1¢op
Stepping through the doorway, 1¢op found herself in the now familiar respawn room in Bluetopia. The room was plain and spartan, a table and one chair were the only furnishings in the whole room.
On closer inspection, 1¢op saw that the table was covered with Tokens. This was not the first time she had seen Tokens here, principles often left them for safe keeping. But that had alway been four or five, at the most. This was something else, the table was covered with maybe thirty of the small golden disks. There was something about the drastic increase that left 1¢op feeling unsettled.
“I didn’t expect to see you back, and so soon.” said a sarcastic voice from behind her. Startled 1¢op turned, she had thought that she was alone in the room. ThomKatze66 smiled at her from behind a desk, he gestured to a chair before the desk, she sat, “what is this?” she asked. “Are you security?”
ThomKatze66 thought for a moment, “No, I would say I’m more like a scribe.” He shrugged then chuckled to himself. “Which is really, just a euphemism for data entree. So I have to ask you a few questions, cool?”
“No, Why?”
“Mainly because I’ve been ordered to. But I think it’s a way for the higher ups to track conflicts. So can I ask those questions now?” It might have been just his cat face, but ThomKatze66 looked extremely pleased with himself
“No.” 1¢op turned to exit the room.
“Hey! Common, you need to answer my questions. The door won't open till you do.”
1¢op tried the door and found that ThomKatze66 was telling the truth. The truth at least as far as the door not opening, as for the solution only time would tell. “Can I suggest a compromise? I’ll answer your questions, if you answer mine. What do you say?”
“Why would I do that? You’re stuck here till you answer my questions. Just answer the questions and you can leave.”
“Fine, ask your questions.” 1¢op was ready to leave this room, and she asked herself, what could he ask that I wouldn’t want to answer.
“Great, really I appreciate it. Okay first question, what is your name?”
“1¢op.”
“Good, do you have a nickname?”
“Yes, Penny.”
“Fantastic, do I have your permission to use your nickname to address you going forward?”
“Uh, yeah sure, I guess.”
“Great! Thank you, Penny. My next question, what is your city of origin?”
“Sha.”
“Okay, now Penny, are you currently affiliated with any army, band, or clan?”
“No.”
“What? Really?”
“Truly.”
“At the time of your death what was the closest city?”
“This one, Orup, I think.”
“Okay just a few more. Do you know the affiliation of the principle who killed you.”
“No.”
“Okay, what was their name?”
“I don’t know.”
“How can that be?”
“I don’t know, when I focus on him there is nothing. Truthfully I’m not sure he’s a principle like the rest of us.”
“Wait. were you killed by that massive gorilla who pushes the Tonic cart?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh man, that guy looks mean. If you learn anything about those Tonic principles, I know many will pay for good information.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Do you have any more questions?”
“Nope, you’re done.”
“So the door’s unlocked?”
“It should be, go try it.”
Finding the door unlocked, 1¢op turned back to ask a question. “One last question?”
“It doesn’t have to be.” ThomKatze66 said.
“What?” 1¢op was confused by the reply.
“Sorry, it doesn't have to be your last question, you can ask others, if you have them.”
“Oh, okay. Um my question, do you know if I could meet with LeBlu?”
ThomKatze66 sucked air through his teeth. “He’s here, but he would never meet with a principle who wasn’t in the Blue Army. Maybe if you join up I could get you an audience.”
“No, he will see me. Go tell him I’m here.”
“Really, I have never seen him meet with a princple below the rank of lieutenant, even if they are in the Army.”
“Just go.” 1¢op watched as a clearly sceptical ThomKatze66 walked to a wall, he did something and the wall opened revealing a stairway up. He looked at her for a moment then turn and disappeared up the stairs. 1¢op didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Appearing in the stairwell looking shocked ThomKatze66 said, “He’ll see you now. Please follow me.” he turned and started back up the stairs not looking back to see if 1¢op was following.
She was following and soon he was gesturing her through a door into another office. This office was almost a carbon copy of the room she had just ascended from. LeBlu, sitting behind the desk, stood up with a smile when she entered the room, “Penny! It’s so good to see you.” He came around the desk and gave her a big hug. “Please have a seat.” he said when they broke apart, gesturing to the chair before the desk. “You must tell me all about how your mission is going. I hear that you have come through the death’s door fairly frequently.”
1¢op sat with a sigh, “Yeah, the mission progresses slowly. Actually that might be overselling it. I’m nowhere, every time i think I’m getting a reaction, the damn apes eyes go opaque and then he kills me. It’s an incredibly frustrating pattern I have put myself in.” she sighed again.
“I could make a suggestion, if you don’t object?” LeBlu said.
“Please, I got nothing. I’m just spinning my wheels here.”
“Well, it sounds like you’re approaching the problem from the wrong angle.”
“Right, I have been wracking my brain for any idea on how to get through, but I’ve got nothing.”
“Well, what do you know?”
“I know that he pushes a cart, that is t say I know nothing.”
“Well then it seems to me that’s where you should start.”
“Start where?”
“You need to know more, full stop. It doesn't matter what you’re trying to do, you can’t do it if you don’t know anything about it.” He held a hand up when it seemed like she would speak, “No, really I don’t need to know, I don’t care. Look you said he pushes a cart, have you tried just following him and see what he does?” she nodded the negative. “Start there, you might learn something.”
“Yeah okay I’ll try that. Listen LeBlu, thanks for being so cool, after our last meeting I wasn’t sure you would even see me and here you are helping me. I really appreciate that.”
“Yeah, well that was a rough time for me. I wasn’t just losing my war, I felt like I was losing my army. When the Red Army imploded, my perspective changed I guess. I thought about it, your secret mission doesn’t interest me. So I forgive you.”
“What happened to the Red Army? What do you mean imploded?”
“The details are still murky at this point. What I have been able to suss out is the Band of the Black Hand orchestrated a coup with high rank red soldiers and the Red Army in Norca is now the Band’s muscle.”
“Wow, I didn’t see that coming. LeBlu did you just win your color war?”
“Not really, I mean yes, the Red Army took a huge blow, but those fiends are still out there. I heard that their leadership has reformed and set up a new headquarters. worse I didn’t strike the blow. So for now the war to prove the dominance of the color blue continues.”
“Well good luck to you.” 1¢op turned when she reached the door, “Thanks again for everything.” She saw him wave as the door closed behind her. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she noticed the door to the death room open a crack. As she neared, she saw that it was ThomKatze66, as soon as he noticed that she had seen him, the door slammed close.
1¢op exited the building into the hustle and bustle of Orup. the principles moving on the streets a wild menagerie of wild characters. The color blue was an easy to notice unifier, as far a 1¢op could tell every principle had added blue to their appearance. 1¢op walked the street that would take her to the eastern gate. On the way she stopping at the three social rooms she passed. Through the hustle and bustle of the city she kept a vigilant eye out hoping to catch sight of the giant gorilla. She never did, and soon 1¢op was through the gate and turned to the south.
