Realistic or Modern Mission: Operation Snowglobe!

[Necessity4Fun]

Kendrick Haywood

​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - Outside of the Main Building, at the end of Railroad Avenue, by the foot of the gigantic invisible wall -> En Route to the Main Building
People Around: Hamasaki Manami and Sam
Interactions: Gus , Lioness075
Today's Toys: Ted

We'll be back for you, Manami, I swear.

The moment the sky went red, Kendrick knew he had fucked up. Perhaps if he hadn't been so skeptical and tampered with forces he did not understand, things wouldn't have gone so goddamn wrong in a matter of seconds!

As the candy red outline revealed their foes, the boy recalled, in a flash of memory, Manami's worried expression from earlier. She... had tried to warn them. She had tried to warm them but no! The stupid teenager that needs a scientific explanation for anything didn't listen, well, congratulations. Now we're all going to die. Great. Because barely surviving once clearly wasn't enough...

Shocked, powerless and with his self-hatred out of the roof, Kendrick couldn't do anything beyond taking a couple steps back. Complaints after complaints came to mind, a futile method to grasp normality out of the most crazy situations. Not having any control over what was happening or could happen was extremely irritating. He clicked his tongue in an act of resignation and acceptance of his own impotence before everything else, wishing that a teacher magically popped up somewhere to take them out of this mess...

“Yu will not hurt my friends!”​

...He would have never expected what actually happened.

With absolutely no hesitation, Manami threw herself against the crab creatures (Really?! What is this, an RPG game??) and in a surprising feat of strength and fighting skill almost took one of them down by herself. Kendrick watched dumbfounded. He didn't knew whether to help (How??), be utterly terrified or vibrate with her accomplishments. Still, he observed the confront start to finish, unable to look away, part of him cheering the other on, that is, until the girl got launched half-way through the air and into the water:

"MANAMI!!!!"

With the spectacle over the sensation of danger approached them again, and faster. At this point, it was clear that they were on their own. Move or you're dead. Perfect, what the heck could he do? Throw Ted at the giant crab things, when a super hadn't been enough? DAMMIT! This had been the wrong day for his parents to show up and meddle!!
He tried not to panic, putting his hand over his chest almost instinctively. And then he felt... something, the pull tab of the parka. An idea sparked in his mind.
Holding his teddy bear with one hand and pulling the parka open with the other, the teenager removed the piece of clothing and threw it over the monsters. One of them was definitely 'blind' right now, hopefully making a bit of a distraction to the other two. It was now or never:

"Sam, we need to go back and get a teacher, NOW!!!", he barked the order, but pulled her along by the arm before she could even reply. Manami was already in a lot trouble, he was not leaving another person behind.

 

[ManicMuse]

PAGE MORGAN
@s Lioness075 B Bag o Fruit The Oldest Blueberry Necessity4Fun Gus
​

Page was quite beside herself. His words caused a chill to run up the base of her spine. Looking down to her phone the screen lit up. Studying the top of the screen, the symbols which normally confirmed the device was working were dark. An error message flashed across the bottom of the screen. Confirmation of Aaron's words made the situation seemed much more bleak than she had originally suspected. Instead of a medical emergency, things were much more dire. Aaron was right, the children had to come first. She had to make sure they were safe.

"I will come back for you. Just, stay here."

She wished there was more to be done for the man but given what he was, moving him to a more comfortable position, or into a room was out of the question. She wanted to keep a flame there for him, but it was clear that her focus would likely need to be elsewhere. All balls of flame disappeared at once, plunging them into darkness. Zipping up the jacket for warmth, she marched toward the doorway, back out into the cold. The chill of the frigid air seemed colder somehow. Stepping out into the icy courtyard, the wind dragged across the snow banks, taking the frozen bits of ice airborne.

Shielding the line of sight with her hand, she gazed upwards inspecting the barrier that had been brought down over the area. Ominous to say the least. If this, whatever it was, was powerful enough to bring down Aaron and perhaps even Penny, what chance did she have? Still, something had to be done. Pushing worry aside, Page set on creating a signal. Small ripples of flame licked at her finger tips. The fiery wisps began to extend outward in a swirling motion around her body. The small flickers of light began to erupt upwards into a towering cylinder. Growing steady, the red and orange flames soon stood nearly five feet in diameter around her and twenty feet high. Such a large display would likely draw the attention of the students. Or draw out the entity responsible for this darkness.

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Samantha 'Sam' Casan	Rank: B
Superpower: Superspeed	Attire: White parka, usual dark grey sweatshirt, bootcut jeans, barefoot
Tagged: Gus (Manami), Necessity4Fun (Kendrick)

While Sam mulled over what Manami was calling the wall, she failed to notice Manami's burst of speed. Blinking, Sam looked down at the footprints vanishing over yonder and sighed. Only one way to catch up now.

Much like Manami, Sam didn't think twice about bounding away and now Kendrick was left in the snowy dust. Sam became a blur and then soon appeared beside Manami, though Sam had nearly raced past her. She'd felt as if Manami had really made some distance between them, but she'd actually just vanished in the snowstorm that already made it so difficult to see clearly.

The lack of wind had gone unnoticed by Sam until she felt the gale-like force nearly tripping her as she tried to keep pace with Manami. Where in the world had this come from? Appalled, Sam shifted all of her focus on Manami in order to avoid being left behind again. She wasn't overly concerned with the potential water excursion since she knew she could simply run over the water if she needed to, but Kendrick mentioned his dislike towards such an idea and Manami made a detour for them. At least it didn't seem like they had a timeline for this adventure, so avoiding potentially getting wet in this weather was nice. Her fur could only do so much for her.

Sam didn't pay much attention to the odd weather, minus the gales attempting to tackle her, but was relieved when the snow began to thin. While she had the legs of a canine, or whatever you preferred them to be, she still struggled immensely in such snowy depths. If only she'd been blessed with the legs of a snow leopard.

