Billie's Journal

Scotland, day twelve continued

While the padre fights to save Chad's life with his magic, I patch up the rest of us as best I can without a medkit. I cut up one of Zero's silk tops and my secretary blouse for bandages so at least we won't bleed out. My wounds hurt like hell and my vision is bloodshot but I'm not dead. Neither is Chad according to the padre although he is still unconscious and the padre is too exhausted from saving him to be able to heal anyone else.

Having finally got the satellite link working, Zero is unable to contact the McDonald's castle. Mainly because we don't actually have a number to call. Instead she calls Amelia and advises her to lie low for a bit. She then works her own brand of magic on the landrover and, amazingly, gets it going again.

We load Chad and the hit-team's gear in the back and head on to Pitlochrie. The padre sleeps while Zero and I take turns keeping Finlay company and awake as he drives us through the dark. We arrive early morning in Pitlochrie and pull off the road near the McDonald's estate for a short rest.

The padre is feeling better and manages to heal the worst of our injuries but can do no more for Chad, who needs to be hospitalized and soon. So, at ten in the morning, we drive up to the estate entrance and Finlay announces our arrival. The gates swing open and we drive slowly up the long driveway, our car giving out just as we reach the welcoming committee.

There are at least a half dozen heavily armed and armored scots waiting for us. They are courteous but clear that we should leave our weapons in the car. Then after ensuring that they will get help for Chad, we are led in to the house.

Ian MacDonald is waiting in the sitting room by an open fire. He looks to be mid-forties with a grey moustache and salt and pepper hair. He is a big man and obviously still fit, but his face is hard as granite.

He gestures for us to sit in overstuffed chairs and sofas next to the fire. I sink slowly into one with a hiss of pain.

He asks what happened to us and we tell him about the ambush. I add that I think the same hitmen may have been behind the attack on the castle and when he asks why I show him the toxicology reports Zero lifted from the police database.

He passes the information to one of his lackeys with an angry comment about someone not doing their job properly. I don't catch it as the pain is making it hard to stay focused on the conversation. Finally, Zero convinces him that Quicksilver's ghost may be trapped in his system and he dismisses us.

Back outside one of the staff tells us that the landrover isn't going to get us very far. The pool of oil under it backs him up. We shift our gear to a minibus and they give us a lift to village's only hotel. It's small, quiet and old but well-maintained. I soak in the bath until the local doctor arrives to patch me up properly. He give me some antibiotics and painkillers and I go to bed even though it's still early afternoon.

Scotland, day thirteen

I spend most of the day in bed, recovering from my wounds. The doctor comes by to check on me and I chew on painkillers and antibiotics, washed down with single malt.

Zero drops by to check on me. She tells me that she has been back into the datastore where she first saw Quicksilver's ghost. This time she was there with two Transys deckers and they all saw the ghost asking to be taken to Amelia.

She also has an idea on how to do that. She believes that if Amelia hooks up the biodeck to the matrix, that she can lead the ghost into it. She is planning to try it tomorrow, if she can get McDonald to agree to let her into the system again.

Scotland, day fourteen

Feeling a bit better today, but that could just be the drugs and the booze.

Zero went back into the matrix and managed to lead the ghost out and into the deck. She then flatlined for a moment and when she logged out, she told us that the ghost was growing up in the deck. It told her some stuff about birth and heaven, apparently to do with star signs. Amelia said she would look into it and calls us later that evening with good news. She has found the fourth chip.

Zero tells her not to try to do anything with it but to wait for her. Finlay persuades the hotel owner to lend us his car and we head out for Edinburgh.

Scotland, day fifteen

We seem to spend all our time in the damn car these days. We drive trhough the night to Edinburgh, and after a short rest meet up with Amelia in an upscale bar. We all look like hell, but no-one bothers us. Zero puts the last chip in place and decks in. This time she meets an adult Quicksilver. Seems he didn't know that he was dead. Apparently he now wants us to take us to Morag. Hell, might as well see this through to the end, so it's back in the car.

Amelia comes along and spells Finlay for the driving which is good because it takes us the rest of the day and all night.

Scotland, day sixteen

James McDonald is not too happy to see us again. He keeps us waiting, I guess while he checks with Ian, before letting us in. He is wary of us trying to 'exorcise' Morag and only relents after a tense video conference with his brother in which we have to more or less come clean about everything that's been going on. And especially where we have been the last two days.

We unload our gear into our rooms, guns included and rest until shortly before midnight. Zero sets up in Morag's bedroom and decks in. Just as her system flatlines, Finlay lets out a curse and all hell breaks loose.

