001.1 Chapter One - A Night at Jessica's

Jessica's was a hot spot, a bar somewhere between a neighborhood dive with a fresh coat of paint and a classy pub that was behind on its upkeep. It was owned and operated by a criminal gang and peopled by some of the less reputable denizens of Old Westgate, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Center City. But it was large, comprising the first two floors of a centrally located high rise, and Enforcement rarely troubled the patrons. It was a place where anyone could enjoy a drink unmolested and pretend to have more class than they could actually afford. Since the quarantine, people from all over The QZ had been coming to Jessica's. The QZ encompassed most of the poorest neighborhoods in Center City, and Jessica's had somehow captured the public imagination as the most prestigious bar and club within their now limited habitat.

What made Jessica's stand out among the other clubs was its ever changing decor, thanks to a meticulously programmed suite of holographic and hard light projectors. Most nights it looked like a cross between a biker bar and an Irish pub, but the holosystem were programmed with several variations, all custom designed to fit the actual space within the building. Thursday nights Jessica's became a 1940's era jazz club complete with dark wood, cozy booths, and red velvet curtains, and even boasted a holographic orchestra or jazz band, depending upon who was performing.

It was Thursday. On these nights, the crowd was quieter than on a normal night. Before the show, glasses could be heard clinking together at the bar, and the murmur of conversation was low. Aside from the fashion sense of the clientele, one could almost feel like they were back in the 1940's, or at least in as good a simulation of the era as could be recreated from the data that remained on the era.

---

Veronica had just finished her set, and stepped down off of the stage to deafening applause. She approached the table where her brother Eli sat with her friend, Will. Eli had a night off from working the door, and the two men had been enjoying drinks while she performed. They both stood, clapping loudly, as did everyone else in the club.

Malachi approached the trio, his smile broad and looking as authentic as his recently tailored, retro tuxedo. Rings flashed on his fingers, a diamond glittered one one, and his single earring was large and gold. He flashed teeth too white to be natural, his smile more predatory than friendly.

"Come to the VIP area," he said. It was an invitation, but certainly not one that should be declined. "I saved the best seats for Veronica and her friends."

Two bodyguards in suits moved ahead of the trio, clearing a path toward the staircase that led up to the balcony where the VIPs could watch the show. Malachi brought up the rear. None would dare interfere.

People were already seated on the balcony that formed a wide semi-circle overlooking most of the club below. Many of them stood and offered Veronica polite applause as she came up the winding staircase to the massive, circular booth in the center of the balcony. The cushioned seats were velvet and deep red, the table so black it gleamed, and their drinks had already been moved from downstairs by the industrious wait staff. Malachi allowed them to sit, then took his customary place at one end of the booth and turned to look down at the stage.

"Got 'em beggin for more every time you step off that stage, Veronica." His gaze moved over the crowd below. "Nuff to make a guy jealous, that kind of devotion." He looked back at the trio and grinned.

---

Downstairs, Richard and Jack sit beside each other at the bar. Richard hadn't made it on time to get his favorite table; Fiona, who obviously had a crush on him, had come to visit his sister, Alexis, before he left their apartment. Dodging her flirtations had made him later than he had planned. Now he was chatting casually with Jack, hoping to get down to the business of Alexis' medicine. She had maybe a two day supply left, but it seemed to be lasting for less time with each dose.

The bar area was teeming with people, and now that the show was over, everyone was crowding closer to get drinks. Patrons bumped into each of them from behind, said a cursory "excuse me," or "sorry," and then moved on toward an open space where everyone was funneling up to place their orders.

Will relaxes in the VIP area. It's not quite what he's used to, but it's much closer than most everything else in the quarantine zone. He nods to the waitress when she brings their drinks and surveys the crowd. They're all lower middle class at best, clearly trying to be posh when the only thing they know about the high life is what they've seen on television.

Pretenders. Poseurs. Wanna-bes. These people wouldn't last a minute in his world. His mother alone would chew up and spit out half of this crowd. His mother. He'd been dodging her calls for almost two days. He would have to talk to her eventually, but this was not the time. Tonight was about his friend, Veronica. Watching her sing that amazing set had renewed his eternal attraction to her, but that's not why he was here, either. Tonight was about making her world the best place it could be.

"Everyone wants Veronica," he said in response to Malachi's words. He was teasing, and of course she would know this, despite the fact that it was true of him as well, a fact she didn't know. He intended to keep it that way. No point ruining a perfectly good friendship.

"Nice place you've got here, Malachi." He looked at the grinning man. There was something off about him. Something that made Will feel defensive. "I bet it costs a lot to keep this running."

Eli walked with the others as Malachi lead to their new seats. Moving with a predatory grace, Eli had no trouble finding his way through the crowds.

Remembering Connor' s message from earlier, he finds himself trying to remember who it could be. While he could remember some things clearly, most of his memory is still hazy and blank.

Letting his sister and Will slide into the booth, Eli took the door opposite Malachi at the end of the seat.

Richard had been silently watching Veronica's performance. She had been great, as always. He really wishes he could have taken Alexis to see her but today is just not the day for it. He had barely been able to focus on the performance himself, his thoughts drifting off to his sister's dwindling supply of medication and the job he had received earlier this day.

He sips his drink in silence next to his "friend" Jack. Richard really wishes he didn't have to get mixed up with this guy - something about him just rubs Richard the wrong way - but if he doesn't want his siter's condition to get worse, he has no choice.
"I hear there's supposed to be a new shipment of beta coming into the QZ", he finally says, quietly. "The last supply ran out faster than expected. I'm afraid the stuff is either getting weaker or Allie is building up a resistance. Is there any way a larger portion of this shipment could get lost than last month?"

His thoughts drift back to his job. As terrible as Alexis' situation was and as dangerous as these deals were for him, they had become routine. The situation that Ms. Parker had told him to take care of, wasn't.
Richard looks around the bar. He can't spot Eli anywhere - or Veronica for that matter. They must have gone backstage somewhere. Does Eli have money? His sister has good connections to the rich kid. Maybe they could organize something. But what if they can't?

