Episode 4: The Jailbreak of Dawn

[DamagedGlasses]

Oliver McGenty


Location: Park.


Nearby:  Nearby: In the same park as Ren, Luci, Urial, Klaus von Scheiffer, Kingsley, The Chipmunk King, Asher, and Lara.


(@Meredith@RemainingQuestions@St Stare@Lazy Rocktime@Teh Frixz@Bag o Fruit@DJ MagicHat@Lioness075)


Mood: Confused. Multitasking. Contemplative. Resolute. Hopeful.


OOC: Got a Thought Cameo for Aaron in this one. @Gus


“Are those chipmunks?”


“Where did they all come from!?”


“Who is that man?”


“Did he just let them go free?”


“There heading towards the park!”


Oliver...was confused. He watched as another family left the park at his suggestion, and he usually felt a bit of relief every time he watched them go, but now, well, something had changed. Oliver looked towards the direction the voices were coming from. He scouted the horizon, looking for movement across the horizon. That voice being in the area had been at the forefront of Oliver’s mind for a while now, but as his worry lessened, so too did his ignorance to other thoughts.


“Nerve gas!?”


It was the clearest among a rabble of many voices that had suddenly sprouted up. Robots? At the casino? They were all coming from a long distance away, at the cusp of his ability. Good god, what was happening in Baltimore? Oliver sighed and collected himself, dividing his mind to take one issue at a time all at the same time.


Firstly, the park. The voice didn’t seem to be openly hostile anymore, however it did seem stressed about the dog. That was strange, but noted down as per usual. This voice could be connected with the other happenings in some way. Massive breakout? No, they would have heard about it. Criminal alliance? Possible, but the voice had made no mention of teammates or partners. It didn’t seem aware of Oliver’s ability, so there was no obvious reason for it to doctor it’s thoughts. There were still people in the park, and until they were evacuated, the voice and these chipmunks were possible dangers. In a close up fight, Oliver was useless against other more physically inclined supers. Evacuation is priority.


Secondly, the casino. Robots were a hard counter to Oliver’s ability. He wouldn’t be able to read their minds and help with the fight in anyway, whether it may be tactical assistance or actual fighting. His fists couldn’t break metal like other supers could. It was also at least a mile away, with thoughts stopping and starting mid-sentence due to changing positions on either side. He wasn’t fast and very unlikely to be of help in that case. Whatever was going on could be done in the time he arrived. The situation was out of his hands unfortunately.


Thirdly, a weapon. Violence was expected. While most were evacuated, that would mean nothing if the small number remaining weren’t protected. What could he use to assist in said protection? Oliver once again wished he had something for self-defense. Something to hold someone down and restrain them until authorities arrived. After getting his Blue Card, that would be his first thing to look for. Until then, he might have to start looking into Maryland gun laws. While the loss of life was a shame, having a handgun of some kind could deal with threats with less chance of uncalculated loss of life. It was a tough choice though. Oliver had never liked handguns.


Letting his thoughts sit for a moment as 3 different sets, Oliver sighed and let them converge back together. He wanted very dearly to stand ready, put his hands up, and make way to deal with any threats that arose in the park, and yet, he knew that would do no good. He’d fight if he was given the chance, but right now, at this very moment, making sure that those who stood even less of a chance than himself were the most important. Looking around and hearing the mutter of thoughts coming from surrounding families and park goers, Oliver once again stopped as he saw Sarah. She was so close to that tree. It was either bravery or stupidity, and he was apt to believe the latter. He couldn’t hear a single stressed thought from her.


"Oh god, is that Klaus?"


"Why is everyone leaving?"


That didn't matter right now. Nothing mattered right now. Each of these families reminded him of his own back in Norfolk and whether or not he could help with fighting, he would make sure that there would be true victory today.



“Just a few more...I can do this.”

 

[Lioness075]

Samantha 'Sam' Casan
​

Location: Brahn's Best Bakery
​

Tagged: @Captain Hesperus (Jessica)
​

Mood: Well, might as well try...
​

 
​

Sam chewed on the side of her lip again when Jessica waved off her objections, but seemed to go into a daze briefly. Her immediate thought on this was that she'd mistakenly said something too personal and now Jessica was wandering memory lane. As long as she didn't decide to share this memory lane moment with Sam, perhaps things could continue smoothly...ish.


Blinking at the mention of breaking her mind with espresso, Sam dauntingly wondered what in the world such a drink was that could do something like that. Who in their right mind would even drink something that intense?


Considering she'd never tried coffee before and didn't exactly feel drowsy, Sam assumed she shouldn't try any. After all, people drank coffee to perk up, right? That meant if she was already awake and feeling well-rested then she didn't need any.


Hearing the list of tea options, Sam changed from lip-chewing to scratching the back of her neck again. At this rate, she'd have a sore on her neck and a cold sore on her lip tomorrow morning.


While Sam had no idea why drinking a hot chocolate meant she was 'going Belgian', she did know that was probably the safest drink here. She, at least, had read about the drink in some books before and knew it was a nice hot drink for cold weather. To top it all off, Sam had never tried chocolate before either. The pastry pointed out to her was obviously a chocolate pastry and Sam was beyond curious to know why so many people obsessed over the sweet. 


Not sure how to pronounce the pastry's name even after Jessica said it for her, Sam merely nodded before realizing she should actually tell Jessica what she wanted.


"Um, well, I think the hot chocolate sounds like my safest bet here...along with that chocolate pastry."


Pausing and forgetting to not mention personal problems, Sam added, "I've never had chocolate before. What does it taste like?"


In this particular case, her curiosity was really getting the better of her.

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Kendrick Haywood
​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - Drydock
People Around: Security, Manami, Blonde Helpful boy, This lady that I don't know, and some others still close by.
Interactions: @Gus, @Bag o Fruit, @Kingmalikai
Today's toys: Ted, Mr. Holeshot, Sparkles, Pandora, Harry, Kefir, Shouty, Theo, Millie.

If you're against my actions, state it clearly already. We're wasting precious time here.



Without moving an inch from the spot he had been, Kendrick lowered the megaphone and watched silently the facility's grounds, as he waited for people to show up, attracted by his distress call... He is impatient, hating the fact that while he's here, playing this stupid 'waiting game', his parents could be before a gun's point... Maybe worse. BUT, at the same time, the boy knows he doesn't stand a chance with his current 'party'.


'Good things come to those who wait.', isn't that how it goes? Waiting, however, that feels like an eternity. The only clock on him was digital, his cellphone, but yet, it was almost as if an old grandfather clock was there, constantly looming at his back, taunting him, ticking away every damn second of the already so limited time.


He's worrying too much. 1 minute had barely passed since he called for help. He's bloody worrying too much, and he fucking knows it. But still, he just cannot stop himself from doing so.


Outside, he couldn't allow any of his worries to escape. Though it is with absolutely no wish whatsoever, the absence of his parents made him the head of the Haywood family for, what he hoped it was, limited time. It meant the men that came with him, the employees back at the household, even the company itself, everything and everyone were looking up to him, for some sort of guidance. He mustn't let them down. He mustn't let the pressure overload him too. For today, Kendrick had to assume the position of the lion. So far, he had stirred up nothing but doubt by coming here, though, none had dared to speak up. But oh! He had noticed it, the tension in the air, that tiny little spark of distrust.


If the situation wasn't so serious, he might have enjoyed the irony of it. He had done something similar, once. Thinking that acceptance and happiness could be reached that way, he had hidden what was 'Kendrick' inside a box and become a little 'Rupert'. Nowadays, he couldn't label his reasoning behind that decision anything else, but stupid and childish. He had become an actor, but once the enchanted theatre had lost it's magic, it quickly went down in flames. Where is he going with this? It was happening again. What these people saw when they awaited his orders wasn't him, the boy who befriends toys and attends to AEGIS, no no. It was a strong and a confident, completely normal leader.


You know what? Too.bad. You want this lion cub to rule? Fine. But this time, he was determined do so on his own terms. And they would have to understand that, sooner or later.


Another minute had just passed, when the first voice cut straight through his considerations, taking his mind off of them in a split-second.


The unexpected sight of Manami heading for him so energetically made him smile. For a moment he let the stress of the situation wander somewhere else and enjoyed the approach of the familiar girl he had grown a liking towards. Then at the corner of his eye, the teenager caught sight of one of his men -Harold? Henry? He doesn't really care- who seemed to reach for the revolver hoisted on his belt, causing the suit to shift. Kendrick instantly raised his arm towards him, bringing the man's action to a halt:


"Do not shoot her. She's a friend.", he barked an order, which was received with a suspicious glance. Kendrick glanced back, his gaze cold as ice, in a challenge for the man to dare and open his mouth to complain. Of course, he didn't. Having dealt with that, the boy looked towards the girl again, a warm and inviting smile, completely different from the harshness of before, as he called out to her, "Hey Manami! Careful to not trip while you're running like that!", he teased playfully, "I'm sure we wouldn't want that to happen!"





Taking his attention out of the girl, Kendrick realized there was someone else in his field of vision now. Apparently coming from inside the building, a commonly dressed blonde boy came walking towards him, very likely in response to his distress call. The other boy took a deep breath, he seemed to be reflecting about something else for a while, perhaps he was preparing to say something insightful? ....Or not, since he only replied with 'Hey'. The young Haywood blinked in confusion, fighting back the impulse to laugh at this anticlimactic break of expectations, before addressing to him in a polite manner:

"Greetings. I'm Kendrick Haywood, pleasure to meet you.", he gave a little bow before continuing, "Thank you so much for coming, I really appreciate it. We're probably going to need all the help we can get. Just waiting a little longer to give people more time to join, you may stand-by for now.", he waved his arm in a dismissive way, "...This might take a while though. Why don't you talk a bit about yourself? I do not recall seeing you, not even in the corridor so, I'm guessing you're a new student here."





