Realistic or Modern Proteus Effect

[Seanzah Angel]

Kyle Evitt


6:00AM, July 30th, 2015


Camp/East of Miami off SR41, near Pilot T/S and Casino


Nearly 45 minutes after Kyle and Amber had gotten back from their out-of-area discussion about their leader, Duncan began talking to the rest of the group, mostly going over what the two of them had already been talking about. For some reason it felt more concrete hearing it from the source. While he didn't doubt Amber was telling the truth about such a close friend, it felt like it was a game of telephone. One person says something, and then the next person says something and so on. There was room for information to be misconstrued, changed just a little from the source. But now that he was listening to Duncan, the words meant so much more and felt so much more powerful.


If Kyle wasn't so focused on himself before at Granite Peak, he probably could have picked up a lot of information about Duncan. The way he talked and moved suggested that he wasn't normal, aside from the fact that now he has powers. He had an aura of supremecy and intelligence about him, which wasn't rare for people in his past line of work. With everything that was being talked about Kyle began to realize just how heavy their situation was. There are people who would be against them. No matter what they did to make them see how good they were, something would happen to convince them that their group was bad. Duncan was the only one who really knew the depth of it all and the only one who could save them.


Then Duncan called the Major, putting her on speaker so the rest of them could hear, which he was silently thankful for. There was a lot of minor negotiations, some major negotiations, some deals, and some talks about what was happening out in the real world. For a while, Kyle forgot there was the government. He knew that they didn't like things that they weren't in control of - which is what their whole group was... something the government wasn't in control of. That would be a problem.


Kyle Evitt


6:05AM (5 minutes later), July 30th, 2015


Camp - Fat Deer Key, FL near Matador Sport Fishing


They were teleported five minutes later along with their things to the middle of a heart shaped island off the coast of Florida. Kyle knew they wouldn't be there that long, but it was a very nice place. It wasn't a huge island, but big enough that they could roam around and have space. Kyle needed space. Ever since his powers began developing it was almost as if there wasn't enough space. What he really wanted to do was fly around at top speeds like a speed racer. 160 MPH in any direction as long as he stayed high enough to not run into power lines and low enough that planes weren't any issue, or birds.


Within half an hour the place was looking very... official - protected and hidden. They were fed within an hour, and Kyle was going to take that opportunity to talk to Duncan, but everyone else started going to sleep. Forgetting that Duncan didn't sleep, Kyle figured he would be joining the rest. So he went to sleep as well. At least until they were awoken.


Kyle Evitt


4:00PM, July 30th, 2015


Camp - Fat Deer Key, FL near Matador Sport Fishing


As he heard everyone else getting up and moving around, Kyle decided it was probably time to do the same. He pushed himself off the ground and rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he lazily walked towards everyone else. They were all huddled around Duncan as he began handing out packets of stuff. He opened it to find his ID and a Visa. His jaw dropped as he looked at it - a REAL ID! He grinned at Duncan and pocketed the two plastic cards and folded up the packet to throw away later.


When Duncan told them to grab some luggage, he was almost too tired to realize that the man was joking. He grabbed a bag, then realized what he was doing. He rolled his eyes and put it back down just seconds before Duncan told them he was joking. Kyle chuckled, then shrank to three feet before flying steadily to the yacht and landed smoothly on the deck. He grew to his normal size, then stole a glance out to the open waters. The view was absolutely breathtaking... perhaps being an outcast wouldn't be so bad afterall.


"Luxury, here we come." He whispered to himself, leaning against one of the rails on the side of the yacht closest to the open water.

 

[RIPSaidCone]

Ashley Pierce


July 30th, 2015


Camp - Fat Deer Key, FL near Matador Sport Fishing


Ashley was on another one of her daily flight exercises, it had been around a month since she first got these..`powers` She absolutely despised them, when she first woke up, being pushed out of that strange pod like thing after her plane had crashed, she was scared and confused and disorientated, it had taken her a few days to even get something to eat, even after she managed to persuade the armor, if such things were even possible to open up at her face to allow her to actually eat, she still had to steal to feed herself, not having any money now and certainly not wanting to attract attention, she had noticed the military response to the plane crash, she wondered why, but it must've had something to do with what had happened to her. She didn't stick around to find out.


The first day she began to levitate, By the second she was full on cruising the skies high above Florida, By the third she began to grow worried, as her armor had began actually "talking" to her, she could feel it inside her mind, trying to influence her actions, this scared her to no small length - though she has never told anyone about it. It was after the first few days that she had stumbled upon her savior, a woman named Lori. She could tell from Lori little base of operations that she was one of those survivalist conspiracy nuts, but this nut had whatever she wanted - including MRE's - and continued to help her as Ashley discovered more and more of what her new found powers could do.


She had managed to the armor to retract a little, although she soon found out that she could only retract a certain amount of it at any given time. It turned out that the armor was organic, thinking and living; she was it's host and they had to work together to keep each other alive and well. She wanted to keep her face visible at all times, having the mask up was too...irregular, not Human - but the armor refused, only allowing itself to retract just enough to allow eating or button pushing. She could sense the armor's fear. But Ashley didn't like feeling different from the normal people, a category she could no longer place herself in.


She was over the usually warm Florida sea, quickly approaching a nearby island, noticing a parked yacht craft on it's dock, she thought nothing of it at first, until her armor's sensors began getting readings that suggested these people were anything but human. One had a body temp far below zero. Another was practically composed of electricity, and another gave off more light than she received. For the first time, actually took in what the armor had to suggest, and flew back to Lori at lightning speed.


Ashley Pierce


July 30th, 2015


Miami Outskirts, FL, near route 25


Ashley came to a halt outside a small RV, slowly levitating down, quickly checking out her surroundings, she was satisfied that there was nothing irregular to be seen, quickly jogging inside the house, she met with Lori, who was sat in her room playing one of those Dungeons and Dragons type games again, Ashley had no idea what it was.

 

[WitworthGold]

Catheryn Marx


0515 hrs, July 30, 2015


Camp/East of Miami off SR41, near Pilot T/S and Casino





He'd just walked away. While still slightly irked by his treatment Cat breathed a sigh of relief. From the look on the tall blonde's face as well as her words it was clear that she had been stunned by his rather prickly demeanor. Hopefully it was a sign that he had merely been caught off guard rather than it being one of his more common traits.


Following their exchange she wandered into the clearing, keeping to the outskirts so as to avoid undue attention. She listens to his rather clipped dismissal of the other seeming newcomer thinking to herself, "Yikes... cold doesn't bother me, but I felt that chill." Oddly enough the woman didnt seem to be offended in the least. She looked her over for a few moments and tucked a stray lock behind her ear. "Those are the eyes of a shark." she thought to herself. She'd seen enough of them during her childhood, the few times her father's board members had come by the house. Being honest with herself, those men had always given her the creeps. She could see it in their eyes that nothing mattered more to them than the bottom line, regardless of what that meant for the people around them.


She'd gotten so lost in her thoughts that by the time she'd come back to herself everyone was coming foward to grab a handful from the heap of cash at his feet. After waiting for everyone to step forward and take their share she came forward to grab hers before moving away to count and stow it. Soon after she set about to help the others pack before their departure.


0600 hrs, July 30, 2015


Fat Deer Key, FL near Matador Sport Fishing





Following another, though slightly less uncomfortable, teleportation session Cat was resting with the rest of the 'Inhuman's' as Duncan had dubbed them. While catchy, kinda, Catheryn wasn't completely sold on the idea of being called inhuman. Sure they weren't exactly normal anymore but that didn't make them inhuman did it? She shook her head at her current train of thought, debating what it meant to be human with herself was giving her a headache. So much so that she was relieved when Duncan called her over to chill the cooler. Small things like that didn't take much if any concentration. Honestly holding back is what she found to be truly draining. Once she finished she returned to her pervious spot and did her best to get some shut eye.


Cat


1600 hrs, July 30, 2015





Seeing the yacht sent a shiver of unease through her body. The memory of what had taken place the last time she was on a boat. She swallowed down the lump that was forming in her throat and boarded the dinghy that would take them to the yacht.

 

[sharlene79]

Lori Stevens (and Ashley Pierce)


2000 hrs July 30th, 2015


RV “Safehouse” 1

Spoiler

Lori Stevens

Ashley Pierce had discovered Lori only days ago. Lori had had to leave the storage unit she had been using as base to pick up some supplies. The meteors had created quite the mess for her, destroying her home and forcing her into the open - however briefly. Her wheelchair had been destroyed in the meteor strike. But the same event had given her … powers.


When Ashley showed up Lori was dealing with a small gang - six of them - who were more interested in her body and whatever she had in her storage unit. Of course, in that storage unit was everything she needed for a new start - money, guns, rations, professional disguise gear, forgery gear, extra passports. Hell the would have given it all up if they would simply have left her alone. She had other “safehouses.” She had spent nearly half her life on the run.


