November 15

src/background/characters/all.md

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+## characters
+
+**John Sr.** - missing
+formerly a chemist at Acme labs, a front company for the CIA. his research focused on nanotechnologies and the possibility to use them to reverse the decay of human cells, even after death. after several years, however, the the project hit a political battle (maybe within Acme or perhaps with the CIA from whence the funds for the project came) and lost its funding. shortly afterwards, his wife died suddenly in a car accident that left her body unrecognizable (she was identified by dental records). He was reassigned to a menial position in a lab working on project of no consequence and his life seemed like it was going no where. he toiled in obscurity for years. eventually, dr. williams, with whom he'd worked at Acme, recruited him to leave Acme to join a new lab (their own) where they could restart the scrapped research - with a twist: in the intervening years nanotechnologies had advanced considerably and the new project would build on that to be able to repair decaying cells - something that was more of a concern now that John Sr. had been diagnosed with cancer. His work was yielding results and it appeared he was nearing a breakthrough shortly before his disappearance. He was getting nervous though because Williams had begun to talk about other applications for the technology, where instead of _repairing_ cells, the nanotechnologies would attack them. this was particularly problematic because one of john's break-throughs was in enabling delivery of the nanotechnologies via aerosols - thus, the technology could become a weapon that could be targeted to an individual (or not).
+
+**John** - eldest
+forensic accountant. He's the "serious" brother. very business like. he was the golden child and the only one John Sr. spoke of with friends, but after the mother died, even their relationship frayed and John Jr. would ultimately go as far away as he could for college (UCLA) and after a blowout fight one thanksgiving (which is also when he and Patrick stopped talking), never return home. More recently, he's going through a lot of personal problems at home that he's keeping to himself (his wife is leaving him and taking their daughter). His firm, the one he started, is also struggling and he's losing the Kleiner account (his largest and most lucrative client). his life is falling apart, though he hasn't acknowledged that yet, and he's trying to keep everything together - at least from the outside, so far there are few cracks to be seen. he is living on the other side of the country (e.g., LA). John's biggest hope is that he finds a solution to his family woes, namely by finding the money he assumes his father has been stocking away.
+
+**Patrick** - Middle
+more of an artist - currently working in marketing for a large agency, his primary client is a large multi-national food company (e.g., General Mills). He had big dreams when he moved to New York, but he's struggled with drugs and alcohol over the years, though he's been sober for the last few. he's been working on a screen play for years, but doesn't seem capable of finishing it. his story is a trail of half-finished projects. of all the siblings, Patrick has the most active imagination, willing to see intrigue behind every corner. patrick's biggest hope is to understand what happened to their dad, because he's convinced that there has to be a story.
+
+**Amy** - youngest
+the glue for the family. even though john sr. never gave her the time of day, she was the one who always kept tabs on her brothers and an eye on their dad after mom passed away. even when she moved away for school, ultimately attending WashU St. Louis for Medical school and training in infectious disease. After training, she had the option to go anywhere, but wanted to come home to be near dad who she was getting more and more concerned about. though he didn't welcome her back with open arms, she was near enough to keep tabs on him. meanwhile, she reconnected with her high school boyfriend, Beau, who'd also moved back after school to take over his family's construction business (he doesn't talk much about the business, it's likely not legitimate, and he's refused her offers to introduce him to John Jr. for accounting help.) after her father's disappearance, she was the one who called her brothers when the police declined to investigate suggesting that no crime had been committed. her biggest hope is that her brothers will reconcile (the disintegration of the family post-mom meant the brothers haven't talked directly in years) so that they can be a family again.
+
+**Dr. Williams**
+
+**Beau**
+
+**Mr. Porter**

src/background/plot.md

@@ -14,29 +14,10 @@ amy was the first one called because she's in town and John sr.'s dog was outsid
 
 what begins as an (ab)normal reunion of an estranged family turns into a race against time as the siblings learn to work together to find out what really happened to their father and what he was working on that seems the reason for his disappearance. Along the way they realize that family isn't always what you think, but it's the one thing you can count on.
 
