Androids and Akhmatova

[Ezra Weil]

"I do have information concerning Zwei but I am not about to share it with you." He crosses his arms and steps back from her. There is something about her that he doesn't like, but since Raz is watching he feels he must be a little more polite than he normally would be.
"But since Tel Aviv was destroyed by an atomic bomb, I suppose that it doesn't matter if I share a few things. Red Infinity has in their custody, a woman named Erika Faust. She was the human host to this computer before it started amalgamating the world's machines into one super machine....or "god machine" as you put it."

[Ruth]

"Red Infinity."

I spit the words like poison out of my mouth. They do not deserve to have posession of someone that could bring down the god-machine. They will do nothing good. All they do is breed corruption and death.

"Well then, I must find her and take her and question her."

My resolve is firm, my fists clenched. I will enter the lions' den, but their mouths will be shut!#nosmileys

[Ezra Weil]

"That's some display of hubris. Do you truly expect to march into the International HQ and extract Erika from their custody all by yourself? While you are at it, why don't you assassinate the head of the League of the Godless? They get on my nerves." Ezra laughs a little, but then silences himself. Raz is likely watching him and he hates to make a bad impression.
"Unless you do have help and there is some sort of Christian organization comparable to our own. "

[Ruth]

I do not smile.

"I don't have a Christian organization, but it would be good to have one like yours helping out. You may come if you wish. The more that go, the more likely the sucess of the mission. And yes... I do hope to kill the head of the league of godless... But that is not my mission today."

I have a bitterness in my heart so deadly pointed at the League. They have killed everything that was dear to me, and threaten to kill everything that remains. One day... But again, not today.

"So, shall we march to certain doom? The army that went with Gideon was small, but they conquered many where there was no hope. The God is a God of impossibilities, or does not the law and the prophets show you that?"

[Ezra Weil]

Ezra gets the impression that this woman is one of those Christian loonies, but decides that it would be wrong to let her go alone to the HQ. She would certainly be captured if she went on her own.

"I will come along. Erika will be useful to bringing down this machine which threatens all life on this planet. Red Infinity can not covet her."

He sticks his hands in his pockets and starts to walk over to Raz, but since she would think that he has lost his mind, he decides not to tell her where he is going.

"I think you over simplify the mission, but I will go along with this, if nothing more than to prevent you from being captured."

[Ruth]

I nod my consent.

"Two is a strong number, with God we are a cord of three strands, which cannot be broken. How shall we travel there?"

I feel that he must think me some sort of maniacle fanatic... which I am, but I would rather that he didn't think of me in such a way. I muster up a smile.

"Uh... and tell me a little bit about yourself. Did you grow up in Germany?"

[Ezra Weil]

"I can teleport us there. And no, I am not from Germany. I am an American, though I moved to Israel to join Hagana. In recent months I have lived in Moscow collecting information about Red Infinity." Ezra replies evenly.

He touches her shoulder and teleports her to Beijing.

"We need some reasonable plan, but we are here."

[Ruth]

"America huh? What is Hagana like? I have heard things about it, but it would be nice to hear things from someone that is actually a part of it.

I suggest that we take some time to formulate a plan. I may be headstrong, but I am not altogether idiotic. Do you know any places that we can stay that would be safe from prying eyes? I do not have the best reputation amongst government peoples and would rather not run into any until the moment of necessity arises."

The city of Bejing lies before me, dark and forbidding, the mecca of the unbelievers, the den of lions itself.

[Ezra Weil]

"Hmm...I am not that familiar with Beijing. The entire city is dangerous and we are likely being watched right now. I don't have any friends here either. I suppose we could just take a room and plan there. That would appear normal enough." Ezra replies.

[Ruth]

"Sure. I've got a little money to spend on a room."

We walk until we find an open hotel, where we register under fake names and get a key. The key opens a door and beyond the door there is a room, all very standard. I walk inside and set my pack down on the floor.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors for the bed?"

[Ezra Weil]

"No, I would not do that. You can sleep on the bed, I can lay on the floor. It is fine." Ezra replies. He never answered her question about Hagana, but figures he can later.
He takes off his shoes, steals one of the pillows from the bed and stretches out on the floor.
"This won't be so bad. I will sleep better like this than I have with those unruly, slovenly anarchists I have been staying with recently."

[Ruth]

"Suit yourself."

I crawl under the covers, fully dressed, and turn off the light. Oh what an adventure will ensue!

Thank you God, for this Jewish boy.
May we be victorious in our battles.
May we bring Your name Glory.
May You bring light to his eyes.
In the name of Jesus Christ, the reigning King,
Amen.

I pull the blankets up close around my neck, and kick them off of my feet so that they are exposed to the cool air of the room. It takes awhile, of thinking of planning, but finally I drift off to sleep.
#nosmileys

[Ezra Weil]

Ezra can not sleep. Instead he lays there with his eyes open looking at the ceiling. Various thoughts go through his head. For one, he hopes that Raz is not angry with him for leaving her to help out Ruth. But why would she be angry? He is doing a good deed by helping a woman who would otherwise be put in a very dangerous situation. He also wonders if Ruth was praying about him. He doesn't know why, but since she seems so wacko, he gets the impression that she is likely praying for him to find salvation through Jesus or something of that sort.
He thinks of Zwei and of all the destruction. And since his thoughts can not be shut off, he can not sleep until late into the night, or early in the morning. He finally sits on the chair in the corner of the room. He stares at Ruth, feeling some bitterness towards her. He does not know why. He tries not to think of it and goes to sleep in the middle of some thought.

[Iivari Koivu]

Iivari completes the ceremony with Tsbubaki, and Doreamon returns to life.
"That was interesting, but I must be off. Good luck with things, Tsubaki."
He leaves the dark priestess and returns to Kallen.
"Well that was odd. I just revived a giant blue cat."

[Kallen]

Kallen continues to stare out of the window. Her blank eyes searching for a glimpse of something. Anything. She sees something but is not sure what. It seems like a light of sorts. Its as if she can see vague auras. Perhaps she could use this as a gift afterall. However the auras are all jumbled together and she is as blind as she was before. She closes her eyes and the auras disappear. When she opens them again there is only blackness. She has to concentrate hard in order to even see a glimpse of the lights.

She turns to Iivari. He had spoken to her as she tried to 'see'. She smiles and looks at him with her vacant white orbs.

"A big blue cat. How strange. Then again you are part tree so how weird can a cat be?"

She laughs and stands groping for him.

"Iivari i am sorry i did not help. But to raise a souls such as that would have opened the door for something far worse to enter me. I can not risk it. You have to understand."

Her arms slowly swing side to side grasping desperatly for his form.