[Radio] Double sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "That list you were ever so interested in..."

[Radio] You send Double a direct message: "Wus wunnerin if ya fergot."

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Magma Dragoon chuckled. "It's just like I said the other day. We're a big dysfuctional, yet happy, family. I guess I'm the family's pet pit bull."

[Radio] Double sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "Retrieve for me one of the Strider Ciphers. Preferably Kain or Matics, but any will do."

[Radio] You send Double a direct message: "Anythang else?"

[Radio] Double sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "No. That will be all. If you can get me one of the Ciphers, with preference of Matic, Kain, or Hiryu's. Then the list is yours. All copies of the list in fact. As I shall give you both the hard copy and the digital files."

[Radio] You send Double a direct message: "All right."

(A short time passes.)

[Radio] You send Rock a direct message: "Hey Rock? Ya got a minute?"

[Radio] Rock sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "Meet me in the Command Center of the Candyland."

Hunter HQ - Command Level

This deck once served as the command center of the Fort Sam Houston, and remains so today, restored and refit with the best in modern technology. Built in the shape of a broad semicircle, the command center's curved wall is dominated by sweeping observation windows- thick panels of reinforced glass ensuring durability while providing a panoramic and crystal-clear view of the surrounding tropical lagoon. An observation walk lining the inside of the windows offers an unobstructed approach to the view.

The room's focus, however, is the slightly raised platform in the middle, lined with consoles and computer banks, equipment to accomodate any need the Hunters may have. A matching host of monitors, displays and holo-projectors depend from the ceiling on heavy metal braces, within easy reach and view.

Rock [Casual] [MH] Inquisitor [Unarmored] [MH]

West <W> leads to Hunter HQ - Teleporter Room.

North <N> leads to Hunter HQ - Meeting Room.

South <S> leads to Hunter HQ - War Room.

East <E> leads to Hunter HQ - Lift Station.

Ding! The lift doors open, and Bowie steps out to the command center. As beautiful as the view is, his eyes don't linger on it this time - he has other things on his mind.

Rock looks down at the computer console at his station. He moves his mouse over slightly and smiles down at the screen. He leans back and watches as something happens.

Rigger arrives from the Hunter HQ - Lift Station.

Rigger has arrived.

Bowie walks over towards Rock. Unless the commander is really engrossed in whatever he's doing, he should hear the jingling of the Texan's pocketwatch chain and boots. "Howdy," he says quietly, not his usual friendly tone.

Rock hears the approach of Bowie and quickly touches the taskbar on the screen to bring up a list of the latest Maverick activities... if one would look at the screen... a game of Free Cell sits mininmized. "Hey, Bowie. What's up?" Rock blushes slightly and tries to tries to remain calm.

Bowie pulls up one of the nearby rolling chairs and sits down. His smile is noticably absent. "Double finally called me," he says. "Wus beginnin t'thank he wus goin t'keep stringin me along."

Leaning back, Rock smiles gently. "I didn't honestly think he'd contact you... What's he got for us?" Rock looks at the computer screen and switches it over to the Arcanum file. "So what did you find out?"

"He's willin t'make a deal," Bowie says. "The list a all clones made by Arcanum, includin the original data file, in exchange fer a Strider's cipher."

"Did someone say 'Double'?" Rigger strolls off the lift looking just a bit confused over the conversation she'd walked in on. Curious she crosses her arms and leans against one of the consoles. It's a good thing she did so as Bowie's next remark about a cipher causes her to stumble to the point that she ends up sitting ON the console as opposed to leaning. "..."

Leaning back as Bowie speaks, Rock jerks as he hear what Double wants... the chair leaning back slides back past the point of no return. The chair goes falling to the ground as well as its occupant. Rock thuds heard to the ground. "Ouch..." Rock sits up and begins to rub the back of his neck. "He wants a Strider sword... why?"

Well. It's nice to know he's not the only one to react like that. Bowie leans foward to offer Rock a hand up. "Beats me, and Ah wusn't in a position to ask."

"That's not a good idea. Trust me there, guys," Rigger remarks as she regains her own composure, a bit glad that Rock's faltering was worse than hers. "Those things are dangerous in the hands of anyone they're not meant for."

Rock looks over at Rigger as he grabs Bowie's extended hand. "What's so special about their blades anyways? Nothing that Zero doesn't have." As Rock stands up, he begins to dust himself off. Rock looks at the two of them. "What do you think? There is no way I'm gonna be able to locate a Strider and get his cipher... much less.. give it to the Mavericks."

Bowie leans back in his chair once more, his face still etched in a frown. "Ah started this, Ah'll take responsibility. Includin trackin down a Strider." He pauses, gaze shifting from Rock to Rigger and back again. "Unless y'all thank it's not werth the price."

