Both men jump slightly at the sudden noise, and turn to look at the purple-haired woman who managed to sneak up on them.
The woman holds up a yellowed newspaper folded to display a picture from the opening of the AHDC six months ago. "She calls herself Katherine St. Claire."
Johnny leans in to have a closer look at the old paper, "Well you're in the right place." He takes a step to the side and ushers the strange woman into the lobby. Before entering he turns to Lance, "Keep a watch on things."
As he escorts the woman across the lobby Johnny notices a few members of Riverhaven's security watching them. I'm sure they saw her bow, I wonder if I should do something about that, he thinks as they walk towards Andie's office.
Tony was out for his morning walk when something caught his attention. An electrical and gravitational disturbance was moving downward toward Millennium City. Tapping the computer on his wrist, he engaged his force field and shifted ...
... in the sky over the city, he was able to follow the trajectory of the disturbance. Size/mass: hard to determine due to velocity, but roughly humanoid. Electromagnetic charge: higher than normally consistent with an object falling from orbit. Velocity: terminal. Vector: aiming directly at Riverhaven, home of the League of Titans. Well, he thought to himself, I was planning to give them a visit anyway. I guess now is as good a time as any. ...
... High above the city, he could make at the area of Riverhaven, right as the object impacted the parking lot in front of the complex ...
... 50 meters above the impact crater, he could see a number of individuals starting to gather to investigate. He pinned his UNTIL identity badge to his jacket and ....
... Standing on the ground several meters from the crater, he saw a woman in a hazmat suit and an armored individual investigating the object in the small impact crater. He approached them, and said, "Do be careful, there's a bit of an electrical potential that hasn't discharged ... it may be a protective field. Doctor Vortex, by the way. I'll stay out of the way, let me know if you need any help."
((The badge is an UNTIL security badge, with his picture and "Tony Reynolds AKA Doctor Vortex - Research Division"))
...As he escorts the woman across the lobby Johnny notices a few members of Riverhaven's security watching them. I'm sure they saw her bow, I wonder if I should do something about that, he thinks as they walk towards Andie's office.
"Thank you," Amara said, following the male into the building. The air inside was marginally cooler than outside, but both were much warmer than she cared for. She felt an unpleasant prickling sensation on her skin and realized it was sweat.
Like most of his species, the male towered over her. Still, she was a warrior of Lemuria, and walked with her head held high. She thanked him for bringing her inside, and wondered if he was a guard who would stay, and if he would resist.
"Welcome," Andie said to the small Lemurian girl, who regarded her with odd, slit-pupiled eyes. "Did you have an appointment with Ms. St. Claire?"
... Standing on the ground several meters from the crater, he saw a woman in a hazmat suit and an armored individual investigating the object in the small impact crater. He approached them, and said, "Do be careful, there's a bit of an electrical potential that hasn't discharged ... it may be a protective field. Doctor Vortex, by the way. I'll stay out of the way, let me know if you need any help."
((The badge is an UNTIL security badge, with his picture and "Tony Reynolds AKA Doctor Vortex - Research Division"))
"Thank you, Dr. Vortex," Leia said with a smile. "I think we'll just teleport him with a dampening field."
By now the medic team had arrived. They set up four pylons around the still form and triggered the dampening field. One of them set a marker on the body and it disappeared with a faint flash as the emergency teleport kicked in.
"Thanks for the help, all of you," Leia said, heading for the door. "I'll be posting updates on his condition on our secure link. If there's anything I can do for any of you, please let me know."
Trusting Joe to deal with the mess of a crater left behind, she smiled her thanks at the gathered crowd and disappeared through the door.
Skye stay unconsious, but is writhing in obvious pain, as his body sculpts itsself. Healing onl wounds, turning him from a couch potato to the body of an Olympic class gymnast. After about 3 housr He screans, arcs his back, as electricity envelps him and shoots out in all directions frying anything electronic in the room. As this happens a small device falls from his chest on the floor, and he calms back down and apears to be in a restfull sleep.
The gorgeous brunette strode out of the elevator, already hitting the ground running as she juggled conversations on three separate cell phones. She paused briefly at the doorway as a workman finished attaching a plaque to the wall. Giving a curt nod of acceptance, she continued into her office. The legend on the plaque read:
FRANKLY FRANKIE FRANKLIN PRODUCTIONS
Agency for the Meta-Talented
Whats the good word today Geraldine?, she asked of the attractive African American woman sitting behind the receptionist desk.
Still having a problem with Verizon getting our high speed fiber optic access installed, she sighed. Theyre saying the routers in the neighborhoods routers are already loaded with the Champions building being right across the street and .
The Caucasian raised a finger to stop her. Tell them I want it up and running today or Ill give my friends at SAG a call and they can forget about any of their Can You Hear Me? spots or any other commercials for that matter. They promised us they could deliver when we first bought this place, now is NOT the time for them to be backing out on us. We need that web access.
Yes maam.
Satisfied that the matter was resolved, Francine continued on to her new office. As she walked, she couldnt help but muse on how events had brought her here. It was all Sapphires doing, of course. She was SUCH a diva. When shed taken her on as a client she hadnt realized how much hand holding the heroine would need.
