Okay, a little forward note before we get to the teaser. First, I wanted to repeat what I said a while back, which is that about half of the Chapter 13 teasers actually ended up being Chapter 14 teasers when I split the chapter.
Second, this is the first time I've kind of repeated a teaser. Material in this teaser overlaps one that I posted back in December 2002. One of the reasons I'm doing this is to show you how the material evolves over time. Just in case you're interested in the mechanical side of the process.
Enjoy.
-- Bob
(Edit: Corrected the date of the original teaser.)
-------------------
"I need a boomer," I said to Ohara as I leaned causally againsthis open door."What?" He stared at me from behind his desk."I need a boomer," I repeated. "Don't worry, I'll disable itsweapons systems before I start working with it."Several moments passed while he digested this. "Do I even wantto know *why*?" he finally asked."No."He pursed his lips and looked at me over his glasses for a fewmore seconds. "All right," he said. "I'll have one sent to yourshop immediately.""Thanks!" I said brightly, and walked off loudly singing someimprovised lyrics to the tune of that old folk standard "If I HadA Hammer": ""Assorted IDEC drones prairie-dogged over their cube walls to seewho was making the ungodly racket and gave me all manner of uglylooks as I passed. I am *so* not typical Japanese office workermaterial.Ohara's promise of immediate delivery was no exaggeration. Illyashowed up at my door at almost the same moment I did, accompaniedby one of the maintenance guys, who was wheeling along aseriously large crate on a handtruck. I stood at the door to myshop and watched as they came to a halt a couple of meters away."Ordered a boomer you did?" Illya asked with a grin.When I saw the model number stenciled on the side of the plasteel box, I gave him an incredulous Look. "You keep combat boomers *on-site*?" I knew I'd getting a combat boomer, but I'd thought they'd at least have been storing them in a warehouse somewhere else in the city. Despite what Ohara had said, I'd expected it get delivered the next morning at the very earliest.Illya shrugged in a manner that seemed far too Gallic for hisRussian blood. "One or two we have left over from, um, earlierphase of studies.""Yeah, right." I studied the box for a moment, then opened thedoor and stood aside. "All right, bring it in and put it next tothe nanofac."They wheeled it in and laid the crate on its side. As themaintenance guy trundled back out into the hallway, Illyasolemnly presented me with a small crowbar then said, "Do not amistake be making with this boomer, 'Craig'."I took the crowbar and experimentally fitted it between crate andtop. "Don't worry, I'll be careful."He looked at me, a very serious expression on his face, forseveral seconds before saying, "Better that you be. We manyothers modified to make less lethal, but this one we have not."He laid one ham-sized hand over my fist and most of the crowbar."It is great trust we give you now, knowing even that you hateus. No, deny it not," he added as I started to protest. "Withpoorly-veiled contempt you treat us, and we see it, we know. Butgood reason you have." He shrugged. "Badly have we treatedyou. So we understand, we forgive. And we trust that goodenough man you are that revenge you will not take -- at least notwith boomer."I said nothing for a long moment, staring only at the huge handon top of my own. Then I looked up and into his eyes, andnodded. "Thank you," I said, feeling faintly ashamed.He released my hand and shrugged again. "Is nothing. Besides, aprick Tony is, and smacking down needs. Skilled at that you are,and is fun to watch." He smiled again, briefly. "Just be surethat what you are doing will not the innocent people here harm.""I'll be sure," I murmured."Well then," he shifted gears into an expansive bonhomie, andclapped me on the back, staggering me for a moment. "Enjoy yourevening and your new friend.""Yeah," I said, and watched him turn and march out.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

I have to wonder what 'Sympathy for the Devil' (If you don't know who sang this and at least some of the lyrics, shame on you!) might do for/to Doug, espescially if it happened to get played while hr was in OMB... Being as how he avoids music with references to religious beings (and probably wisely so, all things considered) it might be difficult to set up, though. Another one that might have interesting potential is 'Time Is On My Side', though the effect that immediately springs to my mind is from ... dammit, I forgot the name of thhe movie... where a demon who can possess anyone who touches the current host, or in extremity any living creature it can reach in gaseous form in three seconds or so, and the detective trying to stop the demon is walking along the street, with the demon pasing from one pedestrian to another around them, making them sing that song... After we saw that movie, a couple of my friends and I walked around in front of the theater for a while pulling that trick - it really freaked a couple people out - and a couple others got it, and picked up the song when 'tagged in.' Sometimes, being in a town full of college students is indeed worthwhile ;?)
- CD
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

This is beginning to prey on my poor tired brain... surely between us we DW-fanboys can put it together...?
OK, what do we know?

