"This is getting us nowhere." Aurora put her hands in the air. "You, Adept - find what you can on these two. One Nicholas Calen and Portia Maria Louise. Everyone else, please, eat and relax." She motioned for Johnny to follow her toward the tables.

     Mac pulled his VR gloves on as he moved back to his computer. Frustration laced with anger at the Dream Speaker's assumptions threatened to throw off his concentration. He couldn't let that happen. What Aurora had just asked him to do was to plug into the VA database. Since the White Out, the codes and passwords were more intricate. One wrong move and he could frag more than his hard drive.

     But still... Why am I letting that guy get to me? I mean I never worked for the Technocracy. I didn't even know it existed until after Maouri died. Even then I had a hard time comprehending the entire concept of mages and magic and technology. And then when Trent told me about my father...

     Don't think about it. Mac straightened his back as he opened the link. He chose not to enter the VA world but to simply tap into it. I'm pretty sure Trent's got bots out there looking for my icon - but I think for his safety, and the safety of this location, I might better keep him in the dark for a little bit longer. He glanced back at the 'crouts, seated quietly on the middle U. Of course, now that they know where this place is - all bets are off on anyone using this place again.

     Someone switched on the flat screen television and began switching channels.

     "Anything yet on newscasts?" asked Mark from the sofa with Arden.

     "Mac?" Aurora asked.

     His fingers moved nimbly over the holographic images as his gaze sought out the paths to the VA database. His bot pinged a hit on news related to the 57 club. "Channel 6." He pulled the broadcast up and set the vid to the side as he continued his journey into the database.

     ...have informed us of 27 dead at the 57 Club. Local officials, including the Las Vegas Police Chief, claim the raid had been called due to evidence of illegal drug activity at the club. A spokesperson for The 57 Club claimed their management had cooperated fully with local law enforcement...

     Mac turned from the holographic visuals to watch the broadcast on the flat screen. Illegal Drug activity? What the hell?

     "Twenty-seven killed?" Paul stood from the couch. His companion, Susan, remained in her seat, her eyes wide - and to Mac's amazement - brimming with tears.

     ...also missing are Johnny Meyers and his band the Palominos. Police say their absence doesn't look good at this point. But the Mayor agrees that such a small loss of life is a blessing. He was quoted as saying, "It's a good thing innocents weren't harmed or killed in this raid, only those involved in the poisoning and corrupting of our children."

     Sarah spoke softly. "Damn fucking Technocrats...coming to kill us...."

     "What? Innocents weren't harmed?" With a flourish, Arden had come out of her stupor. She stood and took two small steps toward the screen.

     "And I suppose you and your little girl there are responsible for the deaths of those Mages?" Aurora moved to the center U, hands positioned on her hips. Mac couldn't see her face, but he was glad he wasn't in the direct line of fire of her gaze.

     "The deaths of Reality Deviants are inconsequential." Calen's voice was calm, confident.

     "You informed on them." Paul took a step closer to the two Technocrats. He pointed a shaking finger at them. "You're responsible for the destruction of twenty-seven innocent lives."

     "No Reality Deviant is innocent," Calen responded. His expression remained stoic, unflappable.

     His partner remained as unemotional as he. Mac frowned at the reactions - sure it was a tragedy that innocent mages died inside the club. And maybe I'd be more upset if I'd actually witnessed the bloodshed. But still... He looked at Paul, then at Arden and Sarah. Even Mark, who had stood beside him moments before the broadcast, was walking slowly to the Center U, his gaze transfixed on the television's screen.

     Mac turned back to his holographic connection. The VA database loomed before him and he entered the codes necessary to access. He was sure his entry via his membership addy would be enough to let Trent know he was still alive.

     He pushed at a floating icon of a keyboard and a holographic one appeared at chest level. Mac typed in Portia Maria Louise.

     Not much information flagged for Calen's companion. Not much of a history so far, or at least as far as the Virtual Adepts knew.

     She and her parents were off worlders...what?

