The West wing was part of a beautiful, restoreed Brownstone. What no one knew it had entrances to the labyrinth below and his own secret study down in the undercity. From the top a Well to do Captain of the "Storm Cloud", below just another lost soul.
Having moved the most promising of the scrimshaw up to his study he had them arranged in almost a perfect geological order. Synjyn had spent weeks arranging and rearranging the scrimshaw into to a story. Some pieces dated back before recorded history, a true written record not know to exist about the time before time.
Mumbling a few words could be made out:
the women give chills to the men? Burning fever at the child's change, village destruction, young killed as witches, older worshiped, older dies suddenly, no trace,
The story tumbled on.
Stopping he lite a Cigar and poured a dram of stout whiskey. none of made sense. Some killed, some worshiped, some lived some died? His sister died and he lived, maybe it made more sense than he thought.
Some knew the answers but he was sure they knew not all.
This is not new, it is old come new again!
Even tho he hadn't finished reading he started over. With note pad in hand he set off to add detail to his growing knowledge.
Edited by
Manix, Aug 26 2016, 12:37 PM.
It was a new day and he expected Jax today. He sent a message to the "Storm Cloud" for 5 marines to be left with him. "The Cloud" was about to set sail with trade goods, still had to make money.
4 Marines would rotate on a 12 hours shift to guard the house. 1 would accompany him sometimes as needed. With 5 the rotation will give light or no duty. hmmmmm can't have em lazy so he was writing down a list of chore (mostly in the under-city study) to be done. It was then he heard the knock.
Jaxen showed up the day after striking the deal with Manix. He spent about an hour in Kallisti after Manix left, flirting with Oriena and finishing the gold label vodka. But Manix's credit card was burning a hole in his pocket. He had other cards, provided by his mother, but it was a bad idea to purchase the requisite thieving gear with them. A purchase list like that would draw attention.
That evening, he returned to his high rise condo in the business district of Moscow, and keyed away at the work station, researching the mansion again and poking around their servers. They had upgraded their security a lot since the last time, when he met another avatar doing the same thing. He hadn't heard about her since then, and he quietly wondered if the Atharim put a bullet in her and tossed the body into the sewers.
Getting into the Atharim HQ could take two main strategies. First, break in during the night like you would anywhere. Bad idea with the Atharim though. They weren't the typical armory or museum. They had wackos up all night and scary ass weapons guarding the perimeter. As much as Jaxen enjoyed the challenge, he wasn't in the mood to get shot in the face. Sora was unlikely to save him twice in a row. And even if she did, Jaxen didn't fancy a trip to a snake-filled alternate dimension again. He's almost rather just go ahead and die.
That left the second option. Waltz in the front door like he owned the place.
To do that, he needed to avoid facial recognition software. There were plenty of prosthetics, second skin, and masks one could use-but infrared cameras could pick up synthetic skin due to a lack of blood circulation at the surface.
No. His disguise had to be genuine. He had to actually become someone else.
Manix was the key to that. Jaxen practiced the illusion until the break of dawn. Finally, he crashed somewhere around 7 am, only to wake jazzed and ready to go two hours later. A few stimulant pills helped too.
He dressed in casual designer jeans, slip on leather loafers and a soft t shirt and leather jacket to go to Manix's. The large brownstone looked like a tiny fortress over the street. Jaxen shrugged and knocked on the front door.
Some type of military man answered.
"Uh I'm here to see Manix."
He showed the marine the card Manix gave him the day before and he was ushered in the house.
It was surprisingly nice inside. Apparently Manix had good taste. Out of habit, his eyes searched for vulnerable points of entry on their way to the basement.
The marine left him in front of a door, and Jaxen knocked.
"Manix? It's Jaxen."
He hooked his thumbs in his pocket and waited, wondering how far below ground the complex plunged.
Opening the door to the outer study (no one got in to his personal work place) he greeted Jax fairly warmly. Unlike Aria he shows up once and awhile.
