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xp_logs2006-10-24 06:23 pm
x-scarletwitch.livejournal.com) wrote in xp_logs2006-10-24 06:23 pm
Mission Flesh Mechanic: Hitting the Books
Back at the hotel, Amanda and Wanda put their heads together for some good old fashioned research. Things do take a turn for the frustrating, though.
"No internal organs at all..." 'Organs' was next. Amanda paused and wrinkled her nose. " Which is completely disgusting, by the way. Um, any thing else I'm missing?"
"Where did the woman appear again?" Wanda asked, reaching over to rifle through a stack of papers on the bed. "Port of Archangel, yes, that's right. Is there anything special about it?" She sighed. "Why on earth can't the magical community print a version of Frommers or Lonely Planet? All of your magical hotspots in one easy to read, and entertaining, hand book."
Amanda wrote down 'Mystical Sites?' on the paper, snorting a little. "Didn't you know? Magic users like making you chase things up for hours in dusty old books. Tho' 's not a bad idea for us later, some sort of database? Doug could help." She scrawled 'Government' there as well, after a moment's thought. "We'll have to check and see if the Ruskies have been fooling around with mystical shite, make sure they haven't been trying to make a better bomb through demonology or something?" she suggested.
The idea of a database certainly caught Wanda's attention. "We would either be the darlings of the magicians or their worst nightmare…or probably a bit of both. But we should explore that idea and, besides, it might just force my darling boyfriend into realizing it really is the 21st century and that computers are not going anywhere." Opening up her worn out satchel, she finally found an actual guide book for Russia. "Arkhangelsk, interesting place but I do not know if the location mattered or if it was random. Despite the name, I have a hard time believing that this might have anything to do with religion."
Amanda had stopped sniggering every time Wanda referred to Strange being her boyfriend, but it was a close thing. "Well, considering we keep coming across this sort of thing, a database of the world's magical hotspots would be handy. Maybe a map with the ley lines included too?" But that was going slightly off-track. Capping the marker and plopping down on the bed next to Wanda (and then pulling a book out from under her butt with a grimace), she considered the older woman's words. "'S one of those names that sounds religious but isn't really," she agreed. "Like Angel Station in London's Tube system. I can go through the stuff on my PDA, tho', see if there's any history of weird shite happening there."
"Good idea." Tapping the book in irritation, Wanda continued, "Is any of this adding up to you? A woman who is not x-factor positive suddenly teleports—or is relocated—to a place that is nowhere near where she started from. On top of that, she's crazed and very different than when she started out. On one hand, the Russian government seems too pragmatic to get involved in magic. On the other, there was a time when they would have tried anything to reach their goals. Who can really tell if those ideas have gone away or simply evolved?"
Amanda frowned, thinking things through. "Well, there's a couple of things..." she began, and jumped up again with her marker . "Golems," she said, writing the word on the paper in red this time. "Usually they're something that's made, a sort of magical robot I suppose you could call it. Controlled by the sacred words you put inside their heads. Takes a metric fuckload of power to make one, let alone 'port it across a country. Could be someone's worked out how to make one out of people."
"Missing internal organs aside, that is disgusting. How much power, though, are we talking about here?" Getting up, she stood next to Amanda, studying the map that had been posted up as well. "Here is Chernyakhoskoye and here is where the woman ended up…nearly two thousand miles away. That's an incredible distance but we cannot assume that it was done in just one jump. Was there any damage or other sightings of our friend on her way to this city?"
Amanda grabbed one of the many sheaths of documents and flipped through it, glad for the trained memory that meant she could usually remember where she'd read something. "Not according to Doug and Mark," she said, scanning over the printout or the boys' media and archive trawlings so far. "Nothing weird between the two places at all, no sightings. She just appeared and starting destroying shite." Tossing the file back onto the small rickety table, she shrugged. "As for power... you're looking at something major. Either a site with the oomph of a Stonehenge, or something other-worldly, like Asgard or an Elder God. Cyttorak or your mate Cthton." It wasn't said maliciously - Amanda knew Wanda understood her casual patterns of speech. "But something like that would have triggered every sensitive on the Continent, and there's been nothing on the discussion lists. I can get Rom to put her ear to the ground, see if there's any rumours of a new kid on the block?"
"Yes, Rom would be our best source and I'll contact Stephen to see if he's noticed anything unusual going on in Russia as well. Doubtful but leave no stone unturned, etc etc etc. Hrm. Any mystical spots in-between these two locations?" Once again, doubtful. Wanda was a quick study, even on something as odd as magic, but she wasn't one who could use magic or had been studying the occult and all it's trappings for very long. Thankfully, it seemed that good old plain research was needed just as much as actual use of magic these days.
