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[lifetothefullest]

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[lifetothefullest]

[Well, this is a surprising set of messages. It takes him a little time to read through them, and to say he has a very odd mix of feelings about this is an understatement.

He hadn't expected Akechi to actually ask Cassius anything; in fact, he'd already put talking to Cassius on his list of things to accomplish once some more discussion had gone on. He's definitely not expecting actually useful information to come out of it.

And it's... A lot. Lance is a fast reader and an even faster thinker, but he's exhausted from the past day or two and so this is all kind of a jumble of information at first. Key things are standing out to him, but he's going to need more time to process it all, and he also knows it shouldn't just be him looking at it all.

But he has to decide how he wants to approach this, which tactic to take, and what to address, all of which feels somewhat overwhelming at the moment. So it takes a short time, maybe half an hour or so, before he finally responds.]

This is a lot of really useful information.

I'm sure I'm missing something, but key notes:

• It sounds like Jack and I may have had it backwards. We were presuming that since Johann is older, he was the 'original' or descended from the original in terms of biology, with Henries as more of an offshoot. However, with the new information from Cassian and what Cassius told you in response to your questions on message 007, it does seem more likely that Johann is using Henries' DNA, and therefore Johann looks like Henries instead of Henries looking like Johann. Since there's no limitation of using clones of one's 'original' body, this can change the timeline.

• That also clears up the issue of both Johann and Henries being seen by people at the same time, because if Johann appeared to be someone else entirely before that point, there would be nothing to notice. It might also explain the event that 'changed' Henries.

• It does seem that Johann was very widely known to many people and organizations, but that raises new questions. Are they aware of what he was doing, are they aware of the connection to Henries that goes beyond just knowing him, and how exactly did he get the kind of influence he has? Also, why would he choose to look like Henries now; wouldn't that gather him suspicion that he wouldn't want?

• I'm not going to argue about Mikhail Ling; it's a clear connection between Riverstone and two individuals involved in Spinetail.

• It's very interesting that one Kattan is Ball, and the other is working with Johann. Presumably the 'bridges' they're looking for are gates, unless you have a better idea? If they are gates, and Johann switched funding from some sort of Pluto project to the Trench, do you think he was originally interested in looking for a gate on Pluto?

• Politics is not my area and so I'll need to look further into the situation regarding the governor candidates, Jovavich's death, Lynch's connections, and so on, but there are obviously leads here.

Overall, there's way too much information here for me to decipher it all, at least not as quickly as it could be done with multiple people looking at it, so if you don't have any objections I'd like to share this updated information with the other Displaced. If so, do you mind if I include your editorializing, or did you want to keep the insults just between us?

[And okay, business out of the way, he knows this probably won't get him anywhere, but...]

More personally, I'm going to just be straight with you, and I know you're already inclined to dismiss everything I have to say, which is fine. But it's still worth a try.

I don't have any interest in fighting with you; it's a waste of time and energy for both of us that could be put toward accomplishing something, like figuring out what we're dealing with. You've made it completely clear you don't agree with my methods, but you don't have to; there's a reason why investigations are done in teams, because no one is correct all the time. The more people working on a project--to an extent, anyway--the more likely their different approaches and styles and ways of thinking will help them come to the right conclusion in the end, and isn't that the point?

I also didn't ask anyone to respond to you on Hawke's post. I decided not to respond myself because it was very obvious what you were doing, and I thought other people could see it clearly without my intervention, which they did and chose to say so. That didn't have anything to do with me, and considering you were trying to use the last conversation I had with you against me, I didn't exactly see a point in trying to talk to you.

Also, to be honest, I don't quite understand why you've taken such a dislike to me. Usually I've done something pretty intentional to draw this much ire, but as far as I'm aware the worst I've done is disagree with you. With as focused as you genuinely seem to be on actually accomplishing things here I find it hard to believe you'd be this offended just because someone challenged your opinion, so what's the actual reason?

[impede]

[It helps, of course, that Akechi has a rapport with Cassius. Just as Cassius was in chains, so was Akechi, many times over. He sees himself in the AI. But then, he sees himself in Judas, too: rash, willing to screw over everyone and everything. A simulation as a way of revenge only—makes sense. At least, if that's the scale that someone could use to accomplish anything.]

• For clones, I believe the only limitation would be the birthing process. However, it's hard to say how that would be accomplished here. If it's been illegal for 300 years, and one of those two men is known to be rather accomplished in genetic manipulation.

• My gut says the Displaced have forgotten that Spinetail happened only two years ago. I doubt that Henries' time as CEO would account for something that happened centuries afterward.