But of course the young businesswoman was used to this. Before shed started to represent the Champion shed worked for a REAL star her sister, Annie. Compared to her siblings star, Sapphire was just a flickering flame, a one hit wonder. Of course that didnt mean Frankie was any less devoted or respectful.
Opening the door to her office, she grinned at the blond haired man arranging papers on her desk, especially as he checked him out as he bent over. Randal, you did a great job with the décor of the office. Thanks again. I would have done it myself but I had to be in Tokyo for that conference with the OPRPD
Its what Im here for, he answered in a deferential and softspoken British voice. Your schedule for this morning is on your desk. He turned to face her, a mask of civility on his face even as he knew what shed done as she came in. Will there be anything else?
Nope, she stated, sitting in her chair and turning it to look out the window. Thanks again. As her personal assistant left, she was already deep in thought, looking down out of her west facing window at the big C of the Champions HQ below. Ostensibly chosen to be near her biggest client, it also secretly gave her a sense of satisfaction to look down on them, just like she could when
Suddenly the phone rang and her reverie was broken. She instantly entered business mode as she spoke in Spanish to the person on the line .
Rising from the murky depths of Millenium city harbor looks like a creature not of the surface world. A strange mixture of a manta ray and an eel held inside a cyborb body, with odd elongated robotic arms and legs. Arcs of electricity run from his body down his limbs as he leaves the water and you can see him breathing through what appears to be a diving rebreather filled with water. As he starts to come up the beach he moves in a strange hopping motion, suddenly stopping with what could only be described as a look of annoyance at his current method of travel. A light glow appears around his body and it slowly lifts up into the air, then he moves with the grace of a ballet dancer as he appears to swim through the sky as naturally as you could imagine him swimming through water.
A strange voice can be heard as if it's coming from inside your head "How can these surface dwellers live on the ground bed like that. The skies allow so much more mobility.
He once again flies off towards Riverhaven the home of the League of Titans to see what excitement the surface world held for him today. The only place around he's found that a "out of towner" such as himself seems to fit in more easily. Part of him hopes to meet an atlantean again, such odd folk, humanoids from the oceans just as the lemurians he grew up near were. Yet so different, almost more regal.
In the snowy mountains of Canada a spark is seen off in the distance between the thick forest trees. Zakka sits crossed legged on a large frost covered rock wedged deeply into the mountain side, her tail flicking back forth. A long straight kiresu pipe lays at rest between her lips, causing peppermint aroma smoke to dance in the cold winds. She puffs from the end of the pipe and turns her gaze towards the sky noting the position of the sun. Time to be getting back. She says with a grin, hoping up and stretching out her back.
Zakka faces the direction she wants to go and in one mighty leap she is off. Leaving behind the frost covered rock and the remains of a colossal battle and wreckage which was once a humongous destroid. In just a few bounds and leaps she arrives as her extraction point. She is to return to Millennium City to return to her new teams base of location and perhaps something to relieve her boredom awaits her arrival.
Lance leans against the wall watching all the action around the parking lot. In particular he keeps an eye on "Joe" the maintenance supervisor for the complex. He watches the man wave his affirmative that he has every thing under control as Leia come towards him, gives him an odd look then disappears into the building after her patient was wheeled in ahead of her.
Probably wondering what I'm doing loitering around. He thinks to himself. Starshadow can not always be around to help. Wonder where Johnny and that strange girl went off to. . .
~Ship do a scan of the area and report to me. In particular I want a scan on "Joe August" our resident maintenance person. There is a lot more to him than he lets on. Or else he has been replaced for some reason.~
~Yes pilot. Scan initiated. Indicators show an increase in eletrical activity in your location along wth nano technology on an unusual frequency.~
~Explain.~ says Lance mentally as he watches Joe open several odd canisters. What appear to be ball-berings roll into the crater that had been made by the crashed meta in the parking lot. Joe takes out an odd device and several of them form up into various shapes and moving formations.
~I see through your mental imaging that those are the sources of the electrical interferance. Now scanning the being you indicate as not being someone named Joe.~
~Well?~
~Unable to classify. Meta-structure is unidentifible. Not of human base stock or known alien genomes. Suggestion. Approach with caution. Indicators say possibly extremely dangerous. "Joe August" does not exist till six years ago. Forged legal documents.~
~Interesting. Keep scanning data banks and find out more. Keep me informed. Out.~ Lance closes the mental link turns and walks back inside the lobby. He feels like two eyes are on the back of his neck and almost turns to find out if he is right. Taking a seat he picks up a magazine, his face is on the cover, and smirks at what is inside, while waiting for Johnny to come back.
Joe stops his work a moment to watch a dark haired young man, maybe late teens early twenties, go inside the lobby. Well well. Look who we have here. He continues watching him through the closed door and as the other sits down to read a tabloid.
Do not get too curious Stirling. I knew you were there along with your friend. Smelled that aftershave you always have lingering on you.
He turns back to his work and directs the nanobots to shore up the foundation and bring up where the impact was. They break down various pieces of the rubble. Several others industriously spit out new materials while others begin creating a new covering.
Joe then places a few hardlight hologram beacons to give the illusion of a work crew filling in the crater. The whole area is roped off with an indication of dire consquences if anyone should cross the lines.
"Daddy! Daddy! Look outside! A construction crew! Isn't that cool! And there is Mr. August he always gives me lollipops! Daddy why is he holding an RC remote like you and I use when we race our cars? Can we go see him?"
