Sound of Silence, chapter 2: "Dissonance"
 

(OOC, I jumped forward in the story a little, just to make sure we're not stuck in the "opening" forever)

Reena woke up with a sharp pain in her head. Looking around, she observed that she was in some sort of office with a few other unconcious people, "Where am I?" She wondered, trying to remember how she had gotten here. Her head reeled as she remembered sitting at home when a group of police had broken into her house. She had just been asking about the meaning of what they were doing when one hit her in the back of the head with his baton, and now she was here.

The barred door of the room opened as some larger people brought in a big group of unconcious people and threw them to the floor. Reena glanced at the new group and realized that they were all people who had been at the bar that night. <Is there some kind of connection?>


The group who had followed the secretary in the hospital were disarmed, then greeted with several bodyguards armed with guns and needles of anesthetic.

(OOC: I know that not all of you were with the group in the hospital, but with some people dropping out, it was hard to keep track of where everyone was. In any case, you were captured and disarmed somehow, either be being followed and people breaking into your home like what happened to Reena, or some other way.)

"Uh... what happened? It felt like a car ran over me, but I'd be dead if that happened. Huh? The hospital? Why did someone... right the man. I can't belive there was another attack." Flashback:"Gr... why did he kill them they had pain for months. Then when they come out they have a few hours to live." Meanwhile... "Muhahaha! My plan is perfect. You'll come in a matter of years, but you'll come." Flashback stopped. "I will get him, but first I'll see if the man is ok."

Pontius rubbed his head and blinked. There was the feeling of a tremendous ache both on the back of his skull and three inches behind his eyes, and he almost squeezed the latter shut from the pain. Then, as he managed to get the agony under control, he looked arund, trying to make some sense of where he was.

Glazed eyes focused on a woman who appeared to have regained consciousness around the same time as him, and in a weak, thready voice, he asked, "Dammit to hell, girl, what the hell happened...?"

"I don't know..." Reena said quietly, "The last thing I remember is police breaking into my house and knocking me out," She said, rubbing the back of her head where a small lump was growing, "And then here I am, wherever 'here' is..."

"Huh!" Ziff's voice became softer. "It's them from the bar, but why are they here? Better ask." Ziff raised his voice. "How come you are here? Unless it's the work that their trying to do and trust me I don't know who they are so don't ask."

"Least you still 'member where you were 'fore they gotcha, I don't know anythin' beyond this cell... "

He shook his head, but any lingering scraps of memories refused to be dislodged.

"Man... this sucks... oh, my name's Pontius. Don't ask me how I remember that, but I just know."

He reached a hand over to Reena in friendship.

Reena glanced at the other man who was awake, "I don't know why we're here, but it seems like everyone who was at the bar is here." She said, glancing around before reaching out her hand to shake Pontius's outstreched hand, "My name's Reena. I own a store in the lower sector."

"Names I not know stealing is what I do. You do not need to know my name though. So it must be them. Damn. If they... you say you can't remember anything but your name. So their here if they infected everyone here... wait I can remember. He's still on his bet that I'll join him. Hahahahaha! That fool I'll kill him before he does anymore damage. If you're infected you probably have 20 hours left to life. Unless you only got knocked unconsious." Ziff thought for a while. "Well if you still don't know where you are you're in the hospital."

"Nice to meet you, Reena."

He looked around the room, and his eyebrow went up in studied surprise.

"Who all are these people here?"

Ziff lowered his voice. "They don't hear me. Am I dead? Did they get to me? No bother I'll tell them my name." Ziff raised his voice. "I'm Ziff ex-cop and part-time thief. I tell you I'm a thief because if you tell the cops I will escape again and kill you."