G'day Jaxen, welcome to my home, please take a seat.
First Manix listened to Jaxen's plans and had em show em how well he could weave the mask. Manix casually waved a hand to the mini bar: Help urself, weak or strong drink , no be offending me any. Hell i'll get you some sailor grog if ye like!
Manix laughed.
As Jax fixed his drink, Manix thought over the plan, it was sound. Manix had few ideas's to add but first some training.
Jaxen, draw in ur power as much as ye can hold without burning urself to a crisp.
Manix did the same.the difference was more than Manix expected, it was like a floodlight next to a candle. Release please.
Manix remained polite, he was a patron' not a owner.
I like you r plan but if ye want then i'll be teaching you how to control or channel that power is insi.................
Manix froze. CHANNELING! that is what we be doing here. we are taking power from one source and channeling to our will.
First is this, tieing off a weave. When you make your mask tie the end threads into place, that will hold the mask in place without you having to focus on the mask.
Jaxen was quick to learn and quick to master, he lacked a true teacher. Manix never taught before, but until today he never realized how much more of the power he could hold and channel than others. The tighter ye tie, the longer it will hold even after ye walk away.
I have walked the world in many forms, long before i knew the mask. In ports around the world a good disguise could get ye the best cargo or the best fishing hole. You look like ur well versed so I no be telling ye what to do, unless asked.
I have one more useful item to show ye, then we can chat more. Same weave as the mask, but ye will weave a blanket to hide behind, the tracker only see's what ye want's em to see while u be safe behind. You can move, but very very slowly.
Practice please while I gather some info for ye
Manix picks up his droid pad and starts compiling all his old disguise stations, now in dis-use but maybe helpful for Jax.
Like a good Russian, Jaxen poured himself a drink before they went to work.
Jaxen eyed Manix suspiciously when asked to draw in as much of the Ancient Power as he could hold. He'd only done so a few times before, and Tarin's voice, that of his alternate-dimension tutor, echoed in his mind as he did. There was no way to know how strong a man would grow until he simply stopped growing one day.
So, Jaxen complied out of curiosity for what would happen. The thrill of the power was a painful joy, as always, but he didn't actually draw in all he could. He kept some in reserve. For one thing, it was like his skin blazed on fire, for another, Jaxen was naturally secretive anyway.
Tying off a weave was brilliant. Why he hadn't thought of it before! Manix wove the illusions with such ease, but Jaxen had been practicing all night, and the flow came naturally to him now. As soon as someone touched it, the illusion would break. It seemed a hard and fast rule: like gravity. It was a problem he would ponder, but for now, Jaxen's illusions would suffice. He had a particular person in mind for who he would imitate while going into the headquarters. He couldn't wait to see the looks on people's faces.
He only knew two Atharim for sure-and he was going to have to imitate one to get in the mansion.
He wasn't going to disguise himself as the girl, Rune, but she would be a good face to practice anyway.
He drew in the Ancient Power, filling him to the brim with sweet fury. And he wove all five threads of the light together in an intricate design that covered his body like a cloak. The air rippled as the weave solidified, and moments later, a girl of about 19 years of age stood before Manix. She was muscular, with snug jeans and steel toed boots, wore a tank top and a leather jacket. Her short pixie hair was dyed a rainbow of color-red to green to yellow to purple - and bright makeup painted her eyelids. Her glossy lips parted in a smile.
He/she grinned, "How do I look?"
Disturbingly, Jaxen's voice emerged from the girl's throat. He / she frowned. "Hmm. My voice doesn't quite match."
He knew he could amplify the sound of his voice. Probably dampen it. Or soundproof a room completely. But to change his voice to mimic someone else's. That was going to take some thought.
((Ooc; Ascendancy might flip out if she learned someone had discovered / used invisibility. Seems like one of those specialty weaves that may take some special circumstance to re-discover. Just FYI. Jaxen doesn't need to learn it yet anyway.))
