellets and waiting. Worse than feeding the lake because you have to stand around and wait for the few seconds of glow from the pellet. Oh well, time will tell...
They were pretty close with Er'Cana, although the Cyan "recipe" for pellets was faster and not as optimal as what others have discovered now.
A stair creak alerted her to someone's approach. Quickly she shuffled the papers back to their order and leapt into the couch. Shandi opened the door to find Irena lounging with a book in hand.
"Hey Shan, how was the day?"
"Awful. Remember that online game I told you we were developing, the one based around the magical hut of all worlds?" When Irena nodded she continued, "We're getting close, but Sophia has gone missing."
"What do you mean 'gone missing'? Like out sick with an extended illness?"
"I wish. No, 'gone missing' as in not at her apartment, not with friends or family, not in the hospitals or morgue, not anywhere we can find her. Her bots and actor driven characters were going to be the backbone of the entire adventure."
Irena sat upright. "Have you called the cops? Has anyone been to her place?"
"Andrew lives near her and stopped by yesterday on his way in. Her car was in her spot and her apartment looked fine from the outside. When did she last stop in at Waverly's?"
"Four nights ago. She seemed ok, talking about her latest creations and the pressures, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary."
"Did you notice anything when she left? Anyone following her or showing undue attention?"
"No, she just left, got in her car, and drove away."
"She didn't come to work the next day. She didn't email in, which was strange. Usually she's really good at letting everyone know if she won't be in. No one's called the police yet, none of us are related to her and her family doesn't seem to care."
"Yeah, they haven't played a part in her life for years. They disowned her during her senior year."
"What?"
"I don't know details. She hadn't told me, it must have been weird, I can't imagine Sophia doing anything all that bad."
"I know. She's one of the nicest people I know. Well, I just stopped by to get some notes I forgot on my laptop. It's back to work and see if we can fake her stuff from her files." Shandi grabbed her laptop and headed back out.
Irena stood and ran to her room, grabbing her bag from the floor. Inside was the card Sophia had handed her four nights ago. On the back was a phone number and an address. She yanked open the bottom drawer of her desk and grabbed the small leather pouch with lock tools in it. With a wicked little smile she stuffed it in her bag and headed for the door. She stopped as she reached for the door, turned, dashed back to the kitchen, grabbed a couple pairs of latex gloves, then headed out.
A few minutes later Irena pulled into Sophia's apartment complex, startled by the cheap hotel appearance of it. Before leaving her car she slipped the lock picks out of their pouch and into her hand. Slowly she climbed the concrete and steel steps to the second floor balcony and walked to the door marker 212. The training came back quickly and within minutes the lock clicked open.
Inside the cheap hotel look was magnified. A single room contained a cheap bed, dresser with a television, a grey metal desk with monitors on it, and a tiny kitchenette to the back. A microscopic bathroom occupied the back right corner. The only nice things in the place were a large ebony wardrobe against the bathroom wall, a very comfortable looking desk chair, and two new computer systems. Everything looked neat and orderly with no signs of struggle or disturbance. The black bed spread was pulled back and the sheets rumpled as if someone had gone to sleep but no clothes were scattered about. The towels in the bathroom were neatly placed on the racks and the sink and counter clean.
A large selection of gothic clothing hung in the wardrobe and a check book without a paper register sat in the desk drawer amid numerous pens and sticky note pads. Bank statements were neatly filed in the left hand drawer, revealing a very large bank balance. Software design guides and reference manuals were arranged by subject in a cheap metal book case to the right of the desk.
Irena sat in the desk chair and started the computers. Windows full of code and notes popped into view once the systems had loaded. The character descriptions and scenario notes she understood, the code bits meant nothing. Nothing showed anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. She reached for the power switch, then stopped when she remembered Shandi's comments. Taking data disks from one of the desk drawers, she made two copies of all the directories that looked like they might be game related. It took most of the meager stock to get all of it from both machines.
Once the backups were done she turned the systems off and headed for the door. A glint from the bed caught her eye. Pulling the covers back farther she found a fist size, heart shaped sapphire sitting in the center of the bed. A strange shift of shadow prompted her to pick it up. A sound, part way between a heavy bass thump and a deep gong, so deep it was almost a vibration, echoed through the room. The lights flashed and flickered until the sound faded, leaving a strange stillness behind.
The gem rested quietly in her hand, giving off warmth and a faint heartbeat-like vibration. She tried to drop it but it would not leave her hand. It dropped into her bag easily enough when she tried to place it there. She locked the door behind her and returned to her car.
It took several long pushes of the buzzer before Shandi's voice growled from the intercom, "What?"
"Shan, it's me, Irena. Can I come in for a few minutes? I have something I need to talk to you about."
"Can't it wait? I'm in the middle of this."
"No. It's something that might help you." Irena fidgeted until the door buzzed to let her in. Shandi came down the inner stairs a few minutes later.
"What is so important that it couldn't wait?"
Silently Irena pulled out one set of the data disks and dropped them in Shandi's hand. "I went to Sophia's, looking for answers. These are her files. They might help you."
"You went to Sophia's? Who let you in? What did you find?"
"I let myself in. There's no sign of her. I did find this, though," Irena pulled the gem from her bag. "Careful," she cautioned as Shandi reached for it. "It did some weird stuff when I first touched it."
"I forgot your talent with locks. What sort of weird stuff did it do? And why are you still at Waverly's instead of lock-smithing?"
"With the tips, Waverly's pays much better. And I like the music and the people. This thing made strange sounds when I first picked it up. A deep gong, boom, reverberation, I don't know quite how to explain it. Something about this seems familiar, though I don't know why."
Shandi stared at the gem for a long while, then said, "Jaime's game. Remember the Summoning Gem for the magical Hut? This looks like her description, if I remember right. Come on upstairs. She gave us permission to use her designs and ideas when she talked her company into funding the game project." Irena followed her up the stairs and to a medium sized office. Multiple monitors ringed the desk, forming a wall of images for the occupant. Shandi's hands flew over the keyboard, calling up various files until she found the one she wanted. "Here it is. Look," she pointed at an image on the screen. She made a few more mouse clicks and pulled up a text file. "See, here's the description. A deep booming gong, almost a reverberation sounds when the Summoning Crystal is activated. It will summon the Hut to the location of the holder. If the Hut is unable to respond it will return to dormancy, otherwise it will vibrate with increasing intensity until the Hut Interface is formed."
They both stared at the screen, then at each other. "This makes no sense. Unless Sophia left it herself."
"But where did she get the gem?" Shandi asked. "A sapphire that large would cost a fortune. If she didn't set it up, then what's going on?"
"A giant hoax? But where is she if that's the case? And how did she do the sound effects? There was nothing in her apartment that could do that, not even a stereo, just a fancy set of headphones near her computers."
"Then what happened to her?"
"Was there anybody that didn't like her?"
"Not here. As far as I know everyone was quite happy when she was moved to this project. Were there any odd or creepy types paying too much attention at Waverly's?"
"No. She'd come in, have a couple and leave. After we started talking she'd have three or four and stay longer, but I never saw anyone chatting her up."
"Our director is going to call the police tomorrow. Maybe they can find something. You might be prepared, I'm sure they'll want to talk to us all."
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