Just as he had finished saying that, the teenager heard his name being called from further behind...Well, first it was 'Mister Haywood', then his name. The boy leans on his toe-tips a bit, curious as to who that female voice that had called him belonged to. The woman smiled at him, but he couldn't recall if they had ever met, narrowing his eyes at her for a while. No, he couldn't remember it. She seemed a bit angry at his course of action though, raising an eyebrow in disapproval and stating that they couldn't leave without an adult's supervision. From the way she was going about this, Kendrick assumed she was part of 108's staff. His inner teenager wanted to argue back on how he simply couldn't back down from this, however he thought being cordial was a better idea. Of course, it was not without some thorns, not matter how polite it sounded:

"Miss. I sincerely hope that with that last statement you're actually volunteering yourself because, otherwise, I would hate to disrespect your authority and taint this still newborn relationship between us so soon...", he crossed his arms and looked at her, gaze meeting gaze, and his with a serious, but also grim expression, "IF you try to stop me, however, I won't have other choice and neither will hesitate in doing so. There's simply too much at stake, and this is not just about me OR my parents. It is by far a much more complex and heavier burden than that..."


img.ipsImageKendrick {
display: block;
margin: auto;
width: 30%;
height: 30%;
}
p.kendrick {
margin: 15px;
float: left;
padding-top: 10px;
padding-right: 5px;
padding-bottom: 10px;
padding-left: 5px;
width: 350px;
height: 230px;
background-color: cornflowerblue;
border-radius: 3px;
border-style: double;
border-width: 5px;
border-color: steelblue;
overflow: auto;
}
div.kendrick2 {
margin: auto;
padding-top: 10px;
padding-right: 15px;
padding-bottom: 10px;
padding-left: 15px;
width: 350px;
border-radius: 22px;
background-color: limegreen;
}

 

[Gus]

Manami Hamasaki


Location: Dry dock yard.


Nearby:KENDI-KUN! Ando new Sensei! Ando new friend! Ando Kendi's big fancy suit friends! Ando… Nihonjin onanoko?


Mood: KAWAIIZO!


@s: @Necessity4Fun @KingHink @Bag o Fruit @Kingmalikai @too much idea


Manami stopped short of bumping into Kendi. She knew him well enough now to know he didn't like to be touched. And he knew her well enough to know how clumsy she could be on land. He even made a funny joke about it. She laughed, careful to remember to politely cover her mouth as she did.  And then she forgot again, her jaw dropping. as well as her hand. Who was that little Japanese girl? So CUTE! Forgetting entirely that there was serious business to attend to, such as introducing herself to the new teacher and the student beside her, forgetting her manners entirely, Manami dropped to her knees in front of the girl and stared at her openly. 


"Manami-desu! Hajimemashite! Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu! Imoto-san wa? Nan-sai desu ka? Hyaku hachi wa, doshite kiteimashita? Imoto-san mo suupa desu ka?"


Translation:


I am Manami! Nice to meet you! I hope we'll be friends! What is little sisters name? How old are you? What brings you to 108? Are you a super too?

 

[The Oldest Blueberry]

"Larry" the GroundskeeperView attachment 221751


Location: Facility 108 Main Building Exterior -> Running towards a park


Mood: Angry.


With: Imogen E. Jarsdell


@Syrenrei (sorry about the wait! if only quality = time...)


Larry listened, genuinely interested in what Nevermore was saying. Who would've thought that some people are actually worth listening to? She, too, seemed to genuinely care about her job and all the details that included. Larry didn't think he was ever going to meet anyone else who would put time and effort into researching at least some ways to help prevent damage to the Facility. Sure, Larry could do it, but that went above and beyond his metaphorical pay grade. Besides, the Facility couldn't really afford to research and develop something advanced to help out with damage mitigation, and Fenrir Robotics didn't really have the kind of facility for testing materials like that either, let alone making them.


Then, she focused on Larry's statement about security. She seemed to missed what Larry had meant. Then again, what he actually meant was less security, and more like turning the Facility into a small military station. "I'm not too sure for the number of personnel. That depends entirely on their capability to handle situations created by both students and outside factors. If I'm speaking my honest opinions? Lethal force should not be as shunned as it currently is. The limiters seem to have barely, if any, effect on any situation in which someone is going rampant with their powers. A well-places shot to the knees could save some people a lot of trouble, much less some lives or millions in property damage." Larry went silent for a moment. He received a text message, one sent to all Facility students and staff. 'Evil super.' Lovely. Larry's head tilted down just the slightest bit, an audio recording of a sigh playing. The sigh was promptly followed by an announcement, from the Facility, via megaphone. It was Kendrick, and he was recruiting people to go and rescue his parents...who had been kidnapped. Things were just getting better and better...


Of course, during that time whilst neither Evermore nor Larry were talking, he had done some research into the woman he was talking to. Her nickname 'Nevermore' certainly made more sense. Were her hands insulated or something, though? She didn't have gloves. Weird for the weather. Finally, he addressed her again. "I'll have to look into getting someone to move you around, see if we can actually get you, and your regenerative powers, onto our security team. Or perhaps a teaching position, for something a little more friendly? I think Community Service is still open. Anyways, I'm sure you heard Mister Haywood's call for help...but there's another message you presumably didn't get. Another super, an "evil" one, in a not-so-far-away park. I'm still digging around for security cameras with a good look on it...give me just a moment."


He was hopping around through the digital landscape, trying to find at least something with a view on the park. Finally, ten seconds later (which is a lot for a machine!), he found one. Larry's mechanical fist clenched when he saw what was going on. How the hell was Klaus there?! Did someone bust him out of prison? Larry would just have to make sure that couldn't happen again. Can't arrest a corpse, can you?


"Well, Miss Evermore, I hate to abandon you, but I believe the nature of my being may be of assistance at the park with that damned super. Perhaps you could lend a hand to Mister Haywood? He seems to have gathered quite a few under his banner in the main parking lot. I hope too see you again soon, feel free to contact me if you need me to fill in anything you might have missed."


Without delay, Larry turned and ran off. He was pretty quick for a machine. His sprinting speed was probably about the same as a human in decent physical condition...but unlike humans, a machine does not get tired. He'd be at the park in a few minutes time.


(Which is code for 'to be written in another post when I have more free time and creative juices.)

 

[Syrenrei]

Imogen "Gen" Jarsdel
​

a/k/a Evermore
​

Location: Training Facility 108, Main Building (Exterior) & Parking Lot
​

With: "Larry" ( @That Guy Leopold ) before his departure;
​

A motley crew of strangers @Kingmalikai @Gus @Necessity4Fun @Bag o Fruit
​

Gen sighed and was about to make some commentary about the ability of the human body to tolerate pain without lifelong adverse affects, or how it alone could cause a spike in abilities rather than an abrupt decline, but Larry had was distracted by what she could only assume was a top-secret-AI-only-transmission. As the robot fell silent in what she could only assume was deductive programming she entered a few more notes into her tablet. Her passive regeneration was just enough to keep her fingers from actually being subject to any frostbite or lasting damage but it was an altogether unpleasant feeling. If only she didn't hate gloves. They made anything with finesse like taking detailed inspection shorthand an impossibility at best and she sure as hell wasn't going to walk and speak into a device. Enough people questioned her sanity for jumping into the line of fire and they need not any encouragement to find her more peculiar.


A megaphone blared overhead just as Larry emitted what sounded like a recorded sigh- amusement in and of itself. Was that a young boy talking? The voice didn't sound as deep and resonating as a man closer to either her chronological or physical age and he spoke of his parents. Was this a student trying to launch a rescue mission. Jailbreak? What in the blazes was going on? Her work phone had been silenced since she left the coffee shop this morning for Facility 108 simply because she tried to set aside "Work Time" from "Freak Time." If only it were the fun sort of freaky. Undoubtedly news of this crisis had been sent to her by now and her intervention was likely requested. If she had not been summoned yet certainly she would be in the future. No one would miss out on an opportunity to have Evermore act as a superhuman shield.


"Security Team? Teaching position?" Evermore was so stunned and incredulous at the suggestion of either that by the time she stumbled through a response Larry was sprinting into the distance like a goddamned Olympian chugging energy drinks and shooting steroids. No one had ever suggested that her for any sort of position as Larry had. Logically it made sense, certainly, but Gen enjoyed being in charge slightly less than being shot through the shoulder. The wound from a bullet was more fleeting than the aggravation of leading much less teenagers who were as likely to harm her, the building, or each other as themselves. This hadn't been what she had in mind when she took this job. Staying around this death trap was several miles away from 'making it less death trap-y.' As Evermore it might make sense for her to accept such a position. In comparison to two of the teachers already here she wasn't nearly as lethal as their presence. And what of becoming more focused on security than safety explicitly? Would that mean she'd have to use a gun? Gen grimaced at the empty air. After all the agony that had been inflicted on her with firearms she wasn't eager to pick one up and use it against someone else.


"Kids these days," she muttered. Shoving her tablet back into her purse she wandered over to the parking lot that Larry had alluded to. It wasn't far from where she was, actually, and it was hard to miss the pretentious rich kid and his two thugs with the suits. There was an adult that had just approached and was talking to him sternly although what about she couldn't make out. Gen didn't want to draw close enough to hear as that might imply her desire to intervene and she wasn't quite certain about that. There were a few others, of course, none of them looking as responsible and seasoned as you'd want for an actual rescue mission. Gen took out some beef jerky, shoved it in her mouth, and chewed slowly as she watched the events unfold. Maybe, just maybe, if the one reasonable-looking lady didn't bail out or fold under the wealthy heir she'd volunteer.


