Chapter 1: Valencia's

Akari glances to Ms. Pope. "I have a question, if I May?" She pauses for a second before continuing. "Noted: You want Briars alive. But, what if there is no option for her safe return? Do we proceed with termination n order to keep the fetus from falling into the enemy's hands, much like the team did by destroying the lab and the research there? Or is the top priority to recover the fetus alive for Alliance research at all costs?"

Dr. Tyrz had read so much history. People never changed, modern humans liked to think of themselves as better than their ancestors. Often times they were identical, and in spite of their claims of being civil, it could not be further from the truth. Humans had become more brutal and comfortable with barbarism, not less. Initially he had started to doubt his assessment that Ms. Akari was the quirky assassin, until she asked that question. It didn't shock or surprise him, the Doctor was himself a brutal and violent person, at least on the surface. But it did disturb him at the candor with which it was broached.

He swallowed hard, cleared his throat and cracked open a bottle of mineral water. Pouring himself a glass he drained it, poured another and sipped it. "... cloak and dagger stuff I suppose." Vidar muttered to no one in particular. Raising his eyebrows he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I can't believe we even have to discuss that. No! We don't kill children. Even-No especially, if they're the children of our enemies. How would that make us any different than this death cult?"

Dr. Tyrz looked around for some support in this regard.

Forrester says, "That is a negative. American soldiers are trained to be hyper-vigilant in their interactions with the Church, as we know the Revelationists are capable of supernormal abilities, including those that generate illusions or influence the mind. There are code words that can be provided, but any privileged information could have been taken forcefully from her mind, and she knows this. Chances are that, no matter what we do, she isn't going to immediately trust us. We'll need to quickly convince her otherwise. Either that or sedate her... though lugging around a sleeping pregnant woman will make our return trip more challenging."
Captain Forrester pauses for moment before speaking. "If we find the corporal and are unable to extract her... then we'll need to consider all options." He looks at Vidar. "It's not only about the fetus. Leaving Cassandra Briers in the clutches of the Church, to be further experimented upon, could be considered a fate worse than death. Leaving her to the tender mercies of the Church is no mercy at all. Were I in the corporal's position, I would rather not be left alive if I couldn't be saved."

"If there are no more questions, I will conclude this briefing. Be at Hanscom Air Force Base, 9 am, in two days. Come prepared with whatever gear you think that you'll need. It will be your prerogative whether to bring weapons, so long as they are weapons that you can carry on your person. On the way to your destination, Captain Forrester will brief your team on the current state of Mexico, what to expect, and how to best blend in." She looks at doctors Avel and Tyrz. "In the mean time, you two will aid with analyzing and deciphering the material that was previously mentioned. You’ll also get access to Rainer Kreighoff’s dossier and body cam footage from the Guadalajara raid. Come to 1 City Square, Boston City Hall, tomorrow morning and you will be set up. Luca will assist you, as needed."

Those terms are acceptable.. Avel nodded, uncrossing his legs. I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning, Dr. Tyrz. I look forward to our collaboration. As for everyone else, watch your backs and we will meet again on the plane. . The Doctor had a long night of research ahead of him on a number of topics before he tackled the Revelationist data in the morning. Until we meet again, I bid you all adieu .

"Guess I have to get an alarm clock," Carter muses to himself as he raises from his chair. Then he adresses his new companions. "Anyone need a ride to the airport let me know."

Unless there are any other questions, comments, or concerns, the briefing concludes and people get up to leave. Captain Forrester and the two Rosicrucians remain in the room. They huddle together and begin conversing in hushed tones.

Those of you who left something at the coat check are able to collect your belongings without issue. Whether you stay to keep drinking or disappear back into the cool Boston night, you've been given much to think about.

Before leaving Vidar gave a spare key, and his address to Carter. He paid his bill and left to wander.

Dr. Tyrz was poring over the collected information studiously. His credentials allowed him early access to the library and he greeted Dr. Avel in the morning as he entered. "Couldn't sleep, new research materials, they give me jitters. This is a great opportunity, I only wish I could share it with the scientific community." Vidar began excitedly without even the curteousy of a greeting. Manic was an understatement. "There's an entire knowledge stone here no one has seen it, it's not in any books, near as I can tell it doesn't even come from Scandinavia either. Look here they're describing something, like a ritual, maybe a fertility celebration?"

Akari remains in the club after the meeting for another drink and bit of people watching.

The Doctor leaves immediately, summoning his trusty manservant Mr. Seong, to drive him immediately to his apartment to begin prepping for his research. While Seong packed his suitcases, which the Doctor insisted upon calling 'valises', and other random tasks Avel poured over cutting edge journals on genetic engineering, fertility treatments and atlases of the geography of Jalisco.
As suitably prepared as he could get in the scant amount of time available, the Doctor arrived at the location provided by Ms.Pope. He was unsurprised Tyrz had beat him to the location. The oversized anthropologist seemed like the sort to obsess over details and the information dangled before them yesterday was difficult to ignore.

Once they had both arrived, Avel went to work...