She had managed to use mace (not pepper spray) and a hand taser to make life miserable for three of the thugs. What judo she knew had stopped a fourth. But by then they had knocked over her wheelchair. Powers or not, her legs still didn’t work. She was about to give up the ghost and use those powers to free herself when the armored form of Ashley arrived.


The arrival of Ashley in her armored form was bad enough. That alone meant Lori would need to abandon this site. She already had her Go bags ready. She just needed to cover her tracks. But the reaction of the remaining thugs was to draw guns. Now THAT would hasten the need to get the hell out of there. “Shots Fired” meant police. Police would get curious. The explosives and makeshift MW EMP rifle she had cobbled together would mean Feds, probably DHS. Leave her forgery gear and who knew who all else would get paranoid.


And Lori couldn’t afford to just get picked up by the police either. She would probably never see the light of day again. She was a zero. She had no ID, no birth certificates, no nationality, nothing. She had never had a driver’s license - well, not a legal one. The last passport she had had was several years old and under another alias, missing and presumed dead - not that anyone ever looked for her as she had no family. Both of her parents had likewise lived under aliases.


Did she explain any of this to Ashley? Hell no. It had taken two days, but she finally verified Ashley’s identity. Definitely not someone to go and talk to about terrorists. She would never hear the end of it. Ever…. ever ever … EVER!


+++++++++++


Lori had managed to buy a used RV - paying cash up front - without so much as batting an eye. And she was oddly prepared for such a road trip. She converted the damned thing into a UFO Hunter RV, complete with extra antennae, stickers, used electronics, ham radio, and all. She even had a picture of her “grandfather” who had willed the RV to her so she could carry on the tradition.


Now the plan was to have Ashley just sit there and look like a great UFO nut’s prop if she got pulled over. But she never did have to deal with that problem. As it turned out Lori had never driven a regular vehicle. It was almost painful to watch from a distance as Lori struggled to drive away, knuckles turning white. She admitted privately to Ashley - one of the few times she opened up - that the only things she had ever driven was a mobile SAM launcher, a tank, and a humvee. Her mom had gotten pretty upset when she asked if she could launch one of the missiles and chewed the men out who had been letting her drive. But she had never driven a normal vehicle.


So that turned into a bonding moment. Ashley couldn’t very well have sat in the driver’s seat. Well, if Lori still had her 3D printer she could have. But that had been destroyed by the meteor. She would have just made a copy of Ashley’s helmet and swapped seats if they ever got pulled over - referring to Ashley as the prop. Instead of that option, Ashley had to give driving lessons to a very nervous Lori. It was almost a certainty that Lori wasn’t over 21 as her ID suggested.


Fortunately Lori never had to drive them very far. She selected an out of the way campsite where Ashley’s flights were less likely to be noticed. She had been playing a new World of Warcraft character - she was an addict - when Ashley walked in. Without missing a beat Lori spoke.


“You were spotted by 27 people. You need to be more careful where you fly. But … well, none of those were close to here. And I doubt anyone caught enough detail to report anything useful. I was tracking you. And you’re right about that island. Teakettle Key. One girl has cryogenics. There’s one with six arms. Another practically bleeds sunlight. They are like us but on the run, I think.”


She handed over several pictures. Most looked like a parking lot security camera views. The other was a sketch. The sketch was Duncan. The rest were pictures - seconds apart of a woman (Cat) in one part of a Walmart parking lot one moment, then across the lot near a dark haired man (Duncan) the next, then gone a few seconds later. A minute later Duncan vanished with the groceries.


“Duncan Moran. Truck driver. No adult criminal record. No records before 1989, though he is 52 years old. He looks like he’s in his 20’s now. But he’s been fingerprinted for his Hazmat endorsement. Known associate Amber Volkova - also a trucker. Did a 3 month internship at NSA. Russian parents both deceased in 1987. She’s been a security concern due to an association with Misty LiSan - who is an NSA consultant. There’s more, but this is the best I can do on short notice.” She showed a photo of Amber. She was the woman giving off light.


“I’ve been watching for them too - ever since that Walmart event. I sort of lost Duncan for an hour or so. I picked him up at Fat Deer Key. My guess was that he is moving that group around and made arrangements for the rest. The question is: is he gathering metahumans like you to do something bad? Or to protect them? He’s no saint. He knocked over a Cartel distribution center. My guess is that he took their cash as seed money. What I can’t figure out is how he converted it into spendable money so fast.


“If you plan to approach that group, I’d suggest giving them a little decompression time. I mean they practically came out of nowhere. No reports of anything unusual regarding what Duncan or Amber do. The cryogenic girl. I knew about her. I haven’t been able to ID her yet. But then she may not be from the Miami area or have any criminal records. The rest … may as well have been living in a cave for the past month. That’s what makes Duncan’s actions so … unusual. I think they escaped … maybe from Area 51. And don’t give me that look.” Lori wasn’t even looking at Ashley. Nor would she have seen a “look” if she had. “It’s the most likely place the government would have sent them for a quarantine.”

 

[Mitheral]

Duncan Moran


1900 hrs, July 30, 2015


Teakettle Island


It took a couple hours for Duncan to get everyone loaded up, the gear transported to the new island, make the short run to Teakettle and get docked - without destroying the dock itself. Any yacht of 100’ or more in length required a crew. The Ferretti was just under that length. That had been intentional in its design.


Once gear had been stowed away he called everyone out to where he had set up a small campfire. He had all the makings for Smores ready. He preferred simple roast marshmallows - of which he brought plenty. But the reason for bringing everyone together wasn’t just to party. No, he wanted to talk.


“Well, we finally have a decent place - with a little privacy. Now we do want to avoid drawing attention to ourselves here. Those of you with flashy or noisy abilities, we’ll need to test those elsewhere. When we were at the Installation I tried to get them to let us out onto the Proving Grounds for speed runs and such. I kept getting the “needs approval” response.


“In a way I do realize this place is just another cage. There are just no bars. You can leave any time. Hell, if anyone wants me to send them to the far corners of the planet, just ask. Well, maybe not that far … yet. I guess what I wanted to ask you all is … what now? I wanted a safe place to study. At the rate my IQ is growing my head could explode - or I could just turn the shade of a popular primary color, get a fat head, and start calling myself Megamind.


“Kyle, Cat, Victoria … at some point I want to speak with each of you in private. I’ll limit that to Kyle tonight if you don’t mind.”


“But let’s get this business out of the way first. I know I am just springing this on you guys. But what do YOU want to do? I have been dragging you all over the place. Now that we are reasonable safe, we have time to think and figure out … what next. I doubt that ‘live happily ever after’ is an option here. And burying our heads in the sand won’t make problems go away. Eventually we’ll have to face the world.


“I can predict this much. We made - I made - the Major look bad. Project Threshold will be ordered shut down and replaced by a new program. Whether the Major will stay attached to Threshold or not is questionable. I suspect the new program will have civilian assets - like CIA and DARPA. And they won’t be so nice about it. It will be a sort of recruitment program. Serve or get locked away or dead. And those will be the good guys. From foreign powers or terrorists it will be neutralize or convert. Same concept, less friendly.


“So … thoughts anyone? We don’t have to decide today. I just want it out in the open. You guys let ME know. I’ll do what I can to make it happen.”

 

[NeoLeaf]

Alexander


1900 hrs, July 30 2015 (Day 34)


Teakettle Island


The six-foot four-black man was pressing two melted marshmellows between a regular buttercookie and a buttercookie with choclate. He cracked a boyish smile when he felt the gooey white substanance embrace the two sides and bit the delicacy loudly. The crunching sounds of the cookie got lighter with every chew and eventually gets devoured. Alex felt a tad reliefed with the developement. On the yacht he felt uncomfortable and wanted sit in a plastic loundry bowlthat would have been attached with a durable rope to the back of the vessel. Would have been fun.


Alex had listened closely to what Duncan had to say.


“But let’s get this business out of the way first. I know I am just springing this on you guys. But what do YOU want to do? I have been dragging you all over the place. Now that we are reasonable safe, we have time to think and figure out … what next. I doubt that ‘live happily ever after’ is an option here. And burying our heads in the sand won’t make problems go away. Eventually we’ll have to face the world.


“I can predict this much. We made - I made - the Major look bad. Project Threshold will be ordered shut down and replaced by a new program. Whether the Major will stay attached to Threshold or not is questionable. I suspect the new program will have civilian assets - like CIA and DARPA. And they won’t be so nice about it. It will be a sort of recruitment program. Serve or get locked away or dead. And those will be the good guys. From foreign powers or terrorists it will be neutralize or convert. Same concept, less friendly.


“So … thoughts anyone? We don’t have to decide today. I just want it out in the open. You guys let ME know. I’ll do what I can to make it happen."


Alex kept his head down and had his brown eyes stare at the red and orange licks of fire that were dancing around the whitened coal and darkened firewood. What does he want to do?