-The Loon's name is Douglas Q. Sangnoir; Genom's CEO is James D. Quincy (see ch. 12). Doug used the alias "Quincy Black" when calling the cops shortly after his arrival. The "Black" clearly comes from Sangnoir ("black blood").
So far as I can tell from a search of the extant chapters, we have never been told what the Q. stands for (I don't think Bob's told us in the forum either). It is a short step from here to assume that Doug's middle name is Quincy, and Quincy's is Douglas... but those are only assumptions.
-Quincy knows a great deal about the Warriors--at absolute minimum, their real names, powers, and personalities--but has never seen at least one of them (Kat). If Warriors' World existed in some published fictional form in the BGC world, it seems likely that various people's searches would have turned this up by now--by accident if nothing else. But again, that's an assumption.
-Discussing a costume worn by Wetter Hexe, Quincy mentions designs by someone named "Elizabeth" (I can't find mention of this name in regard to the Warriors).
-In his youth (or, at least, earlier in his life), Quincy's attitude toward Doug's arrival would have been quite different:

Quote:

---

"Why now?" he muttered to himself. "Fifty years ago, even forty
years ago, I would have welcomed you. Why do you finally have to
come now?"

---

This aren't really ideas about songs that might bring powers, just some questions that have occured to me while thinking about the possibilties.
I understand, from what I have read, that Doug's powers require a song to have lyrics, that he (thinks) he understands, in order to gain new power and that he has no cotrol over activating a gift, once he hears a song.
- Does his power work for A Cappella songs? Could in emergency situations when he has no helmet get powers from comrades or supporters forming an impromtu chorus.
- Is Doug musically and could he trigger his own gift by perfoming a song?
- How does his talent define a song? Just one paticular recording of a song triggers the power? What about cover versions with the same lyrics? Is there any penalty that prevents him from just getting the longest running recording of a song.
- Continuing with the penalty idea: Are his powers simply on/off or do they come in degrees with 'stronger' powers for especially good recordings and 'weaker' versions if the quality of the recording or performace has been bad.
- From what I have read, the power starts with the first note of a song not with the lyrics. What about instrumental versions of a song or covers and parodies that sound the same up to a point?
-And finally since it is his subconsciousness that makes the decisions and not some external agent. Can he be fooled or fool himself into activating a power? Does it work if he only thing he hears a song? Telepathy, self-hynosis and so on.

Quote:

---

"Dad," she said, looking back and up at him, "you remember Lisa
Vanette, don't you?"
"I certainly do," he rumbled. "How are you, Lisa-chan?"
"Oh, hi, Mr. Van V--" She stopped short as he held up a warning
finger and wagged it, smiling at her. "Bert. Sorry!"

---

Information Society - Peace & Love Incorporated
Look at the world
It's a complicated place
And it's hard to keep the pace
You've got to wear a smiling face
But what we've got
Is a blue-light special on truth
It's the hottest thing with the youth
You've got nerves we need to soothe
If you've got to believe in something
Believe in us cos we'll make it easy
Peace and Love, Incorporated
Shop around
See if you don't agree
We think it fits you to a "T"
And the best part is it's free
I believe
We got the market cornered this time
We can make you feel fine
It could impact your bottom line
If you've got to believe in something
Believe in us cos we'll make it easy
If you've got to belong to something
Belong to us and we'll make you PC
Peace and Love, Incorporated
Peace and Love
It's the newest cause by far
And we've got all the biggest stars
Get your politics up to par
If you've got to believe in something
Believe in us cos we'll make it easy
If you've got to belong to something
Belong to us and we'll make you PC
Peace and Love, Incorporated
Welcome... (Welcome...)
To Peace and Love, Incorporated
Welcome... (Welcome...)
To Peace and Love, Incorporated
Welcome... (Welcome...)
To Peace and Love, Incorporated