The whole castle shakes as high explosives rip open the main doors. Sounds of heavy fighting break out below and I run up to our room for the gun bags. On my way back I spot one of the McDonalds with a shotgun and an ancient Webley Bear rifle which I persuade him to lend to me.

I pass out the rest of the weapons just as the first shots echo up the stairwell. The padre turns Finlay invisible and he heads down the stairs to scout.

I keep a bead on the stairs and am awarded by two gunmen coming into view. The big gun has a fell of a kick but I manage to clip one and the scot hits the other with the shotgun. The padre launches a volley of magical beams at them and they return fire at him. Guess they don't like mages either. My second shot takes out the one I winged and the scot deals with the other, but more are coming.

There are still sounds of fighting below and then we hear Finlay cry out. The padre curses something about magically active mages being the only ones that could have spotted Finlay and slumps into a trance.

Distracted, I let the next gunmen get the drop on us. These ones play it smart laying down covering fire. I hear a grunt from the clansman as he tries to get off a shot, while I maneuver for position. The gunman spots me as I draw a bead on him but my shot hits him squarely in the chest and knocks him back, dead.

Unfortunately I now spot the mage behind him. He gestures at me as I frantically work the rifle's bolt action, gritting my teeth against the incoming spell. Nothing happens and the mage looks surprised as it washes over me with no effect. His expression stays like that as the big gun takes off the back of his head.

That makes me public enemy number one. Bullets chew into the old oak bannister, my armor and least one of my plastic-reinforced bones. No serious damage but it still hurts like hell. I snap off a round in return and am rewarded with a cry of pain.

They are focusing on me now and the bannister is disintegrating under their fire. I roll away as it collapses but feel more bullets hitting me and can taste blood in my mouth. I fire off a last shot but it goes wide, then drop prone to reload. Over the sounds of fighting I swear that I can hear more choppers coming. I just hope it's the fraggin' cavalry.

The clansman gets off another good shot taking one of them down but his victory cry is cut short when a burst catches him in the throat and practically rips off his head.

I crawl towards the padre shouting for him to wake up just as the head and shoulders of a troll appear on the stairs. I curse in salish, something about his mother. It's enough to get his attention. The bannister protects me but only just. I get off a shot, but while it rips a chunk out of his side, he seems barely to notice it. Great a troll on combat drugs.

The padre's eyes open and he struggles to focus his magics on the troll. Guess the troll figures him for the bigger problem so it's next bursts go in his direction. With much cursing and swearing the padre rolls and tumbles across the landing, miraculously unscathed.

I decide I have had enough of this shit and my next shot strikes true. It rips through bone, muscles and arteries in the troll's gun arm and he tumbles slowly back down the stairs spraying blood around him.

From below I can hear more fighting, but it's a scottish accent shouting the orders. I slump back, cradling the big gun in my arms. The shooting stops and armored clansmen appear on the stairs. Ian McDonald is in their midst, giving orders.

Then a funny thing happens. Now remember I was shot up pretty bad, but the others recount it pretty much as I remember. From out of the walls of the castle come a whole tribe of ghosts. Men and women, old and young. Last to join them are Quicksilver and Morag. So Zero did it. Then the oldest and gnarliest of the ghosts steps forward and locks his eyes on Ian McDonald. There is a pause and then the ghost turns away. A light appears above us and the ghosts stream into it, with Quicksilver, Morag and the old wizened scot last to leave. Then it fades to black.

Scotland, day eighty

It takes me over a month to recover. Ian McDonald puts us up in the private wing of a hospital and spares no expense on treatment. Finlay was badly hurt, part of one arm totally flayed open. They replaced it with a biotech one. I heard that stuff was bad for adepts, but he's not talking about it.

Bringing Morag and Quicksilver together in the deck also took it's toll on Zero, but the new cyberware they gave her seems to be keeping her happy. The padre came through it all unscathed and even Chad is back on his feet and asking for bananas.

We are flying back to Seattle tomorrow. Ian McDonald has arranged flights on his corp's own semi-ballistic plane. I won't be sorry to leave and have a few question to ask Sherrif when I get back...

Billie's Journal

Scotland, day eleven

Chad was hitting the booze hard last night while we discussed what to do with the deck and looks rough this morning. We finally agreed with Amelia that she should hold onto the deck for now, although the rest of the team seem disappointed, especially Zero.

Amelia has agreed to stay here at Loch Ness and will try to make contact with the spirit of the glen. She gives us the number to her satellite phone and asks us to keep her up-to-date as events unfold.

We give her some of our hiking gear, then pack the rest into the Landrover and start off on our journey to Glencoe. The road is pretty bad in places and we have to stop a couple of times to let Chad throw up when the bumpy ride gets too much for his hangover.