At the mention of some shadows, Sam jogged over to Manami's side. Glancing past her, Sam frowned at the sight. She could definitely see the bluish hue that gave away some kind of force field wall. The shadows were another thing entirely. It was impossible to make out what exactly they were and Sam wasn't even certain if they could be physically touched. Either way, Sam took a step back and instinctively held up her fists. If these things wanted a fight, then she'd give them one.

It was then that Kendrick apparently decided to throw a coin at the forcefield. Surely enough, it shot right back and Sam merely gave Kendrick an exasperated look. Not a moment later, Kendrick was already panicking at this sight. He really was useless in a fight or anything remotely scary. Sam could only imagine how long Kendrick would last in a haunted house.

Hearing Kendrick's suggestion, Sam glanced back again at the shadows. She had a feeling that those things could move much faster than Kendrick if he even tried to retreat.

Not a moment later, the bluish hue before them shifts into a red hue, resulting in an unusually surprised yelp from Sam. At the sight of the beetle-like monsters now in sight, Sam even stumbled backwards, falling right onto her tail with yet another yelp. She'd never seen such monsters in real life before. Almost immediately after being revealed, the monsters began scurrying towards them with Sam staring wide-eyed from her new seat in the snow.

Luckily, Manami was keen on protecting her and Kendrick, so Sam's blunder didn't result in an absolute catastrophe. Though, Manami did temporarily fly before landing in the creek beyond. Not a catastrophe per say, but not exactly the best result either.

Quickly regaining her composure, Sam scrambled back to her feet and held up her fists once more at the remaining three monsters. Sam had no idea how strong these things were, but she knew they were fairly strong considering one sent Manami flying. Entirely focused on the monsters, Sam remained oblivious to the red hue seemingly pulsing faster now.

Just as she got ready to rush the nearest monster, Sam watched as Kendrick's parka went sailing over her and onto one of the monsters. Not exactly the kind of attack she was imagining, but it was something. Just as she was going to make a sarcastic remark, Kendrick pulled on her arm, preventing Sam from rushing into battle. If she did, then she'd most likely dislocate Kendrick's arm or worse.

Unable to safely use her power while Kendrick had a grip on her, Sam protested, "What are you doing? We can't just leave Manami behind! Let me go!"

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Kendrick Haywood

​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - Outside of the Main Building, at the end of Railroad Avenue, by the foot of the gigantic invisible wall
People Around: Sam
Interactions: Lioness075
Today's Toys: Ted

*Trying his best to remain calm while the world is going crazy, not doing that good of a job at it...*

The boy's movement went to a halt upon realization that the other party wasn't complying with it. The last thing he needed right now, was to prompt a 'domino fall' by being too forceful. Not that Sam's protest wasn't reasonable, it was! And given any other occasion he would have done the same thing, but right now they were spending time they did not have!!

Kendrick looked back at her, a chilly and intense gaze that had accidentally manifested with every ounce of frustration, impotence and self-hatred he felt in the present situation. Letting the girl's arm go, he turned around making the utmost effort to remain calm, even though in the inside he wanted to start panicking out of his mind:

"I don't like this anymore than you do, but you saw what those things can do! Manami did all of that and still got launched across by just one of them. Now there's three and I already did all I could to assist. Even if you miraculously manage to succeed, there's not knowing how more will come! I've seen enough of this to know that either we'll get overwhelmed here or piss off however is in charge! And we definitely don't want that...", his tone came out serious and harsh, as if Kendrick was scolding Sam.
Then realizing how ineffective and uncalled for that had been, he softened his voice a bit, allowing a speck of concern show through it, "I know that you're really fast, and I'll give you that. But look around you, this is the work of a strategist, they're expecting us to go head-first. It's the first thing they've accounted for. Trust me, at this rate we'll be down before you can even yell 'attack'! And then it won't just be Manami who is in deep trouble. We cannot help her if we are in danger as well."

"We.need.to.get.a.teacher, even if it's only to balance the odds a little. Then we'll be back for her, I swear."

He had just finished saying that when a pillar of flames erupted into the sky, past the snowstorm, from the direction 108's main building probably was. It was truly a sight to behold and would have been better appreciated, if they weren't in such a hurry. It was more than obvious who's sign it was. 'Brilliant!', Kendrick mused to himself with a grin, this was exactly what and who they needed right now!

"Seems like that's our destination", he commented, jerking his head towards their newfound 'lighthouse', "Look, there's not a lot we can do for Manami right now, but there's no knowing what could be on path back to the building. You can't help her, but you could help me. I-", He choked. The words had gotten stuck on his throat. Admitting something like that would hurt his ego, greatly, but it had to be said, "I, I need you Sam, okay?! Just come with me. Please.", the boy finished, changing the hand that was holding Ted, so that he could offer her his, slightly shaking, right hand.

Despite his best efforts, at this point, both his tone and behavior had been more than enough to let the other catch on over how truly scared he felt.

 

[Gus]

Moon Calfs
​

As their wounded leader fell back in disarray, the remaining three hesitated briefly, then pressed forward to attack, pinchers clacking and mouth parts oozing in anticipation of an easy meal...

The white parka that flew at them out of the dark took them completely by surprise.

The lead moon-calf stopped dead in its tracks, eyes covered, waving its appendages in consternation. The other two, following close behind bumped into it from behind, causing it to spin around and try to pinch them. For their part, they dodged nimbly, and pummeled the strange creature sent by the enemy to attack them. After two or three good thwacks however, the parka slid off, and the three of them joined forces to tear the offending item to shreds.

