>>309217
We went over this already. It's a bad idea.

>>309217
I bet that would be detected almost instantly and be a legitimate charge to try Flora on even if no other charges stick.

Crey Industries hiring mercs is a possibility, but they couldn't know we're with Flora and police do not like it when other people start investigating suspects. One major reason for that being that PIs don't follow proper police procedures, which poisons any evidence they find and can get cases thrown out.
Sure Crey Industries will do an 'internal investigation' of what happened and destroy the crime scene, but they aren't going to be tapping phones and tailing people unless they realize we hitched a ride out of there.

[Start designing a poison dart launcher and a rapidly-debilitating poison to go with it]
[Make a hard and glossy coat for our flower and leaves so they look plastic. Put an obvious seam line across the flower and have the sections it separates not quite match up. Add a plastic-like clip and a "MADE IN CHINA" imprint on the back]
[Make a skintone patch behind the flower to hide our important bits. Make the point where the flower connects look like a mole.]

o 2011/06/06(Mon)13:56 No. 309591 ID: 45be60
File 130739379643.png - (335.17KB , 512x512 , 8.png )

>call your mother
Right. Calling mother.

>email your mother
That would be grossly inappropriate at this time.

>call your mother
doot doot doot - doot doot doot - doot doot...

>use a payphone
>public phone
>payphone
>FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T USE DAT PHONE
Uh... okay okay, ow.. not using phone. I guess if Mom waited this long, she can wait a few more minutes while I think about this. Okay, John Maples is somebody I don't know THAT well, but he hasn't struck me as the paranoid delusional type in the past. If he thinks there's something going on with the phones, he probably has a reason. If they are doing the tracking cell signals thing, pretty sure the phone just has to be on for that, and my phone has been on all night. Water under the bridge now I guess. Payphones... I don't think those are really a thing any more. I guess there's probably still a few at like airports and bus stations maybe, but the days of the corner payphone booth are gone. I guess... I suppose I could get a prepay phone, but I mean... That's like 2 or 3 days food budget. I know we were talking about getting a job soon, but that doesn't mean I should go spending money I don't have yet.

My phone only tells me the last 5 distinct numbers in each of the dialed, missed, and received categories, so I really couldn't say who the quiet ones were. Everybody else I recognized though. Dad called once, Steve's the guy who gave me a ride to the site yesterday, Post is just.. a dude I know. Kind of excitable, but a decent sort. Becca doesn't actually have an official title, but she generally handles the secretarial type stuff for us. I think she and Dan might be dating or something? Jacob Kral is one of the few I would call an actual friend. I don't know if he would have been close enough to the others they nabbed organize their phone calls, but I'm sure everyone knows Eric got nabbed. Green Planet has a couple lawyers on retainer actually, but I don't have any contact information on them myself. I could get it from the files at the office though.

The meeting they mentioned is at ten, just showing up would be the easiest start for a lot of my immediate concerns, but if we are being paranoid delusionals, maybe I shouldn't? I dunno, this one is totally your call. Since I don't have a car, if I go, I'm walking. That only gives me about 20 minutes to muck about before I need a decision, and in the mean time, Mom is worried sick.

>[Make a hard and glossy coat for our flower and leaves so they look plastic. Put an obvious seam line across the flower and have the sections it separates not quite match up. Add a plastic-like clip and a "MADE IN CHINA" imprint on the back]
>[Make a skintone patch behind the flower to hide our important bits. Make the point where the flower connects look like a mole.]
Acceptable details appended to plan?

[acceptable]
hmm, well in that case yeah call up mom with this phone, but do it from not here, like a couple blocks away. so if they are tracking them they will get a corner and not your house. we can go to the meeting place but scope it out first, make sure it isn't surrounded in unmarked vans and shit.

>>309591
[acceptable]
We can make a decision of whether or not to go to the meeting after the next couple of calls we make. Basically we call someone to see if they think it might be dangerous, after you call your mother. Also generally report in that you're fine and in hiding, sortof.