He turns back to Jack and asks: "And, hypothetically, if I wanted to borrow a large sum of money from you, how would I go about that?"
He hopes he won't have to ask more favors from Jack than he already does but it's always good to at least know all the options.

"Thank you Malachi, oh I love bringing up peoples spirits. Ever since they quarantined us all people have been angry, or depressed. It is nice to see smiles instead of scowls." She slides into a seat.

She blushes a bit at Will's words. "Their just happy to have someone sing just for them. Can you imagine if they saw me in my normal day in day out look, bleary eyed in front of a hologram display working code." She ended it with a wide smile for her friend.

"Yes I still can't believe the holography and hard light is amazing Malachi, Will is right it must have been very costly but I absolutely love it. I would have it all over the city and have people play my game !" She laughed a bit at her stupid and silly statement.

Her eyes couldn't help move to her brother though, "You ok Eli ? You look like your in space ?"

Eli snaps back to reality as he hears Veronica speak. I'm fine, just trying to remember something. I got a message from Connor. Supposedly a friend is coming to town. Just trying to figure out who..

"Oh, really from the outside ?" Veronica looks surprised.

Veronica worried a bit about her feeling about being watched but here among all her friends and her brother. Malachi was a bit scary but that might be a good thing right now.

"Don't worry I am sure your memories will come back, I am just worried about what the military might have done to you that you don't want to remember."

"An old friend, huh? I wonder how he's getting inside the QZ. I'd love to follow his trail back out. I haven't seen Amanda since this all began." Will looks sullen for a moment, but then his smile returns.

"But maybe we'll get lucky. There haven't been any outbreaks since the first round. Maybe the quarantine will finally be lifted."

Will motions for the waitress to bring him another drink, then downs the last gulp of his current one.

"Any news on what started the outbreak ? I mean nothing like this has ever happened before. People dying yes but people gaining weird freakish powers, that is the stuff of media entertainment."

"The last time I spoke to my mother, she said their were rampant rumors, but nothing conclusive." Will accepts the new drink without looking at the waitress. "Everything from an alien virus from one of the colonies to government funded experimentation, and even class wars/ethnic cleansing. No one seems to really know anything.

"The general consensus is that it's contained in the QZ, so they're worried about letting us out. I guess no one else has developed powers anywhere else yet. So for now, we're stuck in here til they figure it out."

"Alien virus ? I never heard that rumor. Could you imagine." Veronica got that look she often got when she just breached a firewall.

"It makes me wonder what alien contact would be like, you know with sentient aliens not just a virus. I would love to be part of the contact effort but we humans kill and mistreat each other for stupid reasons, so how ready would we really be."

She orders a drink herself.

"I really am sorry you got caught in here with us Will, you should be out there with your fiance and mother. I would miss you a lot but it sucks that you were here when the quarantine hit."

Jack snaps out when the applause starts. He had completely missed Veronica's performance. Not that he didn't enjoy listening to her voice or even her company. Being in the QZ had been his choice and he is constantly reminded that he doesn't truly belong to this place. He has not been there when things where at their worse. A friendly face like Veronica's did help feeling less out of place, maybe even less... lonely.

He sips his drink and looks around trying to spot anything Malachi may be interesting in. It seems like the gangster took Veronica up to the VIP balcony, his favourite spots at Jessica's. Jack couldn't see Bella around and Kurk was still nowhere to be found... His attention is broken by Richard's words. "Ah yes. I'm expecting to get a new batch soon enough." Jack mentions dismissing Richard's worries. "There have been some delays, but it should all be sorted now. How much do you still have?". Jack reconsiders his approach and tries something more personable "How is she doing by the way? Your little sister, I mean". Her needing more was not good. Not only smuggling Betavive would be more complicated and dangerous, if she got worse, Richard may become less... collaborative...

The mention of "large sums of money" capture Jack's attention. "Money? In the QZ? What could possible costs that much here?" he laughs it off as a joke while trying to carefully read Richard's body language to find out what Richard, or even better, that gangster Evelyn was up to.

Richard sighs and in his head goes through the small stock of Beta he has left. "Two days supply, three at most." He takes another sip from his glass. The alcohol here was better than in most places in the zone but the stuff he could afford was still not amazing.
When Jack asks about Alexis' situation, he hesitates. He doesn't want to tell him any more than he has to but Richard needs Jack's help and it seems to be a pretty innocent question. "She's doing okay, considering the circumstances. She doesn't know about the med problems and I'm planning to keep it that way. Fiona is with her right now."

When Jack asks about the money, Richard shrugs. He tries to make it look casual but isn't sure about how successful he is at that. "I probably won't need it", he says. In his head, he adds: And if I can avoid it, I won't get it from you, even if I do need it
His body language is tense, like it is most of the time, especially when he is around Jack. Whatever he is planning to use the money for, it doesn't look like he just wants to buy himself something nice.

"Fiona? Ah yes, Alexis' friend Veronica told me about." Jack recognised the name after awhile. "I think it's a good choice to not worry your sister with such small issues. It's hard on her as it is..." he sympathises a bit distracted hoping to spot Kurk showing up at anytime.

"Most likely you won't" Jack agrees with Richard about the money adding, in a mix of reassurance and opportunism, "But you know that if you were to need anything else, I could try to find ways..."

Richard eyes Jack suspiciously. "I know you could. But you're not the kind of guy to give anything away for free. What would it cost me?"

Malachi grins as he listens to the discussion at the table.

"I don't care how it happened or what caused it," he says. "I was doing okay before the virus. Since it hit, I'm drowning in money and women, and to top it all off, I'm a god-damned super hero."

When he says the last bit, his eyes light up as he places his hand over the flame of the candle in the center of the table. The flame licks the palm of his hand, then seems to be sucked slowly into it until it disappears. Malachi's smile is mischievous as he closes his hand into a fist, turns his hand palm upward, and opens his fingers again. Tiny flames dance from the center of his palm, one each up the length of each finger and thumb until the end of each finger burns like a small candle.

He flicks his wrist, and the flames are gone in an instant, followed immediately by his laughter.

"Energy Absorption and Redirection is what they call it online." One eyebrow shoots up as he looks around at all of you. "Not too bad for a poor kid from Old Westgate, huh?"