Now, I won't try to speculate on what this song might do for the Loon, but who knows, it might be something nice, and coming in at five minutes in length it might get him out of a pinch.
- Grumpy Uncle Gearhead

Great Chapter! But, over so soon. I want more !
minor-nitpick: Didn't Doug already discover the "KS" signature a few chapters ago?
Re: Quincy's relation to Loon.
I hadn't thought that Quincy might only have had second-hand knowledge of Doug before like it know appears. I like the explanation of Quincy having had contact with a fictional version of Dougs world.
And I already had myself convinced that Quincy was an older or alternate version of the dimension lost Doug. But I guess the part with Doug spontaneously calling himself Quincy Black upon arrival was some sort of red-herring.
Just out of curiosity what does the "Q" In Douglas Q. Sangnoir stand for, if not Quincy?

Not that I really need to tell anyone who's seen the DW2 forum this morning, but there is new material on the website. Chapter 13 of DW2 is up, with changes made to the main DW and DW2 Concordance pages.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Head to www.eclipse.net/~rms/dwmain.html for the new chapter and the revised and updated concordance. This is an exclusive for folks who read the forums -- I won't be posting the chapter to RAAC, the FFML and all the other usual places until later tonight.
Go to it folks, and enjoy!

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Here's a song I got from my Dad while he was recording all of his old records onto mp3 format. This was part ease of use and part crumudgeony act of defiance to the RIAA. This song reminds me of Doug in a lot of ways, though I don't think he's very mercenary at all. Plus the spegetti western sound of it appeals to me.
Ballad of Paladin by Johnny Western. Theme song to the television show Have Gun Will Travel (1957).
Have Gun Will Travel reads the card of a man.
A knight without armor in a savage land.
His fast gun for hire head's the calling wind.
A soldier of fotune is the man called Paladin.
Paladin, Paladin where do you roam?
Paladin, Paladin, far, far from home.
He travels on to wherever he must;
A chess knight of silver is his badge of trust.
There are campfire legends that the plainsmen spin
Of the man with the gun,
of the man called Paladin
Paladin, Paladin where do you roam?
Paladin, Paladin, far, far from home.
Far from home.
Far from home.

Next up is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands. It's got smirking glee written all over it and could be a nasty ranged attack.
Bottlerocket War by Pain
Never enough celebrating Independence Day.
It was never enough to celebrate the eve of New Years Day.
What about my friends and me, can we have our say?
Cuz all our many enemies need to be blown away.
Aint no sting like a bottlerocket burrowing
Deep into the side of your face.
And have you ever felt the big welt
That a Roman candle leaves in its place?
The woods in the neighborhood are worth getting put in jail.
Well fight em in the tunnels and well fight em in the swamps
And theyll never get past never gonna go!
Four Bics get flicked and the punks get lit.
We never asked if we should
Its a game, its a chore, its a bottlerocket war
And life never got so good.
Build a pile, everything we bought from Crazy Bill.
Crazy Bob, and Crazy Ken,
Theyd sober up if they knew about The Plan.
We got enough pyrotechnics to fill up a wagon
Like a Chinese party in the year of the dragon.
Im standing next to Poe and this is what he said:
Chuck can lift a manhole cover with his head!
(Here we go!)
Four Bics get flicked and the punks get lit.
We never asked if we should
Its a game, its a chore, its a bottlerocket war
And life never got so good.
Were just trying to have some fun.
Were not hurting anyone.
The lights burst like magic spells
And make a sweet sound like bells.
Four Bics get flicked and the punks get lit.
We never asked if we should.
Its a game, its a chore, its a bottlerocket war
And life never got so good.
Never got so GOOD.

And just because its silly, Unseen Tears of the Albacore by The Vandals. I'll put up the lyrics later maybe, but its a goofy song lamenting the fact that everybody loves dolphins but nobody cries for the tuna.
---
Jon
"And that must have caused my dad's brain to break in half, replaced by a purely mechanical engine of revenge!"