8441/The Semi-Truck Mystery

The Semi-Truck Mystery
Date of Scene:	26 October 2021
Location:	A Remote Location in Montana
Synopsis:	Theo presents Clarice and Lydia with a mystery to solve - but it turns out to be the stuff of Clarice's nightmares.
Cast of Characters:	Clarice Ferguson, Lydia Dietrich, Raven Darkholme

---

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Montana. Well - if one thing could be said about the location Theo had chosen - it was the fact that Lorna wasn't here. Clarice will never live down //Montana//. Emerging in a faint bliiiink of purple energy, where once there had been simply rocks, and brush, and slowly meandering skunk there now stands a small group of figures. Clarice has brough an LED lantern to assist them in their exploration, and she stands clad in a sweater against the chill of the night, glancing around at their surroundings. "Not bad," she remarks. "It'll certainly do, anyways," she adds - as she flicks the lantern on.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Middle of nowhere. Nice," Lydia remarks, taking in their surroundings. Of course to her vampire eyes the night is as bright as day, so she scans her surroundings. "There's a flat patch over there that'll be big enough for a truck," she says, pointing off into the distance. "Follow me."

Lydia doesn't lead them far, just a couple hundred feet. The area she brings them to is mostly flat, peppered with shrubs and dried grass. She turns to Theo. "I still can't believe you managed to fit a whole entire truck in your pocket."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Stepping through the portal, Theo takes a big, deep breath and smiles broadly.

"This was so middle of no where," he says proudly. "The too major hills conceal anything that might try to come up. I mean the road is way the hell over there..." he points. "but you never know."

He looks to Lydia, "It's the biggest thing thus far, and was an accident."

Now he walks quite a few steps away from the both of them, gestures his hand and pop... a full sized 18-wheeler just exists. Mac truck, with large sleeper and a full cargo container trailer. Once it's there, Theo runs over and climbs up into the cab to start it. How the hell he knows how to do that will remain one of those mysteries.

Hopping down he calls over, "Okay, the generator should be powered up already, but that keeps it from running out." Then heads for the back of the trailer.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Do trucks usually have a generator?" Clarice says curiously. She walks once around the truck - holding her lantern and studying the sides of it, looking for any markings. The plates are familiar to her - standard Genoshan vehicle plates, nothing remarkable there. As she gets back to the rear of the truck she adds, "Why don't you show us what you discovered so far? What did you need H & D to hack into for you?" she asks in a curious tone.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"The only trucks that I know of who have generators like that are for refrigerator cars," Lydia answers, following the others towards the back of the trailer. "I have to admit that I am /really/ curious about this, now."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
At the back of the truck are numerous locks, all of which are paddle locks. Theo begins going through the keys to get the right ones and unlock each.

"When you see inside, you'll understand the generator. It's all self contained, so many locks," he explains, finally getting to the last one unlocked, then pulls open the back of the truck.

The lights are already one, and the space right by the back is two massive computers banks, but only one screen, chair and computer. The entire back of the truck is hidden behind a set of locked doors.

The generator powers those, and... well what's even further back," they explains as he climbs inside and goes straight to the computer. "This is what I needed H & D to hack," he finally answers that question Clarice has wanted to know the answer to. "So I can access what in this computer."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "...why do you relock it? //It's in your pocket,//" Clarice points out in a bemused and befuddled tone, as she watches her brother fiddle with the locks. As the truck is unlocked, though, she looks around with a puzzled expression on her features. Mystery indeed - no wonder Theo was so intent on getting to the bottom of it. "Alright. And what did you find on the computers when H & D got you into them?" she asks in a curious tone. She turns off her useless lantern as she climbs inside - making no attempt to touch the computers. They're really not her area of expertise, after all.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia easily lifts herself up into the bed of the trailer letting out a low whistle of wonder. "Wow Theo. When you stole an eighteen-wheeler you didn't go half-way with this one." Her nose twitches as she takes in the scents in the trailer. "Funny. I don't smell anything. I would have expected to smell /something/ other than us in here."

