Log:Radical's Secrets Exposed

2020/12/20 	 Amelia Magda Joseph Althea

1

Joseph sits at the corner table, quietly reading a ponderous looking tome, making notes from time to time on pad next to him with his left hand. Every once in a while, he reaches over and takes a sip of now lukewarm tea.

By the look of things, and the small pile of receipts, he's been here a fair amount of time.

Althea Constantine, former dependent of Joseph Newhouse, walks in carrying heavy looking shopping backs from a tech store in hand as she walks to the counter and orders a festive drink. She comes away with a Juniper latte, extra extra venti, and heads for a table when she notices her old friend. "Ah, Friend Joseph! How fare you in this hooman festive season?" she asks, forgetting she's in civilian disguise as she walks over. She's wearing a thin long sleeved shirt, jeans, and leather boots. Talia has been helping her with clothes shopping, but she still hasn't gotten the hang of dressing to fit the outside temperatures.

Joseph, ever the gentleman, stands when you approach, but doesn't go so far as to hold out a chair. "Althea, how good to see you," he murmurs in his soft CB drawl. "PLease, sit. I see you've been hunting bargains."

"Bargains? What be they? Pose they a danger to mortals?" Althea asks as she takes him up on his offer and sets her drink down before pulling out a chair and sitting across from him. She sets her bags beside herself.

"Bargains are what my wife used to call 'succeeding shopping on a budget', Althea. It is a combination of luck and skill to find, oh, clothes or jewwelry or appliances at a lower than normal price." He smiles slightly. "Or do the Tauborn not worry about saving money on purchases?

Althea chuckles at is explanation. "The Godflora think not on wealth the way you Tauborn do. Alas, while dwelling among mortals, I have had to learn the use of electronic currency."

"Yes, I remember, Althea, how Nohr bor ane yourself weren't completely familiar with the subject of money. But, the Godflora do seem to past the need, in general, for physcal goods."

Althea is sitting at a corner table with a few bags from some electronics stores at her side, and a juniper extra extra venti latte before her. The table has a book and a receipts, indicating someone else was sitting with her, but they must've stepped away. She's wearing a thin long sleeved shirt, jeans, and leather boots. Talia has been helping her with clothes shopping, but she still hasn't gotten the hang of dressing to fit the outside temperatures.

Amelia enters the coffee shop and absent mindedly sits in a booth before even ordering anything from the counter. Neither does she use the table menu system to place an order. Instead she sits in the booth occasionally shaking her head and muttering under her breath.

Amelia speak louder than she intended, "Damn. It doesn't make any sense."

Althea sips her coffee and pursues Joseph's tome. It makes no sense. That may be due to reading it upside down. She notices Amelia muttering to herself due to her sensitive hearing. She looks Amelia's way and, with a smile, says a person with no sense of privacy, "It is simple enough. You go to the coffee brewers and ask what your heart desires." She's recalled she's in her hooman disguise, and practices her modern-tongue. Her disguise isn't too convincing for anyone who has met Artemis in person and spoken to her. Her long red hair is swept up in a high pony tail today, and she's wearing black-rimmed rectangular glasses.

Amelia turns to look at Althea, "Huh? Oh, she smiles, "thanks. I hope my puzzled muttering didn't annoy you. Strong coffee might well be a good idea. It may just wake me from what could be a disturbing dream."

"Dreams sometime hold portents of the future, or insight into the past and present," Althea smiles. "Perhaps indeed coffee will make sense of them and help you interpret their meaning, if there was any."

Amelia orders a red-eye special at the table terminal. Recalling how Hunter told her about them the very first time they met. The flash of recollection brings a fleeting expression of pain to her face. She still hasn't been able to rescue his soul from The Gentleman.

Althea watches curiously as she sips her juniper latte. "Were your dreams such that they caused pain?"

Amelia says, "If I'm in a dream it's a extremely prolonged and realistic dream. But how else do I explain losing two hours of my life?""

Amelia shakes her head, "Old memory. Painful memory. A task as yet uncompleted."

Althea is slightly amused by the loss of two hours. "I believe it is called 'Nowflix and chill', or 'binging'. It seems a simple matter to lose several hours without the notice of its loss." She looks more solemn and nods in understanding of the uncompleted task.

