Okuu Quest : A Z-Machine Adventure.

[Kasu]

> "Ah...  I thought something would come up regarding those places...  Also, I had a rather...  odd experience today and I'd like your input on it."
> Relate to Parsee our encounter with the Forest Spirit along with the info Reimu gave us regarding said Spirit.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Ah...  I thought something would come up regarding those places...  Also, I had a rather...  odd experience today and I'd like your input on it."
> Relate to Parsee our encounter with the Forest Spirit along with the info Reimu gave us regarding said Spirit.

>You tell her about your experience with the Forest Spirit. She nods along, but you can tell she has some reservations. "So, you ran into a nursery tale? Huh... I wonder what caused it? It's a but fair off from the Institute, but the Base shouldn't be...too far away. I dunno. That's just weird. I've never bought into those otherworldy powers stories, myself, the people behind them are just a bit too far gone... Still, huh. What're you going to do about it?"

>_

[Kasu]

> "I probably won't pursue it too much unless I find some physical evidence, so for now it's pretty much on my back-burner."

[Hello Purvis]

>She nods. "That's a good plan. Anyways, I'll bet anything you're part of some kind of experiment. Have you noticed anyone following you around the past few days? Or have any missing time?"
>The answer to both those questions is no, at least as far as you know in regards to being followed.
>"Maybe that buddhist shrine is onto something, though. You could probably do with some soul searching, maybe something will come up. And, although it's not good science, it might not be a bad idea to look into that forest ghost again. Maybe you'll be able to find out what really happened there. Hey, did you check to see if it left footprints and stuff?"

>_

[Kasu]

> "Well I did notice that when it disappeared into the tree, the bark was slightly warm when I touched it..."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Well I did notice that when it disappeared into the tree, the bark was slightly warm when I touched it..."

>"That is weird as hell," says Parsee. "So it's like it really was in the tree... I mean, it's one thing to simply see something weird. But to feel it, too? There's definitely something there."

>_

[Kasu]

> Shiver at the memories.
> Current time.
> ETA of pizza.

[Hello Purvis]

> Shiver at the memories.
> Current time.
> ETA of pizza.

>You shudder. Oh god, it was so frightening...
>It is a quarter after four.
>You don't know, but it shouldn't take too long.
>"Anyways," she says, "I'm convinced either the base or the institute are the source of your problem. They have to be doing...something to you. I dunno what. But this really sounds like they're reviving MKULTRA in some way. But we'd need a way in... Have you felt compelled to do anything weird?"

>_

[Kasu]

> "Er...  Not really...  Also, what was MKULTRA again?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Er...  Not really...  Also, what was MKULTRA again?"

>"It was an old experiment the CIA did back in the '60's. They were trying to use LSD to induce a form of mild control. Luckily, it didn't work. Or at least what the declassified records and the test subjects who came forth said."

>_

[Kasu]

> "Oh yeah.  You mentioned that earlier.  Sorry about that..."
> "I don't FEEL like I'm under the influence of a drug or anything, but I guess I wouldn't know...  Also, its gonna be a pain trying to get into either of those places."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Oh yeah.  You mentioned that earlier.  Sorry about that..."
> "I don't FEEL like I'm under the influence of a drug or anything, but I guess I wouldn't know...  Also, its gonna be a pain trying to get into either of those places."

>She nods. "Don't worry, you're just getting initiated at this point."
>"Yeah. We're going to need help. People on the inside, or a computer genius, or something..."

>_

[Kasu]

> "Too bad those are hard to come by."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Too bad those are hard to come by."

>She nods. "Yeah, really. Either one would help a lot. I don't much faith in our chances any other way. But, we got to find out what they're doing before it gets really bad for you."

>_

[Kasu]

> Ponder possibilities of sneaking into the compounds.
> Ponder how much security they've got.

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Do you know anyone that might be able to help us?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Ponder possibilities of sneaking into the compounds.
> Ponder how much security they've got.

>You suspect it would be easier if you could make an excuse to get past the gates of either. Otherwise you'd have to scale the fences, which are topped with barbed wire and probably electrified or something.
>The Research Facility didn't seem to be that well guarded, from the glance you took, but you imagine they probably have cameras everywhere and stuff. As for the Military Base, you don't know at all, but you imagine it could only be worse.

> "Do you know anyone that might be able to help us?"

>"I wish I did," says Parsee. "I have some contacts, but none of them live here, so they wouldn't be much use to us. To be honest, I kinda keep to myself a lot."

>_

[Kasu]

> "Hmm...  I guess it would be for the best if we put this off until we find someone on the Island who can help us with this."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Hmm...  I guess it would be for the best if we put this off until we find someone on the Island who can help us with this."

>She nods. "Yeah, but we definitely need to make this go down. Um, any other business you need to talk about?"

