Realistic or Modern We aren't all Monsters

[Yahhah]

Ben ran through the woods. He was in the form of a triceratops. He'd shapeshifted once he got out of city limits when he noticed there was no one around. Even though Ben was a generally positive person most people tended to get alarmed when they spotted a dinosaur wearing a stretched out tee-shirt, and jeans. He was huffing from the run. "I...should've...flown" he puffed. Stomping through the brush. Trampling bushes as he went. He'd received a letter outside of his house, and that had aroused his curiosity. Sure it might be a trap but if it was he could always just go T. rex and bite the scum sucker's head off. He reverted back to human, and took a look at the coordinates card. This was around the place.

Ben took a few deep breathes. So triceratops wasn't good for long trips. Noted. "Hey, anybody around. Or is this just a prank letter" he said. Looking around. His reptilian eyes had pretty good night vision, but he still couldn't see anything.

 

[Shog]

A holographic woman appeared in front of Ben. "Greetings, Ben Melbourne. Please proceed forward to the door. Once inside, follow the green path. Professor Niantic is eagerly awaiting your arrival." The woman gestured forward before disappearing.

Yahhah
(Just write until you get to the conference room with the others. Then I'll feel comfortable making a real post.)

 

[Yahhah]

Ben almost jumped out of his skin when the hologram showed up in front of him shielding his eyes from the glow. The eyes were the one thing he couldn't change and they definitely hurt in a lot of light. He gave the woman a thumbs up. "Gotcha" he said following the green path. He honestly didn't question how the hologram knew his name. Most people did. You made quite a name for yourself when you turned into a dinosaur and wrecked a street. Even though he'd only done it that one time, and it'd been an accident. The path led to a building, which led to a room filled with oddballs, that made Ben almost feel normal. A giant rock guy, a big shark, and a corgi floating around in a chair. That didn't even mention a few other pretty much human looking people. Although that didn't mean much. Ben himself appeared mostly human, when he was roaring, and flailing a pair of tiny arms. "Hey, how's it going" he said.

 

[Shroom Junkie]

Dashing seemingly into existence on the side of the road, Monika skidded to a halt, hair flapping in a pony tail. She really needed to work on her stops, this was her fourth pair of shoes since the Incident. She hefted her backpack onto the ground and pulled up her goggles, slightly muddled with dirt and dead bugs. She opened it up to several water bottles, a sandwich, a few packs of beef jerky, and a roll of trail bologna. Ich hoffe, es ist genug.(I hope this is enough.) She thought, and pulled out the rolled up map in her backpack. She'd traced roughly the path onto a map, from the map she'd gotten in the email. She rolled it back up, pulled up her goggles, and started sprinting toward the mountains.

It didn't last long, coming on the mountains, it became increasingly difficult to run. Not that she didn't try. Almost leaping up the hills, she stumbled, and rolled up the hill with her velocity, skidding across the hard dirt, before skidding to a stop. She started to roll back down, but caught herself, teetering. "Scheiße!" She yelled, staring down the steep hillside. Pulling herself up, she continued her trek, although perhaps more cautious, moving at - what seemed to be to her - a walking pace. Her head hurt from the fall. The ground began to shake during her trek, twice. What was happening? It didn't help her head, causing it to flare in pain at the vibrations. Still, she arrived at the mouth of the cave in about twenty minutes, her headache subsiding slightly. It was rather dark... she pulled out her phone out of her side pocket. It was cracked, probably in tumble. She'd have to find another light source. Looking around, there were trees all over. ich habe das schon gesehen... (I've seen this before...) She looked at a rather short tree, and took a running start at it, jumping onto it and using her acceleration to bound up a good meter to the closest branch. Grabbing on, she didn't bother to pull herself up, but rather tugged at a small branch, maybe 2-ish cm in diameter, until it broke, and dropped to the ground with a thump and a grunt.

