Episode 4: The Jailbreak of Dawn

[Gus]

Aaron Mallory


Location: Just southwest of casino, hoofing it up the street.


Nearby: Red, Eve, and a bunch of killer robots


Mood: Uh-oh.


@s @Zahzi @DeKay @KingHink


Aaron idly batted at the missile as he hurried up the street, but missed. Or it missed him, depending on how you look at it. He ignored it; it wasn't as if any payload it carried could do him real harm, could it? He focused instead on getting into position to help carry the fight to the enemy. Apparently they were facing killer robots of some kind, and could fly, so directly attacking might prove difficult, but at the least he could act as impenetrable cover for the less bullet proof Eve. Red could likely take almost anything that the enemy could dish out, same as him. In point of fact, it looked like the fight might be over by the time he got there. Four drones were crushed already, and the barrage of cars (and a bus!) looked aimed true enough to take out a few more. Then the robots opened fire with some kind of mass driver, and Eve went down. She managed to protect Red who had dropped his armor for some reason. Aaron pushed himself to move faster, his legs and lungs already burning with the effort.


With the full benefit of hindsight, he probably should have payed more attention to the missile that 'missed' him. Then again, he had never dealt with an enemy quite so insidious, and 37 years of never experiencing any injury of any kind will tend to make you a little bit careless. At any rate, he literally never saw it coming. The missile made a wide turn and approached him again from the south. Slowing up to match velocities, it split open and splattered his back with a large mass of some kind of foul smelling chemical glop. The shell of the missile folded up and embedded itself in the gluelike gob. Aaron attempted to reach back to dislodge the unwanted passenger, but it was squarely between his shoulder blades, right in the spot you can't scratch without help or tremendous focus, and he remained focused on reaching the pyramids Eve had just made before the 8 robots attacked again... scratch that. Four remained. Two of the flying bots had just been taken out by the city bus trailing the cat balloon, and two of those in the street had dramatically failed to avoid the rain of cars. The four remaining bots surrounded the protective pyramid Eve had built around Red and cautiously closed in. They took no notice of Aaron. He would teach them their error soon enough. He was 40 yards away... ….35... …30...There was a loud hissing noise from his passenger. Without any further warning, the chemical glob on his back expanded rapidly and engulfed him. He tripped and began to tumble forwards. With a terrible slowness he watched the ground approaching, until he squinched his eyes shut; this was going to leave a mark...


And then he flipped completely over. And again. And again. He made three more complete revolutions before he was able to divine what had happened. The Glop on his back had formed an incredibly tough bilayer and inflated into a large smooth transparent ball. With Aaron inside. His momentum carried the ball forward, and with each cycle, he compressed the side between him and the ground enough to take a tremendous blow to the face, but not quite enough to rupture the flexible tough ball. On the other hand, by spreading out the impact into multiple faceplants, instead of one big one, he remained conscious, merely dazed. He was now only 15 yards away from the robots. And they were still focused on Red's ersatz pharaonic tomb. Thinking quickly, he shifted his weight slightly and aimed for the closest one. The balloon ball crushed the robot into the ground, utterly pulverizing its chassis. Aaron hooted in victory, shouting “Take that!” for lack of a better battle cry. Barely slowed, the balloon ball rolled onward, meeting the sloped wall of the pyramid. The pyramid was sturdy, and perfectly angled to redirect the human hamster's forward rush into a tremendous vertical bound. Aaron's first thought was: 'I think I can see my house from here!' His second was 'uh-oh.'


Dr D and the Disastrous Day


From his hiding place, the old man waited patiently to hear battle reports; since the battle had moved outside, he no longer had much of a view. He didn't have long to wait. The little spider messenger drone danced into view of his prehensile cable camera and preformed a complicated dance, reminiscent of a worker bee describing to its hive where to find nectar. Or in this case, the destruction of NINE DRONES?! And only one enemy casualty confirmed. The old man ground his false teeth together. How could this have happened? He had accounted for everything! Everything! The metal man had dropped his armor to avoid the magnetic mines, as the psych models had predicted. The miniature rail guns should have ended him immediately! How could such a perfectly coordinated assault have been foiled? It was inconceivable! Ah well, at least the hamster ball had worked. Wait, it was where?! How in the hell had he gotten up there? Nothing in his file indicated he could fly... What on earth was going on out there?!


Time for a strategic withdrawal. He wriggled the camera cable at the spider-drone, signaling for all available drones to converge on the metal man. Perhaps he would survive simultaneous failsafe attacks by all five surviving drones, perhaps not. But it would certainly give him time to rejoin the herd of sheep milling about outside... He seized the late Philip under the armpits and began dragging him toward the north exit. As he went, he thumbed a quick text into his burner phone and then tossed it to the spider drone for disposal. The text said the following:


Dearest Dr. Katz. Hope your day is going  perfectly.


My Distraction has been Delightfully Disastrous.


I am going back on tour.   Perhaps we can meet for Muffins and discuss art?


Later Days.

 

[Syrenrei]

Imogen "Gen" Jarsdel
​

a/k/a Evermore
​

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

Gen sighed and leaned back in the driver's seat. Her car was a newer model and one of the few perks she got out of being a "safety subject" for the automobile industry. In lieu of payment once a year she'd accept a vehicle in exchange for services rendered. While this seemed like a deal too good to be true for Gen, the particular manufacturer would get a small 'boost' in reputation that a safety expert who had actually crashed in many vehicles that year chose theirs to drive in every day use. Understandably Gen always selected the one with the most impressive and efficient safety features; she had no desire to crash outside of working hours and have to suffer more than necessary. This constant change meant whatever she drove always smelled new and felt incredibly impersonal. No cute little trinket dangled from the rear-view mirror, no trash had accumulated on the passenger seat, no pictures were clipped to her visor, no scented air freshener dispersing a pleasing aroma, and not even a thoroughly sullied floor mat.


After a few moments of relaxing she pulled a tablet out of her purse and opened the file that was so aptly named "Training Facility 108 Incidents." When she had been given this job she had asked for a listing of prior incidents that would have resulted in damage to the occupants, the building, or the property contained within. A typical report of this nature was only a couple pages long with mundane accidents occurring over a lengthy period of time. Training Facility 108, however, appeared to think it was competing in an international race for 'Most Un-insurable Location on the Planet' and it was going to be damned it it took home anything less than gold. After scanning over five pages of detailed explanations, eyewitness accounts, and estimates for the damages incurred (not that they were repaired by normal people anyway) she tossed the tablet in her purse. There was no reason to continue War and Peace Part 2. Gen could just safely assume every single thing that wasn't invulnerable had probably been in the line of fire at some point.


It made sense why she was here. In the event that there was another 'incident' there wasn't much of a chance of them having to make a sizeable payout to her next of kin (which was her sister) in civil litigation. She might end up in a hospital for a few days, certainly, but death? Unless Training Facility 108 had become sentient and was specifically angling to make her a trophy, she shouldn't be mortally wounded. So far buildings weren't sentient. The minute that they were and possessed even a hint of an emotional range, she was going to seek a new line of business.