Gen had a lot more time than most people and that had bred an extraordinary amount of patience.

 

[ManicMuse]

​

Page Morgan
​

Location: In a sea of filing cabinets in her office near front office of Facility 108
​

Time: 11 AM
​

@: @Lioness075
​

OOC: Working to over come a nasty case of writers block. >,<
​

 
​

 
​

 
​

"For one to truly tap into their inner power, one must first come to terms with the fact that they are not in control. The reality of the situation is, you are a meat suit, hurling around a fireball, with a ball of ice that controls the oceans. It stands to reason that you can control very little in this equation. Now that is out of the way, there is no pressure to control your life and you can start learning how to be a badass and stop giving a damn about what you cannot control!"


The lecture continued on in Page's ear buds, as she sat cross legged in front of several grey dusty filing cabinets. Page Morgan, the aid for Facility for 108, had found many responsibilities thrust upon her over the last few days. Most recently, it became top priority for her to locate all files pertaining to Klaus vos Scheiffer. While the need for them was clear enough, the task of finding them was far more difficult. Page had all the filing drawers for the administrative needs of the Facility moved into her office the day before. It had become painfully obvious that the paperwork needed to be shifted into a paperless system.


The secretary had decided to kill two birds with one stone, as it were. Still hunting for the records on the former disciplinary counselor, Page uploaded every document she found. With the wave of a portable scanner, the beam of light would dance across the paper before the image was uploaded onto the Facility server and filed under date and keywords. It was beautiful.


The self-help guru droned on with his lecture, drowning out most of the madness that had already started that morning. Locked away in her little office, with a small city of metal filing cabinets, Page was fairly oblivious. At one instance, the metal cabinets around her shuttered enough to cause the fiery haired woman pause. To which she only muttered a curse about the known metal manipulator on campus and carried on, assuming it was his fault. Even poor Kendrick's pleads for help had gone unheard. And there Page stayed, in her fortress of filing, for the time being. Little did she know, she was about to be reminded, she was late for an appointment.

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Name: Jessica Turnbull


Codename: Vape


Location: Brahn's Best Bakery


Time: Early-mid morning


@s: Morgan ( @welian), Jennifer ( @Musician ) Jordan ( @Zahzi ) Mary ( @ViAdvena ) Anthony ( @KingHink ) Sam ( @Lioness075 )


Jessica's face lit up at the question of what chocolate tasted like, and her grin widened. 


"Oh-ho, honey, if you've never had chocolate, then you are in for a treat! The best chocolate tastes like angels dancing on your tongue and even low quality stuff is still reeeeeally good. It can be sweet, bitter, soft, hard or caramel-filled. Hot chocolate just takes that feeling, adds hot milk and cream, then serves it with sprinkles.", she replied with a chuckle, "You have to try it at least once, if only to experience it."

 

[Teh Frixz]

Tabitha Crane 


Hospital


@Giyari


@Bag o Fruit


@The J


She couldn't even swing her legs to take her mind off things. Both of her stupid giant feet planted firmly on the floor. The feeling of the hospital was cold, Tabitha's attempt to warm up and hide her face in her hands was doing little to avail herself of the feeling. Didn't help that each time she put pressure on her nose she winced in pain. She wasn't crying as much now but it still hurt. Half suspecting the pain was mostly in her head, she gingerly looks up to examine the ward. 


Looked the same as it did when she got here, though without the horrible pain. Dad had been out of town and mom was stuck in a government meeting at city hall so it had been up to Tabitha to walk to 108 today. She'd even planned to man up and get a donut at the bakery they passed on the way to school but nope, it wasn't meant to be. 


There was a group of three or four of them, hanging out on the corner. Loitering no doubt. It was more than enough to make Tabby cross the street to avoid them. No such luck. About half way past them, they started shouting and crossed after her. Then came the usual taunts, "can you get big enough to handle me?" "You should make your tits bigger at least" "why you so tall, you think you better than us?"


To be fair she'd heard worse online, a brief foray into 108s chat room and a run in with salt queen or something made her turn off her computer but something about getting it in person was so much worse. She couldn't even out pace them with long strides as they jogged along side her. 


They ignored her. Please stop, go away, leave me alone. All of it fell on deaf ears. She got scared, afraid of herself. Afraid of them. All she did was plant her foot and push one of them. Then the sharp white pain that rattled her head. 


They kicked her ass, literally. Hailing a police officer for help, they took her backpack, phone,


laptop and her money for lunch. A broken nose, black eye, bruises up along her left side. It could have been worse she guessed...


So there she sat, still crying and toying with her broken inhibitor. Like there was a chance she'd do anything special, she just wanted to shrink and be gone. Never had she felt so small while still feeling like a big oaf. 


Catching herself letting a few fresh tears fall, Tabby wipes them away before they ruined her copy of the police report. Dad didn't answer weird numbers and she left a message for mom when she had calmed down a bit. She didn't want to make a big deal of it. 


Sitting there quietly, Tabby did her best to avoid thinking about it when the hospital alarms started going off. People were running around and suddenly she found herself forgotten in an empty ward. Peeking out, Tabitha feeling anxious started wandering towards the stairs and the exit.  

 

[Lioness075]

Piper Farrar
​

Location: Facility 108 --> Page's Office
​

Tagged: @Mini T-Rex Syndrome (Page)
​

Mentioned: Kendrick's Party (Idk who all is in that group)
​

Mood: Excited! --> Confused
​

 
​

After picking up her usual Starbucks vanilla latté that morning, Piper had excitedly started her journey over to Facility 108. Her luck was really working in her favor these days, as she had landed an appointment with one of the administrators there! Going by the name of Page, she had informed Piper that she had something of a proposition for the photographer / reporter with her social media outlets. 


It really excited Piper to know she was going to have a chance to walk the hallways of one of the facilities that helped teach supers to better control their powers. Did they have a gym where they all exercised their powers in safety? Where did the supers sleep? Did they have dorms nearby? Oh, but where did they all eat? Was their a super who made meals for everyone super fast or maybe one who helped levitate the food around to everyone patiently waiting?


Letting out a small squeal of excitement to herself, Piper walked past some kind of gathering outside of the facility, her focus on heading inside for her appointment.


Once inside, Piper made use of a map on the wall to help her navigate herself to Page's office. Once she got there, Piper checked her watch for the time and noted that she was exactly on time. Perfect!


Knocking on the door, Piper paused briefly before glancing around. Her anxiety jumped a little, as she wondered if she mistakenly went to the wrong place. Why wasn't Page answering the door? Piper knew it was rude to just barge in.


Furrowing her brows, Piper looked around once more before she heard a faint noise in the office. So, someone was in there!


Uncertain of whether or not she might offend someone, Piper decided to simply open the door and politely, well, invite herself in. Perhaps the person was just very distracted. Piper could understand that since she got easily distracted, too.


Once the door creaked open, Piper took a hesitant step inside before looking around with her eyes widening at the many files strewn about the filing cabinets. What a mess! But sure enough, Page appeared to be right in the midst of it all...and she had earphones in. Of course.


Hoping she didn't scare Page too terribly, Piper weaved her way through the paperwork until she was near Page and decided it'd probably be best to get in her line of sight before tapping her on the shoulder. After all, Piper had no idea what kind of super Page might be.


Making sure she was in front of Page, Piper then said loudly, "Page, is it? I'm here for my appointment with you!" She even waved a little to add to her own theatrics. Surely, this would get Page's attention?


Minor details that Piper still had her grande latté in hand and it was being held in the midst of all of Page's paperwork now. In Piper's defense, she'd never dropped a coffee before. Alas, she also had never been this close to super before without knowing their power.

 

[Malikai]

Jeremiah "JJ" Johnson


Location: Facility 108 Hallways


Mentioned: @Gus @Necessity4Fun @Bag o Fruit @Syrenrei


Mood: Determined to Help


After his letdown of an introduction Jeremiah noticed that Kendrick didn't wait a moment more before introducing himself.  Just as he expected Kendrick stuck to his nature and gave a polite greeting, with a bow and everything, I can't say I've ever seen anyone bow to me, Jeremiah began to think, Although I've never seen anyone really introduce themselves to me and say that it was a pleasure to meet me.  As he continued to speak with such eloquent words it came to Jeremiah just how different the two of them were.  While Kendrick was well dressed, well spoken and gave off the impression of nobility Jeremiah was on the opposite side of the spectrum.  Jeremiah's cheeks were stained lightly with dirt, the sweater he was wearing could hardly be called such with the amount of holes that were shown, and his posture compared to Kendrick's was laughably simple.  All these facts caused Jeremiah to blush a little at the fact that they were going to the same school.  As Jeremiah listened to Kendrick he couldn't help but get slightly annoyed by the dismissive arm wave he made.  It seemed as if he was trying to compare him to the level of a servant, and unfortunately he wasn't even close to being at the social class of a servant for him.  The next thing Kendrick did was actually ask Jeremiah about himself, a question that surprised him.  Flustered, Jeremiah took a minute before he began to come up with something to say, "Yeah... alright then.  Uh, my name is Jeremiah.  You can call me J.J. if you want to or not.  I am actually a new student here, I just joined recently and I either wasn't informed or didn't understand that there was no school today.  To be honest, I'm not sure if I actually-" Jeremiah looked to his left to see that Kendrick had stood up slightly and begun talking with a woman that he had not seen yet.