He was preparing himself for a normal life. He was still a first year college student that wanted to pass certain courses and have himself committed to becoming a middle classed citizen. But now after the metorites have came and destroyed everything that he had worked for on this soil he had to change his plan. The talk of assassinations, quarantine, paranoia and the need for a safe haven had been a subject ever since Duncan had tansformed from an old trucker to a young intellectual. The option of having a normal life is impossible with Duncan's hypothesis.


To be a super hero? Alexander thought as he slowly sucked in his lips and gently bit down on them. Alexander knows that he's human and will continue to act human. Despite the obvious changes that have come, he'll keep making choices that a man and woman make and will live with their consequences for the rest of his life. The young man isn't a pillar of morality or a spawn of satan - he knows that. He's just a kid who had just tread his first step unto the dark journey of the reality that they live in.


Alexander smiled sadly and closed his eyes.


"I need more time to think about this..."

 

[Mitheral]

Duncan Moran


2000 hrs, July 30, 2015


Teakettle Island


“So … thoughts anyone? We don’t have to decide today. I just want it out in the open. You guys let ME know. I’ll do what I can to make it happen.”


Duncan had never actually used the word superhero. Still he could just about read those words in the eyes of these kids. But so far, there really was no need for “superheroes.” That didn’t mean the government would love to train superpowered agents. And that was a very different sort of thing. Duncan hated to admit it, but that was inevitable. He could fight it. But even in doing that, he would be a part of it.


He fielded any questions. But mostly all he saw was uncertainty. He had no doubt he could have recruited them - much as Habersham had tried to do. He had once allowed himself to be recruited. Oh the propaganda hadn’t even phased him. He had seen it for what it was. He had made up his mind long before he walked into a recruiter’s office. All he had been interested in were his options. As it turned out the recruiter had an option that interested him - a “critical need” that he was highly qualified for - military intelligence.


These kids? Except for Amber, their qualifications were minimal. They lacked patriotism. They lacked a real sense of responsibility. They were mostly self-centered - worried about their future. He couldn’t blame them. But he really wished they could see the possibilities that had opened up for them. Oddly enough, the two that impressed him the most he was fairly certain didn’t like each other much - despite earlier appearances - Kyle and Victoria.


One problem child at a time.


He got everyone started on Smores and let them enjoy them awhile, timing Kyle’s munching until it slowed down. Then he caught the younger man’s attention. “Kyle?” He led the other away, lips firmly clamped shut until they were away. Once they were out of earshot he raised a bubble - not two - for privacy.


Duncan wasted no time. “Sorry about yesterday. I wish I could blame it all on low blood sugar, but I can’t. Yeah I was trying to hurry and get us out of there. But it wasn’t just so I could eat. You already created an event that was going to eventually lead to us. I made it a hell of a lot worse. Lot, lot worse … it Cartel hunting us worse. I knew it was astronomically low in probability that Victoria was the Press or an agent.” He paused.


“I sent you out to get money for a few reasons. A: you wanted to do something. That meant more to me than you know - and it proved to be enough. I would RATHER you not have got shot it.” He smiled a little. “Fact is, you remind me a little of one of my little twin brothers. So it’s hard for me to remember that you are a grown man. Hell that are in their 40’s and I still seem them at age 6 in my mind. You remind me of some of the dumb kids - and I mean basic training and tech school age military 18-22 year olds I served with. I was 17 when I enlisted. I remember our first Russian instructor. I swear she looked like that brunette, agent XXX, from The Spy Who Loved Me. She didn’t speak a word of English. But every guy in the class paid rapt attention.”


Duncan was trying not to grin. “Crap, I’m that age now. Anyways, I remember the effect she had on us. I didn’t want to chance Victoria using that sort of charm on you. And as much of a hurry as I was in, I wanted to move things along. But … I really shouldn’t have. You were stringing HER along. But she was a very good liar. She avoided all the classic mistakes. Her only real mistake was overacting, trying to sound dumber than she was. I have the same problem. Very hard to lobotomize myself. She couldn’t act dumb for long. My guess is that I had let you string her along long enough, she’d have broke. I don’t think you have what she wanted.


“I don’t like lies. I think I mentioned that. That was the first thing she did. But I can’t really blame her either. I think we ought to give her a second chance - and hope to hell she isn’t more trouble than she’s worth.”

 

[Iacentis]

Jane Collins


2000 hrs, July 30, 2015


Teakettle Island


Most of the last day had been one big blur for Jane, dashing in and out of sleep as she, quite simply found herself unable to stay awake for very long while the sun stood high in the sky. Occasionally, she'd been awoken, they'd moved somewhere, she'd gotten to eat some soup, then she fell asleep again. It really was quite dull, as she never managed to sleep more than an hour before something happened it seems, during one pass, she managed three hours, but after that, no luck.


It was about eight in the evening, at least that's what she guessed, when she awoke again. People were moving around, talking here and there, and she was still a bit tired, like she'd been awaken by her alarm clock just before school. Rising, she rubbed what appeared to be a bit of foliage from her second and third arm on the right and let her gaze sweep the camp for a moment. Nothing of interest to her really seemed to be happening, they were on an island, a rather big one at that, perhaps she could take a bath to wake herself up?


She'd notify the others of course, most of them would likely knew where she headed anyway, but it was polite of her to do so, at least she thought it was. Lowering herself down a bit, she let out a bit of web as to write a simple message in the grass "Out for a-" she stopped, she hadn't really noticed, perhaps she was still waking up, but she was weaving way faster than before, it sent a rush of excitement down her spine, she didn't really want to bathe anymore, she wanted to experiment again, see what her new found improvements could achieve, she finished the message quickly and set of in a sprint towards the woods, leaving behind the webbing in the ground that spelled out "Out for a run."


The edge of the forests welcomed her as she rushed into them, she stopped, casually turning her upper right hand towards a branch on a nearby tree, focused for a moment, and the web from her spinneret on the hand shot out and stuck to the branch. She could barely contain a giggle, cutting the thread at the start of it and leaving it hanging there, easier to follow her that way. Then she shot another string, this time towards a higher branch, and used it to climb into the tree, perching herself just beneath its crown, she gaze out over the woodlands beneath. She'd really only seen it in videos and movies, but she had to try, what was she to do if not fulfill the nickname given to her?


A web shot out, she'd found a suitable branch a bit away, it stuck, and she pulled on it with three arms, just to make sure the branch would hold, she'd stopped worrying about the webs themselves by now, they were strong and she knew it. Then she grasped on, not having any particular problem lifting her own weight when it was split eightfold, and leaped of. Soaring trough the air, she let out a shrill cry of excitement as she swung just above the ground, then high into the air, almost landing face first into the stem of another big tree, then starting to swing backwards. She waited until it was relatively safe to drop of, about when the living pendulum she made up had swung eight times, and stepped of grinning.


Then she ran, forwards, eyes making it easy to perceive where she should aim, she shot, hit and swung, she was fast, faster than she'd been in the water with six arms, and now, she was primarily using two of them to guide her forwards, the other four only assisting in her grip as she traveled trough the woods. She wasn't really keeping track of time or distance, so when the edge of the island appeared before her, a short beach just beyond the treeline, she found herself stopping briefly, landing on a solid branch and peering down, perhaps she should get back soon? She was about to head back, before she realized she was covered in sweat, she had, after all, just gone trough some intense exercise.


So instead, she decided on a bath, hanging everything she didn't want to get wet upon the branch she was standing on, she took a moment, then swung down from the tree, released the web like she had so many others, leaving a notable trail trough the forests, and dove into the water.

 

[Seanzah Angel]

Kyle Evitt


8:00PM, July 30th, 2015 (Day 34)


Teakettle Island


Kyle listened to Duncan once more as he began to talk about the future of the group, asking them what they wanted to do. Though he was a generally indecisive person and couldn't make his mind up on many things to save his life, he knew that he wanted to do something to put his powers to use. At first, he didn't care what that use might have been. While underground, he had so much pent up anger from being so claustrophobic that he could have just done literally anything to get out of there. Now that they were out his thoughts were much more mellow and contained.


He waited to tell Duncan this information, though. While he didn't mind everyone else knowing everything about him since they were practically stuck with each other, he still figured the only person who was going to help him decide what to do with his powers was Duncan, since Duncan was literally the smartest out of all of them and the most equipped with these situations. Even if it meant becoming a superhero and wearing spandex. Well... maybe not.


What Kyle did know, and was certain that Duncan knew it just as much as he did, was that there was no possible way this small group were the only people with supernatural abilities. The meteors that allegedly gifted them their powers landed all over the place, and two others showed up even after they were all rounded up by the military. There were bound to be others, and there were bound to be some that would wish ill will with their abilities. Containment of these people would be needed and maybe they could learn to see why they must be stopped - before the government gets to them, that is. Kyle always had a sore spot for the government. Even though they meant well and they did things that other people wouldn't want to do, there were times when Kyle felt they did things the wrong way.


Perhaps Kyle could help correct that somehow.


For the mean time, he would enjoy the Smores that Duncan set out for them. He hadn't had anything very sweet for a while, as he had refused any treats the personnel in Granite Peak gave him for no other reason than to spite them. He probably didn't need them anyway.