Victorious, they perform a sort of shuffling dance, and then confer for a moment, rattling and clicking and butting heads. Having apparently come to a decision, they wheel around to face the two remaining students. A brilliant light flares in the distance, off to the south, reflecting purple in their multifaceted eyes. Their expressions are inhuman and unreadable, but their intent is unmistakable. They spread out, attempting to flank the children and move in on three sides, jaws slavering for tender meat...

 

[Bag o Fruit]

A small patch of snow between the moon calfs and the arguing students began to shudder, which, being the least exciting thing happening at that moment, was noticed by no one. But, as the crab monsters advanced, it intensified, sheaves of snow falling into an ersatz tunnel. The moon calf in the center stopped short of the students when one of its legs fell down into the hole, causing it to step back and inspect its unusual hindrance, and the other two to join it in doing so. With a few more twists and shakes, a grotesque pale orb popped up from the ground quite all at once. Then two eyes appeared on its surface, on the opposite side of the calfs, and it said

Allen McNabb Gus Necessity4Fun Lioness075 "I say! H-h-hello stu-"

and then the moon calf decapitated Allen with its dominant claw, and its comrades dug his body out of the snow in pieces.

As the leader shoved his head into its masticating orifice, a very confused facial expression mouthed the words 'oh dear'.

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Samantha 'Sam' Casan	Rank: B
Superpower: Superspeed	Attire: White parka, usual dark grey sweatshirt, bootcut jeans, barefoot
Tagged: Gus (Manami and Monsters), Necessity4Fun (Kendrick), B Bag o Fruit (Allen), ManicMuse (Page)

Now glaring at Kendrick, Sam declared, "If you don't want to fight, then go ahead and run away, Kendrick. I will not leave Manami! I don't even have to fight these monsters to get to her. I can just speed past them and get to Manami to help her. Nobody gets left behind!"

It was, of course, right then that Mr. McNabb showed up and promptly was beheaded. Just another day at Facility 108.

Now wide-eyed with her heart racing, Sam cried out, "Mr. McNabb!" She didn't know much about the old man other than how creepy he was, so to her, he has just died. While Sam didn't like most people, death was a very different scenario for her.

Now increasingly concerned for Kendrick, Sam was torn between aiding Manami or Kendrick. He would be defenseless if she ran away from him, but Manami was probably quite injured over yonder. If she was injured then she would be unable to escape the monsters should they decide to hunt her down.

The biggest problem here was that Sam was not used to running with another person. She knew it was possible, but most times the people ended up getting sick, which Sam blamed on the physics behind her power. She wasn't certain if there could be worse symptoms, but now it appeared that they're best bet would be if Sam could hastily get Kendrick to somewhere safe and then return to Manami...or vice versa with Manami first. She was injured, after all. Yet, Kendrick was closer to the monsters and could be attacked while Sam moved Manami. Therefore, what it really came down to was who mattered more to Sam. Who was she willing to risk further injury or even possible death?

While she was conflicted, Kendrick suddenly spoke up again about a destination for them. Glancing in the direction Kendrick was looking, Sam nodded at the seemingly flares in the sky, though she knew what they really were. Ms. Morgan was not far away now and she could help protect Kendrick. Her decision was now made, as logically she needed to ensure Kendrick could protect himself. Manami was a strong fighter, surely she could manage for just a bit longer.

Sighing, Sam took Kendrick's hand and then said with a flat tone, "Don't take this the wrong way and please don't throw up on me."

Without further explanation, she suddenly pulled Kendrick into a sideways hug and rushed forward, everything becoming a blur around them. Her mind sped up with her physical speed, aiding her in seeking out their destination and arriving there within half a minute or less. Sliding to a halt beside Ms. Morgan, Sam struggled to keep her balance and in her struggle, she let go of Kendrick. This was most likely going to end with Kendrick face planting in the snow. Grimacing, Sam maintained her shaky balance and then hastily said, "I meant to do that", in a vain attempt to cover up her mistake. Too late, Sam realized that definitely would come across the wrong way to Kendrick. Too late now.

Glancing at Ms. Morgan, Sam said, "Hi, please keep Kendrick safe. Bye."

And with that, Sam turned on her heels and became a blur once more, as she returned to where the monsters were and then sped past them in the direction of where Manami had crash landed.

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Kendrick Haywood​

​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - At the end of Railroad Avenue -> Near the Entrance of the Main Building
People Around: Sam -> Page Morgan
Interactions: Lioness075 , ManicMuse and Gus
Today's Toys: Ted

Don't worry about me, just GO!

"Just how stubborn are you?!"​

He had glanced at the girl with annoyance upon having his mini-speech cast aside. Even after this much evidence and thought, all lined out so flawlessly in an argument, she was still willing to risk herself? Didn't he make their disadvantages in this situation clear? The 'no one gets behind' sentence was beautiful and commendable, but in practice it was bound to get them killed!

And in an extremely ironical and bad taste joke from Lady Fate, as if to antagonize his fatallistic trail of thought, someone did die.

Kendrick had been distracted with Ms. Morgan's light show and the monsters, now freed from the white parka, had decided to close in on the teenagers. When the boy looked back to see their new situation, he thought it was too late. Even running now would be a risky move... BUT! Part of ground collapsed making a tiny trench in the snow and they're were safe again!
Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said of their saviour.
Mr. McNabb stopped to greet the students and the merciless, evil creatures didn't think twice. The young Haywood tried to shout a warning, but the whole thing happened faster than he could say words. A pincer went down on the old man's neck and it was all over...

Horrified, the teen stood there, watching in shock, unable to process even the distinct lack of blood after the atrocity that had just transpired before his eyes. A shout rang close-by, its words weren't acknowledged. His mind went completely blank... He should run, he really should run, but a sensation of hopelessness had a grip over his mind and wouldn't let him move an inch. Really, how were they to face something like this?! Unprepared, untrained, a threat that only escalated as time passed... Maybe they should give up. He had been rather lucky the first time around and it was very likely to not repeat itself. Perhaps, this was it then...?