>_

[Kasu]

> "I think that's about it for my stuff.  I'm curious if you have any other rumors besides the ones we've covered though."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I think that's about it for my stuff.  I'm curious if you have any other rumors besides the ones we've covered though."

>"Oh, all kinds." says Parsee with a grin you don't think she's even aware of. You know that pawn shop that's Uptown? It's involved in all kinds of shady stuff. Like that speed gang we saw when we left, I know for a fact he does business with them. And the pharmacy in the Skids? The lady there buys up all sorts of weird shit. Chemicals and things. There was a chem student I used to know who made his money sneaking stuff out of the lab for her. I don't think she's connected to anything, though. Oh, one thing I've kinda wondered, you know the nursery uptown? I'd bet a lot of money the woman who runs it is involved in something, the way she gets into fights and things. Seems like a cover-up to me. Oh! And if you ever go to the bank, be super careful. They're watching you. And then there's the Scarlets, and you can't tell me they aren't suspicious as all hell. I mean, I can kinda see how some some French people would end up in charge of things just because both sides could agree on it, but them? They have to be connected to something..."
>You get the feeling she could do this for hours.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Anything about any of the shrines?"
> "Also, do you remember that movie Dark City?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Anything about any of the shrines?"
> "Also, do you remember that movie Dark City?"

>"Well, it's pretty well known the Myouren shrine has corporate backing. I don't know if anything has come out of it, but I wouldn't trust them myself. Corporates never put money into things without a good reason. As for the Moriya Shrine, they're good people. But, I dunno, they seem kind of fishy to me. But I do think they have people's interests at heart. I think they're in good with the Scarlets, or at least people who work with them, so I dunno how much I'd trust them if I were you."
>"Wasn't that the one that ripped off Matrix?"

>_

[Kasu]

> "So I guess the only trustworthy shrine would be the one in the forest eh?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "So I guess the only trustworthy shrine would be the one in the forest eh?"

>"Yeah," says Parsee with a nod. "But, that's assuming whoever runs it isn't up to anything. I guess if she's alone, she'll not be able to do a whole lot, though."
>She's clearly enjoying this.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "No, Dark City came out more than a year before the Matrix.  I only bring it up because I really feel like John Murdoch right now.  Do you remember the plot at all?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "No, Dark City came out more than a year before the Matrix.  I only bring it up because I really feel like John Murdoch right now.  Do you remember the plot at all?"

>"No, never saw it," says Parsee. "I just kinda heard of it."

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Well, a brief recap for the gist of it.  The protagonist, Murdoch, wakes up with amnesia one day in a room he doesn't recognize.  During his escape he encounters a group called The Strangers.  It's revealed that every night at midnight, the entire city freezes while The Strangers change things.  The rich might become poor, marriages and children and other relationships change, people get new jobs and new memories, new lives basically.  All this for an experiment by The Strangers.  Then there's a battle and Murdoch doesn't freeze so he has to save everyone, blah blah blah."
> "I know it's only a movie and isn't possible, but I've been turning in over in my head a little.  Nothing seems any different to me, and I have no memories of things being any different, but everything just feels wrong.  What if things have changed?  Like, what if there's a parallel plane of existence to ours where we all occupy different roles, and I've somehow managed to project myself across that plane?  Or really, what if things have changed?  What if the Gensokyo we know didn't exist last year, or even last week?  It's not even a possibility, but I can't help but think about that as an option; I'm considering every possible line of reasoning."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Well, a brief recap for the gist of it.  The protagonist, Murdoch, wakes up with amnesia one day in a room he doesn't recognize.  During his escape he encounters a group called The Strangers.  It's revealed that every night at midnight, the entire city freezes while The Strangers change things.  The rich might become poor, marriages and children and other relationships change, people get new jobs and new memories, new lives basically.  All this for an experiment by The Strangers.  Then there's a battle and Murdoch doesn't freeze so he has to save everyone, blah blah blah."
> "I know it's only a movie and isn't possible, but I've been turning in over in my head a little.  Nothing seems any different to me, and I have no memories of things being any different, but everything just feels wrong.  What if things have changed?  Like, what if there's a parallel plane of existence to ours where we all occupy different roles, and I've somehow managed to project myself across that plane?  Or really, what if things have changed?  What if the Gensokyo we know didn't exist last year, or even last week?  It's not even a possibility, but I can't help but think about that as an option; I'm considering every possible line of reasoning."

>She nods. "I can see how you'd come to that conclusion. I don't think it's right, but, well...who knows? How would you discover something like that?" She frowns, looking toward the table for a moment. "I don't even know what you'd do against something that could do that. It'd be like fighting God.
>You're feeling a bit anxious now, having said everything so bluntly. Ghosts of this morning's panic flutter through your heart. What if this is all fake? What if you really are the victim of some...thing that you just can't fight? Oh god...

>_

[communist unity (comm-unity)]

> If that is indeed what happened, there has to be another way back.
> We just don't know how to, yet.