"It is impressive. You can do that with any energy ?" Veronica was always impressed at seeing people use the unusual powers they have.

"You would think they would want to hire us, or put us in product placements right ? Instead of lock us up. It is so strange but maybe, maybe people are afraid of us."

Jack fakes an outraged look at Richard insinuation. "You make me a villain with your words!" he replies calmly finishing his drink. "The truth is that these are difficult times and what you're asking is... difficult. You want rare things, precious things..." Jack look serious at his friend. "...there are costs involved you know? All I'm asking is for some information in exchange." Jack opens his arm around to show his surroundings. "You don't mean to tell me that Ms. Parker of yours is what you want for these people? "

Richard looks around to make sure they're not overheard.
"You're already bleeding me dry of information. Everything important I know, I tell you. I can hardly tell you more than I know" He finishes his drink and orders another one without a moment of pause. "I don't care about politics. Ms. Parker looks down on our kind but what can am I supposed to do about it? I'm safer under her than I would be with Malachi's people."
After a second of silence, he adds: "You know, forget about the money thing. I won't need it."
Hopefully that's true, he thinks. Hopefully, Eli can get that money together.

Jack replies immediately "Fight back! Your... I mean, our kind is special. These new powers are precious, you can't just let anyone get a hold on them. They are the key for a better future" his hand slowly fading away, a fake invisibility trick that he kept using to prove that, he too, had powers.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a large cockroach crawls onto the bar table. Richard puts his hand down and let's it climb on his arm.
"Powers are great and all but a roomful of guys with guns is still going to win against the insect freak any day of the week. What makes you powerful in the zone is not this..." He gestures towards Jack's invisible hand. "...It's your connections. You would be nothing in here without your contacts. And Alexis would be dead without mine. It's not my powers keeping her alive. It's who I know."

While Jack and Richard are talking at the bar, a monster of a man pushes right past them, shoving them both against the bar, spilling both their drinks. One side of his face is a mass of scar tissue, and he stares forward toward the stage area. He is wearing a bulky, well-worn, army jacket over a dirtry t-shirt, and loose, patched grey pants tucked into tightly-tied army boots. It's not an unusual outfit for this area, but it seems dirtier than most of the patrons, and definitely makes him stand out on 1940's night.

He continues on without a word of apology, advancing across the bar area toward the stage. In his single-mindedness, he hits a man who spins away, spilling his drink, and brushes past a woman in a short dress who falls back onto the ground, legs splayed out, a shocked look on her pretty face.

"Cool trick," Will says, feigning disinterest. In truth, the entire phenomena fascinates him.

His mind has been racing with possibilities since the infection ravaged the community. What was the virus? How did it spread? Why did it kill some, leave some disabled, and grant others superhuman powers? He had spent many nights borrowing Veronica's computers and lab facilities trying to find answers. He had reached out to his division at Wanneng and given them some information, even had blood and tissue samples smuggled out to his researchers, but so far they hadn't told him anything more than he had been able to figure out on his own.

Will looked at Veronica as she spoke. "Of course they're scared. They have no idea what they're dealing with. It's all about control. If someone has more power than you, or power you don't understand, you need to crush it, contain it, find a way to control it. You don't just let it out in the streets to find its own way.

"We're guinea pigs. We're being watched, studied, cataloged. Once they find a way to disable or control superhuman powers, then the quarantine will be lifted. Until then, we're a threat to the status quo."

Will looks around the table. "Trust me, I have a little bit of experience with the politics of the one percent."

Richard curses as the man walks into him and makes him spill the new drink he just got. He turns around to looks at the man. Richard has seen plenty of guys like him - scarred, bulky, intimidating appearance. It's usually a 50/50 shot between if it's all show or if they can actually back up that look with real strength. From the way this guy is trying to assert dominance with his powerwalk, Richard decides that this guy is probably more show than strength.
"Hey, scarface!", he yells, trying to get the man's attention. "You need any help? Did they not let you take your seeing-eye dog in?"

"More power HA ! Your mom has more power then any of us, the lives of her employees is in her hands, and political careers rise and fall at her command. How can we possibly be more powerful then the one percent. Besides you try to control anything it will strive for freedom from that control. Better to make friends with us then lock us in an ungilded cage. Sorry Will I guess I am still upset about being in here. I was just getting ready to see the world and colonies and now I might be locked up here for who knows how long."

Scarface glances back over his shoulder when Richard yells, which makes him pause just enough for the guy he spun away to get right in his face. The man is pointing at his half empty glass, face to face with Scarface, screaming about buying him a new drink. His friends have stepped back a half step each, clearly expecting things to turn physical.

Scarface looks at the angry young man without changing expression, and then shoves him. From where Richard and Jack sit, it looks like Scarface just extends his arm to the side without exerting much effort, but the effects are devastating. The angry man is propelled backward like he's been shot, moving so fast he is driven right into his ring of friends. Two of them are caught in his wake as he continues back through the crowd, knocking people, chairs, and tables aside or forcing them back along with him until they strike the wall next to a booth. The unconscious bodies and broken chairs collapse in a heap on the floor, leaving a clear path from the mound of carnage back to the ugly man in the army coat.

He doesn't even look to see what damage he's done, merely puts his hand up next to his face, flips the finger to Richard over his shoulder, and then continues on his way.

As people come to the edge of the balcony to watch the fighting below, security moves to intercept this obvious troublemaker. Two young men in black suits converging on him from the front, one off the the left, the other from directly ahead. One's head is shaved bald, multicolored dance lights reflecting off his pale skin. The other wears his hair in a mass of short dreads and bares his teeth. They seem loose, ready for a fight, and unconcerned about this newcomer.

Richard gets up from his chair at the bar. He's not planning to get involved in a fight, especially not here. First, this bar is run by Xinjen and he doesn't want to pop up on their radar more than necessary, and second, he doesn't want to risk getting kicked out or even banned from Jessica's.
Still, this guy is definitely a super and if he's making trouble, Richard might be forced to intervene. Eli and Veronica are in here somewhere and he can't risk either of them getting hurt. Same with Jack. As much as Richard would like to see that guy's face kicked in, he needs him.

