the_last_resort | Agent K

[Narvin had difficulty getting close to the site of the explosions. When it first occurred, he tried to rush to the site of the attack, but found himself unaccountably unable to go there. He would freeze up, or run in tight circles, or flee, or shake his head like his mind was thrown into senseless chaos and panic.

But this time nothing happens. As Narvin treks down to the blast area he wonders if the terrorists had also set up a psychic weapon of some sort, something that only affects telepaths and had now been powered down.

He spots Kay and walks to his side, careful to keep his distance from the scanner's range so as not to interfere with its readings.]

Anything?

[He shakes his head, but he doesn't take his eyes off the readings.] Everything's the same. Just faded a little, but that's to be expected from class 1 explosions. Really this was pretty minor and I don't see why a terrorist would aim for the fence unless they were hoping that some of the spiders would get in.

But most of the people here are pretty used to the spiders and can deal with 'em. They're not that big a deal. A few getting in, with our security, wouldn't fuck up a conference.

So I don't know. It doesn't make sense.

[He stands up. Narvin's not security, but from what he'd gathered he'd been around terrorists before and he did offer to come out and see if he could find anything. Not that it did him much good at the time.]

[Narvin gives a small but visible shudder at the mention of spiders getting it. He'd rather come face to face with terrorist mad bombers than with spiders.]

It might have been a...[He thinks for a moment to find the proper English idiom.]...shot across the bow. Something that wasn't intended to do much damage, but to put us on edge, show us that they're out there and have successfully smuggled in weapons that could do considerable damage. Just a threat alone can sometimes create disruption, breed mistrust. [He thinks of Gryben, and the threat of a timeonic fusion device that turned out to be nothing but empty circuits once history was put back into place.]

Do you think the Blood Pack might be involved? As the supplier, if nothing else.

[Once Kay stops scanning, Narvin walks a few steps closer. He has to look up at Kay now that Kay's fully upright.]

Oh, and another thing, can your scanner pick up residual psychic displacement?

Edited (fixing for consistency of action/location. And typo.) 2014-06-26 21:30 (UTC)

Not unless they have shit that hasn't been invented in this universe. Which uh... makes it less relevant to them and more relevant to who might have hired them 'cause they didn't like the subject matter of the talks.

I can't really say more, though. For obvious reasons. [He does fish around in his pockets for another scanner, though.]

Sure, I'll have a look around for you, though. Why do you wonder?

[Narvin lets that go because *he* isn't sure he likes the subject of the talks either. But he definitely didn't hire someone to blow up a fence over it. Still, he's used to people blaming him whenever something nefarious happens, so he feels it's better to say nothing and try to avoid calling suspicion upon himself.

He focuses instead on the issue of psychic residue.]

When I tried to examine the area before, something stopped me. It was as if my senses were turned against me and instead of going towards the explosion site, I was compelled to run away from it.

Can you better describe how it felt?

[Kay is reading over something on the new device he's pulled out. The language isn't English. Or any language Narvin would immediately be familiar with. Whatever it is, Kay is following it without having any trouble.]

But no, there's nothin' on here that would register as an extra-sensory external neural impulse.

It's difficult to explain. [Narvin cranes his neck to nosily try to read over Kay's shoulder. His lips purse in disappointment when he's unable to read the display.]

It was as if something was telling me that I should be anywhere but near here. Not in words, just an impulse. An...instinct. [He's reluctant to use the word "instinct." He does things according to reason, to logic, not gut feelings. But it's the most accurate way he could think of to describe the overriding sensation.]

[It is unfortunately the turn of phrase Kay clues in on, and finally his gaze turns sharply from the device to Narvin (even if he doesn't move his head).]

Instinct.

[He squints.] What other strong corporeal senses do you have?

[Narvin is taken aback by Kay's sudden focus on him. And by what seems to him a bit of a non sequitur, although the way Kay says it Narvin's thinks that he's following a very clear train of thought, just not one Narvin himself is privy to yet.]

We have a large number of time senses, many of which are fairly rare in sentient species. We're also very sensitive to sensations of motion and gravity. I can feel the gravitational pull of this planet, and the moon above, and all of us spinning through space. We also possess a keen sense of taste compared to many races, to the degree that if I really needed to I could detect the specific chemical composition of soil residue by taste alone, although doing so is uncouth. Not to mention it tastes rather disgusting. Our sense of smell is likewise strong, as taste and smell are tied together.

[He ends with a shrug, wondering if any of that was helpful for the hypothesis Kay is pursuing.]

Do you know if your evolutionary base was pack hunters? Meat eaters?

[He doesn't yet know what a sensitive subject this is. But it's a... decent lead. It means if security takes a dog of some sort with them, or someone descended from carnivores with similar attributes, it could come in useful. It might lead them to the cause quicker than any of his scanners.]