• Going off what Cassius has said, Johann isn't acting within the confines of how we'd normally think. It may be best to disregard concepts of trying to be cautious. All of these notifications tell me that he doesn't give a damn about how he appears to others. All that is to say that I don't have a theory for why he's chosen to look like Henries, but we have to assume that he saw some long-term possibility from it. Not benefit, not harm, but possibility. Again, this is what I've learned through communication with Cassius.

• I'm relieved that the Ling connection is obvious. It's rather telling, especially due to the nature of the communication.

• An interesting factor that I may have overlooked is that it was Ball who first gave the locations of the gates over. They were vague descriptions at the start. It was only later on that we ended up either heading to the correct locations ourselves, or kidnapped there. If Ball was the one who found these initial locations, perhaps he outlived his usefulness?

• For politics, I suggest Stephen Strange with an olive branch from the Displaced. Of course, he's more than able to choose someone else, but someone with his powers should be in a room like that.

As for the rest, I believe a bullet point system will still help us.

[Also, because he wants it to seem organized and controlled. He's aware that he flew off the handle the other day. Does that mean he feels bad for it? No. But he likes being contrary, even to himself.]

• It wasn't petty disagreement that caused problems before. Why would I expect anyone to agree with me? I simply wished to see if you were willing to be pushed beyond where you stand. Plus, when someone challenges you, you do love to explain your thinking, showing exactly what I had thought might be there. I knew you had your reasons to be reluctant about following up on the god leads, but hearing them first hand was less than satisfying.

[The other thing about Akechi is that he's very much That Kind of Villain at times: he likes to brag about his methodology. He owns up to who he is, even explaining what he believed Riverstone to be doing when Rey first came forward about all that from first hand experience.

Here comes another form of bragging—]

• Naturally, I had my reasons to challenge your thinking. I, too, was in law enforcement. No one mentions that casually without intending to influence how they're seen by others.

• But more than that, your identification of yourself made it apparent that you're much like a controlling jackass in my world. I know that you'll assume that this was a corrupt officer or commissioner of some sort, but I suggest you don't be so narrow in your thinking. As it is, Ren and I are in agreement on this. You're cowardly and you believe others are better off being just as cowardly. You're just like him, and I hate it.

[To Akechi's credit, he's told Maruki off to his face, too. So ... there's that ... sort of. And Lance isn't a god, or a god-adjacent-to-be or whatever, but he still pisses Akechi off.]

[lifetothefullest]

• Okay, so it's clear that we should expand our framework to be less strictly related to just cloning, and more to genetic modification and whatever other weird sci-fi biology might be possible there.

[He is absolutely not a biologist, on that speculation.]

• A more formal visual timeline might help here.

• I don't necessarily think you're wrong regarding Johann's behavior, that also makes our ability to figure out where to start unraveling his behavior very difficult without some more to go on.

• Some of the others were talking about a connection between Jovavich and Ball; I think someone had asked her about him just before they both supposedly died during the simulation. If Ball was eliminated for outliving his usefulness, that might've extended to Jovavich too, but that's pure speculation.

• I'll bring up the idea with Stephen and see if he wants to work on a plan.

[The rest of this is... Something, and he has to again figure out how he wants to reply to it. But even though it's a lot, it's also actual answers, and that's something he can work with.]

• I'm willing to be proven wrong, but we either miscommunicated, there's a difference between us in how we assess evidence, or both.

[Or Akechi purposefully didn't want to hear what he was saying, he supposes, but he's trying to give the benefit of the doubt here.

The next comment and the one that follows are far more interesting though, and suddenly give him a lot better idea of the situation. He can put the pieces together here and he can work with this, starting with--]

• I'm not going to argue with you; you're right. I chose that particular one of my professions to be the one I shared for a reason, though perhaps not as malicious of one as you seem to be assuming. It's simply the one that best demonstrated the skills that went with what I was asking about, though yes, it also has the side benefit of implying credibility.

[So he'll give Akechi that one, even if he thinks the interpretation of his motives is a little off base. The next part, though--]

• I don't know who you're talking about, so I can't necessarily refute how similar I am or not. But I can say that you barely know me, and what you do know you seem to be misinterpreting, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't assign me traits based on who I remind you of. I'll avoid doing the same in return, because you certainly remind me of someone I knew, but I don't exactly think it's fair to assume you're like him.

[impede]

• With regards to every point about Johann, I thought looking into a talented geneticist was already on the table. Of course, I believe there have been calls for those among our ranks to help us, but I'm uncertain if we've ever found someone fitting the bill. As it is, Johann's creatures in the two laboratories are evidence of what he's willing to do, but if Cassius insists that it's not for any common sense reason, than we might be better off not speculating. I worry that learning more about him may simply throw us off further.