She wanders towards the back half of the trailer looking at the door, letting Clarice ask the question that's on her mind as well.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo pauses at the computer for a moment and signs, "I just got the hack, so we all get to find out together."

When Lydia walks toward the back he steps back from the computer, "So uh... you want to see what's back there too, right?" He asks nervously. "I mean, it's part of the secret after all. Obviously the generator is back there, it's huge and I have no idea what keeps it powered when the trucks not running. In the pocket it all stays in stasis, but still... it keeps running."

He walks toward the back door, looking over at Clarice, then at Lydia before taking the keys back out an unlocking the door.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "This is your show, Theo. You show us what you've discovered so far - and we'll figure out the rest together," Clarice replies, watching her brother with the keys.
    The whole truck was utterly baffling. But not dangeorus, right? I mean - if there were some sort of trap, he's probably have triggered it already. And besides, booby-trapping things isn't... well, isn't really a thing. Is it?

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia turns to face Theo, "Of /course/ I want to see what's back here. You have piqued my curiosity." She takes a step back so that Theo can be the one to open the door and be the first to see what's inside. Hopefully there wasn't anything /living/ back there, or else it wouldn't be living any more.

"Let's just hope it's not a nuclear device or anything like that," she says. "We don't want /that/ kind of trouble."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
One more time Theo looks at each of them, then he pushes the door open and walks through.

The middle section of the trailer has what looks like four high tech coffins, but each one has a small screen with a encoded readout. The metal of the 'coffins' is dark, almost black, and it is difficult to tell lid from bottom, no indication of how they open or if they even meant to be opened. Each had a number in bright white painted on the end of them.

"So um... yeah," Theo mutters, looking sheepish. "Meet 201, 202, 203 and 204." He gestures to each. "Their in stasis, that's why they survived. They're basically already deadish, no body functions, and maintained by the generator when not in the pocket."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    The door opens, and Theo goes in first. Followed by Lydia, since she'd been by the door. Clarice was the last to enter - and she only makes it a step into the room before she freezes in place - her breath catching in her throat.
    No no no no- "No!" A surprising amount of color has drained out of Clarice's skin - though if Theo and Lydia have time to register this is questionable. As soon as the exclimation leaves her throat, she disappears in a flash of purple energy.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"They?" Lydia asks, moving into the room and slowly walking around the coffins. "You mean there are /people/ in there?" She squats to get a closer look at them. "Are they in a kind of ... cryostasis?"

She looks up in alarm when she hears Clarice's intake of breath, and she's instantly on her feet rushing towards her sister but too late.... she's gone.

She looks over at Theo, worry in her eyes. "What set her off?" she asks, and scowls, looking back at the coffins. "Do you suppose these have anything to do when she was controlled by the Magistrates?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo jumps as Clarice screams and disappears, then hangs his head.

"I didn't know... until now," he says quietly. "I mean I thought /maybe/ but we didn't get to know the details. My parents barely managed to keep me from being tested when I was thirteen..." he stops there, walking over to 202. Running his hand over the top, the window appears in the top and inside is a sleeping woman, perhaps twenty years of age.

"They're the reason I wanted to hack the computer, to find out who they were, if they were already effected by the mutate program, or what other reason they might be in the cryostasis units. I hoped, gods..." he looks toward the door and the other end of the trailer. "I should have warned her."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    It's no real surprise to anyone that knows her that Clarice reappears on her island. She knows it, and could teleport there in an instant without any thought or planning - and it's one of the places she feels safest, where she thinks no one could reach her or find her. The only people who know about her island are her family, after all.
    She happens to arrive in the middle of a rainstorm, however - which honestly works in her favor, helping to bring her back to her senses as she paces on the beach. She's fine. She's safe. They're gone - there are no magistrates. That wasn't for //her// anyways. It didn't have her number. That time in her life was past, and she's safe now.
    ...and she just ditched Lydia, and her brother.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods solemnly. "Hopefully we can find a way to revive them," she says, walking over to peer into the window. "Hopefully being in stasis protected them from being in your pocket." She looks up, worry in her eyes. "You remember what happened to the lemonade."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo one again looks at 202 through the window. "The pods report their status, they're all fine. If I'd found them in here dead..." he shudders almost violently at that and immediately runs his hand over it to close the window again.

