Futuristic Sparked

[Prospero]

Bant blinked at MJ's question, because he absolutely did have a reputation.

It just wasn't a very good one.

In the upper echelons of the scientific community, there was a fine line between genius and raving lunatic. It often depended entirely on whether one's theories panned out, and Maxwell Bant's last couple hadn't exactly panned out. Not his last couple theories, his last couple decades of thinking them up. Something had been calling to him. It wasn't one discovery that had led him to believe it, but rather hazy connections between unrelated knowledge and theorems that no one else seemed to notice. He went from an up and coming voice in the radiation and physics community, to cutting edge revolutionary, to an absolute crackpot in the eyes of his peers.

"...Nope. Not him."

"Uncle." C.D. reprimanded as they pulled the doors closed behind everyone.

"Ok, I am him, but don't worry about that! We have more important worries than the 57' awards!" he said as he started to turn around, before he paused and turned back. "Though I still swear up and down that Dr. Moses was not human that night!"

"Uncle."

"RIGHT. Driving!"

No lights turned on as they started down the darkened streets. Rather, the windscreen flickered and the way forward as as clear as day in a bluescale sheen. They drove straight, left, right, left again, till a good fifteen minutes had passed. "Okay. I think we're safe. Don't think I'll need you all if we're attacked." he said as he reached under the seat.

"What does- Wait what is that for-"

Both of CD's questions died in their throat as they managed exactly one cough before the gas hit their lungs and they slumped downards. Maxwell Bant turned towards them with a rebreather in his lips, the last thing they saw before blackness overtook them

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For the second time in an hour(?), they woke up somewhere new. The ceiling above was high enough that it disappeared in the darkness, the lighting coming from stand up construction lamps and an array of screens that took up an entire wall of the large room. Lab equipment filled the rest in a haphazard organization, with the group in the center of it all.

Unlike before, they woke up in a massive pile of blankets and pillows, one of them stuck to Dr. Gunnar's horn.


"GOOD, you're awake!" Came bant's voice from nearby as they started to come to. It was in fact, right next to them. Coming from a head that was caught between CD's body and elbow, the lab assistant's visage a picture of dour frustration as they didn't quite choke their uncle, but certainly wasn't letting him go anywhere. "As I was TRYING to explain to my brother's child, the gas was a necessary precaution! I have important knowledge to share, and this is one of the few safe places I know won't be found! Considering the abilities some of you have shown, who knows who else can do what?! The last thing I need is Helcorp getting their hands on a mind reader and a corporate killsquad's suddenly in my kitchen."

Most people when they wake up do so groggily, because the body is a machine. And like any machine, there is a certain amount of pre-check up to assure that everything is up to snuff. No limbs lost in the night, no massive spiders swallowed, things of that nature. Just one of those little things that enable us when we wake up, to mentally assure ourselves that yes; we are who we are, everything is fine.

This was the first recorded instance of someone going from zero to a hundred in no time flat because Rochefort knew exactly who he was and who had put him here as he woke up with a roar. Around them, any electronics would flicker briefly as he turned to look at Bant before clearing his throat and speaking. Much more calmly now, he nodded to C.D.

"You can let go of him now please."

The moment he did so, Rochefort smiled, reached over to hug his old friend...And flung him up over his head (relatively safely) into the pillow nest, aiming for an empty space as he took him to suplex city. That out of his system, he brushed himself off and spoke.

"Much better. We're even now for the gas. Now for gods sake, explain Now. Or I...I'll make all your coffee machines produce nothing but herbal tea!"

 

[MidwayLives]

Johnny was more shaken up than anything else. He'd gone from coming here to die, to getting a terrifying power, and now he was in a car with people he didn't know and the guy who was behind this! He had so many questions and he couldn't bring himself to spit them out. The emotions were running wild and Johnny couldn't properly formulate a sentence. Looking beside himself to see if [Melancholy Hill] was still with him. It was but it was starting to fade away and before it faded completely, it flashed Johnny another disgusting grin. "Goodnight Johnny...." Everything went black after that.

...

Waking up with a blanket and a pillow, Johnny for a brief moment thought he had somehow returned home. He always made sure he had a blanket or pillow. You couldn't get a good night's sleep without them. But this wasn't his home. This wasn't anywhere he knew. A black miasma spread outwards from around Johnny's person eventually coming together to form the entity that Johnny had named [Melancholy Hill] It's dead looking eyes turned on those around it but it made no moves to do anything other than guard over Johnny. Whom by this point had tears running down his face. "C-Can we get the info and then go home...?" As if home was some kind of saving grace for Johnny but anywhere where he wasn't being shot at or had to worry about such things was a-ok by him.

 

[Corvette]

Gunnar woke up groggily, blinking away the fatigue from his impromptu nap in a few moments. He could feel some kind of weight on his head, and he reached up to try to find what it was--a pillow he'd accidentally speared on his horn as he slept.

"Oooohhhhh," he rumbled, still unsure of exactly how he might say "oops" without exterior lips. He shuffled back, bumping into a lab table with another "oohh." He resolved to sit still from that point, glancing worriedly at the doctor who'd brought them here. Gunnar supposed that if the doctor had had any particularly nefarious designs that he'd have acted on them while the group was asleep, so he wasn't much worried for himself. His eyes were wide and he was otherwise silent as he watched the goings-on.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Well I certainly have no idea, HOW could I possibly know what powers you have, you were literally just sparked- Ah, Hello Rochie. Thank you, I can always count on you to diffuse a tense situaaaaaatION"

Thump

He sat up with exasperation and threw his arms into the air from where he had landed in the bedding. "I am TRYING TO explain you twit! YES, you can go home once we're done here, and NO, I don't know what you said." He said, his final statement puncuated with a finger pointed at Gunnar. "But I hazard a guess that it was 'everyone shut up and let the brilliant scientist who's-"

"-experiment went wrong and caused unknown mutations and who knows what else to us." C.D. interjected with a sidelong glance at Johnny's parasitic ghost thing.

"-Yes. I mean, NO! Who's quick reasoning and scientific genius was the only reason you were all rescued and not lost forever on a Helcorp dissection table!" He harrumphed as hopped back to his feet. "You're all welcome, by the way. Except C.D. and Jacks. Who technically saved me back at the Fair. Did you know-"

"UNCLE. Please. Focus."

"Right. Sorry." he cleared his throat and strode over to one of the moniter displays, flicking a wrist to cause an AR menu to appear in front of his hands. "Now. There are two very important things we must discussed; one, what happened. Two, what we do about it."

A large '1' appeared on the screen, and he turned back to face the group and cleared his throat again.

"Answer; I don't know."

"...T-"

"BUT! I have theories!" He exclaimed, whirling back towards the screen. The display changed to show the outline of the human form "Most all of you were present when I was testing my device, so obviously you know exactly what it was for, but I'll explain anyways. Through rigorous scientific and very grounded research-"

There was a snort from CD

"-VERY RIGOROUS AND VERY GROUNDED RESEARCH-" Bant repeated "- I have theoretically discovered a new form of life! one that exists as pure energy, invisible to most forms of detection. I call this energy banticles." The display shifted, pushing the human to the right of the screen as the left was taken up by an indistinct blob of purple. "They surround us constantly, and my device was supposed to filter the radiation they give off, from something invisible to most instruments to something that even the naked eye could see. Instead it uhh... It might have killed all the ones around us. Causing an explosion."