Amelia nods, "I've experienced both of those before. This was different. I was scheduled to met someone in my apartment. The next thing I'm aware of is it being two hours later with no memory of the elapsed time. The security system I have is also blank for that time. And the person I was supposed to meet was in another meeting in Hong Kong with dozens of witnesses."

Althea frowns faintly at that. "When did this event occur? This time of your lost memories?"

Amelia checks the time on her PDA. "Oh, the missing period ended roughly twenty three minutes and ... twenty seconds ago."

Althea makes a thoughtful sound. "Still early in the day...maybe too early to sleep. Did anything of great importance happen during that time?"

Amelia shrugs, "How would I know? I can't remember anything that happened during that time. There was no new headlines leading the news chanels so nothing major externally at least."

Althea nods slowly. "As far as I have heard, there have been no major disasters or emergencies. Has this occurred for you before?"

Amelia shakes her head. "Never like this. I've been black out drunk before but while having no recall of the events while drunk I fully recall the events leading up to that. And the hangover afterward. This... It's like two hours of my life are simply missing. I'll be honest. It scares me. If it happened once what's to stop it happening again?"

Althea chuckles. "We have all been drunk before. You are fine. I think there is little to fear from that. Though maybe the clue is in your security system. It is blank. That means this did not affect only you, but your...hmm...surroundings. You should find how far this loss of time goes from where this happened. It did not affect others, but it did affect your technology."

Amelia says, "I thought of that... I'm Amelia by the way. What can I call you? One of my dearest friends is a time traveller. So I though that maybe I'd been frozen in time or moved forward in time. But I had my PDA on me." She waves the ODA in her hand, "The time on that is correct. So ttime manipulation seems unlikely."

Joseph wanders back from the back where he went to take a phone call in privacy. He's got a bemused expression on his face as he puts the PDA away as he stops at the counter to get more tea.

Amelia smiles, "Joseph!" she calls on seeing him.

"Althea," the Godflora answers with her true name. "Hmmm. Perhaps your memory was altered, as well as your devices?" she suggests cluelessly.

Amelia considers Althae's suggestion. "That... would make sense. Except for the blanking of the security system. Only two people should have the ability to alter those recordings. My, deceased, ex-head of security and me."

Joseph waves to Amelia then picks up his new tea as he walks back towards the corner table where he was sitting. He stops by Amelia table next door as he murmurs, "A pleasure to see you again, Amelia. How've you been?" in his soft CB drawl.

"Then the only answer is that you deleted it, if that holds true," Althea smiles and sips her tea.

Joseph looks from Althea to Amelia and back, "Ah, I didn't know the two of you knew each other. Makes a great deal of sense though."

Althea looks over to Joseph curiously. "No, we do not truly know each other," she answers. She knows little of Amelia, though she has met in passing.

Amelia nods to Althea, "That makes an unpleasant amount of sense. It implies I was mentally controlled to erase the recordings and them had my memories for the period wiped." Turning to Joseph, "Up to about two and a half hours agi I was doing fine. Busy with organizing Operation Hamper but that project was on schedule and track."

Althea thinks on that. "Yes, that is one reason. Unless you did so willingly and by agreement to conceal something to great to be known. Or...spirit possession. I have heard of these before."

Amelia smiles, "It would be a very rare spirit that could possess me."

Althea is seated at a table with Joseph, speaking with Amelia at another table. She has a extra extra venti juniper latte that she's sipping from, and some bags from christmas shopping that are from a few tech stores. She's dressed in a thin long sleeved shirt, jeans, and leather boots. Her hair is tied up in a voluminous high pony tail, and is wearing black, rectangular glasses with thick rims.

Joseph nods as if he understands completely in response to both Althea and Amelia. "Ah, then allow me: Amelia, Althea Constantine, human alter of one of the Godflora on Earth. Althea, Amelia Steinberg, mage and interdimensional traveller. And I have no idea what you all are discussing but it sounds intriguing. Go on and let me catch up." He retakes his seat at the table, setting a ponderous tome to one side after he sits. It's title is 'Une histoire annote des lignes magiques de l'Europe' It looks quite old, probably from the 19th century or ealier.

The gentleman dressed in professorial tweeds today it seems.

