TSW 17: Reagan's Tale

[18:34]	IcePickLobotomy	Reagan: You make your way back to the tower later in the afternoon, only to see a large crowd of people milling about the street, a pair of tanks and armed guards standing behind a barricade are keeping them out at gunpoint.
[18:35]	IcePickLobotomy	You recognize the uniforms of those soldiers. That insect-like gaze of their gas-masks, and the dull sheen of the plastic plating on their armor. All those years ago, they are stopping you from going home. Again.
[18:36]	Reagan	after a moment of shock, goes to the front of the blockade and tries to get a hold of one of the soldier's attention.
[18:37]	IcePickLobotomy	They're busy fielding questions and pushing people back from the barricades, their desperate pleas going unheard. After roughly shoving a sobbing mother to the ground on of them glances to you.
[18:37]	IcePickLobotomy	*one
[18:39]	Reagan	waving her pilot ID at him, "Sir, my name is Reagan Sinclair, could I have a minute of your time--,"
[18:39]	=-=	NapScya is now known as Mary
[18:39]	IcePickLobotomy	He nods, and seems to say something to someone, before he steps to the side and ushers your over the barricade. Two of his fellows step forward to keep the crowd at bay as he does so.
[18:42]	IcePickLobotomy	"This way ma'am." he says, his voice obscured by the harsh electronic crackle of the speakers. He waves you over to the side of a tank.
[18:46]	Reagan	avoiding glancing at the crowd around her, she hurries between the soldiers.
[18:51]	Reagan	"So now what's all this about, Sir?" She says to the person that let her through.
[18:52]	IcePickLobotomy	"Possible outbreak in Tower 3. We're keeping a 72 hour quarantine to see if it's a false alarm or not."
[18:57]	Reagan	"Ta-tower three? Sir I live there, what am I supposed to do about that?--Rather is there someone in charge I can talk to?"
[19:05]	IcePickLobotomy	"If you have someone you can call you're free to use the phone there." He gestures to the bulky portable phone sitting on a table. "But our orders are clear, no access to the tower until it's been cleared blue."
[19:08]	Reagan	"Thank you." She goes over to the phone and punches in Walker's number, gripping the phone too hard.
[19:10]	IcePickLobotomy	There's a bit of a wait before it picks up. "This is Walker speaking," She sounds tired and stressed and makes no attempt to mask it. "Who
[19:10]	IcePickLobotomy	"What can I do for you?"
[19:11]	Reagan	"It's me, it's Reagan. What in tarnation is goin on here?"
[19:12]	IcePickLobotomy	"Oh, long story short we might have contracted the red death, me, Artyom, Hanan, and everyone else are in a clean room in Layer 12."
[19:15]	Reagan	sputters. "What? Where--how in the hell--," She chokes up and goes silent.
[19:16]	IcePickLobotomy	"I know, the actual chances of us having it a rather low, but we won't know for sure for about three days, and it's better safe than sorry with this."
[19:20]	Reagan	"Oh my goodness...Oh my goodness...what--what am I supposed to do until then?" She asks in a high-pitch voice.
[19:21]	IcePickLobotomy	"Try and get a room at a hotel, or find someone to stay with. We'll be out in 3 days, all right?"
[19:22]	Reagan	"I--there's--there's nothing I can...?"
[19:23]	IcePickLobotomy	"There isn't anything anyone can do about this Reagan, we just have to wait and see how things go."
[19:26]	Reagan	nods, then after a moment realizes Walker can't see her. "Alrighty there, ma'am."
[19:27]	IcePickLobotomy	"Reagan. . . I really am sorry about all this."
[19:28]	Reagan	"It's, it's okay, ma'am." She laughs. "My uncle's still in town, I'm sure I can impose on him for a few days, ha."
[19:29]	IcePickLobotomy	"If you need anything don't hesitate to call."
[19:34]	Reagan	nods and hangs up the phone. Then she picks up the receiver again and dials her uncle's number.
[19:41]	IcePickLobotomy	". . . Hello?" He clears his throat "Uh, Jack Hargreave speaking."
[19:44]	Reagan	"Hey Jacky, it's me."
[19:46]	IcePickLobotomy	"Reagan, afternoon."
[19:48]	Reagan	"I hate to ask you this, but there's been a problem with the apartment...If you wouldn't be opposed, I was wondering if I could stop by your place for a few days while everything gets sorted out."
[19:57]	IcePickLobotomy	"Yeah, I got a spare couch. I'm room 507 at the Saint Street Hotel."
[19:59]	Reagan	"I'd appreciate it, Sir. I--I guess I'll see you in a while."