He had two and was finishing his third when Duncan came up to him. "Kyle?" Duncan said, grabbing his attention. Startled, Kyle wiped the chocolate from the corners of his mouth and sucked the gooey marshmallow and chocolate remains from his fingers. Without saying a word, he followed Duncan away from the rest of the group. It almost felt like Deja Vu after talking with Amber who blamed his sour mood on his lack of food intake. Well, he had eaten now, so maybe he was feeling better.


He was surprised at how quickly Duncan began talking, jumping straight to the point instead of beating around the bush. He apologized, blaming the crunch in time and his own impatience over his large apetite, which Kyle appreciated quite a bit. He suspected that's what it was, even after Amber told him otherwise. And again, hearing it from Duncan made it seem even more genuine than if Amber had told him exactly the same thing.


He continued to listen as Duncan told him how much his initiative meant to him, how he reminded him of his brother and the dumb kids from his basic training course, and even through the short story and bad joke, though Kyle grinned at it anyway. He began to tie all of this to Duncan barging in on Kyle and Victoria, and even though Kyle had told himself he was over it and forgot about it, the memory came back and seared the back of his mind.


He almost became angry again, but when Duncan told him that he realized Kyle was the one interrogating Victoria instead of the other way around, even though it seemed to be that way, the anger dissapated and the corners of Kyle's mouth perked up again. "I agree on giving her a second chance. However, I also feel like she is going to be a little trouble to contain and manage. Not that I think we should micromanage her - that would only make her angry. Still, she should be watched closely." He told him, and even though Kyle could probably do that with any of the others, he felt Victoria was probably another story. He felt she would try to escape just to see if she could.


However, no one would ever know anything if no one ever tried. Which was a good turning point for Kyle to tell Duncan how he felt about what he thought of helping.


"I've been giving it a bit of thought, about what we want to do with ourselves now..." He said, trailing off to collect all of his thoughts. "And, I thought of this first when we were in Granite Peak. I felt so closed in that I would have done just about anything to get out of there and start using my powers. But once we escaped, I began to think even more about it. It wasn't until a while ago that I decided I want to help - with anything. I know there will be others like us. Like Victoria and Cat - they weren't brought in like we were, but they were still out there, and there are still more out there, waiting for something to happen to them. People will become afraid if they realize there are people out there more powerful than them. It's human nature. We hate what we don't understand." He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.


"So, even if it's just flying around and putting trackers on hoodlums who may or may not have powers, I will be happy to do it. Mostly because I'll be doing something with myself rather than just sit and wait for something to happen. Because, well, this place is nice, but it's going to get very old very quickly." He glanced around, confirming his thoughts with himself.

 

[Writer]

James Michael


8:00PM, July 30th, 2015 (Day 34)


Teakettle Island


The island was nice, certainly nicer than James had been expecting. It seemed that getting that money had more than paid off for them. He chuckled to himself a bit at that pun. On the ride over, he had elected to swim the whole way, rather than board the boat. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the luxury yacht, but he hadn't had a real chance to test himself in open waters. Boy oh boy could he swim fast. That was made apparent to him quickly. The yacht was moving at a snail's pace compared to him. It was moving so slow, James just elected to go straight towards the island to check out the digs before everyone else arrived. Everyone arrived in short order, and people got themselves situated.


Duncan gathered everyone up, save for Jane, notably absent from their recent group discussions. She seemed to be avoiding them, well, not him, but the rest of the group. Still, James had to put such a thought out of his mind at the present. There wasn't much he could do about that currently. James wasn't exactly thrilled that Duncan thought happily ever after wasn't an option. That was exactly what James wanted, in his own special way. A remote island, with no one around besides himself and Jane for thousands of miles, completely off the grid. It'd be as close to paradise as James could think of.


Although the subject had never been brought up before, James wasn't fond of violence. Sure, he had knocked Victoria unconscious when she snuck up on the group, but that was different. While James might have look like a big scary monster, he still had the same caring heart. He had never been for violence, perhaps due to his natural disadvantage when it came to that area. Still, the thought of fighting others, harming others, was not something that James was confident he could stomach. It simply wasn't who he was.


"I don't think we have any business getting involved in any of it. Not fighting, not government, nothing. If they come for us, we just move again. And we keep moving, until they give up. None of us are fighters. We're not seasoned military personal either. You go up against people, the kind of people you're thinking about, and you're not invincible. You'll end up injured or dead. I won't help support anyone who wants to be another bag. I-" James paused for a moment, his emotions getting the better of him. "I've had to many damn friends die already."


James meant every word of that. To him, each and everyone of them, at least the group that had been in Area 51 with him, were friends, if not family, to him. Most of his old friends had died in New York City from the radiation, although it wasn't like he could go back and see them if they were alive. But James hadn't been the guy to get emotional. He had coped publicly and mourned privately. He had made new friends, these friends, who understood and respected what he had gone through. But now, if anyone of them died, there was no one else. No other group of mutants out there he could turn to. What if they all got themselves killed, and he was the only one left? That thought, more than any, scared him. If there was one thing James knew, it was that if he was left alone like this he wasn't sure he was going to like what he would become.


As the conversation came to a close, with no real resolution reached, James set off to find a quiet place. He needed some time alone to think to himself. That conversation had made him a bit too emotional, exposed wounds he thought he had closed.

 

[sharlene79]

Lori Stevens (and Ashley Pierce)


0530 hrs August 1, 2015 (Day 36)


RV “Safehouse” 1 - Ohio Key


Later at Teakettle Island


Lori chose to follow Duncan’s route and continued down to the RV park on Ohio Key. RV parks had lousy privacy. The State Parks were great, but had very limited in allowed time. Park rangers came around all the time. The RV Park didn’t mind that Lori paid cash - the month in advance.


To make their way to Teakettle Island where Duncan and his friends were Lori and Ashley had to make their exodus while it was still dark. It was inconvenient and meant they wouldn’t be able to return until late evening.


Lori made it a point to wear not one, but two life preservers as well as a beacon. She was clearly nervous as all hell about the idea of being carried over water. But she didn’t have the time to find someone who would rent out without an ID card - and she was paranoid about security cameras, copying of her license, and such. At least she didn’t whine too much about heights. Ashley could tell her new friend’s knuckles were white as she held on and did her best to lean back, not forward.


Then she remembered she could fly. It was stupid, she knew, but as they say old habits die hard. She could have flown and carried her own wheelchair. But she decided to say nothing. It might be useful to appear more helpless than she was. And now that Ashley had gone to such lengths to help, she felt a little embarrassed to admit she had actually forgot a thing like ‘oh and by the way I can fly.’ She’d never live it down. Besides she was nervous as hell just going outside.


She missed her old apartment. More, she missed the asian family she had practically adopted. When she met them they were scared spitless by the Tong who had been extorting them for more money. So she … made arrangements. It had earned her the privilege of food being delivered to her door - no questions asked. And she got her groceries delivered - again no questions. Payments were never late. And she paid the family well, always tipped. It had been the most dangerous things she had done since her “accident.”


But what the little apartment over the restaurant had given her was privacy and security. She never had to go outside. She looked at her gloves. She always wore them to go outdoors - largely to avoid leaving fingerprints. She had, of course, told Ashley it was more sanitary. Somehow she suspected that Ashley didn’t believe her. Lori was a terrible liar. Oh she could make up some of the best lies, cover stories. But to actually tell them herself?


Lori made it a point to thank Ashley - more than once. Always thank your ‘meat shield.’ It was her MMORPG motto. She took a little comfort in the fact that if any of the people hunting her ever showed up, Ashley could handle anything they threw at her - or get them out of there to safety. Lori had already briefed Ashley on the layout of the island and the best approach to avoid being spotted by other islands (azimuth 070). This was also the best approach for Duncan and his group to spot them though as it brought them right over the Ferretti yacht. She had Ashley pop up and over the yacht and set them down on the dock.


At 0600 Lori expected that most of Duncan’s group would be asleep. She couldn’t have been more wrong ….


“H-hell --oo?” Lori’s voice quavered. When Ashley had first met her she had been like that. She had been slow to open up. Once she DID open, she wouldn’t stop yapping - often about stuff Ashley could really care less about - like her games, classic literature (in the original Greek). Who cares how it was said in Greek if they don’t understand Greek?

Spoiler

Ashley Pierce - the armor is smoother (none of the sharper pointy stuff) for high speed flight. Initially her her armor will be completely enclosed. It has a sort of alien look to it. (It was designed to appear both stylish and menacing at the same time.) Sort of a cross between the two pics above. As time goes by it will start to conform more to the open faced version.

Lori Stevens

 

[Mitheral]

Duncan Moran


1100 hrs, August 2, 2015 (Day 37)


Teakettle Island


Along with the day’s Duncan Express “mail” this day were unexpected items - not things Duncan had specified be sent. In point of fact they might have been considered a violation of the agreement. There was mail addressed specifically to each member of the group - except the new members. This mail came wrapped in an anti EMP mesh. Inside each was a burner phone with a sticky note that had a phone number on it.


