H Richard Loeb - G+ Profile Archive

I don't share all the weird leaks that are sent to me, but I thought you would find this amusing. Its a conversation between Ken Owen (chief propagandists for the NIA -- don't laugh, he might be running it at this point) and our old friend Joanna Brandt. JOANNA BRANDT:  It would be more politic if in the future you referred to Congressman Dasher by his real name as opposed to Senator Bombthrower or whatever you called him. OWEN:  For the record, I wasn’t referring to him, but I realize that we live in an age when all communications should be assumed to be public.  My mistake. JOANNA:  You of all people. OWEN:  It happens to studio heads, too.

I've never met Antoine Smith, nor would I want to.  He seems like a very unpleasant character -- 855, but with more sinister intentions.  What I remember of him is that he and a guy named Chow or Chen (I have to check) encountered Hank Johnson  and Conrad Yeats in Thomas Greanias' semi-fictional Alignment: Ingress.  Chen died bad in Mexico City -- I can't unsee that photo, and Smith seemed to emerge intact.  How and why?  We know he was exposed to a lot of Dark XM.  We know Hank was a simulacrum, so he got away with it.  Why did Smith survive?  Maybe he's sick and needs Devra for something.  It wouldn't surprise me if he was behind luring Devra to Hulong in the first place.  I never saw Fan as very deep into the Dark XM issues.  I'm just speculating here, but something isn't adding up. There's a missing factor.

Any updates on Devra? Unless I'm very wrong, there is a hell of a confrontation coming between Farlowe and Smith.  Unless, of course, she's already dead, but I think we'd know it.  I feel bad even thinking it, but I'm kind of fascinated by the idea of a Farlowe Smith match-up.  The last one with 855 was pretty good if The Niantic Project: Ingress account was accurate.  In some ways, it's XM versus Chaotic Matter.   And speaking of 855.  Last we saw of him, he and Bowles vanished into the ether. It's occurred to me that Bowles might be behind Ada's issues. Its also occurred to me that he might be dead. 855 tried to waste me once.   But the ball to keep the eye on is Devra. The only way I can interpret the current situation is that Ni wants Devra alive and Smith wants her dead.   And what about Fan? Alive or dead?  I don't have a bet.