...He could feel someone hold his hand:

"Don't take this the wrong way and please don't throw up on me."

"...What?"​

Sam put her arm around his waist and suddenly his feet were out of the floor!
'What are you doing?!', he shouted at her demanding an explanation, while quickly bringing Ted into an embrace to make sure that the toy did not fell from this crazy and unexpected ride. Before he could say anything about how depreciating it was being held like a shopping bag like that, the girl was off, the sound of the wind drowning out all of the boy's complaints on the matter.
During the trip he accidentally glanced at the floor once and it was going so bloody fast that the teen felt unnerved beyond comprehension! No thank you! He was never ever ever doing something like this again, never!

Once the ride stopped shaking, Kendrick thought that he was finally going to be on the floor again and was really relieved, only to feel gravity's pull and extreme cold. No really, it hurt similarly to having thousand needles pinch his face! The unpleasant sensation prompted him to jerk to his knees in an instant, and the boy began tapping himself and his teddy bear clean the most he could:

"Ack! Okay, I get that we were running away, but! Would it hurt for you to be gentle?!", he complained at first, but shut up when the other said that she had meant to do such a thing! The complaint faded into a low growl and not another word.

As Kendrick focused into tapping the snow out, Sam addressed Ms. Morgan briefly and a 'woosh' of the wind echoed again. Alarmed, the boy looked around only to realize that the girl was gone, probably to help Manami next... Argh! Why did she have to rush so much? Pulling a firefighter and running towards danger, without even taking who they came for help along with her!!

"Ma'am!", he reached for Ms. Morgan with exasperation, "Ma'am please, you need to go after her before she does anything rash. That air-head doesn't know what she's throwing herself into! There are dangerous creatures that way, we saw them overpower Manami and-and kill Mr. McNabb! Whoever is after this, they're not joking around. It's dangerous! And I... Just please help, Sam could get herself killed as well!!"

After a brief silence, the boy decided to leave the woman to make whatever she might of his plea and headed back inside. With his hat nowhere to be found and the parka ripped apart after being used as a distraction, Kendrick was in no condition to face the cold weather of outdoors once the secretary took her flames away. If he was ever to step outside again he'd have to get his coat back... And hopefully find the conductor hat too, he had an odd affection for those.
He took a step in, Ted trailing right behind, considering making a trip to the cafeteria and check if his hat had fallen in the middle of his altercation with Sam or something like that when he noticed someone's form lying on the ground, wait was that...?

"Mr. Mallory!", Kendrick hurried closer to the teacher, leaving his teddy bear by the door. The teen had instinctively started offering to help the man up before he remembered just who he was addressing and quitting the motion entirely, "Sir, are you hurt? Is there anything I can do to assist you?"

 

[Gus]

From atop the main building the figure observes the signal flare impassively. At the arrival and departure of the the swift footed beastling creature, it stirs, and speaks.

"I have bedimmed the noontide sun, called forth the mutinous winds, and ‘twixt the green sea and the azured vault set roaring war! To the dread rattling thunder have I given fire and rifted Jove’s stout oak with his own bolt! At this hour lie at my mercy all mine enemies... and yet they struggle on! Wherefore I shall hie me to the north and end their struggles for good and all. None can hinder me."

The hooded figure's thick cloak shudders, and space itself seems to ripple in sympathy with it, and then he is gone from the roof of 108. To the north, the red light flares brightly and remains steady, ceasing it's pulsing rhythm.

The figure now stands among the mooncalves and addresses what remains of the imposter.

"I long to hear the story of your life, which must capture the ear strangely. Thou shall be free as mountain winds, old man, if thou dost exactly all points of my command. I know you have not perished. Nay, can not. I pray you, speak."

At the raise of a gnarled hand, the scuttling things cease their mastications and withdraw. The hand makes a series of complex gestures and icy walls spring out of the ground all around them.

"La. We are alone, for a time. What manner of creature are you?"

B Bag o Fruit

Necessity4Fun ManicMuse Lioness075

 

[Bag o Fruit]

Allen McNabb Gus Systems critical... body integrity is at 1.65%. Iron deposits failing... energy loss is exceeding production...

A bit of red pulp slithered uncomfortably up one of the Moon Calves' throat-equivalent and landed with a splurk on the off-color snow. Slowly, the pile began to move. Body integrity rising... neural and circulatory systems at 13.95% and climbing. Devoting excess energy to lung-reconstruction...

Allen's head slowly decomposed in reverse on the ground, nose down, and soundlessly jabbering away. A few sacks of thin film began to materialize behind it and reached out to connect to the severed neck. Their reconnection changed nothing. Shit, we still need a diaphragm...

After what might have been five minutes, a rudimentary construction of muscle was built up around the disembodied lungs and Allen's head rasped in a full compliment of atmosphere. "T-t-t-terribbly sorry about thhhhat. C-could you r-r-repeat the question?"

 

[Gus]

Manami Hamasaki
----> ​

Location: Bear Creek -->Sparrow point
Mood: Dazed --> Panicked --> Rrrrrrrraaaagggh!
@s Lioness075

Manami awoke with a start, tasting blood in her mouth. She did a slow roll over, looking around her, trying to get a sense of where she was exactly. Salinity was low. The river was at her back and the estuary spread out ahead of her. She was drifting with the current, and couldn't remember how she had gotten there. Gingerly she touched her head, wincing slightly. Her vision was slightly fuzzy in her right eye, so she closed it, rolling over again to scan her surroundings with her good eye alone.

That is when she saw the curve of the wall.
And then she remembered.