"Becky how can you see that from here? Sweety we shall go see him soon enough. I have to go check on Mommy she is in the bath. And we want her to feel well today right? Because we did promise to take you to the zoo and Auntie Roxy will come with us too. Now eat the pancakes. You made them and there is quite the mess in here." T'omaz smiles at his little girl.
Finishing one last bit of his food he gets up and walks over to the sink. Puts his dishes in the dirty side then picks up the tray to carry in to the bath room. Smiling he opens the door.
==================================================================================================
Natalia tosses and turns but still can not go to sleep. Sighing she mutters something under her breath, gets up and tosses her closet door open. Looking around inside she finds a pair of jeans, tennis shoes and a top with the MC All Stars baseball team logo on it.
After putting everything on she goes into where here vanity is, does up her hair in a nice braid and puts on her make up. She then walks over to the phone and dials Danny's number and waits. . .
The trail of The Doc went cold, no pun intended, in canada while she did some work for PRIMUS. Oh it was tru that VIPER was active in the area, but what she had sought would not be found around Force Station Steelhead and that meant a trip to Millenium City, the City of the Future they called it. Tyger Tyger looked out over the city that she would be calling home for now, hopefully forever but dhe knew that was wishful thinking after years of staying on the move to keep The Docs hunter off her tail. She needed friends, she needed a place to be, and hopefully a source of information to guide her in finding the Docs new base of operations. The bag she loads into the cabs trunk is heavy, causing the vehicle to shudder slightly before the white skinned woman settles herself into the backseat and hands the business card to the driver. "Riverhaven?" The man looked at his passenger as she lowered her shades to reveal the slit pupiled yellow eyes as she smirked, "Riverhaven it is lady." Tyger sat back and enjoyed the view of the city as they made their way to the destination written on the back of the PRIMUS card that she had been given by the Canadian lieutenant.
Once the cab pulled up to the curb outside the parking area where people were working on a possible hazmat scene. "Thanks pal." the mans bemused grin at her accent didn't stop her from paying the man with cash before Tyger started off towards the facility, her longcoat barely concealing her sidearms and silver/black, tiger striped bodysuit. One of her first priorities upon finding someplace to hang her holsters was to go shopping since her last paltry collection of clothes went up in smoke when she had to run from the seedy motel in Bankok where she ran afoul of some VIPER scum. Tyger looked over at the crater, and the people around it, one of whom seemed to have an UNTIL badge which made her feel a bit better about the group as they seemed to be on good terms with an established organization. Making her way into the loby of the building she sauntered up, putting her hand on one hip as she spoke up. "Scuse me mistah, I looking for someone tell me if I can join you group. My name Tyger Tyger, you call me Tyger tho kay?" tygers black lipsticked lips part in a wide grin as she tried to look cute and harmless despite the weapons belt barely concealed under her coat.
OOC: She speaks like Shen Hua from Black Lagoon, always loved that character.
"Scuse me mistah, I looking for someone tell me if I can join you group. My name Tyger Tyger, you call me Tyger tho kay?"
Lance looks up from the article he is reading and smiles. "Hello Tyger. " He stands up, drops the magazine on the table and puts out a hand. "I'm Lance. Pleased to meet you. I am not really part of any 'group'. Though I can direct you to the office of the complex management to get you an apartment. Follow me I'll take you to Andie's office."
Joe sees Tyger go into the building as he is directing more of the nanobots to fix the crater. He does a quick scan and notes the weapons plus other equipment she was carrying. If anything goes wrong I'm sure Fletcher can handle it. That lady looked a bit on the lethal side but as the old saying says "Can not judge by the cover."
He turns and notices the UNTIL agent watching what he is doing. Hmm this could get interesting. . .
Zakka stretches as she hops out of the airship. Back in Millennium City, humans through all the years all the things they have done and all the ways they have changed, how they haven't changed at all. Yet Zakka enjoys this the most about them - always strive to the future and what marvels they should make. Zakka lights her pipe before leaping off towards Riverhaven.
Again with only a few might leaps and bounds she arrives! Landing rather hard right out front, causing the floor to crack and break in several places splintering out into random patterns.
Zakka takes a long puff from the end of her pipe before glancing around and waving. "Mraa! Greets, have I missed anything important?" she gives a grin walking towards the entrance flicking her tail back and forth as she does.
Steam was just standing off to the side after all the commotion enjoying the bay air when he heard a crash. Looking over his should he sees Zakka and the broken pavement under her. He takes a few steps back to make sure he isn't near the line of sight between Joe and Zakka. Looking around for a quick escape he spots Packrat and some cute girl looking at him interestedly and decides being over there would be a wiser choice than where he was.
"Is it always this busy around here this early in the morning?" is about all he could think of as a conversation starter between the nervous looking Packrat and the strange girl that seemed to be checking out his gear more than him.
Lamprey circles Riverhaven to see if anything interesting is happening when he sees a strange woman drop out of the sky from over his head and land hard on the ground. Seeing her as a green skinned tailed meta-human he decides to fly down and say hi. Always feeling more comfortable around the less human meta's, as they are less likely to respond negatively to his appearance. He flies down and activates his exo-suit for a perfect landing beside Zakka.
"Hello, Zakka you may call me Lamprey" is heard inside the heads of everyone in the area.