There were also care packages for Victoria and Catheryn - their new ID’s and dossiers. These also had a burner phone - but just one each.


And of course there was a stack of books for Duncan.


Roy Habersham


2000 hrs, August 2, 2015 (Day 37)


Groom Lake (the real Area 51)


The sounds of Roy’s footsteps echoed hollowly despite the fact that he had a rather soft step. The men who had escorted stopped and held their position at the edge of a red line that circled the containment room in the center of the dark warehouse. He stopped as well as they were approached by armed guards. After a brief but tense check of his security credentials Habersham crossed the line.


“Sir, this way,” one man gestured.


Of course this way. Roy never ceased to be amazed at the ability of men to state the obvious. But he said nothing. He was patient as they helped him don a contamination suit before entering.


“Is the suit necessary?” Roy asked.


“Who knows? We are dealing with an artifact from a technology far beyond anything Earth has.”


“I see. Let’s continue with this lecture once inside. I wanted to see the fragment for myself.” Once inside, he stepped up. The fragment wasn’t large at all.


“Careful sir!”


Roy just stared at the damned thing. It looked like a hunk of a metallic meteorite, but with odd coloration and crystals. “Composition?”


“We … don’t know sir.”


“You mean to tell me you’ve had this thing for over a month and you don’t know anything?” He was getting a little irritated. “I know a man who could probably tell US what it is and he’s never even seen one.”


“I didn’t say that sir. I said we didn’t know what it is made of. But we do know some of the properties and can speculate both composition and other properties. We just haven’t figured out a way to confirm anything yet. For starters it is dense - not neutron star dense, but not planetary core dense either - somewhere in between. We suspect is is manmade - or rather made by a sapient race. First of all it part pure, part alloys. We believe the crystals were gems. All are a hyperdense allotropic material - like those carbon allotropes that are harder than diamond. The metal looking sections are - we think - allotropic forms of iron, silver, and copper as well as traces of a dozen other metals and metalloids. Our best guess is that it was a hull.


“Properties - the ability to absorb and re-radiate vast amounts of energy. This fragment - we think it’s inert. No radiation. In fact it is very likely that ALL the fragments have already re-radiated all the radiation that they absorbed. They are so resilient that we can’t even sample it. We were just lucky we could find a piece small enough to use here.”


Roy nodded. “I want a piece. Actually I want several pieces. Clean ones. Decontaminate them. Make sure they aren’t leaking radiation.”


“Sir, I just told you ---”


Roy turned on the man, looking up at him. Roy was shorter than most men. “I think I know how to work the material. Purifying the individual materials? That remains the mystery - as does their purpose. But the first step is to be able to create samples - right? Get a larger fragment - 1 to 10 kg is fine. I’ll take it myself and have it cut into usable pieces.”


Was the man not listening? The scientist shook his head to himself. Outwardly though he nodded. “Yes sir.”

 

[NeoLeaf]

Alexander


5:30 am August 1 2015 (Day 36)


Teakettle Island


Alexander was out at dark, sitting on a simple camping chair with his arms on a plastic folding table supporting his head which was by the way resting on the ends of his knuckles. His glasses are on top of his head, nestled deeply within the man's short afro and kept at a distance from his dreads. The face looks as though it were experiencing enlightenment; his eyebrows are resting on their spots, eyes were staring aimlessly at the scenery in front of him and his jaw was open. Daydreaming or in a trance. A strange figure had caught his attention and slowly brought him back from his daydreaming. The vision was blurry at first but he could see again and make up the form.


"...Oh..." A light groan had escaped his mouth when he tightly closed his eyes for around half a minute. Once he was done reconfiguring the muscles on his face he uprooted his glasses from his dark brown hair and put them on to see what was disturbing his daydreaming. A slender looking humanoid figure that seems to be enclosed in a smooth metallic looking armor - just by judging from the figure he could tell that that thing was a woman. Alex concentrated his eyes towards the armor and had his penetrating vision activated. This is strange... Alex can't see through that armor. Why? Alex could penetrate walls that had 6 inches of depth, so why not that light looking armor?In front of that armored individual was a blonde haired woman in a funny looking wheelchair that looking like a cross between a quadbike and an office chair.


"Gutentag?" He greeted with a questionable tone.

 

[Isis]

Victoria


5:30 am August 1 2015 (Day 36)


Teakettle Island


Two days had past since Victoria had joined the group of others, mutants like herself. Perhaps join wasn't the right word though. Although she walked among them, she didn't feel like one of them at all. She might have thought she had mastered the power of invisibility, were it not for the fact that the others reacted to her presence. That reaction though was nothing more than a cold shoulder or even a scowl if that person was Kyle. Not a word was spoken to her. No one called her name, wanted to get to know her, or anything even resembling interest in her. In fact, the first time she had actually heard her name called was when Duncan mentioned he wanted to speak to her at some point. He was perhaps the only one who didn't seem to completely ignore her, although she had learned he wasn't someone she could really talk to.


Duncan seemed to be on a level above everyone else, for reasons Victoria hadn't been able to pin down. She saw the level of respect the others had for him. She could even hear it in their voices. Not only was he some kind of leader to them, but he was also some kind of father figure, a fact that Victoria found bizarre. The man looked no older than Kyle or Alex. Why did they treat him as if he was their father? The simplest solution would have been to ask another person in the group about Duncan, but then again no one wanted to talk to her.


Victoria was taking the rejection harder than she had expected. She barely knew these people, yet somehow their approval meant everything to her. Perhaps it was because they were like her, people who could understand what she was going through. She knew she needed someone to talk to about her changes, and at the same time she wanted to be someplace where she felt she belonged. Right now, she had neither of these things with this group. So, did she stay, or did she go? That was the question she asked herself for the past two days, and it was the question she asked herself at 5:30 that first morning in August, skipping stones on the beach into the ocean.


Suddenly, there was a commotion on the beach as a woman in wheelchair appeared. Behind her stood some kind of armor. Victoria's initial thought was that there was a person inside, although she wasn't so sure. From her side vantage point though, the armor looked menacing. Whoever or whatever it was meant business. Victoria's mind began to race, trying to figure out how they had approached undetected. They must have come in low, from behind the yacht. That was the only way Victoria wouldn't have spotted them with her vision. Otherwise, she would have seen them coming a long way off. She was too far away to hear any talking, but she was certainly close enough to react.


Were these the assassins? Had they found them so quickly? Victoria's mind was already in go mode, her body primed for action. Prior, she had been in her Asian form, but she instantly switched to her Russian form, the one that was currently carrying the gun, a Beretta 9mm. She hadn't been planning on ever using it, but unlike the others in the group, she didn't have some kind of magical fighting mechanism. She couldn't shrink to microscopic size, have super sharp claws, or shoot lasers. Nothing like that. Victoria needed a good old gun to protect herself, something she knew how to use very, very well. Despite the mystical trainers' appearances which seemed to hark back to times long ago, they were surprisingly modern in their training, putting heavy, heavy emphasis on pistol usage. Although she had never fired one in real life, she had become an expert marksman on the mystical island, and Victoria had learned that practice and experience there was the same as in real life. She could recall it all just as vividly as real life, too.


Victoria might have yelled to warn the others on the island, but that would require she have a loud voice, something she didn't have. But a gun, that was loud. Really loud. And if it had the added benefit of stopping this threat in advance, well that was just an added bonus.

 

[Iacentis]

Jane Collins


5:30 am August 1 2015 (Day 36)


Teakettle Island


As the dawn slowly started to break over the island, Jane found herself sitting in another hammock she'd spun during recent days. It was hung between two rather tall trees, about two meters of the ground and in noticeably higher quality than the first one she'd tried to make. Generally, she was learning, or perhaps adapting too her new form quite rapidly. Her ability to see in the night was now unprecedented in comparison to before, thought it made daylight near blinding unless she wore really thick sunglasses, something her current ones just barely managed to fill the role of.


Luckily, the sun was rising behind her today, so with her glasses on, she could still behold the world for a little bit more before it became painful to do so. Most of the others were sleeping still, it was perhaps the greatest bother of this new existence, social interaction was severely limited, not just because she had six arms and a slightly inhuman look. She'd forgotten herself a few hours ago and went to see James, only to find him asleep, she'd watch him for a short while, it had put a smile on her lips. Afterwards, she'd left a small string of web, shaped like a heart and left.


Adding a few threads to the hammock, her attention was drawn to the figure of Victoria, standing on the beach a few hundred meters away, she'd just changed from one form to another, that much she could tell. She wondered if, at first, the woman was only playing with her power, though the way she was perched told her she was looking at something, shifting her head faintly to the left, as to no longer hold Victoria in her peripheral vision, she set her attention upon the moving figures even further away. It wasn't James waking up and returning to ground as she had hoped, in fact, she didn't recognize either of these people, not that she could make out much of them from afar, only that one of them seemed armoured, and that the other was in a wheelchair.