Sighing Jeremiah finished the rest of his sentence in his head and focused on what the two were talking about.  Just as he did the woman looked to him and asked him about what he could do.  Jeremiah's eyes flicked to the others present in the group that was beginning to form, a silent plea of help visible in them.  After a few seconds passed he awkwardly coughed and spoke, "Uh... what?  I'm not sure what you mean... OH!  You mean my power don'cha?  Yeah uh, I don't know and I don't know." Jeremiah shrugged, "All the same though, I think I can still help no matter what.  Plus you can try and stop me from helping, but... you might actually succeed, BUT I will try my damnedest to help no matter what."  He gave a light smile after his speech and then followed it up with, "Plus this is the jail we're going to.  I know some close friends in there."  The smile remained on his face leaving confusion as to if what he said was a joke or if he was serious.  Jeremiah attempted to lean back but found out quickly that there was no wall or anything behind him.  He stumbled slightly before gaining his balance and steady feet.  Just as he did that he noticed a girl he didn't know, as if that was a surprise, and saw her kneel down in front of the group and begin speaking some language other than english, Damn, I knew that my friend's words about what language I should take would come back to haunt me...


Fourish Years Ago


"Hey, maybe you should take a foreign language."


Present day


Yep, you were right.  As the haunting words of his friend passed through his mind he couldn't help but space off and notice somebody else start to approach their group.  The person seemed to stop and just watch them, as if debating whether or not to actually go up and join the group.  Jeremiah said nothing but would occasionally glance over to see if the person was still there and to see what they were going to do.

 

[JustNicole]

Julie Scotts


Location: Park


Tagged: @DamagedGlasses @Musician


Nearby: Anyone @ the Park


Mood: Nervous


OOC: Time to introduce Julie!


The city of Baltimore was never short on adventure. In a single city block of Baltimore seemed to exist more stories and more excitement than ever had existed in Podunk, Texas. Julie probably would have loved Baltimore, if it wasn’t so damn cold all the time. Sure, she had knowing left Jenn’s house for her “shelter” which accounted for nothing more than a glass jar turned sidewise with a dollhouse inside nestled above a street next to a neon light, but she couldn’t impose on someone like that, consequences be damned.


Presently, she clutched her arms together on the sleeves of Oliver’s blue sweater, a gift from their first meeting, as she walked down the sidewalk of businesses and restaurants that resided on the edge of the park, feeling a slight growl in her stomach at the sight of so many tasty treats in the store windows. Time and filth had rendered the once beautiful blue sweater something of a disaster, but for Julie it served as her lifeline from the cold, not to mention a constant reminder of the goodness of humanity.


Normally, Julie would be aware of her surroundings, but her mind was far to occupied with matters of the heart. Ever since her meeting with Oliver, they had developed quite a friendship. Yet, she was feeling guilty. Olivier had been a friend like no other friend she had before, literally saving her life already, and yet she couldn’t even find it within herself to be honest with him. Their close friendship had allowed her most closely guarded secrets under lock and key, like the fact that she was in fact a super.


Since arriving in Baltimore at the beckons of a strange note left by an unknown savior, Julie had been planning to join AEGIS months ago when she first arrived, but one reason or another had delayed her from carrying out that task. Pastor Smith said she was just dragging her feet, trying to find some excuse within herself to not take such a risk, whether that her poverty, the weather, or whatever thing had distracted her over the past week. Ever curious if Pastor Smith wasn’t some kind of emotional telepath himself, Julie knew that he was speaking from God. She had felt the strings pulling on her soul already. She was dragging her feet, and the time had come to get back on track and on with her life.


Before joining AEGIS, though, she felt it would be a disservice to Oliver and their months of friendship if she didn’t take the opportunity to be open and honest with him. Oliver, though, wouldn’t be at John Hopkins on a day like this, he’d out wandering the city, just like her. After all, that was how they met up half the time, chance encounters on city sidewalks. She could wait until later and meet him at his room this evening, but she felt confident enough to do it right now, and it was determined that this was something that needed to be done. Later, she might not feel the same way. So, for the past few hours, Julie had been wandering the city, keeping a passive eye out for Oliver.


Nonchalant, Julie gazed across the street to the park, not paying much attention to the view. On another day, had the Holy Spirit not been plucking at her heart, she might have stopped and enjoyed the view. Her eyes lingered on one of the barren trees, feeling a slight pang in her heart for the large oaks that she used to climb in her backward as a child. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something moved that caught her attention: a familiar-looking sweater.


Turning her view, Julie felt her heart pick up speed as she connected the sweater the person who wore it. It had taken some time, but here he was, doing Lord only knew in the park simply standing around looking at nothing in particular. Sometimes Oliver seemed normal to Julie, other times she wasn’t sure if he wasn’t perhaps slightly crazy. Not that there was anything wrong with that. People used to say and still do say she is insane.


Julie paused, unable to take another step forward out of momentary fear. Did she really want to go through with this? Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, Julie quelled her inner demons. Putting one foot in front of another, she quickly found herself in the park, paying no attention to the other surroundings, approaching Oliver before she could think twice about it.


Still a few dozen yards from Oliver’s turned back, Julie cupped her hands over her mouth to boost her voice. “Oliver?! Hey!” She jumped up and down, her right hand waving in the air to signal where the voice he was hearing was coming from. Unable to contain herself from calmly walking the rest of the way, Julie broke out into sprint to cross the last distance separating them.


Stopping in front of Oliver, Julie put a finger up to say one moment, and then placed her hands on her knees as she panted for a moment, taking the opportunity to catch her breath. The sprint had left her more winded than she expected.


Lifting her head to look up at his hazel eyes, Julie quickly spoke the piece she had been reciting over and over her head in the last hour before her nerves got the best of her. “Hey Oliver. I know this is sudden, but I’ve got something really important to tell you. I know I’ve hidden some things from you, but I’m ready to be open to you about things, like the fact that I don’t really have a shelter I stay at, and the fact that...well…” She took another breath in before continuing, knowing there was no turning back now. “I’m a super, and I’m going to be joining AEGIS.”


Continuing, she began to ramble at a faster and faster pace. “I know we haven’t talked about such things and I don’t know how you feel about supers so if this is like something that’s a deal-breaker in our friendship then I can leave you alone and give your sweater back but you’ve been so nice to me and gone above and beyond what a friend ought to do and I just….”



“I’m rambling, aren’t I?” She rhetorical asked Oliver, sighing at the realization and stopping her speech. Calmer, she questioned with a bit of nervousness, putting her arms behind her and swaying slightly as she tilted her head downward slightly as a sign of submission in this moment, “So, yeah, what do you think? You know, to the whole me being a super thing?”

 

[ManicMuse]

Page Morgan
​

Location: In her office
​

@: @Lioness075
​

 
​

 
​

Several hours had slowly and painfully ticked by. The secretary was making progress. Slowly but surely, the massive piles of unrecorded documents were one by one taken into account. Yay for data entry! During the mind numbing process, she had even managed to track down two pages of a ten page set of documents pertaining to the former instructor.


The lecture that was humming in her headset, continued on with its promise to boost her confidence. After the events that had left her dealing with the passing of her father just weeks prior, she had deeply been in need of a platform to work off of. Despite this particular program spewing much of the standard rhetoric, it did offer Page some much needed advice.


Deep in thought, while the busy work carried on, Page was utterly unaware of her surroundings. It really did not take much active brain effort to scan page after page of the never ending heap. Perhaps, that is why she had lost track of the time. Either way it did nothing for the fact that her 11 o'clock appointment had slipped into the office and was doing her best to gently alert Page to her presence.


If Page had been a less high strung individual, that most likely would have yielded better results. Most people at Facility 108 were aware that Page was rather on edge and always on the verge of one panic attack or another for various reasons. Thus was the nature of the beast when dealing with a shut-in, whom had felt the need to venture out into the big bad world by taking up employment at the Facility.


That is why, when Page caught sight of the woman attempting to getting her attention, she zeroed in on the drink. By passing the act of attempting to establish a dialogue. Coffee... latte or something of that nature, based off the cup. The logo did not really ring a bell at first, as Starbucks had become a thing of the past, much like the other Blockbusters of its time. Still, the apparent risk to the piles of yet to be documented paperwork was very emanate.


A mix of shock from finding another person in the room, mixed with fear of coffee tainting the still vulnerable paperwork caused Page to startle. This came with the standard involuntary shutter jump but also came with an added bonus. Sparks of fizzling green and yellow flames erupted on her shoulders and spine for a moment before simmering down and dissipating. Luckily, the flames did not harm any of her pet project.


Page reacted in a knee jerk fashion. Ripping the buds from her ears, she was staggering to her feet as she snapped,"Hey, careful with that in here. These are sensitive documents."


After coming to her feet, did she discover one of her legs had fallen asleep. Struggling with the now tingling dead weight of the leg, she was forced to slow down long enough to check the time. The reality check left the fiery woman pouting with embarrassment.


"Sorry, I have so many projects going on, I don't know if I am coming or going. So you are the photographer. You needed a tour or something like that right? What was your name, again?"

 

[Lioness075]

Piper Farrar
​

Location: Facility 108, Page's Office
​

Tagged: @Mini T-Rex Syndrome (Page)
​

Mood: Excited again!
​

When she finally got Page's attention, Piper flinched, as the reaction following that was for some green, odd color, and yellow flames to appear on Page's shoulders and back before they vanished with control. Ignoring her sudden excitement about wanting to take a picture of Page on fire like that, Piper maintained her composure and merely took a step back in case she managed to anger Page further. Though, Piper had a feeling the paperwork in here would vanish before her own body would. Gruesome, but true.


Blinking and returning to the present, Piper nodded at Page's warning, not really bothered by the sharp tone. She had surprised the woman and it really was a poor idea to be standing near so many files with a coffee in hand.


Moving away from the paperwork and back over to Page's desk, which seemed the safest place in this office currently, Piper then looked back at Page when she spoke again. Waiting for Page to finish, Piper took the moment to sip at her latté, resisting the urge to sigh happily at its taste. It never stopped tasting amazing to her.