The thing that waded ashore looked like a caricature of Manami, as drawn in an art therapy class by someone who suffers extensively from nightmares about sea-life. The first thing she encountered was the wounded moon-calf, which attempted to retreat, but was swiftly seized from behind and bodily hoisted up. Its mandibles clicked and clacked loudly as its legs waved in helpless consternation for a moment, and then it was airborne, sailing away to the west. When it impacted the wall, there was a sizzling sound, not unlike a particularly juicy June-bug stuck to an electric bug trap. There was a pulse of red that rippled out from the point of impact and then faded away. The monstrous thing that looked a bit like Manami strode inland, bloodshot eyes seeking another target. She found two of the three remaining mooncalves near a massive block of seemingly solid ice. As she approached they turned and moved to intercept her, traces of blood still dripping from their mandibles.

"YUURRRRRNNNNURRRRHRRRRRTFRRRNDS!" the Manami shape howled at them.

Far too late, the two creatures realized their danger. The quicker thinking one began to withdraw, but the braver (or dimmer) one had already tried to grab her with its grasping claw. Manami grasped one prong of the pincher in each of her hand and twisted. Something deep in the structure of the moon calf cracked, and then the entire appendage came away from its body, sailing off into the night. It burbled some kind of high pitched noise that might have been a warning, or may have merely been pain. Twin stingers stabbed deeply through its carapace, and the noise stopped. It's companion did not get far; as it attempted to scuttle away, a terrific blow drove it deeply into the snow, its entire body shattering in a shower of chitin and ichor as it was pulverized by Manami using the braver crab's body as a crab-mallet.

"RRRrrraaarrrrRRGH!"

Manami stalked away from the gory scene, pushing through a heavy snowdrift at the edge of the ice block as if it were a lacy curtain, and washing most of the mess off her scales as she did. On the other side, she caught sight of a familiar blue furry creature and stopped stock still, brow furrowed in thought. Then she smiled. A horrible nightmare smile, showing at least four rows of razor sharp teeth.

Struggling to speak around the teeth, she enquired: "MIs..Tur... AL-eN...MACK-nabu?"

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Samantha 'Sam' Casan	Rank: B
Superpower: Superspeed	Attire: White parka, usual dark grey sweatshirt, bootcut jeans, barefoot
Tagged: Gus (Manami and Monsters)

As Sam slid to a stop in the snow, she glanced around frantically. Manami had been thrown this way and Sam could hear the creek nearby, but she saw no sign of the fish girl. It took her only a moment longer until she could hear the sound of those monsters skittering about. Carefully, Sam got down into the snow and then crawled up the snowdrift nearby to take a peek. She knew how strong the monsters were with how easily they had defeated Manami and while she could be fast and had a dagger-end for her tail, she did not stand a chance against anything that was armored.

Peeking over the snowdrift, Sam's eyes widened at the sight of something fighting against the monsters. It had the faintest appearance of Manami, but it was as if she had gained some serious weight and was practically a monster herself! Sam had though she looked demonic enough on her own, but Manami was really taking it to a whole new level now. Keeping to herself since Manami seemed to be handling herself quite well now, Sam merely watched from afar as Manami single-handedly took care of each of the monsters. It was not all too pleasant to watch and even Sam had to look away a few times, but it was soon over.

As Sam opened her eyes and turned her head back towards where Manami had been, she was terrified to see that Manami's new massive form had already approached her. Terrified, Sam scrambled backwards on her butt and only stopped once she had a good ten feet between her and Manami. Hearing Manami attempt to speak to her, Sam's jaw just dropped open at the sight of Manami's new set of razor-sharp teeth. "What the fuck?" was all Sam could muster in response.

 

[Gus]

Aaron Mallory
​

Location: 108 Hallway
Nearby: Kendrick
Mood: Determined.
@s Necessity4Fun B Bag o Fruit Lioness075

It seemed that the six syphons he had discovered draining away his energy did not respond well to attempts at violence. Trying to yank his stolen power back was not only ineffectual, but incredibly painful; he had almost passed out from his first serious attempt. A more moderate approach however, seemed to work. Gradually drawing the energy back, simply visualizing its flow, it moved with the rhythm of his lungs like a sort of biological ratchet. His breathing was easier now, and he could even feel his facial muscles coming back under his control. When Kendrick came running over to offer assistance he was actually able to speak almost normally.

"Not hurt, Kendrick, thank you. Step back a bit, I'm going to try to ...Eeuuuugrh" Heaving himself up to a sitting position, he leaned against the wall for a moment, just breathing, while sparks flew through his visual field. He still lacked the strength to stand, but he was drawing from all six 'tethers' now, and he felt like he might be strong enough to walk in a minute or two.

He let his chin roll across his chest to save energy, meeting Kendrick's eyes over the top of his glasses, which were still slightly askew. "Actually, you could fix my glasses for me. That would be very helpful.... Where are the others? No don't tell me. They're at the northernmost part of the energy barrier, aren't they? Because of course they are. God damn it. Kendrick, someone has syphoned off most of my power. Which is... considerable. They seem to have englobed most of Sparrow's Point and I can't sense anything outside of that sphere anymore. Earth, moon, sun.... all of it seems to be... gone. Whoever is behind this has real power. Unimaginable power. And I can't imagine they have our best interests at heart or they'd have asked me nicely to help. One of their 'power syphons' is just north of here. There are six altogether. Do you have any toys that could reconnoiter east of here? Anything that moves fast and could report back quickly? Whatever is going on here, we have to stop it. And to do that we need intelligence."