Lowering herself down to the ground by a thread from the hammock, she headed into the more central parts of the camp, if these were newcomers, friendly or hostile, she sure as hell didn't want to be the one to greet them. As she was about halfway there, she spotted Alexander however, previously hidden from her view by a singular tree, he might as well have approached the newcomers already, saved some work for her.


She headed closer, walking rather casually across the ground, it was really hard to tell how well the others could see her in the still rather dark morning, so she held her four lower arms behind her back, if they could perceive her silhouette, she'd look rather normal, in comparable daylight it would be obvious however. She moved up to the tree that had previously blocked her sight, about five meters away from were Alexander was located. She remained there, silent for now, meaning only to listen in unless other things were required.


Then the gunshot came, she saw it, clearly as an arrow flying trough the air, Victoria held a gun, why hadn't she spotted it earlier? Why did she have it? Her eyes watched as the small metallic object soared trough the air, to fast to accurately detect, but just fast enough for her to perceive its location and direction down to the decimetre. She started drawing back, a shocked yelp expelled form her lips after what, at this time, felt like an eternity.

 

[RIPSaidCone]

Ashley Pierce


5:30 AM, August 1, 2015 (Day 36)


Teakettle Island


Ashley inspected the area closely, checked and double checked most of her surroundings, she could notice 2 or 3 figures around her, at different distances and from different directions. She couldn't keep an eye on all of them, so she decided to just keep an eye on Lori, to make sure she was doing alright. One of the figures, a male one, the closest one to them spoke up first. With a simple German greeting, `Please understand English` Ashley pleaded mentally. She had a zero tolerance level for those who didn't understand what she had to say, even lower. If that was possible, for those who couldn't even speak English, it irritated her, she didn't know why. It just did. She didn't have the patience to try and translate for them or make it simpler, if she had a point that she wanted to make, she would make it, without any of the language barriers.


It seemed like a relatively peaceful island, Lori had briefed her on it before the two had set off. It did seem like the kind of place you'd want to go to if you retired, or had a holiday home, OR even if you wanted to escape the government or just try to get out of the picture for a while. She couldn't blame them for choosing here, and could easily see why. It was peaceful however until a sudden gunshot rang out loudly, disturbing probably 90 percent of the island, the birds from the nearby trees cawed and made those noises that they did, flying off in different directions and rattling the trees as they did so. Ashley didn't have the time to accurately pinpoint where the shot had come from, but it had already...not hit her? She didn't feel it, she felt a warm sensation in her knee but that was it. Had the gunwoman missed?


She looked to Lori, who had a knowing smirk on her face. `Must've had something to do with it` Ashley told herself in her head. Deciding to ignore the obviously aggressive woman and walk towards the German speaking man slowly, she had to appear friendly to them, as to not deteriorate relations before they even began. She forced her armor to retract to show her face and her fringe, she smiled at him before extending her hand, where she had retracted her armor partially also. For a nice handshake, it was putting a little bit of strain on her, she would be lying if she said it wasn't. But it would be worth it in the long run hopefully.


"Ashley Pierce, nice to meet you." She said politely, her features becoming more soft in nature, trying to be as polite and charming as possible to these new people she had met. She wasn't the best at social interaction, but she knew how it worked well enough.

 

[NeoLeaf]

Alexander


Around 5:30 am August 1 2015 (Day 36)


Teakettle Island


When Alexander had heard he had immediatly rose up from from his his chair and knocked down his cheap plastic table in the process. His heart exploded within his chest with tickling 'fluffy' energy. His adrenaline activated and surged through his veins thus made him more wary of his surroundings and a tad surprised. He didn't see the shot but he felt several awkward. He turned his head to the trees and could see the birds escapeing and in the darkness of the woods and docks he could see two areas with electrical activities... He glanced at a tree close to him and could figure out that those were Jane's nerves. Awhile the other one he's not quite sure who that is - the figure was bit too far away and it was too dark to make up the silhouette's appearance. Alexander paid attention once more to the armoured humanoid and the woman in the wheel chair who had started to appraoch him.


Vulnerable he had held his breath for whatever comes after.


This armoured humanoid was two or three heads shorter than him, but Alex could feel a certain air around this one and didn't want to risk a fight. She had her armor to retract to show her face and her fringe, she smiled at him before extending her hand, where she had retracted her armor partially also. The woman had her hand stretched out before her and an open palm. Alex looked at the open palm and felt a bit less tense.


"Ashley Pierce, nice to meet you." She said in a polite tone.


Alexander looked at her opened palm and back at her shadowy face. He hesitated for a moment but soon slowly pulled out his right arm to grab her plam. His hand grabbed Ashley's and tried to keep his composure.


"Alexander Büchner." his neck made swallowing motions. Fock! I ratted out my real name! Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-!! Alex felt like an idiot for the first time in awhile and he couldn't hide it behind his sheepy smile.

 

[sharlene79]

Lori Stevens


Around 5:30 am August 1 2015 (Day 36)


Teakettle Island


Lori’s mind had compartmentalized, multitasking in ways that no ordinary human could imagine. Her power wasn’t flashy. She couldn’t shoot laser beams from her eyes or stop a bullet. Well, her body armor could, but she really didn’t want to put it to the test. She had no gun. Oh she owned a few. But she never found a need to actually use one. She did carry her hand taser and mace though. And she could imagine that anyone with a heightened sense of smell would have eyes watering around her. She had squeezed a couple quick squirts out to test the pressure on her current can of the vile stuff before taking off. She hardly ever wasted time with pepper spray. Mace was so much more effective.


Ashley really didn’t need her help either. She had watched two armed thugs empty clips into her armor without putting so much as a scratch on her armored friend. Her friend, in turn, had disarmed the men with simple efficiency. Well, she let them keep their arms - just not their guns. Those she crushed in her armored fists like they were beer cans. And with the single word “run” she had gotten them all to leave - even the ones screaming in pain from the mace.


Alex’s simple phrase, “Guten Tag” unlocked Lori’s ability to speak. Normally she would have been shy, taking hours or days to open up. But she was a polyglot. And the simple phrase unlocked her inner geek.


“Guten Morgen. Duncan ist hier? Wir haben viel zu erzählen,” Lori spoke rapidly. She handed over a folder and opened it to a sketch - of Duncan. “Ich tat diese Skizze vor ein paar Tagen. Ich dachte, er würde Dich interessieren. Das Foto ist auch von ihm - und das kryogene girl - Catheryn - am Walmart. Ashley rettete mich vor einiger Mühe den anderen Tag. Ich bin gerade aus für sie.”


Lori’s German was pretty good, but slightly accented. However it wasn’t an American accent, or British.


She leaned her head back. “The Black Lagoon guy isn’t here. But he might be back soon. He’s out hunting for breakfast. But he really needs to be careful with that lionfish.” She paused. “Never mind. That tail and those talons come in pretty handy.” She made a face. “Bleah … I love sushi, but --” Lori stopped there. Ashley probably didn’t want to hear her go on about sushi. She had complained for the past three days about missing her favorite sushi.


Her head came back down as she flushed a little. “Uhm … uhm .. L-lori.” She stuck a hand out. She tossed a glance at Victoria.

 

[NeoLeaf]

Alexander


Around 5:30 am August 1 2015 (Day 36)


Teakettle Island


“Guten Morgen. Duncan ist hier? Wir haben viel zu erzählen,” The blonde woman had spoke rapidly. She then handed over a folder and opened it to a sketch - of Duncan. “Ich tat diese Skizze vor ein paar Tagen. Ich dachte, er würde Dich interessieren. Das Foto ist auch von ihm - und das kryogene girl - Catheryn - am Walmart. Ashley rettete mich vor einiger Mühe den anderen Tag. Ich bin gerade aus für sie."


Alexander was surprised when he heard the one in the wheelchair actually respond back in German. It was something that he didn't expect from the rest of the United States - his experience in the Midwest had left him the impression that most of the people with German surnames names could speak little to no German. Whatever the case he complies and raises an eyebrow as he browsed through the folder. The dark smudges of a pencil, reflective grey lead scratches and the feeling of rough paper - a sketch. The man could literally smell the age of this sketch just by have a whiff of pencil led touch his nose and nodded to confirm that the Duncan sketch is only a few days old. The photos he could make out were of them and it made him more wary.


He pushed his glasses against his nose and blinked a couple of times as he processed the language into his head. It seems that they have an interest in Duncan and the rest of the group. She drew the sketch a couple of days ago and had those photos printed out not that long ago either. He could care less about how Ashley had saved her from a number of thugs and her funny comment about sushi and their 'monster of the black lagoon'.


Her head came back down as she flushed a little. “Uhm … uhm .. L-lori.” She stuck a hand out. Alexander had finished shaking hands with the armored woman who calls herself Ashley and carefully took The blonde woman's hand. At this point he can't help but talk in German tongue.


"Nett dich kennen zu lern." He bowed his head. Ah, it seems that she has noticed something. Alexander's eyes took a glance at the location of the source of electronic activity. Yeahh, still there and so is Jane.