Rigger reaches up to rub at the bridge of her nose a moment as she tries to figure out how to explain it. "They have... sort of..." Aand she finds herself lacking the proper terminology to explain them, really. "It's kind of like a buster," she opts for with a gesture at Rock. "Only not. They each have some... power of some sort though. Something more than just the blade. And if you're not the owner of the sword it kind of.... Blows up in your face."

Rock says, "So if we gave it to the Mavericks, it would explode in their faces... Rigger, I don't suppose you could locate us one?"

Bowie doesn't seem terribly reassured by Rigger's explanation. Especially the part about explosions. "It's not goin t'blow up on me if Ah jus pick it up, is it?"

Rigger twiddles her fingers rather nervously while glancing at the pair. "... I know alot of Striders," she admits quite hesitantly. "But none of them would give up their cipher. They only get *one* in their lifetime." Or so Derek had told her, and by the way he so seriously guarded it, she was apt to believe him. He didn't take anything seriously. "I could point out a few of the undesireable Striders maybe, though. I don't really care what happens to their weapons." At Bowie's question she looks at him thoughtfully. The best response she can offer is a wide shrug. "Very possibly."

Bowie adds, "He wus innerested in Matic's or Kain's ciphers specifically, but any one would do."

Rock hrms quietly. "OKay, see if you can get us pictures of the Striders who are evil... what where they called again? The Red Striders, I think." Rock sighs. "Rigger, provide as many options as possible. I'll put the entire faction out for them."

Bowie raises an eyebrow. "Ya sure about this?" he asks of Rock. "Ah'm willin t'do this mahself."

"Stay away from Special K," Rigger intones seriously towards Bowie a moment... before reluctantly nodding in agreement with Rock, though she looks rather uncertain. "Matic deals with Wily alot. It'd probably be good to get him out of the way."

Michael Eildath has connected.

"Rigger, get us a picture of the good ones as well. Make sure you put them in the computer system so everyone knows who to avoid as well. We will NOT fight anyone who we SHOULD be working with." Rock sighs. "I'm still not sure if we should give to the Mavericks, but at least we should have the option." Rock smiles, "I don't suppose we could make a convincing fake?"

Bowie is seated in a chair across from Rock, who is now standing after having fallen out of his own chair. Rigger is leaning against a neaby console as they talk. The gunslinger isn't smiling, which strongly sugests the topic of conversation is serious and not entirely pleasent. "Ah dunno if we'd want t'try riskin a fake cipher. Ah mean, if Miss Rigger's right, than it'd explode anyway."

Rigger shakes her head a little, "I have no idea what kind of technology goes into a cipher, much less how to replicate it. It seems to be different for each cipher from what I've seen so far." She could be wrong though. Given the topic has switched to so serious a one she begins to pace a little bit. "Rock? I gotta warn you guys though. I spoke to them awhile back, and apparently someone's hunting them right now. They dunno who, or why. So... just be careful, okay? You might run into more than just the striders if you get involved in this deal."

Michael Eildath steps in off the gravlift, looking like he probably spent too many days at Sturgis. Well, he /did/ spend too many days at Sturgis.

"True enough, Bowie. But I don't want to give the Mavericks anything that might be dangerous... But we also need this information. My main concern is how will we know that Double's information in legit." Rock picks up his chair and sits back down on it. "Okay, Rigger. What do you know about them being hunted?"

Bowie can only shrug at that. With Arcanum's research labs leveled to the ground, Double is the only known source of information. The Texan glances over at the lift as he heards the doors open, and gives Mike a nod and thin smile in greeting.

"That's it. Just that they're being hunted and don't know who it is. It's not the Reds, they said. They think it's some outside individual." Rigger glances over and tips her head in a slight nod towards Mike. "They don't have much information themselves right now from what I was told. ... Mind, they don't tell me everything. The only one that would I haven't seen in awhile."

Michael Eildath blinks curiously, wandering over as he gives a nod to Bowie. Mike rubs his chin thoughtfully, realizing he hasn't shaved in a day or two (yeah, rugged Mike, the shortpacked variant!). "What's going on?"

Rock says, "Okay, Rigger. Tell the Striders you know that we will help them find out who's hunting them if they assist us in getting a Red Strider's cipher." Rock looks up at the arriving Mike. "Discussion over a trade of information between us and the Mavericks. Sounds crazy, don't it?"

Michael Eildath frowns worriedly. "More than crazy... suicidal comes to mind. What kind of information are we talking about here?"

Rigger reaches up to rub the back of her neck awkwardly though she nods in agreement. "Alright. Fine. I don't like this, though."

Bowie tries to catch Mike up. "Double's got some infermation on Arcanum, namely a list a the people thay cloned before thay got shut down. His askin price is a Stider cipher." He folds his hands across his chest. "Ah don't like it either, Miss Rigger. But Ah'm willin t'risk it."