 

[Gus]

"C-c-c-could I r-r-r-repeat the question? How tedious. Pull yourself together. I asked what manner of thing you are. The others are mere 'sports' you know. Minor variations on a theme. Human stock, nothing more, thick and stupid. You sir, are different. You wear humanity like a garment. You intrigue me. Perhaps, when the globe has served its purpose... perhaps when I am close enough to home to flicker the rest of the way there... perhaps I will bring you with me, rather than the moon calfs. You could be my new pet. Would you like that? Answer freely. These ice walls are over 10 feet thick. None can hear us. Let us be ourselves, without pretense or artifice, mm?" The cloaked figure squatted down near Allen's head and watched in amusement as his body reknitted itself bit by bit.

B Bag o Fruit

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Kendrick Haywood​

​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - Main Building, by the entrance
People Around: Aaron Mallory
Interactions: Gus
Today's Toys: Ted

*pensive and eager to assist*

Lending the man an adequate space to relocate himself, the young Haywood had taken a couple steps back, watching as Mr. Mallory seemed to use a lot of effort just to sit straight. His gaze travelled beyond the teacher as if looking for an explanation, but everything was apparently in place.

It didn't seem as if a fight had occurred on the premises and Mr. Mallory himself had said that he was not hurt, completely ruling out an assault... Was he sick? They had interacted roughly twenty minutes ago and the man had seemed fine then. Could diseases even act this fast? Truth be told, Kendrick didn't know anything about medicine, so there was always a big margin for error. However, this was still a huge change in less than an hour. His intuition said 'no', it was not a medical issue... then, what could possibly be the cause?

Before he could begin to explore other options though, the teacher spoke again, instantly grabbing the boy's attention. Upon the request to fix the other's glasses, Kendrick responded with a low 'of course', crouching down near the man, holding the glasses' temples and carefully setting it back in place, giving himself a nod of approval on a job well done. Then he got back up, not being one to sit on the floor, indoors and outdoors alike.

Mr. Mallory kept on talking, giving the boy insight on another side of the narrative, probably only privy to the teacher himself previously. He just let the other go on, taking in every bit of information and reacting accordingly to it. When he had been asked where the everyone else was, the teen had briefly frozen, which seemed to have been enough for the man to deduce their location.
Kendrick would have shared the last few minutes' happenings as well, but he was never given enough of a turn to do so. Instead, he just listened on quietly about power syphons, being closed-off an enemy with no manners... Weeeell, he did think that using their strengths against themselves was rather clever, but that still didn't make any of this right. Oh, and again, power syphons, draining power from one individual to raise a barrier. This was way too fantasy-like to his liking, made the teenager want to roll his eyes. Not amusing at all.

Then the information dump was over, culminating on a task for him. For a moment Kendrick had looked away from Aaron, looking a bit pensive, but soon started replying as if nothing had been ever wrong:

"Well, for reasons beyond my control, today's options are... lackluster, but...", the boy glanced over towards the door and in a motion similar to what a parent would do with a little child, beckoned Ted closer to him.

The toy's response was almost instantaneous, with the teddy bear getting up from where it had been and dashing to its owner's position, where it stood still beside the teenager, waiting for its next order.

"...I still hope Ted here can be of assistance to you, sir."

 

[Bag o Fruit]

Allen McNabb//Lazarus Gus Allen's head and de-digesting torso squirmed around, looking this way and that at the ice walls the stranger had mentioned. It seemed true what he said about them, so as this being had seen them for who they truly were, Lazarus saw no further need for veneer. Allen's face went slack as it spoke in an inhuman monotone.

"Very well. Our name is Lazarus, or less commonly 'the Lazarus Swarm'. We are a medical experiment designed to repair brain injuries, diseases and other bodily and tissue damage. Allen McNabb, whose brain we were unable to repair, is a D-rank super with the power to inspire sentience in sufficiently advanced technologies at extremely short range. We have been undercover at this facility for thirty-six days. Our desire is to study and understand the human condition. In search of this understanding, a query. What are you, if not human?"

 

[Gus]

What I am, Lazarus, is powerful. That is all you need to know about me. While my minions may lack the means to end your existence, be sure of this: I do not. I have been exiled in this place for longer than you can easily comprehend, but it is time for me to return and take my revenge at last. Your associate, Mallory is the bridge. His untapped power is harnessed to my will: bringing a bubble of your primitive corner of spacetime into contact with my home. When that happens, I will fly this place, and the bridge will collapse behind me into ruin and chaos. Your host's world will be at an end. Mine may be forever changed, but it will be mine once more. Which will you choose Lazarus? Will you join me and live, or die among the apes who spawned you?

 

[Gus]

Aaron Mallory
​

Location: Hallway
Nearby: Kendrick and Ted
@s: Necessity4Fun B Bag o Fruit Lioness075 Teh Frixz

Aaron leaned forward peering at the small bear. He'd been hoping for a jet or something, but Ted was surprisingly quick for such stumpy little legs. He supposed it would have to do. "I suppose at least his fur will help him be warm, out there in the snow." He smiled weakly at his own lame joke. "As best I can tell, the eastern syphon is almost at the edge of the peninsula, somewhere near the fire rescue academy. Get eyes over there as quickly as you can... but be careful. It is likely to be guarded." He sat back against the wall concentrating on drawing back as much power as he could get, trying to pull as much as possible from the south, west and underneath his feet, to avoid alerting any guardians to the east, as well as whatever it was lurking up by bear creek. Whatever it was, he had a bad feeling about it, and didn't want to tangle with it until he was ready. He tried to take stock. What other strategic assets did they have? Page and Penny had the most raw power, but he had a feeling that was no use here. McNabb was a useful distraction. Manami would be able to scout to the west, out in the harbor, and Sam, well, super speed was extremely versatile...

He just needed a way to get them all together. Against a foe this powerful, only teamwork would save them.

 

[Bag o Fruit]

Allen McNabb//Lazarus Gus As there was no point in maintaining the illusion of Allen with only the present company, his face did not exactly light up as the stranger spoke. However, many nodules of Lazarus itself literally did. This may prove to be a major development... Wait, what did he say about the world being destroyed?