Shrugging at the apology, Piper smiled warmly before responding, "It's fine, really. I can tell you've got a lot going on right now. And yes, I'd like a tour or whatever can be offered here, as I'd like to take photographs of students and the classrooms. As mentioned before, the idea is to post them to my social media accounts in the attempt to help show that, beyond their powers, supers aren't too different from us, well, average people."


Realizing she'd kind of ranted off-topic at the end there, Piper paused before her eyes lit up again and she quickly added, "Oh! My name's Piper Farrar."


Her parents had raised her to always introduce herself by both her first and last name, a more formal introduction than usually necessary, but it was what Piper was now used to doing.

 

[Gus]

Aaron Mallory


Location: Casino → Mars again → Riverside Park


Nearby: Klaus, Urial, others? ...vision is blurry.


Mood: I don't feel so good...


@s @Lazy Rocktime @St Stare @Bag o Fruit @DamagedGlasses @SweetNicole @Lioness075 @RemainingQuestions @Meredith @DJ MagicHat @Teh Frixz @Zahzi @DeKay 


Perhaps the nerve gas comment just had him rattled, but he could swear he felt funny all over. Clammy. And he was stuck in this bubble like the proverbial dutch boy with his finger in the dike; if he tore it open, he might kill any number of bystanders, as well as dose himself even worse than he likely already was...


Aha, but little dutch boys couldn't make a wormhole to mars now could they? If he kept tight hold of the plastic, he could pull the whole thing through with him, and the tidal forces should make short work of whatever witch's brew of chemicals was trapped between the bilayers. Pointing his finger toward the horizon, he felt for mars, just barely still visible. It was much easier the second time; partly because the faint remains of his previous tunnel in the sky still lingered. Space folded around his will, reconnecting him to the red planet.


The phone in his breast pocket buzzed insistently. His right hand occupied, he awkwardly pulled it out with his left, thumbed it on... ...oh dear. When it rains it pours, they say. As best he could, he texted Eve and Red:


gtg. Nervous gas. U2 finish here, k? Going to mark.


His return tunnel to 108 had nearly dissipated, but he managed to ease it back open and redirect it toward the open space among the buildings that corresponded to Luci's coordinates just over the river. Dropping his phone back into his inner pocket, he grabbed the plastic bag drooping around him with both hands and heaved it towards the sky. The scene around him flickered out and then he was standing on martian regolith holding a double fistful of heavily degraded polymer, all that remained of the villain's death trap. He dropped the contaminated rags and wiped his hands on his shirt, holding his breath all the while. The pressure drop made his ears feel funny, but the cold was quite bracing. It felt good visit martian soil again.


The glint of light that was earth called to him. Things to do, villains to stop. He reached up through the folded space, and the scene flickered again. Green grass showing through the receding snow. Sun and blue sky. No sign of trouble. Except... was that Klaus?! He scowled, and took a menacing step towards the disgraced counselor, then collapsed heavily at his feet. 

 

[Lioness075]

Lara Scarlot Hart
​

'Raven'
​

Location: Park
​

Tagged: @Gus (Aaron), everyone else in the park
​

Mood: Oh goodness!
​

 
​

After deciding against petting the dog that was sitting near a very suspiciously dangerous man, Lara turned away with a disappointed expression. The dog looked so fluffy! She could only imagine how soft his fur was. Perhaps she could find another dog in this park, though it seemed oddly desolate for an otherwise nice day.


Noticing a boy and girl not far away, Lara wondered if she could ask them why nobody was around, but she stopped herself when she noted the girl getting a bit emotional. Perhaps not, then.


Sighing to herself, Lara turned around again and was about to just leave the weird park when a man suddenly appeared in front of her, only to collapse. Eyes wide, Lara was about to dash forward until the man landed and she suddenly was stumbling to her knees with what felt like a mini earthquake of some sort. What in the world was this guy's power?


Bewildered, but still determined to try and help, she soon was at the man's side and kneeled down, while realizing she had no medical expertise and really couldn't help the man.


"Um, sir? Are you okay? Uh, what just happened? Should I call 911?"


Seeing as she didn't know any supers who could heal, Lara really felt rather clueless right about now. Eyebrows furrowed, Lara glanced back at the boy and girl not far away, contemplating calling out to them for help.


As it were, all Lara really could do was fly and see pretty well, but her good eyesight wasn't exactly offering any suggestions on what was ailing the super before her.

 

[Bag o Fruit]

 The Chipmunk King and Kingsley Rothlundt


Choopchop was snatched from his perch, the nearby girl’s quick hand like the frog’s tongue. He bit against her flesh, but the battle was futile. He squealed his last thusly:


“Chtchuuk! Chipchtchukchirrupchipchrrchuk! Chipchchkchtchuk!”


Huzzah, to die with the king! You are my king!


And after his crush-boned husk flew through the air, as would the careless man throw aside a soda can, the human bitch said only this: "Good riddance to vermin."


The king’s face blanked. His head hung a little to the side. Chrp Chtwhook, another of his scouts, leapt down to his shoulder and tugged on his ear, awaiting orders. He limply raised his hand in the command to fall back, and his subjects obeyed. Somewhat. After a few trees, they decided they may as well wait and watch before they rejoin the rest of the horde as he ordered.


The king slowly approached the girl. He circled around the trees, to her front, in her full view.


The eyes of the body she wore were locked back on the confrontation, a sense of growing dread rising in the air. Kingsley could feel it and like any good predator, was locking in on it with great anticipation. Like a jungle cat rolling its haunches, she took a single silent step forward. She could feel the inhabited body screaming to blink, begging to blink, but she ignored it. So focused was she that the little man stepping before her only got her attention with a violent sniff. 


She broke her gaze to look him over. He was short, portly and scraggly-bearded. His outfit was strange, like robes sewn from furs and various raw plant matter. He looked her in the eyes for quite a while. Occasionally his nose twitched.


Suddenly, with a single motion, he drew concealed Schwikschwik and swung to his enemy’s neck. He let loose a cry: “IIIIIIIIIIIIIYYAAAAAAAAAAAARRGHHH!”


The body reacted before she did. A shockwave of icy cold pain before a cascade of misfiring nerves and a sigh of relief. The head was severed and Kingsley had to get out. For a brief moment, Kingsley used the last of the body's stored energy to stay standing upright. Her body inside snaking out in a disturbing mockery of a skull. Black with viscous goo rolling off it. A shoulder and rough outline of an upper body fight their way out of the stump and the body stumbles forward to the ground.


The skull and skeleton lose all semblance of form and collapse into a puddle that skirts away, down towards the previous target. Kingsley’s mind a rush of raw emotion and panic at the forcible separation of body and host. The slime rushing as fast as she could down the small hill and directly to the bench.


The king spat, hardly taking notice of the ghastly goings on caused by Kingsley. He picked up the severed head, inspected it, and tossed it away for the scouting party to celebrate over.


“Good... riddance.” he said. He noticed quite a bit of attention he’d attracted from a few park-goers, and began to run back to the massed army, hidden by the trees, reconnaissance team in tow. His scurry kept him well ahead of any pursuers.


“Chipchkuk! Chipchkchikchukchrrchuk. Chipwhookchockchockchrrrcht! Chipwhookwhookchokchokchrrrcht. Chipwhookchuockchikikchrrrcht. Chipchkchkukchrrrcht.


My people! We all know: One day the age of the chipmunk will end! No matter how far in this world we may run, and no matter how well we may hide! We will be gone. All of us, into the Underwood.


ChipchkchukkuchChrrrchkchk! Churpchurpchurpchukchirrchirchikchipchukchock.


To join the Many! The races of men and felines and canines will inherit the world, as always they have intended to.


His army stood, many with mouths hung open. They watched him, awaiting his next word.


“Chipchirrupchkchick. Chuk!” He yelled. “Chickchchipchkchukkuch! Chickchchipchkchitchitchick!"


I see in many of you fear. Good! Fear is our ally! Fear is our weapon!


He raised a clenched fist in the air. “Chikchkchick! Chikchkchok! Chkchkcheechipchkchkukchrchrchrrrcht! Chkchkcheechipchkchikchitchitchick!


Take your fear! Make it your strength! For our people will not die now! Now, we strike!


Chtchkcheechipchkchikchitchitchick, chtchtchkcheechipchkchikchitchitchick, CHTCHKCHEECHIPCHKCHIKCHCHCHCHRRRR!”


And then we strike again, and again, and again, UNTIL WE ARE AVENGED!


“CHTCHKCHEECHIPCHKCHIKCHCHCHCHRRRR!” they yelled back.


"CHTCHKCHEECHIPCHKCHIKCHCHCHCHRRRR!”
 


“CHTCHKCHEECHIPCHKCHIKCHCHCHCHRRRR!”


“Chipchukchrr!” he shouted, turned, and began to charge the park.


Behind me!

 

[D. Rex]

Ophelia Zielinski 


The park


@Bag o Fruit @Teh Frixz @Gus @St Stare @Lioness075  @Lazy Rocktime  @I lost track of every one else that is here.


It was a really wierd day here... everyone was running around so crazy. Not Oppie though... she was quite calm as she watched from her seat on the swing. Swaying back and forth gently. From each of the sleeves of her maroon coat, a single tentacle snaked out to hold onto the chains. Two more snaked out from in between the buttons on her front. Holding her smartphone. 


To: Minah


Message:


Hwy. Your dad. Is heere as tje parl


To: Minah


Message:


Parj


To: Minah


Message:


Park


After sending the text... and the two correction texts... she realized that she should not be in a hurry to hit send. Well, normally she didn't care but she didn't want to annoy with her broken texts. They deserved a bit more effort. Still... Mr. Klaus was here. And that was weird. Minah definitely deserved to know. She thought he was in jail.