"I didn't know it was exactly the same," he says again, walking back toward the computer, wondering where Clarice went and trying not to cry over it. He's focusing on the computer now, because the answers are in there, or so he thinks.

"I'm going to... distract myself with getting the computer cracked with the code H & D gave me," he explains, wiping his eyes on his sleeve real quick.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    The pacing slowly stops, and Clarice turns her face up toward the storm - water striking her cheeks and running down them as she simply stands there, and breathes, her arms hugging tightly across her middle. In, and then out. In, and then out. You're safe. You're okay. Your family would never let anything like that happen to you again. Ever.
    She can feel the rain slowly soaking through her clothes and down to her skin as she stands in the driving rain. At least she's in the tropics - it's a warm rain.
    Of course, that'll change when she goes back to Montana.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia walks over to Theo and gives him a backwards hug when he settles in the chair. "She'll be alright. She was just taken by surprise." Of course it may take her a /while/ to be alright, but she doesn't voice that concern.

She stands there helpless for a bit. There isn't anything she can do to make Theo's work easier other than hover over him... and that wouldn't help. And God knows where Clarice is. She decides to go and sit down at the edge of the trailer and look out at the stars. "Let me know when you find something."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo hugs the arm that wraps around him from behind, then wipes his eyes again.

Starting to type the computer asks for the code, which is given, then the secondary code, which is also given. The screen stops being all screen saver and instantly does to a desk top with numerous folders on it.

"Well... the codes work," he reports, chewing on his bottom lip. "That is a /lot/ of folders."

He looks toward Lydia for a moment, the computer still loading, "I know how to drive this truck, so if we have to, we can get out of here... just never thought of 18-wheelers as 'off road' vehicle material."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Breathing, listening to the rain, and the wind, and the waves, feeling the rain trickling down her face... all of it helps. All of it centers her back in the here, and the now, allowing her to finally pull out her phone. She stares at it for a moment, running her hand over her eyes. Finally she types out, 'I'm alright. Need to change,' sending the message to both Lydia and Theo.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"You can always pocket the truck and we can call Ritz to take us back to the Asteroid," Lydia counters, getting to her feet to wander back where Theo is at. "Also: When did /you/ learn how to drive an eighteen wheeler?"

She peers over his shoulder to look at all the folders on the computer, looking at all the folder names when her phone buzzes. She pulls it out and takes a look at the text message. "She's fine," she says. "But she needs to change. Clothes I'm guessing? Where in heck did she go that she needs a new change of clothes?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo turns back to the computer, looking over the folders. Some have names of people, others are just numbers.

"I read the manual on driving, then practiced with this one before I knew what was in the trailer."

Moving the folders on the desk top to put all the numbers together in order, then the names in alphabetical order, he doesn't immediately open any of them.

"So long as she's alright, that's all that matters..." he looks to Lydia. "So which one should I click?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice does the calculations in her head. From the Asteroid, the Montana, to the Bahamas... And then to the Asteroid, to Montana, and back to the Asteroid again? ...too many long distance jumps. Bah.
    Instead, she's forces to check on her phone for a shopping center in Montana. It's just after sunset, there, so shops should still be open. She appears outside of one - the soaking wet, brightly colored mutant making quite an impression as Montana wasn't exactly an epicenter of mutant culture. She ignores the looks, and even a few glares as she grabs a pair of jeans, a simple black blouse, and a jacket, and heads towards the changing room, not bothering to spend much if any making her choices.
    She feels almost numb. That's probably a good thing, right?
    She'll just presume it is, for now.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Well," Lydia says, looking at the folders once Theo has done rearranging them. "Let's start with 201. Find out what we can about our passengers," she suggests.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Looking back to the computer, Theo opens the 201 folder. The images that pop up all over the screen are not good, they are a blow by blow of everything done to the boy from the age of thirteen to when he went into the pod, exactly seven years ago.