Just as they go to leave Rylani will ask Forrester if he is willing to give her access to anything of Briars that could help her learn what she is like. The rest of the vening will be spend drinking with any other who also stuck around, though not divulging much about herself. The two days she will study anything Forester is willing to give her, plus any known social media etc to try and gain a sense of who Briars is , and what her patterns may be.

Dr. Emil Avel and Vidar Tyrz



The next morning, each of you arrives at City Hall, the seat of city government for Boston and a major center of operations for the Alliance. Situated amidst an irregularly shaped plaza of red brick, Boston City Hall is a very striking building; a prominent example of Brutalist architecture. Some locals regard it as an architectural achievement; others deem it one of the ugliest buildings ever built. Its tapering shape, strong geometric angles, and cantilevered concrete protrusions stand in stark contrast to the glass and steel modernism of the surrounding skyscrapers. The building has a cold and aggressively unfriendly aesthetic made all the worse by graffiti-strewn walls and degradation from decades of acid rain. The soldiers also don't help.

The U.S. military is ever present. Armed soldiers in fatigues and body armor patrol the surrounding plaza in small teams, and several humvees with pintle-mounted weaponry are parked at the edge of the plaza's recessed fountain. A machine-gun nest made of sandbags is located not far from the front doors of the building. Inside it, an M2 Browning rests on a tripod; two infantrymen crouch beside the weapon and scan the area. Police cruisers are also located nearby, but with the increased militarization of police departments since the start of the war, it's getting more and more difficult to distinguish between cops and soldiers. Though it'd be technically inaccurate to say that Boston is under a state of martial law, the city's current dystopian atmosphere is enough to make it feel that way.

You enter the building under the watchful eyes of armed guards and security cameras. A familiar tall, well-dressed blonde gentleman is waiting for you in the lobby and intercepts you just before the security checkpoint. Luca greets you with little more than a curt nod and leads you through the checkpoint: a gauntlet of scanners, metal detectors, and stern-looking security officers. Though Luca remains unmolested by security, you both are not as lucky and get patted down thoroughly.

Following Luca's lead, you ascend a grand staircase of quarried stone steps and head down several hallways. Your destination is a large, vaulted room that was probably once a government council chamber but is now some sort of military command center. Spread throughout the chamber are tables holding monitors, laptops, and communications equipment. Dozens of power cables are stretched across the floor and duct-taped in place. Servicemen in green and gray army fatigues sit at various stations. Most are wearing headsets and coordinating with units throughout the city. The room is abuzz with conversations and activity. At the front of the chamber, an expansive map of the City of Boston is projected onto the wall.

Several soldiers in the room respond to Luca with nods of acknowledgement. The Rosicrucian magician leads you through the command center and through another door. You find yourselves in a carpeted antechamber. This room is furnished with a long conference table, chairs, and office equipment. You see a couple of laptops resting beside a small mountain of reports and other printed paperwork.

"The information that we need you to analyze is on those computers. Hard copies of any files that were images or documents have been printed for convenience," says Luca. "None of this information may leave this room with you. All of it must stay in here. I'll remain to assist you with whatever you may need. Tribune Pope has given you a 48 hour security clearance to assess this intelligence, so I suggest you make the most of it."

Vidar was set on edge by all the computers. He grit his teeth visibly upset by the presence of the terminals. Uncomfortable with even the mention that he would have to interface with the machines. "You're afraid of demonology? Do you even know what entity controls the application layer to the Internet? Nevermind." It took a quarter second for him to realize that the peacekeepers didn't care if they were wholly owned by Daemons.

Apprehension gripped him as he logged into the terminal. Interfacing with demons was never the most comfortable interaction. Vidar cast several curious inspections of Dr. Avel trying to ascertain the level of comfort the man had with the web of demonic entities that created the application layer of the internet.

He simply couldn't get comfortable interfacing with the machine. "My ancestors believed that the Aether was a trap. Full of half truths, and much Deception. Only the Siedheminn was permitted to dive into the web. But even that carried the stigma of being unmanly. I think modern man has forgotten this lesson. The Aether is only trustworthy for bias and pornography. If you're comfortable surfing by all means please, I would rather not defile myself."

Riiiight. Avel somewhat dismissively noted his academic compatriot's issues with the laptops available to them. According to the sticker on the terminal the entity that controls access to the Internet is named Anu Patel and he can be reached at extension 1147. Avel also assumed their access was being tightly monitored and controlled to avoid any information leaving the room.
He leafed through some of the stacks of papers and printouts and illustrations and photos to begin arranging them in some sense of order. I believe most everything you might need can either be printed or is already in hard copy of you'd like to begin review of those resources, Doctor. Given his co-reseacher's misgivings about computers, Avel ensconced himself in a seat and surrounded himself with a couple of the available laptops and went to work collating the vast amount of information presented to him.

"It didn't stop Odin and it won't stop me. I just find it curious that organizations that want to fight the forces or darkness use technology based entirely off binding Daemons as tools."

Vidar was obviously not unfamiliar with the computer as he logged into the web browser and began a boolean on certain Rituals trying to make sense of the one he couldn't decipher.

