S1E4: My Brother's Lie
Last modified 3 months, 4 weeks ago
The thrill of the hunt was high, but the escape from the construction site hit a snag immediately. As Selene attempted to leave, a blast of retro 80s rock music heralded the arrival of Ace Bellerin. The reporter’s van screeched to a halt, and Ace leaped out, his camera drone buzzing around him like a persistent fly.
"Selene! The Monarch! Coming to you live from the Blue District! Is it true you're on a new hunt?" Ace shoved a microphone in her face, blocking the path to her squad transport. Selene, desperate to regroup with Dorian, tried to maneuver past him without causing a diplomatic incident.
Maia rolls Face Danger (Edge) and gets a Weak Hit
Selene managed to push past, but Ace wasn't deterred. He pivoted, bombarding her with invasive questions about Dex. "Your cat just hissed at me! How does the training go with teaching such a cat to work on the job? Is it a boss-student relationship? Or is it a mother-child relationship? Do you have a special bowl for Dex? Is Dex in constant danger when you go on these missions? Are you putting your fur baby child in danger?"
"No comment," Selene grit out, slamming the door of her hover vehicle. The engines flared to life, and she ascended rapidly into the skylanes, leaving the reporter in her wake. She tapped her comms. "Dorian, I'm on my way."
Meanwhile, back at the Kelvarus Dynamics tower, Dorian was waiting outside the main entrance with Reverie. The stress of the explosion and the mounting secrets were weighing on him, and he needed the fresh air before his sister arrived.
"She puts these blinders on," Dorian confessed quietly to Reverie, watching the traffic overhead. "I worry I can't get her to see the full picture."
"We all have our blinders, D," Reverie said, resting a hand on his shoulder.
Selene’s transport descended from the traffic stream moments later, landing with a heavy thud in the plaza. She hopped out, the adrenaline of the chase still humming in her veins. "Kelvarus siblings at it again," she said, walking over and wrapping an arm around her brother. "Just like old times in the garden."
"I remember getting punched a lot in the garden," Dorian quipped.
They entered the secure lift, the glass walls offering a dizzying view of the sprawling city as they ascended rapidly to the penthouse lab. Once inside, the familiar hum of servers greeted them. Icarus and Reverie immediately went to work installing the new prototype scanner onto Selene’s gauntlet. It was a sleek modification, designed to flash blue for a verified human and red for a fabrication.
"We identified the leader," Dorian said, moving to the main console and pulling up a hologram. "R0-55. Nickname: Ross. Secretarial unit. No record of anomalies until now."
"And the tracker?" Selene asked. "Where are they?"
Dorian pulled up the city map, syncing it with the data from the device Selene had thrown.
Michael rolls Gather Information (Wits + Augment) and gets a Weak Hit
The holographic map zoomed out rapidly. The signal didn't stop in the Blue District. It didn't even stop in the Violet District. It shot straight up, piercing the atmosphere.
"He's off-world," Dorian said, frowning as the trajectory line extended into the black. "We need to narrow down the destination. There are four likely coordinates."
Oracle Roll (D4) to determine destination:
- Calypso: A deep space derelict dreadnought.
- Manis: A giant, ancient robotic hand floating in the void.
- Solace: The star system's sun (a suicide run).
- Vesper: An orbital research facility (the ideal outcome).
Result: 1 (Calypso)
"Calypso," Dorian confirmed. "The deep space derelict. It's an old dreadnought, a ghost ship."
"Then we go to Calypso," Selene stated.
Dorian turned to Reverie. "You should stay here. It’s too dangerous, and we need someone on the ground."
Reverie looked disappointed but nodded. "I understand. I’ll keep things running here."
Michael rolls Make a Connection (Heart) and gets a Strong Hit
Dorian pulled her into a hug, lingering for a moment. "Stay safe."
"You too." She turned to the Praetor, offering a warm, acknowledging smile. "Good luck, Selene."
Reverie took the lift back down, leaving the siblings alone in the quiet hum of the lab. Once she was gone, Selene called Maren to update him. The logistical coordinator answered in a sleep mask and robe, clearly woken from a deep slumber. After a brief, awkward conversation where Maren wished them luck (and sleepily forgot to hang up), the siblings turned their attention back to R0-55's data on the main screen.
"We need to know who he's been talking to," Selene said. "If he's a secretary, he has connections."
Dorian began scrolling through the communication logs. It was a massive web—R0-55 had spoken to everyone from Bronze laborers to Gold council members.
"Filter it," Selene ordered. "Look for personal conversations. Things a machine shouldn't be talking about."
Dorian’s heart hammered. He knew what was in those logs. He knew his own name was buried in that data. He tried to manipulate the feed, using his Shadow interface to obscure the specific entry that linked him to the Red leader while keeping the rest visible.
Michael rolls Face Danger (Shadow) and gets a Weak Hit
He managed to redact the name, replacing it with a block of static, but the deletion was clumsy. A glitch flickered on the screen—a digital scar where the data should have been.
"Stop," Selene said, pointing at the screen. "What is that? You skipped something."
Maia rolls Gather Information (Wits) and burns Momentum for a Weak Hit
Selene leaned in, her eyes narrowing. "That’s a redaction. Someone with Gold-level privacy is hiding their tracks. Who is it?"
Dorian hesitated. He looked at the screen, then at his sister. He looked at Dex, who was shifting from a calm white to a warning crimson. He hoped for an interruption—a call from their parents, anything.
Oracle Roll (D100) -> Chance: 25% -> Result: 74 (No Call)
But the comms remained silent.
"Selene," Dorian said softly. "If I asked you to trust me, would you?"
"Of course, without question. And I would expect the same from you. For me."
"Then watch."
Dorian signaled Icarus to cut the surveillance in the room. He waved his hand over the console, stripping away the redaction he had just placed. The footage played.
It showed the Pulse Lounge. R0-55 was sitting at a table. A robed figure walked in, sat down, and lowered their hood.
It was Dorian.
The two of them talked like old friends—laughing, sharing theories, debating. There was no malice, only camaraderie.
In the lab, the silence was deafening. Dex turned a deep, violent crimson.
Selene didn't speak. Her coffee cup, sitting on the table, suddenly shattered, dark liquid exploding outward. The screens in the lab began to shake, vibrating with the rising frequency of her telekinetic rage.
"Selene," Dorian pleaded, stepping back. "You need to let me explain."
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