FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
The most classic Villain trope possible. They contact Max to gloat.
Goddamn Teenagers (Worm, AU/time travel)
The most classic Villain trope possible. They contact Max to gloat.
Fading Star, Part 8
Relevant earlier chapters: Fading Star, Part 4 and Fading Star, Part 5
"... you understand," the recording concluded.
Max scoffed. "Even if that wasn't a fake, it wouldn't be admissible, and even if it was, none of that is illegal."
The disheveled man leaned back and regarded Max clinically. "How quaint. We both know that actually complying with all applicable rules and regulations is not possible, not at the level we operate. Once they have the will to act, once they're in, they will find enough. Even if they have to plant it."
The man grinned. "No, it's a matter of will. Listening to this?" The man gestured expansively. "Will isn't a problem." His face took on a predatory expression. "Nor is evidence, no, not after what they found when they started unraveling the threads left behind by Fleischer. The only reason they haven't moved already is pissing matches over who gets to bring you in."
Max rolled his eyes, and barked out a laugh. "So you say, but others have said the same. I'm still here."
"Fleischer kept surprisingly meticulous records," the man retorted. "It seems Max Anders has been a naughty boy. Arms running, money laundering, human trafficking, even murder of federal agents. It seems he was deeply, deeply involved with some very nasty business."
"I find myself tiring of this farce," Max bit out.
Now the other man rolled his eyes. "Call whoever you like, but watch your words and don't leave the building, lest you become some baby fed's big break."
"... you understand," the recording concluded.
Max scoffed. "Even if that wasn't a fake, it wouldn't be admissible, and even if it was, none of that is illegal."
The disheveled man leaned back and regarded Max clinically. "How quaint. We both know that actually complying with all applicable rules and regulations is not possible, not at the level we operate. Once they have the will to act, once they're in, they will find enough. Even if they have to plant it."
The man grinned. "No, it's a matter of will. Listening to this?" The man gestured expansively. "Will isn't a problem." His face took on a predatory expression. "Nor is evidence, no, not after what they found when they started unraveling the threads left behind by Fleischer. The only reason they haven't moved already is pissing matches over who gets to bring you in."
Max rolled his eyes, and barked out a laugh. "So you say, but others have said the same. I'm still here."
"Fleischer kept surprisingly meticulous records," the man retorted. "It seems Max Anders has been a naughty boy. Arms running, money laundering, human trafficking, even murder of federal agents. It seems he was deeply, deeply involved with some very nasty business."
"I find myself tiring of this farce," Max bit out.
Now the other man rolled his eyes. "Call whoever you like, but watch your words and don't leave the building, lest you become some baby fed's big break."
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Victor previously offered Max a 'relocation package' in exchange for 'Germany' - that is, in exchange for betraying Gesellschaft.
FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
Looks like I was right about it being a "you're screwed, and not as smart as you think" meeting.
- Location
- The Internet?
"When I said I wanted a triumph of the will, I didn't mean like this!" -Max Anders, probably.
Honestly, I don't know why he bothers making swords with his metal. His shovels would have to be amazing, considering how good he is at digging himself deeper!
FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
Yes, but Max isn't ready to make plowshares yet.
BethofDeath
Girls just wanna have pun
- Location
- Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Well, the plowshares will probably do better than Medhall's stock shares soon will be...
- Location
- The Internet?
Friends, Redditors, countrymen, lend me your stonks;
I come to short Medhall, not to praise it.
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
OK. Putting the knife into the foreign, 'real', Nazis. If anyone, including Empire 88, has much time or love for Gesellschaft... Also, "We may hate each other, but we all hate and distrust them even more"?
I'd say that it;s about time for someone to knock Max unconscious, run him past that all-so-useful bio-tinker who only changes personally recognisable features (probably not DNA, though), and ship him somewhere where he won't embarrass people, anymore. With only a hundred dollars in his pockets. No, they wouldn't likely change his ethnicity - that's too easy.
When The Man Comes Around
"What exactly," Max ground out, "are you offering?"
The other man's smile was distinctly predatory. "Full cooperation. Everything you know, all of your contacts and records, about the Germans, the clans, the company, the Empire--"
"--There are rules!" Max hissed.
The man chuckled. "So there are, but no one here is talking about capes. You see one, we might have a deal for them too. No, right now we're talking about Max Anders and what he knows, who he knows."
"And then?"
The man shrugged. "We don't want your houses or your cars or your money, whatever you can get out from under the Feds is yours. We'll get you papers, transport out of the country. We don't want your life, martyrs are so inconvenient. You leave tonight, and go on your way. No lengthy interviews, no thumbscrews, just a few hours in Cranial's care to get the engram."
"The Feds can offer me that, and more."