Before Jack can answer that in the future everyone will be as connected as he is, the scarred man pushes through the crowd. Jack immediately offers help to the woman that was knocked down. "Are you ok miss?" he asks as he offers to pull her back up in a very noticeable way. Richard couldn’t say he wasn’t capable of selflessly helping those in need now, could he? His grand gesture is interrupted as the other man goes flying into the tables and chairs. "Another super?" he thinks as he studies the brute moving away and the two securities moving in, waiting to see what the newcomer would do.

"What is that maniac doing ? Hey stop hurting people !" Veronica called down to the mad man.

Will jumps up and rushes to the railing. He doesn't know why, but he's suddenly afraid for Veronica, worried that she might have just drawn the attention of the hulking brute. He watches as the security team gets ready to take on the intruder and wonders if his power to negate those of others will be able to help against this man.

Eli gets up and calmly walks to the rail. Looking down at the mysterious goon, Eli flashes a wry grin on his face. They're going to need help, want me to go down there?

When Veronica appears and calls the man out, Richard tenses up. He closes his eyes and mentally calls some allies towards him. Within moments, a small group of mosquitoes is circling around him. They may not look dangerous but with Richard guiding them, they can be more threatening than one would think.

The man did not turn to attack Richard after his comment before but if he decides to go after Veronica now, Richard will intervene without a second of hesitation.

Malachi steps to the railing, looking down at the two security guards closing on the scarred intruder. He shakes his head at Veronica's outburst.

"No need to worry, ma petite ami. My boys got this," he says, his voice filled with swagger. He turns and smiles at Eli, cocky, some might say overconfident. "Watch."

As he points to his security guards, they move in, confronting the scarred stranger.

"Sorry Malachi, those people might have been really hurt." Veronica says as she just watches as he said.

Richard watches silently, hoping the guards have it under control but prepared to strike at any moment if it looks like there might be danger to his friends.

The stranger pauses, looking from one to the other of the two security men. He seems less worried and more annoyed.

The security guard with the short dreadlocks steps forward, fists up, and as the lights flicker briefly in the club, what appears to be electricity crackles along his knuckles. "Let's take this outside, big fella," he says, as lightning dances around his fists.

The second guard shows no physical sign of powers manifesting, but he also steps forward, appearing confident.

The scarred man shakes his head slowly and steps forward, raising his hands as if to fight. Electricity crackles as the dreadlocked security guard moves in, feinting to the left, then swinging right, but the scarred man blocks the blow as if they had choreographed it and he knew it was coming. There is a flash of electric energy, then the guard swings again, is blocked again, and gets slammed backward by a simple push to the chest. He flies backward, striking the wall hard enough that the loud crack could be the wall or bone, then slumps to the ground.

As he flies back, his partner moves in, swinging hard. His fist connects with the scarred man's head, spinning it to one side. The scarred man turns slowly back to stare at the guard, getting his feet under him, and the two rush each other. Fists fly and the sound of them striking each other is reminiscent of a martial arts movie, hit after hit, neither seeming hurt, neither wanting to back down. The guard is methodical, obviously trained, and does his best to move the fight toward an exit. But the scarred man is also quite skilled, his moves become more focused as the fight goes on. Soon, the scarred man gets the upper hand, the guard takes two hard hits, drops to one knee, and then finds a knee in his chin, followed quickly by an elbow to the back of his head. He drops like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

The scarred man looks up to the balcony. He points slowly up toward Malachi's group, his finger aimed directly at one person.

He points straight at Eli, then restarts his steady stride toward the stairs.

"Eli, take your sister and get the hell out of here!", Richard yells while simultaneously sending his mosquitoes after the man. Scarface seems tough but the not quite natural insects' poison should still be strong enough to take him out.

"Eli, let's go ! I don't want you hurt like those men. I am so sorry Malachi." Her eyes looked frantic as she pulled at her brothers arm nervously trying to get him to not confront this man.

Contest to convince Eli to leave with her without fighting this man.

As the scarred brute is looking up, Jack tries to sneak into the crowd and ready his ES5-RC stun gun. If he manages to hit, his efforts would be very well rewarded by Malachi, if he fails, he can just disappear.

The brute ignores the mosquitos suddenly buzzing around his head, and doesn't seem to notice when they bite him. He takes two more steps closer, within ten feet of the staircase, and then suddenly stops. His arms twitch, and his body seems to want to move, shuddering slightly as his whole frame leans almost imperceptibly toward the stairs, but he seems incapable of moving.

His eyes are wild, his breathing speeding up, the veins in his neck and arms are standing out against his skin. There is a tension around his immobile form, almost as if he could spring into violent action sat any moment, but he remains as still as a statue.

Malachi looks down at the immobile man and begins a slow applause that a few random patrons pickup around the club. Most are still in shock, and several are tending to the injured security guards and customers.

Richard looks around with an unsure smile on his face. He did not expect this reaction - in fact, he didn't think about a possible reaction at all. He just wanted to make sure his friends would be safe.
Was it good that he was seen playing the hero? Was it bad that he drew attention to himself here?

Without coming to a decision, he walks up to the paralyzed man, his expression hardening. He decides to own this moment, for better or worse. He looks up the stairs at Eli and asks: "Scarface seemed to be here for you. Do you know him?"

Eli shrugs his shoulders in an almost disappointed fashion. He did seem intent on a face to face. Yet, with the way my memories are...who knows. I'd back up a step in case he starts moving again.

"Does he have an ID, Richard ?"

Richard reaches into the man's jacket, searching for a wallet or anything else that might have identifying information.
"Don't worry, Eli. We have a bit more time before this guy will become a nuisance again."

Richard checks all the man's pockets but finds no wallet. In fact, the man isn't carrying anything one would expect to find on a citizen in the QZ. There are no keys, no wallet, no cash or credit cards, no mobile. The only thing Richard finds other than the clothing on the mans' back is a stainless steel ball chain around his neck, the kind soldiers wear to hold their dog tags.