Zakka raises a brow and turns around, a lit pipe in her mouth and the smell of peppermint thick in the air. She looks at Lamprey up and down with a bit of a confuse expression. Suddenly she smiles and holds her hands out. "Greetings! I am Zakka, come tell me of yourself - I am eager to know my new team mates."
If Lamprey agrees to a hug, Zakka would lift him off the ground slightly and give him a good big old bear like hug.
"Hello Tyger. " He stands up, drops the magazine on the table and puts out a hand. Tyger took the mans hand and shook it firmly with a broad smile on her face. "I'm Lance. Pleased to meet you. I am not really part of any 'group'. Though I can direct you to the office of the complex management to get you an apartment. Follow me I'll take you to Andie's office."
Tyger slapped the man on his shoulder, "Okay Mistah Lance, you show me dis Andie fella. Wha happen outside? Dis place attacked?"
The hard landing of Zakka startled Lila, distracting her enough for Packrat to make his exit. She turned back to find him leaving, and she sighed.
"Is it always this busy around here this early in the morning?"
She turned to see a man in power armor... not exactly power armor, as she could not sense any high tech devices on the man's armor. Lila wondered what could possibly power it when she realized that she hadn't answered. "Er, sorry, I was just admiring your suit," she said a bit flustered. "Not always this busy, no."
"Er, sorry, I was just admiring your suit," she said a bit flustered. "Not always this busy, no."
With barely a movement Stan activates the runes and his Steam suit changes into his street suit. The helmet transforming into a bowler hat, as the armor becomes his shirt and pants, the steam pack on his back just sort of unfolds itself into a duster. Within seconds his standing there in a blue and red striped suit with mystical lines drawn into it.
"Thank you miss." He responds as he bows before her.
"Do you live or work here within Riverhaven?" Stan asks as he looks around at the massive building in front of him.
"I am still new to the Titans and haven't had a chance to really visit it yet. Seems like it would be an extraordinary place to live and work."
As sudden as his introduction to this tall green skinned woman was, he now finds himself being grappled by her and his tail barely being able to touch the ground. Not hearing any hostile thoughts but feeling instinctually scared by the sudden physical contact his electrical field triggers, barely responding in time to keep it lite enough not to electricute the new person. As Zakka puts him down his field dissipates and he regains some composure.
"Such a strange greeting you land dwellers have some times. I apologize for the sudden shock, my people don't have arms so such greeting are unknown among our kind." Lamprey says as he remembers the first meeting with a person that shook his exo-suits hand, that ended quite poorly as he had not expected physical contact. Luckily they made a full recovery, though they had to wait for their hair to grow back properly.
She shocking causes Zakka's hair to stick straight up on end. "Haha! Now thats a greetings, yes well I find most humans tend not to enjoy the "hug" greetings." She says this doing the qoute unqoute finger gestures. " Which is rather interesting since viewing their society and their stand on contact is rather skewed!" Place a hand around her chin
She licks her hand and pats down her hair. "Come from the ground do you or is it the sea? I have known many creatures from many places. Sadly I do no get to visit the sea as I would like. The inability to breath in the aquatic paradise is what my race and the humans seem to be one thing we share in common!" She laughs and give a good but friendly slap on the back to Lamprey. "Look at me yapping on like a hatching! Please tell me of yourself and your people! My thirst for knowledge is most unquenchable!"
Tyger slaps Lance on his shoulder, "Okay Mistah Lance, you show me dis Andie fella. Wha happen outside? Dis place attacked?"
"Miss Andie is one of the complex managers. As for what happened out in the parking lot seems like some meta dropped out of the sky. He decided the parking lot would make a great place to leave an impact crater."
They go through a door that leads to another corridor and further on into the office section of the complex. They hear voices coming from Andie's office. "Popular place this morning." He smiles at Tyger as he taps the frame of the door to announce their presence.
He notices the lady with the bow and Johnny in there too. "Hi Andie. I have another person here who could use a place. She is also interested in possibly joining the team here too. Tyger Tyger meet Andie, Johnny, and. . . I'm sorry miss I did not catch your name earlier." Lance apologizes.
"Ah, wonderful," Andie said with a smile. She gestured Tyger in as well. She introduced herself to both of the strangers and got their names as well.
"I would be happy to show both of you around, Amara and Tyger," she said. "I will, of course, need to ask for your weapons. Only registered building members are allowed to carry their weapons past the lobby. RiverHaven has excellent defenses against attack, of which common sense is the most powerful, of course."
The Lemurian girl's hand rested on the hilt of what appeared to be a knife made of bone strapped to her thigh. She was small, but her lithe body was tense, her pupils mere slits as she blinked rapidly, a nictitating membrane flashing across her eyes.
"I must see Katherine St. Claire," she insisted again, her voice a clear, lilting soprano. Something about it made the hair on the back of Andie's neck stand up. She found herself wanting to take the girl to Kate right now. Which wasn't how it worked. Which was wrong.
Looking out the tinted windows of the limo, Lansley felt an annoying sense of de ja vu. The sign was bent slightly, as if someone had backed into it while coming around the corner. Bent exactly like the sign he had seen earlier, an hour ago."I really wish you would have simply let me charter a greyhound bus instead of sending me in this auto-car. I swear this is the fifth time the AI has driven through this place."