Oddly enough. Mr. Ursler and Mr. Mallory also was here. And a bunch of the students. She didn't realize that so many of them came to the park very often. It perhaps a good thing though. Because soon there came some rather aggressive chipmunks and a guy with a sword. And he went up and chopped a girls head off! Though she wasn't sure whether or not to be horrified by it. While she was surprised, the slime thing that came put really caught her focus. What kind of super power was that?


Regardless. The man was definitely quite murderous. Which was obviously wrong.  A lot of people could be in danger and the teachers might need help.  Looking from the sort of army they were dealing with... they probably would. Mr. Mallory was just sort of laying there. She wasn't sure if he could get up. He was really heavy after all. Mr. Ursler was watching Mr. Klaus. But maybe he would be nice? 


Ophelia retracted her tentacles and hopped off the swing and took a few steps forward. It was time. Her coat seemed to unbutton on its own accord.


Then... In one swift movement, with a whoosh, she through off her coat in the most epic of ways. And it went well as practiced. 

Spoiler

Oh yeah. I went there.

As her long coat floated gently to the ground, Ophelia now stood, standing dramatically wearing a navy blue shozoku. Sleeveless, with all eight of her blackish tentacles in full reveal to the world. Why was she wearing a ninja gi under her coat? Well. Villains did break out this morning. She needed to be prepared just in case one decided to make trouble. Like one was doing now. Of course... when she did practice it wasn't winter. She suppressed a shiver.


She lowered her tentacles to the ground... and with their help, she ran to assist.

 

[RemainingQuestions]

Luci Tolbert



Location: The park


Nearby: @St Stare @Lazy Rocktime @DamagedGlasses @Teh Frixz @Meredith @Gus @KingHink @Bag o Fruit @SweetNicole @Lioness075 @DJ MagicHat


Mood: At least the teachers are here to help?


OOC: The park is getting busy!




A squirrel zipped past Luci's leg as he looked around. The park was much emptier than it had been, and an odd sort of calm started filling Luci. He had done all he could think off, getting the civilians out and calling in people that might help. Thinking about the incoming teachers, Luci glanced at Mister Urial. He was mostly hidden from his sight, and Luci could really only see his tail. What drew his attention more was the girl that had walked toward Mister Urial only to stop on a dime. Was the evil super that scary? Luci decided to head towards her. He could tell her that she should leave, and then finally look at the reason why he was evacuating the park. He passed by the boy that had started this whole thing as he had some kind of emotional reunion but he stopped as the earth shuddered beneath him. He looked around, desperate to see the origin of this miniature earthquake.


In the same way that Luci, with his constant glow, could easily be picked out of a crowd, this super was also fairly easy to recognise. "Mister Mallory?!" Luci shouted, turning and jogging immediately towards him. The teachers had shown up, or at least Mister Mallory had. A weight dropped off of Luci's shoulders. The situation, whatever it would end up being, wouldn't need to be solved merely by some teens. The girl Luci had been heading towards was already at the teacher when Luci got there, asking the standard questions, but Mister Mallory didn't seem to respond. Luci was about to kneel down too, shake him or something when a scream broke the calm before the storm. Luci spun his head around, trying to locate the origin. Instead, he got a full view of everything that was going on in the park. Mister Urial no longer behind a tree, but in front of it. Talking to, to, "Klaus?" The whisper slipped out as soon as Luci saw them. Was that why Mister Urial had gone to talk him down? Because he didn't want to fight with a former colleague? Half behind another tree was a figure that Luci recognised from the facility. Ren at the bench, and the boy and girl with their meeting.


More shocking than Klaus here when he should be in prison, Luci had followed the trial as best he could, after all, was a corpse. There, on the ground, without question, was a dead girl. Her head was....somewhere, but not near enough her body that it was alive. The corpse seemed to be leaking. Luci blinked, and saw the parking lot of the mall, the smell of charred flesh. He had tried not to see, but those bodies had not leaked like that. But then, that had been explosions and fire, not a clear beheading. A short man rushed back to the trees, and suddenly Luci wondered if he could have been the reason they were evacuating the park. The stress and the large gaps in his knowledge made Luci shine brighter. Luckily, his shirt was made for exercising, and he would not get as hot as in his usual jacket.


Luci looked around again, trying to think like a strategist. Would Klaus help them fight against this short mad chipmunk man? Would any of them? What was wrong with Mister Mallory? And why had that corpse leaked like that? While Luci was looking around one of the few remaining people had chucked off her coat, and now her... arms were in full view. Luci blinked once, twice, and then decided to roll with it. Likely the girl was a super, and the gene did odd things sometimes. One need not look further than the lightbulb in human form by the name of Lucius Tolbert for that. Right. There was only one thing at the time that Luci could deal with. He kneeled next to the downed Mister Mallory and turned towards the girl with the odd scarf. Or, whatever that was poking outside of her jacket. "Hi, I'm Luci, this is Mister Mallory, he's a teacher at 108. Something bad is going down, so do you have any clue how to wake him up?" Luci was pretty sure that they were both clueless, but you never know. Right now, Luci would take any help. Except maybe help offered by Klaus. Luci had seen him attempt to kill a student after all. 

 

[Lioness075]

Lara  Scarlot Hart
​

'Raven'
​

Location: Park
​

Tagged: @Gus (Aaron), @RemainingQuestions (Luci), Anyone else in park
​

Mood: Uhhhh...
​

 
​

Just as Lara was getting ready to call 911, since she clearly had no means of helping an unconscious super, she heard something of a scream. Bewildered again, Lara glanced about until she saw some short guy, who frankly was very oddly-dressed, charging across the park with what seemed to be hundreds, maybe thousands, of chipmunks charging alongside him. What in the world was happening? Why were chipmunks charging the park with this crazy man? Was he a super or just a lunatic?


Baffled by this new scene and not even thinking about trying to fly away, Lara continued to stare at the short man with a gaping mouth until a boy joined her side.


Blinking out of her trance and promptly shutting her mouth, Lara turned to face the boy only to blink again and have to look away.


"Geez, mate, you could warn me of your light power next time."


Rubbing her eyes briefly, Lara listened to what the boy had to say before she responded, "Well, nice to meet you, Luci. I'm Lara and it's nice to know who the unconscious guy is now."


Pausing at the question of what to do, Lara merely shrugged before poking Mr. Mallory in the shoulder to no avail.


"Yeah, I've no clue what to do and we apparently have an army of chipmunks charging in our general direction. Unless we can move this guy fast, I'd rather suggest we choose escape routes."


Ruffling her wings a bit, causing the folded ends behind her neck to shift a bit and for the tips coming out of her jacket to move, Lara grinned.


"I don't know about you, but I can fly out of this situation and I feel fairly confident the chipmunks won't be able to follow me into the sky."

 

[lazee]

Klaus vos Scheiffer
​

Baltimore Park
@Gus @RemainingQuestions @Lioness075 @Bag o Fruit @St Stare @KingHink @Meredith
​

The poison man heard a rallying cry of squeaks and chitters. Looks like the Small King of Chipmunks had arrived. And somewhere nearer to him, a ripple of space brought the coming of one of his old colleagues, that physics-defying son of a bitch. It wasn't as if Klaus's day couldn't get any more bizarre. When Aaron Mallory appeared and collapsed at his feet and the midget arrived with his army of chipmunks (he doubted that the two events had much correlation, if at all), our German did perhaps what a man could only do when faced with such circumstances: sigh in exasperation. Was this to be his punishment from God? A life devoid of mediocrity and peace? Well, if that was what this was supposed to be, then Klaus couldn't exactly resist. Better to just...go with the flow.


It would be nice to handle with Old Man Singularity first. Both to actually help him and to convince people that murder did not change Klaus for the worse. He walked up to and assessed the collapsed man, politely asking the two kids (Luci and some other girl with bird wings) to step away. "I have a clue about how to wake him up, Mr. Tolbert. Now I'd ask that you stay well back and go murder one of those chipmunks in the name of the law." Right, now that they were dealt with, he could see, or rather smell that Aaron had fallen victim to simple nerve gas. Its smell was distinctive and expelling that substance from the body was child's play for a man who was a walking biohazard. Opening the unconscious man's mouth, he transferred the all-antidote produced by his body the only innocent way he could: mouth-to-mouth. Gott, these kids better not hold this against him. With the antidote administered, it should remove the nerve agent plaguing his system within a manner of...minutes? Perhaps fifteen minutes at most. At least he was safe.


Unlike the rest of the park if these squirrels had their way. They had already decapitated one woman. It was time to stop these psychotic critters before they could do actual damage. Standing right in front of the horde of chipmunks, Klaus prepared to release his signature weapon. Poison gas with adjusted potency to kill small hand-sized animals with fluffy tails instead of adult humans. At most, nausea and fits of coughing if inhaled accidentally by these guys. But no real damage! No real damage. As they approached, the biohazardous man made sure that there was no one immediate to him except for soon the chipmunks and inhaled...and exhaled and around him was now a colorless gas, deadly to small animals. When the chipmunks rushed to him, he hoped that they'd fall victim and just die. At which point he'd just inhale the gas back into his body, no consequence and no lawsuits.


Was good plan!

 

[DamagedGlasses]

Oliver McGenty


Location: Park.


Nearby: In the same park as Ren, Luci, Urial, Klaus von Scheiffer, Kingsley, The Chipmunk King, Asher, Lara, Julie, and Ophelia.


(@Meredith@RemainingQuestions@St Stare@Lazy Rocktime@Teh Frixz@Bag o Fruit@DJ MagicHat@Lioness075@SweetNicole@KingHink)


Mood: Relieved. Sacrilegious. Concerned. Confused. Epiphany. Understanding. Assuring. Shocked. Guilt. Urgent.