Pulling the chain out reveals half of a dog tag. It appears to have been sheared off, the metal shredded on an an angle. All he can make out on the tag is:

Richard takes the dog tag off the man's neck. He looks up to Malachi and says: "You should make sure scarface is properly secured when he unfreezes. If your security can handle that."
He then walks up the steps into the VIP area uninvited and shows the tag to Deacon. "You're a military guy. Does this mean anything to you?" He then steps in a bit closer and whispers: "I'll have to talk to you in private when we're done here. It's important."

Jack studies Richard's movements very closely. He knew about his source's superpowers, but he had underestimated their actual power. To put down such a beast of a man without even moving? That was the moment Jack knew he had to thread lightly with Richard or things could go south very quickly... He approaches the man, gun hidden bur ready to pull "Found anything interesting?"

Richard shows the dog tag to Jack briefly and lets him read the inscription before taking them up to show them to Eli.

"Eli, does that jog any memories ?" Veronica asked of her brother when Richard showed him the dogtags.

Jack looks at the tag distractedly "Should we tie him up or something?"

Other than the fact that it's half of a military dogtag, nothing really jumps out. See the first two lines, that's his name...Orlan Brennan. 101....could be part of his ID number. RN N....that I don't know. Now the last line Cath could be Catholic, so it's probably his religion. That's the best that I can do.

Veronica looks a little dissapointed, "Oh, I was hoping it might bring some memories back. I am going to go see if I can help your security Malachi."

Veronica heads down to check on and help out the security and patrons who were hurt.

Richard drops the dog tag in Eli's hand and then follows Veronica downstairs. He's not stopping her from helping out downstairs but he sticks close to her and keeps an eye on her. Until Malachi makes sure Scarface isn't a threat, he wants to make sure she won't be in danger.

Jack, seeing his new potential source coming down to help the other patrons, quickly joins her with a smile to help.

Veronica looks briefly to Richard, "That was impressive, scary but impressive."
Then she looks to Jack, "Oh hi Jack, I didn't know you were here tonight too, did you catch my show ?" She smiled a bit.

Malachi heads downstairs. More security personnel are already there, these ones with gear. One bends the scarred man's arms around behind his back and fastens a heavy set of electronic manacles onto his wrists while another injects something from a syringe into the scarred man's neck. He nods to the guards as they push in a hovercart. Lining it up behind the scarred man, one guard holds the cart while the other two topple him back onto it as gently as possible. The guards adjust the controls on the cart and then begin to push the scarred man toward a back door.

"Easy as pie," Malachi says, turning toward the group and smiling wide. He spins in a slow circle, looking around the club at the customers, his hands up in the air to get everyone's attention. "Sorry for the disturbance, but everyone is okay, n'est pas? The threat is neutralized, and for being brave enough to stick around, you get to enjoy your next drink on the house!"

There is a flicker of applause and a few cheers from the crowd and most people return to their merrymaking. Several people are still helping the injured up, and one security guard is being taken through the same door as the scarred man on a stretcher.

"Ah hello miss Venorica, I didn't notice you where back." Jack quickly and naturally pretends their encounter was not planned. "Yes, yes. It was some show. I could listen to that divine voice for the entire night!". As he is exaggeratingly praising Verona's performance, his eyes follow the scary guy, Orlan Brennan was it?, being taken away, hoping to find out where he is being taken to "I need to get some time with that one before it's too late"

Once the scarred guy has been taken away, Richard relaxes his posture. He returns to the bar to finish the half of his drink that he still has left after Scarface made him spill the first half. He looks around to see if people are paying attention to him or if they have all returned to their own conversations. He also keeps his eyes on Eli, trying to make eye contact with him. If their eyes connect, Richard will nod at him to come over.

When he hears Jack's exaggerated praise for Veronica, he rolls his eyes. He doesn't think Jack is a threat to Veronica but he's certainly a creep.

Eli stands there watching as they wheel the brute out. As he holds the dogtag, subconsciously running his thumb along the metal tag, Eli finds himself repeating the name over and over. Brennan...Brennan...Bren suddenly as Eli's thumb catches a small jagged splinter on the dogtag, a memory suddenly flashes in Eli's mind.

Eli and Brennan are standing over several digital photographs on a table. Both are in standard military fatigues, and wearing full combat gear. As Eli points at various spots on the pictures, Brennan points at a couple and asks a question. "Are you sure Sarge, there's no civilians in these areas. This mission goes south and the possibility of innocent casualties will skyrocket." Eli looks over and simply clasp Brennan on the shoulder. "No worries big guy, the Intel is solid on this one. You stay on the machine gun and cover me. I'll get everyone in and out. It's a piece of cake....

As the memory fades away, Eli staggers from the impact it left. Catching himself on a table, Eli shakes his head trying to snap back to reality.

"Thank you Jack, one of the few things I got to do back in school that didn't involve computers was chorus. I am glad if it picked up your spirits. We need to hang out again, I know we are separated from the rest of the world here but we could talk about transhumanism again."

When Richard sees Eli's reaction, he immediately gets up from the counter he had been leaning on. He walks over to his old friend, drink still in hand, and asks: "Eli, you alright?"

"This guy?", Richard asks. "He did not seem like a gentle-as-a-lamb devout Christian to me. But it explains why he was pointing at you. Maybe I shouldn't have... mosquitoed him. I'm sorry, Eli. I thought he was going to hurt you or Veronica." After a short, barely noticeable break, he adds: "Or Will."

"Eli, he didn't seem like an old friend though. Not the way he was acting. I think you did the right thing Richard. More people could have been hurt if you didn't step in."

Will had remained upstairs during the altercation, and only now came down once everything had been neatly wrapped up by Richard and Malachi's men.

"Indeed, Richard. Well done." Will nods to Richard, then notices Jack.

"Hello, Jack." He is polite but remains distant from the two men, then turns to Veronica and Eli.

"He certainly didn't look like an old friend to me, Eli. But perhaps we could speak with him when the bug bites wear off." He glances sideways at Richard again. That was some trick. "If he was looking for you, there must have been a reason."

Jack looks distracted has he tries to look busy help others "I guess there is beauty in the world outside computers as well" he says with a very brief laugh, as he gestures to make it clear that he is referring to Veronica's most famous creation, the AWAKEN game everyone in the QZ is playing. "We sure should grab a drink sometime. Few people in this place care about these issue as you do. But I guess not everyone can be as skilled and knowledgable as you are. You can clearly see the benefits of moving forward, and you are right, it would be much better outside this place, where you could be part of it too."