Gen stepped out of her car, locked it behind her, and walked over to one of the exterior walls. Slinging her purse over her shoulder and then pushing it behind her, she began to feel along the smooth surface to make certain there were no lingering fractures invisible to the eye. Satisfied there was nothing obvious to the touch, she let her fingers glide down towards the ground where the foundation was below. With older buildings such as these it was unlikely that the foundation would have shifted significantly enough to be dangerous to the supers that were educated here, but it was a possibility given the abuse it endured. She lightly kicked at the concrete and started to slowly circle the building, staring at the bottom edge with complete focus. Perhaps there was someone here with abilities of the earth that could help her do a more thorough assessment? Or she could recommend an engineer confirm her analysis? It might be overkill but she'd sleep easier knowing that classes of impressionable supers weren't in a giant death trap that would crumble under their feet any second. It seemed their teachers, peers, and classes were dangerous enough without a faltering structure.

 

[The Oldest Blueberry]

"Larry" the GroundskeeperView attachment 221751


Location: Facility 108 Main Building Exterior


Mood: Skeptical.


With: Imogen E. Jarsdell


@Syrenrei


Finally, after countless back and forth trips, Larry had finally finished unloading and storing all the materials he had purchased. He wasn't quite sure why Facility 108 didn't have one lying around, but a forklift was definitely going on the 'needed' list. Larry took a look at his mechanical hands, covered in dust and dirt and bits of dried concrete. He surveyed the area, looking for some way to clean his hands other than wiping them in snow, but there was nothing. Snow it was. It...almost worked. His hands might have had less dust, and maybe a little bit more dirt, but now they were wet and would likely freeze. Losing his patience, Larry simply shut the doors to one of the Facility's many storage buildings and walked back to his truck, hopping in and starting it up. Even though he was only moving it back towards the front of the Facility, he still put on his seat belt. You could never be too safe.


As he put the truck into gear, one of the programs he was running in the background of his 'mind' brought up the feed for the Facility's security cameras. One car, very new model. Larry hadn't been notified of any visitors coming in, and no one who worked at the Facility could afford anything less than two years old without ruining their credit. While still slowly moving forward in his truck, Larry kept an intense watch. Who was this? He watched the brunette get out of her car. She was young. She circled the main building of the Facility. A small 'ding.' Her tablet had connected to the Facility's wifi. Larry digitally raced to it, scanning through any and everything on it. Hmm. So, she was basically a safety inspector? Quite the day for one of those to show up. Larry hurriedly parked the container truck far off to the side of the main entrance. Most wouldn't even know it was there unless they were specifically looking for it.


Larry quickly made his way over to her. Miss Emogen Emma Jarsdell. Why hadn't Larry been notified of this? If Gergo was sending someone then he should've been alerted. Was it from another company that didn't even bother to let anyone in the Aegis corporation know? That would be quite some nerve.


Larry made sure to make sure his footsteps weren't quiet, so there would be no doubt that Miss Jarsdell would hear him coming long before he spoke to her. When he was exactly seven feet away, he finally addressed her. "I wasn't notified of any inspectors that would be visiting the Facility today. Welcome to Facility 108, Miss Imogen Jarsdell. I am known as 'Larry' here. I am the Facility's groundskeeper. Is there anything I can help you with today?" He was sure to keep his distance. It was quite easy to take over someone's identity, even their physical appearance with the right powers. Their belongings was a bit more complicated, but even those could be procured or digitally recreated. Larry could only hope that this wasn't some terrorist here to blow up the school.

 

[Syrenrei]

Imogen "Gen" Jarsdel
​

a/k/a Evermore
​

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

With: "Larry" ( @That Guy Leopold )
​

"Please, call me Gen or Evermore. Only my mother calls me Imogen and then only when she is quite disappointed." She stood and brushed her hands off on her jeans before turning towards Larry. She noticed he- assuming the robotic entity associated with the male gender based on his name- was keeping a bit of a distance. In her experience people either kept their distance: negative feelings about supers or apprehension about what sort of safety concerns she'd be noting in her report. Given the nature of Larry's job in working at a training institute for supers she doubted it was the former. Did he erroneously believe she wasn't aware of the facility's checkered history? Or that her aim was to close it down in some capacity by a malicious assessment? It was hard enough divining why a person might have distaste for her but artificial intelligence was even more challenging. It was going to be one of those days.


"More often than not the locations I visit aren't given advance notice. Part of my responsibility is seeing a place as it is, and not as the proprietors might want it to be presented. It is better if I'm an unwelcome surprise to have a more honest assessment." Gen wasn't quite sure why she was explaining this to Larry as if his feelings were hurt. Was he capable of a wide range of emotions like she was? For his sake she hoped not. Sighing mentally to herself she also gauged her sense of humor would be lost on him so she refrained from her usually witty commentary. It was bad enough when her audience hated her but when they literally had no sense of humor? Gen didn't need helping this day going more poorly. There was a greater chance of unicorns sprouting back into existence at her feet and whisking her off to a fantasy land than of her waltzing into Facility 108 and finding it to be a beacon of responsible design and safety measures.


"I do not require any assistance, but if you wish to accompany me you are welcome to. Do you have any concerns about the stability of the building, safety precautions of the staff, or protocols in place that you want to draw to my attention?" Only twice in the last year had anyone volunteered negative information about a safety inspection. The first was a young woman who had consumed entirely too much caffeine and was a blubbering, twittering mess paranoid that the copier would burst into flame because an exasperated IT tech had told her it was as a joke. The latter involved a separated couple jointly operating a business despite more hostility towards each other than had been contained in the last world war. Without waiting for an answer she turned back towards the exterior wall and started to follow it towards the nearest corner of the building, eyes cast downward as she went as she continued to eye the foundation.


If anyone in the world was going to show interest in the 'boring' topic of safety it was probably a machine. If she wasn't convinced the death trap before her would take all day and then some to inspect, she might have actually stopped to have a conversation instead of working as she spoke. What other opportunity would she have like this?

 

[The Oldest Blueberry]

"Larry" the GroundskeeperView attachment 221751


Location: Facility 108 Main Building Exterior


Mood: Relieved.


With: Imogen E. Jarsdell


@Syrenrei


Gen or Evermore...shortening Imogen to Gen made sense, but Evermore? That was an usual name. Surely related to her powers. Larry would have looked her up with some extensive research and not-so-legally accessed files, but he let his doubts fade away and hoped for the best. Maybe her power was just something like longevity. That made sense with a name like Evermore. She made a good point with her unannounced arrival as well, but even so, things like that just got on Larry's digital nerves. Her demeanor was about what could be stereotyped for an inspector of any sorts: dry, blunt, and in a hurry. Perhaps it was the fact that Larry had been skeptical in the first place? Humans were incredibly complex creatures, and it would be nigh impossible to narrow down the many reasons that her exact choice of actions and words could have happened.


Her question, however, changed Larry's entire thoughts about her. She evolved from 'another dreary human' to 'angelic being to bring about great change' and Larry could not have been happier. "Do I have any concerns? Do I? Oh, you have no idea." Larry's tone of voice changed from atypically dreary and robotic to something far closer to human. As 'Evermore' took off, carefully observing the ground, Larry followed her, a bit closer this time. "If concrete weren't so cheap, I'd recommend swapping all of it with reinforced titanium, or even carbon-tubule reinforced building materials. Something, anything stronger than concrete. But nothing metal-based. While about...maybe seventy percent of the staff is fine, there are a few who are noteworthy in their destructive abilities and complete disregard for basic safety, for both the Facility's environment and the students themselves." Larry was audibly exasperated, and he hadn't even given any specifications.