The girl who sat next to him only smirked at the comment and shook her head. Her posture was impeccable, her dress sleek but simple, and she didn't need any sort of revealing cuts to look stunning. Instead she just oozed with the kind of natural cool grace and wit that was normally the domain of mythic kings. It really wasn't all that unnatural though, it was just the product of a strict childhood. "You are just being paranoid brother. Like when you thought my dolls were trying to eat you at night." She chided Lansley, taking great satisfaction from his inevitable response. Lansley's face turned red as he groaned and tried his hardest not to recall the embarrassing incident from when he was five years old. His sister simply smiled, noting how her brother's red cheeks contrasted with his black dyed hair. Lansley just looked out the window.
So this is the city. He thought to himself. The city streets were littered with people of varying attires. A Copacabana of societies all in one place at one time, a stimulus for the mind that would think to see it as such. Lansley looked out of the window with a silent smugness that he'd be able to be part of that world soon, and hopefully learn to better come to terms with his mental abilities. He never noticed in the blur of urban life though that his sister looked out her window with a far different expression on.
Out there was a world she had never been allowed, a place supposedly full of miscreants and lazy imperfectionists. Herself, as the heir to the family business, estate, and fortune was never afford a time to be out there with those people. Her musical training was classical, her clothes refined, her education top class; everything desirable in an upstanding young woman. But to her they were simply circumstance, a burden of life just as much as breathing.
"We're here."She said coolly, suppressing the envy and sadness her thoughts wove about Lansley. She was right as she usually was, proven to be so as the robotic voice of the drive announced their approach to Riverhaven. The car slowed as it went over the speed bump and into the Riverhaven parking lot. Morosely Lansley's sister took her eyes from the towering complex and down to face her brother.
"Broth~" She began to speak before her eyes had even reached her brother's, but was cut short as the robotic driver came to a halt. Whatever the girl in red had on her mind was gone, as both she and her brother looked out to the spectacle outside. A crowd of people and obviously super-heroes all congregated around a taped off area.
Due to a recent accident, I will not be able to navigate to the designated parking location. Travel location is within walking distance, would the young master like to stop here? The robotic driver's voice came from the small speakers in the ceiling.
"Y-yes, that would be fine." Lansley said reaching for the door, suddenly feeling a nervousness from his sister. "I'll make sure to give you a call sister!"
Getting out of the car door, his sister replied "I.. I'll hold you too it then.".Going around to the trunk of the car Lansley waited for the AI to pop it open, and then took his single suitcase out. Closing it again, he waited until the AI had driven off down the street and out of sight, a bittersweet tinge in his heart.
Lansley stayed there for a good ten minutes, looking out to the horizon of buildings that made the urban metropolis. Once he had his fill of the feelings that he couldn't completely define, he turned towards the Riverhaven complex and pushed open the front door with his artificial left arm. With his case in his other hand, he entered in time to see a man directing a woman to somewhere else inside the complex. Not seeing any reason in sitting after being in a car for over seven hours, Lansley went to wait in front of the now unoccupied lobby desk with his case at his feet.
======== Summary:Lansley arrives in a car with his sister, gets out and goes into the lobby with a suitcase, and is now waiting at the desk to be helped.
OOC: The only thing that might come up at a detector would be his artificial left arm, which is a custom model made of varying amounts of extremely valuable precious and mystical metals (such as orialcum which is known to make a good nervous-circuit interface material). It doesn't have any weapon modules. Just thought I'd point that out to help the securities peoples know what they'd get from a scan.
"I am from under the sea. My people live near Lemuria and I heard stories of the people who lived on land so came to se......" stopping his sentence as a strange sensation came over Lamprey, a familar feeling. He lifts into the air and rushes off towards the building and barely waits for the front doors to open half way before he squeezes through them. Straight past a young boy that he can feel a strange electricity coming from one of his arms and a feeling of something more, but he was in a hurry and flew on to the door. Here on the other side he could feel the impulse stronger than ever, it was a Lemurian inside that room of this he was sure. He reached out and could feel other minds also in there. Not sure how to react to this situation he pauses and wonders out loud :
"Who is Katherine St. Claire?" as he scans those in the lobby for the answer.
Amara felt the brush of psychic power from the other side of the door. It tasted somewhat familiar, although not quite what she was expecting. What exactly she had been expecting, It did not matter. There could be no other of the sea here, on land and so far from the cold depths.
"She is here!" she cried, and drew her bow. Energy arced between the curving ends as the bow hummed to life. An arrow was in her hand as she kicked the door out of its frame, a song bubbling in her throat as she prepared for battle.
The exo-suit of the one called Lamprey caught Lila's attention... the technology in the suit "called" to her, as if it were conveying it's "happiness" due to the fact that it was serving Lamprey the best that it could. The technology didn't actually talk to her, but that was the closest she could come to explaining what she felt.
Realizing that she was staring again, she reddened from embarassment. "I'm sorry," she said to Stan. "I'm kind of a techhead, and I always like checking out other tech. I'm Lila, by the way. I didn't catch your name?"