Jack then moves closer to the others, having overheard Eli's recovered memories. "He does seem to have changed" he agrees with the others. "It could be that your memories are not complete, but it could also be that, he was there when you lost your memories and, the problem could be that maybe he didn't...". Jack looks back to where the Scarface was taken. "Will is right, we need to have a word with this... confused man... It could help Eli recover his memories" and of course, explain what the military was doing here! he continues in his mind. His eyes turn to Veronica as he asks no one in particular "You guys think Malachi could be convinced to let us in for a quick visit?"

"I assume Malachi will want to speak to the guy first before he lets us talk to him. We'll probably have to wait." Richard takes a deep breath. With a serious tone, he asks: "Eli, can I talk to you in private for a second?"

Huh..sure. Eli replies as he watches where Brennan is being carted off to.

Richard walks into a private corner in the VIP area with Eli. He looks around to make sure nobody is listening in and then, with lowered voice, explains: "You owe money to Ms. Parker and she told me to talk to you about it. You know my job. I'm the guy who does freaky shit to the people that cross her - and not the fun kind. I would never hurt you but we both will be in some serious trouble if we don't get this resolved. Do you have the money?"

"Jack could you imagine a whole city set up with the technology we have here at Jessica's it would be amazing !" Veronica smiled as she slipped into nerd mode talking holograms and hardlight.

"And that would be just the tip of the iceberg!" Jack continues to feed Veronica's nerdy dreams in a friendly manner. He looks at his watch, pretending to see the time he already knew and then looks around uneasily. "Where is Kurk? He should have been here already?" he thinks before finding an excuse to move a bit away from the others "Would anyone like a drink?"

"I'm good, I had a drink up in the balcony, but thank you for offering."

"Let me get that for you," Will says, rushing back upstairs to get both Veronica's drink and his own. As he turns to head back downstairs, he notices Richard and Eli having a quiet conversation in the corner. He considers stopping over to make sure everything is okay, but then decides against it and heads back down to Veronica and Jack, handing over her half-full drink.

He listens to the two of them talk about tech, but his mind is elsewhere. Why did a former member of Eli's squad come in here looking for him? He looked like he was ready to pick a fight. Something about the whole situation doesn't sit right with Will. He decides to try to find his way back to where ever Malachi's henchmen took Orlan.

"Ahh thank you Will." Veronica smiles taking her drink.

Malachi approaches Jack, Veronica, and Will and raises his arms as if the hug the group of them.

"Well, mes amis, we have had our excitement for the night, no?" He claps one hand on Jack's shoulder and one on Will's but never takes his eyes off of Veronica. "Let us retire to the private lounge. The crowds are becoming tiresome."

He looks around, unable to find Eli. "Where is your brother, chere? He should come relax with us, no?"

His men have taken Brennan and the wounded into another part of the club, and new security guards are positioned around the club. He appears to have increased security, despite the fact that the major threat appears to have been handled.

Jack receives an incoming message on his heads up display.

"I believe Richard and he went to talk. My brother might know that man who caused the disturbance." she will head back up to the balcony.

The club seems to have returned to normal, people are mingling again, drinks are flowing, and conversation has picked back up.

At the bar, a security guard taps a young woman on the shoulder, says something to her that causes her face to light up, and points to a small elevator in the corner of the club. A few young men and women, among the most attractive of both sexes in the club, are queuing up near the elevator with an air of muted excitement about them. There are two security guards near the end of the line, and they seem to be getting instructions over a comm of some sort.

The guard at the bar taps another young woman on the shoulder, whispers to her, and her expression suddenly looks like she won the lottery. Her friend turns and says something to the guard, but he simply shakes his head and moves on. The two women converse briefly, then the smiling one shrugs with a smile and trots off toward the elevator. The other woman follows her but is blocked by the two security guards.

Near the main entrance, two Enforcement Agents are conversing with the security men at the door.

Eli loses part of his, devil may care grin, as he answers Richard. Look, here is an even grand. It took me the better part of a month to get this much together. If she wants more for each payment, then she needs to start sending out more leads on jobs down here. It's not exactly raining high paying jobs here in the zone. You both know full well what I'm capable of doing. Get her to put the word out...otherwise it may be longer than a month for the next payment.

Eli casually hands Richard a roll of money.

Will smiles at Malachi's invitation and nods. "Of course, the private lounge sounds much more comfortable than the common room."

He catches Malachi's eye. "Eli may know who that brute was that Richard stopped. Any chance he and I can speak with him?"

Richard pockets the money that Eli gave him. "It's a start. I'll talk to her about it but she wants all of it back now, no more monthly payments."
He looks around until he finds Will and when their eyes meet nods at him as a quick greeting. "Maybe talk to the rich kid. Or better yet, have your sister talk to him. He should be able to get some money into the QZ."

Jack accepts Malachi's invitation but as he grabs his new drink, he notices the two women at the bar. "What up with that one, not pretty enough?" he asks Malachi as he rejoins the group

"My friends are going to have a little talk with the big man first," Malachi says to Will. "He may find himself quite exhausted afterward. I'm not so sure he'll be in the mood to talk." When he sees Will's expression, he smiles wide and adds, "But we shall see, no? Perhaps the big man has more force d'ame than I expect."

Malachi looks toward the two women that Jack indicates and smiles. "Nothing so crass, my friend. The private party is by invitation only, you see? One must make an impression to be invited upstairs." It's hard to tell, but it seems like the impression one must make is showing off too much cleavage or leg for women, or being square-jawed and muscular for men.

"Oh, I see," Will says. He glances sideways at Veronica to see if she has any reaction to Malachi's statement. It sounds like Malachi's gang is going to question the scarred man, and likely won't be very gentle about it. He wonders if that's such a good idea, but he doesn't want to argue with Malachi in his own club, with so many members of his gang nearby.

"Well then," he says, his smile wide. "Off to the private lounge!"

Eli looks around until he sees Will. Yeah, I could do that. My sister may ask to many questions if I ask her to talk to him. I'll figure it out.