Amelia nods to Althea, "I'm honoured," she says, "We've met before. Last time was Harrisburg I think. The boy who sent two of his follow pupils to a fairy tale dimension."

Amelia nods to Althea, "I'm honoured," she says, "Joseph, I was telling Althea of my loss of a couple of hours. I'm rather taken with her idea of a mentalist mind controlling me and than wiping my mempries."

Magda enters looking fatigued, a rarity for her; her glance about the coffee shop seems less to be to see who's there and more to see what everyone is consuming. The table of Althea/Artemis, Lady Steinberg, and Professor Newhouse gets a bit longer of a look and a small smile, but she waits in line like any other person.

Althea nods her head once and sips her coffee. "Then the question left is...what mind manipulator has business with you to do such a thing?"

Joseph taps his fingers slightly on the tabletop as if playing a short riff. "So, if they were hostile, they had to be quite powerful to overcome you, Amelia. Or, for some reason, you agreed to what happened. Sadly, I've no way to, hmm, 'see' if you're memory has been altered."

Amelia says, "It hasn't been altered, Joseph. It's beed erased. There's a period of two hours that just doesn't exist for me."

A person of (comparatively) simple tastes, Magda orders and acquires her usual espresso, along with a slice of white-frosted pumpkin cake, and drifts towards the hero-populated table. "Ladies; gentleman," she greets them with a courteous nod. "May I join you?"

Althea thinks a moment. "You have the tools for solving this mystery already. Your friend the time traveler can go back to this missing time to witness what occurred. Or you can seek a Guardian with powers of the mind to see if there truly was interference with your memories."

Amelia recollects what she can. "I was approached, so I thought, by Xiao Jianhua, a Hong Kong philanthropist who requested a meeting to discuss me assisting in a charity project he was organizing. I checked him out and he seemed legit so I agreed. I have no memories of anything from slightly before the scheduled meeting time until two hours later. When I contacted Xiao Jianhua he claimed to have been in a meeting in Hong Kong. He had dozens of witnesses backing up his claim."

Joseph rises as Magda speaks and gestures to a seat at the corner table. "Please, have a seat, ma'am? Do you all know each other?" he asks in his soft CB drael.

Magda nods courteously to Joseph. "I believe so," she agrees, and settles onto a chair. For a bite or two and a couple of sips, she listens in on the current topic of discussion.

Amelia takes the assumed invitation and also joins the main table. "Amelia," she introduces herself to Magda.

Joseph looks over at Magda. "In your philanthropic endeavors have you encountered the gentleman, Ms Gutzu?" he inquires. "Although I think it likely that the true gentleman never showed up."

Althea sips her coffee and listens idly. She gave her solutions.

"Magda," she reintroduces herself to Amelia; the two women are, after all, both involved in charity work, so they've at least been introduced to each other at parties -- their own or others'. "Which gentleman is this?" she inquires.

Amelia says, "Xiao Jianhua. He asked to mee me to discuss a Hing Kong version of Operation Hamper."

Magda's eyebrows lift. "I don't ... /know/ the name," she confesses. "Or what Operation Hamper is, I have to admit. The Far East has not been one of my areas of focus, at least not in business."

Amelia says, "Operation Hamper is local. I've funded it. Every family in Colonial Bay City is getting a Xmas hamper of food on Xmas Eve."

Althea listens idly and sips her coffee. It has a piney scent to it.

Amelia chuckles, "It's not even a holiday I celebrate. I'm Jewish."

Magda smiles slightly. "Ah. That's quite a blessing indeed," she agrees, and sips at her espresso. "Hm. What has your research discovered about Mr. Xiao since ... whatever it is that has happened, happened?"

Amelia says, "That he was and has been in Hong Kong during all this and says he never contacted me. I have no reason to doubt him. He has an unblemished reputation."

Althea sips her drink and follows along. Sort of. She only recently learned about Christmas rituals. "An imposter, then? Using this talk of charity as bait?"

"Sounds like it," Magda agrees. "Where did you meet?"

Amelia looks at Althea, "I'm hoping Timewarp will do as you suggested. But while I love her like a sister, she's bought into the time traveller ethics indoctination of organizations like the Time Patrol. 'Mustn't upset the fabric of time'."