I a gentle whisp would be the only way to describe the feeling of being noticed psychically, touching upon one's own exhalations. It made Lansley's skin shiver and anxiously he bent to grab his suitcase when a loud crash came from the the door to his left. Twisting his head as he got stood to attention, he saw what had to be the origin of the psychic force that had touched him. But he didn't look at the face of the woman at the door, instead the arrow was what concerned him. Instinct naturally told him that a drawn arrow would soon become an arrow in flight. He was no speedster, he couldn't get out of the way of such a thing and as the antipsionic drugs were still in his system, there was no way he could stop it. But his love of Foxbat comics suddenly gave him a revelation.
As Lansley was standing up from getting his suitcase, he used as much psychokinetic force as he swung the suitcase at the woman. About ten pounds of pressure was all he could accomplish at the moment, but it was enough to produce a satisfying click from the spring loaded suitcase which popped open. The clothes that had been so neatly organized flew out as the case reached the arc of it's swing; an explosion of cloth in the general direction of the woman that seemed quite threatening at the moment.
Then Lansley coughed a spray of blood as he felt his body naturally react to the immense use of psionic potential. Normally had he not be inundated with the antipsionic drugs remained in his system he wouldn't have had to used much psionic potential at all to open a simple suit case. Having only stopped his daily routine of taking such medication though, his blood levels were still absurdly high as they had been the day before with the buffering chemicals. The result was simply that he had to use far more psionic potential than normal to overcome the resistance the flowed through his blood. He shook slightly then fell to one knee but didn't let the raging headache get to him, even as a trail of blood flowed down the side of his mouth.
"Steam to my enemies, Stan to my friends, Nice to meet you Lila. You did seem to have a puzzled look on your face as you were looking at my steam suit earlier."
"Must be quite interesting for you to be able to see all the hero's with their different techs in a place like this. My steam suit is more magical then technological I'm afraid so not much for you to check out. A few pressure chambers with steam tubes and vents is about the most tech it gets."
Fingering the runes the coat folds in on itself again and becomes the steam tank. Setting it down proudly. "This is my pride and joy of the suit. A fire and a water elemental both bound into the chambers to create an unlimited about of steam. A few conjuration spells bind my clothes to the suit and allow me to switch with barely more than a thought and focusing on the runes."
Seeing the lemurian break through the door Lamprey's instincts kicks in, backing away and around when he notices he isn't the target. Noticing the human as the target and watching him use his minor psionics to respond with a box of thrown cloth, gives Lamprey an idea. Using his own telekinetic abilities he assists in boosting the force as the cloth hits the lemurian. Seconds later launching a lightning storm attack to attempt to further distract his foe. Unaware of the construction techniques of surface people it arcs and hits the ceiling in several places and activates the fire suppression sprinklers sending water pouring down on all of them.
Johnny had moved over to the side of Andie's desk to talk to her just as the young girl's hand starts to go for her bow. Catching it out of the corner of his eye Johnny grabs one of the arms on Andie's chair and pulls her back from the desk, putting himself between her and the strange girl with the bow.
The girl turns and kicks down a nearby door. Damn, she's strong for her size, Johnny thinks to himself. Just then the room erupts into a storm of clothing, water and electricity momentarily obscuring his vision. Over the ruckus he screams, "Drop the bow! Drop it!"
Zakka was going to say something when Lemprey suddenly rushed off. She quirked an eyebrow and took a long puff from the end of her pipe. "well now I wonder if everyone in his race is always in such a hurry." she stretches and places her arms behind her head and head inside Riverhaven.
Amara stepped through the shattered door, seeking her target. She was still not sure what form that would take, which added to the panicky feeling she was working hard to suppress. She tasted the surprise, alarm, protectiveness, and intent to act from those around her, seeking the one's mind tasted of home.
The bow swung to face the smaller, eel-like creature just as she was hit with a fluttering school of soft somethings that fouled her aim. Then electricity arced around her, stunning her momentarily. And water poured down - a relief, but making it even harder to see with her eyes, and making the electric current arc wildly.
Her nictitating membrane closed, protecting her vision, and her mind reached out to grasp that of the eel-like creature. She tasted surprise, vague recognition, but none of the feel of ancient power that she had been expecting. Could she have been weakened by age? But no, he was male...
"But you're not the Lorelei," she blurted, blinking wildly. The tip of the bow wavered.
"Drop the bow! Drop it!" one of the humans cried out behind her. Amara flushed deeply, her skin turning a dusky purple beneath the blue hue, and lowered the bow. She stared at the eel-creature, feeling the water running down her face and braided hair, catching in the ceremonial gold she wore for her quest.
~Pilot! I detect intent to harm near you. Also psionic emanations. Applying mental shield. You seem unable to react. Activating you along our link.~
With a jolt Lance felt his powers starting to activate and could not stop. I hate it when that just takes over. He mentally wrestles for control negating him taking on full manifestation. All that appears in his hands are a globe of darkness, which he is preparing to throw at the purple bow carrying girl, and a construct that looks vaguely like a shield.
Mustering as much authority in his voice as he can Lance says, "All right everyone just calm down. Let's get this sorted out. Andie call Joe and see if he can get this place repaired, plus just contact Miss St. Claire. I'm sure Tyger will also want to speak with her. You in the armor turn off the electricity. Johnny stand down. Amara was it? Keep that weapon down. We're all somewhat adults here let's talk this over. I know tensions are running high after this morning's events."