We arrive in Glencoe late in the evening. The village on our maps is nothing more than a ruin, leaving only the fenced off fort as a destination. I try the intercom at the gate, but some flunky brushes me off. Finlay has better luck. He can go in alone. The rest of us have to wait outside. After a good half hour, we are invited in. I never learnt to drive a car, or at least don't remember and none of the others have a licence either, so we have to let the dogbrain drive us up the hill to the parking.

We stash our guns in the car and enter to a positively frosty welcome. Over a meal of leftovers, Finlay explains that they only let us stay when he mentioned the organic chips. It seems like the fort is run by Ian MacDonald's brother, the father of two of the boys killed in the attack that also took the lives of Morag MacDonald and possibly also Quicksilver. However, it seems that this guy doesn't know Quicksilver and is unaware of any relationship between him and Morag. Great another dead end. Or perhaps not, as it seems that Finlay did finally manage to get us a meet with Ian MacDonald.

The fort is austere and authentically furnished at least as far as I can tell. It could all be Ikea for all I know. The walls though are the real thing, thick stone that Father O'Reilly says have a real presence in the astral unlike the drywall in mordern buildings. We are shown to a couple of rooms. I settle in with Zero and then around midnight when everything is quiet I sneak out to take a look around. Unfortunately one of the clansmen is stationed out in the hallway. Pulling the threadbare nightdress tighter around me. I let him show me to the bathroom. So much for sneaking around for a look.

On the way back, I spot movement out the corner of my eye on the floor below. I stop to look but see nothing. The guard hussles me along. I tell him I thought I saw a woman moving about but he just shrugs and says it was probably the cook. As we get to the bedroom door I hear a voice and look around. Nothing, but the hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end.

The guard more or less orders me back to bed, but I see movement again and point it out to him. He gets angry and grabs my arm, telling me that I am in trouble now and he is taking me to see the chief. I can't break his grip so am forced to follow him down the stairs.

At the bottom, a ghostly figure appears before me. I recoil in surprise and she is gone. It was like looking into a mirror. The guard pulls me on and then she is there again. This time I reach out and we touch fingers.

A shock runs through me and then I am stumbling forward. The guard has let me go and is standing with his gun drawn, muttering in a strange language which Finlay later tells me was Gaelic. Finlay and Zero are looking at me with concern and asking if I am okay. Zero explains that she was waiting for me to come back from my scouting expedition when she heard a shout. When she came out of the room she saw me floating about half a meter off the ground but I looked different, more like Morag than myself. She said I was talking about the night I was killed, no the night Morag was killed. Something about Quicksilver being shot and his eyes watching over her always.

Well the whole fort is up by now. Several of the staff saw me floating off the ground in addition to the guard. Father O'Reilly checks me out with his magic eyes and says I seem to be okay. I feel a little lightheaded and Zero helps me back to bed.

Scotland, day twelve

Next morning things are possibly even more tense, but the ghost seems to have convinced the MacDonalds that we are on the level. Father O'Reilly explains that something is keeping Morag's spirit from moving on. To Heaven, I guess.

We convince the chief to let us take a look in her room, even though he claims the police already searched it. However, after about thirty minutes, I discover a small gap between the family crest on her four poster bed and the headboard. I manage to tease the hidden object out with my fingertips but not before one of the MacDonalds spots me. It's another one of the organic chips.

Zero comes up with a line about it being some old, obsolete tech which the MacDonalds seem to buy. They actually seem more disappointed that this is not what is keeping Morag from moving on, even if we suspect that it really is. So we agree to stay another night and see if Father O'Reilly can put her spirit to rest.

In the meantime, Zero decks into the Edinburgh police system after first creating a false trail to the Campbell's network. She finds some autopsy files on the dead attackers but nothing else. I take a look through the files. There is something strange in the toxicology report, but it's beyond my limited medical knowledge. It gives me a bad feeling. Something to follow up but first we need to talk to the ghost.

Sure enough about midnight that night, the ghost turns up. I touch it and then it's gone. And apparently so was I, at least for a short while. Father O'Reilly says that he was able to find out a little more from her but not a lot. She confirmed that she was here with Quicksilver but also claimed that the killers were here for him and not her. The plot thickens.

Scotland, day twelve

After a decent breakfast, we leave for Pitlochrie. The chief has been in contact with Ian MacDonald and he is expecting us there. The morning starts foggy and doesnt really clear up that much by midday. Then through a break in the mist, we spot trouble. A military helicopter is heading in our direction and it looks armed for bear. I shout a warning to Finlay and he floors the gas heading down the valley towards the treeline.