Otherwise, we could consider speaking to the long-lived among us, and see if they can see similarities with those among their kind. It may be the only parallel we'll be able to find.

• You're misunderstanding the Jovavich explanation. It was Johann they asked her about. I was the one who gave Tsera that mission, only to see it backfire in her haste. That said, I do believe it's possible that they may have been eliminated for similar reasons. It may just not be that they were linked in those reasons other than through their apparent connections to Johann. But again, no one asked Jovavich about Ball. She asked about Johann and Judas.

[This is the easier stuff. Explaining Jovavich comes naturally. His rage toward her had been rather public, but his language wasn't as harsh as it is today. Besides, he was more livid with Quentin at the time for how he threw everything to the wind.]

• As for us, personally, my opinions are formed. You can explain yourself and seem rather reasonable, but I would rather be proven wrong than take you at your word. That includes being different from the man you remind me of. I don't think you're him, but the similarities are quite striking.

For whatever it's worth, I do have the capacity to change my mind about someone. I'm interested in seeing what you do with a clearer picture, and if your supposed caution will continue to lead to inaction. I will say that it's apparent that you've accepted the supernatural side of what's happening here, so that's a start. [Look, he's giving him credit. Lance is ... moving in the right direction by Akechi's estimation, but he'll have to see if he keeps doing it. He also didn't say it outright—as he merely implied it—but he wished to test Lance to see what he would do with everything from the start.

He just also thinks the man has that "Displaced Optimism" that infuriates Akechi. To him, it's egotism and arrogance dressed up as belief in themselves.]

• As for sharing, since I missed that part, leave the pithy remarks aside. Feel free to summarize them again. I don't need your friends coming to your defense. I'll take you at your word that you didn't send them my way, but I'm not interested in the lecture. Especially considering the number of times it took place in multiple locations.

[Akechi just wants to be an asshole and angry and doesn't care to moderate himself! Geesh.]

[lifetothefullest]

• I think outsourcing is definitely slowing us down; I talked to Jyn about reanalyzing DNA from the monsters now that they seem more stable, but the options for that are limited. We do now have a Displaced that's a xenobiologist, though I'm not sure how much he'll be able to help.

[Also he gives Lance the heebie-jeebies but that's a separate issue.]

• You're right, I've mixed up names, which means I can't speculate any further on that until I have a clearer idea of what's going on.

• Alright. I guess we'll just see how this all goes.

[He isn't going to argue or try to prove himself; things seem to be in a better place, and one that allows them to at least work together enough to make some progress on the real goal, and he's more than fine with that.]

• I've compiled the information here, including some of your notes and our discussions, but I wanted to make sure there isn't anything else you'd like included or removed before I make it public.

[impede]

The compilation is acceptable.

I do suggest you make a timeline so we can see the years between Henries' life and Spinetail more clearly. If not you, then someone as eager to step up to the plate. Perhaps one of your overeager friends needs something to do with their hands.

[lifetothefullest]

Okay, I'm adding it into the comments of the post Jack and I made, so people will be able to see it.

As far as the timeline, I'll figure something out.

[He also thinks it's useful, but let's be real here he's just going to do it himself.]

[impede]

We could stage an argument about the usefulness of it, and they'll come to your rescue by doing it themselves.

[Now he's just being a dick.]

[lifetothefullest]

[It's at least a funny enough comment to take it as a joke, whether or not he also thinks Akechi totally means it. Which he's guessing he does.

Still, Lance's own response is light, even if tone can be hard to read through text.]

Yeah, but at what cost? It probably won't even be color-coded.

[impede]

[A dick who makes a joke. Akechi is multifaceted!]

Then I suppose you'll need to train them better. I'll leave that to you.

[lifetothefullest]

Great.

[But that said, as much as it pains some part of him, he should also offer--]

Thanks for the information. It's really helpful in forming a clearer picture of what we're dealing with.

[impede]

I'm more than happy to collaborate when someone realizes that there's a point to what I'm doing. Surely you see that now.

[Also, he does intend to imply that he could go back to being belligerent and useless, too, just because he can. Though Akechi never sees his efforts as useless, just ... agitating and difficult to see the point of because sometimes he can throw things off course to make a point.

Not that he'd reflect as much so willingly.]

[lifetothefullest]

[Every so often he's glad the network is text only, because he can roll his eyes dramatically and no one will ever know. So he does so at this response, adding a sigh for good measure, deciding how diplomatic to be in response and eventually going with a pretty neutral option.]

The more people with different perspectives we have collaborating, the better our chances of actually putting everything together.

If you find out anything else you're interested in sharing, I'm interested in hearing it. For now though I'm going to go add this information to the discussoin.

[impede]

Have fun.

[And that's that.]