 

[Mitheral]

Duncan Moran


Around 5:30 am August 1 2015 (Day 36)


Teakettle Island


Duncan had been enjoying a transition book for his PhD level studies in Physics when the shot rang out. The book slammed shut and he took off for the door. while he could have simply ported to the beach, he would have arrived weak and useless. So he had to make do with slow, ordinary human speeds. By the time he made it to the exterior door the situation was pretty much over. No more shots rang out.


From the door he could see the flood lights on and the armored figure with the girl in the wheelchair talking to Alex. He raised an eyebrow. Now that was unexpected. he might have expected Kyle to get there first. He reviewed quickly what he knew of the group.


Kyle knew better than to shoot unless actually threatened. After his teasing about the bullet holes in his shirt, he had a feeling the kid would think first the next time he had a problem to deal with - maybe. Alex didn’t seemed to be the one who had done the shooting. It was too soon after the shooting for him to be shaking hands and talking. The kid hadn’t even wanted to play paintball. Jane? No, didn’t seem her style. James? Definitely not. Amber? Hell no. Cat … maybe. But considering what she could do with ice, why bother with a gun?


Victoria.


Duncan shoulder’s sagged. Who else? If anyone could “safely” carry a firearm during one of his ports, it would be her. Well, he had plenty of time to think about how he wanted to handle this issue before he got to the whole mess. At least it didn’t appear to be turning into a fiasco. That more than anything is what surprised him. It meant the two new arrivals could keep their wits about them - he hoped.


Then he realized what else the gunshot meant.


By the time he got down to the docks The woman in the wheelchair - Lori - was babbling in German - and mentioning his name. She was already looking at him when she should have been half blinded by the flood lights. He paid her no attention. Instead he walked straight past the new arrivals to look at the side of the yacht. He stopped there, inspecting the hull.


“She’s gonna kill us. SOMEone shot our boat. Anyone care to guess what this thing costs? Trust me it is more than we have. Well, at least we aren’t having to bail it out. I have a good guess as to who fired the shot. Not our new guests.” He stuck his hand out for the folder with the sketch in it without so much as a word. “”My first guess,” he raised his voice a little for it to carry, “is that SOMEone decided to play Russian Roulette AFTER my warning about explosives.”


He took the sketch of himself out and showed it to Lori. “Who’s this supposed to be?” he studied the picture. “Handsome guy, huh? Do I have a stalker?” That got a blush out of Lori. He didn’t wait for an answer. Okay everyone, house. I’m hungry. It’s breakfast time. You too Victoria. We need to have a little chat. And no, I’m not mad. Amber might be when she finds out you shot her boat.” He grinned broadly, then forced a sigh. “Hungry. Let’s get some food in me before I get too many more surprises and turn into a dragon.” He looked around, and shook his head laughing. “Not literally. Low blood sugar. It’s not bad, but I do turn into a grouch when I don’t eat. I didn’t realize how late it was. Amber must be out jogging.


“Over breakfast we can introduce ourselves more properly. A warning: I despise lies. If you just don’t want to tell me, don’t. I am also going to want to know why you are here - and what new abilities you’ve discovered.” He glanced at Ashley. “I can guess some of yours. That isn’t exactly a Project Talos suit. Way more advanced. But you,” he looked at Lori, “Ms Professor X?”

 

[Seanzah Angel]

Kyle Evitt


About 5:30AM, August 1st, 2015


Teakettle Island


Sleep had taken over Kyle at about 11:30 the night before. His talk with Duncan was rather fruitfull, as they had discussed some things and smoothed things over. The hours after that were filled with eating more Smores. He had tried eating one with two marshmallows instead of one, which had been a sticky disaster that he hadn't really been prepared for. It took him about ten minutes just to wipe the goop off of his fingers and his face; there had been marshmallow as far up as the bridge of his nose.


He had a dream through the night about Kyle flying around, picking up thugs and dropping them into garbage bins and then going to a bar and getting drunk. If he had been a person who analyzed and predicted what dreams meant, he would have to guess that he didn't exactly want to be stuck with small time criminals. He wanted to be doing something much greater with his abilities. He wanted to be doing something that would make a much larger difference than making sure one man doesn't rob a gas station. However, doing such things on his free time would be fine with him.


Later through the night he dreamed of flying at speeds much greater than his current top speed of 160MPH and a size much smaller than his current nine-inch Ken Doll appearance, tearing through the atmosphere at speeds that fighter jets couldn't reach. He dipped and dive-bombed downwards, punching holes through the clouds as he made way for a large abandoned building. He slowed exponentially as he neared the structure, then flipped his body to make a slow fall for the ground in a neater landing than he had ever done before. Then shots rang out, and all of a sudden he zoomed inside, and within seconds the shooters were rounded up in a corner. In the middle of the shootout was someone else who had powers. If he was asked, he wouldn't be able to explain his reasoning for knowing the person had powers... he just knew.


That dream was much closer to what he wanted than anything else.


Then he was awoken with a start as he heard a shot go off outside of the dream. He jerked up in the bed, breathing heavy and looking around. He saw Duncan move quickly towards the door to outside through a small window in the door. Immediately he shot out of bed, throwing on a random assortment of clothes that just happened to match. Blue polo, light brown cargo shorts, and he slipped a pair of black and white Vans on his feet. Then he shrunk to his Ken Doll size, opened the door, and was out of the house, flying high above everything to survey what happened.


From his point of view, he saw Duncan walking towards two women - one in a wheelchair and the other in some extremely weird suit of armor. Alex was the closest to the two women, holding some sort of folder or envelope and a drawing of someone he couldn't recognize as far up as he was. Victoria was the second closest, and who he assumed had been the culprit of the gunshot. Further inspection as he flew closer confirmed his assumptions, as she had a gun and Duncan was getting angry at her. He spotted Jane - just barely - a little ways off near her hammock on the edge of the wooded area. He had no idea where James was.


He flew down, increasing his size to decrease his speed and landed in the wide space between Victoria, Duncan, and Alex. He got a closer look at the woman with the body armor and the woman in the wheelchair. What he began to formulate in his mind was this: The two women - somehow - came to the island in search of Duncan, whose face was sketched on the paper that Alex was holding before. When they came, they startled Victoria, or perhaps threatened her, and she shot out somewhere. She couldn't have possibly been aiming for the women since none of them were injured. He heard Duncan talk about the boat, but couldn't make out enough words to hear everything that he said. Alex had been the only one to take the situation calmly, as far as he could tell.


Kyle stayed silent until he had enough information that he could start asking questions, or figuring out ways he could help the situation without escalating it.

 

[Isis]

Victoria


About 5:30AM, August 1st, 2015


Teakettle Island


Great. Just freaking great. Victoria thought to herself. She couldn't understand these people at all. Hell, she might as well just ax herself and be done with it That or find a way to acquire Kyle's ability of shrinking. Either one of those options would have been great right there. Unfortunately, she didn't have such a luxury. She might have changed forms, blended into a crowd and escaped to stave off the embarrassment, but there was no crowds, and everyone knew what her forms looked like.


Was she the only one concerned about these new people? They simply appeared out of thin air, unannounced, in the twilight hours of the morning. Everything Victoria had done, she'd do again in a heartbeat. At the very least, they should lock them up, or interrogate them until they learned who they were. Even if they seemed friendly, for all they knew they were government agents incognito who were simply buying time for the rest of their team to get into place. Duncan had some seriously whacked ideas of security. If he acted like this to every new arrival who showed up on their island, it was only a matter of time until one of them actually meant business, and Duncan got them all killed.


Scowling at Duncan, Victoria re-holstered her gun behind her back, before making the walk across the beach to join them. If any of them had been expecting to her wither and vanish now, they were wrong. All it had taken was seeing the look in Kyle's eyes as he looked over at her to get her riled up again. "I have already eaten," Victoria stated to Duncan in her thick Russian accent. The tone she was using was one of scorn, perhaps even slightly hostile. She didn't believe for a second that Duncan wasn't mad at her. Nothing Duncan had done so far had led her to believe that he still wasn't mad at her from when she first stumbled upon them all. Victoria failed to see any change that had occurred since then. "Let's talk now."


Everyone else in the group seemed to respect Duncan, enough to let him dictate the terms of what they did. Victoria had had enough of that. She wasn't going to let the passive-aggressive man dictate when they did and didn't talk. Victoria was fed up with a lot of things about the group, and the only way she felt she had to protest was to stop falling in line. It wasn't much of a protest, but it would at least force Duncan to action instead of ignoring her in the shadows. It might seem petty compared to, you know, government assassins and all that, and Victoria would be the first to acknowledge it probably was. That didn't change the fact that to her the prejudice towards her, the ignoring of her, and the exclusion of her by the others she felt was a major issue.