"Surely a man with your prodigious intellect has read The Keys of Solomon, or at least has experienced Goetia in one form or another in daily life"

Operating on his assumption that it was some form of fertility ritual lead Vidar down a very strange rabbit hole in the internet.

"You'd think that in a world where literal demons walk the streets, people would be more careful in their delving into the aether."

He found himself scanning through Zoroastrian mysticism and calls to the race of beings known as Anunaki. Wondering if there was some link. He kept diligently searching.

What would be so illogical in using every tool or weapon available to you to fight for survival? the Doctor asked without looking up from his keyboard, fingers rattling off notes as he flipped between research and composing his notes. Desperation can drive one to embrace concepts once found taboo, reviled or repugnant in order to achieve victory. Mankind's history is replete with such things. He stopped, looking off into the distance for a second as if you formulate a thought process, before turning to Vidar, Not so many years ago, I sold weapons to both sides of conflicts across the globe. he stated flatly, if not a bit wistfully. Each side convinced they were in the right. Each edge the opposition had over the other was an opportunity for them to sacrifice just a bit more of their self-determined righteousness in order to surmount that edge. Usually by increasing their spending on weapons, which I happily obliged of course. Avel returned to his rapid-fire typing even as he continued, In this current conflict, every side is reaching for any edge they can find and in this case the Church of Revelations has beaten the rest of the world to the punch on a majority of those and gained a significantly advantageous position.
The arrayed forces of the mundane, divine, infernal and magical worlds are all in retreat against the Church. The Church's primary edge that the rest of the worlds have yet to surmount is that that they have instilled the belief that it is unbeatable, untouchable. Break that illusion and you'll find a turning point in this conflict. Avel stopped his typing and looked directly at Luca, You can tell Pope that one's for free.

Switching gears suddenly, he continued his discussion with Vidar I have indeed read a great many works on religions. My father was a bit of a connoisseur of the Divine and dragged my mother and me across the world in search of something to explain the voices in his head. Whether they were divine or infernal or the malaise of an addled mind, who is to say, but they drove him mad and he expired in an asylum without ever finding his truth.
In fact, the first time I had my head shorn was by a Zoroastrian named Vilma when I was fourteen in some ceremony that only made sense to my father.. He passed his hand over his bald pate in rememberance of the moment. I continued to keep my head shorn afterwards to remind myself not to fall into the same dolor of obsession that the genius possess and the insane lament. That is to say, I have had my brushes with many religions and a great many people in this world use them to guide their daily lives. For me they inform me as a cautionary tale.

"Believe it or not, I'm a solipsism." Vidar replied thoroughly enjoying the conversation, he reached a baritone, a shocking contrast to his deep bass. "All religions tell the same tale. Of great icons, dying and giving mankind a light of flame to order the chaos. A fire in the dark creating a local "solar system." And they all tell of a time of a sky without eagles. But I believe the Voluspa is true. All Father, whatever that might be, I have always thought to be one perfect being. Truly Immortal, living long enough to see itself reincarnate. Teaching the next iteration of itself." Vidar queued a print of something he saw the pattern in, not knowing certainly, just noticing the similarity. "Look at the Tyr and Odin dichotomy. Tyr is said to be the Grandson of Odin's mother. But Tyr is the oldest God of the modern human. Preexisting Odin by millenia. Every successive religion tells his story. Because religion is an allegory. To a higher state of being. It wasn't until the modern age that we used religion as a tool to exploit wealth from other's."

He cleared his throat and cracked his knuckles as the printer began to retrieve his requested information. "I'm not saying I know. But all my research has indicated a single progenitor. One great man who is father to all modern man. Is that not the very same word they the religious call god?"

Everyone has to believe something in order to get out of bed in the morning. Avel countered. And some believe in those things quite strongly. For you it's this...belief...you have, others it's in the sanctity of whatever religion affirms them, other it's the pursuit of money or power. For me, it's the pursuit of knowledge. He looked up from the sheafs of chemical diagrams and anatomical illustrations, Before all of 'this', he waved his hands around, indicating the current state of the world, I was quite comfortable in believing that everything there is to know was within the grasp of the human mind. Shortly before the rise of the Church, I quite accidentally discovered that there was a layer of existence that had previously hidden itself from prying eyes like mine and that belief was shattered.

His expression became wistful, recalling better days, In the process of conducting due diligence concerning opening sales to a new...associate...wanting to run weapons to South America I discovered through finger quotes 'facial recognition' software that records of her existence went too far back to be reliable or believable. After verifying their authenticity, it revealed to me a world hitherto hidden and unbelievable.

Here I wasin the late 1990's, entering into a partnership with a woman seeking to run weapons into South America using the Salvation Army as a guise to avoid customs scrutiny. A brilliant ploy, even I must admit. A woman who also led a German expeditionary force across the Alps to attempt the capture of a fleeing family of Austrian nobility...in 1938, just before the beginning of the Anschluss, and yet looked not a day older. In the intervening years, a great deal of things once considered the impossible or fanciful has come into the light.

Avel looked at Vidar, Perhaps it is that everything is true or that it is also simultaneously false.