     Mac reread that again. Off worlders? It was becoming painfully apparent there was much in the Technocracy he didn't know. And he knew more than he wanted too.

     She and her parents lived on a Void Engineer construct, descended from the people who live there.

     And that was that. There wasn't much else. Date of birth, hair and eye color. The usual basics of a file.

     With a deep breath, he entered the name Nicholas Calen.

     Jackpot.

     Mac swallowed as he read the data-stream...

          Name: Nicholas Calen
          Current Assignment: EFD Battalion 51, Division 3 {Heavy Artillery}
          DOB: April 17, 1985
          ATTENDING PHYSICIAN: James Tisdall
          Paternal Lineage: Paul Calen
          Maternal Lineage: Amanda Laurence Calen

     But then the information became confusing.

     "Hey...everyone..." Mac turned to the group - which looked as if it were about to tar an feather the Technocrats. "You might want to listen to this." Once he had everyone's attention, Mac read off the information. "Mr. Calen's name raised several flags in our database. The odd thing here," he taped a few streams with his right index finger. The others began filing closer to the holographic screens. "And here, is that the links are old."

     "What is that in red?" asked Mark, who had some up beside Mac. "I can't read binary."

     "It talks about a Sons of Ether and Chorister project that worked against Nephandic forces within the deep umbra. These forces managed to corrupt several members of the Engineers. Paul and Amanda Calen are listed as those 'corrupted'." Mac shook his head. "They're his parents. This guy's tainted."

     "There's something else there," Oz came forward, his BFG in tow. Mac looked back to see that Zydeco still held her own gun trained on the Technocrats.

     Calen looked less than pleased to have his history read out loud.

     Mac looked to where the big man pointed. "They're not from Earth. There's..." he narrowed his eyes and moved his gloved right hand over the floating data. It grew in size. "There's a serial number here..." he copied the number and fed it into the VA database.

     "Holy shit..." Oz said. "I know what that series of numbers is about." He pointed to a stream.

     "Well please translate for the rest of us." Paul said from behind Mac.

     "They're both United States Marine Corp. Special Ops - no... Black Ops with security clearance."

     "How high a clearance?" Zydeco asked from across the room.

     Mac highlighted a few streams, was bamfed every time. He shook his head. "Higher than what I can crack."

     "What does that mean?" Paul asked as Mac shut the screen down and turned. He pulled the gloves off.

     "It means they're the enemy," Oz said.

     "But the war is over."

     Mac licked his lips. He shook his head. "The war is never over."

     "Twenty-seven people are dead." The muscles in Paul's neck flexed and Mac noticed the man was squeezing his own fist into balls, suppressing raw emotion. "No…you're right. The war isn't over, is it?"

     "They were Deviants." Calen said from the couch. His voice was quiet - calm. But it carried in the silence of the room.

     Something snapped in the DreamSpeaker. He moved from the third U where Mac stood and strode to the middle one. He neared Nicholas and Maria, but didn't get too close - not that Zydeco would have let him. And though his expression displayed a mask of anger, his voice remained calm and steady. "They were living, breathing, human beings. Sentient. Mothers and fathers. Sisters and Brothers."

     "Deviants."

     Paul stopped. He lowered his hand. The Dream Speaker looked ready to kill. "I have to get out of here - away from these...monsters."

     Aurora stepped forward. "I'll take you upstairs, Mr. Ortega."

     "Paul..." Susan moved from the couch and he opened his arms to hold her.

     "Maybe we should all just stay in here and calm down..." Zydeco began.

     But Paul had evidently had enough. He moved away from Susan and took a threatening step toward Zydeco. "Calm down? Doesn't it bother you? Those twenty-seven mages - people like you and me - no longer exist. They're gone, Miss Jones. Utterly wiped from the book of life. Obliterated. They don't exist anymore. Never have. Never will."

     Everyone in the room froze.

     Mac felt an icy hand move up his back and he stepped away from the desk and his computer. He dropped the gloves as he moved to stand next to Mark behind the right couch of the center U.

     "What...?" Zydeco asked. "What are you saying?"