-## characters
-
-**John Sr.** - missing
-formerly a chemist at Acme labs, a front company for the CIA. his research focused on nanotechnologies and the possibility to use them to reverse the decay of human cells, even after death. after several years, however, the the project hit a political battle (maybe within Acme or perhaps with the CIA from whence the funds for the project came) and lost its funding. shortly afterwards, his wife died suddenly in a car accident that left her body unrecognizable (she was identified by dental records). He was reassigned to a menial position in a lab working on project of no consequence and his life seemed like it was going no where. he toiled in obscurity for years. eventually, dr. williams, with whom he'd worked at Acme, recruited him to leave Acme to join a new lab (their own) where they could restart the scrapped research - with a twist: in the intervening years nanotechnologies had advanced considerably and the new project would build on that to be able to repair decaying cells - something that was more of a concern now that John Sr. had been diagnosed with cancer. His work was yielding results and it appeared he was nearing a breakthrough shortly before his disappearance. He was getting nervous though because Williams had begun to talk about other applications for the technology, where instead of _repairing_ cells, the nanotechnologies would attack them - making it a targeted agent capable of specifically identifying an individual's dna (i.e. a weapon that could be spread via aerosol but only affect a single person) .
-
-**John** - eldest
-forensic accountant. He's the "serious" brother. very business like. he was the golden child and the only one John Sr. spoke of with friends, but after the mother died, even their relationship frayed and John Jr. would ultimately go as far away as he could for college (UCLA) and after a blowout fight one thanksgiving (which is also when he and Patrick stopped talking), never return home. More recently, he's going through a lot of personal problems at home that he's keeping to himself (his wife is leaving him and taking their daughter). His firm, the one he started, is also struggling and he's losing the Kleiner account (his largest and most lucrative client). his life is falling apart, though he hasn't acknowledged that yet, and he's trying to keep everything together - at least from the outside, so far there are few cracks to be seen. he is living on the other side of the country (e.g., LA). John's biggest hope is that he finds a solution to his family woes, namely by finding the money he assumes his father has been stocking away.
-
-**Patrick** - Middle
-more of an artist - currently working in marketing for a large agency, his primary client is a large multi-national food company (e.g., General Mills). He had big dreams when he moved to new york, but he's struggled with drugs and alcohol over the years, though he's been sober for the last few. he's been working on a screen play for years, but doesn't seem capable of finishing it. his story is a trail of half-finished projects. of all the siblings, Patrick has the most active imagination, willing to see intrigue behind every corner. patrick's biggest hope is to understand what happened to their dad, because he's convinced that there has to be a story.
-
-**Amy** - youngest
-the glue for the family. even though john sr. never gave her the time of day, she was the one who always kept tabs on her brothers and an eye on their dad after mom passed away. even when she moved away for school, ultimately attending WashU St. Louis for Medical school and training in infectious disease. After training, she had the option to go anywhere, but wanted to come home to be near dad who she was getting more and more concerned about. though he didn't welcome her back with open arms, she was near enough to keep tabs on him. meanwhile, she reconnected with her high school boyfriend, Beau, who'd also moved back after school to take over his family's construction business (he doesn't talk much about the business, it's likely not legitimate, and he's refused her offers to introduce him to John Jr. for accounting help.) after her father's disappearance, she was the one who called her brothers when the police declined to investigate suggesting that no crime had been committed. her biggest hope is that her brothers will reconcile (the disintegration of the family post-mom meant the brothers haven't talked directly in years) so that they can be a family again.
-
-**Dr. Williams**
-
-**Beau**
-
-**Mr. Porter**
-
 # Plot points
 