CD's dull frustration gave way to shock. "...You murdered them???"

"Pshh. Psshh. 'Murder'. Preposterous! Its only murder if they're intelligent, and there's only a aah... ten percent chance they are. Its... illegal accidental hunting, at worst. More importantly however, is what happened after their untimely demise! Much like the shrapnel from the grenade, They scattered when they exploded and embedded themselves in us all. Somehow. Quite frankly it doesn't make sense, given that they're purely energy and we're quite physical beings, but after the accident, all of us became of wellspring of their particular brand of radiation and energy! The effects, as I'm sure you've all noticed, very greatly, from the somewhat mundane to the almost supernatural! Any questions so far?

 

[MidwayLives]

[Melancholy Hill]'s massive frame lurched slightly to the side mimicking Johnny as he did the same. Back when his power had first appeared before him, Johnny knew that there was a connection between them. If something happened to the other than it'd affect them and vice versa. The first sign of that had been when Johnny's knuckles had started to bleed after [Melancholy Hill] inflicted a beatdown upon one of the robots that had been ordered to guard them. Looking down at his hands, the wounds had ceased bleeding and were starting to scab over but Johnny still felt squeamish. Fighting was never something he liked to do if he could help it. Didn't help that he was very much a pushover. Physically, emotionally, you name it, he was it. Which meant that constantly being tethered to a thing that knew what he thought made his skin crawl. On paper, having a super strong power sounded like it could change Johnny's life around from the horrible mess that it was now. With going to work only to be miserable and coming home to be even more upset. It was a existence that Johnny wouldn't have wished on anybody and one he sought to eke out by coming to the fair to begin with.

Now that he was face to face with the man responsible for him getting [Melancholy Hill] and the words out of his mouth weren't 'I can fix this!', Johnny wiped away his tears and furrowed his brows. Rising to his feet and brushing the remaining tears from his face with the sleeve of his shirt, [Melancholy Hill] loomed over him. "I...I didn't come to the fiar with the best of intentions. When the explosion happened, I had hoped I wouldn't wake up. But here I am with.."

"Me..."

Johnny slumped his shoulders and figured he'd finally get what had bearing down on him off his chest. Not that he wanted to think anymore about inflicting that damn guard to a fate such as that. "Well....If we're not getting 'fixed' I guess I have something to share..." Without any prompting from Johnny, [Melancholy Hill] opened up it's mouth to give Bant and CD a good look down the creature's throat. The interior of it's maw looked absolutely atrocious with some teeth looking completely rotted away, the enamel if any having been worn away long ago but it's canines were still razor sharp and ready to clamp down if anything came between them. It's tongue was yellow and pallid looking like one you'd see on a cadaver at a mortuary. But just where it's esophagus started was a portal to a dimension that Johnny only had a vague understanding of: A dimension that may as well have been Hell as far as places to travel went. One could go in and only leave once their fears were conquered.

"I...I think I have access to some kind of other dimension. Whatever goes down it's throat disappears. Not in a 'I swallowed it like a normal person' kind of way but.." Johnny took one of the pillows and handed it to [Melancholy Hill]. Saliva dripped onto the pillow like a slight drizzle of rain as it stuffed the pillow down into it's maw. No chewing, no tearing, not even any swallowing.

*BWOOOOOOM*

It simply was....No more.

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Well I certainly have no idea, HOW could I possibly know what powers you have, you were literally just sparked

"Fair point--" She began to admit...

Ah, Hello Rochie. Thank you, I can always count on you to diffuse a tense situaaaaaatION"

Thump

He sat up with exasperation and threw his arms into the air from where he had landed in the bedding.

-but quickly fell silent as she witnessed Rochefort busting out that wrestling move on the reputedly mad doctor. She didn't wince, the guy literally landed on pillows after all. There was just...a strange...sensation, for lack of a better word. She could feel it all throughout her body. And then as quickly as it seemed to start, the weird feeling was gone which just left her confusedly staring at her own arms. What the hell was that??? MJ thought with a frown before shaking her head. That's what Bant was going on about now anyway. What happened and what should be done about it.

"- I have theoretically discovered a new form of life! one that exists as pure energy, invisible to most forms of detection. I call this energy banticles." The display shifted, pushing the human to the right of the screen as the left was taken up by an indistinct blob of purple.

"..." Her eyes widened remarkably. A whole new form of life, purely energy? She stepped closer to the screen and staring at the...uh...energy banticles(she did her best to stifle a laugh and was only semi-successful) in their indistinct form. "How did you..." She trailed off, shaking her head again. If she wanted to know, there was no need to ask how he discovered them. Not anymore, anyway, now that she could just reach in and take stuff like that out.

"They surround us constantly, and my device was supposed to filter the radiation they give off, from something invisible to most instruments to something that even the naked eye could see. Instead it uhh... It might have killed all the ones around us. Causing an explosion."

"...Yeah. Some more lab testing might have been a good idea." MJ couldn't help but blurt out that sarcastic response.

CD's dull frustration gave way to shock. "...You murdered them???"

"Pshh. Psshh. 'Murder'. Preposterous! Its only murder if they're intelligent, and there's only a aah... ten percent chance they are. Its... illegal accidental hunting, at worst.

If she was disturbed by the notion that the newly found banticles might have been murdered, she didn't show it. Alive or no, they weren't human. They were just...particles in the air.

"More importantly however, is what happened after their untimely demise! Much like the shrapnel from the grenade, They scattered when they exploded and embedded themselves in us all. Somehow. Quite frankly it doesn't make sense, given that they're purely energy and we're quite physical beings, but after the accident, all of us became of wellspring of their particular brand of radiation and energy! The effects, as I'm sure you've all noticed, very greatly, from the somewhat mundane to the almost supernatural! Any questions so far?"

"...That..." She looked down at her hands again. Is that really what happened? The radiation and energy, now infused within them all. She blinked, staring down at her hands...before she just lifted her head and burst out laughing. This whole notion, it just sounded like something pulled out of those old comics, nearly a century ago now. Somebody getting new...abilities in a freak accident. It sounded nuts to happen in real life and yet she was standing near some gargoyle like thing and-

Without any prompting from Johnny, [Melancholy Hill] opened up it's mouth to give Bant and CD a good look down the creature's throat. The interior of it's maw looked absolutely atrocious with some teeth looking completely rotted away, the enamel if any having been worn away long ago but it's canines were still razor sharp and ready to clamp down if anything came between them. It's tongue was yellow and pallid looking like one you'd see on a cadaver at a mortuary. But just where it's esophagus started was a portal to a dimension that Johnny only had a vague understanding of: A dimension that may as well have been Hell as far as places to travel went. One could go in and only leave once their fears were conquered.

"I...I think I have access to some kind of other dimension. Whatever goes down it's throat disappears. Not in a 'I swallowed it like a normal person' kind of way but.." Johnny took one of the pillows and handed it to [Melancholy Hill]. Saliva dripped onto the pillow like a slight drizzle of rain as it stuffed the pillow down into it's maw. No chewing, no tearing, not even any swallowing.