The first burst of gunfire misses. I take Finlay's SMG and return fire, but I am not familiar with the weapon and the bumpy road doesnt help my aim. Finlay manages to avoid a second attack but on the third pass, the pilot's aim is true.

Bullets rip through the unarmored body of the car. I wince as one clips me and hear others cry out as well. We are nearly to the trees and I think we are going to make it okay when the next burst rips into the side and I hear Zero cry in pain. Finlay manages to keep the car under control and we pile out grabbing what gear we can.

We run further into the woods as more bullets tear into the ground around the abandoned car. Taking cover, Father O'Reilly says a prayer to close his wounds while I try to bandage a bleeding Zero. She pushes me away telling me she will live and that she needs a minute to set up her satellite connection to call for help.

A burst of gunfire from Finlay signals that we dont have time. Several figures are moving through the woods with military precision and if the returning fire is to be believed, they are armed with military hardware too. I drop behind a tree and risk a look. These guys are wearing combat armor and are all sporting automatic weapons. I snap off a shot from my revolver and am rewarded with a yelp of pain and a burst of gunfire.

While Finlay lays down suppressing fire, Chad closes on the hostiles. He almost makes it when suddenly another gunman appears and cuts him down with a burst from his assault rifle. Finlay returns fire and catches the gunman square in the chest, dropping him. The others take cover and open up. I feel a bullet tug at the long coat, but it doesn't penetrate.

Then I hear Father O'Reilly curse. Not a good sign from a man of the cloth. Pain builds in my head then snaps off as if cut. I wipe blood from my nose. Seems like the bad guys have a mage. Not good. I snap off a couple of shots at one of the gunmen. While both hit, it doesn't look like they did much damage as he immediately returns fire sending me ducking for cover.

The enemy mage steps out of cover, a ball of energy flickering into being in his hands which explodes in a shockwave towards us. I feel it wash over me and hear O'Reilly grunt as he blocks the spell from harming us. Finlay snaps off a burst at the mage, the padre slams a spell into him and I finish him off with a shot that punches through his shield and forehead. Two down.

Unfortunately the other gunmen are still out there and when I try for another shot, one of them catches me with a burst. I feel a burning pain in my side and drop back. Zero is still trying to get her satellite link up, but she suddenly stops what she is doing, pulls out her pistol and fires a shot off to the side. Her shot is true, catching one of the gunmen who was trying to flank us clean between the eyes.

Finlay catches one of the others with a burst and the last tries to withdraw. I reload and catch him with a shot which slows him down long enough for the padre to hit him with a stun bolt that takes him out.

As the helicopter circles above, we quickly check and strip the bodies while the padre does what he can for Chad.

Billie's Journal

Scotland, day seven and eight

The druids 'kindly' let us camp out in the rain near their fort. We spend a damp night in our tents and wake to an equally miserable day. It's windy, rainy and grey, just like it has been every day since we got here.

We break camp and take the first bus back to the village. Fiona mentioned that Quicksilver was planning to follow the ley lines toward Loch Ness, some lake that supposedly has a monster living in it. Hell yeah, since magic came back anything's possible these days.

We pick up food, gas and whiskey before taking the ferry back to the mainland. The landrover is still there and even still in one piece. It takes us pretty much the rest of the day to get from Skye across country to Loch Ness. There's not much there; just a handful of houses and an inn. The innkeeper sets us up in a couple of rooms, boys in one and girls in the other and we rest up till morning.

Scotland, day nine

The innkeeper is a grouchy old geezer, but with this weather who can blame him. He doesn't remember seeing Quicksilver around or at least that's what he claims. He points out the ruins of an old fort further down the lake. He says tourists used to go there to see Nessie, that's what they call the monster in the lake. Apparently the tourists stopped coming when they had some trouble with some paranormal aquatic horse creature that liked to drown and eat its victims. I can understand why the tourist trade dried up.

The druidic ritual obviously took more out Father O'Reilly than he let on and he says he needs to rest up to restore his magic. So we head out without him. Finlay insists on taking the landrover and to my surprise he gets us most of the way to the fort before the trail becomes too difficult. We walk the rest of the way. It's cool and damp but the hike keeps us warm.

The fort is little more than a pile of stones and as we approach a deep voice demands to know what we are doing there. At first there is nothing to see, but then the stones of the fort start to move forming into a vaguely human torso, head and arms at least 30 feet tall.

Alarm gives way to astonishment at this massive spirit and we ask it about Quicksilver. We quickly establish that it knows him, however it claims not to have seen him for a couple of months. When we ask it if he left anything here, it gets a bit coy but finally admits that it does have something of his. But if we want it, we have to give the creature something in return.