-1. father's disappearance was sudden and caught the children off guard - the brothers fly into town all and descend on their childhood home. Amy's already there looking through the mess that is their father's house. it's the first time they've seen one another in several years. she tells them what she knows - that dad's disappeared, the police won't investigate.
+1. prelude: a scene of john sr. working late when he's interrupted. it appears to be someone he knows and they talk for a few minutes about where his research is - where the actual product is. when john sr. doesn't tell, he's hit over the head. when he is knocked out, the scene ends.
+1. father's disappearance was sudden and caught the children off guard - the brothers fly into town all and descend on their childhood home. Amy's already there looking through the mess that is their father's house. it's the first time they've seen one another in several years. she tells them what she knows - that dad's disappeared, the police won't investigate. (it's fall - just from a seasonal/backdrop perspective)
 1. John Jr. tries to assume control of the situation so that he will have access to the financials (he's hopeful that the inheritance can buy him some time to save his company). Amy mentions she's contacted Dad's lawyer and he'll be stopping by later (JJ is frustrated by this as he wants to be point on all things related to money). Patrick, meanwhile, is rummaging through all of the papers that dad left.
 1. Patrick finds dad's notebooks and shares them with the siblings. JJ isn't interested (saying it's a waste of time and goes back to digging through the bank statements to find the money), but Amy joins him. Together they try to piece together what dad was getting on about. Amy's medical training is their best chance they have to actually understanding what dad was trying to do, though even she is having a hard time with the work.
 1. [PAST] some of the papers refer to a lab dad worked in at acme and some work done in the 80s. scene shifts to the lab in the 80s where we see john sr. as a young chemist, working alongside williams. this is before john even knows the mother, but the reader is introduced to a young, eager, and brilliant john sr. john and williams' talk about the emerging field of what Norio Taniguchi called "nanotechnologies" and discuss the lab's new project seeking to build practical applications on top of [feynman](https://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/definition) principles. the program's stated aim was to enable control over individual atoms so that with a simple injection, the host would possess a fail switch by which a remote authority could hook into the body and direct activity. both men decide to volunteer to work on the project.

src/chapters/chapter1.md

@@ -1,19 +1,39 @@
-**Chapter Summary**
+# Chapter 1
 
-John Sr. disappears. Brothers come to town when Amy calls. Find the house a mess, but no sign of a crime, so cops won't investigate.
+The house looked just like he remembered it, though perhaps a little more worn. Even the tire swing was exactly where he'd left it, swinging gently in the autumn breeze. The leaves on the maple, the same one he and Patrick had hung that swing from when they were kids, when they were still best friends, had turned a brilliant red. How long had it been since he'd been home - or spoken to Patrick for that matter? Ten years at least. Probably more.
 
-father's disappearance was sudden and caught the children off guard - the brothers fly into town all and descend on their childhood home. Amy's already there looking through the mess that is their father's house. it's the first time they've seen one another in several years. she tells them what she knows - that dad's disappeared, the police won't investigate.
+He parked the rental car in the driveway, grabbed his overnight bag from the backseat and got out. With any luck, this would be a short trip. Really, it needed to be. He'd assured Alexa that he'd be back in a day or two - there had to be a explanation and Amy was probably overreacting, after all, he'd reasoned, if there was actually a problem, the police would be involved - and when he got home they would talk through everything.
 
-# Chapter 1
+Amy must have heard the tires spinning on the loose gravel because when he looked up she was standing in the doorway. Under different circumstances she would have smiled. Meanwhile, his failure to suppress a smile despite the circumstances only served as further evidence that she'd always been the most disciplined sibling. He couldn't help it. Hers was the first friendly face he'd seen in weeks. His shoulders, which he hadn't noticed he'd been clenching, relaxed at the sight of her. He dropped the duffel on the threshold and pulled her close, enveloping her slight frame in his massive arms, "How you doing, kid?"
 
-The house looked just like John remembered it, though perhaps a little more worn. The tire he and Patrick had hung from the branch of the maple when they were kids, when they were still best friends, was swinging gently in the breeze. How long had it been since he'd been home - or spoken to Patrick for that matter? Ten years at least. Probably more.
+She'd refused to let herself relax since she first called the police to report that their father was missing. In her brother's arms, however, her body no longer seemed to listen and she let out a small sigh, "It's so good to see you J.J. Thank you for coming."
 