"By far the two most troublesome are the instructors for 'Collateral Damage and You' and 'How not to Kill.' Aaron Mallory teaches the former, whilst Hunter 'Red' Ward teaches the latter. Mister Mallory is, admittedly, not an inherent threat, if only due to his slowness and the limited area of effect of his powers. I'm sure that his mere presence rapidly degrades the structure of any and all material he stands on or directly touches, but I doubt there's any way to really avoid that. On the bright side, he hasn't directly assaulted any of our students yet...but the same cannot be said for Mister Ward."


Larry practically spit the name out like it was rotting in his metaphorical mouth. "Whilst I suppose Mister Ward does need actual combat training to help assist most in perfecting the control of their powers, his direct assault on students seems like a ticking insurance time bomb. Not to mention, he always uses the desks or parts of tables or who knows what to attack the students! And once he's gotten a hold of them, they're never quite the same quality as they were beforehand. I may be a bit biased, because as a robot he does have the power to crush my inhabited shell instantaneously...but I think he's less suited as an instructor or more fitted to be an executioner. His personality would agree with that. Oh, and I do apologize for my rambling. As for the general stability of the building, I like to think there's no way of preventing damage to it. I do all of the electrical work though, and if need be the repairs that some of the others cannot assist with."


Larry was quiet for a moment, thinking about anything else. Once he had his thoughts, he wondered longer still how to appropriately tell Miss Evermore. "I would also like far stricter security measures in place. Too many high-risk incidents have been happening. Tougher security. Much tougher. Psychological screening on a monthly basis, or perhaps even bi-weekly, for both students AND faculty. There's probably more that the other members of the staff may want to add, but I can practically guarantee if the Director heard me voicing all of these complaints he'd have Mister Ward crush me like a tin can."

 

[Syrenrei]

Imogen "Gen" Jarsdel
​

a/k/a Evermore
​

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

With: "Larry" ( @That Guy Leopold )
​

Gen had to stop as Larry started his tirade regarding his concerns to whip out her tablet and make notes. Of course she couldn't record verbatim all the information that was being flung at her, she was certain if she later asked Larry would have no issue filling in the holes. For a split second she considered whether or not he could simply write it on her own tablet faster than anyone was capable of typing. No doubt his processors allowed nearly instantaneous editing and coding? It was worth inquiring about later.


Finding some way to reinforce the foundation and building's construction might be outlandish request but that was exactly what she was here to do. The more grave she made the circumstances sound the more likely she was able to pull attention towards and have at least a half-assed solution employed. Some of her peers might balk at the syntax she utilized because admittedly at times she made a broken chair sound like death itself knocking on their door, but it did produce results when people didn't take safety seriously. If she had to wager a guess Facility 108 didn't take safety seriously at all. Perhaps if she made it sound like a tactical nuke that was at the end of a very short countdown they might make some decisions to lessen the casualties? It was worth a shot. She sure as hell wasn't walking away from this disaster magnet without writing a novel herself.


"I can do some research into at least providing some reinforcement for the buildings. It's my understanding that a wall was destroyed in a recent incident? We may not be able to prevent such 'accidents' from occurring in the future with repairs and braces, but we can at least mitigate the damage that is done by typical 'wear and tear' and make it more resilient. Perhaps I can speak with this Mr. Mallory and he can provide insight as to how he believes we can help the structure more safely endure his tenure?" Her fingers glided across the surface of her tablet. Larry might notice that despite the outdoor temperature that Gen was not wearing any gloves nor did she appear to even have some on her person. If she was cold it was certainly not showing. "I do not have the authority to make any decisions about staff, but I can recommend that Mr. Ward have some meetings and courses regarding correct safety measures and the equipment in his room can be evaluated. Depending on its nature you may be a better judge of its state than I am. Unfortunately there's not much I can do about his disposition."


As Larry paused to gather his thoughts she continued to enter data into the tablet, rearranging words and adjusting the format so that it would be easier for her to understand later. A few months ago she would have done this with those flimsy little sticks they gave you to assist with typing but she had bitten through one when she fell down a flight of stairs in a textile factory. It seemed silly to order a replacement for something that cost such an insignificant amount to manufacture and of course the price was inflated. Gen's pride would not allow her to spend the cost of two decent fast food meals on something she could break sneezing on. Truly the corporate world was heartless. She sighed to herself just before Larry started talking again.


"I can assure you that any recommendations I make will not be credited to a particular person, so you've no reason to worry about retaliation. I am being paid for an honest assessment and I will do no less. I do note that you have security here. How much more personnel do you suggest the facility requires before it is properly protected from outsiders and itself, apparently?" As she moved one bullet point down and another up, then corrected a misspelled word she couldn't help but note aloud to herself, "Could probably use a safety officer, preferably one that is nigh invulnerable. Or regenerative." Her face soured slightly. Gen knew how many safety inspectors absolutely refused to come within 10 miles of this facility. It would be even harder for them to recruit anyone with a safety background to report here and be held accountable on a daily basis. It would be easier to appoint a pacifist to oversee an army in a war zone. Surely they wouldn't try to rope her into such a position... would they? "Maybe I should delete that suggestion," she mumbled. Hadn't she just vowed to be honest?


Gen sighed again. A conscience was a horrible thing to have at times.

 

[Lemon Boy]

Urial Ursler


Located: Beneath a tree in the park


Mood: Distrustful & Hesitant


With: Klaus @Lazy Rocktime > Oliver @DamagedGlasses, Ren @Meredith, Luci @RemainingQuestions, Kingsley @Teh Frixz


OOC: Of course you are being oppressed, YOU TRIED TO MURDER SOMEONE AND THEN BROKE OUT OF JAIL WHILST KILLING A HOMELESS GUY FOR HIS CLOTHES.




Urial was beyond distrustful of the man in front of him, who had taken to leaning against the tree they had been taking cover in. He seemed to try and make up some sort of sob story about not being able to see his family but that was his fault entirely and not something that would so easily gain his trust. Maybe if one had truly thought of their family, they wouldn't have thought of it as a good idea to try and attempt murder on a child well known for their idiotic attempts at getting reactions from people by saying things that they shouldn't. Still, attempted murder was far from an appropriate reaction, especially from a disciplinary counselor. Well, former, disciplinary counselor. 


Well, at the very least Klaus was not trying to kill anyone as of this time and Urial would go along with it for now anyway, until the authorities showed up that Is. Which certainly shouldn't be too long now. He simply had to stall for time and play his cards right so that he can be apprehended once again and brought to face the law like he was meant too. "So, guessing from your presence here, I'd be right to assume that the high ranked wings of the Super prison were breached by whoever orchestrated the incident?"  It wasn't much of a conversation starter, but It was certainly something and all they needed was a bit of time. Nearly all of the inhabitants in the park had begun to disperse and leave which was a good sign, with only the last remnants remaining, just waiting to be told of the possible chaos that could unfold if something went awry in this situation. 