Eli turns and sees his sister heading up to the balcony. Turning back to Richard, he quickly says his good byes. I'm heading upstairs, I'll catch you later.

"I'm coming with you", Richard says.
He doesn't really want to go into Malachi's private club area but all his friends are going there and he doesn't want to be left behind downstairs to drink on his own between strangers.
And he is pretty confident that he'll be allowed up. He's not in good standing with Malachi but he just saved the club, he's Eli's friend, and Bella should be up there as well to invite him up if Malachi makes trouble.

He just confidently follows Eli towards the secluded area.

"Well, I must say she made an impression on me. Would it be too much to ask for one more invitation?" Jack asks Malachi loud enough for the entire group to hear. Clearly, he is expecting that his previous services to the gang leader may be rewarded in minor ways and taking this other girls with him would serve two purposes: get the gratitude of that girl (making friends can never hurt!) and, of course, show some lack of interest to the attention seeker Veronica right after accepting that future drink with her.

"We're not going to that party, mon ami," Malachi says. "That is the Friday night Xinjen party. You get to enjoy my private lounge, but you were not invited to that party, you see?"

He points to the tiny door nearly concealed behind a column in the corner of the VIP lounge. "We go to enjoy luxury and the finest food and drink available in the QZ," he said, as a guard stepped from behind the column. "But feel free to invite a plaything, if you like." He nods toward the dejected young woman watching her friend in the queue for the other party.

"They will dance and drink so much they will likely forget their fun." He shook his head. "The games of the young."

The elevator door slid silently open and Malachi stepped inside. He waved for everyone to join him, Jack, Veronica, Will, Richard, and Eli. "Come now, everything has been made ready for my guests of honor."

Something about Malachi's attitude is rubbing Richard the wrong way but he decides to go along with him anyway. He's keeping his guard up in case the gang leader tries something stupid, though, although the chances of that are almost zero.

Eli catches up to the group in time to hear Malachi's speech. With a predatory grin on his face, Eli enters the elevator.

"So our party is not the special, is the private one?" Jack looks back at the girl left behind, think how she would be making her friend very jealous. She looks so frivolous that Jack was sure this would be the best motivator to play manipulate girl. He was still new here and needed more eyes and ears around. "Hey you! See that one there?" he gets the security attention and points first at the girl, and then at the private lounge. "Thanks Malachi. Shall we go in then?"

Richard looks at Jack, slightly confused by his motivations. Just a minute earlier, he had been flirting - awkwardly - with Veronica, now he was inviting some other girl to the party. Was he just playing the field? Was this some weird attempt at making Veronica jealous? Or did Jack have some other motive?
He leans over to Eli and says: "We should keep an eye on Jack. He's playing some sort of game with your sister. I just don't know what his goal even is yet."

Veronica took a seat at the table again and finished her drink.
She was smiling now that the troubles had passed.

Eli looks over at Jack as Richard voices his concern. Agreed. I don't trust him, I'm not sure why though.

Eli looks around at the people gathered at the "private party" and see if there are any likely prospects.

Malachi steps into the elevator behind everyone else and presses the only button. The elevator goes up for what seems like a bit longer than it would take to rise a single floor. When the door opens, it's into a lavishly furnished lounge.

The furniture is all black leather, shining chromium, and polished obsidian. Long couches, some that look as wide as beds with pillows heaped upon them, high backed chairs with overstuffed arms, low coffee and end tables are placed in small groups around the room. A long bar lines one wall, behind which hangs a violet neon-framed mirror, and everything around the bar is outlined in violet neon. In fact, all the lighting is dim and provides illumination with a purplish hue, as if everything were lit by blacklight. There are no windows, and only two other doors, one at either end of the room.

Sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs is a woman with long, curled dark hair that spills over her shoulders. Her complexion has warm tone to it, darker than Veronica, and her smile doesn't touch her eyes, which examine each person who enters with an almost carnivorous hunger. The woman is Annabella Guerrero, who goes by the name Belladonna. She is flanked by two shirtless, muscled men. There are half a dozen nondescript serving staff waiting behind the bar and against the walls.

As soon as he spots her, Richard increases his speed and walks up to Belladonna, not paying any attention to the men next to her or anyone else in the lounge. On his way, he casually brushes a hand over a couch or table he passes, trying to determine whether this is real or a hologram like downstairs.
He puts his hand on the side of her head and leans down to kiss her passionately for a few seconds, in equal parts because he wants to kiss her and to show off their relationship.
He actually likes her - although he doesn't think he would say that he loves her at this point.

"Bella, I hope you heard of what happened downstairs. You missed something big."

Veronica takes a step back into the elevator for a moment. Her eyes visibly have the pupils shrink then expand.

After inhaling she steps into the room a forced smile on her face.

Jack greets Bella as he exists the elevator and takes the opportunity to go to the bar and get a quick moment alone to check his mobile with a bit more attention. "Well, I guess I'll start with the luxury drinks since we're here. What are you guys a having?". He looks up to the barman and asks for some drinks distracted as he types something.

Eli gives Bella a playful wink as he moves into the room. Walking over to the windows, the predatory grin reappears as he watches the people move about on the floor below.

Bella meets Richard's kiss with an overzealous passion, making sure everyone can see tongues and wandering hands. While they kiss, she stares down Veronica, never breaking eye contact with her to the point of potentially making others in the room uncomfortable. The look could be interpreted a thousand different ways - does she think Veronica wants Richard and is staking her claim? Does she want to show Veronica that she's not the only woman people lust after? Is she trying to seduce Veronica?

"I saw it all on the monitors," she says, breathlessly, licking her lips after their extended kiss. She makes an exaggerated gesture as if fawning over Richard. "My hero!"

"Veronica." Bella says the name flatly, a statement rather than a greeting. She looks at the redheaded singer, then smiles wide and playful. "Ready to give up the boys and play in the big leagues?"

She nods to Jack, Eli, and Will as they enter, and gives the young woman Jack invited along a harsh once over, eyes traveling up and down the young woman, appraising her, judging. "Whose doll is this?" she asks, not even deigning to look the girl in the eyes, but instead looking around the room at each of the newcomers in turn. "Come now... if you don't claim your toys, someone else might play with them."