She broke the branch in two, and grabbed some pine needles off of the thick forest floor, putting them in a pile. Putting the larger of the branch piece on the ground, she took the other and started to spin it into the branch. She probably couldn't even make heat if it weren't for her speed, but she spun the stick so fast, it could visibly shorten as the friction heated the stick and created a black, slightly smoking spot. Surrounding the branch with the sticky pine needles, they just barely caught fire. Voila, fackel. (Voila, fire/a torch) She stood up with her new fire stick, careful about moving, seemingly at a normal pace, then moved forward to the cave. She jutted her torch out to see further, not that it did any good. It barely let her see two feet in front of her. Still, any light is good light.

She pulled her backpack onto the floor and her goggles up, and pulled out a second map, careful to use one hand so she didn't catch her bag on fire. This one far less detailed, it was simply a path through the cave. She remembered it best she could, all the twist and turns, and put it back into her pack. Not that it did any good. Every two or three turns she'd pull it back out. Not out of forgetfulness, but more out of fear she'd make a wrong turn and get lost. Another shake.

At last, she arrived at the hulking metal door described in what felt like about an hour. Er will, dass ich klopfen? (He wants me to knock?) It was a rather large door that seemed to be thick. She doubted anyone would hear her through it. Still, she figured she should follow the instructions. Rather hesitantly, she rapped her knuckles on the cold steel - or whatever it was - and an echo rang out through the chamber.

 

[Shog]

"Welcome to Niantic Labs, Monika Schuster," said a female voice. The metal door rumbled open as it had many times this day. Inside was the same holographic image and the green line. "Please follow the green line. Professor Niantic and his associates are waiting."

=====================================================================================================================================================================

(The following takes place after Monika reaches the conference room)
"No snacks, then?" Professor Niantic said. "I'll have some brought in just in case you change your mind." He tapped a few buttons on his pad before returning his attention back to the room. "The reason I have invited you all here is very simple: you all have powers, and I can help. I have a great many resources at my disposal. Whatever you want, I can help. All I ask for in return is for your cooperation in my research. For example, Isaac here wishes to regain his human form. It's hard for a walking shark to fit into society. Perhaps you desire to further control your power or unlock further potential. I work closely with the ECU, so I can guarantee you than if you are unregistered you will not be punished. Additionally, I can provide protection. It's no secret that a slave trade has appeared around the enhanced. It doesn't matter how good or powerful you are, if they want you, they'll get you if you don't have any friends to back you up."

Shroom Junkie Yahhah Chiryoshi Left Out Rcticwolf NofaceFell fuil
(I suck at using characters with leadership characters, so sorry for that. I hope this is still satisfactory.)

 

[Rcticwolf]

"Welcome to Niantic Labs, Monika Schuster," said a female voice. The metal door rumbled open as it had many times this day. Inside was the same holographic image and the green line. "Please follow the green line. Professor Niantic and his associates are waiting."

=====================================================================================================================================================================

(The following takes place after Monika reaches the conference room)
"No snacks, then?" Professor Niantic said. "I'll have some brought in just in case you change your mind." He tapped a few buttons on his pad before returning his attention back to the room. "The reason I have invited you all here is very simple: you all have powers, and I can help. I have a great many resources at my disposal. Whatever you want, I can help. All I ask for in return is for your cooperation in my research. For example, Isaac here wishes to regain his human form. It's hard for a walking shark to fit into society. Perhaps you desire to further control your power or unlock further potential. I work closely with the ECU, so I can guarantee you than if you are unregistered you will not be punished. Additionally, I can provide protection. It's no secret that a slave trade has appeared around the enhanced. It doesn't matter how good or powerful you are, if they want you, they'll get you if you don't have any friends to back you up."

Shroom Junkie Yahhah Chiryoshi Left Out Rcticwolf NofaceFell fuil
(I suck at using characters with leadership characters, so sorry for that. I hope this is still satisfactory.)

"If you have so much resources, why haven't you put a stop to this slave trade and make the town safe for the enhanced? And on top of that, your not the only one with resources, and how to you plan to fix the genetic mess that caused all these mutations? Because I'm the leading expert in genetic mutation" she smirked "so I ask this again, how do you plan to fix this?"