 

[Lemon Boy]

KYLE KEYSOR


Location: Grocery store > Bread Aisle


Company:  Cecilia Pellegrini @Necessity4Fun & Mitch Castle @too much idea


Mood:  Chill


OOC:  Kyle gives free lessons every Saturday on how to be Vague. Feel free to come along!




Kyle watched the two of them dazed slightly as they went on to talk. Though he certainly heard them say things, he was having just the slightest bit of trouble processing what exactly they were saying. He was pretty damn tired, as usual, and just paid the slightest attention to make it look like he was paying full attention, but in truth he wasn't. It was like skim-reading but instead, he was listening....Skim-listening....Yeah, that's totally the right word for it. The girl quickly brought up the idea of sleeping on the floor and stepping on him, which he simply nodded at in a half-hearted manner. 


"Ooohh...well..I have a thingy, basically, and I'm usually pretty sleepy anyways and It's basically real easy for me to like...sleep...at places..."


Kyle's statement had as much detail as a blank piece of paper. Motioning towards his head as he stated "I have a thingy" which was beyond unhelpful to just about every living thing on earth if they wanted to understand what the heavens he was talking about. Of course, he himself was totally oblivious to this vagueness of his that was far from helpful. As he continued to listen to her, she suddenly seemed to have a moment of realization before looking back up at him, mentioning something about a Sunday training. 


OH RIGHT.


The training thing they did on the weekend. He couldn't remember much aside from that the glasses girl could like, totally copy powers, Celiac or Cecil could control wind and that nice face guy could do telepathy like the other nice face one. 


"Oooohhh yeah you gals were the people at the training thingy....and yeah I'm totally fine, I'm plenty hydrated. It's the thingy that does that, ya know. I can totally take some medication for it later.."


Kyle recalled mild memories of that day, but truth be told he had kinda forgotten about it. Probably never would have realized he had met these two before if she hadn't brought it up. 


"Well uh...given that we are all gathered here today, y'all wanna like go on a mini-ship trip together through the store because I don't think anyone else is here?..."


The peculiarity of no-one else actually being in the store totally flew over Kyle's head and he himself had failed to notice It entirely. Maybe the more perceptive ones of the trio would be able to pick out the slight oddness of it all...

 

[Zahzi]

Hunter Red Ward
Location: The shattered remains of an overpriced casino
Nearby: Uncanny Valley [Eve] @DeKay


Doctor Dick [Doctor D]


Snorlax [Aaron] @Gus
Disposition: I swear, I think Eve's real super power is just being prone to malicious harm.


Red stared up at the walls of the Pyramid Eve had surrounded him in. He was surprised how quick she was to make sure weaknesses were covered. Then again, her new face might have been useful as hindsight for this kind of occasion. As the walls sealed into one another, Red sat in darkness for a few moments, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a lighter, illuminating what little space he had. Barely enough room to even stand. Space left much to be desired, but its structural integrity was sound, as could be heard as the surviving drones continued their assault on the pyramid in vain.


"Problem with sealing this kind of thing up is when you need air, though.." he mumbled to himself as he released the lighter's fuel source, bringing darkness back. He gave a sigh, sitting cross-legged on the ground and concentrating. By the fact Eve hadn't changed this, he had to assume she had found herself gravely injured. Again.


Therefore, it fell to him to get out of this situation. The first order of business was to reactivate the galvanization, which didn't take long. A few moments at best. Sure, had it been out there, more than a few shots might have found their mark through him, but it wouldn't be an issue now. Next order of business. This tacky goddamn tomb. 


He wondered for a moment, if like in the comic books about super heroes, if the city was just made of money when this shit happened..


Outside of the pyramid, back inside of the Casino, the mangled remains of the abandoned bus began to slowly shift, dragging itself against the ground turning itself to face the outside.


If it was noticed by anyone, it would be a good idea to steer clear of the wall of steel and fiberglass began to pick up speed towards the pyramid before it shot forward with an absurd amount of speed until it slammed into one of the corners of the pyramid with enough force that not only was the structural integrity of the structure shattered, but the bus itself was sheered in half, one portion ramping off the pyramid and fell into the now-liquefied road.


A solid kick then sent a slab of concrete to the ground, revealing Red's boot as he slowly returned to fresh air, looking at everything around him.


"Well. I suppose that for the exception of Face McShooty, everything is still in one...Okay, where's fatty?"

 

[Gus]

Aaron Mallory


Location: Waaaaay too far from the ground for safety → Playing pinball for life and death stakes.


Nearby: Red, Eve, and a lot fewer killer robots than just a minute ago.


Mood: ...Still Uh-oh.


@s @Zahzi @DeKay


The view of the city rose up to meet him. This was probably it. That pyramid Eve built would be annihilated by his landing, but not before producing overpressure in excess of ten quadrillion quadrillion pounds per square inch at the point of impact. That would likely end even him. His final thought was that solving a fermi problem was an odd final thought to have. He felt for the soft place in the sky, preparing his final contingency...


...and then the ruined bus began to move.


Red! Oh, Aaron was going to owe him a steak dinner and then some after this! Move it a little faster, just a little faster, he urged mentally. The bus sheared off the pyramid top and shot off to the west, revealing the metallic man himself. No doubt, saying something sardonic and cutting, as was his wont. Hope they were good last words, Aaron thought.


“Red, heads up!”


The man looked up just in time to see doom approaching in the form of an inflatable hamster-ball with vast and weighty death within. Was that terror in his eyes, or just a trick of the light? Aaron would never know. With a titanic impact that shook the air, Aaron was deflected roughly north, Red to the south, each of them utterly destroying another hapless drone in their path. Aaron lost sight of Red as he tumbled along in his now slightly squishy, punctured, hamster habitat. He rolled floppily to a stop just shy of crushing a startled old man pulling another old man by the armpits from the ruins of what had been the horseshoe Casino. The old man looked down at Solo in alarm.


“Hey there, uh... friend? You might want to pinch off that puncture in the ball, hm? Quickly now! It um... It smells like the gas used to inflate it is a colorless nerve gas... ...whose scent I remember well... from the war. Um... ...that I was in... Bye!”


The old man dropped his burden and beat a hasty retreat. Aaron lay on his back and stared at the hole in his balloon, leaking both inward AND outward as it began to deflate. Did he say nerve gas?!


Almost as portentous with the threat of death, the sound of Red's voice thundered up the street after Aaron. Perhaps the diatribe was in Russian, or perhaps it was too far to clearly make out the details of exactly what sort of choice fate he had in store. Either way... Perhaps he'd do better to take his chances with the gas… But then there were the civilians to think of… He hobbled to his feet, wincing as his left ankle refused to bear the load. He shifted his weight to his right foot, reached up and pushed his thick finger through both holes. That should stop the leaks at least. But his finger felt… tingly. 


That couldn't be good.

 

[RemainingQuestions]

Luci Tolbert



Location: the park


Nearby: @St Stare @Lazy Rocktime @DamagedGlasses @Teh Frixz @Meredith


Texted: all the teachers and assistants, @DJ MagicHat @Zahzi @Gus @Bag o Fruit @DeKay


Mood: Shit, shit's about to go down



OOC: Hey look, an Asher will soon appear!



