Seeing Grexas move to a nearby table trying not to draw attention to himself, Mc Gruffy, the barman, greets him with a loud "Hallo Grexas!", and the middle aged woman brings him his usual drink. Some of the patrons lift their mugs to toast the known man in the bar.
The gaunt man turns to him and smiles a treacherous smile. He waits by the door for the other strangers; he wonders at Zajeyu coming in to the bar, then walking past him; Do they not think that I already know who they are? The thin gaunt man thinks to himself, a bit weary at seeing Zajeyou stroll in to the bar and walk around a bit, apparently trying to gather as much info as he can, no doubt about him. The gaunt man can hear some one in a table telling him that they do not know who that skinny fellow is, but he might come from them highlanders; there is trouble brweing there, the drunkard had said to Zajeyu, The Magistrate of the Atholl Highlanders, in the Atholl Commune, accepts high bribes for exceptions and favors when dealing with mutants. They say he is a mutant himself. No wonder then they are all running from that dratted place.
Then, the thin gaunt man rises his head and smiles at Nosko, his eyes are tired and reddish. Mr. Quickfoot loks in to those eyes and decides to walk in to atable with him.
The atmosphere of the bar shifts and it feels more tense as they do. The gaunt man speaks to Nosko: "I was hoping that more of you got my transmission, but I thank you for coming. this will both save you and me our very lives and souls. Ill try to use the Solar Transmiter reciever once more, to get a hold of some of the others, please take a seat" He says with a smile on his face, then waited for the devices on the mutants present in the bar start to crackle. They both head back to a table.
In the corner of the bar that was not properly lit, Zajeyu from the bar, manages to catch a glimpse of cold steel under a man's jacket. a man sitting in the dark apaprently purposefully.
On his table, Grexas kicks himself under the table for failing at his attempted subtelty before standing and moving over to join the gaunt man and his fellow. Grexas looks him over trying to get an idea of his intent; then he rearranges his tail under his long hooded jacket, hoping no one notices it and wrapping it around the grip of his gun. He then introduces himself at the two men. "Grexas Stormborn, I believe you some how have my frequency and contacted me". Then the other man in the table speaks up. "Nosko Quickfoot here, and I too was contacted, was it you?" Both mutants turn to the gaunt man. He looks them over in silence, placing his transmitter on the table. "Await, some instants or not, if thee see fit, for mischief is afoot; and we may yet will be joined by consanguine of thee." Grexas and Nosko stare at each other, exchanging confused and worried looks. "Pardon me but..." Grexas begins, "shh..." interrupts the strange thin man and nods at the bar, where they could see a man grasping a tonfa stick from under his jacket.
Noticing that the man in the darkened corner was packing a weapon, and he looks like the type that wouldn't want to talk and he seems to have an interest in the two men on the table sitting with Nosko, Zajeyu cautiously approaches him in to the shadows, after all, Nosko was somewhat of a friend of his, and this here bar has been peaceful, even when that Grexas character gets smashed on whiskey. With Tonfa in hand, he reaches the man in the corner, grabs him by the collar of his jacket and start demanding answers: "What business does an armed man has sitting in the corner of the bar In my peaceful commune?, Answer now if you will not be beaten senseless by this here friend of mine" he screams waving his tonfa stick.
Nosko and Grexzas realize that the man Zajeyu is threatening is not alone. Waving his tonfa, he has not noticed that from the shadows, another two men emerge their pimple ridden, flabby white faces, the sound of a crossbow being pulled can be heard. "Look alive!" screams Nosko after his friend and then turns to the strange man with the pale face, "you will tell me how do you know who I am." he says before getting up from his table.
Zajeyu, with Tonfa in hand looks about him, not sure what to do when he realizes he is in the sights of a mean looking crossbow. The man he was intimidating with a tonfa started to shout back at him "Listen here buddy, were paid to do this and its got nothing to do with you, so you better back off! It's not our fault they want this guy there dead! And you will be soon too for the look of things if you do not let me go right now and start walking out!"
Realizing his life would be in danger if he were to try and engage the men in combat. Zajeyu begins to form another plan of action. He might try and reason with the men hoping to find if they are after him and the others he entered with. Curious about the man's statement he lets go of him, and arranges the man 's tattered collar. then with a very diplomatic voice he begins to ask "Gentlemen maybe we could settle this in a civil manner without resorting to violence, now would you be kind enough to explain what you meant by "we were paid to do this?""