Hmm. What do you think about telling them about us?

>>309591
[Acceptable]
Here's what you do. Go there but don't join them. Hide and see but don't be seen. If your friends can meet and leave unaccosted then follow one and get their attention quietly. Whoever is there that you trust most. That person alone will send message to your parents in person that you are alive and well but you need to stay hidden. They can tell no one else.

This is serious, you are a target and you need to get in the mindset of someone on the run. There will be no getting a job right now.

[acceptable]

>>309591
My concern with the phone isn't so much that they're tracking you with it, which as you said is water under the bridge, but rather that they'll be listening to anything you say on it. I suppose you may or may not care about that, when it comes to things like telling your mom that you're fine... but just be careful what you spill, all right? Don't say anything that could be incriminating, and definitely don't mention us. Not that I think you would have, but I feel compelled to remind you on principle.


I'd say you can show up to the meeting, but late. Odds are it will go for at least an hour, possibly more if it devolves into panicked talking in circles, but anyone trying to jump them probably won't wait more than half an hour at a guess. If you show up at eleven you should be able to get a good look around and dodge any theoretical people coming to arrest your group.

>>309696
We don't actually know if she's a target or not. While the TV did call them domestic terrorists, that's not necessarily an indication that they're being legally considered that; people stay stupid things on TV all the time. She might be able to skate by.

The internet news might have more information on what action the police are taking in response to yesterday's explosion by now, if you care to check it again, Flora. That might be a good way to spend twenty minutes.

>>309591
Skip the meeting. You can't spot plainclothes officers, and they'd probably be spying on you to build a case instead of arresting people.

Now, something you CAN do is call your phone company and tell them somebody left some really creepy messages on your phone last night. Ask them to tell you the last 25 numbers that left messages.

Well, if you think the damage is done, there are no payphones, and you can't afford a disposable phone, then you might as well call your mom now.
Tell her you're fine, that your phone ran out of juice, and that you went to bed early because you were feeling terrible - splitting headache, run-in with a mugger, etc...
Try to avoid saying anything about the CI facility, particularly if you were there or not.

>>309718
She may be thought of as nothing but another one of them, but if they get her they can still realize there's something more going on despite our precautions. That and the behavior itself seems a bit too aggressive just because of some protesters.

In other words, whether she is a target or not doesn't matter. What is important is that we act that way because we can't afford to chance it.

Knowing you have lawyers on retainer tells us some useful things. How often are you guys arrested? You've been through this sort of thing more than we have, and how do you normally deal with this?

We still have no reason to believe that Crey knows anything beyond 'you were there when an explosion happened'. There was an explosion, your group has been blamed. Arrest would be inconvenient, but it's not some sort of game-ender.

[Keep working on those emergency camouflage measures]

>>309802
But if we act like we have something to hide, then people know we have something to hide.

Logically, there is no way for them to know that we are in Flora. At worst, she's wanted for being at the explosion site. It's still best to try to avoid official attention, but we probably shouldn't make it seem like we have something MORE to hide.

So in other words: Flora, if we weren't in you, what would you do now?

>>310093

She would probably call her mother. And subsequently get kidnapped.

>>309591

2 to 3 days? You really do eat a lot! You will have to forgive us for not being very good at that considering that the only thing we eat is sunlight.

>>310115
Yeah, we need to work on getting her some photosynthesis.

>>310116
That's an idea.

Flora, how would you feel about us replacing your clothes with living plant matter? I'm pretty sure we could make something that looks and feels like cotton.

Y'know, I don't think we should make ourselves look fake just cause someone might figure out we aren't just a dead flower in her hair.

Am I the only one who thinks we should... I dunno, apply for amnesty as a sentient being? I mean, I think the UN is gonna wanna know about this. We all wanna help Flora, I get that, she saved us and I feel kinda bad about blowing up and her getting hurt cause of it, but we are... bigger than this? According to what she knows we are the only sentient plants anywhere. Let's not do something stupid like start a life of crime fighting.