I don't quite get what the stone creature is talking about, but it seems like we need to undergo some sort of magic test like the one the druids performed on the padre. It say that it will gain insight into us and that perhaps we will also learn something more about ourselves too. As I don't really know anything about myself, I jump at the chance.

We all lie down on the wet grass and the creature hovers a massive stone hand above us. There is a swirling and then I open my eyes again...

I am still lying on the grass but the sky is blue and the sun warm. I hear a women's voice calling my name except she is calling me Wilhelmina, not Billie. Is that my real name?

I stand and discover I am a young girl again, fourteen, awkward, too tall and skinny and all raging hormones. And two real flesh arms. I pinch my right arm just to be sure. The lady is calling my name again. She is human, around thirty or so. Her hair is sunbleached and her skin a healthy tan. She has my eyes.

"Hurry up" she scolds. "Your dinner is getting cold and we need to leave soon."

I enter the rustic ranch house that feels like home and sit at a familiar place at the table. A man, fit and maybe in his forties, with short cropped hair joins us along with a boy, older than me, that is obviously his son. The boy ruffles my hair as I sit down. I jab at his ribs. He grunts and the lady tells me to stop fighting with my brother. I have a brother? Or is this all a dream?

I push food around my plate. The lady tuts at me and tells me to go and get changed as we need to leave soon...

Out front is a black Ford Americar. My heart goes cold when I see it. Something bad is going to happen. I ask if we really need to go to Seattle but the scene suddenly shifts and we are already in the car...

The boy call out a warning. Something hits us from behind and we are falling. Pain engulfs me...

I hear voices but cannot see who is speaking. A man's voice says, "She's pretty banged up but I'll take her. Here's your money..."

I am whipping another girl. She is strapped naked to the wall. I am wearing little more: just cowboy boots, a very short fringed skirt and a waistcoat that barely covers my breasts. The floor is covered in plastic and the plastic is covered in blood.

"Why did you stop?" asks a man. His face is flushed and he is obviously aroused. "Keep whipping her. You are supposed to do what I tell you."

I raise the whip and he leers more. Anger burns through me and I lash out at him. The whip cuts his face but he just smiles and works a control in his hands. Pain arcs through me.

"You bitch. You'll pay for that. Now do what I tell you."

My body jerks out of my control as I raise the whip and strike the girl again and again. Tears burn my cheeks as I watch helplessly while I flay the skin from her back. In the distance I hear thunder...

The man looks up startled as a door behind me is kicked open and a dark-skinned man wearing a facemask and black combat clothing enters.

"You sick bastard" says the newcomer and there is a roar of gunfire that leaves me half deaf. A row of red flowers blossom across the chest of my tormentor and he jerks back with a look of shock fixed on his dead face.

My arms twitch as I get control of my body back. "Please help us." I croak grabbing at the black clothed figure.

"Sharif, we need to go. Now!" comes a female voice from beyond the door.

With a glance at the other girl, he shrugs. "Come on then, but leave her. She's a goner."

"No!" I cry, pulling at the girl's restraints. "She's still alive." I strip off my waistcoat and wrap it as carefully as I can around her bleeding back. She moans weakly and I glare at Sharif. "See!"

Sharif picks up the girl and with me clinging to his arm we flee from the room along dark corridors. We seem to run for hours and my lungs are burning. Then as we turn yet another corner there is a guard. Flames erupt from his gun. Sherrif twists, his armor protecting him and the unconscious girl. I try to throw myself aside but bullets rip into my right arm spinning me around...

I am in a hospital bed. I can't see but can feel tubes going into my skin. I can't feel my right arm. I hear Sharif's voice saying, "What you've taken out is more than enough to cover what you need to do to fix her up. So do it."

He comes to visit me every day as they rebuild me. New arm, eyes plus a few extras like the smartlink and the blade. "Just in case you ever need them" he says with a wink...

The pistol is beautiful, a Cavalier Deputy with internal smartlink II and a pearl handle. I kiss Sharif, my Sheriff on the cheek...

Cold rain splashes on my face. I jerk upright. Tears burn my eyes. I remember. My god, I remember who I am. Not all, but I know it was real.

The others are also sitting up too. Chad is patting at his chest and arms as if he was on fire. Zero is also crying, mumbling something about killing her boyfriend. Only Finlay seems unaffected by the experience. He moves to help Zero to her feet then comes towards me. I still hurt too much so I pop my blade and warn him off. He backs off and I retract the blade, tears still streaming down my cheeks.

I turn to the spirit. "Is it true?" I demand.