[Narvin purses his lips, then clears his throat, then looks away for a while before answering, trying to decide whether he *should* answer. In the end he concludes that catching the possible terrorists is more important than pride.]

Yes, although we don't speak of it much. Some scientists speculate that our telepathy first evolved as a function of pack communication. And there are some...aspects of our digestive system that...ah...indicate a carnivorous evolutionary heritage. [It's terribly embarrassing for a species that makes a great show out of being peaceful and abhorring violence as barbaric to admit that their ancestors hunted down other life forms and devoured them.]

Edited (typo) 2014-06-29 10:45 (UTC)

Could come in kinda handy. If you can tell when they're comin' like the other pack hunters, maybe it'll help to have someone around that can actually say, "Hey guys I'm feeling uneasy."

Especially, I notice, since you've been wantin' to stick your nose in the investigation pretty hard.

[He doesn't know if that means Narvin is involved or not. The intensity of his interest is a little suspicious, as his behaving as if he has the right to know.]

Speaking of what you mentioned earlier, what would happen if you tasted this dirt? [Another genuine question.]

[Narvin grows tense at Kay pointing out that he noticed Narvin's interest in the investigation.]

Force of habit. I used to sometimes serve as a consultant for investigations of this nature when the Chancellery Guard needed a specialist in technical matters.

[Best lie he can do on short notice.]

Anything to get this matter settled quickly.

[At Kay's question, he glances at the dirt, then back up at Kay.]

I would spit it out again immediately.

But, if there were traces of unusual chemicals in the area, I would probably taste it.

Well, if you give it a try it'll be our dirty little secret. [Yes, yes he did just make that joke. And it's an awful joke and somewhere someone's heart panged in pain. But the cruel, unwavering agent that Kay is means that he doesn't even blink in the face of his own reprehensible humor.]

[He steps back from the site, putting away the psychic scanner. That didn't yield much of anything.]

[Narvin stares at him a few seconds, wondering if he really meant to say that or if it was an unconscious slip. No, he's pretty sure Kay meant to say that.]

I'm glad no one else was around to hear that. [Narvin has a strong constitution. He can take it. Being around Braxiatel so often inoculated him to wordplay and puns.]

All right, I'll do it.

But don't look. It's...embarrassing.

Fair enough.

[He turns his back on Narvin, jamming his hands in his pockets like it's the most casual of things. He's not ignoring a man about to stick dirt in his mouth, nope!]

[He doesn't want to admit it, but it's the fact that Narvin looks very human that does make this a little weird to watch. He's glad to turn around.]

[Narvin crouches down, pinches up a dirt sample between his thumb and fingers, and, before he can think too much about what else might be in forest dirt, drops it in his mouth.

He mouths it for a good two nanospans to make sure he gets a full and proper taste, then spits it out. Afterwards, he makes ample sounds of disgust with much tongue smacking and licking the air like it will take the taste of dirt away.]

[Kay turns around upon hearing that, hands still in his pocket.]

Any luck, Sunshine?

[Narvin hurriedly sticks his tongue back in his mouth when Kay turns around.]

There's higher than expected amounts of potassium nitrate, some kind of concentrated carbon that's unfamiliar to me, and...[His mouth twists]...sulfur.

Other than that it's the usual decayed plant and animal material, and various trace minerals.

Concentrated carbon... [He says out loud thoughtfully.] Gunpowder.

[And, if pressed, these things can be naturally produced by something. Stored in a body. That's bothersome. Hell, the spider itself could have gone off if rigged.]

Gives me somethin' to think about. Thank you for your time.

[He starts to walk by him, patting him on the shoulder.]

[Narvin jumps at the pat on the shoulder, not expecting it. Then trots to keep up with Kay as he starts to walk by.]

What's your theory?

[All full of pestering curiosity here.]

Not one I'm at liberty to share. [He says simply, putting his hand back in his pockets.] Don't wanna get too far ahead of myself. Too much speculation can lead to stupid mistakes.

I see. Very well then. [He doesn't like it, isn't used to being denied information, but he can't force Kay to share his theory. But it doesn't stop him from asking questions.]

I wonder if the associated caninoid agitation is an unintentional side effect of either the method of explosion or the species who set the bomb, or if it was an anti-dog whistle of some sort to keep guard dogs away.

[Just going to talk about that like he's not included in this category of caninoids.]

Ever heard of something called the "Infrasonic 17 Hz tone experiment"? It's a test humans did on infrasound based on our own range of audible sound wavelengths.

[There's no harm in making conversation, and while it seems a little like a deviation from topic he does plan to bring it around.]

No, I haven't. I'm aware that humans have fairly keen hearing as far as intelligent species goes, but my knowledge of Terran science on the matter is limited.

What is it?

[Relevant or not, now Narvin's curious.]

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I will stop editing eventually, I swear!

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