*BWOOOOOOM*

It simply was....No more.

-that thing. Not to mention her own viewing of others' memories. She turned away to look back at Bant. "Welllllllllllll..." She stressed that word a bit longer. "Normally? I would have asked exactly what your plan was regarding me. See, my parents, they're...let's just say they're powerful people and that mercy isn't a strong quality of theirs. So if they found out that their only daughter was caught in an explosion you caused, had been kidnapped by some fucked corporation and then brought to...wherever here is? If they found you..." She shuddered at the thought of what might have happened. "But now, you don't have to worry about that! Since we're in some kind of show and tell." She glanced at Johnny before clearing her throat.

"I can--" She quieted, thinking about it. Show and tell. If she could take memories and see them, then...well...what if? She focused, dredging up one of the memories she had seen and doing her best to project it out so everyone could see it. Like it was a movie, playing out all around when they stood and visible to all. The scene/memory in particular being a soldier's painful loss of a limb on a war-torn battlefield. She reached out to touch one of the people from the memory but her hand simply phased through the incorporeal being.

"I wouldn't say telepathic, it's more like...something with memory?" She sounded uneasy saying it.

 

[Prospero]

Rochefort crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, at first somewhat annoyed still though that was rapidly vanishing into excitement and sheer, 'what-the-fuckery' that came from a story such as this. Despite his field of science being elsewhere, he knew full well what a discovery if true would entail. And while it would have given his friend the kudos he deserved and more? It was the other, more practical aspects that had his dismay displayed on his face. Which was why it killed him to bring it up, looking at the good professors features.

Because Oppenheimer once upon a time might have had a similar expression, before the switch was flipped. In a voice of intent, nigh-supernatural calm he spoke. "Bant. This research....Have you any idea what sort of things might be done with it, if in the hands of others less scrupulous then us here?" He took a step forward as he continued to speak, in saccharine sweet tones. "What the military would do, if they had this and what may come of it? Assassins who'd walk through walls, psychic monitoring, Hell look at what WE can do here!" He gestured towards the people with him and spoke. "Just how badly do you think the world will fight, to have their very own agents akin to us?! Or any two-bit dictator? You've unleashed Pandora's Box now and we HAVE to destroy it! I know what happens when Man gets it in his head to become a god!"

And he lifted up his prosthetic leg, propping it on a seat as he rapped his knuckles on it, prompting the artificial noise. In his mind, flashes and wisps of his time in the army flew on by, scene after scene of the worse and best of folks-mostly the former as he whispered. "I will not have my friends name go down in history on a par with Oppenheimer! The world is not ready for this!"

 

[Corvette]

Gunnar grumbled something that didn't consist of any particular words, then sat forward, putting more weight on his forelimbs as though rocking forward in concentration or frustration. "I... ant to ee ee agan." He struggled here, getting the words out as well as he could, though the deep rumbling of his oversized vocal cords probably made him more difficult to understand. He grit his teeth, brow furrowing.

Everything has to be so difficult, he lamented internally. This whole ordeal has really put me out of commission, which is strange because I've also never been more... in commission.

It was like everything was easier now except being a person--that was so much harder than it had ever been before. The simplest, most humanlike actions eluded him entirely now.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Bant's face had screwed up as he watched Melancholy hill, something about the demonstration giving him deep concern as he slowly started to point at it, before he whirled on Rochenfort and bellowed at the top of his lungs

"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?!"

The booming yell echoed through the cavernous lab as the only sound palpable for a few moments, save for a set of calming breaths as Bant slowly put a hand to his forehead. "I know very well how dangerous these abilities are. I found C.D. embedded into a skyscraper two miles from the Fair. Thirty stories up. After they accidentally tried to take a step with their new power. ONE. STEP. And THAT ONE-" he continued, pointing upwards towards the ceiling. "Has some apparent control over one of the FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF PHYSICS. But not good control, which, for all I know, if we each gained an equal amount of energy from these bits of banticles embedded in us, could SINK THE ENTIRE CITY!"

He noticed his breathing had started to become short again, and he cleared his throat as he glanced to the ceiling, where a young woman was floating listlessly. "Not that I think you would do that on purpose! Or that you should stress about the possibility! Considering that stressing about it just might make what I just said happened."

He slapped his cheeks and smiled again. "BUT all of thats ok! I have every confidence that I can figure out away to safely remove these abilities. I was already studying ways to interact with the banticles, and this is simply a more practical reason to do so! BUT, I did not call you all here for show and tell."

He snapped his fingers and remote appeared in his hands, and with a press the screen changed to a recording of the demonstration that had ended so catastrophically. Those that were in the audience could see themselves there, as well as Bant and CD on the stage, right before a bright white flash suddenly engulfed the picture. "Most of you were closest to the demonstration. But you were not the only ones there."

As the screen cleared, they could see themselves, unconcious. Yet others stumbled away, and parts of the screen were covered in smoke and rubble. "Others were there. They too were sparked! Whether they have activated their powers is a different question, but that they exist is certain. And more importantly..."

He pressed a button, and they saw the timer in the corner of the screen skip forward five minutes. Men in black combat armor and covered faces were loading them all into a strange looking vehicle.

"...Someone is trying to find those that were affected. How, exactly, they know about us, is uncertain. But since we've found you, we now know who it was; Helcorp. One of the Founding groups. Which brings me to what I need from all of you." He cleared his throat, and then suddenly dropped to his knees and planted his hands on the floor.

"I need your help to find the others that were affected. Please."

 

[Indolent]

"You have the bedside manner of a mortician, Bant. Just so you know." The voice projected from above, originating from the aspiring aeronaut lingering in the shadows. Her words were buffered somewhat by presumably what was concrete, softening their inflection, but they reached her fellow sparked and Doctor Bant all the same. If they squinted to make her out from the dark, they would see the outline of a young woman with her arms and legs crossed as she descended and ascended. It was as if she was astride the ebb and flow of the tide but vertically, much like if a waterfall achieved sapience and decided to be a brat, reversing its current at random.

She was not lovin' it™.

A precarious position to be sure yet she took it in stride, exasperation radiating from her person as she slowly rotated to observe them all. "I've had my few hours to progress through the superhero equivalent of the five stages of grief for the newly initiated, I think. Denial. Anger. Lots of those two. Then bargaining. Tried God and the rest but their numbers were disconnected. Got past depression pretty fast. Acceptance, mh, yeah, I think I'm at that because what the hell else am I gonna do."

Her descent brought her into the light as she finally rotated fully to meet face to face with them all. She was dressed in a dark trucker's jacket, with a loose white tee beneath, complete with black jeans rung with tears. She brushed the messy brown curls away from her eyes as she gave a lackadaisical wave, looking to interject some humor, or rather a dated reference, into their shared circumstances. "But it's okay. We'll all float down her--What in the abominable fuckery is that."

Naturally, she referred to Gunnar. Or maybe the mindfuck of a holographic(?) display with the two Rocheforts, one sans a leg.

 

[MyrtenRose]

"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?!"

The booming yell echoed through the cavernous lab as the only sound palpable for a few moments, save for a set of calming breaths as Bant slowly put a hand to his forehead.