I feel a great compassion wash over me that soothes my soul a little. "It may be what was or what is yet to come, or a chance to set right a wrong. It is always different. But you have given of yourselves and now I give this to you. My friend left it here in my safekeeping but I feel you are the right ones to have it now."

It holds out a hand made of granite blocks. In it is a tiny package, wrapped carefully in bubble wrap. I take it carefully and open it. It is a second chip, similar to the one Fiona gave us.

We return to the inn in silence. Zero calls Amelia and the woman admits she has Quicksilver's cyberdeck. She will bring it to the inn tomorrow. A few whiskeys help me to sleep.

Scotland, day ten

We all rise late, rested but drained. I soak for a long time in the bath and scrub myself clean of the previous day's memories. But I hold on to them dearly. My cowboy clothes feel uncomfortable as I dress now that I know something of my past. But still, this is who I am now.

Finlay, worried that someone might be out looking for us, spent the night in the landrover. The innkeeper finds him still there, fast asleep while collecting fresh eggs for breakfast. Real eggs and real bacon and hot coffee. Food and caffeine make me feel better, if still a little fragile. I apologise to Finlay for drawing my blade on him. He's one of the good guys.

That evening, Finlay, Chad and myself spend several hours hiding in the gorse around the village until finally, late in the evening, a lone car approaches. We wait several minutes to see if she has been followed then join Amelia, Father O'Reilly and Zero back at the inn.

Amelia has Quicksilver's deck. It looks pretty flash and when Zero opens it, all the circuitry inside is the same as the strange chips. We retire to the room I share with Zero and after connecting her deck to Quicksilver's and inserting the two chips that we have, she jacks in. At first everything is smooth, but then she starts twitching and blood runs from her nose. Finlay is ready to pull her jack, dumping her out of the system but she relaxes and then after a few moments sits up, unjacking herself.

She says that she saw Quicksilver again, then that she felt like she was Quicksilver. She remembers shooting someone, possibly her dead boyfriend again and then running. She saw a woman called Mary Macdonald getting killed. She claims to love her or that Quicksilver loved her. Amelia recognises the name, claiming to have seen something about her in the newscasts.

Somewhat recovered, Zero scans the matrix and finds an obituary for the Macdonald woman. The newsfeeds claim that is was the result of a long-standing clan feud with the Campbells. They also mention an Ian MacDonald, a clan elder and senior director of Transys, the company that Quicksilver was working for.

Looks like Glencoe is our next destination, even though Finlay and Chad are keen to just sell off the deck even missing a couple of chips and go back home. Zero wants to hang onto the deck but finally we persuade her to give it back to Amelia for safekeeping. I need to see this through. The spirit of the glen gave me back some of my lost memories. I feel I owe it to Quicksilver to at least find out what happened to him.

Up in the air

Finally thought I had found a movie that both me and the missus would enjoy. Looked quite humourous from the trailer. Unfortunately the trailer was just about the whole movie.

The ten minute long title sequence at the start was the first warning. There are a couple of funny moments and some eye candy - George Clooney for the ladies and Vera Farmiga for the blokes. And while it's well-acted on the whole, just about nothing happens for the entire duration of the movie. It's so boring that one of my friends actually walked out.

Really disappointed. 1 out of 5

Billie's Journal

Scotland, day three (continued)

We decide to pay Amelia another visit at the University and catch up with her as she leaves her last class. When confronted with Zero's story she finally admits that she does know Quicksilver and is concerned about his disappearance. She fills us in on what she knows but it's not a lot more than we already knew.

Apparently Quicksilver was quite the ladies' man and Amelia believes that he was going to see his lover. And while she claims that her relationship with the man was purely platonic, I'm not so sure.

So it looks like it's back to Hamish's bar again. Maybe the elf girl is the lover in question and can tell us where he is. I don't get my hopes up and am not looking forward to running into Duncan again.

Finlay suggests stopping for indian food before going to the bar. That suits me just fine. I have eaten well in Salish territory and hope they have buffalo steaks here too. Well, it turns out these scottish injuns like to put a lot of spices in their food, a little fact that Finlay forgot to mention when he suggested the place.

As a result, I'm feeling a little queasy when we get to Hamish's but at least Duncan isn't already there. The elf girl turns up shortly after we settle in and Zero heads off to chat with her. Or should I say chat her up. Half the bar is ogling the pair of them as a smouldering Zero lays on the charm. Unfortunately it's about this time that the octopus makes his entrance and plants a wet kiss on my cheek before I can react.