"I haven't told you the best part yet," the man replied conversationally. "Some very smart people have dug into your record, really dug. They're concerned that you aren't now the man you once were. They've plotted it, graphed it, run the numbers."
"What are you talking about?" Where was this going?
"Do I have to spell it out, after Fleischer? They think you've been mastered, are the master, or can't rule it out which is just as bad. Gloves are off, the second you blink funny, or show any sign of a parahuman power, they go lethal."
Max felt the blood drain out of his face. He wanted to object, to say it wasn't him, he was Kaiser not some filthy master. But... could he be sure, really sure, that Gesellschaft hadn't gotten to him too? Victor would have surely noticed, if he was affected, wouldn't he? Would he? After what Fleischer had done, had almost done, while drugged and half crippled?
Note: Cranial's ability to pull engram shenanigans referenced previously in Not Quite Valhalla, Part 2.
The other man's smile was distinctly predatory. "Full cooperation. Everything you know, all of your contacts and records, about the Germans, the clans, the company, the Empire--"
"--There are rules!" Max hissed.
The man chuckled. "So there are, but no one here is talking about capes. You see one, we might have a deal for them too. No, right now we're talking about Max Anders and what he knows, who he knows."
"And then?"
The man shrugged. "We don't want your houses or your cars or your money, whatever you can get out from under the Feds is yours. We'll get you papers, transport out of the country. We don't want your life, martyrs are so inconvenient. You leave tonight, and go on your way. No lengthy interviews, no thumbscrews, just a few hours in Cranial's care to get the engram."
"The Feds can offer me that, and more."
"I haven't told you the best part yet," the man replied conversationally. "Some very smart people have dug into your record, really dug. They're concerned that you aren't now the man you once were. They've plotted it, graphed it, run the numbers."
"What are you talking about?" Where was this going?
"Do I have to spell it out, after Fleischer? They think you've been mastered, are the master, or can't rule it out which is just as bad. Gloves are off, the second you blink funny, or show any sign of a parahuman power, they go lethal."
Max felt the blood drain out of his face. He wanted to object, to say it wasn't him, he was Kaiser not some filthy master. But... could he be sure, really sure, that Gesellschaft hadn't gotten to him too? Victor would have surely noticed, if he was affected, wouldn't he? Would he? After what Fleischer had done, had almost done, while drugged and half crippled?
Note: Cranial's ability to pull engram shenanigans referenced previously in Not Quite Valhalla, Part 2.
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Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
Yup. They've got him. Made him doubt himself. All the rest is tidy-up.
When The Man Comes Around, Part 2
Max slowly drifted toward wakefulness. He remembered the lawyer, remembered his contacts dodging his calls or giving answers that were cryptic at best. He remembered the frantic departure, the confusing scanning procedure performed by Cranial, and then...
"Where am I?" Max asked, or tried to. He couldn't be sure the words came out right, couldn't be sure of anything. He tried to open his eyes, but seemed to be in a room so dark as... was this a sensory deprivation tank?
"Good morning, Mr. Anders," a distant voice said. Max couldn't quite place the accent, and when he tried, he found the details slipping away.
"What did you do to me! We had an agreement!"
"Nothing more than what was consented to," the voice replied. Max did remember, vaguely, Cranial emphasizing the importance of consent, that was important somehow to some procedure, but he'd been focused on other things...
"You said I would be free to go!"
"Max Anders is living comfortable in exile. You are not he, however. You are an engram, a copy, tragically unstable over any appreciable period of time but sufficient for our purposes. After all, Mr. Anders, you are not the master copy."
Max felt that he should feel a growing sense of dread, but instead felt only a hollow emptiness.
"Now let us begin," the voice continued. "We have only so long before this engram irreparably degrades..."
Alternate title: Uh-oh Basilisk
"Where am I?" Max asked, or tried to. He couldn't be sure the words came out right, couldn't be sure of anything. He tried to open his eyes, but seemed to be in a room so dark as... was this a sensory deprivation tank?
"Good morning, Mr. Anders," a distant voice said. Max couldn't quite place the accent, and when he tried, he found the details slipping away.
"What did you do to me! We had an agreement!"
"Nothing more than what was consented to," the voice replied. Max did remember, vaguely, Cranial emphasizing the importance of consent, that was important somehow to some procedure, but he'd been focused on other things...
"You said I would be free to go!"
"Max Anders is living comfortable in exile. You are not he, however. You are an engram, a copy, tragically unstable over any appreciable period of time but sufficient for our purposes. After all, Mr. Anders, you are not the master copy."
Max felt that he should feel a growing sense of dread, but instead felt only a hollow emptiness.
"Now let us begin," the voice continued. "We have only so long before this engram irreparably degrades..."