Rock says, "I know Rigger... I don't like it either, but we need information on who they have recreated and how. Bowie, make it clear to Double that we want ALL the information on Arcanum for this 'cipher'. This technique they used is unique and we need to know how they did it." Rock considers for a moment. "Also, maybe we should see if we can get the information on the reports from King Dragon AND Admiral. Maybe even get the information about Iris when Data Raccoon had her."

"Shouldn't that be obvious?" Rigger remarks sounding mildly confused. "And yeah... We can just ask Admiral and King Dragon so... why do we need Double for this again? They were around for Arcanum too."

Michael Eildath hrms. "A cipher? He works cheap, doesn't he?" The tone of voice makes Mike's sarcasm obvious. "What are we going to do, hunt down and kill one of the Red Dragons for one? Easier said than done, despite that little glory show in the Tartarus arena last night."

Rock says, "Because Double has the data on how they DID it."

Bowie nods slowly, his frown deepening somewhat. "Ah'll let him know the deal's changin." To Rigger's question, he answers, "Double's the one that destroyed Arcanum's research labs. Didn't leave a thang behind. Ah checked." He shakes his head. "Thay might a used...whutever it wus...to re-create other reploids that Admiral an King Dragon didn't know about."

Michael Eildath frowns. "If they did... they could recreate actual living Reploids, couldn't they? With a scan of their neural nets?" His frown becomes a scowl as he walks over for some coffee. "Sounds like something Double would try."

Rigger crosses her arms over her chest looking just a little irate. "Of course, all the information," she mutters darkly to herself. "So... tell me... why are we wasting time trying to get ahold of some item we might not be able to so we can give it to him for information when we could just take *him* and get the information?"

Rock frowns. "That's one of my concerns. But its also the concern of knowing how they do it and how close the procedure is." Rock sighs. "AND, prehaps we can find out more about the Maverick Virus considering the only people who stayed infected were the ones that were infected before they were dead. Why didn't King Dragon or Admiral come down with the Virus?" Rock crosses his arms at Rigger's question. "Are you suggesting we capture Double and interrogate him... or something else?"

Bowie lapses into silence at this point. Somehow, this seemed much simpler when he first contacted Double about this.

Michael Eildath ponders sourly. "Does Chinese water torture or anything involving pits and pendulums count as interrogation?"

"Yes," Rigger states while staring at Rock seriously enough. "That, or we could always as Proto to go... chat with him. He can be persuasive when he wants to be. And I know he does alot of the dirtier work that some of us like to keep our hands clean of."

Alia arrives from the Hunter HQ - Lift Station.

Alia has arrived.

Bowie's face falls into a scowl as he considers. He's still listening, but not yet ready to share his new thoughts.

Rock sees the scowl on Bowie's face. "Bowie, if you have something to say... say it." The original Maverick Hunter crosses his arms and nods at Rigger. "Yeah, Rigger. I'm aware of my brother's... skills, for lack of a better term. BUT Double isn't the type to easily submit. And he knows how to interrogate as well... and I'm willing to bet that means he knows how to defend against it."

Alia steps off the lift, now sporting just a few bandages on her exposed face, arms, and legs. However, she's still ambling along on the crutch Blues provided. She tosses the room a quick thumbs-up and smile as she hobbles over to her console.

"Then maybe we should give him the unexpected," Rigger murmers with a slight tilt of her head as she plants her hands on her hips squarely. "...Maybe I'm being a bit out of line but honestly. We're talking about giving a dangerous weapon to a known Maverick for some information? Even if the weapon *is* taken from a criminal to begin with..." Her thoughts are cut off rather sharply as Alia enters, and she glances over to look at the dispatcher with a quirk of an eyebrow. "...Oh bloody... Do I have to tie you guys down in the medbay these days?"

Bowie speaks up again at Rock's prompting. "Double's not a walkin database. Even if we catch him, ya thank we'll be able t'get the infermation outta him jus like that?" He begins to say something further, but Alia's entrance (and looking at her condition) interrupts him. "Shouldn't ya be in medbay, Miss Alia?"

Michael Eildath falls silent for a moment, thinking.

Alia looks at Rock, then looks at Rigger, perplexion causing her eyebrows to tilt upwards. Double? Weapons? "If this is an command staff meeting only, just give me a couple minutes to go grab some real reading materials and I'll be on my way."

Rock looks over as Alia walks in. "Alia, you should be in bed... You got hurt badly on that last mission. I'm gonna have Alloy look over the files. When you get cleared by med staff, you can give him a hand." Rock shakes his head gently. "Rigger, I don't think the ciphers are much more dangerous than anything else Sigma has had access to. But the information may allow us to crack the Virus..."

Rigger waves a hand a bit at Alia's remarks only to shake her head in negation of her question. "No, just something we all kind of stumbled into," she responds with a tired sigh. "Maybe so, Rock, but what's to guarantee he'll tell us anything once we give him what he wants? He's backstabbed us before. Or his predescessor did, at least."