The pictures flash by quickly, then disappear back into their part of the folder leaving hundreds of text documents and one large pile of pictures. "Holy shit," Theo mouths, looking over the documents to find the first one and that's the one he opens.

The document pops up as a report from one Dr. Sasha Ryan on subject 201, formerly known as Riley Harris. The details of everything that was intended for this new subject, using the mutate and other nano technology in an attempt to one up Dr. David Moreau.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Approaching the counter in her new clothes, with her wet attire in one hand, and the tags from her new clothes in the other, Clarice sets the tags on the counter by the register. Her hair lays heavy and wet around her shoulders, and she knows she's getting more than a few stares as she digs out her credit card and offers it over. "Freak thunder storm," she intones simply in a dry voice - before her card is returned to her along with a receipt.
    She doesn't bother to walk outside before she blinks away, appearing just outside the trunk with a faint flash of purple light and a quiet 'bliiiink' sound.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Well," Lydia says in wonderment, "At least we know who he is, now. I'm sure if he has any surviving family they'll be glad to know his fate." She leans closer to read some of the files as they flip through them. "See if we can find something that tells us what kind of mental conditioning he's had, if any. When we wake him up I don't want a fight on our hands."

The flash of purple catches the corner of her eye and she turns to greet Clarice as she arrives. "Welcome back," she says, walking over to her and giving her a hug, noting how wet her hair is. "Come on in. We just got into the computer and are checking out the files."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo is already reading, line after line, file after file, searching through for indications of what happened to Riley and what would happen if he was woke up. He didn't catch the purple flash, but Lydia saying something was enough. The file is closed instantly, he stands up and runs over to hug Clarice.

"I'm so sorry," he almost whimpers while clinging to his sister. "I didn't know, I wasn't sure, I'm sorry."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice leans into both Lydia and Theo - wrapping her arms around both, which means at least one of them gets hit on their back with the bundle of wet clothes she still holds. She doesn't answer immediately; she just stands there, leaning into them in silence, her arms around them and holding them tightly to her.
    "I'm sorry I blinked out like that," finally murmurs, before she starts to pull away. Her gaze goes towards the open door of the truck, a look of trepidation on her features as she makes no attempt to move closer to it. Not yet.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"It's okay," Lydia says reassuringly. "We understand." Releasing her sister she makes her way back into the trailer. "We found the files on our passengers," she says. "Good news is that we've got names, so we can find their families. Bad news is... yeah." She looks over her shoulder at Clarice. "You probably don't want to look."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo doesn't let go just yet, and there is no way he's letting Clarice go back in the trailer. Wet clothing, doesn't care, more hugging.

"You don't go back in there," he says firmly, tone that he doesn't use but is actually /telling/ Clarice what to do. "I can read through the files, find out what we need to know, and then report that back to the both of you." He explains.

"Once we have the details, we can decide what do to, but you don't need to go back in there for any reason."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice isn't going to argue with a longer hug, as she keeps her arms wrapped tightly around Theo. "Okay," she agrees after a brief silence. It seems, in this, she honestly doesn't mind being told what to do. She has no real desire to go back into that truck and face her nightmares again.
    "Are they in there?" she asks uncertainly. "Are they alive?" Sure, Theo had answered that question just as they entered the room together - but could anyone really blame Clarice for the glitch in her memory there?

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Suspended animation," Lydia explains to Clarice. "A kind of cryostasis." She intakes a breath just to let it out in a sigh, "I hope the means to reanimate them are here in the trailer," she says. "Otherwise we might /have to/ get the Brotherhood involved."

She shakes her head, "Hell, Theo. I know you want this to be your thing but there are /people/ in there. We should at least tell Mystique."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo finally steps back from Clarice, but makes no attempt to leave her side. "They are perfectly healthy, just... yeah," he pauses as Lydia explains, but at the mention of Mystique he starts shaking his head.