Luci looked around, the people still remaining, the people noticing the other people leaving and following their idea. Maybe some of those parents had some slight premonition and knew what was going to go down. His head snapped to the screeching woman talking to the teenager that was helping him clear the park. Luci instinctively took a step back, and nearly twisted his ankle on the uneven ground.



This... This was too big for a few teens and a dog, even if that dog was a teacher. Teacher. Teachers. The teachers at 108 would help with this, wouldn't they? Luci fumbled his phone out of his pocket, there had been some contact info on the flyers he had gotten only a few weeks ago after he had been assigned to 108. Had it really only been a few weeks since his powers had shown? Oh well, it meant the info likely wasn't out of date. And Luci, worried as he was, had neatly taken all of it down onto his phone. Right now, all he needed was to send out a mass text. It... was kind of rude, to just text someone you never met before. But, this situation, this was an exception. They were going to have to fight and none of them even had a Blue Card!



His fingers shook ever so slightly as he composed his message. To all the teachers of 108. I have been made aware of an evil super in the park. Please help if you can. Lucius Tolbert. and he attached his location, let it load for a bit so it was fairly precise. He entered the names of all the teachers, neatly tagged with 'teacher at 108' in his contacts. He was just about to hit send when he noticed that the poison teacher was in there still. Suddenly pissed, Luci dropped his phone, but he quickly picked it back up again, removed vos Schieffer, Klaus from the mass text and hit enter. Immediately, Luci felt like he had done something wrong. Logically, he knew that this was probably going to be the best solution, but he was still scared he had somehow done it wrong. Oh well.



He dropped his phone in his pocket, and headed to a group of older teenagers with piercings and ripped jeans sitting some way away from the adults. "Uh, you, you should head out, something's about to go down." There, simply and to the point. The teens looked around for a bit.



"Dude, seriously?" The guy took another drag from his cigaret.


"Uh, yeah, yeah." Luci stood a bit more confidently, "really, you should head out now."


The guy looked at his friends and back at Luci before looking back at his friends, "dudes, dudes I don't think the lightman is lying man..." Well, that was a nickname Luci hadn't heard before. At least they were standing up. "Yo, lightdude," another one of them said as he put out his cigaret on the tree, "be safe yourself too, yeah?"


Luci was shocked for a bit, but he quickly nodded, "Ye-ah, yeah I will be, dude." They smiled at him and calmly left the park, jostling each other and laughing. More than anything, Luci hoped at least one of the actually capable, actually adults would show soon. Of course, there was that dog with the backpack but... Luci didn't know how that would be in a fight.

 

[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 )
​

 
​

The bakery was starting to fill up, but Jessica felt that just added to the appeal of the place. People appreciated traditional, non-commercial wares. The small bell over the door trilled again and in walked.... wow! Yet another Super! This one was startling in her appearance, her skin color, tail and eyes making her obvious to even the most oblivious that she was not like other people. Jessica smiled warmly at the young girl, a teenager, even as she waited for her order to be either filled or baked fresh. She moved around so that the people moving around behind her could place their orders and so she could get a closer look at the delicious pastries on display behind the glass counters. The sight of the iced and sugar-dusted delights was sorely testing her willpower...

 

[Bag o Fruit]

@St Stare@Lazy Rocktime@DamagedGlasses@Teh Frixz@Meredith@RemainingQuestions


The Chipmunk King


On truck-back they rode, the king at the bow, and behind him a horde thousands strong. They were tethered to him by woven strips of pine branch, as it was difficult to find a grip on the smooth metal surface of the man-made chipmunk murderer. The irony was appreciable to some.


　


The king began to recognize landmarks and held his sword hand up, signaling to his people that their target approached, that the time was nigh. In a few moments, the truck was stopped by a red light, and the king cut the tethers with one swing of mighty Schwikschwik. His army leapt from the roof en masse into the few trees that stood near the road.


　


They took fortified positions in the branches, hidden and ready to strike. The king, who would have been more easily spotted, motioned to be followed by four of his hastier warriors, who leapt from tree to tree in his wake as he scurried on the ground.


　


He stopped and crouched behind a trunk, scant meters from a young woman who smelled vaguely of death. She was intently observing a scene which caught the eye of Choopchop, one of his scouts. He twittered in the branches above the king, pointing out to him the dog with metal arms, standing off against a fair and composed-looking man. Wait...


　


The king squinted at the man. He knew this one. A... A Klaus, an inmate. Interred during the final days of the king's long captivity. The king had noticed when he had arrived. The king had noticed many prisoners.


　


But that was all pointless to consider. A dog. With metal arms. The minds of man know no bounds on sick, perverted inventions. The king considered this and began to sneak away, motioning for his team to follow.

 

[Teh Frixz]

Kingsley 


@Bag o Fruit


Her stance became somewhat tense as conversation broke out between the two beings. She hesitated to call them men, human men at least, as one was a dog and one was capable of scaring other super beings into action. Goodness, she could smell them from here. Radiating warmth, safety, strength...power. 


Leaning forward, the body she piloted gulping down air in an attempt to at least get a taste of them. A branch cracks and something starts chittering nearby, alerting everyone down at the bench to her presence. A stupid woodchuck, a rat not worth inhabiting. When she crawled half dead into the raccoon after pulling herself from the bay, it was chipmunks that harassed her the entire length of the woods. Screeching and following. Even before she...her incident, rats had been annoying and disgusting. She remembered them running along the wharfs, little disgusting furry bodies darting. 


Kingsley breaks her concentration of the bench and locks her eyes on the chittering in the bush. Lunging forward, her hands reach into the bushes, some of Kingsley's true body flowing out from under nail beds like a coiled viper striking. Contact is made with soft brown fur, the extended hand flowing back inside the brain dead body until the captured rodent sat in her hand. It tore vicously at her hand, ripping into the skin. Kingsley brings the little thing closer, staring at it as she started to squeeze. 


It fought valiantly and died poorly. Squeaking and chittering for mercy. Blood vessels popping in its eyes and twitching violently before struggling no more. Kingsley tosses aside the chipmunk's corpse, uttering "Good riddance to Vermin" before focusing back on the two conversing below. 

 

[Lioness075]

Samantha 'Sam' Casan
​

Location: Brahn's Best Bakery
​

Tagged: @Captain Hesperus (Jessica)
​

Mood: So many pastries O.o
​

 
​

Upon entering the bakery, many smells hit Sam at once, the pastries easily standing out to her. Weaving past the cashier and over to where she could order, Sam walked past the line to admire the pastries behind the glass. After all, she needed to figure out what she was buying before she jumped in line.


Doing her best to ignore the usual stares she got once she was in public, Sam's eyes flitted about the pastries before her. She was torn between buying a bagel supply for the week or buying a week's supply of pumpkin muffies. Maybe a half bagels and half muffies? This was a very difficult decision to make on her own.


While she normally avoided people in general, Sam figured this was an important enough question to ask someone before she spent her meager supply of money on some pastries.