Johnny makes a gesture at him and he realizes his eyes have gone to that solid blue whenever his powers activate. Andie gives him a look that says, "We are going to have a little talk. . .soon." Lance closes his eyes and concentrates on disipating the dark constructs he is holding then reopens them. Looking as normal as he usually does.
The woman called Andie seemed nice enough, she didn't smell like a threat anyway, but she was asking for Tygers safety blanket to be handed over like they were so much luggage. Sure Andie said it was safe here, but the last time Tyger had been around so many Metas was in the labs. "Okay Lady, Tyger do what you say." The lithe woman set the heavy bag with her big gun and extra ammo before the desk and unbuckled her weapons belt, but just as she was setting it with the bag, the hair on the back of her neck stood up.
Instinct told her there was danger, Lance moved Andie to safety as one of the others went for a bow. Tyger drew her shotgun and flipped forward, arcing her body so that when she landed on the desk between Andie and whatever threat lay beyond the shattered door that she was ready with the pump action weapon couched against her side and ready for anything that may come through. Lightning seemed to arc throughout the area, blasting the sprinkler system and drenching them all. "But you're not the Lorelei," the archer blurted, blinking wildly. The tip of the nocked arrow wavered.
Lance stepped a bit forward, commanding her to, "Drop the bow! Drop it!" And as the bow went down, Tyger lowered her own weapon and set it on the desk.
Tyger was soaked, her bodysuit shed water well enough though as it was designed for all weather conditions, but her precious weapons were wet and she did her best to shake the pump shotgun free of most of the water before laying it on the bag with her other weapons and sitting crosslegged on Andies desk, "Dis place funny, Lots action make for fun introduction. Lady no say kill you though and Mistah no say shoot so Tyger put gun down, we be friends now yes?" The genetically altered super soldier smiled like a cheshire cat, her cat like eyes glinting. "Unless Mistah change mind, then we play."
"Sorry about the mess..." Lansley wheezed as he pushed himself from his kneel and leaned against the lobby desk tiredly. His brain felt more like a giant collective of needles then an organ, and even the florescent light seemed like painfully strong at the moment. He squinted and tried to calm his heart down with steady breathing. Maybe, I should have waited until after my medicines had completely dissipated from my system until coming. Looking down at his shirt, the white cloth was now wet with both blood and water. The consolation was that being wet, the blood might not stain to badly. The rest of his clothes which were now strewn liberally about the lobby thanks to his attempt at self-defense looked like they had fared much better, only wet from water.
Seeing the lemurian lower her bow and realizing the damage his electricity was causing Lamprey quickly canceled it. Looking over at the boy that was bleeding and could barely stand, he moved a chair near him in case he decided to sit down as he had seen humans do in the past for comfort. Hearing thoughts best left unrepeated, and seeing the miserable look on the humans faces, Lamprey looks at the ceiling where his electricity had hit the water pipes. But always keeping some attention on the lemurian, who now seemed disappointed at not having found her true target, yet relieved by the falling water.
"I am sorry for the damage I have caused. It was unknown to me that you keep water in the walls. I have yet to fully understand your surface dwellings. Such fragile beauty they are, so unlike the caves and reefs of my peoples cities."
Zakka wanders into the room were she heard all the noises coming from, a lit pipe resting in her mouth and course the smell of peppermint fills the air. She looks back and forth between everyone, removes the pipe from her mouth and simple says. "What...did I miss some form of party?
"Oh, I know... I'm so fascinated by all the technology that all the heroes have on them," Lila gushed, her attention rapt as Stan demonstrated the workings of his steam suit. No wonder I couldn't detect the workings of his armor... magic is not my forte'. "That is sooo cool."
A disturbance from inside grabbed her attention just then. "OK, this is not the usual activity around here."
Amara let the bowstring dissipate. Humiliation lent her blue skin a duskier color. It was an interesting part of being humanoid, part of her noted, but most of her was equal parts frightened and determined.
Males who were dressed alike appeared quickly, with the alertness of warriors. They wanted Amara to give them her bow, but she refused. They had no authority over her. There was brief comment about calling somebody called "Police", but it was decided that the incident did not require that. One of them turned off the water and another began to help the bleeding male.
A human female of about Amara's own height appeared. She had the pale pink skin of the northern humans, dark hair, and violet eyes, and carried an air of authority.
"Hello," she said in a cool voice. "I am Katherine St. Claire. How can I help you?"
Amara stared at her, straining against the blanket that smothered her senses. She appeared so... human. Could she be wrong?
"I am Amara, daughter of Lailu, daughter of Beleriel, of the Kingdom of Lemuria. I am here to arrest you on charges of murder and to bring you home to justice," Amara said, standing tall. Considering her relative statue compared to most of the others, the small eel-like creature excluded, that meant she was really only taller than the female St. Claire.
The female's dark eyebrow lifted, but she did appeared neither alarmed nor angry. "I think perhaps there has been a mistake. Would you like to come to my office, Ms. Amara?"
Slinging his steam pack back on and transforming the rest of his clothes back into steam suit. Stan stands ready for whatever might come next.
"Shall we go investigate then? Never know who may need help, even here." as he bows to Lila as a gentleman does while motioning towards direction of the door.
Johnny quirks his brow at Kate as she ushers the Lemurian girl into her office, and she returns the look with an unconcerned smile. She has such an air of authority about her for someone so unassuming. Reminds me of the archmages back home.