 

[Shroom Junkie]

The grinding of the door was familiar... The vibrations from earlier! That must have been it. But it happened at least three or four times now... were others here besides? She ran down the green line, occasionally breaking stride to look at a nearby room. Soon after she arrived at the room indicated by the green line, appearing in a blink, where several... people... already were, talking. So there were others here. Three in particular surprised her... she'd seen other Enhanced before, some with obvious mutations, but never so far as this. A humanoid shark, a walking stone pillar, and a dog. A floating, talking dog. How was this guy mutated? Or was he a dog from the beginning? She'd never thought about it... could animals be mutated like that? If they could, she'd never seen one.

Wait, what were they saying? Snacks... ECU... Slave trade. She wasn't registered, and although he'd said she was safe, she wasn't one to trust a stranger. Then again, she'd come all this way to a cave in the mountains at a stranger's request. Perhaps she was a bit hypocritical. Still, better to stay on guard.

Thinking of it, she was hungry. She ended up not eating on the hike. It seemed a bit of an inappropriate time, though, so she kept her bag hefted on her shoulders, and ran her fingers through her hair. She never realized how long talking took until the Incident. Felt like damn near forever to finish a single sentence. She looked down at her feet, bottoms of her shoes obviously worn while the tops looked just a little scuffed. Now someone was droning on about genetic mutation? How would anyone fix it, anyway? From her understanding, it was just the incident at the Meyer's plant. Best they could do is dig up all of Northern California, maybe part of Oregon and Nevada. Seemed like an awful big undertaking.

 

[Shog]

"I'm a scientist, not a politician Ms. Rose," Professor Niantic replied. "It is not my job, nor my interest, to stop them. I aid the police by creating technology for them to use. It is their job to deal with the slave trade, not mine. And you may be an expert in mutation, but I lead in Robotics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Quantum Theory, to name a few. And I guarantee you, this is more than a simple matter of mutation. Mutation does not allow ones consciousness to find a new host after death, nor gain a body made of stone, nor most of what the people standing in this room can do. Not alone, anyway. That, my fellow scientist, deals in the realm of quantum physics. My former body was in a coma during the Meyer's Incident, but I have still managed to collect a substantial amount of data from it. The energy radiates in a way never before observed and it's interactions with the physical world is phenomenal. I believe it may be some form of inter-dimensional... ahem, I suppose that's a tangent for another day. Anyway, I have no intention of fixing this "genetic mess" because I will not waste my energy on the impossible. Each enhanced is so drastically different from one another and they seem to continue popping up every day. If there was a single cure I'd be all for it, but there isn't. I have no plans for "fixing this." Once my studies are complete then we might have a strong enough foundation for that kind of work to exist. Now if you want to leave and go back to your significantly fewer resources, you know where the door is. After all, I didn't invite you for your prowess in the field of genetics. I already have my reference there." He gestured towards the shark-man with the final sentence.

=====================================================================================================================================================================

Isaac wished he hadn't been singled out. He could be considered an expert in genetics, but that wasn't his focus. Jenifer was undoubtedly more well versed than he was. He folded his arms awkwardly and tried to avoid eye contact. His only saving grace was not being the only odd-looking one in the room.

 

[NofaceFell]

Darcy stays silent for a long while, listening to the words of the Professor and taking them in. He could offer help, maybe help him not use his power on accident. He knows he won't be cured, he's a doll. Almost literally and he doubts there is a fix, plus....with how many injuries he has he may die if cured. His thoughts run over the faces of the kids in his neighborhood...Lenore. Nope. Dying is not something he will entertain, not for a cure. He removes his glasses completely, though he very pointedly stares at the ceiling, wall or table. No eye contact, but he feels it's important that everyone sees that, humanoid or not, he and the others are no different than Issac, or Grov. From the competitive conversation going on now, he can already feel the tension in the air. Reminds him of high school.