Turning to the nearest person, Sam warily eyed the red-headed woman before inhaling and exhaling. If she was lucky, the woman would be a super like her and so she wouldn't be freaked out too much. Then again, plenty of other supers got freaked out by Sam's appearance. Heck, even Sam had been frightened by that one girl's tentacles. What was her name again?


Refocusing on the present, Sam summoned her inner courage and took a step towards the woman before saying, "Uh, hey, I was just wondering if you could help me decide on what to order here?"


Already, Sam felt like she regretted reaching out to this person. Since when did casual encounters work out for her?

 

[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 )
​

 
​

As the Super entered, Jessica could see her eyes widen at the wide variety of comestibles available. She could also see the cautious way she skirted around people, as though working to avoid them. It was a sad thing to see, this young woman, by no fault other than a shared quirk of her DNA was forced to live a life where she existed on the fringe of society. And, with the current strife, her very appearance would likely cause most people to recoil in shock and alarm. Then, a miracle! The blue-skinned girl approached her and spoke, "Uh, hey, I was just wondering if you could help me decide on what to order here?"


"Sure, hon.", Jessica replied with a genuine smile, "What takes your fancy? I mean, I'm here originally for some fresh baked bread rolls", she emphasized that last for the taller shop assistant's attention, "but I'm also debating on whether I've been a good enough girl to perhaps go for a coffee and an apple Danish. By the way, my name's Jessica."

Spoiler

@welian where's my damn bread rolls?

 

[lazee]

Klaus vos Scheiffer
Location: Baltimore Park


Mood: Tired, hungry and missing the family.




Tags: @St Stare @DamagedGlasses @RemainingQuestions @Meredith @Bag o Fruit @Teh Frixz




Observing the reactionary expression of Urial proved a difficult task. How does a human inside a dog express himself, after all? In the drunken stupor of freedom, Klaus had almost forgotten that he was not the only superpowered prisoner to be broken out by the Knights. Not the weakest one and most certainly not the strongest one, too. They had been clean and professional in their operation, making sure to create isolation from the outside. Indeed, it seemed proper to think that this man-dog (and more important members of superpower authority) would be informed of a breakout in a prison housing the likes of Klaus vos Scheiffer were it not for the blackout.


And who better to enlighten him of such fact?


Standing up, the man of poison dug into his jacket pockets and pulled out a convenient half-eaten bar of chocolate belonging to that poor young hobo, proceeding to continue the man's late effort of eating it. "You would indeed be right," he said. "It was a clean operation orchestrated by our dear friends, the Knights of Raguel. They prevented contact in and out of the prison while ground troops got to work freeing everyone and taking out the guards. They seemed to prioritize releasing the higher-ranking motherfuckers first. As such, you'll have the likes of Anthony Moufinz, Dr. Dee, The Glacier and that midget with the squirrels I once saw on the news roaming the streets now. I believe I also saw Jack Frost and his children in the ensuing chaos as well, so you might have to be wary of snowstorms soon." Klaus began walking towards the park path,  his head turning back in an illicit invitation to join him. 


"I know you don't trust me. You should, but you don't," he stated correctly. "Yet you don't doubt what I'm saying, do you? Do I look like someone who would gain from withholding that kind of information from you?"

 

[Lioness075]

Samantha 'Sam' Casan
​

Location: Brahn's Best Bakery
​

Tagged: @Captain Hesperus (Jessica)
​

Mood: Casual hyperventilation
​

 
​

With her heart pounding in her chest, Sam tried to keep her cool on the outside, as the woman calmly replied to her as if she were just another normal human being. Resisting the urge for her jaw to drop, Sam mutely nodded at the woman before realizing she had asked a broad question that required words, not head nodding as a reply.


Gulping while her tail flickered this way and that behind her, Sam replied, "Um, well, I really like bagels, but I also really like pumpkin muffies." Pausing and looking at the woman uncertainly, still assuming that something was going to go horribly wrong at some point since this felt way too normal, Sam nervously gulped again before adding a bit more quietly, "I'm, uh, torn between the two options, though."


Moving on to nervously scratching at the back of her neck, Sam suddenly wondered if she should've hid her tail in her jeans before going to a public area like this.


She looked at her tail briefly before looking back at the woman when she realized that she had introduced herself to Sam. Blinking, Sam replied, "Oh, I'm Sam."


Besides knowing some teacher's names at Facility 108, Sam was pretty sure that Jessica (plus that new kid) were just about the only people she really knew by name.


Maybe one day, Sam would feel more comfortable in social situations. But for now, it always just felt a bit awkward to her. 

 

[DJ MagicHat]

Asher Torchinovich
The Ravemaster
Location: Facility 108 auditorium -> The Park
Mentions: @RemainingQuestions


As the final chord rang out, Asher opened his eyes to the empty auditorium. Right where he'd started. Right where the music had gently left him off, the same way a parent might leave their children at the front doors to their school.


He sighed, both from relief at the temporary reprieve from real life and from sorrow that the journey was over. He turned the volume on his guitar down to zero, set it on its stand nearby, and went to check his phone. He figured that with everything going on lately, he was bound to already have half a dozen more emails-


...Huh, Asher thought as he scrolled through the text message - one of two like it, but the more recent of them. Sent to all faculty, of course...not that there's really any information here, but...


There was only one thing to be done, and the mental jukebox drove that point home.


An Asher-colored (and vaguely shaped) whirlwind packed up everything he thought he'd need, and set the auditorium back the way it was when he had gotten there. One short drive and several unseen traffic violations later, Asher was pulling up to the park and watching the situation unfolding in front of him.

There was Klaus, clear as day. Asher's stomach twisted as he re-lived hearing about what had happened in a darker corner of his mind, before shaking himself back to reality. He muted everything around him as he got out of his car, shut the door, and quietly padded closer. He made sure to stay behind Klaus as he did so, moving quickly but silently in an effort to keep himself hidden. He saw others from the Facility around - a couple of students, and...yes, that was Urial that Klaus was talking to.

Asher got himself behind a tree relatively close by, trying to focus on Klaus but keeping his eyes, ears, and mind open to the possibility that he wasn't alone.

 

[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 )
​

"Nothing saying you can't have both.", Jessica replied, then paused.


The girl was young, a teen and obviously a Super, which meant she probably wasn't a Vigilante and more than likely not able to secure a part-time job like the baby-faced supergenius stacking loaves of bread.


"Nothing other than money, of course.", she continued, mulling something over in her mind. Then, with a happy abandon, she called out, "Hey, Morgan! Whatever my friend Sam wants, stick it on my tab along with a cup o' Java and an apple Danish."


Charity was always Mom's thing, Dad had always been more selfish. Right now Jessica wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps, not her father's. And quite besides that, it looked like Sam could do with gaining a pound or two.


She turned to Sam and said simply, "Get whatever you fancy, within reason, grab yourself a hot drink and a bite to eat. I've been out of town for a long time and I want to catch up on all the local news, if you have the time, of course."