(OCC) I'm sure sissy will reel me in. i run alot by her, but not that. The use of the term "Channeler" is a Asc request. it wasnt really invisibility u would be visible it was like hiding behind tapestry, but thanks for that call, didnt think of it that way
Edited by
Manix, Aug 27 2016, 10:21 PM.
Manix had his data collected by the time Jax had woven the image of the girl. It looked amazing til he spoke.
One suggestion, don't weave it all wear real clothes and and weave as little as you can, less weaves, less to go wrong.
Manix typed a few more items on his pad then transfered all data to a slim SD Card. Handing it to Jax: This is a list of storage/change houses that hold disguises that i used before i learned this knew little trick. The weaves hiding the doors are simple, u will be able to unlock em, make sure to lock em back please.
Your voice, i think we should go old, or rather new school. In my change rooms ye shall find some thin electronic strips. They are programmable, they come in male or female and a wide octave range. Set one to her voice then apply over the adam's apple.
((OCC: that idea is from MI:2))
Ye be a charmer, so I be sure you have stared deep into her eye's, if not, you might want too.
Manix laughed........encase of iris scanners.
Do ye have an emergency escape plan, and is there any way I be of any help? By the By I will dis-envow you if there are any question's, nothing personal just personal safety.
Manix made no sound, with a thin thread of air a whistle rang in another room. an Older man was let into the study by a Marine. Chief was old but solid and walked with the grace of the waves. He carried a tray, offering first to his Captain, Manix took a cigar and a small glass of cognac. Next the tray was offered to Jaxen. Chief didn't know city protocol he was a product of the sea and his Captain was always before the guest.
Manix cut the end of the cigar, holding it slightly aloft: From a small island near the America's.
after lighting the cigar he dipped the tip in the glass and took a long pull, the world seemed right.
He let the weaves dissipate and Jaxen was once more the appearance of himself by the time Chief was admitted.
He accepted the cigar with a small nod of the head, and the aroma quickly filled the room. Manix had a number of ideas that surprisingly Jaxen hadn't considered. The old school voicemod strip would work. He'd never had need to change his voice before so he imagined the settings would need tinkering to duplicate the voice he needed.
He drew on the cigar, letting the warmth fill his throat before exhaling. "Oriena is my escape plan. Blow a giant hole out the side of the wall and walk out. I've been there before, and I got out before, with fewer tricks up my sleeve than I have now."
The first time he used the Ancient Power had been the night he broke into Baccarat. He used it to break a lock and get out the back. Days later, he was puking in an alley, out of his mind with fever and weakness, when the cannibals abducted him. Yeah. That had been a bad day.
"But don't worry. I won't yield anything about you. Unless of course they torture me. I'll give you up in a heartbeat under torture!"
He laughed. They understood each other. Neither Manix or Jaxen would go out of their way to screw one another over. Not while both had something to gain out of this adventure.
"I'm planning on tomorrow. I'll contact you when it's over regarding what I find."
raising his glass: May Manannan Mac Lir guide ur steps and find what we be seeking.
easing back into the chair he sit in silence with Jaxen enjoying a good Cuban cigar.
Only good thing to ever come out of Cuba- cigars.
Jaxen left Manix's home after finishing his, pondering the meaning of the farewell blessing by Mannanan Mac Lir. Another word he swore he'd never heard before, but it scratched at his brain like fleas. Maybe the obsession with this crazy fairy tale bullshit was catching.
Later that day back at home, he sifted through all the gear he ordered online the night before. Special woven clothing to deflect cameras. Shaded civilian style Land warriors to overlay grids and known architecture of the building from government permit sites. Finally, a finger dot system to relay virtual typing on an invisible keyboard in case he had need to hack through a security system at the last minute. Not to mention, the wearable hard drives for storing the digital goods he was going to the Atharim to steal in the first place. He had to do this without leaving finger prints, too. The finger matrix relaying to the Land Warriors had that covered. If only there was a way to do more than mask himself in an illusion-but actually become someone else.
Surely anything was possible with the power of the Ancients.