"Hello Bella." Veronica said her eyes looking all about the room her eyes never quite settling on Bella.

She chooses to stay standing instead of taking a seat here. It was like there were webs everywhere and she was trying to avoid touching any of them.

Richard grins in response to her fawning gesture. "If that impressed you, I can give you a private show tonight that'll blow you away."

When she asks about Jack's girl, Richard teases: "Why? Are you afraid she'll steal the show away from you?" He eyes the girl as well, not having paid much attention to her before. "You're right, she is kind of cute, in a basic way. Maybe I should introduce myself to her." Then, with a neutral voice, he finally just answers her question: "Jack brought her."

He drops down on the cushions next to her and eyes the shirtless men next to her for a moment. "I like those two. Where can I get one like that?"

Malachi sits alone on a large, cushioned couch. There are two other couches and three chairs arrayed around this particular couch with a long coffee in the center, and the arrangement could be perceived as a place where a ruler might hold court. Servers in skimpy outfits bring food and drink to Malachi first, then setting a selection of fancy hors d'oeuvres on the table and bringing new drinks to each person in the room, fresh versions of the exact same drinks they were enjoying downstairs.

"Please, enjoy the food and drink," Malachi says.

The young woman that was invited upstairs looks nervously at Bella and then smiles apprehensively at Richard. She finds her way to the bar and sits near Jack. "Umm. Thanks for the invitation. Umm. What party is this? Who are you?"

Bella gets up and circles behind the two shirtless men, reaching around from behind, her long nails tracing over the bare flesh right about their belt buckles, then running her nails hard up their abs and chests, leaving long, red trails over their skin as she rakes upward. "I brought these to share with you, Richard, dear. I know what you like."

Bella is still eyeing Veronica as if she were a predator and Veronica the prey.

Richard winks at Jack's girl when she looks at him, then he turns his attention back to Bella.
"You're the best. It's not even my birthday.", he says with a grin.
He follows her predatory gaze to Veronica but doesn't comment on it.

Eventually slides into a seat next to Malachi, "Thank you for the invitation Malachi." She tried to relax into the seat one of her hands the fingers were tapping almost like she was typing.

"So what is the meeting all about ?" She asked him.

Eli glances around at everyone below them, and then looks at Bella with look of shock and disappointment. With a short laugh he quickly adds...What nothing for the rest of us?

Richard eyes Eli for a second. "We always have room for you", he says with a grin and without thinking about it.
He then glances over at Bella to get a read on her reaction. He hasn't ever told her how he feels about Eli but he would be surprised if she hadn't picked up on it. And while they're both very open with each other about their conquests and adventures, he doesn't know how she would feel if there were actual feelings involved.

"Oh, this ain't a meeting, chere." Malachi sips his drink. "This is a safe place to have a drink while we wait to hear what that brute who marched in here all en furieux wanted."

He waved a hand and music began playing softly. The shirtless men got up and started dancing with two of the waitresses, appearing to do so more for the scenery they created than out of any real desire to dance together. There was an air of forced joy among the serving staff. It was more than just putting on a happy face for work; this seemed like putting on a happy face under duress.

The woman Jack invited up seems to sense it too, and moves closer to Jack.

Bella looks at her smartwatch, then taps an earpiece and listens. "Mmhm," she makes sounds as if acknowledging information she is receiving. She looks sideways at Malachi, who takes his hand down from an earpiece he was wearing as well and nods to Bella.

"Our intruder has escaped," she says to the group. "It seems the toxins in his system wore off and he managed to break his bonds. Two of our men are dead, and three more will require extensive medical care. He left you a message, Eli."

Bella flicks her wrist and the image on her smartwatch appears on a screen that had been disguised as a wall. The image is a gree-tinted hallway as if viewed through night vision. The scarred man from earlier walks into the frame. He is carrying another man with one massive hand around the others' skull, dragging his limp body behind him. When he gets to the camera he lets go of the seemingly lifeless body which collapses to the floor without moving. He steps closer to the camera, his face nearly filling the screen.

When he speaks, his voice sounds like crushed rock. "You can't protect him forever. I'm coming for Staff Sergeant Cross. You won't be able to stop me. Traitors get what they deserve."

"Well isn't he quite the charmer," says Will, grabbing another drink from the bar. "I vote we don't invite him to the private party."

He smiles and sits near Malachi and Veronica, grabbing a couple of fancy snacks off the table.

Richard stiffens at the video and the threat to Eli. He suppresses the urge to make a comment about Malachi's security. No need to be unnecessarily hostile if he's already in enemy territory.
"Our first priority is to keep Eli and Veronica safe, somewhere where Scarface won't be able to find them", he says. He's not in the mood for drinks and snacks anymore. "Do you know a place where you can stay? I would let you crash at my apartment but..." But he doesn't want his sister to possibly become a target if Scarface finds them. He doesn't want to mention Ally in front of Malachi, however. He probably knows about her but he doesn't have to be reminded that she exists. "...but it might not be ideal.", he finishes after a second.

"This is the party. See that man over there? The owner himself, Malachi in person. Jack, nice to meet you" As Jack continues to make some party talk with girl, he keeps an eye for what the others are doing. "Staff Sergeant Cross..." he makes a mental note (literally) of Scarface talking to Eli. When Richard raises the issue of keeping Veronica, and Eli, safe, Jack sips his drink and says loudly enough to reassure everyone "Well, I know just the place for that!"

Veronica watches the video as if mesmerized then as it ends she looks to her brother, "You better not plan on meeting with that monster, he is a murderer now, and he has no problems hurting people whose only sin is getting in the way." Her pupils flicker to Bella briefly then back to Eli.

"I agree you need to go someplace safe, we really don't have police or peacekeepers in the QZ."

"Richard, why would we move Eli? He's safe right where he is. That brute may be formidable, but even he knew better than to try a second attempt on Eli in a tower full of powers." Bella smiles at her beau.

"You come upstairs with me and Richard, Eli, and we'll keep you safe and entertained." Her predatory grin turns on Eli, but then she looks right back at Veronica. "We'll even make room for your sister."