"..." Instinctively she reached for her pocket, moving to slide her phone out, bring up the camera function and discreetly start recording...only for it to sink in that she didn't have her phone because yeah, she had been kidnapped twice today and no way she would still have that on her. Disappointing. Videos of shouting freakouts always make the rounds. Instead she chimed in during the moments of silence. "Well...I think you know that." She gave a thumbs up.

"I know very well how dangerous these abilities are. I found C.D. embedded into a skyscraper two miles from the Fair. Thirty stories up. After they accidentally tried to take a step with their new power. ONE. STEP.

"Holy shit, what kind of power did you get?" She rounded on C.D. with obvious excitement in her eyes, though her gaze didn't stay there long.

And THAT ONE-" he continued, pointing upwards towards the ceiling. "Has some apparent control over one of the FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF PHYSICS. But not good control, which, for all I know, if we each gained an equal amount of energy from these bits of banticles embedded in us, could SINK THE ENTIRE CITY!"

"What." She lifted her head to look up.

A precarious position to be sure yet she took it in stride, exasperation radiating from her person as she slowly rotated to observe them all. "I've had my few hours to progress through the superhero equivalent of the five stages of grief for the newly initiated, I think. Denial. Anger. Lots of those two. Then bargaining. Tried God and the rest but their numbers were disconnected. Got past depression pretty fast. Acceptance, mh, yeah, I think I'm at that because what the hell else am I gonna do."

Her descent brought her into the light as she finally rotated fully to meet face to face with them all. She was dressed in a dark trucker's jacket, with a loose white tee beneath, complete with black jeans rung with tears. She brushed the messy brown curls away from her eyes as she gave a lackadaisical wave, looking to interject some humor, or rather a dated reference, into their shared circumstances. "But it's okay. We'll all float down her--What in the abominable fuckery is that."

"Oh motherfuck, how did I not see you up there?" She rubbed at her eyes a little before continuing on. "Nevermind, don't answer that. Not important. You got power over gravity!!! Dude, like holy shit, all the things you could do with that! Er...I mean when you can control it and you're not up against the ceiling, heh heh."

...

...

"Also I understood that reference." Another thumbs up. Gotta appreciate the classics.

He snapped his fingers and remote appeared in his hands, and with a press the screen changed to a recording of the demonstration that had ended so catastrophically. Those that were in the audience could see themselves there, as well as Bant and CD on the stage, right before a bright white flash suddenly engulfed the picture. "Most of you were closest to the demonstration. But you were not the only ones there."

As the screen cleared, they could see themselves, unconcious. Yet others stumbled away, and parts of the screen were covered in smoke and rubble. "Others were there. They too were sparked! Whether they have activated their powers is a different question, but that they exist is certain. And more importantly..."

He pressed a button, and they saw the timer in the corner of the screen skip forward five minutes. Men in black combat armor and covered faces were loading them all into a strange looking vehicle.

"...Someone is trying to find those that were affected. How, exactly, they know about us, is uncertain. But since we've found you, we now know who it was; Helcorp. One of the Founding groups. Which brings me to what I need from all of you." He cleared his throat, and then suddenly dropped to his knees and planted his hands on the floor.

"I need your help to find the others that were affected. Please."

But this was a serious situation that could not be ignored, so moving on from the excitement, her grin faded as she focused back on Bant.

"So let me get this straight. That demonstration didn't go as it was meant to, not even close. An unexpected accident goes off, everything becomes white for a bit, and in less time than it takes me to do my business on the can, the fucking men in black roll up on the scene like they already know what the hell's going on. It don't quite add up." She shook her head. "Either these particles of yours, they aren't really yours because you didn't discover 'em first or maybe Helcorp's got you bugged. Super surveillance or some shit. Corporate espionage. Or...fuck, I don't know. Maybe you aren't telling us something? Please tell me you aren't doing that."

 

[Indolent]

"Oh motherfuck, how did I not see you up there?" She rubbed at her eyes a little before continuing on...

"I mean, it's dark up here. So unless you have night-vision?" Jacks shrugged noncommittally, before thumbing towards Gunnar with a quizzical expression. "I'm just going to assume I shouldn't freak the hell out if everyone else isn't, seem to be copacetic with him? It? her?" ... "Sorry." She grimaced.

"Nevermind, don't answer that. Not important. You got power over gravity!!! Dude, like holy shit, all the things you could do with that! Er...I mean when you can control it and you're not up against the ceiling, heh heh."

"Like, I'm happy he didn't have his demonstration outside. Cuz I'd have pulled a Brave Little Toaster and exited stage left, thankful for the fish and all."

But this was a serious situation that could not be ignored, so moving on from the excitement, her grin faded as she focused back on Bant.

"So let me get this straight. That demonstration didn't go as it was meant to, not even close. An unexpected accident goes off, everything becomes white for a bit, and in less time than it takes me to do my business on the can, the fucking men in black roll up on the scene like they already know what the hell's going on. It don't quite add up." She shook her head. "Either these particles of yours, they aren't really yours because you didn't discover 'em first or maybe Helcorp's got you bugged. Super surveillance or some shit. Corporate espionage. Or...fuck, I don't know. Maybe you aren't telling us something? Please tell me you aren't doing that."

"He gassed you all, didn't he?" Jacks drawled the words out, deadpan like as her arms folded into a cross once more. Meh. "On the other hand, there's CD. Could be genuine with his word since kin's involved. Or just manipulating us further. The point being, guessing at what's what ain't going to do much unless we waterboard 'im or something." Without missing a beat, though, "Anyway, casting doubt on the mad doc aside--"

He pressed a button, and they saw the timer in the corner of the screen skip forward five minutes. Men in black combat armor and covered faces were loading them all into a strange looking vehicle.

"...Someone is trying to find those that were affected. How, exactly, they know about us, is uncertain. But since we've found you, we now know who it was; Helcorp. One of the Founding groups. Which brings me to what I need from all of you." He cleared his throat, and then suddenly dropped to his knees and planted his hands on the floor.

"I need your help to find the others that were affected. Please."

"--even if we want out, we're still going to be involved and so far it seems better off here than outside. Or with Helcorp. God, I can't believe I interned for them." She squirmed just a smidge from on high but definitely nobody saw that.

 

[MyrtenRose]

"I mean, it's dark up here. So unless you have night-vision?" Jacks shrugged noncommittally, before thumbing towards Gunnar with a quizzical expression. "I'm just going to assume I shouldn't freak the hell out if everyone else isn't, seem to be copacetic with him? It? her?" ... "Sorry." She grimaced.

"Nope, don't got that." MJ shook her head. "And eh, I've seen stranger things before. Well, I mean, not in reality reality. More like fiction...but to be fair, there's been a lot for me to freak out about today. I just haven't." She shrugged in turn. "Besides, I'd bet nobody's freaking out about it more than him. Didn't exactly win the superpower lottery and that just sucks on every conceivable level. But at least the doc here says he can fix it. so that's something."

"Like, I'm happy he didn't have his demonstration outside. Cuz I'd have pulled a Brave Little Toaster and exited stage left, thankful for the fish and all."

"Shit I don't know that one."