>>311598
We cannot trust that humanity at large would act in a peaceful and ethical fashion if our intelligence and abilities were revealed to them. Humanity has a long history of talking a good game and then doing very nasty, short-sighted and self-centered things. We cannot take that chance with our own life; when we do reveal ourselves it must be from a position of strength- or at least, strength relative to what we have now, which is one seed stuck inside the skull of a woman who might be on the run from the law.

And I think we all agree that 'crime fighting' would be a silly use of our time.

>>311598

I think not. We're a singular example that got into the wild. We have no liquid resources for bribes, we have limited ability to take action on our own, and no other methods for exerting the sort of political pressure required to be recognized as having human-equivalent rights. We are, to any politician, a can of worms best left in a lab to be studied.

Worse, we are a genetically modified organism, and so our very existence outside of a lab is explicitly illegal in many countries. We should not reveal ourselves until we are so entrenched that removing us will cost more than changing the law to recognize us.

We we do reveal ourselves, we should have several nodes in different places (at least some of them well concealed), and we should not reveal our node in Flora's head. As well as an un-hosted node being expendable as opposed to an actual person, consider how humanity would react to finding out we can live under people's skins.

>>311598
actually i suggested that already.
I only suggested that we tip the scales in our favor by curing a bunch of people of diseases, cancer etc... politicians/news reporters or their families especially. This will ensure much more "good faith" and less likely to result in our claims rejected.

Let's keep the plans for world domination to a minimum here. We should start with something simple. We need to seed. I think we should try cross pollinating with a bunch of other plants.

And we should be outside. I want some sunlight. Hey Flora, can we please go outside?

>>311785

We're not talking world domination, simply open existence in public life.

>>311785
which part of "garner good will from the media and politicians by curing diseases and then sue for human rights" is world domination?

We are currently property of a shady evil corporation, considered stolen property, stolen by a so called "eco-terrorist" who really isn't. I don't know about you but I want to be emancipated. Also I would like to clear Flora's name since she is clearly an innocent.

Plus we can help humanity and ourselves by cleaning up the planet of all pollution.

okay guys, I'm gonna be busy and not updating (or at least, even less than usual) for a bit cause of RL. If you wanna keep this discussion up, go for the discussion thread and stop bumping this one.

o 2011/06/22(Wed)00:06 No. 316232 ID: 45be60
File 130872638249.png - (379.30KB , 512x512 , 9.png )

>>310115
Hey! I think eating for a few days on like twenty bucks is doing pretty good in this day and age. I mean sure, I could be eating ramen for eighteen cents a meal, but that's no way to live. Gimme a break.

Okay so yeah, if the mysterious 'They' are tracking me, then that ship has sailed. I'll just be careful what I say for now, though I'm not sure what I would consider telling my mother that would be bad here. We can figure something else out later I guess.

...doot doot. Doot.

The phone does not make it past the second ring before an anxious sounding voice picks up on the other end. "Hello? Florence?"

"Yeah Mom, it's me."

"Oh thank god! I saw the news and I was so worried, and you weren't answering, and they said people were killed, and-"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard your messages just now. I'm sorry, my phone just ran out of juice and spent the night on the charger. I'm fine. Everything's fine. Well, not FINE, but I'm okay."

"Were you there though? At the factory?"

"..."

"Florence?"

"It was a lab Mom. They were doing these awful experiments with unregulated chemicals..."

"Oh honey, I told you no good would come from hanging out with that gang of-"

"They're not a GANG. They're.. WE are activists. We are trying to HELP people..." Florence's voice starts to take on the exasperated tones on someone who has had this conversation before, but before the argument can take it's expected course, her mother butts in.

"Help people? People are DEAD, Florence. This isn't another one of your club's little pranks. You've gone too far, this is serious. They aren't just going to let you off with a slap on the wrist this time."