-John parked in the driveway, grabbed his overnight bag from the backseat - he'd assured Alexa that the trip would only be a day or two and when he got back they could talk through everything - and got out of the car.
+"Of course. Let's get out of the cold and you can catch me up on what's going on."
 
-Amy must have heard the tires spinning on the loose gravel because when John looked up she was standing in the doorway. Under different circumstances she would have smiled. John failed to suppress his own smile which crept into the corners of his lips and inched them upwards as he neared the door. Hers was the first friendly face he'd seen in what seemed like weeks. He pulled the door open, dropped his duffel on the threshold and enveloped her slight frame in his massive arms, "How you doing, kid?"
+# Chapter 2
 
-Her body responded reflexively by sagging. Safe and secure in her big brother's arms, it rebelled by relaxing, something she'd not allowed herself since she'd first called the police to report their father was missing.
+It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light - or lack there of. No one had bothered to turn any lights on in the living room, so the only light was the little that managed to sneak past the tightly drawn curtains. His hand instinctively reached for the switch on the wall, but no lights came on.
 
-# Chapter 2
+"Burnt out."
+
+"Huh, strange. I know dad's always been mostly useless around the house, but to let all of the lights burn out and not change them feels... well, it feels unusual. The dust on the other hand - that's no surprise." Every horizontal surface was caked with dust. That's how it'd been ever since mom had passed - or would have been had it not been for Patrick, Amy, and him. Patrick had moved to New York years ago, and he hadn't stepped foot in the house for even longer, so taking care of dad had fallen on Amy - not that she didn't have plenty on her plate as it is.
+
+"Yeah, he's been even more _himself_ of late. Working all the time. It's been all I can do to get him to come over for Sunday dinner with me and Beau." Dad had always been a workaholic. Growing up he'd stay at the lab until well after the family had sat down for dinner. When he did finally get home, he'd head straight to his study, where he'd pour himself a whisky and light a cigar to bury himself in more work, but only after closing the big oak door.
+
+A light came on in the hallway, not all of them had burnt out apparently, and a few seconds and several footsteps later, Patrick stepped into view. Backlit from the hall light, his features were obscured, but, even after years of not seeing him or hearing his voice, there was no doubt who was standing in the doorway.
+
+"Amy said you'd come. I wasn't so sure."
+
+"Pat, please!"
+
+"No, no, it's alright." He said as reassuringly as he could to Amy before turning to face his little brother's outline, "I can't say I wasn't wondering the same about you."
+
+"Ha - I'm not the one who swore I'd never step foot in this house again!"
+
+"Guys! Now's not the time to get into a pissing match about something that happened over a decade ago! You can duke it out after we find dad. Until then, try to act like the grown men you are. For me. For dad."
+
+"Fine by me. Sorry Amy. Pat?" A grunt emanated from the outline in the doorway which he decided to interpret as assent. "What do we know so far?"
+
+## Chapter 3
 
-John released Amy from his grasp and they went inside the house. The shades are drawn and there's a definite musk in the air. Even the layer of dust blanketing every horizontal surface were no surprise - dad had always been useless around the house. When mom was alive, she'd made sure the house ran on time, and after she'd passed, the responsibility passed to the kids. Dad just worked all the time. Most of the time he was down at the lab, not getting home until well after dinner, but even on the nights when he got home early he wasn't around. Instead, he'd go straight to his office where he'd close the door, light a cigar, and bury himself in more work.
+Amy led them into the kitchen which at least had working lights and less dust, and outlined what she'd been able to piece together. It wasn't much.

wordcountlog.md

@@ -9,3 +9,4 @@
 | 2020-11-03T02:35:01.807Z | 3036       |
 | 2020-11-03T03:07:00.417Z | 3453       |
 | 2020-11-03T03:24:01.346Z | 3585       |
+| 2020-11-16T03:42:10.691Z | 4045       |