 

[Mitheral]

Duncan and Victoria


About 5:45 AM, August 1st, 2015


Teakettle Island


Duncan raised an eyebrow as Victoria tried to order him around. “I’m hungry. Tell you what. We’ll compromise. We’ll talk while I cook - unless anyone else here knows how to cook breakfast? Folks, kitchen’s going to be off limits for a little bit. Real quick, how does everyone like their eggs? There will be grits - the real stuff, not that instant crap. I was cooking my own breakfast when I was 7. Also, bacon and sausage. I can do some hash browns, pancakes and waffles. Yes, we have whipped cream, strawberries and blueberries. I have all the veggies we need for mixing with breakfast. Oh .. and you guys are going to love the coffee - real fresh ground, french pressed. None of that paper filter crap. If you would, let’s not press Victoria’s patience. Make your decisions quickly. Oh … and I should warn you, my Dad was once asked how he wanted his eggs. He said ‘any way is fine.’ They cracked two eggs - uncooked - onto his plate and served it.”


He made Victoria wait while he took their orders. Then he close the doors and started preparing breakfast. He paused and stared at the kitchen, closed his eyes slightly and made a silent ‘oboy’ noise. He looked slightly helpless at Victoria. Conspiratorily he admitted. “It’s been about 45 years since I did this - and I never actually did THIS.” He took in a deep breath and released and began to get to work.


“Okay … first … thank you.” He looked directly at her. “For trying to protect everyone. I may not agree with your methods. But I do appreciate them. You know most people in the world just want to be safe. They don’t care about the how or who make it happen. Now then, the gun. Hear me out before you respond. Before we ported I warned everyone to get rid of any unstable substances - gasoline, explosives, etc. You could have been killed. It is only a miracle that the gun didn’t explode.


“Now I know I had you take a cell phone and hide it on one of your forms. Protecting electronics from EMP is easy. Spatial shock due to hypergic energy differentials is another matter. You recall how you felt dead on your feet after porting? That was the result of part of the ATP in your body disrupting. If it all disrupted, you would explode - literally. Multiple ports can deplete your body so much your heart and lungs will stop working. ATP is what gives muscles energy.


“Thing is, even if you changed forms right after a port, you would still be weak. You know how I know that? That bump James gave you. It was still there when you changed that first day. If a wound is still there as you change forms, then your general biochemistry doesn’t change. If the ATP is shocked in all your forms … then so is the gunpowder in the bullets. And what would happen if the ammunition in that pistol exploded on your side?


“I tell you these things because I don’t want any of you hurt. I don’t mind risking my life for you kids. I saw more of the world by the time I was 15 than most people see their whole lives. I have completed most of my bucket list. I have had 3 careers, each about a decade. I would like all of you kids to get the chance to see the world.


“So before we port again, get rid of the bullets. We can always buy new ammo. You don’t need a background check for that as you do a gun. They just assume you have the gun already. Okay? Now … your turn. I’m going to wolf something down. I am paying attention.”

 

[Isis]

Victoria


About 5:45 AM, August 1st, 2015


Teakettle Island


Victoria was disarmed by Duncan's speech to her. Since she had decided to request (demand) that they talk immediately, she had been building up how the argument would go in her mind, coming up with all her objections and retorts to what she imagined Duncan was going to say. Victoria was almost positive that Duncan was going to be as angry as she was, and it'd likely devolve into a shouting match. That didn't bother her though, she could yell pretty loud, and it would feel really good to do so. She wanted so badly to be mad, angry, furious even at Duncan. How though, she could be mad at him? The conversation was going completely different than anticipated. Instead of yelling, he spoke with a light, reassuring voice, calm and gentle, but at the same time firm. The worst part was the compliments. He actually wasn't even mad at her, and here she was all worked and ready to trade verbal blows.


There was a bar stood in the kitchen, likely used as a stool by the others to reach things that were higher up. Victoria sagged her shoulders in defeat, slumping her body onto the stool and putting her arms on the counter before burying her head into them. Duncan had defeated her, if it had ever been a fight in the first place. Preparing for the argument that never took place had her so worked up, her brain was reeling trying to adjust to Duncan's calm demeanor. With a sigh, Victoria reached down into her waist band, grabbing the gun and setting it down the table. With quick precision, she removed the clip from the gun, placing them both flat on the counter, and pushing them over towards Duncan. "There. Vu win. That is wvat you wanted no?" Victoria's voice was heavy and laden with sorrow.


Solemnly, she rose to her feet, turning away from Duncan and heading towards the door that led outside the house. Victoria wanted to tell Duncan how she felt, to talk about the rejection she was feeling overall, but Victoria had never once in her life done something like that. She had always been the one who rejected others, not the one who was rejected. Victoria couldn't quite bring herself to say the words now that she wasn't angry. It would have been easier that way, at the height of her rage, to yell her feelings out. But now, thinking with a clear, cool head, the words just seemed so petty, pathetic, and puny. She was supposed to be strong, stoic, and soldierlike. That was what her trainers had been instilling upon her, and the way she had always conducted herself, even before the meteor strike.


One last time, Victoria turned around, looking at back at Duncan. "Duncan, I...." It was Victoria's last chance to say her piece. The words, still, wouldn't come. She bit her lip, casting her eyes dejectedly towards the kitchen floor, and simply stated, "Goodbye." Then, Victoria turned towards the outside door, prepared to make her leave from the group. There was the small problem that she was on an island, but she had the advantage of being a good swimmer. Since her change, it seemed from her training she had only gotten better at it. Running across the water was also an option. Regardless of how she did it, she was resourceful enough to find a way off. The question her thoughts kept turning towards is what would she do once she made it back to the mainland? Victoria had no idea.

 

[Mitheral]

Duncan and Victoria


About 5:45 AM, August 1st, 2015


Teakettle Island


Duncan gave a mental groan. People were so much work - especially kids and young adults. It would be sooo much easier to just leave these kids to their own resources. But outwardly he sighed. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” he snagged her sleeve between two fingers and tugged insistently. “Here, stir the grits. Try not to let them stick to the bottom of the pot. You know, Jane would be so much better at this than me. Three pairs of arms. Now THERE’s a short order cook in the making.”


It had dawned on him that Victoria might just be trying to manipulate him. If so, French was definitely not the way to go. He hated the language. But he pushed such thoughts aside.


“Tell you what, let’s get breakfast done and served. If we don’t finish up in here, I’ll take my breakfast to go and we can take a walk. I’ll just have the others interrogate Lori and Ashley and try to figure out why they are here. Enemy or not, I see no reason not to be civil while we can. Personally I think if they had been here to attack they would have approached from the north through the woods and grenaded us to death. Or maybe just not send the woman in the wheelchair that occupies the hands of the armored woman.


“ANYways … back to us. You seem miserable - if I may observe. I think you thought I was actually mad. I was - a little. But no more than a parent would be mad at a kid for nearly getting themselves hurt. You had the right intentions. That I appreciated. But you seem depressed. Let me tell you a little about myself. My friends tell me I am brutally honest. Never ask me a question you don’t want an honest answer for. The way I see it, if someone is a friend, you don’t lie to them. My Ex was an art major. She showed me her art portfolio and asked for my critique.”


Duncan chuckled. “It took me several long moments to decide how to respond. I finally explained as I am explaining to you and asked her if she wanted me to just nod my head and say it was nice, or nitpick it to death. She opted for brutal.” He laughed again. “I basically told her not to quit her day job, then ripped it apart verbally. I was constructive about it though. Let me tell you; three years later I was having trouble figuring out what was wrong with her art. Best I could manage was - something here looks off. She improved.


“That said, I am going to make an educated guess and say you come from money. You aren’t accustomed to working hard to eke out a living - certainly not minimum wages. You’ve had connections - and probably a start with funding from your family. You were one of those girls in high school that was popular - the center of attention. Now that is a guess, but I suspect a good one. You were a trend setter. If you said something was out of style, the other girls listened. And raining on your parade was a sure way to end up the school pariah.


“How am I doing so far?” He didn’t wait for a response. “You feel distressed because people aren’t accepting you. You feel neglected, distrusted. Part of that is my fault. I was a little harsh with you. That was hunger and impatience.” He took a long gulp of orange juice. When he stopped his hands were shaking. He looked at the grits and grabbed it and set it off the heat. “Looks good.”


“AMBER! Need hands. Time to feed the army.”


Amber helped them move a few large trays into the dining room. “Guys, eat while it’s hot. The coffee is French Pressed, so it might be a little strong. I forgot to ask if anyone prefers tea. I’m going to ask you guys to handle the rest. I am grabbing a to go plate and my coffee. Victoria and I still have some hashing out to do. Bon appetit.


“Oh … guys, the subject for discussion. What do our guests want. And … to use a quote … Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. Great quote. Think about it. This group equals country.”


He asked Victoria to carry his coffee so he could get a few bites in before it got cold. The plate had been heaped, but was cleaned to the point that he was licking it by the time they got to the beach - literally a few minutes. He dropped the plate and it vanished in a teleport sphere. Then he took his coffee. “Where were we? Oh right. Neglect and stuff.”


“These aren’t your usual demographic. But they are your new demographic like it or not. Now you can go out there and blend in. I won’t stop you. But you do have a place and purpose here.”