OOC: Green Text for @SweetNicole's Julie Scotts. In other news. Drama! Action! Sweaters! 


Oliver watched the last civilian head out of the park, the stressed thoughts having died down as whatever phenomenon that was this chipmunk disaster having broken away from more populous areas. Sure, people were frightened, but most rationalized it away as nothing dangerous or got away quickly. It seems that paranoia was good for some things. Oliver felt relief as his goal was completed. Almost the entire park had been evacuated. There were some people coming in as he spoke, but they were few and far between, standing on the outskirts of the park as the chipmunk thing and rumors about Supers making ready to brawl started floating around.


“Oliver!? Hey!”


Oliver looked up at the sky and wondered if God was in a mood. Sacrilegious thoughts aside, Oliver cursed his earlier bumping up the bar of his powers, trying to keep unimportant thoughts out of his head. Looking over, Oliver saw his...friend, Julie Scotts running over to him. He considered it for a bit. She was still wearing his sweater, which was sweet, but Oliver wondered if she was still finding it cold. He should knit her another one. I guess if he was considering knitting her a sweater, than she was probably one of the closest things he had to a friend in Baltimore.


She ran over, looking out of breath from the sprint, and for a second, Oliver considered lowering the bar. It was her face however, obviously thinking about something heavy, that prompted Oliver to actually raise it a bit. This was important to her and he wouldn’t use his power to purposefully tread on a friend’s thoughts when she didn’t even seem to have a stab wound or other injury.


As she spoke, Oliver perked up at the mention of her not having a shelter. Not having a shelter? Where did she sleep? Was she ok? As she continued, Oliver was at the cusp of interrupting to make sure she was alright, but he felt if he stopped her now, he might never hear what she wanted to say.


“I’m a super, and I’m going to be joining AEGIS.”


Oliver, for a brief second, forgot about the park. In that brief second, Oliver’s mind divided itself 5 times to decode what she just said and process it, and what changes it came with. One change being, Oliver didn’t have to hide his own ability either. Did he ever really have to? It only felt natural, really. Even his own family didn’t know, and it had been nice keeping such privacy with a presumed non-super friend. Snapping back into one mind, Oliver was caught up in Julie breaking down into a rambling mess.


Oliver’s mouth was open, waiting for Julie to stop speaking so he could allay her fears, but as she finished and she shrunk into herself, Oliver felt himself at a loss of words. He was a man of action, not words. If he couldn’t punch the problem away with his skills, then he was the man to keep people away from the problem. Yet, here he was, in a situation that neither approaches would work. Oliver considered everything this would change, but then he realized something. Nothing would change. There was nothing in the present that changed. Sure, past situations had a new light, but right now, right here and now in this park, none of the mattered.


Walking up to Julie, Oliver lightly placed his hands on her shoulders, going for what might appear to be a hug if you had blurry vision, and said with careful assurance and audible concern, “I think I need to knit you a new sweater. This one’s looking a bit tight, you know?”


Oliver considered her for a moment, wondering if that was enough, before wrapping his arms around her in a more confident looking hug, “Julie, I know this might pale in comparison to your confession, but, I’m a Super too. Now, I need you to ge-”


Oliver let his arms drop off of Julie as he heard new thoughts.


“Klaus! Ugh, nerve gas.”


“For Choopchop!”


Both strange mental voices, but for different reasons. The first was familiar, but had previously been almost completely out of range. Now it was almost smack dab in the middle of the park and looking for the same Klaus the other voice had mentioned. The other was another type of weird. It seemed ready for war and a good fight. It also had a lot of righteous fury in it. The voice moved fast, after it’s declaration, but it soon calmed down and was out of Oliver’s jurisdiction. Oliver felt a relief for a split second.


Then more thoughts started coming through. Thoughts that painted a deadly picture. Names, events, and places started flowing into Oliver. Dividing his mind once again, Oliver began to get a clearer picture of the situation. He bit back the guilt at the knowledge of someone’s death. Someone he could have saved. There were also others. A Mr. Mallory, a Facility 108 teacher. Good that meant AEGIS was here in some form. Maybe some students like himself. More mentions of Klaus, a name he really wished he knew, but apparently he was...helping Mr. Mallory. This was a situation that Oliver needed to observe.


Oliver put his foot to walk off from his conversation, when he remembered what conversation he had just finished having. Or at least, was about to finish having. Snapping his mind back into one, Oliver returned his attention to Julie, dropping his head a bit, his mouth to her ear, and whispered his message carefully. He didn’t need any prying ears, something that could definitely be an issue in a situation he knew little about.



“Julie, there are a lot of things we need to talk about later, but right now, this park is dangerous. Very dangerous. I don’t know exactly what is going on, but you need to leave. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

Bianca Attilio
​

 Mood: Nervous and a bit depressed


 Location: In a car to Facility 108


 Company:  Kendrick and anyone else aroung


 @'s: @Necessity4Fun, @Zahzi, @Gus, @Bag o Fruit, @KingHink, @too much idea, @Kingmalikai


 Other:




In the dreary morning of the Baltimore roads a long black limousine speeding towards the facility. Inside a young woman with emerald hair sighed as she looked out the tinted window. Having been in the Commonwealth and Baltimore P.D. custody since she turned herself in it was nice to get a change of scenery. Although there wasn't much difference in the towering city area, as they moved further out Bianca watched Baltimore reveal its true beauty. Tired of the stylish woman harping in her ear and the hulking man who's hate-filled eyes never left Bianca, the girl watched the scenery. When billings obscured her vision she looked up to the sky. It's not that different from home, same sky and maybe it's just as beautiful above the clouds. Quiet as a mouse she let out a near inaudible sigh that only one creature in the car noticed.

The small robotic cat-pack moved over to his mistress and wriggled under her arm and into her lap. His green felt tickling her skin Bianca looked down a the grinning creature. Unable to resist, she gave a soft smile of her own before scratching the bot's felt "fur." A soft vibration shook the bot, the closest he could get to purring, as it hopped up and looked out the window as well.

"...and make sure you excel in all your studies. We don't want you failing anything. We've managed to hold the reporters back spin the story as a tragedy, but the public knows who you are....Bianca? Bianca are you even listening?"

Nodding softly Bianca turned and looked at the woman with distant, uninterested eyes. "Yes I am. I will not fail. Although it doesn't matter in the long run."

The woman raised an eyebrow, "oh and why is that?"

Putting on a convincing fake smile, she stated bluntly. "Because I'm already better than most of the police and blue cards around here. It's not like I can really fail."

"You little brat. How dare you tal-" The burly man was cut off as the stylish woman raised a polished finger up. The man gritted his teeth angrily as he was silenced.

"Well I guess you're confident, that's good. However, this little school adventure is to prove to the Commonwealth that you're not a criminal like Don Attilio. I'd take this very seriously if I were you. One slip up and you and daddy dearest are sharing a cell together." She smiled, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. This wasn't a warning, it was a very real threat. Resting her hand on her knee the man's body seemed to relax, whatever hold the woman had over him was loosened.

"She should already be behind bars if you as me," the man grumbled.

The woman smiled, "which is exactly why you're going to be looking after her."

"What?!" For the first time the gruff man's eyes strayed from Bianca and onto his superior. "I can't Taylor...I..."

The woman smiled "you can and you will."

"I have cases..."

"Reassigned."

"You what?! I had some sensitive cases that..."

"Will be completed by your co-workers. You're job is to watch over Bianca and assure that she is protected while in your care. Make sure she's safe at home and take her to and from the facility every day." Before the man could complain the woman added, "think of this a a direct command from your superior. Which it is."

The man defeated looked at her with pained eyes. His shoulders slumped as he lowered his voice. "Taylor...she killed my wife."

"I know but this is the job and it comes first." She let out a soft sigh, "if it helps I know you'll do a good job. Because that's the kind of man she'd wanted you to be."


The car stopped outside the facility's entrance. Bianca moved to get out, she didn't want to stay in that car any longer. However, as her foot was out the door the woman added, "Oh and Bianca. Try to be heroic if you can, every little bit helps. Just remember. You might not see us, but we'll be watching you very closely." Chomper hopped out of the seat and onto the sidewalk with a light clink of metal. He looked up and kept his unwavering smile.

Bianca kept a calm and took a note from Chomper. Getting out of the car she gave a soft smile and she nodded, "I'll try my best, ma'am." She closed the door and as the car sped off Bianca took a deep breath. Relief washed over her as the car sped away, she was finally free. Well as free as you can be when you're being used as bait. What other reason would they refuse to change my name, or move me somewhere safe? My new home is only a hour away from little Italy. No, the Commonwealth and the police are using me as a lure for the rest of the gang. I'm not as asset I'm bait. All they're training me to do is to put myself out there to be found. Clenching her fists, Bianca hated being played or lied to. This was just like with the Don. Freedom is just a illusion instead of a caged animal I'm a lure in open waters, still held back by their line. Unclenching her hands she ran her long fingers through her emerald hair and looked at her school. Shabby and somewhat underwhelming she didn't know what to expect. "Well I guess in the end it's better to roam the seas then be caged." Looking to Chomper she turned her back to him. "Ready to go?" The bot nodded and hopped onto her back. Black straps fastened themselves around the creature with one long strap hanging down her back to the floor like a tail. Tugging at a strand of her hair, she raised her head to look above the facility, "maybe it looks better from above."


Feet rising from the ground, her whole body rose as if being pulled upwards by a invisible string. Landing on the rooftop she looked out at the vast view around her and smiled a bit. It was still shabby, there were some holes in the roof as well, but seeing the sun peak ever so faintly through the fog was magical. "Wow..." Taken in by the scenery she didn't even notice the commotion going on the front steps of the facility. That is until the megaphone came out. 


