Where is Jade, Scene 7

Harrisburg
This once middle-class section of town has fallen into disrepair: the rows of two-storey homes are mere ghosts of the past. Some of the vinyl siding is cracked and faded from decades of neglect. Children play unsupervised in now weed-strewn vacant lots. Graffiti along brick walls mark the territory of various gangs trying to claim the neighborhood as their own. Harrisburg Elementary needs its tall security fence and guarded gate.

If southern Harrisburg is bad, the north is appalling. Many of the homes are boarded up, perhaps occupied by homeless squatters, and the gang graffiti is ubiquitous. Drug dealers and worse have brought their crime to the district. Few trees or shrubs remain, and lawns are weeds and broken bottles. Here dwell the destitute, the desperate and the homeless.

Nicolai Winters
She's an attractive young albino girl, aged about sixteen, but with the poise and composure of an older person. She is wearing a light blue jacket, white blouse, ankle length dark green pleated skirt, and sensible rather than fashionable leather shoes.

The Meeting
Mary Brown has passed a message back to Dorian that Nicky Winters will be at the clinic this afternoon from 3pm Eastern Time.

Dorian contacts Okami and Star Girl, and lets them know that the meeting has been set up, and the place and time.

Nicky is outside the clinic, chatting to the Watchmen on duty at the clinic as well as some of the patients coming to the clinic.

Well, it's an odd choice of time. Okami had assumed she would sneak out of Stronghold during the night when here absence would be less likely to be noticed, but that's really her affair. He shows up at 3:00, not trying to sneak in this time.

Spirit flies over, leaving a trail of light behind him. He lands, and in a flash of light, shifts to his more mundane 'normal' appearance.

Star Girl shows up on time, though the Watch have probably relayed news of her approach, as she's running in over the rooftops of the neighborhood.

Nicky turns as Spirit reverts to Dorian, the flash of light catching her attention, as well as the attention of everyone in the area. She laughs, a musical sound, as Dorian is immediately swamped by several of the local children wanting to know what it's like being a superhero. Then Mary points out Okami, and Nicky nods politely in his direction. Star Girl also gets the celebrity attention when she arrives.

Dorian chuckles, answering a few questions. "You know...I never would have found out, if I hadn't stayed in school."

Okami returns the nod with one of his own, doing his best not to interrupt the children and their time with their heroes.

Finally the children are called away by the Watchmen, "Give them some space, kids. They're here to talk to the boss lady." a Watchman tells them.

Star Girl walks over to the others, caught a little off guard by all of the attention. "Uhm, I'd be more than happy to answer all of your questions and sign stuff, but I'm here on official cape business that I need to take care off first," she says as she makes her way. Once she's with the others, she says, "So..." She gives Nicky a once-over with her eyelets.

Star Girl. o O O ( I thought she'd be taller... )

Nicky walks over to Dorian, "Hello. We meet once again. Thank you for looking after my people as well as you can."

Nicky looks at Star Girl and Okami, "Would you like to make the introductions, Dorian?"

Dorian nods, and smiles to Nicky, "Of course. Thanks for agreeing to meet with me." He looks to the other two. "This is Okami and Star Girl. Star Girl...Okami, this is Nicky Winters."

Mary interjects, "The Countess Nicolai deEstes."

Okami gives a small dip of his head to Nicky. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Winters," he says.

Dorian nods, "My apologies. I used your less formal name that you used to go by."

Star Girl raises her hand and gives a compact wave with her wrist. "Heya." A thought comes to her mind as she looks up at the sun briefly, before returning her attention to Nicky. o O ( Hunh. So much for the sunlight being a factor... )

Nicky lays a hand gently on Mary's forearm, "Nicky will do just fine, Maria." She looks at the heroes, Dorian last, "Nicky Winters is my name now. I disowned my father. I no longer lay claim to the title."

Dorian nods and smiles. "Ah. I understand. Thank you." He looks around, "Perhaps we should head inside to talk?"

Nicky turns her attention fully to Dorian, "I am curious. You asked me to meet you, which required me to leave Stronghold. And now you wish to discuss something in more privacy than here. Certainly, come in. I'm impatient to hear what you have to say.

Nicky leads the heroes inside the clinic and up to the living quarters on the second floor. It's the kitchen she takes them to. "Coffee? I'm sure we have some cookies around here as well if you like."

Okami gives a shake of his head. "No. Thank you," he says.

"Oh... I'm ok," Star says. o O ( Wasn't there something about not accepting invites from vampires... or was that trolls..? )

Dorian shakes his head, "No, thank you." He looks around quietly for a moment, smiling a bit to himself. He then looks to Nicky, "Did Mary tell you what I was asking?"

Nicky grins, tight lipped to conceal fangs, "Mary mentioned something, but I'm sure you can give a more complete story to what seems, if Mary has remembered correctly, a most strange request."

Dorian nods. "You'll need more detail than I gave her, I'm sure. How familiar are you with the Guild?

Okami stands and listens as Dorian provides details to Nicky.

Nicky ponders for a moment. "They are the aliens that rule the Galaxy, aren't they? I've never really given them any thought."

Nicky can't help adding, "My ambitions don't reach those heights. Not yet anyway."