A quick glance and he takes in the others who have entered the room, he can't resist giving a flirtatious wave to every single one of them. Eye contact is broken before he can connect. "Well, you guys can be as smart as you want, but stopping that trade will take more than machines and tech and brains. The EUC hasn't, even with all the tech and brains." he pauses, grabbing some chips from his bag and sliding them across the table to a woman whose face screams that she wishes this would hurry. "Have a snack, this could take a while." He watches her for a moment, how fast she moves and if his speech speeds up a bit he doesn't say why. "You'd need someone inside, or at least with knowledge of the grittier side of life. Someone with very different connections than you two. So being all high and mighty ain't getting you anywhere, sweetheart. Maybe just working together we can figure out how we tick. I'd like that, very much. I'm tired of killing people by accident, I can't make eye contact with my family or anyone else and in my line of work you're not very intimidating in sunglasses at night. If we can figure ourselves out, then you can go save your slaves, Moses. Besides, I seriously doubt anyone could cure me."

He sits back, crossing his arms and propping his feet on his backpack. Slaves. He internally scowls. So it isn't just a rumor.

Shog Left Out Rcticwolf Shroom Junkie Yahhah Chiryoshi fuil

 

[Shroom Junkie]

Monika shifted her attention to the man with black eyes as he began to talk. They were creepy, but easily the most normal of anyone in the room. She swiped the chip bag before it even halted to a stop, and pulled the top open with a crinkle, nodding in thanks, and started to shovel down some. You can't deny the sweet taste of free food. To everyone else, she probably looked strange, eating so quickly, her jaw moving at abnormal speeds. Even her throat muscles were faster, pushing the food down. She didn't digest faster, however. Guess you can't rush art or something to that effect. She did need more nutrients to supply her body, however, so eating often was essential. Wait... "This is free, right?" She asked, pausing her chewing with her mouth full and pointing to the bag with her free hand. She tried to speak slowly, so as to appear more normal, but it usually ends sounding distorted or on a strange pitch. Most people seem to attribute it to her accent, though.

 

[Yahhah]

Ben looked at the fast girl. She could eat faster than a T. rex and that was saying something. "Eh, I'm with you Niantic" he said. Learning to control his shape shifting could be useful. Sure he could successfully shift whenever he had focus, it always took time, that Ben wanted to reduce. He also wondered which dinosaurs he could turn into, or if there was a limit at all. His eyes took in the room. At least nobody was looking at him. That meant he hadn't nervously given himself a T. rex head. It had happened once or twice. Then genetics. Sure Ben was an expert on paleontology he wasn't about to start comparing himself to this Super smart professor. That was something he didn't want to start.

 

[NofaceFell]

She sounds odd, even under the accent. A bit jumbled but understandable. Darcy frowns a bit as he tries to place the accent. He's heard similar somewhere. It takes him a moment, which if his hunch about speedy is right, probably seems like forever to her to actually answer the question.

"Of course. If it wasn't I usually collect payment before handing things over." He replaces his glasses, annoyed that he keeps having to shift his gaze. "Besides, not being free would be horrible. Nothing better than free food."

His attention skips to the man who spoke. He looks familiar... really familiar. "You stepped on my aunt's cat during your little...rampage." Darcy smiles, recalling the dinosaur shape shifter and his aunt's screeching recall of the event. "I hated that cat." That probably makes him a horrible person but he really hated that cat. He hadn't believed her then, right after the accident, until he realized things had changed so much.

 

[fuil]

Grov simply watched the people around him before he heard about a guy turning into a trex. "Wait, seriously...your the guy who can turn into a trex?" He asked. "Dame thats pretty cool." he said as he walked over to the snacks. "Well dame. Hey mister floating paws you have any chunks of stone I can chew on? As for helping with your research, I don't mind as long as it ain't anything to harmful. As for the slave trade, I say they can go to hell."