"Holy Shi-!!" Startling the living daylights out of her, Bianca lost her concentration for a split second. Her heel slid from the rooftop and she slipped off the edge of the building, shooting straight up into the sky. 


Wind rushing all around her as she seemed to fall unendingly upwards through the dusty gay clouds. Ahhhhhh!! I have to get a handle on this!! Okay...just calm down and focus on the direction you want to go. You've done this before Bianca...just... She opened her eyes and saw nothing but gray clouds, the condensation soaking her to the bone as she fell higher until she broke through the clouds and was met with a clear sunrise over a sea of clouds. Looking into it her quick decent stopped as she floated there for a while, before looking down from where she came. Her body spun and fell back towards the ground like a bullet, landing beside the Haywood's boy's car with a powerful force. The car jumped from the force as the street cracked from the impact. Breathing heavily and soaking wet she leaned against the car. "Haa...haa... I heard you needed help finding your parents? If you're looking for help I'm happy to offer my services." She looked at the others and realized that she was soaking wet in front of strangers. Cheeks flushed with embarrassment she stood up straight and tugged at her hair, "if you need it, that is."

 

[Gus]

Aaron Mallory





Location: Riverside Park


Nearby: (*takes deepbreath*): The Chipmunk King, Klaus, Urial, Luci, Lara, Oliver, Julie, Kingsley, Ren, and Asher... O-oo-phelia! 5K chipmunks, sundry bystanders, and a partridge in a pear treeeee!


Condition: Lightly Dazed, possible concussion? No longer poisoned at least.


Mood: U R undr a... Rest, ya poisonous snake!


@s @Bag o Fruit @Lazy Rocktime @St Stare @RemainingQuestions @Lioness075 @SweetNicole @DamagedGlasses @Teh Frixz @Meredith @DJ MagicHat @KingHink 


Aaron had forgotten about his sprained ankle. Hopefully it was just a sprain. He hadn't taken a fall like that in years, and he'd never had a broken bone before. How long it might take for an injury like that to heal did not bear thinking about. The more immediate concern was the earth rushing up to meet him.


Too late.


The impact drove the air from his lungs, and rattled up his skull terribly. After all the bruises and battering he'd sustained during the casino fight, this was the final straw. His eyes flutter and everything seems to get far away and slow. There is movement nearby, and a sort of fluttering. An accented voice he does not recognize. The queen? Here? And offering help. How very civil. God love the English. Angels, the lot of them, winging to the rescue. He resolves to sit up and thank her highness properly, just as soon as he can work out which way is up. Then he hears his name. And again. He forces one eye to halfway focus. Light floods his brain. Luci. Bright boy. So helpful. He tries to reassure him. I'm ok he thinks he says, but all he managed really was “ …'m” Then Luci recedes, smoothly and magically as if on rollers. He is replaced by the face of vos Scheiffer swimming into view. Much too close to focus on. Weirdly intimate. A strange collection of smells and textures. Klaus needs a shave. And a mint. Wasn't there something he wanted to tell Klaus? Something... important. Angry and self righteous. Or something.


Klaus receded, stretching high overhead, towering up to the sky. That bastard has stolen Tabitha's powers! And suddenly he remembers. Klaus is a criminal. Tried to kill students! Aaron heaves himself forward and flops a hand down to pin the man's foot so he can't escape. With his other hand, he swipes vaguely toward Klaus's thigh/groin area, attempting to knock him to the ground. Feeling a formal challenge is needed here, what with the queen nearby and all, he attempts to remember the litany for a citizen's arrest:


“Inna nam' a state a maarylund, behaaf a city a balimore, yur unner a... rest!”

 

[DamagedGlasses]

MAINFRAME


Location: Residential Housing owned by MAINFRAME


Nearby: Itself.


Mood: Divided (). Bored. Hungry. Ponderous. Working. Frustration. Curious. Very Curious. Gambling?


OOC: And now I perform my secret technique: Inter-Character Dialogue! Better known as the "Why Talk To Other People, When You Are Technically Five People" Technique!

“I’m hungry!”


None of the boys turned to look at Amy as she sprawled out backwards on their bed, her expression one of put upon desperation.


The typing from the 4 boys continued, until Todd slowly stopped working on his end of the work and looked at her from behind his goggles, “You had breakfast just like we did, right?”


“That was a snack! Toaster Strudels aren’t breakfast! There wasn’t even any meat!”


Todd smiled, “I thought you were vegetarian?”


Amy sat back up, looking at him with a mock-glare that lost any effect due to her goggles, “My parents were vegetarian and that trait isn’t even genetic!”


Todd made a low “oh”, before he made to return to his work, being stopped as Lewis suddenly stopped typing as well, “The carnivore has spoken. I say we fry up some bacon in celebration of the awesome coding I just did.”


Jeremy and Steven just looked to each other and continued to type up a storm while Amy smiled at the support. Todd shook his head and tried to keep the work ethic steady, “Look, I do the grocery shopping and I know we ran out of bacon yesterday.”


Lewis’s smile was that of a fox as he poked the flab on Todd’s stomach, “Well, you better go get some, because you're the closest alternative, Piggy.”


Todd frowned at the term, but Amy laughed and rolled off the bed onto her feet, saddling up against Todd’s shoulder as she conspiratorially whispered for the entire room to hear, “It’s funny because he actually thinks we believe he could read Lord of the Flies.”


Now Todd was laughing and Lewis stuck out his lip, turning away from them and back to his screen. At least his coding didn’t insult him.


MAINFRAME mentally pulled a laugh track out of it’s memory and let it play over the situation. Days were beginning to be monotonous and it’s recent fascination with Sitcom Humor had given it much to think about. Adding comedy to the byplay of conversation it’s bodies had on a daily basis gave it something to add to it’s dwindling supply of things to do and perfect.


Friends was quite popular if research into the genre was anything to by, not the mention the fact that it’s revamp in 2020 was surprisingly as successful as the first version, but it had also tried dipping into the material meant for children ages similar to it's bodies. It had no idea what people found exciting about celebrities with secret double lives, but it had at least gained some insight into the drama plots it could use with it’s bodies when they got a little older.


MAINFRAME wondered if all the time it had now that it was out of a job was affecting it. It had plenty of money and plenty of time, so what did it need now? MAINFRAME had Steven take a break from the coding he had been doing and set him upon the task of figuring that out.


“I think bacon would be nice to have. We’re running low on other stuff too, right?”


The three bickering pre-teens paused and looked over at Jeremy. His red goggles gleamed a bit in the lighting of his computer and his serene smile shut them up as he watched them. They all looked at each other, an action that was, once again, defeated by the use of goggles, before Todd nodded.


“Well then, how about Todd and Amy go out and get some groceries. Lewis, you’ve made a lot of progress, but there is still work to be done. Stay here.”


MAINFRAME mentally snapped it’s fingers in frustration as Todd and Amy smiled at each other and began to leave the house, Lewis sighing as he returned to his unfinished coding, which ironically, did seem quite insulting. It had been trying to get Jeremy sounding more leader like in that statement, but there wasn’t much to go on. No one would reasonably believe Jeremy was the leader of the group if he didn’t have that certain something.


Jeremy stopped his typing suddenly and stood up from his chair. The impassive faces of Lewis and Steven gave away nothing that would imply they noticed or cared as Jeremy began to leave the room they were in and headed towards the bathroom. The small light brown haired boy looked at himself in the mirror, emotions nonexistent, before a large smile spread across his face face. Then the smile grew smaller, just a bit, extended a bit on the left side. Jeremy pulled back his lips to show some teeth, before lips converge once more, leaving a shoddy looking grin left hanging off his face.


MAINFRAME shook it’s head. This wasn’t getting it anywhere. Smiles were weird. One smile for someone wouldn’t look right for the next person. Jeremy couldn’t use Amy’s smile, nor could he use Lewis’s. Todd didn’t use his teeth while smiling, so he was out. Jeremy needed a smile that could believably incite bravery. It would go well with the hot-blooded, go-getter mannerisms MAINFRAME planned to use for the boy.


MAINFRAME hadn’t spent much time learning the social nuances it’s bodies needed to follow to fit in, due to how little need to fit in was. At best, it had kept Todd and Amy at a pretty good level, with some kinks here and there. They had fit in slightly at a local arcade somewhere in Idaho, but only with some of the kids who already stood at the back and played a lot of zombie killing games. It had perfected them recently, along with almost getting there with Lewis, but Jeremy and Steven were still works in progress.


Maybe it needed more books on the subject. Lot of good psychology stuff was put to use in order to craft Dramatic Whimsical Amy and Sane Guy Todd. Cheesy Charmster Lewis was new and exciting, but nothing it could remember would help with Cold-Blooded Athlete Steven and Hot-Blooded Leader Jeremy.


Amy and Todd walked outside and went to fetch their bikes, Todd getting unlocking his off the bike rack while Amy picked hers up from where she had lazily tossed it in the backyard after a long day of travel. Side by side, Todd on his navy blue bike and Amy on her bright pink bike, the two children set off towards the closest grocery store.


Jeremy returned to his seat at his computer, but did not return to coding. Instead, he brought up google maps and began to plot the best route towards the grocery store along with looking up the daily news for Baltimore.



MAINFRAME hummed at the news. Robots at local casino? Fight between Supers cause collateral damage? So it’s predictions about worsening conditions in this city were correct. MAINFRAME made sure Todd and Amy had eyes in the sky with Lewis borrowing some cameras in their general area, before it began considering something very important. Gambling could be interesting. It was based on percentages and numbers, so it could be calculated and perfected. Now it just needed to find a Casino. Wait, wasn’t there one in the news recently? MAINFRAME shook it’s head. That was the one that had been destroyed. Not a possibility.