 

[Lioness075]

Samantha 'Sam' Casan
​

Location: Brahn's Best Bakery
​

Tagged: @Captain Hesperus (Jessica)
​

Mood: Wut?
​

 
​

Sam chewed on the side of her lip when Jessica mentioned getting both. It was true that she could buy a few of both options, but considering both pastries were varying prices, it'd likely end up making her spend more than she'd originally intended to do. If she did buy both, she probably couldn't afford to buy a week's worth either.


Sure enough, Jessica mentioned money and Sam immediately looked at her feet, as they weren't exactly designed for her to wear shoes like a normal human being. Scratching at the back of her neck again, Sam couldn't think of anything to say, as she wasn't trying to make this woman feel sympathetic for her. After all, she was tough and could handle herself!


At least, that's what Sam was going to say before Jessica mentioned adding Sam's order to Jessica's tab.


Looking up quickly, Sam's eyes nearly bugged out of her head while her jaw dropped open for a few seconds. She quickly remembered to shut it, before saying, "Are you sure? I-I don't want to leech off of you like this, really. It's not that big of a deal. I can afford a couple pastries..." She trailed off, as she'd almost considered adding 'ma'am' at the end of her sentence, but Sam hadn't said that since she'd been rescued from her life of solitude. Trying to be polite like that actually gave her the creeps nowadays.


While she was more than grateful for the woman's act of kindness, Sam also felt guilty that someone wanted to buy anything for her. She'd never been gifted anything in her life and it only made her feel needy to be gifted pastries like this. Not to mention, the woman even wanted to let her get a hot drink and something to eat right now. Heck, Sam had never even drank a coffee before. Would it taste good or would she hate it? Sam had no idea.


At the mention of local news, Sam inwardly cringed. Considering the current treatment of supers and chaos ensuing in this city, Sam wasn't really sure what to talk about with the woman. Plus, this was the most Sam had socialized in...well, years. Actually, probably her whole life considering she talked more to the random stray dogs that would wander past her old home than she would with anyone her age back then. Considering her appearance, Sam really couldn't blame the other kids for wanting to avoid her. She could barely look at herself in a mirror anyways.


Still feeling bad for Jessica wanting to offer her so much at once, Sam's tail danced about behind her and she warily eyed the pastries just beyond her reach before hearing her stomach faintly growl in protest. Clearly, it didn't like waiting so long. 


Sighing, Sam looked back at Jessica and asked, "Um, what kinda hot drink would you suggest I get here?" She really didn't want to add that she'd never gotten a hot drink anywhere before and didn't even know what the drinks tasted like that were listed on the menu here.

 

[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 waved off Sam's objections with a dismissive hand, while her internal face was all 0_0. She doesn't know what drink she wants? Has she been living in a sew- 


She cut off that mental train of thought as she suddenly remembered back in New York, her group of Supers had been tasked to appehend a group of delinquent Supers with significant physical deformities who were indeed living in the sewers beneath the city. They survived by performing thefts and muggings in the dark nights and back streets. Their crimes were becoming increasingly violent, thus the need for the Vigilantes to act so militantly. As it had come down, the group had been supporting a far larger community of crippled and diseased humans and Supers both. When they were found, the delinquents fought back, declaring their would rather die than return to the surface. In the end, the Vigilantes had come to an agreement with the Under-dwellers, as they had dubbed themselves, to have The Commonwealth start providing basic living supplies, medicine and practical support in exchange for the criminal activity ending and each Under-dweller Super registering with the Commonwealth's database.


Jessica shook herself unconsciously at the memory, but rallied swiftly.


"Not sure what you want, huh? Well, okay. So I like you enough not to break your mind, so espresso is out. If you want a coffee, I suggest a latte? Conversely they have some nice teas, Morning Breakfast blend, Lady Gray blend, and a heap of fruit teas. Ohhhh! Hot chocolate! Why not go Belgian with a hot chocolate and a pain au chocolat?"


She pointed to the pastry in question, a small creation of puff pastry with two long delectable strands of dark chocolate poking out either end.


"Go ahead,", she challenged, "Give your tastebuds a treat!"

 

[Lioness075]

Lara Scarlot Hart
​

Nickname: Raven
​

Location: Riverside Park
​

Tagged: @Lazy Rocktime (Klaus), @St Stare (Urial)
​

Mood: DOG!
​

 
​

Lara had been enjoying a casual stroll to a local park, smiling up at the leaves in the trees above her, with the sun shining in between them. She had to excuse herself when she nearly walked into a couple wandering the street. Maybe she should focus more while walking in a slightly crowded area, but too late now. Brushing past them, Lara grinned when she finally entered the park.


Her wings fluttered briefly underneath her leather jacket, itching to fly in the open space before her. It wasn't like the jacket hid them perfectly, as they were too bulky and bulged underneath the jacket. Even the tips poked out at the top, sticking out at angles behind her head. It was better than nothing, though, and most people didn't really ask about them since they were less noticeable.


Alas, Lara noted the people starting to leave the park in a flock, her eyebrows furrowing at the sight. Was something wrong? Her heart skipped a beat when she sensed something amiss, but her fear was gone the instant she saw the dog. A golden retriever to be specific, which happened to have an odd backpack that seemed to produce some metal arms. Certainly an odd sight, but she was a super among others. Was he born a dog or something else? Maybe human and then he was experimented on?


So many questions she wanted to ask, but most importantly, she wanted to pet him!


Weaving through the people leaving, Lara soon was a few yards away when she anxiously halted. She now finally noticed the man standing beside the dog, who was giving off bad vibes to Lara. Something about him seemed menacing and almost scary. Something was wrong here, but Lara couldn't pinpoint what exactly.

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Cecilia Rizzo Pellegrini
​

Location: Some Convenience Store - Bread Aisle
People Around: Mitch and Kyle!
Interactions: @too much idea, @St Stare
OOC Translation notes: Nonna = Grandmother; Siesta = Nap

Oh no!! I hope they didn't just, left us in here and locked the store!


"A thingy on his head? Ehhhh...??"


Cecilia laughed nervously at the boy's reply, she was at a complete loss as to how to even interpret that information. Right after that, Mitch confirmed that the boy in question was indeed Kyle. The girl's speech was interrupted by coughing though, her friend was sick...


"Oh, no. That sounds just awful...! Outside is definitely not the place you should be right now, the place you should be is at home, resting. I'm worried that with today's forecast of shifting rain, you might get wet and end up even sicker than before!", the Italian worded her concern, trying her best to not make it sound like she was someone's mother, "Do you have anyone to take care of you? If not, I'd gladly help out and bring some Stracciatella soup for you. It's the recipe nonna used to make me whenever I got sick under her care... It's bound to make you feel better!!! .....Ehh, do you have any allergies I should be aware of?"


Mitch had also suggested that the black haired boy's zoning out could be a side effect of dehydration. As an Italian, Cecil was highly aware of the risks it presented. Back at her homeland, the summer sun would be so dangerous that everyone had a free pass for a siesta after lunch. It was nearly impossible to do any farm work during midday anyway. With the sun directly above their heads, everyone would only tire themselves quickly and pass out from the excruciating heat.