"No," he looks to Clarice, the promise was made and he's checking to see if she will keep it. "They're people, yes, but they're not going anywhere yet and we don't even know if we can wake them. I'll go through the files, I'll find everything out... but no Brotherhood, right?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice's free hand finds her way into Theo's - apparently not quite willing to let him stray far from her, for the moment. She looks between Lydia and Theo before she finally points out, "Maybe they have a brother who thinks they're dead." She keeps her eyes on him for a few moments of silence. "Find out what you can - but we should wake them as quickly and safely as possible. They deserve... they deserve a life. They deserve to be free. They've lost how many years?" It isn't right. None of it is right.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia doesn't look happy about it but she relents nonetheless. "Okay. No Brotherhood. I don't like it, but I'm going to trust you to handle this." She gives Theo a strained, worried look. "Just promise me that if you get in over your head you'll let the Brotherhood help. I know this is important to you, but you're important to us.. me."

She looks over to Clarice and gives a nod of agreement. "We'll find a way to wake them because you're right. They've probably had a lot taken from them, and they deserve to get as much of it back." Her eyes wander over to the back where the cryostasis pods are located. "And odds are they have surviving family who thinks they're dead."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo swallows hard, "I get it alright, this is big and important, and they're lives are more important than anything else. I know I can do this," he looks between them. "Just have to find the information in the computer, because this Dr. Sara Ryan was thorough, like she was trying to prove herself or something. It's sick."

For a moment he just looks at the trailer, at the massive computer inside. "I want to find their families, to give them back their lives. I want to do that for them, because..." he pauses, looking to Clarice for a moment then back to the tailer. "Because I couldn't do it for Clare. I promise, if I can't find the way, then I'll get the Brotherhood involved. I'm not so proud to admit I can't do it, I just want a chance to do it first."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I think we should have Hathaway standing by when we do wake them. Solve your puzzle, find the answers... lead the way. But when we finally wake them, we need support - because they'll need support." Clarice's tone is calm, and even - her expression a nigh neutral mask. She gives Theo's hand a tight squeeze, then releases it, going to sit on the back of the truck, her hands planted on the bottom of the truck bed to either side of her.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods and gives Theo's shoulder a squeeze. "That's all I ask," she says, taking a step back to lean against the wall. She looks thoughtful for a moment. "We can ask Doctor McCoy, if you really want the Brotherhood out of it," she suggests. "Regardless we /should/ have a medical professional here when you wake them."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Once Clarice moves to sit, Theo climbs back up into the truck to sit down at the computer again.

"When we go to take them up, Dr McCoy, Dr Hathaway and any other doctor you want, but until then no one gets to know," he says, checking to ensure that Clarice has her back to the computer so he can click open the folder again.

"I like Dr. McCoy," he then says, already letting his eyes scan the document. "I like Dr Hathaway too. They'll need support and help, I know that... but we don't even know if they can be woke up. I assume they can, this was for transportation purposes..." he sort of trails off as he goes back to reading.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "We'll find a way to wake them," Clarice says firmly, and fervently - the most emotion she's shown since reappearing after her brief disappearance. She won't accept any other outcome. "If the answers aren't in the computer, we bring in McCoy, Richards, Stark - whoever we need to. We'll find a way." Her fingers curl tightly around the edge of the truck - finger tips and knuckles going white.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I'm on board with this plan," Lydia says, agreeing to Theo's terms. She glances over to Clarice, "The files look pretty comprehensive. I'd be surprised if the information on how to wake them /isn't/ in there." She gets up off the wall, and goes over to her sister and gives her a hug. "We'll wake them up. We'll find their families, and we'll give everybody the closure that they need."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo had to actually tear himself away from the screen and put the computer in 'sleep' mode. "This is going to take some time to get through," he admits. "I think we need to get back, but I'll find a safe place to access the trailer more often and get the information in the next week."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice leans wordlessly into Lydia - though as Theo talks about taking another //week// with this, she can feel a faint shudder run through the magenta-hued mutants form. Another week of waiting. Another week of popping them in and out of the pocket? Her head starts to turn towards the door in the truck - but doesn't get all the way there.
    "...back home, then?"
    She's going to get drunk. //Very drunk//. And pick a new target - urgently.