[20:00]	IcePickLobotomy	"Alright, see you in a bit."
[20:08]	Reagan	"Alright." She hangs up the phone, then goes about calling a taxi.
[20:10]	IcePickLobotomy	Reagan: The Saint Street Hotel is, in your estimation, about 3 stars. Nice enough, but tucked away in a back street near the harbor. It's a simple brick facade on the outside, the inside a wooden floor with some rugs scattered about and a few tables. Jack is waiting for you, reading a newspaper by the window.
[20:13]	Reagan	goes to stand beside his chair. "Good afternoon there."
[20:21]	IcePickLobotomy	"Ah," he folds the paper in half "Afternoon Reagan." He stands up and puts a arm around you in a one armed hug "I heard about what happened at the tower, I'm sorry."
[20:22]	Reagan	she pats his back with one hand and laughs shakily. "It'll be fine, Captain Walker reassured me there's actually very little chance of it bein the plague.."
[20:27]	IcePickLobotomy	"That's good then. The lord looks after fools and children after all."
[20:30]	Reagan	laughs a little darker. "Enough about all that though, what have you been up to since we last?"
[20:32]	IcePickLobotomy	"Not a whole lot, a few speeches and lectures, caught up with a few colleges." He heads to the elevator
[20:35]	Reagan	falls into step with him, her hands clasped behind her back. "Sounds like a good time."
[20:35]	IcePickLobotomy	"Maybe for old foogies like me."
[20:37]	Reagan	"Maybe, but I was bein' polite." She smiles at him.
[20:38]	IcePickLobotomy	"Here," He hands you a key "Spare set of keys so you can come and go." The elevator doors open "Room is just down the hall."
[20:43]	Reagan	"Sure, sure...I, I need to go buy somethin' to wear anyway, least so I can wash what I have on, ha."
[20:43]	IcePickLobotomy	"You have money? I can get you some if you need."
[20:43]	Reagan	"Naw, naw, a'course I have my wallet on me.."
[20:47]	IcePickLobotomy	"Alright." He opens the door, it's a simple 3 room suite. The floor is a off-brown shag carpet, and the walls are similarly colored wood panels. It's rather well kept, a few large bags by the bed and some folded laundry waiting on the floor. There is a kitchen/dining area, a bed near a couch with a TV at the far wall, and a door, presumably to the bathroom. The windows are open, and overlook...
[20:47]	IcePickLobotomy	...the harbor.
[20:50]	Reagan	"What a lovely view." She turns to the kitchen.
[20:50]	Reagan	"Do you cook here?"
[20:51]	IcePickLobotomy	"Nah, I go out for dinner usally."
[20:54]	Reagan	"You know, I might be able to make you something, if you're feeling homesick."
[20:57]	IcePickLobotomy	"You don't have to Reagan, it'd feel wrong for me to make a guest cook."
[20:58]	IcePickLobotomy	He takes a seat  and cracks his back.
[20:59]	Reagan	"Oh not at all! It would be an honest pleasure. And besides, it's been a while since I had somethin', myself.."
[20:59]	Reagan	"Somethin like home, anyway."
[20:59]	IcePickLobotomy	He nods "What'd you have in mind?"
[21:02]	Reagan	"Oh I don't know, maybe some chicken and some okra, whatever we can fry in a pan...What would you say to cornbread?"
[21:02]	IcePickLobotomy	He blinks "Cornbread, haven't had that in. . . well since I last visited you're uncle and you."
[21:03]	Reagan	"Now sir, that just ain't right."
[21:07]	|<--	Kasra has left irc.systemnet.info (Quit: ChatZilla 0.9.92 [Firefox 47.0/20160604131506])
[21:07]	IcePickLobotomy	"It is what it is, ain't much right or wrong about it."
[21:09]	Reagan	"You say that now, but you'll be agreein' with /me/ when you taste that cornbread."
[21:11]	IcePickLobotomy	"Right right. Why don't you give me a list of what you need in terms of food and I can pick that up while you get your clothing and such sorted out?"
[21:12]	Reagan	"Aw now that's too kind of ya, Jack. Yeah just let me find some pen and paper..." She writes down a list on the hotel scratch pad.
[21:13]	IcePickLobotomy	-----
[21:13]	IcePickLobotomy	A few hours later. . .
[21:15]	IcePickLobotomy	You've found time to get your needs taken care off and get dinner (With Jack's help at his insistence.) the two of you sit down at the small table to eat, the setting sun's light streaming in from over the bay. Jack has put on some of his music [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyQNvgVJyRM ] to go with the meal.