"We didn't DO anything, I swear. Mom, please, you know me. It was some kind of accident. The police're gonna look in to it and find out what really happened."

"..."

"...We don't want to see innocent people hurt either. I think most of the injuries were our guys anyway..."

"Are you sure you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine Mom. Just a little scraped up. Shaken I guess. There's a lot to take in. Some of the people I know are dead."

"I'm sorry honey. Do you want to talk about it?"

"...Not really I guess. I don't think it's all really sunk in yet. I need some time to think."

"Well I'll be here if you change your mind."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Bye"

click.

Nhhh. Sorry, kinda had to tune you guys out for that. Talking with my mother without starting to shout takes some focus sometimes. So... Oh what the hell? My phone's charge indicator is down a bar already. The cold yesterday must have fucked up the battery somehow. Damnit. Nothing I can do to fix it now though, just have to deal with it.

So I guess the plan is to go stake out the meeting and see if the police do anything from a distance. What am I doing if they do swarm in with vans? What if they don't?

>>316232
I thought the plan was to get to a payphone and call one of the other members to find out if the meeting location was safe?

>>316232
They probably aren't going to swarm in with vans. That would be silly since everybody who's wary of getting nabbed by the police will skip the meeting, and arresting the people who show up will make them all go to ground and vanish.

No, they'll just have some plainclothes officers eavesdrop and record everything for evidence to fuel further investigation and take note of everybody who showed up.
Also, there's no expectation of privacy in a public place. They would need warrants to arrest anybody, but not for spying.

So, yeah. Don't even go.

or use cellphone on the way. doesn't matter if it dies just call them while moving.

dead friends. dang. any of them hospitalized? it could be a good idea to visit them instead.

returning to the crime scene is a very bad idea. best we could do would be to make a passing walk.

oh how about this, check the news, if it is insufficient, see any twitters, articles or random photo you can scourge from the internet. im sure that whatever we are looking we can get there.

>>316395
we aren't checking the crime scene again. going to the meeting at the other place.

go out get some sweet drinks. alcoholic ones.

o 2011/06/26(Sun)00:40 No. 317867 ID: 45be60
File 130907401050.png - (346.31KB , 512x512 , 10.png )

>>316238
No. No I'm pretty sure that was never the plan. I'm was never completely certain what the plan WAS, but I am sure that was never it.

>>316390
Fine, whatever, I said it was your call. I'll phone some people on the way.

>>317653
Tempting, maybe later. I AM out of Everclear.

Florence performs the daily ritual to track down her shoes (one somehow ended up under a chair) and starts the long walk to the converted storefront that houses the local Green Planet office. It's another sunny day in the city, not hot yet, but she can tell it will be by afternoon. She walks a block, half expecting to notice someone following her, before pulling out her phone. After a brief moment of deliberation, she pulls up Steve's contact entry first. It rings three times, and is picket up to the sound of road noise.

"Nn- g-Gale? Z'at you?"

"Yeah, hey Steve."

"Oh man, you really had us worried there, girl."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I think my phone battery got fucked up yesterday. Spent all night on the charger and it's already like half dead."

"Some'a the guys said they saw you up front before everything went to hell. Thought we lost you."

"Nah, I'm fine. You know me and cold." There is a weak chuckle from the other end of the line, but it does not last long when she continues "I saw JJ dead though. Right near me."

"Jesus. You okay?"

"Not sure."

"What do you wanna do now?"

Florence shrugs, trusting that the silent gesture will somehow magically be conveyed through the phone line. "I'm walking to the meeting everybody was talking about over at the office. Gonna see what's going on."

"Yeah, me too, 'cept I'm driving. Hey, if you're coming from your apartment, it probably wouldn't be too far out of my way to pick you up, save you some walking. You passed JavaJuice yet?"

