The Wizard King wasn't home. According to Tabby-Cat he was on his way back, and would be home tomorrow. Now tomorrow was today; today was tomorrow yesterday, and now that time has passed away, so the Wizard King had to be home today, if he could trust what the Tabby-Cat said yesterday.

Something was very different about Tabby-Cat, though; she was worse than before. It was like she was of two minds; and not like the Daughters of Janus, neither. Maybe Mr. Ox in the Box had it right; maybe she was being invaded; if that the case, then it seemed to him like the invader was winning. Worse than that, Marko was starting to think Tabby-Cat was letting it happen on purpose. This was part of the reason he needed to talk to the Wizard- King about. He needed to know if the House of Wizards was up to something; if what was going on with Tabby-Cat was part of some plan. He needed to know how the Network played into their design. In order to restore the Network and its Clan confidence, he had to find the source of the virus-hack and cut it off. After that, a system reboot might be needed; or a hard reset, but that he could deal with later. Now he had to deal with now, and now meant that which was right in front of him.

Right in front of him was the Chantry; the bright blue star shining on the top floor. Marko often wondered what that was all about. But that wasn't what he was here for. Not wanting to let Tabby-Cat know what he had to say, he waited across the street, obfuscated, until he was sure that Strauss was alone. He waited, and he watched as first the assistant Harpy left; probably to one of the Elysium sites. Next Tabby-Cat came out with two others that Marko did not know

...they're from out of town...

...going back to pointy facts...

He wanted to ask the Segment of the Network he could access where exactly that was, but he couldn't, not while in obfuscate. That would give him away. He would like to know who had the pointy facts. So he could interview that Wizard, too.

Tabby-Cat and the other two got into a limo parked outside and drove away. Once he was sure that they were clear, Marko broke his obfuscate and crossed the street. He was about to knock on the door when it swung slowly open. Unsure if this was a bad sign or a good one, he stepped tentatively inside, and carefully made his way through the labyrinth that led to the parlor that the Regent seemed to usually favor. Strauss was there, standing in his usual spot, so Marko slowly approached. So far everything seemed fine.

"Hello, neonate; I have been expecting you." Strauss greeted him without even looking to see who it was. "Do you come as Primogen of Malkav, or is this another matter?"

"Greetings, Wizard King!" Marko greeted back with a cheer that sounded false even to his own ears. "This is another matter completely."

"I see. Would I be correct if I were to presume that this is not a request of my services as Harpy of this City, either?" Strauss finally turned slowly to face him.

"If I had a prize to give, I'd be giving it to you right now."

"I'm sure you would." Strauss said, lacking any humor whatsoever. "As you waited outside until Tabetha left, I'm going to also presume this concerns her, and you don't wish her to know of this discussion."

"You, sir, are the champion on this game show." Marko replied. He thought about offering a prize in the form of a boon, but since he already said this had nothing to with the Harpy doing his harping, he decided against it.

"Very well, Marko; we shall speak candidly while Tabetha is seeing my escorts back to the airport. Please, won't you sit?"

Marko selected a chair with a high back and wings to sit in. Strauss remained standing.

"How may I assist you?" the Wizard King asked. "Has your state deteriorated, by chance?"

Marko considered how to answer that without telling him too much. "Nope, not really" he said finally. "In fact, it seems the bug in me has stopped buzzing for now. Does this help you and your Clan in their research?"

Strauss was silent a moment; thinking. Finally he spoke. "Interesting; the virus goes into a dormant phase in one subject as it seems to progress in another. Fortunately, it appears to be isolated to the two of you."

"So it is a virus!" Marko said. This was a big reveal. "Is the bug something you wizards grew? Is Tabby-Cat an accident, or part of an experiment?"

"What happened to Tabetha was certainly not intentional. I can assure you Clan Tremere's priority on this matter is ensuring the well being of both her and you."

See how he doesn't quite answer your questions

Ask about the pointy facts, and you will see

"What about the pointy facts?" Marko asked. "Did that meeting you went to have anything to do with her?"

Strauss balked. Marko was used to people balking when he spoke; it happened all the time when people misunderstood him.

"The Pontifex and I meet regularly to discuss the progress of our Clan in this region. Nothing more needs to be said about that. The subject is Tabetha and you. Unfortunately, we are still at a loss on how to undo what has been done. So far Tabetha's virus approach is the best lead we have."

He's protecting...

He knows nothing of MY plan!

The bad voice came on fast and hard; so hard that Marko reeled in his seat.

"Are you alright, neonate?"

"My voices are in conflict, but I'll be fine." Marko replied. If the bad voice was telling the truth, then talking to Strauss wasn't going to do much good. Still a little bit dizzy from the bad voice's interruption, he started to stand up slowly. "Well, thank you for your time, Wizard King, but I think we're done here. Will you let me know if you come up with a vaccine?"

"Of course" Strauss said agreeably enough.

At the entrance, Marko paused. He turned and faced Strauss. "My voices and I are worried about Tabetha. What are the chances that she will have to be removed in order to clean up this mess?"

Strauss actually cracked a smile. "Don't worry, Primogen Marko. Everything is being done to avoid that."

Satisfied, Marko nodded and left the Chantry.