 

[Shroom Junkie]

After a minute or so, Monika put the bag down, now empty, feeling full. Still not entirely satisfied, though. She'd felt that way since the Incident and it was rather unpleasant, unable to continue eating, but still feeling hungry. Of course, stuffing her stomach with potato chips until she was full probably wasn't helping.

"Your offer is... intriguing," She said, looking for the right word. "What about living? Rooms, beds... food?" She asked, "I for one am not trekking out here every day if that isn't provided."

 

[Yahhah]

Ben laughed a little nervously. His first shift hadn't been pleasant for anyone involved. Him included. In all honesty he didn't remember much of it, just an angry red blur. Upon hearing the rock man he said. "I can turn into a small one. I mean I might grow an inch or two, my shape shifting is weird that way. The only one I actually get bigger with, is the apatasaurus, and that's mostly neck" he said.

 

[Shog]

Professor Niantic eagerly turned towards Monika, his grin returning in full. "Full living spaces will be provided for everyone. Unless, of course, you would prefer to stay elsewhere, in which case I can provide faster transportation." Three new people walked in the room, each carrying a platter of food. A vast array was displayed, allowing for any dietary needs including vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, nut free, and raw meat. A fourth was brought in moments later. This one held a small assortment of rocks and minerals for Grover. "The tests will vary for each, but the most pain you should feel is that of a needle. I will need blood samples, but it looks like you needn't worry yourself with that, my rocky friend."

Isaac took the moment to snag most of the raw fish. His little snack earlier did little to curb his appetite. He just hoped that his eating didn't disturb the others, but it was looking like they all seemed nearly judgment free in regards to their abilities. He was most intrigued with the Dino dude at the moment. Many sharks remain almost unchanged from the time of the dinosaurs, meaning they could share many traits. He may also hold the key to Isaac's cure, which visibly excited him.

 

[Yahhah]

Ben looked at the food. Thank god he was starving. The shifting, and long run had seriously taken it out of him. Ben grabbed some fruit from the vegetarian plate, and scarfed them down. Then came the other half of the meal that would be far less appealing. Meat. Ben didn’t know why but his forms called for their own energy that meant eating food that the dinosaurs could turn into energy. That mostly meant grass which he was fine with, and meat, it gave more energy raw. There was however a quick fix for the nastiness. He shapeshifted his head into a T. rex and started to eat a slab.

 

[Shroom Junkie]

Monika almost drooled at the large platter that arrived. Gott, ich lieber nicht gegessen so viel... (God, I wish I hadn't eaten so much...) She thought to herself, still feeling rather bloated on the chips. The meat or beans probably would have done well for her protein. Bah, she can fit a little. She rushed to the tray, and pulled off a chicken leg, before moving back to where she was before and chewing on it. "You're trying to bribe us, aren't you?" She said, with her mouth full, thick accent, distorted voice and all. "Well, I'm alright with it." She finished, taking another bite.

She almost puked, spitting up some of her food as one of the others head's distorted and he started on the raw meat. She covered her mouth to keep from really spitting up, and swallowed what she had, then put her leg back down in a blink. Das ist genug davon... (That's enough of that...) It had a couple of bites in it so she wasn't sure anyone would want it. Then again.

 

[Yahhah]

Ben jerked his head back. Swallowing a last bit of the meat. He opened his mouth hissing, waving his pointed reptilian tongue out to lick the blood off of his lower jaw. That was when he noticed the shark-man looking at him. Wonder what he wants thought Ben. He also noticed the speedy girl. He shrugged. He hadn't been too squeamish for six months. He didn't know if the dinosaurs took away his gag reflex or something else, but he was essentially hard to gross out. He shifted his head back in the own way. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He was pretty sure there was no mess, but he didn't like blood on his human self.

 

[Chiryoshi]

Esme listened quietly as all of them spoke and interacted with each other. She did not like the idea of a blood sample, well anything to do with needles in fact. When she noticed the people walking into the room with food, her stomach grumbled softly, demanding to be fed. While others talk, Esme thought over her choices. She didn't know whether she wanted to be here, but she didn't want to exactly stay at home either. If she could use her power for something, maybe this is a start. Besides, she thought, living spaces is provided. No more going back to that horrid house and at least they won't treat me like I'm an alien. Esme reached out to grab one of the vegetarian food off the platter and put it in her mouth to satisfy her stomach's demands.