Alternate title: Uh-oh Basilisk
Damn, that's a shame.
Still, there's always a chance they're just lying to the engram to get it to work with them...
FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
They have a "master copy", why do I think that means Max is the captive of The Elite and stuck in a simulation where he thinks he's living comfortably in exile?
Did he get Soulkilled?
- Location
- Neptune
Because you are thinking in circles. The Elite have no need for keeping him in a simulation.
Cranial did… something. Details and side effects are unclear…
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
Hmm. Who did he upset enough to go after tim?
and...
Least Cranial could have done was provide a nice, cheerful cottage, smell of cooking bacon, and a nice cup of tea, from Max's childhood... No reason to be nasty about it... Might even improve stability!
(Looks like Cranial pulled a complete mind-image... That's... rather more than full details of his business/cape dealings...)
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Eh, he's a Nazi. Fuck 'em.
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
Most would agree, but... There is professionalism. "See, I maintain certain standards. Even to Nazis. Yes, you can trust me with poking around in your mind, and what I do with the recordings".
Cranial did say consent was important. How often do you think someone has actually consented to this?
- Location
- The Internet?
You can't fool me, I've seen Black Mirror, and also the Simpsons parody thereof...
Cranial turned Max into a Roomba, didn't they?
Going names for the engram are: faschimile, Maximile, I have no Mouth and I must (Kaiser) Wilhelm Scream,
Max probably doesn't read everything in his iTunes agreement either. He's just lucky that a bunch of wet Tinkers got him, instead of Steve Jobs.
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FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
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- The Internet
Well, upon further reflection this is a bit of unexpected horror. Why am I suddenly feeling sorry for a nazi?!
Settling Debts, Part 3
"OK," Lisa said to the terrified boy. "I've got you newspapers. I'm working on getting you a TV feed to Bet. And speaking of newspapers I have good news!" Lisa fished around in the stack of papers until she found the most recent one. "Your dad's company got raided!"
The boy looked unimpressed. "This is not the first time Medhall has been raided, and that hasn't stopped him before."
"No, no, it wasn't just the company, it's him too! There's a warrant out for him! He fled the country, fugitive from justice, the whole thing."
"He'll be back." The boy said with certainty. "He always dodges responsibility."
"Maybe before," Lisa said in as peppy a tone as she could muster. "But I don't think so, not this time. He's made a lot of enemies, including a lot of people who used to be allies."
"And what about," the boy asked tentatively, "ah, the Empire?"
"Oh," Lisa replied with a grin, "they're fucked. 'Kaiser' has disappeared, the twins cut a deal with the PRT and, well, that's that. All the other capes were already gone. The unpowered types are going to ground, cutting deals, or fleeing the city."
"Uh-huh." The boy still sounded unconvinced. Still worried this is all a trick.
No shit.
Lisa sighed. "I know, I know, we have a long way to go before you trust us. But I am trying to help, you might even be able to go home soon! Or back to Bet!" He still looked unconvinced, so Lisa tried again. "Or at least be done with this whole witness protection thing?"
Note: Lisa tries and she tries, but she's still a peppy blonde trying to convince Theo that he can totally trust her. Not an easy sell.
The boy looked unimpressed. "This is not the first time Medhall has been raided, and that hasn't stopped him before."
"No, no, it wasn't just the company, it's him too! There's a warrant out for him! He fled the country, fugitive from justice, the whole thing."
"He'll be back." The boy said with certainty. "He always dodges responsibility."
"Maybe before," Lisa said in as peppy a tone as she could muster. "But I don't think so, not this time. He's made a lot of enemies, including a lot of people who used to be allies."
"And what about," the boy asked tentatively, "ah, the Empire?"
"Oh," Lisa replied with a grin, "they're fucked. 'Kaiser' has disappeared, the twins cut a deal with the PRT and, well, that's that. All the other capes were already gone. The unpowered types are going to ground, cutting deals, or fleeing the city."
"Uh-huh." The boy still sounded unconvinced. Still worried this is all a trick.
No shit.
Lisa sighed. "I know, I know, we have a long way to go before you trust us. But I am trying to help, you might even be able to go home soon! Or back to Bet!" He still looked unconvinced, so Lisa tried again. "Or at least be done with this whole witness protection thing?"
Note: Lisa tries and she tries, but she's still a peppy blonde trying to convince Theo that he can totally trust her. Not an easy sell.
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
What Lisa needs to do? Borrow Aisha. Theo would be impressed (and horrified, but, that's standard) if he got to freely talk to her.
Brian can chaperone...
(Scene: Theo and Aisha chatting, Lisa watching, Brian, standing, crossed-arms, glowering, off to one side. No, he doesn't want to be there.)
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