     The Verbena stepped forward at that moment. Her gaze locked on Zydeco, who returned her stare. Arden looked at Oz who shrugged. Then she looked at Mac - and he froze inside of her eyes. A flood of raw emotion threatened to capsize his already sinking boat of sanity as her emotional impetus in the 57 Club flooded outward at him. Whether she meant to send it at him as a warning, or they were merely bits and pieces of his fatigued mind, Mac wasn't sure. He only knew he didn't draw another breath until she released him by looking to Aurora.

     "Don't you know? Is it only I, Mark and Paul who saw the truth of what those weapons did?" She looked around.

     "Arden," Aurora put her hands up, palms facing the Verbena. "Calm down. Not all of us have the sight you three do. I for one was not there. Zydeco and Oz didn't see," she glanced at Mac. "Neither did the Adept."

     "No," Mac said, his voice low. "I wasn't inside. I didn't see anything."

     "I did," Johnny stepped up from the shadow.

     "So did I," Kyle said from the left sofa. The Hollow one had remained so quiet Mac had forgotten he was there. "But I saw it in a vision. I knew what was coming, and I knew who had to make it out. "

     "Okay..." Zydeco shook her head. "This is all lovely, but I need something with a bit more substance here. What the hell..." she looked at Paul "is going on? What do you mean obliterated? They're dead. You act as if obliterate and death aren't the same thing?"

     Paul shook his head slowly, his dark eyes were distant storms, and Mac was almost sure he was listening to someone...or something...the others could not hear. "It isn't. To be dead doesn't erase your existence. You were born, you lived and hopefully lived well, and then you die. But your soul continues. Those victims..." he stopped and closed his eyes tightly. He swallowed. "Those twenty-seven victims had their very essence erased. Gone from the book of life. "

     "There won't be any continuing," Mark spoke up beside Mac. His deep voice was hollow and as Mac looked at the Chorister, he was taken at the depth of emotion so open on his face. "All of their descendants, those that would have come after them, are gone. Their memories - our memories of them - their friends' memories - will fade in a few days."

     Zydeco shook her head slowly, her dark eyes wide. "No...that's not possible."

     Arden nodded. "And you wonder why we're all upset? We may only see the deaths of twenty seven...but us," she glanced at Paul and Mark. "We see the deaths of thousands. Generations."

     Mac took a step back. Was this possible? Did the Technocracy have anything that could do this? To completely obliterate - to end a soul's existence? To erase it from the database? The concept was absurd. Only the divine being could do that. If one existed.

     Oz was in front of Calen under a second. He held the barrel end of his gun under the 'crout's chin. For once, the Void Engineer's usually stoic expression showed a sign of cracking.

     The nonplused had become quite plused.

     Though I'm not sure it's Oz's gun. This guy's had guns in his face since we left the club and not had that expression before. Something else is eating at him.

     A conscience? Nah.

     "Well, Techno-boy? Is that it? The Technocracy see us deviants as such a threat that you've all stooped to the level of obliteration?"

     "It's not standard operating procedure." Calen's voice wasn't quite as certain. Not quite as confident as it had been before.

     "And this doesn't bother you?" Aurora asked.

     "Bother me?" Calen turned his gaze to their host as Zydeco pulled Oz away. "Why should it bother me?"

     "Because they're gone," Paul said softly. "Their souls are cast to the winds."

     "There is no such thing as a soul."

     "What?" Paul, Arden, Mark and Kyle spoke at once.

     Calen looked almost surprised at their reaction. "Souls do not exist. How can I be upset at the obliteration of something that doesn't exist belonging to a bunch of Reality Deviants?"

     Paul turned and strode from the U. "I have to get out of here now."

     Aurora put her hand out to touch him, but the Dream Speaker moved away and stood with his back to the group.

     "You don't believe in souls?" Kyle asked from the couch.

     "No," Calen shook his head. "We are conceived, born, conditioned and exist. When this body dies, there will be nothing more, except what data has been extracted from my neural core to be added to the Void Engineer's database."