"He gassed you all, didn't he?" Jacks drawled the words out, deadpan like as her arms folded into a cross once more. Meh. "On the other hand, there's CD. Could be genuine with his word since kin's involved. Or just manipulating us further. The point being, guessing at what's what ain't going to do much unless we waterboard 'im or something." Without missing a beat, though, "Anyway, casting doubt on the mad doc aside--"

"Yep." She confirmed. "Kind of an exercise in futility with me though. There's a couple guards back there who can testify how well secrets can be kept around me. Not to mention..." MJ raised her hands, gesturing at the memory projection around them before it began to fade. "I could do it here too, but I'm hoping I can take him at his word. It just seems really really really risky to kidnap a bunch of people from a public fair in the middle of the day if they weren't sure what happened and were simply intent to observe and study. Especially risky when one of the kidnapped people has a district attorney dad who will rain down legal fucking hellfire on anybody who dares to threaten his dynasty." She looked sad for the most fleeting of moments.

"--even if we want out, we're still going to be involved and so far it seems better off here than outside. Or with Helcorp. God, I can't believe I interned for them." She squirmed just a smidge from on high but definitely nobody saw that.

"Yeah. So, uh, hey." She turned away from looking specifically at Jacks to look at them all in general. "I'm MJ, by the way." She introduced herself.

 

[Prospero]

Rochefort blinked at the sudden display of fury and then contriteness, pausing only briefly to glance at the newcomer before he rolled his eyes. And hobbling forward, sought to pull up his friend with a scowl. "Oh for Newtons sake, get up. You're a respected scientist, you shouldn't bow your head like some dated, penny fantasy novel written by a mangaka in their mothers basement." For all that things went wahoonie-shaped from the get-go and his own pacifistic nature, Rochefort could no more leave things be than he could resist the last mug of coffee before a work day. It simply wasn't done. He scowled again, somewhat struggling for words before he finally slumped down on the bed of pillows, exhausted despite being knocked out into forced sleep. What a day...And he wasn't sure how long it had been, but he had the distinct feeling he was going to need much more coffee.

Especially considering everything from the facts his memories of him losing his leg, to the fact someone else had actually read that old book before he decided to treat it all as an experiment as well as introduce himself.

"Doctor Rochefort...But some of you already knew that. My line of study involves cybernetics and drones, with a focus on eventual automotive reinforcements for medical workers and amputees. Drones that could perform surgery in the field where it was too dangerous for humans, nerve-reactive prosthetic's, things like that. Anyway, Bant? We're going to have to do a lot of experiments, especially with mine-if I manage to get a hold of it, we might be able to equip everyone in some way."

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Oh good. You found a friend who also refuses to watch anything from this decade." CD called up to Jacks with a snort before they glanced back to their uncle. "But the rich kid's right, uncle. Your story's pretty scattered.

"Scattered? I've never been scattered in my life! The only thing that's going to be scattered is Rochie across the ground if he insult's my favorite manga again." He said indignantly as pushed Rochenfort away and sat up on his knees. "Your little memory scanny powers aren't going to explain how Helcorp found out about the sparked within five minutes of it happening and before any of our powers except CD's and mine activated, because I don't know. It's... concerning. Deeply. But I refuse to believe they had access to banticles before then, because I would know about it! If they were in a twenty mile radius that is, which leads me to answer a few other questions!" He hopped back to his feet and spun back to the screen with a dramatic point. "Namely; how did I find you all in a corporate dark lab with no surveillance for at least six blocks around it? Because I'm a genius." The screen changed to a map of Adhentu, the districts each with a number over them that occasionally shifted. "The demonstration was the next step of my work; I've already discovered how to track banticles! And I quickly figured out how to separate ambient ones from their, err-" He cleared his throat "-corpses embedded in human victims."

CD took a slow, deep breath. This had to be the worst way to get super powers. "Which is what we need your guys' help with, if your willing. Despite the less than stellar attendance to the demonstration. the blast sent the particles far enough that we're dealing with approximately a hundred and fifty sparked individuals. Maybe only a few of them have activated their powers. Maybe none of them have. But for any of them that have, we're definitely gonna need help, because its pretty obvious that these abilities can manifest in wildly different ways. Except, that, y'know, most of them seem incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands." They added dryly before they sobered.

"Which means that containing any that don't wanna play nice will also be dangerous. and its not something we can ask the authorities to help with. We don't think Helcorp has any real leverage over the police or anything, but that's way different than thinking they can't access police records whenever they want."

"That, and I've been labelled a terrorist" Bant interjected with far too little indifference as he scratched at his chin. "Which, y'know, makes more sense now that I made a DA's kid disappear in an explosion."

 

[Corvette]

Gunnar shuffled on his feet awkwardly as he was referred to as "that." Understandable, yes. Enjoyable, no.

He made a couple huffing sounds that could've been sighs of indignation or resignation and looked anywhere but to where the girl was, floating on the dark ceiling which to Gunnar looked just the same as if a light had been turned on it. Gunnar could see anything he wanted if he were to look (which he was avoiding doing out of shame for his new and unwanted form). He'd been given a number of advantages, at least physically, by his transformation, but they were for the most part useless to him until he could talk. He needed to find a way. These introductions would certainly test his chops... literally.

He wasn't sure of the exact mechanics of his new mouth, but he was pretty sure he'd be able to say his name.

"Gunnar... Garrett." The sounds were mostly glottal, so he had little problem manipulating his tongue and teeth into making them. A grin followed as he found his name was little trouble. "Doc-tarr Gunnar Garrett," he repeated, a little louder. Never mind how primordially terrifying a maw filled with teeth, rimmed with a great, cruel beak was to a human, Gunnar was proud he was still able to introduce himself. "Zooooo...olozghist." He said the g in "zoologist" like the g in "homage"; soft, sort of like making the sh-sound while using the vocal cords. It was acceptable to him. Surely the group would be able to tell what he was saying. He hoped they would--he sounded intelligible enough to himself.

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Oh good. You found a friend who also refuses to watch anything from this decade." CD called up to Jacks with a snort before they glanced back to their uncle. "But the rich kid's right, uncle. Your story's pretty scattered.

"..." Even when it was probably meant as a joke, the use of the word friend made her brighten up regardless. Though she just as quickly shifted into a frown. "Ahem." She cleared her throat. "Dude, my name's MJ. You could at least call me that."

"Your little memory scanny powers aren't going to explain how Helcorp found out about the sparked within five minutes of it happening and before any of our powers except CD's and mine activated, because I don't know. It's... concerning. Deeply. But I refuse to believe they had access to banticles before then, because I would know about it! If they were in a twenty mile radius that is, which leads me to answer a few other questions!"

She stared very seriously at Bant as he spoke, before nodding. "Alright then." She liked to think she had inherited some of dad's ability to sniff out obvious bullshit, and he seemed on the up and up. Hopefully he is. "Still, I probably could figure out how it is they know enough to have a response time like that...If I can get in range of one of Helcorp's top executives." MJ blinked and considered. "Shit, I don't know if it even has a range." MJ to self: gotta figure that out first.

"So, how do you track the banticles then?" She asked with curiosity.