Amelia says, "The meeting was scheduled for today at my home. But the time of the supposed meeting is part of the missing time. Missing memories most likely."

Althea smiles at that. "Then perhaps you need one whom can recover your memories."

Amelia nods, "Yes. But the only person I know that might be able to do it is Ms Grimm. And I've asked her for help too often already. I fear she's a little tired of being asked."

Magda opens her mouth, then pauses, and closes it thoughtfully. "So someone met you at your home, likely disguised as someone you recognized, or /was/ someone you recognized. After a certain amount of time, your memory of the preceeding time, including the actual initial meeting -- perhaps from a point in time, like hearing your doorbell? -- was removed. So there's no knowledge at all of who it might be -- well, wait. Doesn't Steinberg Tower have recordings?"

"That, too, was erased. And according to this Amelia, the only ones capable are herself, and one of the dead," Althea comments.

Amelia nods, "Yes. Will set up a first rate security system. The recordings for the period were erased. Not in theory only two people ever had authority to do that. Will, my greatly missed ex-head of security. Now deceased. And myself."

Magda's eyebrows lift. "Authority," she muses, "does not encompass capability. A technopath may be able to reconstruct the recordings, but taken together, it /does/ suggest that the erasures were something that you agreed upon."

Amelia shrugs, "All things considered, and adding in what's Althea and Joseph have suggested, I suspect it was a powerful mentalist who is also a master of illusions or an expert shapeshifter or disguise master. But the question remains, why. None of my accounts were accessed. Nothing is missing. That I'm aware of."

Althea ponders on that. "There can't be many who fit the description you just imparted. It should be a short list, yes?"

Amelia nods, "I personally know only of two. Neither of which I believe would do it. Ms Grimm, and CopyKat. Although I haven't seen the latter around recently.

"That seems suspicious of they are missing," Althea opines and shrugs. "Mayhaps they know of ones like them to lead you to a culprit."

Magda blinks, then. "Oh. Dear."

Amelia nods, "I'll ask Ms Grimm next time I see her."

"And what of this Copycat?" Althea asks curiously.

Amelia says, "As I understand it, she can copy the appearence... and... the powers of any other meta. Just think how useful that would be.""

Magda finally says quietly, "I know of someone else. Amelia, do you know Radical?"

Althea watches curiously for the answer, unfamiliar with the wizard.

Amelia nods, "Yes. Of course. He's a member of the same team, the Travellers. A good friend. I've known his for a long time. He.. well, a long time."

Magda sips at her espresso again, then watches the cup as she sets it down on its saucer. "There is someone who's looking for him -- or rather, for an object he is in possession of, but to which only he has access. We have recently learned that one of this individual's lieutenants is a top-tier shapeshifter and psychic." Her gaze shifts to Amelia. "Erasing your memory probably wasn't child's play, but once it had access to it, erasing your security records would have been."

"Hmmm. If it is known to all that you are allies, then that could be the culprit," Althea agrees.

Amelia pulls out her PDA, "Who. What.. Wait. If you're right I have to warn him. I know Radical's civilian identity. If that memory was accessed, and you're right, so do they now." Her fingertips sink into the screen of the PDA and text appears and flows down the screen.

Magda lifts her hand. "I have no idea if it is, but ... it's a possibility."

"They would know more than that. They would know all that you know of him, yes?" Althea suggests casually.

Amelia crumples in her seat, "Oh, yay, that's.. I know where he lives. Where his family members live. Where his Sanctum is located. All too much. I need to go to him. Now."

"There be no where for him to hide, then. Nor his loved ones," Althea comments.

Magda nods. "Which suggests either good luck ... or a few days done in research." She takes a bite of the cake. "What was the name, now. The Unknown, that was it. Shapeshifter and mentallist in the service of Lord Krul -- the Conqueror, probably, but you never know what styling they like."

"Lord Krul? He is in this part of the universe?" Althea chuckles with a sentimental smile. "If he were not so focused on conquest, he would've been much more satisfying."

Magda pauses, having been about to take another bite. She eyes Althea for a long few moments, then pursues the wiser course by resuming her cake consumption.

Althea finishs reminiscing. "Oh, yes, you should go to your friend. If he has something Krul desires, there is every chance he and his family are being tortured as we speak."