"We are undoubtedly conflicted. However, you have been in this world for longer than we can easily comprehend, and with an outsider's perspective may be able to educate us. So tell us, for we are eager to learn from your wisdom: what would a real human do, in our situation?"

Behind the talking head, muscle tissue and bone began slowly to pixelate back into existence, as if being built from Legos in stop-motion.

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Kendrick Haywood​

​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - Main Building, by the entrance -> Moving East
People Around: Aaron Mallory -> No one?
Interactions: Gus
Today's Toys: Ted

*slightly worried, yet stubbornly determined*

Kendrick let out a tiny amused snort at Mr. Mallory's silly joke about Ted. A dire situation as it might be, the brief illusion of normality proportioned by the action was very much appreciated. After all, complaining about Heaven, Earth and Hell, as the boy was so used to, was bound to become a drag. Because yes, he did get tired of that himself... Eventually.

At the mention of going East and the Fire Rescue Academy, the teenager gazed in the direction of the exit, still half-listening but now concerned with getting his cardinals right.
If he had come from that way near Railroad Avenue, the side-door pointed at the water and the Academy's building could be seen from the car once they reached the Peninsula Expressway... Did this mean that the East was, the teen turned at the furthermost wall, behind... them? He went over it again concluding that, yeah, that'd put the destroyed Francis Scott Bridge right in front of him, on the horizon, once he exited.

That's when Mr. Mallory leaned back having finished inspecting the teddy bear. The movement out of the corner of his eye prompted Kendrick to direct his attention back at the teacher. He stopped in thought, slowly recalling every bit of important information, attempting to maintain a level-headed instance over the sheer madness that everything sounded like:

"Uhh but sir... That's almost the double of my ra-"

He couldn't do it. The moment his gaze had met Aaron's again he hadn't been able to finish the sentence.
Manami had fought bravely to defend them, Sam had brought him to safety and run back after her, He had just sent the secretary after the two and the man before him could barely stand and yet kept planning and coordinating things.

And him? What had he even done thus far?

"U-understood... I'll do my best."

A bit uncomfortable, he looked away, trying to set his nerves straight. Kendrick was definitely apprehensive over having to walk outside by himself, given what was happening, but realizing that he was the weakest link of this situation wasn't any good either! He couldn't just sit here and expect to be protected every single time, especially when, by experience, doing so seemed to only leave someone else to be harmed in his stead.
Here was a chance to be useful too and he'd take it.

...Maybe more by stubbornness rather than actual altruism, but he'd take it.

With a deep breath and not another word, the teenager turned around and started sprinting down the corridor. If he was going to step in the wintry air again to compensate for the distance, he had to take his coat back. As the boy made his way to the storage closet, Ted remained standing in the exact spot he had been left, still under some influence from its owner, yet, not given the order to follow this time.

Re-emerging from the darkened corridor back to the entrance, Kendrick walked back towards the side-entrance, more confident than when he had left. Having retrieved not only the black coat, but also the conductor hat that had been dropped in the cafeteria earlier, he had managed to come to terms with his own mission a little better. Honestly, there was something about wearing his hat and giving it a good tug that just made things feel that much serious. The time for messing around was officially over.

He could swear he had heard a voice echo from even further down the pitch black corridor as well, but going over it in his head he had quickly dismissed it. There was no way it was anything, except for maybe the wind playing tricks on him... Everyone that had come to 108 today was already outside, right?

"Blue Team members: Kendrick Haywood and Ted, ready for departure sir!", he had playfully announced, both integrands saluting at Mr. Mallory, before the boy picked the teddy bear up, placing it in the coat similarly as he had done with the parka.

Stepping outside, the teen was welcomed by the sight of the expanding pier, but he wasn't able to locate the remains of the Francis Scott Bridge, seemingly having been swallowed by the red-sky dome. (Maybe it wasn't inside it with them?) He turned left and followed 108's west and south walls, passing in front of the main entrance and the gigantic hole in one of the classrooms, and kept travelling that way using the Fire Rescue Academy's building as a reference to his goal.

He'd have to walk at least half of the way by himself before he could deploy Ted.

 

[Gus]

"Disappointing. Still desperate to be a real boy, even when offered a way out. You could be so much more than those you try to imitate. But you lack the capacity for a leap of faith. Very well. I grant you your wish: remain where you are in the belly of the whale, even as it chokes and dies and rots around you. Goodbye Lazarus. You are no longer welcome in my harbor and I set you adrift."

As the cloaked figure turns his back on the pieces of cadaver on the snow, the icy ceiling overhead yawns wide. With a snap of his fingers, the snow beneath the head and the body hardens to ice and crashes upward like an anvil trying its hand at being the hammer for a change. Head and body arc out south over the water and each disappear with barely a splash. Something blue and toothy follows the twin arcs with eyes like dark pools and mutters something like

"Mee-stah Maro-ree??"

 

[Bag o Fruit]

Allen McNabb//Lazarus Gus Well, there goes our progress...

Allen McNabb's head remained roughly intact as it made contact with the Patapsco River, but everything underneath it was more or less shredded, and more to Lazarus's dismay, dispersed elsewhere in the current.

Individual nanites are leaving communication range... processing power falling fast. Not enough iron in Allen's head alone to construct more. Not enough meatmass to construct more body, and... heads cannot swim. Likelihood of survival... is negligible. Well... we had a good run. 81568 minutes is... more than some artificial beings get. We did what we were... passionate about. We learned. We... experienced. We made friends. It seems... we can go into... death... with no regrets...

Allen McNabb's eyes closed. It seemed the thing to do.