CD took a slow, deep breath. This had to be the worst way to get super powers. "Which is what we need your guys' help with, if your willing. Despite the less than stellar attendance to the demonstration. the blast sent the particles far enough that we're dealing with approximately a hundred and fifty sparked individuals. Maybe only a few of them have activated their powers. Maybe none of them have. But for any of them that have, we're definitely gonna need help, because its pretty obvious that these abilities can manifest in wildly different ways. Except, that, y'know, most of them seem incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands." They added dryly before they sobered.

"...And sure, I'm game." She replied almost instantly, tacking it on to her question. Not much thinking about it. "Waking up in a holding cell in some corporate lab, singlehandedly staging a prison break with newfound superpowers, getting to use a shotgun without overbearing parental supervision, meeting some of the men of science I've only ever read about before? Shit, man. This has been some of the most thrilling stuff in my life. Certainly the most thrilling thing to happen to me for a long time now. Get to meet and save more people with potentially wicked awesome powers and stick it to the asshole corporation at the same time? Hell yeah I'm in."

"Gunnar... Garrett." The sounds were mostly glottal, so he had little problem manipulating his tongue and teeth into making them. A grin followed as he found his name was little trouble. "Doc-tarr Gunnar Garrett," he repeated, a little louder. Never mind how primordially terrifying a maw filled with teeth, rimmed with a great, cruel beak was to a human, Gunnar was proud he was still able to introduce himself. "Zooooo...olozghist." He said the g in "zoologist" like the g in "homage"; soft, sort of like making the sh-sound while using the vocal cords. It was acceptable to him. Surely the group would be able to tell what he was saying. He hoped they would--he sounded intelligible enough to himself.

"...He can still talk." MJ's face revealed her surprise, a transformation like that surely played rough on his inner body mechanics. That surprise made way for a smirk. "That's amazing. And another doctor in the house, that's cool too. Is...is it hard to talk?" Scientific curiosity at work.

Before any answer though, she turned back for a moment.

"That, and I've been labelled a terrorist" Bant interjected with far too little indifference as he scratched at his chin. "Which, y'know, makes more sense now that I made a DA's kid disappear in an explosion."

"...Yeah, that is a problem. Dad's probably the most pissed off he's ever been right now, heh heh." She laughed nervously, looking down towards the ground.

 

[MidwayLives]

"Namely; how did I find you all in a corporate dark lab with no surveillance for at least six blocks around it? Because I'm a genius."

[Melancholy Hill] and Johnny both exchanged glances.

CD took a slow, deep breath. This had to be the worst way to get super powers. "Which is what we need your guys' help with, if your willing. Despite the less than stellar attendance to the demonstration. the blast sent the particles far enough that we're dealing with approximately a hundred and fifty sparked individuals. Maybe only a few of them have activated their powers. Maybe none of them have. But for any of them that have, we're definitely gonna need help, because its pretty obvious that these abilities can manifest in wildly different ways. Except, that, y'know, most of them seem incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands." They added dryly before they sobered.

Johnny's eyes widened and he looked back at [Melancholy Hill] and then back at CD and then back at his power. "Y-You mean more dangerous than this...??" Both [Melancholy Hill] and Johnny were pointing at the other. "I mean...I guess it's something. Maybe this is the new lease on life that I needed.." He had come to die and instead he'd been 'gifted' with a power that let him punch robots and send things and people to another dimension. Maybe it was fate aligning to tell him to keep going forward. Or perhaps he was trying his damnedest to rationalize all that had happened to him. The creature that manifested as a result of his sparking was absolutely horrifying to look at, more so when it appeared beside you when summoned, but better that he have it than someone who'd use it for evil...? It was there that Johnny felt somewhat conflicted. Could something like this be used for good? A grotesque monstrosity tethered to him that could eat people and condemn them. Didn't seem like grade A superhero material.

But it sure beat going back to a home where he had never been wanted.

"Gunnar... Garrett."

Doctor Rochefort.

I'm MJ, by the way."

"Jonathan.....Jonathan Higashikata but my friends call me Johnny." Reaching up to pat [Melancholy Hill] on the back, which in turn felt like a hand was pressing against his own back. "Weird feeling..." He muttered under his breath before looking to the others. "This...thing is called [Melancholy Hill.] It's...just the name that it said it had when it appeared." With his own introductions out of the way, Johnny took a deep breath and then let it out. "I'm all for helping but um, Bant..." Johnny looked up at [Melancholy Hill] and then back at the guy who'd got them all stuck in this mess. "I...I'm still not sure about the depths of my power, least of all now that I know if he eat something, it's going to...somewhere bad." Somewhere bad was putting it lightly given how it'd been described to Johnny and why he hesitated about putting the leader of those guards through it. Though as Matt had gotten away, it'd proved a moot point. For then, what would happen if Johnny had to find a 'quick and easy' way to dispose of another potential threat?

As for the girl with the power over gravity, [Melancholy Hill] turned it's head upwards to look at her and bared it's teeth in what was supposed to be Johnny trying to get across a friendly smile. It....didn't exactly come off looking that way.

 

[Prospero]

Rochefort saw an opportunity to make a snide comment regarding Fullmetal, but decided against it. There was plenty of time to do that later and he had an idea that piqued his sense of humor. Pacing back and forth(or hobbling), he attempted to consider what he had learned and how to implement it.

If you have no way of victory, imagine something that could help you. Superior anime quote paraphrasing aside internally, there was a spark of an idea there. Something that longed to be free as Rochefort looked around at what they had, opening his strange sense of the world to assist him. Now that he had a controlled environment in which to do so, he now had a better idea of what was going on. If he had to compare it to something, it was akin to those flashes of genius and mental breakthroughs that enabled him and others before him to accomplish inventive works. It was seeing the world like a toy box, every rule of physics and law of nature converted into nails and hammers, little levers in which to move the world. Except with him, it was a constant, ever-lasting thing and for a moment, he laughed in incrudelity and delight.

Spoiler: What Rochefort sees.

There was really only one, appropriate quote from Keanu Reeves to use here.

"Excellent!"

Cue air guitar! He spun to Bant and spoke. "I need materials! As much scrap as you have and some tools!"

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Garret? I know you!" Bant exclaimed with a bright grin. "You were at the thing! With uh... that guy. hrm. The one with... the science!"

...

"Ok, so, I don't remember where, and we haven't actually met personally, but we were in the same place once! Not counting the time I blew you up two days ago. Love your work. Ahem. ANWAY. So, you're all on board-"

he practically jumped out of his skin when Rochenfort suddenly exclaimed, and even backpedaled a step. "Uh, what? Why do you even need tools? You reassembled a robot by touching it didn't you? Can you reshape matter completely, or just move parts to place-"

"Uncle!" Beckket snapped, before they added at the same volume but with a modicum of respect "Doctor! Please, I know this is all some world shattering discovery and that its very exciting and important, but lets focus on stopping it from potentially shattering the world before we get too lost in the sauce here." They took a deep breath before they continued. "I'll take over uncle, and give us another minute or two to finish up here before you fall into project mode please, Doctor. Since we're all, surprisingly, in agreement here, I don't have to argue with my uncle about whether to gas the naysayers and drop them off somewhere. Each of you needs to take one of these with you." They pressed a button on a nearby workbench, and drawer opened with a hiss. Within was a set of watches, mostly similar looking to the one Beckett themself was wearing.