I haven't, the landmark in question is about 2 blocks further at this point. Not sure I should take him up though. Even beyond the whole rampant paranoia thing, there still seems to be some question about whether I should show up at all, and once I am taking a ride with someone, I am sort of committed.

>>317867
How about you meet him for coffee and find out what he knows?
Before that you need to establish that you want to talk, but you're not sure if you should go or not. That way you can back out up until around the time you get in the car, but still get some info.

"Naw, but... I'm not even sure I want to go. This is rough enough, and if I walk in and don't see friends then I'm gonna lose this numb detachment thing.
Look, can we meet there and talk? I could use a friend right now, and I need to decide where to go from here."

>>317867
Explain to him that you're worried about whether or not it's safe. Ask him what he thinks on the matter. Mention the other calls you've got- someone told you to stay in hiding, in fact.

>>317867
Nooo, don't buy alcohol. We can probably ferment stuff in a flash.

>>317867
Also, are you sure you want to still be affiliated with them? You can say that you didn't sign up for this, that it's too dangerous and nobody will raise an eyebrow. Seriously, if you were not a mutant you would be dead.

>>317943
you just asked her to stop doing what she loves doing.... i don;t think you will get a positive response dude.

>>317944
Not stop the environmentalism, stop being associated with that group. It'd reduce suspicion and negate a number of risks and with us she has far more power than she did before. To not be crippled by the association she'd have to inform them of what we are and a secret is only stays secret when only one person knows it.

You kind of committed when you decided to head to HQ. if there was a tail waiting for you, they've had all night to set it up. getting into a car won't help you any.

Get a coffee with Steve and try to decide a plan - get the lawyers alerted somehow, and do what you can to see if there's anyone following you (or him)

o 2011/08/24(Wed)20:25 No. 342775 ID: 26eb87
File 131424270087.png - (48.89KB , 512x512 , 11.png )

I guess this is a good thing. I can meet up with one person and talk about stuff before I am really in the middle of things and maybe figure out what's going on.

"..Uh, no, I haven't yet. It's a couple blocks from here I guess." It will be nice to see a friendly face anyway.

"Kay, I'll be there in five."

"You want me to get in line or something? I'll prolly get there first."

"In this traffic bet you will. ACTually, if y'see a parking spot i'd probably be more productive fu'you to stand in it. Otherwise I'm gonna be circling the block like a goldfish."

She twitches slightly in annoyance at that last phrase, but presses on with hardly a pause. "Okay, will do, provided I see one. Otherwise, I can order something while you orbit I guess. Whadaya want?"

"A venti chai creme caramel macchiato."

"I am glaring into the phone right now. Can you hear me glaring? I am glaring so loud."

"Heh heh. Small iced coffee. The red blend, whatever they call it."

"Kay, see you in a minute."

Ah... that felt good. Nice to just chat and forget about the cloud of depression and apprehension for a minute.

The short remaining walk to the designated rendezvous point does not reveal any available parking spaces, though there are two with parking meters flashing expired. Thankfully, the line inside is relatively short, so she places an order for a small iced "red" (officially called Yamashiro's, a kona blend which reports to have hints of other tropical flavors mixed in.) and a peach-mango tea for herself. She watches Steve's blue Sentra drive slowly past once while she is waiting, and bites back an entire wave of tiny irrational fears, ranging from "what if he's with them?" to "what if he just drives off and leaves me?" Fortunately for her fragile psyche, upon paying the $5.50 (ouch) and walking outside, she spots the car just starting another pass. The passenger window rolls down as it approaches and a familiar face smiles out at her.

"Hey girly, going myyy waaay?"

Florence rolls her eyes as the car behind him honks.

Okay, how should I approach this conversation?

first, get in. then just explain your fears about being picked up. then ask what he thinks they were doing in the lab.

Let's see what kind of nutrientschemicals are floating around in this brain here. I bet we could fashion some wicked poison spines or even darts, should someone come along trying to uproot us. We should also go about making another seed.

>>342825
okay and what about something to do with the problem AT HAND?