I try to keep him talking rather than pawing. He wants to take me clubbing and hints he can get some drugs so we can have a 'real good time'. Yuck. I try to ask him about getting other items, hoping he at least knows a real fixer, but he doesn't get the hint and thinks I'm asking about more 'exotic' clubs. The thought of it turns my stomach, which does not agree with the indian food. For a moment I think I am going to sick up and then the room starts spinning.

KILL KILL KILL

I fight back an overwhelming urge to pop my handblade and jam it up under Duncan's ribs. My cyberarm is twitching and I feel the nails of my left hand digging into my palm as I fight for control. Cold sweat drips down my neck and I catch a glimpse of my pale, frightended face in the mirror behind the bar.

"Are you alright there girly," asks a concerned Hamish.

I mutter, "Think I ate something that didn't agree with me" as I pull myself away from Duncan and stumble towards the ladies. I splash cold water on my face and take deep ragged breaths to try and calm my thudding heart. What the hell is going on. Why did I react like that. Maybe I really am crazy and belong in an institution.

Zero slips into the ladies a few moments later to find me clutching a sink and staring at my shivering reflection. "Billie, cherie, are you well?"

KILL KILL KILL

NO! A red mist clears from my vision. Zero is backed up against the door, her eyes wide, her red lips a perfect 0. My right arm is high, elbow drawn back, fist at eye level, hand blade glittering in the flourescent lights. Time draws out as I exert all my willpower to lower it and retract the blade.

Spent, I collapse to the floor weeping. I see Zero frantically signalling to the rest of the team. Then the padre is helping me up as I cling to his arm to keep from falling apart. He takes me back to the hotel and helps me into bed. I sleep.

Scotland, day four

I wake early to Finlay pounding on my door.

"Get ready, we got a meet in an hour. Seems your boyfriend did know a few people after all." I glare after him with puffy eyes as he moves down the corridor waking the rest of the team. Zero turns up just as we finish breakfast, all smiles and tousled hair.

We drive the rental car to a bad part of town and we walk through a muddy unkempt park to the rusted remains of a children's play area. A broad troll with an even broader accent take a wad of cash from Finlay and counts it out slowly. Then he pulls out two large duffel bags and hands them over.

Back in car, we check through the gear. There are three large armor jackets, too big for me or Zero but they should fit the guys, and two long coats. There are also some guns: an smg and a few pistols. One of the pistols is nice 375 magnum revolver, which I take and tuck into my belt.

I am feeling somewhat better now that I am packing, when Finlay gets a call. My stomach sinks as he puts it on speaker. It's our Johnson, Alistair McCameron.

"Please come over to my apartment right away. My access to the company matrix has been blocked and I think I'm being watched. Please, hurry!"

Finlay steps on it, pushing the local speed limits. He pulls up around the corner from the apartment as I finish pulling on one of the long coats. "I'll take a look", I say as I climb out and squash my hat on against the rain.

"Be discreet," he hisses after me.

The street is quiet and I can see nothing out of the ordinary. Taking shelter in a nearby bus stop, I call the team.

"Looks quiet. Don't seem to be anyone watching the place."

"Stay put and cover us" replies Finlay. "Me and Father O'Reilly are gonna take a look."

They hurry through the rain and huddle at the door for a minute. Then suddenly, Finlay steps back, kicks in the door and they disappear inside.

"We're in" reports Finlay moments later. "Shit! Not good. Cameron is dead and it looks like it was magic. We're gonna see if we can find anything."

As he cuts off, I hear sirens wailing faintly in the distance.

"Cavalry coming. Get out now."

We rendezvous back at the car and take a circuitous route back to the hotel in case we are being followed. Our Johnson is dead, the job a bust. Or at least that's how it looks to me until Zero announces that in addition to getting a piece of tail, she also got some information.

Seems that the elf girl, Finquella, was dumped by Quicksilver for a druid by the name of Fiona. This druid lives on an island off the west coast called Skye.

"Yeah, but with our J dead, shouldn't we just cut our losses and head back to Seattle?" I ask.

"That's one option" replies Finlay. "But if this Quicksilver really is such a wiz programmer, saving his ass could net us a nice payoff. And besides, we're gonna be stuck here for a while until we can find a way home. We might as well talk to this druid."

"Damned heretics" mutters the padre.

Getting to Skye means leaving the Scotsprawl and that means no roads. So Finlay trades in our rental for a Landrover while I pick up some camping gear. According to Finlay, the highlands of Scotland are a bit wild these days. Father O'Reilly adds that the 'heretical' druids have reintroduced wolves and grizzlies and that there are even paranimals like piasmas and selkies. Makes me glad I've got a gun.

