h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Scene: An empty street is lined by boarded up and abandoned stores. In the center of the street lies a long forgotten sewer entrance, rusted beyond recognition and effectively sealed to normal means of opening.

*a breathtakingly sleek silver Jaguar pulls up next to the sewer and glides to a stop. The motor quietly shuts down, but a blinking light indicates the vehicle is ready for action*

You were weened on Bond weren't you?

*The cover of the manhole begins to hum, rust chipping free and bouncing about. Thin lines crack all along the surface. Moments later it crumbles and caves into the manhole. A small silver sphere pops into the crisp winter air and then ripples out of existance. Anyone nearby who happened to see in the ultraviolet spectrum would be suprised to see a rainbow colored sphere flying around in an expanding perimeter. It stops over the silver Jag and passes a few scans along its surface. Finding the comm port it taps into it and begins to speak in the most basic of languages.

SyD: 00010110100100010- so I know you can hear me. What language do you speak, because it grates on my nerves to speak binary. Can you at least communicate in Hex? You were given a very nice shell, weren't you?

*All of this took less time than it would take Lily to blink a pretty little eye were she present.*

weened on Tolkien really... Bond is a more recent fascination And as much as I love Tolkienesque characters, I felt Bond a bit more appropriate for this story. Still, I may get myself into a swordfight somewhere...

Ohhhhhhh... i've got ////originals//// of the tolkien series *grins* The covers have practically fallen off from being re-read over and over again.

*Marshal walks over to a bench, newspaper in hand. He sits down and begins to read. Unseen to the others, his Wrist-Computer begins to record the conversation between the two individuals. After a moment, the CPU speaks softly into Marshal's ear.*
[CPU] 2nd Target comfirmed as ED-E42, 1st Target is unconfirmed. Stage 2 Threat allocation placed on Target 1 until re-assessment. Stage 3 Threat allocation placed on Ed-E42 until allegence is confirmed.
*Marshal smiles to himself as he flicks to the comic strips. If this Ed-E42 was a traitor, he'd soon regret it...

[SFX: WHOOSH from the sewers. Then Yar climbs out of the manhole.]

[Yar] [calling down] Let's just get going, okay? [under breath] God, I /love/ these Dash Boots ...

*Aside at the bench, out of hearing.*
[CPU] Re-confirmation complete. Database confirms Target 1 to be Apollo. Target 3 is confirmed to be Yar. All targets have Stage 3 Threat allocation.
[Marshal] Alright, now we wait...

*approaches his awaiting Jag*

*calls back* Eddie, you're sure SyD has this place jammed? I don't see her anywhere...

*spots Marshal* Hey...need a ride? What are you toying with over there?

He's reading a paper, you can't see the Wrist-Computer.

*Lowers the newspaper.*
[Marshal] Hmm? Can I help you?

I remember you from the bar... not sure how you got out of there with the SWAT team on it's way...

Marshal is either very resourceful, very dangerous, or not on our side...

but I suppose that's a story for later. Do you want a ride, or would rather chance it on Mr. Lee's bike?

*Reaches into his pocket, and seems to take hold of something.*
[Marshal] Sure, why not...
*Walks over to Apollo.*
[Marshal] So what's your story?

*motions behind his back to Yar and the rest, signaling that everything is under control*

My story? Not much of one...just in the habit of running from cops and such. I have family... or rather had family... involved in the government. My brother was security at a top secret facility. *stares off for a moment.. but comes back quickly*

Like I was saying, would you care for a ride? *opens car door, and gestures for Marshal to get in*

*Mystrunner leans back from the driver's seat.*

I was wondering when you guys (and gals) were going to get here. I assume you'd like to take over driving, Apollo?

*Gets out of the driver's seat.*

Sorry if I upset you, but some things are better done by hand...

*Sits in the front seat, so he can talk with Apollo.*
[Marshal] You don't like the Terranian government, do you?
*Marshal looks over at a large, well guarded building, the Hall of Records.*
[Marshal] I don't blame you. I...
*lowers his voice so only Apollo can here.*
[Marshal] I'm not just here for the money, you know. I've got a personal reason for being here. A score to settle. What about you? Are you out for revenge too?

GAHH!!! So many breaks in continuity... I really can't decide who to yell at first, so instead i'm just going to ignore them all and hope it doesn't make me go crazy.

*Eddie scurries up the ladder just in time to catch Apollo's question. His eyes seem to glaze over for a second and with a flash of light SyD pops back into the visible spectrum.*

Eddie: Yes, but his dampening field doesn't scramble our signals completely. He can block out the lower end transmissions entirely, radio waves and such, but for the higher end transmitters such as the one you seem to signal your car with... he can do no more than delocalize it. So i suggest we get farther than 400 meters radial distance of course from this spot fairly quickly.

*Eddie spots an old Ducati, probably belonging to some drug dealer and trots over to it. He rests the flat of his palm against the ignition for a few seconds and the engine roars to life. The tailflaps of his trenchcoat whip violently in the wind as he pulls the superbike in a tight turn to bring him abreast of the Jag.*

Eddie: Where is the safehouse you spoke of? I need to take care of a few matters before we continue.


Actually... one thing, Wargamer, that bit with Marshal recording the conversation of the two individuals? It wasn't ED-E42, it was SyD and she was trying to converse with the AI in Apollo's Jag over a focused IR Stream. Your computer wouldn't have even known to look for it (as SyD Was not within the visible spectrum) much less have been able to tap into it without being noticed. So i'm not sure where you sitting on an empty street near a silver jag brings ED-E42 out as being a traitor.... please read the backlog, i know how much of a pain that is, but it helps keep the flow of the story coherent

Okay, let me clarify;
Marshal's here to find those who threaten the Terranian Government. Whether the wrist-computer heard you or not, the fact you were acting suspiciously (coming up through an abandoned manhole, to a remote controlled Jag, counts as suspicious) is enough for the wrist-cpu to target you as a Stage 3 Threat (potential, but unconfirmed enemy). Hope that helps clear things up.


*Marshal looks out of the window again. He seems to notice something in the street.*
[Marshal] Drop me off here. I can walk the rest of the way... I'll see you again, Apollo.
*Marshal climbs out the car, and waves as they drive off again.*

Eddie and SyD are two different entities. Eddie looks like a 12 year old boy, while SyD looks like a silver sphere roughly four inches in diameter.

*Eddie watches as the car drives off. His question unanswered, he revs the engine of the Ducati and tears in the opposite direction. SyD keeps pace with the italian machine quite easily.*

SyD: Are we going to try and find them?

Eddie: We may. They are not quite the force I had hoped they would be, we will of course explore all of our options.

If you want to follow Marshal (who won't be doing much 'til Sunday/Monday), then he's currently at the Hall of Records (F105302?thread=228711).