Rock says, "I didn't say I was going to GIVE him the cipher, but I want some options."

Michael Eildath is silent, trying to keep his hatred of Double down so he doesn't suggest anything else he'll regret.

Bowie sighs quietly and gets back on track. "Look. This wus mah idea. Ah don't trust Double any father than Ah can throw him, he made sure he's the only person who knows this infermation. Otherwise, Ah wouldn't a gone this route. 'Sides," he adds, more quietly, "if may name's on that list, y'all might learn plenty jus by lookin at me."

Alia's brow switches from uptilt to downtilt. "It looks as if I stumbled into it too, Rigger." She hobbles over towards Bowie, and, standing wobbly on both legs, waves the crutch up and down at him. "We're giving a cipher to Double for exactly what list now?"

Rock's head whips around. "Bowie, WHY would you be on that list?"

Rigger ducks her head a little at Bowie's remarks. There was little she could do to argue that point, so she merely nods. "Alright. I still think... but alright." Looking up again at Alia she explains breifly, "The list of reploids 'ressurected' by Arcanum." That's all she says before falling silent to glance at Rock's reaction.

Bowie rubs the back of his neck, not quite meeting the commander's eyes. "Ah toldja whut happened t'me before Ah joined up with the Hunters." No question there. While he doesn't remember telling Rock, it was noted in his journal. "Thay had t'send me back to EIT t'save me. Miracle Ah lived, or so thay say. Arcanum is, or wus, a spinoff a EIT." His frown deepens again, but it's not directed at his friends and teammates. "Thare's no reason Ah should a lived through that. An now Ah wunner if Ah really did."

Alia wobbles a bit too much, but she's able to get her crutch back on solid ground before she falls over. "So we're going to give one of the super-duper mystical Strider superweapons to someone who makes a used hovervehicle salesman look trustworthy for this list. No offense, Bowie, but why would we - the Hunters as a whole - be interested in just who Arcanum resurrected? And that's given that the Maestro of the Siege of Repliforce Island actually deigns to give us the real list."

Rock says, "I'm more interested in how they did it... especially considering the two who had the Virus seemed to come back with it..."

Rigger rubs at her forehead again with a small sigh. "I wish I'd gotten better info when I was trying to get into Arcanum. Those memos were pretty useless."

Rock says, "Regardless, Bowie. You are a Hunter and you are the man you have always been. And I'm sure Kalinka would agree."

Michael Eildath frowns, finally speaking up again. "I just want to know who they've got. Regardless of King Dragon or Admiral's returns, I wouldn't want any of my old friends returning from the grave... especially in Maverick hands."

Bowie says "Ah know. It doesn't matter whether Ah'm the real Bowie or not. But if Ah am a clone, then thare might be other ones that we don't know about." His gaze shifts to Alia. "That's why Ah thought all the Hunters would want this infermation. It's not jus about me, it's about people that might a got resurrected, with no one knowin, an now doin lord knows whut."

Rock says, "Well, Rigger... get us those pictures... and we will get the Hunters after the Red Striders. I'm going to bed."

Rock has disconnected.

Alia's jaw offsets. "Putting it that way, yes, I can see the value. But this is still Double we're dealing with here. If it was Sigma or Ballade making the offer, I'd consider it. But I have no faith in Double. We're just asking for trouble." She pauses for a moment. "I just rhymed. OK, I think I'm going to head off to bed now myself..."

Michael Eildath hehs. "Have a good night's rest, then..." He frowns. "I just can't get the image of Noise... or Seminole... being brought back out of my head..."

Bowie nods to Rock and Alia. "Good night." Once they leave, the Texan walks over to fix himself a cup of coffee. He needs it. "Never said this wus one a mah better ideas."

Alia has disconnected.

Rigger sighs quietly as the others leave, casting a glance over towards Bowie. "We'll take care of it, somehow."

Bowie fixes his coffee in silence. The jury's still out on whether he feels better for having finally voiced his fear.

Michael Eildath looks at Bowie, and smiles. "Whatever we find out, we can deal with it... okay?"

Bowie forces a thin smile, one that never reaches his eyes. "Ah know. Ah jus hope we learn somethang useful out a all this."

Michael Eildath nods. "Me, too... me too."

Bowie says "Miss Rigger, if any a yer Strider contacts tell ya anythang, wouldja let me know? Ah'd still druther handle this by mahself, if Ah can."

Rigger dips her head a little in acknowledgement though she seems reluctant to do so. "I will," she assures. "But I can't promise anything. Like I said they've got their own plates full right now."

Michael Eildath nods.

Bowie takes his recyleable cup and walks towards the lift. "Thank Ah'll go out t'the beach. Get some air. G'night."

Michael Eildath waves. "Night, Bowie..."