We leave directly, but it still takes more than a day to cross the country to Skye. The roads are all overgrown, little more than muddy trails and with almost no traffic. The only other vehicles we see are a police patrol made up of four combat bikes and two armored landrovers, one sporting a MMG on a pintle mount. Fortunately, they seem to be in a hurry and don't pull us over.

I feel strangely calm out here in the countryside. Not so Zero, who gets freaked out by patchy matrix access. Chad just spends most of the journey staring out the window in wide-eyed astonishment.

Scotland, day six

We take a ferry to Skye, leaving our landrover in the car park on the mainland. Apparently the druids don't let cars onto the island. While managing to insult both Zero and Finlay, elves, orks and americans, a rather rude barman in the small port village informs us that there is a bus to the castle every two hours to see the druidic ceremony.

We take the bus along with a bunch of other tourists up to the castle. After standing in the rain for half an hour, a procession of druids comes slowly down from the castle towards a small circle of standing stones. A rather damp Finlay grumbles "Fuck this" and strides up to meet them.

There follows a short whispered discussion which at times looks like it might turn nasty, then Finlay stomps back to join us. The druids go through the ceremony, which the padre says is a sham, although he does warn us that they are all magically active. Then they plod back up the hill and into the castle. The bus takes the rest of the tourists back to the village leaving us standing in the rain.

Just as Finlay is getting ready to lay siege to the place, several druids appear and walk more purposefully to meet us. Among them is a pretty young woman.

"I am Fiona MacCallan. What is it you want with me."

Finlay explains as the woman listens to our tale.

"Quicksilver was here, but he is here no longer. He did leave something with us. But if you wish to have it you must prove yourselves to us. While you could do it" she says to Finlay, she then turns and points to the padre. "He would be more suited to the challenge."

"Dear Lord" intones father O'Reilly. "If it will deliver me from this highland mist, then I will gladly do it."

"Then return tonight before midnight and we will see if you are worthy."

We take the next bus back to the village, find a place to stay and some stew and whisky to warm us, then walk back to the castle in the dark.

Five druids are gathered at the stones, including Fiona. She asks the padre to take off his shirt and then uses her fingers to paint mystical symbols on his arms and chest. I have seen similar symbols used by indian medicine men.

The druids begin chanting and lightning lights up the sky. Father O'Reilly stands in the rain. Initially he seems fine, but slowly a pressure seems to build around him. He gasps but stands firm. The symbols begin to glow, soon so bright I cannot look at him directly even with the flare compensation in my eyes. He seems to be in pain and I would swear I can smell burning flesh. I make to step forward, but Finlay lays a big hand on my shoulder.

"Wait."

The ceremony comes to a crescendo and suddenly all is dark. My eyes adjust fast and I breath a sigh of relief as I see the druids helping father O'Reilly to his feet. Now, finally they invite us into the castle to dry off.

Fiona explains that Quicksilver was very interested in magic, especially theories and rituals about reincarnation. More interestingly she gives the padre a box. Inside is some sort of computer chip, but one unlike anything I have ever seen. Fiona says that it supposedly contains Quicksilver's emotions. I don't understand what she means by that but Zero's eyes go wide.

Avatar 3D

Dear god, my eyes!

Well it was even more visually stunning in 3D than in 2D. Well, for eveyone except my brother. But that's more down to the fact that he's pretty much blind in one eye.

And speaking of blind, I now have a 3D hangover and hope that my eyes return to normal within the next week or so.

In summary: 3D is great, but painful.

Avatar

I just saw it, admittedly only in 2D, but was totally blown away by the special effects. Got to give credit to Mr Cameron, he raised the bar with this. I will probably try to see it again in 3D just to get the full effect.

He certainly packed a lot into two and a half hours and I sure enjoyed it. BUT.

Yeah, you knew that was coming. Well, for a start the humans were just a little one sided for me. Either too goody, goody or just plain bad. Meh, maybe their personality quirks ended up on the cutting room floor but it was just a little too black and white, which is quite an achievement considering the glorious colours of the forest at night.

Also, there were just a few too many cliches:

- the nasty corp (Aliens - although I guess this one could have been deliberate. If so, kudos to you Mr Cameron)
- the whole indians versus cowboys, err aliens vs marines (I've heard it called Dances with wolves with a happy ending)
- the cavalry charge (Polish lancers vs Panzers, Charge of the light brigade). Even I know not to charge machine guns, meh.

Maybe all these things were fresh and great ideas when he wrote it, but they were just a little jaded for 2010. Or maybe that's just me.

I'll give it 4 stars out of 5 as I believe it really needs to be seen on the big screen and ideally in 3D (I'll let you know if I do go back). But those little niggles kept it from getting that extra star.