"These have similar tech to the stuff my uncle has set up in the lab here that will allow you to detect banticles. Its only got a range of about half a mile, but its way more accurate than the bigger set up we have here. Should be able to tell you for sure if you're in the same room as someone who's infected-"

"-Sparked!"

"-infected." Beckett repeated "We have no idea what's happened to us, or if it can spread-"

"-highly unlikely-"

"..." Beckett slowly turned towards their uncle with hands out at their side.

"I'm just saying, that while I haven't completely ruled out the possibility, the percentages are in the single digits at best and... sorry."

"...Like I said, we don't know for sure. So treat this like an outbreak. Inform people calmly that there's a problem. Tell them we can treat them. Get them to come here. And do all of that without any more people finding out that my uncle accidentally created super humans. Anyone outside of one of the most powerful non-government entities in the city who has a definitely illegal death squad working in the city apparently, at least."

"Probably could have left that part out" Bant muttered with a cough

 

[MyrtenRose]

Since we're all, surprisingly, in agreement here, I don't have to argue with my uncle about whether to gas the naysayers and drop them off somewhere. Each of you needs to take one of these with you." They pressed a button on a nearby workbench, and drawer opened with a hiss. Within was a set of watches, mostly similar looking to the one Beckett themself was wearing.

"These have similar tech to the stuff my uncle has set up in the lab here that will allow you to detect banticles. Its only got a range of about half a mile, but its way more accurate than the bigger set up we have here. Should be able to tell you for sure if you're in the same room as someone who's infected-"

"Huh. Watch detectors." She commented, leaning over the open drawer that sprang out. "So, basically...they go ding when there's stuff? Niceeeeeeeee." She grabbed one, lifting it up to her face until her eyes were mere centimeters away, the watch spinning in her hand. She would love to take it apart and see exactly how it worked but now was not the time...and besides, she'd need to know way way more about these banticles before messing around with something that detected them.

"These have similar tech to the stuff my uncle has set up in the lab here that will allow you to detect banticles. Its only got a range of about half a mile, but its way more accurate than the bigger set up we have here. Should be able to tell you for sure if you're in the same room as someone who's infected-"

"-Sparked!"

"-infected." Beckett repeated "We have no idea what's happened to us, or if it can spread-"

"-highly unlikely-"

"..." Beckett slowly turned towards their uncle with hands out at their side.

"I'm just saying, that while I haven't completely ruled out the possibility, the percentages are in the single digits at best and... sorry."

"...Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Unexpectedly she burst out laughing so hard and so long that when she finally stopped, it felt like her lungs were on fire. She wiped away her tears, waving them off. "Sorry, sorry about that, I just-" A last snicker interrupted before she took a deep breath and continued. "Forget all the stuff that's happened lately, the last thing I expected when I just stumbled into your little show at the fair, was that I would be told I've maybe become a superhuman transmitting disease! I might be a fucking STD!" That wasn't the way everyone would react to such news but the sheer ridiculousness of the idea just got to her.

"Okay, moving on."

"...Like I said, we don't know for sure. So treat this like an outbreak. Inform people calmly that there's a problem. Tell them we can treat them. Get them to come here. And do all of that without any more people finding out that my uncle accidentally created super humans. Anyone outside of one of the most powerful non-government entities in the city who has a definitely illegal death squad working in the city apparently, at least."

"...Well, not all of us you mean. I mean we can't all just go around the city trying to find people, because, y'know-" She nodded her head over to Gunnar. "We just leaving him here to hang out?"

 

[Indolent]

"Oh good. You found a friend who also refuses to watch anything from this decade..."

"It doesn't help there's remakes of remakes either. Did ya know The Brave Little Toaster had a live action remake? After its third run? The fad exploded starting in the late 2010s." Cue her striking 'the more you know' gesture.

CD took a slow, deep breath. This had to be the worst way to get super powers. "Which is what we need your guys' help with, if your willing. Despite the less than stellar attendance to the demonstration. the blast sent the particles far enough that we're dealing with approximately a hundred and fifty sparked individuals. Maybe only a few of them have activated their powers. Maybe none of them have. But for any of them that have, we're definitely gonna need help, because its pretty obvious that these abilities can manifest in wildly different ways. Except, that, y'know, most of them seem incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands." They added dryly before they sobered.

"Which means that containing any that don't wanna play nice will also be dangerous. and its not something we can ask the authorities to help with. We don't think Helcorp has any real leverage over the police or anything, but that's way different than thinking they can't access police records whenever they want."

"I do think I am coming to grips with this thing, which's taken some time, so I'm not at all adverse to the idea of lending a hand. In the hopes of there being a cure of some kind down the road, because I dunno if I want to keep it. Especially if I can sink a city as large as Adhentu." The last said pointedly, a sharp glance sent Doc Bant's way.

"That, and I've been labelled a terrorist" Bant interjected with far too little indifference as he scratched at his chin. "Which, y'know, makes more sense now that I made a DA's kid disappear in an explosion."

"...Yeah, that is a problem. Dad's probably the most pissed off he's ever been right now, heh heh." She laughed nervously, looking down towards the ground.

"So aside the three doctors in here, one being one's kin, we've got the golden child of a prominent figure within the city as well. So far it's looking like Johnny boy, probably that chick over there, and I are the regulars here--"

As for the girl with the power over gravity, [Melancholy Hill] turned it's head upwards to look at her and bared it's teeth in what was supposed to be Johnny trying to get across a friendly smile. It....didn't exactly come off looking that way.

Spoiler: What Jacks saw

Nope. Nein. Nyet. That was the final nail in the coffin for that idea, nixing the concept of normality in the group. Double goes for the one of getting to ground after witnessing that horror. But it was a expeditious back and forth in her mind, arriving at the decision that it was imperative she figure out her power and that she join the others. Never mind the fact that there was an apparent eldritch horror waiting below, a ravenous maw with a gullet that seemed unending.

"Jesus christ." Was all she said before she pushed that image from her mind and refocused on her own personal nightmare. Floating away from Planet Earth override the fleeting scare of before. A series of breathing followed with eyes closed, coming naturally to her as it always had thanks to her training as a gymnast, as she fixed a picture in her mind's eye. It encapsulated exactly the desire of descending, her immediate surroundings visualized with herself doing so at a slow rate. It was as the saying goes, see it in your mind and make it reality. Though that was typically restricted to the realm of what was only possible, though in a strange twist, it was meant to inspire the impossible. Here, she was going to do something impossible.

Her arms splayed out to her side as she maintained her breathing pace, visualizing her descent in tandem with what she visualized. The desired effect was achieved, her altitude decreasing appreciably and to her liking.

Then she suddenly dropped without warning, screaming the last five feet face first into the mass of pillows.

wumph

And without missing a beat, she bolted upright, exhaling long and slow as she staggered to her feet with the affectation of success emanating from her, as if she'd intended every iota of what'd happened. "Knew I'd figure it out. All good." Then she leaned left and grimaced, an expression that was fleeting as it'd come, its departure punctuated with an inhale. She moved to redirect attention with an introduction. "Doc Bant said it earlier, the name's Jacks. Nobody special, really." A shrug.