Dorian nods. "The basics of this is...some faction in the Guild, if not the Guild itself, has infiltrated the UEMS, using some kind of mind-control-brainwashing in the armor of the marshals. Perhaps they've bribed others. It appears to be an attempt to at least keep us a backwater planet. The reasons are unclear. What I can tell you is that Jade Ashcroft helped to figure this out. And in turn, they quietly captured her, and placed her in a cell in Stronghold.

Nicky shakes her head, "I would know. There's nobody being held in the Stronghold cells that I don't know about. Although... the mind control you mentioned would explain why.. well,, let's just say I've noticed something unusual about the mental state of some of the Marshals in the prison."

Dorian raises a brow, "What did you notice?"

Nicky hesitates. Then she shrugs, "Some of the Marshal have slipped out of my control. Dorian, I knew that when I turned myself in I'd be sent to Stronghold. So before turning myself in I made sure I could control my situation in there. I couldn't understand how they were slipping out from my influence. My abilities in that field are exceptional."

Dorian nods slowly. "If Jade is there, do you think you have the means to get her out?"

Nicky thinks for a long time. Then she looks at the heroes. "No. Not on my own. Because if she really is being held in Stronghold it's in some area I have no control or influence over. Otherwise I'd know she was there. However I can help someone else make the attempt. For example, I could get a small group in and out of the prison. But, I'm sorry, I can't bring Jade Ashcroft out on my own."

Dorian nods. "Hmm. Well...if we can get her back to where you are, you could get us in and out, though?"

Okami nods. "We've got some information as to where she's being held," he says. "If you can get a small group in we should be able to get her out. Our biggest issue has been figuring out how to get into and out of Stronghold itself."

Nicky nods, "Yes." She pauses for a moment, "Dorian, my help is not contingent on you agreeing to this. I'll help whatever you say. But if I do this my part in it will be noticed. I can move around inside Stronghold more or less at will. I control a number of the Marshals, and I cannot be seen by security sensors. But others will be recorded and noticed after the event, and the resulting investigation will uncover my part in it. I want to leave Stronghold after this. My preference would be to be under house arrest here in the clinic."

Dorian pauses, "I...don't really have any power to do that. I can make recommendations to those that I know in the justice system, but I have no ability to do that myself."

Dorian says, "I can certainly mention it to the D.A., though...I'm sure he'd be willing to consider it."

Nicky nods. "Thank you. Your opinion carries a lot of weight." She hesitates again for a moment. "I may well regret asking this, but what is your opinion of me?"

Dorian rubs his chin, considering. "It's changed, over the years. Initially...I hated you. I was forced to the sewers when you made heroes illegal in town. But...I was also a very different person then. Full of rage in general. At the world." He pauses a moment, considering, "After my...'resurrection', my attitudes have changed. I helped..." There's a hesitation at this point as he carefully chooses a name, "...Black Mamba turn from his path. I kind of put you in the same category. I don't always agree with what you do. Or even the reason you do it. But you truly care for the people of Harrisburg, and that certainly counts for something."

Dorian smiles slightly, "And for that reason, I have a hope that one day...you will change. I certainly don't hate you, and I have a better understanding of you. And I see a reflection of what I might become, as I am...going to live a very long time, as far as I can tell."

Dorian nods. "So, I guess to sum all that up, I respect you, Nicky. You're not the 'evil conqueror' type that I once thought you were."

Nicky nods. "You judge my actions by the ethos of this era. And you're right to do so, because this is the era we are now in. But I was born over six hundred years ago. I'm not that age. Most of the intervening time I was a burnt corpse in a coffin with a stake through my heart. In maturity terms I'm now twenty-two. I was sixteen when I came here, little more than a child. What I did was the same that any aristocrat from my period and background would have done given my opportunities. Renaissance Italy was not a nice place. I regret it but back at that time it was the natural obvious thing for me to do. Dancing Coyote changed that. And simply living in this time is continuing to change my attitudes. Yesterday I was a different person. One day I hope we may become, if not friends, at least colleagues."

She smiles, "I'd like to meet this Black Mamba. We might have a lot to speak about."

Dorian smiles, and nods. He actually seems more relaxed after that. "I...don't think that friendship is out of the question."

Nicky also noticeably relaxes. She was a bit tense while speaking. "I'm going to be here another couple of hours. Doctor Ferguson wants me to treat some difficult cases. Then I'll return to Stronghold. When your plans are make, you can get a message to me via Mary."

Nicky turns to Okami, "I'm told it was your idea to see if I could help in this?"

Dorian nods. "Alright. Thank you."

Okami nods to Nicky. "I had heard about your ability to get into and out of Stronghold," he says.

Nicky nods, "I should thank you too for trusting me enough to give me the opportunity to help."

Okami smiles very slightly. "Figured if you could get into and out of Stronghold and you decided to stay there to serve out your sentence that said a lot about you," he replies. "Also heard that you did a lot for Harrisburg while you were here."

Nicky sighs, "Not enough. I wonder sometimes if the city council is punishing Harrisburg and its people, my people, because I made my home here. I have personal wealth sufficient to start the clean up. But the city council blocks every application for renovation and development." She smiles wryly, "I certainly won't claim to have been as good for the city as the council, but at least I was an even-handed oppressor."

Okami gives a slight shrug of his shoulders. "You do what you can," he says. "Can't ask a person to do more than that."

Dorian nods. "True enough."

Nicky nods.