Scribbling 'call Rom' on the paper next to 'Golems' and drawing an arrow pointing to it, Amanda hrmed. "I don't think so, but I'd have to check" she replied, making another note. "This part of the world is a bit of a blank spot - there's not a lot of records on that sort of thing." Which was another reason why that database was looking to be a better and better idea. She wrinkled her nose in thought. "Ask Strange if there's anything in the way of relics, too. Asia's more his thing, but he does like the old dusty lump of something-or-other that claims to be Cthulu's left ball and have the power to sink cities. Something like that would have the oomph to power a flesh golem. Maybe. If it was really old and special."
Trying not to laugh was proving difficult—she'd seen the thing Amanda was talking about and, really, she was in agreement with her. "Old and special," Wanda repeated, making a mental note to drop Stephen a line soon. "I wish we could have gotten a look at the body ourselves, it certainly would have been useful…"
Amanda made a face. Bodies, ew. Especially ones with no insides. "Too hard to get us in there. Sofia promised to get us thorough photos," she reminded Wanda. "And I asked very nicely, with please and thank you and all that bollocks for her to look for marks on the skin. Since sometimes you get demon hosting happening." And with that she wrote 'Demons' underneath 'Golems'. "Pretty rare, but you do sometimes get demons taking over a person, giving them super strength and the like. But there's always some kind of mark left behind, like a fingerprint. Or a bit of graffitti. 'I woz 'ere', that sort of thing."
"Too bad we can't give Sofia anything that would sense out "magical woobies"," Wanda said with a grin. "Complete with official technical term and everything. But either this was magic and it left a mark…or magic so powerful that, well, even if we did see the body it would not really matter. If that makes any sense."
"Since 'woobie' is such a technical term," Amanda teased. She recapped her marker, tapping it against her chin. "But you're right. If it's a demon, there'll be a mark. If there's no demon, then it's something with a hell of a lot of oomph and someone in magic circles would have noticed it." She sighed. "Too bad I don't have the old knack for sensing out mystic energy - I could have figured it out in two minutes." Tossing the marker on the table, she regarded her boss. "So, I call Rom and then you call Strange? I can hide in the bathroom with the research and my headphones if you want to talk dirty to him." The last was said with a straight face, but an unholy glee glimmered in her eyes. She did so love teasing Wanda about her relationship.
"Now that you mention it, it has been a very long time since I've seen him," Wanda responded with a quirked smile. There was never any question of her being able to take it and then dish it back out. "You might want to get something to eat while you're in the bathroom..."
"Yuck." Amanda grinned, pretending disgust. "Old people sex."
"Where did the woman appear again?" Wanda asked, reaching over to rifle through a stack of papers on the bed. "Port of Archangel, yes, that's right. Is there anything special about it?" She sighed. "Why on earth can't the magical community print a version of Frommers or Lonely Planet? All of your magical hotspots in one easy to read, and entertaining, hand book."
Amanda wrote down 'Mystical Sites?' on the paper, snorting a little. "Didn't you know? Magic users like making you chase things up for hours in dusty old books. Tho' 's not a bad idea for us later, some sort of database? Doug could help." She scrawled 'Government' there as well, after a moment's thought. "We'll have to check and see if the Ruskies have been fooling around with mystical shite, make sure they haven't been trying to make a better bomb through demonology or something?" she suggested.
The idea of a database certainly caught Wanda's attention. "We would either be the darlings of the magicians or their worst nightmare…or probably a bit of both. But we should explore that idea and, besides, it might just force my darling boyfriend into realizing it really is the 21st century and that computers are not going anywhere." Opening up her worn out satchel, she finally found an actual guide book for Russia. "Arkhangelsk, interesting place but I do not know if the location mattered or if it was random. Despite the name, I have a hard time believing that this might have anything to do with religion."
Amanda had stopped sniggering every time Wanda referred to Strange being her boyfriend, but it was a close thing. "Well, considering we keep coming across this sort of thing, a database of the world's magical hotspots would be handy. Maybe a map with the ley lines included too?" But that was going slightly off-track. Capping the marker and plopping down on the bed next to Wanda (and then pulling a book out from under her butt with a grimace), she considered the older woman's words. "'S one of those names that sounds religious but isn't really," she agreed. "Like Angel Station in London's Tube system. I can go through the stuff on my PDA, tho', see if there's any history of weird shite happening there."
"Good idea." Tapping the book in irritation, Wanda continued, "Is any of this adding up to you? A woman who is not x-factor positive suddenly teleports—or is relocated—to a place that is nowhere near where she started from. On top of that, she's crazed and very different than when she started out. On one hand, the Russian government seems too pragmatic to get involved in magic. On the other, there was a time when they would have tried anything to reach their goals. Who can really tell if those ideas have gone away or simply evolved?"