 

[NofaceFell]

Darcy doesn't eat. Partially because he just watched a dude devour part of a dead cow and partially because he is running over all this new information in his head. Leaning back further in his chair, balancing as he focuses on the ceiling and thinks it all over. He runs over every benefit and con, before finally snatching a cracker and giving his agreement.

"I'm in. Though, I need to be able to leave from time to time, as long as that's not an issue we won't have any problems." He looks at everyone and hums, Wonder just how they will all mesh, practically living together. "Maybe it'll be a good idea to get to know each other a little."

 

[Shog]

"I completely agree!" Professor Niantic said. He was once again in an energetic state, the wag of his tail causing his chair to sway ever so slightly. "And of course you may leave. I will not hold you against your will. You can leave any time you want, either temporally or permanently, but I do request that you inform me or one of my staff before doing so. It would be quite inconvenient if any of us were to be looking for you while you hit the town.

"To start with, my name is Frank Niantic, though some have taken to calling me Professor Corgi. This is Abigail." The holographic woman appeared again with a smile. "She was once one of my students. Now she runs this facility and acts as my eyes and ears. Speaking of which, Isaac, the pool is now ready for you to use. I was once a brilliant professor, leading in many fields of science, primarily theoretical physics. I was in a coma for many years. The Meyer's Incident finally killed me, but instead of fading into whatever awaits us after death, my consciousness found a new host. I spent the last half year returning to my lab and developing the technology that allows me to speak and interact with the world in a decently efficient manor. I have since dedicated myself to researching the Incident and it's effects on people. I have had my eye on many of you for a while, but I first contacted Isaac around two weeks ago."

=====================================================================================================================================================================

Isaac continued looking everyone over. Darcy was honestly starting to give him the creeps, though he could't say why. Ben and Monika seemed friendly enough and Grov, well, he still didn't quite know what to make of him yet. Some had left the room already, apparently not interested.

"Finally," He mumbled upon hearing that the pool was ready. It was done faster than he actually expected, but still longer than he would have wanted. He just hoped it'd be deep enough. If it wasn't too artificial looking, perhaps he could find a nice corner to sleep in as well.
NofaceFell Chiryoshi Yahhah Shroom Junkie fuil
(If I didn't tag you but you are still interested, please post soon or state so in the OOC. Likewise, if you wish to drop out please say so in the OOC or send me a PM.)

 

[Yahhah]

Ben nodded perfectly fine with introducing himself. “Well, I’m Ben Melbourne. I’ve been given the nickname Rex. Wonder why” he said adding a joke. T. rex was his go to form. It was his favorite dinosaur after all. “I’ve lived around here my entire life except when I left for college. I majored in paleontology. I was studying in a local museum when the incident happened. That led to my...lapse in judgement. The super cops didn’t like me very much after that. That whole only the head trick is something I just picked up” he said

 

[NofaceFell]

Darcy sighs softly, deciding what they need to know and what they don't. "Darcy Newlin. I'm from Louisianna originally. Moved here when I was 13. One bad neighborhood to another. I never went to college, unless you count mortuary school. Cops definitely don't like me much, I suppose that says where my non-enhancement skills lie." He pauses, scratching his cheek at the edge of his sunglasses. "I'm...a human voodoo doll for lack of a better term." He snorts a bit in laughter, "I suppose it's fitting that the Cajun is a voodoo doll."

 

[fuil]

Grov nodded his thanks to the professor before he ate a few chunks of limestone before he around and shrugged as he introduced himself. "I'm Grov Trinton. I worked in construction and demolition before I fell into some new type of concrete and blacked out. When I woke up I was like this, I now work doing odd jobs for whoever pays the best."