Nosko stands next to his table, ready to help his friend if needed. Behind him, he could hear that Grexas character talking; "So answer, who are you and how do you know us, I can tell you mean us no harm, I'm funny that way, but you better start spilling the beans my friend." When speaking, Grexas stared at this weird man, and could not help to feel that he was in dire need; also, he sensed dome sort of hidden power, like this thin scrap of a man could kill him with his thumb, if he wished it or was inclined to do so. After a brief pause, the man that had contacted, apparently all of them, begins to speak ; "I just know who you all are by name, not faces. My name is Armande" Grexas thought there was a lie in there somewhere. Nosko turns from the situation at the corner and turn to the two talking men.
Armande carefully takes off a small leather satchel he was wearing around his torso, and places it on the table. He caresses the brown leather and starts to take something out of it, while speaking to Grexas; his voice is grave and there is a glimmer in his eye, a sternness and a strangeness about him that sends the feeling that you should be careful with this person, "As I said in the transmission I sent, we know what you are," he lowers his voice and uses a strong emphasis on the word, that sends shivers down Grexas' spine, "mutants. And you have been targeted already, I know this. LOBOs and the Seven Pure are coming for you". He glances around the bar. Another song starts to play on the juke box, a romance ballad. Behind him, at the back of the bar in the shadowy corner, the middle age woman starts dancing to the song next to a table with two men in it, they seemed for a moment to be looking very intently at Armande then pretended to pay attention to the dancing girl.
"And", he continues, "you have also the attention of those who can resist the incoming tide! And they will need your… talents, so to speak. There are an incredible number of mutations, all of them degenerative, horrible to contemplate. And its happening very fast. But also there are those whose mutations provide them with certain new opportunities and ways of life." He pauses for a moment. "there are those who would gather these mutants to resist fascism and tyranny, they exist near the Municipalities major Communes, and of course in the big city. They are called The Triple Spiral, and they also have you on their minds."
Grexas takes a swig of his drink and looks at Armande. "So what you're saying is, we're being hunted and you're here to help us?" Grexas takes another swig, and relaxes the grip on his gun with his tail. "tell me more about these Triple Spiral people." with a sigh, Armande responds, "Yes, help, help each other, yes?. look, the Third Spiral is a fledgling group resisting the army of the Seven Pure, the LOBOs. That is all we, my people and I, know, and they promised to…" Armande hesitates a bit "…to help my people too, and your people, I mean, your kind. But to do so, we need some... thing, delivered in safety, and secrecy. A small group of let's say, talented individuals might accomplish this." As he speaks, he takes out a Golden sphere out of the brown satchel and shows it to Grexas and Nosko.
At that moment, time seemed to elapse for the two mutants in the table with Armande. Nothing seemed to matter, only the Sphere, and it seemed to speak to them, whisper to them in secret languages they did not understand but comprehend the meanings behind. It spoke of new worlds, opportunity for all life forms, survival. A New Dawn.
Armande was still talking, "...that this must go to The Triple Spiral representative in the Glassgow Municipality. And he will pay you, handsomely, once the job is done. And indivertibly, there might be other... perks". Meanwhile, patrons in the bar start getting up of their seats, and moving uncomfortably around the room. Grexas and Nosko suddenly return from whatever reverie they had been. They notice this commotion and turn around looking to see what`s going on.
On the dark corner, Zajeyu is negotiating with the three men, one of them still holding a big mechanized crossbow. The three men, after seeing Zajeyu back away, stop paying attention to him and resume to stare closely to Armande and to dial in a frequency on their Solar transmitter-receivers "Here it is, he is got it, inform the Cap'n". Zajeyu hears this and follows the stare of the men back to the table with Nosko and the other two. The man that was being intimidated by Zajeyu stands up "Good boy, you might get in to the cut if you help us," he says in a very kind fashion, "We need that golden ball, and to kill some sort of alien, bu that has not shown, unless it be that white fellow over there holding the ball. But the snipers outside will take care of that bit of work, we here, are for the golden ticket". Now, the other two men also draw crossbows and start loading arrows on them.