Amanda frowned, thinking things through. "Well, there's a couple of things..." she began, and jumped up again with her marker . "Golems," she said, writing the word on the paper in red this time. "Usually they're something that's made, a sort of magical robot I suppose you could call it. Controlled by the sacred words you put inside their heads. Takes a metric fuckload of power to make one, let alone 'port it across a country. Could be someone's worked out how to make one out of people."
"Missing internal organs aside, that is disgusting. How much power, though, are we talking about here?" Getting up, she stood next to Amanda, studying the map that had been posted up as well. "Here is Chernyakhoskoye and here is where the woman ended up…nearly two thousand miles away. That's an incredible distance but we cannot assume that it was done in just one jump. Was there any damage or other sightings of our friend on her way to this city?"
Amanda grabbed one of the many sheaths of documents and flipped through it, glad for the trained memory that meant she could usually remember where she'd read something. "Not according to Doug and Mark," she said, scanning over the printout or the boys' media and archive trawlings so far. "Nothing weird between the two places at all, no sightings. She just appeared and starting destroying shite." Tossing the file back onto the small rickety table, she shrugged. "As for power... you're looking at something major. Either a site with the oomph of a Stonehenge, or something other-worldly, like Asgard or an Elder God. Cyttorak or your mate Cthton." It wasn't said maliciously - Amanda knew Wanda understood her casual patterns of speech. "But something like that would have triggered every sensitive on the Continent, and there's been nothing on the discussion lists. I can get Rom to put her ear to the ground, see if there's any rumours of a new kid on the block?"
"Yes, Rom would be our best source and I'll contact Stephen to see if he's noticed anything unusual going on in Russia as well. Doubtful but leave no stone unturned, etc etc etc. Hrm. Any mystical spots in-between these two locations?" Once again, doubtful. Wanda was a quick study, even on something as odd as magic, but she wasn't one who could use magic or had been studying the occult and all it's trappings for very long. Thankfully, it seemed that good old plain research was needed just as much as actual use of magic these days.
Scribbling 'call Rom' on the paper next to 'Golems' and drawing an arrow pointing to it, Amanda hrmed. "I don't think so, but I'd have to check" she replied, making another note. "This part of the world is a bit of a blank spot - there's not a lot of records on that sort of thing." Which was another reason why that database was looking to be a better and better idea. She wrinkled her nose in thought. "Ask Strange if there's anything in the way of relics, too. Asia's more his thing, but he does like the old dusty lump of something-or-other that claims to be Cthulu's left ball and have the power to sink cities. Something like that would have the oomph to power a flesh golem. Maybe. If it was really old and special."
Trying not to laugh was proving difficult—she'd seen the thing Amanda was talking about and, really, she was in agreement with her. "Old and special," Wanda repeated, making a mental note to drop Stephen a line soon. "I wish we could have gotten a look at the body ourselves, it certainly would have been useful…"
Amanda made a face. Bodies, ew. Especially ones with no insides. "Too hard to get us in there. Sofia promised to get us thorough photos," she reminded Wanda. "And I asked very nicely, with please and thank you and all that bollocks for her to look for marks on the skin. Since sometimes you get demon hosting happening." And with that she wrote 'Demons' underneath 'Golems'. "Pretty rare, but you do sometimes get demons taking over a person, giving them super strength and the like. But there's always some kind of mark left behind, like a fingerprint. Or a bit of graffitti. 'I woz 'ere', that sort of thing."
"Too bad we can't give Sofia anything that would sense out "magical woobies"," Wanda said with a grin. "Complete with official technical term and everything. But either this was magic and it left a mark…or magic so powerful that, well, even if we did see the body it would not really matter. If that makes any sense."
"Since 'woobie' is such a technical term," Amanda teased. She recapped her marker, tapping it against her chin. "But you're right. If it's a demon, there'll be a mark. If there's no demon, then it's something with a hell of a lot of oomph and someone in magic circles would have noticed it." She sighed. "Too bad I don't have the old knack for sensing out mystic energy - I could have figured it out in two minutes." Tossing the marker on the table, she regarded her boss. "So, I call Rom and then you call Strange? I can hide in the bathroom with the research and my headphones if you want to talk dirty to him." The last was said with a straight face, but an unholy glee glimmered in her eyes. She did so love teasing Wanda about her relationship.
"Now that you mention it, it has been a very long time since I've seen him," Wanda responded with a quirked smile. There was never any question of her being able to take it and then dish it back out. "You might want to get something to eat while you're in the bathroom..."
"Yuck." Amanda grinned, pretending disgust. "Old people sex."