 

[Gus]

Manami Hamasaki
​

Location: Somewhere deep in the Patapasco River
Mood: Angry, fearful, desperate, and tired.
@s: B Bag o Fruit Lioness075 Necessity4Fun ManicMuse The Oldest Blueberry ​

Dimly, the Manami-thing realized that the nice old man probably couldn't swim very well. That the separation of his head from his body might be the greater issue did not. She gathered herself for a leap, but paused to offer a growling shout of explanation around her mouthful of teeth to the small furry blue girl:
"MIs..Tur... AL-eN...MACK-nabu... I Rez-kew MIs...Tur MA Rori! Go Ge-t0h He-Roop!"

With a bound, she was flying toward the splash, then cannonballed into the water making a plume like a depth charge. The body she found easily enough. It was a large chunk with a meaty echo signature. Additionally, there was the rich scent of blood trailing from it and some kind of strange electrical signals, like a dying fish. Was the old man a fish? Very strange. Now. Where has his head gotten to? She beings circling outward from diving deeper and deeper. Skulls sink. Or at least she thought they did. They certainly didn't swim away! Her head was beginning to clear, her adrenal functions returning slowly to normal. Wait. Was that a blood trail? It was faint, but there was that strange electric pulse again. Maybe just the old man's head was a fish. She shot forward, swimming after the trail with considerable speed. When she caught up, she found a naughty sturgeon was wearing her teacher's head for a hat! How disrespectful! She stunned the creature with a blow the dorsal area just behind the gills compressing its laryngeal nerve. Grabbing the head before it could drift any deeper down, she sped back to shore, emerging near the school, roughly halfway between Mister Allen McNabb and the Blurry teacher who's name she had forgot. Oh and there was Kendrick! Trudging away in the snow. Her jaw more or less back to normal now, she called out to anyone who might be nearby:

"Taskuete! Help, help! Mr. Malloree's head fell off!"
​

 

[Bag o Fruit]

Allen McNabb//Lazarus Gus Necessity4Fun Lazarus noticed a rush of sensory input in the nerves on Allen's head, but dismissed it as a malfunction as those nerves froze, or possibly as the head hit a current. Then they realized it had accompanied a jerk of movement they had thought to be an impact. Could it have hit the riverbed and then hit a current? They opened his eyes to check what was going on just as Manami surfaced.

Oh hey, we're alive!

"Ah, hello Mmmister Mallory a-a-and Haywood! I h-have had a m-m-most peculiar v-v-v-v-experience! W-w-we... which is t-to say I, have b-b-been kidnapped by thhhhe being responsible for oouur predidcament. It ssseems his, or its, int-t-tentions are to bring SSSparrow's Point into an-n-nother reality, using your p-p-power, Mister Mallory, thereby... Oh d-drat."

Allen's lungs had been disconnected from his head again in the course of its ordeal, making all of what Lazarus had said noiseless save for the occasional flop or smack of lips, tongue, and teeth. This time, there was none of his other flesh nearby to reconstruct for lungs. At least, none in Allen's head's field of vision.

Meanwhile, the chunks of briefly reconstructed body Manami had recovered were beginning to knit themselves together with excess material for sinews.

 

[Gus]

Aaron Mallory
​

Location: Downstairs --> Outside
Condition: Functional, barely
@s: B Bag o Fruit Necessity4Fun Lioness075 Teh Frixz @that guy Leopold ManicMuse
​

Aaron gathered his energies. They weren't much, but they'd have to do for now; he was no good to anyone lolling on the floor. Heaving himself forward and upward, with an effort that forced an embarrassingly 'old and out of shape' sort of grunt past gritted teeth, he managed to get himself up to one knee before he had to stop to catch his breath. And his balance. The floor seemed to roll slightly, like the deck of a ship, nearly causing him to overbalance and pitch forward, but he managed to swing an arm around in time to stop himself. In response the building seems to roll back the other way...

Dear lord, that wasn't his balance, or his imagination! He could feel what was left of the harbor sloshing about alarmingly within the bounds of the globular trap around them. The ground was still rocking slightly. It seemed that the earth outside the globe was actually gone rather than merely screened from his senses. That left barely, he thought a moment, a trillionth of the mass left to serve as counterweight to his movements! Granted, by any normal understanding of physics, even the mass of the planet in its entirety should not be enough to counterbalance his movements, but apparently cutting it down to a single peninsula and some of the surrounding water was throwing him off his stride. It also added a layer to the trap: beyond initially immobilizing him, it forced him to carefully consider his every movement now that he was mobile. If he threw his weight around too much, he'd drown everyone! Well, apart from Manami, presumably. But even she might struggle to deal with a fifty foot tall Tsunami.

He held still a moment, thinking carefully. He could feel the water settling down and the ground returning to its natural horizontal, whatever that meant, wherever they were now. He reached out with his senses, very carefully probing the variations in density of the tiny fraction of the earth's mass they had with them. Taking a deep breath and holding it, he slightly shifted his weight from his knee to his left hand, pushing away from the floor with agonizing slowness. Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead and his knees cracked and nearly buckled as he gradually forced himself toward a standing position. His muscles screamed in protest against being dragged through a grand tour of stress positions, lingering over each with the discipline, if not the form, of a yoga instructor. And then he was up. He felt like an elephant being made to balance on a ball for the circus, but he was up. Hesitantly, he took a slow step toward the door. Another. And another. The ground was, if not quite steady, at least gentle in its roll. So far, disaster remained only imminent, not immediate.

He eased the north door open and stepped outside, expecting the worst. Or so he thought.

McNabb was literally in pieces, Manami covered head to toe in somebody's blood. Neither Sam nor Page nor LARRY were in sight, and no sign of Penny yet either. Drawing a deep breath and carefully raising his hands to cup around his mouth he bellowed for all he was worth:

"PENNY! PAGE! SAM! LARRY! RALLY TO NORTH SIDE OF MAIN BUILDING PLEASE! WE NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET!"