     "Talk about Borg mentality," Oz muttered and Zydeco shot him a stern look.

     Mac watched Nicholas' face. His words were confident, but he wasn't sure about the feelings behind them. There was more to this than just a memorized dictum to spew back at the appropriate time.

     "Conditioned?" prompted Mark.

     "Yes," Calen gave a short nod. "When we're finished with an assignment, or contaminated by deviants, as I am being exposed at this moment, then we are returned to our superiors and debriefed." He looked at each of them. "Standard psych evaluation."

     Arden's expression twisted into a frown. "Ew. You've had this done before?"

     "Several times. After every assignment."

     "And this is normal for you?" Aurora said as she stepped back to the center U.

     "What about what's in here?" Zydeco pointed to her own temple. "Aren't you afraid that what you are today isn't what you were yesterday? And I'm not talking about the natural progression of maturity - I mean you as a person."

     Calen remained silent, returning her stare.

     No one spoke, and the drone of the television broadcast repeated again the killing of 27 people at the 57 Club.

     "Everyone," Aurora said, her voice bringing everyone's attention to her. "It's getting late and I'm sure Mr. Ortega would like to get back to his hotel for his book signing tomorrow."

     Paul turned and nodded to the host. "Yes. Please."

     "You can ride back with us," Zydeco said. "Oz and I are heading back to work security for this thing."

     Arden gestured to Calen. "What about them?"

     Oz shrugged. "What about 'em? You want me to shoot'em?"

     Arden and Mark nodded, but Paul shook his head. "No. Perhaps there is hope that one day the two of them will become aware of their actions and understand the seriousness of what happened here today. Of what a threat this sort of weapon is to all of us."

     Mac couldn't suppress the snort that escaped his lips. All eyes turned to him and he looked at Paul. "Are you talking about reforming a Technocrat?"

     The Dream Speaker nodded. "Yes. All living things should be given the opportunity of transformation."

     "But a Technocracy agent? That's not possible."

     Paul's gaze turned steely. "You did."

     Mark seemed to know what was would happen, and the Chorister stepped to Mac and put this hand against the Adept's chest as Mac took a step forward. "He's right."

     Right? He looked at Mark. "I am not a Technocrat."

     "No. But you might have been, had you not Awakened. And these two, no matter what it is they've done, seem to know nothing about what their superiors did. Perhaps - if they avoid reconditioning - they too might understand our sorrow. But they must be given that opportunity."

     "I'm sick o'this shit," Oz moved away from Calen and Maria and stopped in front of Mac. "Here, you take this and give me the keys to the Rover."

     Mac looked down at the gun in Oz's hand. He slipped his own fingers over the cold metal surface, the polished steel in his grasp giving his confidence a small boost.

     "Watch, 'em. Adept. And get on that contraption of yours - put out more on what we've learned. Find out who on the Web was there and saw what really happened, other than us. Report what you find out." He glanced back at the Technocrats. "And shoot him if she moves."

     Zydeco followed Oz as they went to the stairs. Susan and Paul followed behind.

     Aurora turned to those left behind. "Please, make yourself at home here. This is a safe house. I have business to attend too upstairs." With a smile, their host disappeared up the stairs.

     Arden walked purposefully toward Mac. She opened up her hand, palm up. "Give me the gun. You put out that message. I'll watch them."

     Give the witch a gun? Is that wise? Well, I doubt Arden has anything to worry about from them, it's probably them that will need the protecting from her. Mac nodded and handed the gun to the Verbena. She gave him a quick smile and returned to the Center U where she sat on the opposite couch and pointed the gun at them. "Mark, I need something to drink. "

     Beside Mac, Mark gave a low chuckle. He smiled at the Adept. "Ah...the hand of God is never idle." He walked to the food table.

     Mac gave the Chorister a final look before stooping to retrieve his gloves from the floor. A Verbena and a Celestial Chorus as best friends. I have seen it all. He slipped the gloves on and opened his connection.

     And that bad feeling I have just got a whole lot worse.

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