[21:15]	IcePickLobotomy	"Smells lovely Reagan, thank you for cooking dinner."
[21:18]	Reagan	"My pleasure, Jack." She lays her napkin in her lap excitedly and smiles at him across the table. "I, I think maybe I needed a little bit a' home today so, really I ought to thank you."
[21:19]	IcePickLobotomy	"Not surprised that you did, and I'm happy to oblige. You're like family to me you know."
[21:20]	Reagan	"Of course, I been callin' you Uncle why, as long as I can remember."
[21:21]	IcePickLobotomy	"Still," He swirls the glass of whiskey absentmindedly "How are you holding up? Can't imagine today wasn't trying."
[21:23]	Reagan	"Can't say I haven't been better...But that can't be helped."
[21:24]	IcePickLobotomy	"True enough, though news was saying that the chances of it being the plague are low and they're playing it safe, so thing should work out well for you."
[21:26]	Reagan	"Certainly, certainly..." She trails off and then gestures to the food, saying, "Go ahead and dig in."
[21:27]	IcePickLobotomy	He nods and helps himself to a generous serving of the food. "Quite the cook, I dare say I'd be hard pressed to match you."
[21:27]	Reagan	After they've been eating a little while, Reagan asks, "So how much do you know about METI, and what not?"
[21:28]	IcePickLobotomy	"A fair bit, I've got a few friends and colleges working in their applied memetics department. I worked with them on a few things back in the late 70's before I started my own business."
[21:32]	Reagan	"Oh, is that right?" She takes another bite and chews thoughtfully before continuing. "Well I've been wondering, lately, about the history of METI...I guess how it got started and all."
[21:34]	IcePickLobotomy	"Well, originally it was a international organization to study and combat the Red Death. Didn'
[21:37]	IcePickLobotomy	didn't really have a name back then, it was pretty ad-hoc. About. . I want to say 76 or so, about when the plague started settling down, METI formed formally. Lot of us wanted to keep a group of scientists, not bound up by nationalities and the like, in case of anything like the plague happening again. Basically a sort of UN but for the sciences. The Intruders validated that decision, and...
[21:37]	IcePickLobotomy	...gave us the funding they needed to go from a small administrative group to what it is now."
[21:40]	Reagan	"Oh of course.."
[21:40]	Reagan	"Do they know why yet that there was an outbreak here and now?"
[21:41]	IcePickLobotomy	He shrugs "No, but these things happen. Red Death does pop back up now and again."
[21:44]	Reagan	"How, though? We don't even know what causes it, do we?"
[21:45]	IcePickLobotomy	He waves the glass a bit in the universal 'well sorta' gesture
[21:46]	Reagan	"And that would mean?"
[21:46]	IcePickLobotomy	"We've got a pretty firm idea of the mechanism that it works by and it's primary infection vector and modes of transmission. There is a lot we don't know, and parts of it that are still outright baffling."
[21:49]	Reagan	"No rhyme or reason to why it crops up, then?"
[21:51]	IcePickLobotomy	"Not these days no. Back when it first hit we could more or less track it's spread like most viruses, at least on a large scale. It uh, tended to spread in a nodal fashion, you'd get a sharp spike of infections in a small area, usally the size of a about a city block or so, with the level of infections dropping off the farther away from that node as you got. You'd get elevated levels of...
[21:51]	IcePickLobotomy	...viral levels in the air the closer to the node you got, thus high chances of infection."
[21:53]	IcePickLobotomy	"Mind you, people would still spread it to each-other, but at a reduced rate. Usually people who got infected would end up forming new nodes."
[21:53]	Reagan	"Ah, I see."
[21:56]	IcePickLobotomy	"Mind you, virology wasn't my department, I mostly worked with PTSD treatment for the troops who worked in the red zones."
[21:57]	Reagan	"Oh, yes of course."
[22:03]	IcePickLobotomy	"Terrible business really." He finishes the whisky "It's good that that's past us now."
[22:05]	Reagan	nods and smiles, then sets her napkin on the table and stands up from the table. "Well, I'm plumb tired--I'll go ahead and start cleanin' up."
[22:05]	IcePickLobotomy	"No no, I'll get it. If you don't cook you clean."
[22:06]	Reagan	"Ha ha, you're too kind! But I couldn't ask you to do that!"
[22:06]	IcePickLobotomy	He snatches the plate away with a smile "Which is why I ain't askin' !"
[22:08]	Reagan	laughs and makes a playful swat at his arm.
[22:08]	Reagan	"Well it seems I've been outmatched!"