Reminiscing about Italy, Cecilia's gaze was fixed beyond the other two, as if seeing something that was not there. She only got out of it when Kyle started talking once more, with that unique dragged speech of his, as he recalled who they were and mentioning whatever that mysterious 'thingy' is again. He said it is what makes him zone out, but this time mentioned something else too. Medication. Oh. Is it some kind of disease? Maybe, she shouldn't be poking around something this delicate... The girl decided to trust the boy's judgement.


"Oh. Well... Just, please, try not to sleep in dangerous public places again, okay? This time is was just a shower of fusilli, but it could have been something else that would really harm you...", the Italian girl had put a hand at his shoulder, and for those sentences, and those sentences only, spoken in a calm, understanding and sympathetic way with absolute NO handwaving. Her eyes filled with worry, but also a kindness that let the other party know he could reach out to her, if he ever needed to.



Then Kyle invited everyone for a stroll through the store. Without thinking much about his wording, Cecilia, already back at her earlier spot and back at her usual cheerful mood, started replying:

"I don't see any harm in that! It could be a fun time between frie-", she stopped. Something about the boy's sentence had seemed wrong. Upon the realization of what it had been, the Italian lost the grip on her basket in surprise, and let it fall with a loud 'tchack' sound of the plastic hitting the ground, "Wait, what? D-did you just say that there isn't anyone else around?!"


Quickly turning around, Cecilia was met with a different store than the one she had entered earlier. Well, not a different location, but certainly a different mood. The lights and televisions had been turned off, and what had once been filled with cheery and loud chatting from other costumers, was now just a complete eerie silence... The girl could swear she had wished 'Good Morning' to quite a few people just moments ago! Where did everyone even go so fast??!

"Ehhhh, this, this cannot be good..."


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[Bag o Fruit]

Anne Van Can


Mood: Butterflies


Location: AEGIS 108, front doorway.


@Kingmalikai@Gus@Necessity4Fun


It wasn't like she brought a lot with her. Four, maybe five boxes. That was it, all she had brought to adorn her new room at AEGIS. She had so far unpacked one. One and a half, maybe. Oy.


First it was combat training outside, for which Hunter Ward seemed to have taken up a loud and prolonged, if short-lived, career in infrastructure. She had always been of the opinion that the world would be a better place if more people prioritized that, but then, she had spent a long time acclimating to places where there were precious little structures to fix. Her doubt in her convictions subsided alongside the ringing in her ears.


Then it was a... unique text from Aaron Mallory, "Solo". She decided, with all the knowledge she'd gleaned from many a thrilling lecture on the "Deadstar" of the Twin City Guardians, that Mister Mallory could handle a casino robbery, at least more cost-effectively than could she. Especially since he'd have Eve with him. Eve Knox... Anneliese repositioned the name on her tongue, as she repositioned the picture frame of Vadi and Moedi on her desk. She was looking forward to sessions with Eve. Knox.


She frowned at the picture frame. That wasn't working, not there. She moved it to the right.


...


Still wasn't working. She sighed and reached out to move it back, at which point the room quavered and the hairs stood up on her arms. The frame tipped backward under her hand. She listened very carefully for any other details about the state of the disturbance. -9 C temperature, minimal wind, no storms, but the air had... no, space had moved. As she put her finger on it, she had felt a sort of... wave, compress her a little. During the common barometric disturbance, she tended to feel as if the room, the floor, was acting on her after having been acted on itself. This, however, had felt as if a force acted on her directly as well as acting on the room. She concluded that the source was a wormhole, leading her to suspect only a scant few responsible. One, actually.


She shook the shivers from her arms, picked up the picture frame and moved it to the far left corner of her desk, positioning it so only she could see... no, so that a guest could see it... but not for the glare from the window. A conversation starter, a demonstration in opening up if it came to it. She considered this. She sat in the visitor chair, nearer the door, and glanced around the picture. Ugh, no, the glare was too much. She tilted it toward her until the glare was gone, at which point it was parallel with the edge of the desk. Too open for a personal item. She pursed her lips.


She was probably going to have to rearrange the basal furniture. Fuuuck.


She sat down in the visitor chair. She got up, and sat in her chair. She lay on the couch in the back of the room. She sat in the guest chair again. The lights squealed in her peripheral hearing. She closed her eyes. The wind whistled outside. The fabric of the guest chair rustled. The glass in the window groaned. The power outlet where she had plugged in her old desktop buzzed. The air in the room slowly danced in small swirling fractal patterns. The room... was telling her something. She was definitely going to have to rearrange the basal furniture. She'd have to put the desk-...


"Ahh, Ahhh." Someone chimed in.


"What." She opened her eyes.


"Attention facility 108 teachers, staff and students. This is Kendrick Haywood and, though I would like it if it was, this is not a drill, I repeat, NOT a drill."


She took a moment to dissect this. Kendrick spared little time.


"This morning, Rupert and Evangeline Haywood sent a message which indicates that they have been kidnapped or taken hostage somewhere. The message was received between 9 and 10 AM, and in light of the current situation, the jailbreak, I will most likely need your assistance in rescuing them. I-if... If you'd like to volunteer, please come down to the parking lot. I am asking, no, I AM BEGGING YOU, please... Help me rescue my parents!"


Kendrick... Haywood. Right. Haywood, K, whom she had made a note after reading his profile to give longer counseling sessions than standard (she had made a lot of those notes)... She did a cursory analysis of his speech:


That was no Gettysburg, and he is one well-versed in the English language... He's addressing things in no clear order. He's not reading as he delivers, but he's not improvising; that has all the hallmarks of a prewritten speech. He thinks supers are responsible, and he's probably right. He's asked people to go to the parking lot... He's throwing in fairly non-essential information. He's... wow, he's being mannerly and polite in requesting volunteers to fight an unknown adversary. He's... lowering himself to the people he hopes to lead.


So: He's scared shitless and irrational right now. He's considered his course of action very carefully. He already has bodyguards with him. He isn't used to command. 


So: I can't stop this from happening. Fuck.


Anneliese stood up and stretched. She grabbed her phone and her coat, leaving her meditations on Feng Shui for later.


No more than three meters down the hall and her phone went off in her hand, of course. She pushed it the rest of the way through her coat and read the message, displayed on the lock screen.



'To all the teachers of 108. I have been made aware of an evil super in the park. Please help if you can. Lucius Tolbert.'


An evil super. Evil. Not criminal... Evil. Hm. She stuffed her phone into her right coat pocket, pulling an extravagantly long scarf from her left. She wrapped it around her neck three times as she walked, quickly reaching the front doorway, where stood a student she didn't recognize. Past him, however, was the unmistakable Kendrick Haywood, flanked by two large men in black. She was a little disappointed, having expected three.


"Mister Haywood!" She faintly smiled at him, coming up behind the other student. "Kendrick." She turned to the boy she hadn't yet met. "Sorry, but formal introductions will have to wait, under the circumstances." turning back to Kendrick, she raised an eyebrow in moderate disapproval. "No matter the stakes, you're absolutely not leading the students of this facility on a cockamamie expedition into unknown dangers. Not without adult supervision." She eyed the bodyguards. "No offense. Now, who have you already convinced to come with you? Likely young Miss Hamasaki, given her trajectory. And this young man? Terribly sorry to ask before I know your name..." she made an apologetic gesture "But time is of the essence. What can you do and to what degree?"