>>342826

At hand? Sorry I kind of spaced out for a few days or so. Does this problem involve leaves, plant defenses, root structures or flowers?

>>342775
Tell him you're thinking about leaving the group. If you weren't a mutant you'd be dead.

Inform him of your feelings about his actions.

Also, ask what the hell happened at the facility. All we know is that we grabbed something, then everything exploded.

>>342825
Got to be careful with making poisons. We are very close to a rather sensitive organ, after all; I have no desire to accidentally start leaking potentially harmful compounds into Flora's brain. That would be exceptionally rude.

Perhaps something to contemplate when we have a bit of time to experiment, preferably using a flower not connected to Flora.

>>342775
I would advise mostly trying to gather information. Ask who else is around, what's been happening- those phone calls didn't give you anywhere near as much information as you can use. The TV fingered you guys as terrorists- are the police really thinking that? Have you got lawyers on hand just in case?

o 2011/09/03(Sat)21:30 No. 345325 ID: 26eb87
File 131511065060.png - (100.28KB , 512x512 , 12.png )

Florence hands Steve his cup through the window so she has a free hand to open the door. The car behind his jerks quickly into the other lane and speeds around. Florence knows without looking that a finger was thrown. Thankfully, the van behind it seems to be in much less of a hurry, and she gets in without further "encouragement" from other vehicles.

"So what's been going on Steve? Like I said, I've been out of the loop since shit went down yesterday."

He is silent for a moment, likely as he ponders where to begin. "Well, guess right after, things were pretty panicked. Think after the initial.. event, there wasn't really a lot of further danger, but folks had momentum y'know? Sure, billowing clouds a'blue smoke are prolly not somethin you wanna stick around for, but at that point we were like cattle."

Florence gives another slight twitch of annoyance as her mind is forced to make the required cognitave leap. Steve can talk quite quickly, which can be bad enough at times, but he has an annoying habbit of leaving his analogies unfinished. If he notices her tick, he doesn't let on as he plows ahead.

"So folks that weren't stickin around to help somebody with an injury were down the next block 'fore they started slowin down. That uh.. certainly didn't help our looking innocent on the news last night. Think it was a good hour before anybody started gettin organized again. That meet-up y'missed last night was just a head count much as anything. Didn't wanna do anything serious till people calmed down. ...Which is this morning, I guess."

"People like Maples?"

"Whadaya mean?"

"He called me, said the police were tracking phones or something. Which... is odd now that I think about it. If they were tracking his phone why would he be using it?"

In the moment of silence, Steve shrugs.

"...anyway, he said to hide, lay low, probably NOT come to this meeting this morning."

"Well, I dunno. He didn't call me anyway. I guess the police picked some of us up sounds like. I don't think I can blame 'em."

"Yeah, I got a voicemail from Kral in holding. Said they had Eric and some others there. Frankly, it has me a little worried about even showing up today."

"..Oh. um... d'you..."

She sighs "I dunno. It's just... I coulda died yesterday, you know? If I wasn't.. me. Has me really thinking about what I've been doing."

"Yeah, I get ya. It was a scary, shitty thing. A lot of people DID die. Coulda been any of us. But ya know, way I figure, that's all the more reason for us to stand up now. If we just lay low, Crey will sweep this mess under the rug too, and they'll have died meaninglessly."

Well that's a point I guess.

hmmm... yes, i suppose. adds more support for going today. i think we should go. ask him what he thinks was in the lab.

>>345325
"Right now they're spinning the media and looking for scapegoats. They'll attack easy targets and try to discredit us any way possible. Anybody who stands up is going to be knocked down.
We can fight back from cover, but we can't fight back from jail cells. Worse yet, I'm sure Crey lifted some phones from the scene, and unlike the cops we don't have laws protecting us from them."

Man this car's like totally infertile. Could you crack open a window or something? Be nice to smell what's on the air, perhaps pollen or interesting chemicals or spores or something.