Link’s let the cat out of the bag about Orson’s situation and Markesha is suddenly feeling very locked in.

Orson’s onboarding process for a new agent usually begins with a one-on-one conversation in a quiet location. This talk includes topics such as payment plan, security procedure, safeguards, and mission objectives.  If and when the recruit agrees, only then does the work of outfitting and training the new agent begin. Should the recruit refuse the job Orson takes swift measures to insure his projects continued secrecy.

Arguments and introducing exotic technology to skittish rookies are always a great combination.

Due to the C-Amp Silk material the suit is made of tailoring cannot be accomplished through the usual scissor, needle and thread affair. The best way to modify a suit like the one Markesha’s wearing is to use heat. Tailoring has had to be done in the past, so Audrey gathered an industrial laser cutter, large calipers, an adjustable wrench and a questionable power source to create the perfect tailoring tool. The cutter emits a bright hot beam of energy that simultaneously cuts and cauterizes the fabric closed. Thankfully the material of the suit dissipates the heat well enough that residual burns aren’t a problem.

Audrey flubs an apology to Markesha, but (thankfully?) Link interrupts by dropping a bombshell.

The suit that Markesha’s wearing is made of a material called Carbon Ampullate Silk (or C-Amp Silk for short). This fabric is unique in the source of it’s base materials for thread – carbon fiber, and artificial spider silk. C-Amp Silk is highly prized and extremely expensive due to the complex and long process of creating it’s unique fibers. The material is versatile in uses as it’s lightweight, stretchy, 98% waterproof and able to absorb energy. These properties make for a perfect battle uniform.

Unfortunately the last suit the team has on hand is flawed, and served as a testing ground for integrating Audrey’s tech into the suit. The artificial spider silk is a lower quality which made it easier to modify for testing, but less of a perfect candidate for Orson’s recruits. The last remaining suit is shrapnel resistant at best, but it’d be a stretch to call it bullet proof.

Orson’s window for contact is closing and his team is torn on what to do.

The panic code protocol Orson operates under has a two hour wait-time built in to prevent another form of panic making things worse.  Experience has taught him that giving the agent time to solve things themselves also prevents the support team from rushing headlong into danger unprepared. The way Orson sees it, two hours gives the support team time to adequately prepare for a rescue, or to fully determine that a rescue isn’t worth the effort.  The two hour wait has not been a popular part of the protocol with the team members under Orson’s command.

With Markesha distracted by the suit, Audrey and Link debate what to do about Orson.

When a panic code is initiated the comm-line for that person goes dark and the only thing left functioning is the tracer. To the novice intelligence agent this feature may seem counter-intuitive, however there’s a very good reason communication is severed. Let’s say that an agent is captured and their comm-line still functions. An at-risk agent takes a large risk communicating with their team on the comm-line. On one hand talking to oneself is an immediate give away and on the other hand, the instant an enemy realizes what’s going on the entire team is now at risk of exposure. In Orson’s mind it’s preferable to leave a captive agent in the dark than risk your entire operation. The less a captive knows about their potential extraction or total abandonment, the better.

Link and Audrey need to talk, but they can’t do that in front of Markesha. Time for a convenient distraction!

Snoop around in Audrey’s workspace for half a second and you’ll notice a large box labeled “A Repara.” Full of all manner of objects and all of them broken. A habit picked up from helping in her mother’s repair shop, whenever Audrey finds an item in need of repair it goes into the box. When an item is finally repaired it’s returned to its owner, given away or sold. This box can be almost a time capsule of the team’s past, as some objects found inside have belonged to past recruits. Many of the things belonging to past recruits have remained broken, as Audrey has always struggled to bring herself to repair an item she cannot return to its owner.

It’s a very special update: Four years ago from today, we launched Kamikaze! Thank you all so much for the fantastic journey so far.  Here’s a special video message from Alan:

Link and Markesha share a moment that leaves them both unnerved.
Continue reading Pg. 9: Funny Feeling

Audrey and Link try to keep things cool. We’ll see how long that lasts…

 
Continue reading Pg. 8: Numbing the Agent

Logan has Constance in a corner, but she’s not interested in his power play.

Continue reading Pg. 7: Real Power