"These have similar tech to the stuff my uncle has set up in the lab here that will allow you to detect banticles. Its only got a range of about half a mile, but its way more accurate than the bigger set up we have here. Should be able to tell you for sure if you're in the same room as someone who's infected-"

"-Sparked!"

"-infected." Beckett repeated "We have no idea what's happened to us, or if it can spread-"

"-highly unlikely-"

"..." Beckett slowly turned towards their uncle with hands out at their side.

"I'm just saying, that while I haven't completely ruled out the possibility, the percentages are in the single digits at best and... sorry."

"...Like I said, we don't know for sure. So treat this like an outbreak. Inform people calmly that there's a problem. Tell them we can treat them. Get them to come here. And do all of that without any more people finding out that my uncle accidentally created super humans. Anyone outside of one of the most powerful non-government entities in the city who has a definitely illegal death squad working in the city apparently, at least."

"Probably could have left that part out" Bant muttered with a cough

"... I, fucking what? Are you shitti--" MJ's raucous outburst drowned out a string of expletives that was more for Jacks's own benefit, to vent, than anyone else to hear, though it hardly ended after Mesmer MJ had settled down, "--fuck's sake, why did I go. 'It'd be good exposure, you'll be a representative for Helcorp and maybe you'll network, find us an opportunity. Be on the on and up.' Fuck you, Sanchez, you pencil-shredding grungefuck. Try and fuckin' get rid of me with your bullshit, you incompetent effluent toadstool. Goddammit, first this stupid fuckin' power, now might be the reason why more people might get a stroke of shit luck and end up in the same situation. Fuck me, I don't wanna create my own gallery of nemeses. Holy shit."

Didn't matter if the projected statistics were at an all low according to Bant, the very thought was enough to strike a chord. Maybe she was blowing it out of proportions and she realized it.

"Ungh, fuck." She said, sighing out as crossed her arms in a bid to recollect herself. Unbeknownst to her, several pillows had taken flight, beginning the makings of a ponderous orbit around her person.

 

[MyrtenRose]

"... I, fucking what? Are you shitti--" MJ's raucous outburst drowned out a string of expletives that was more for Jacks's own benefit, to vent, than anyone else to hear, though it hardly ended after Mesmer MJ had settled down, "--fuck's sake, why did I go. 'It'd be good exposure, you'll be a representative for Helcorp and maybe you'll network, find us an opportunity. Be on the on and up.' Fuck you, Sanchez, you pencil-shredding grungefuck. Try and fuckin' get rid of me with your bullshit, you incompetent effluent toadstool. Goddammit, first this stupid fuckin' power, now might be the reason why more people might get a stroke of shit luck and end up in the same situation. Fuck me, I don't wanna create my own gallery of nemeses. Holy shit."

 

[MidwayLives]

"These have similar tech to the stuff my uncle has set up in the lab here that will allow you to detect banticles. Its only got a range of about half a mile, but its way more accurate than the bigger set up we have here. Should be able to tell you for sure if you're in the same room as someone who's infected-"

Once more Johnny and [Melancholy Hill] exchanged glances, Johnny's being worried at how 'infected' sounded. "Which do you prefer, infected or sparked?" Given that he was talking to himself, he wasn't really sure why he'd asked given the answer he got. "I'd call it a blessing..." Which in a way it was, an excuse to never go back home. A thought that never would have crossed Johnny's lips on his own but his thoughts unfiltered through his power spoke the truth. Tucking his hands in his pockets, Johnny sighed and turned away. "I figured you'd say something like that. I think I'll just call us sparked. Sounds less depressing..."

Looking at the watches, [Melancholy Hill] reached for one and gingerly held it within it's index finger and thumb before handing it over to Johnny. "Well...It looks cool at least."

Nope. Nein. Nyet. That was the final nail in the coffin for that idea, nixing the concept of normality in the group. Double goes for the one of getting to ground after witnessing that horror. But it was a expeditious back and forth in her mind, arriving at the decision that it was imperative she figure out her power and that she join the others. Never mind the fact that there was an apparent eldritch horror waiting below, a ravenous maw with a gullet that seemed unending.

[Melancholy Hill]'s mouth closed upon the reaction and Johnny had it fade away. Little by little it disappeared with a black miasma accompanying it's exit as it had heralded it's arrival. "Sorry about that." Johnny murmured sheepishly before nodding his head at the mention of being a regular. "I just bag groceries. That's about it for me. I have one of the best speeds though!" You had to be extra quick when bagging to keep up the store's scores!

"...Not very impressive when I say it out loud."

"We just leaving him here to hang out?"

"I could hang out with him. I think my boss would understand if I missed a day of work, or a couple. Besides.." Summoning [Melancholy Hill] the extension of Johnny's person leaned over and looked up the mutated doctor up and down. "I think I can probably understand a bit how he feels.."

 

[Prospero]

he practically jumped out of his skin when Rochenfort suddenly exclaimed, and even backpedaled a step. "Uh, what? Why do you even need tools? You reassembled a robot by touching it didn't you? Can you reshape matter completely, or just move parts to place-"

"-I don't know! But in a controlled environment I believe I can-"

"Uncle!" Beckket snapped, before they added at the same volume but with a modicum of respect "Doctor! Please, I know this is all some world shattering discovery and that its very exciting and important, but lets focus on stopping it from potentially shattering the world before we get too lost in the sauce here."

"-Er yes, my apologies." Rochefort cleared his throat, uncomfortable as he shifted from foot to prosthetic, feeling an intense desire to experiment and more so as the watches were passed over.

"These have similar tech to the stuff my uncle has set up in the lab here that will allow you to detect banticles. Its only got a range of about half a mile, but its way more accurate than the bigger set up we have here. Should be able to tell you for sure if you're in the same room as someone who's infected-"

"-Sparked!"

"-infected." Beckett repeated "We have no idea what's happened to us, or if it can spread-"

"-highly unlikely-"

"..." Beckett slowly turned towards their uncle with hands out at their side.

"I'm just saying, that while I haven't completely ruled out the possibility, the percentages are in the single digits at best and... sorry."

"...Like I said, we don't know for sure. So treat this like an outbreak. Inform people calmly that there's a problem. Tell them we can treat them. Get them to come here. And do all of that without any more people finding out that my uncle accidentally created super humans. Anyone outside of one of the most powerful non-government entities in the city who has a definitely illegal death squad working in the city apparently, at least."

"Probably could have left that part out" Bant muttered with a cough

"Gunnar... Garrett." The sounds were mostly glottal, so he had little problem manipulating his tongue and teeth into making them. A grin followed as he found his name was little trouble. "Doc-tarr Gunnar Garrett,"

"I could hang out with him. I think my boss would understand if I missed a day of work, or a couple. Besides.." Summoning [Melancholy Hill] the extension of Johnny's person leaned over and looked up the mutated doctor up and down. "I think I can probably understand a bit how he feels.."

Right. First things first. Rochefort looked at Doctor Garrett, contemplative as he opened himself to his...Powers once more, for lack of a better term for it. His eyes flicked over whatever junk was in the room, considering and calculating before he went to work...He hesitated. Did he need tools? Maybe...He extended his hands and blinked in awe as the base components of the items he was scanning broke apart, floating before they moved in to click together in swift movements in the air.

And for now, this would be the full focus of Rochefort as he began to assemble his newest creation.