Shrugging Johnny turns back to the group gathered in Andie's office, "Is everyone alright? Maybe we should take a walk and dry off a bit while they get this placed fixed up."
Amara followed Katherine St. Claire to her office. The security here would make it extraordinarily difficult to take the human against her will. The psionic dampening was like being wrapped in a blanket. Everything was fuzzy and distant, muted. Still she kept the bow in hand. The female had not demanded that she give it up, and she could still shoot, even half-blind.
The female led her to another office, which looked soft and welcoming to Amara's eyes. Instinctively she relaxed, her grip on the energy bow easing slightly.
"Please, have a seat, Ms. Amara," the female said, gesturing at one of the chairs. "Would you like something to drink?"
"No, thank you," Amara said stiffly. She remained standing until the female sat as well, unwilling to be at a disadvantage. Doubts she may have, but if this was indeed the Lorelei, she was in grave danger.
"Now, would you like to tell me what happened?" Katherine St. Claire said mildly. Amara's slitted pupils dilated slightly in the softer light of the office, and she studied the human. She stained to taste her through the psionic shielding. If she could just...
"I am here tracking one of my people," Amara said slowly. "She left what became Lemuria millennia ago. She had no name, then, that we know, but she became known as the Lorelei." She felt awkward explaining this, for of course if she were right, then Katherine St. Claire already knew all this. "She hated the humans," Amara went on, gaining strength in the memory of the legendary atrocities. "She wanted to hurt and kill as many as she could. She would choose dangerous waters as her home, and then lure sailors to their deaths again and again until driven away."
"We have the legend of the Lorelei in the human world as well," Katherine St. Claire said with a nod. "But this was hundreds of years ago. Why would you think the legend is real?"
"Because we have the same legend, but dating back further," Amara said stubbornly. "She was one of the first to make the pact with the Bleak Ones."
"The Bleak Ones?" the female asked.
"The ones who gave us the ability to change our form," Amara explained. "To take a human form in addition to our natural physiology."
"Ah." The female looked at Amara, studying her with violet eyes. "I can see that you believe this," Katherine St. Claire said, "but why would you believe that I have anything to do with it?"
"I..." Amara hesitated. Now, confronted with this calm human female, it seemed so preposterous. "I have done much research," she said, "since contact was reestablished with the surface world. I know that the Lorelei was real. And from the length of time the stories span, I believe she has found immortality. I have traced her movements from the stories, both above and below the true water, and... I found you, in a place where the Lorelei was known to be, and long before your human life should have started."
"So you wish to arrest me because you believe that I am this Lorelei. That I have lived thousands of years and killed countless people," Katherine St. Claire said, arching a brow. "Do I look like such a person? And even if the Lorelei existed, or exists, might she not have changed over the vast time you are speaking of?"
"There is no... statute of limitations on murder, as the humans say," Amara said, her fingers tightening on the bow. "There is no end to the need for justice, as our people say. The Lorelei is a blight, a stain upon our race. It is not for me to judge. You must be brought home, to answer for the deaths you have caused. If you truly regret these deaths, then you must see that it is the only way for justice."
"What I see is a young girl with an active imagination and a strong sense of duty. I commend you for both of these, Ms. Amara," the human said. "I think that you will do well for your people. But coming here was rash, and unwise. If you really sought the Lorelei, you should have gone through the diplomatic channels that are being established. There is a way that societies work, to keep the peace, and acting the vigilante or bounty hunter is not one of them.
"However, I can tell that you lack the patience for such things. I would encourage you to develop that patience. You might consider enrolling in our Titans Academy - they are specifically designed to help emerging young heroes, like yourself. For example," she said, reaching over to depress a button on her desk, "one of the first things they teach is not to be drawn into prolonged discussion with your enemy. They call it "monologuing" and is usually dangerous for both parties."
The psionic shielding dropped around them, and the world was suddenly full of taste and color again. Amara gasped, her pupils constricting in reaction, and she had just enough time to taste the brightly burning essence of the creature in front of her before power seized her mind in its grip.
*****************************
The shielding in the room was re-established. Katherine St. Claire smiled at Amara. Amara smiled back, but something uncomfortable skittered through her.
"Thank you for enrolling me at the Academy, Ms. St. Claire," Amara said. Her heart was racing, as if she had swum the length of the city. She would need to eat soon.
"Of course," Ms. St. Claire said with a small smile. "I will call over there and let them know you are coming, and will need a private room."
Amara nodded, dazed, and stood, picking up her bow to sling across her back. She left, hardly noticing the humans at work cleaning up the watery mess in the lobby.
Katherine St. Claire watched her go with violet eyes, and pulled her notes for her next meeting. At noon she left for lunch, and never came back.
Shrugging Johnny turns back to the group gathered in Andie's office, "Is everyone alright? Maybe we should take a walk and dry off a bit while they get this placed fixed up."
As they start to exit the lobby Zakka walks in "What...did I miss some form of party?"
"We were just going for a walk." Lamprey responds in what could be felt by those nearby as almost embarrassed tone "While they fix the damage I did to their structure."
As his exo-skeleton walks on all fours in a shaking gate. "Though I can't figure out why people choose this method of travel. Sky swimming is so much easier." As Lamprey lifts into the air using his telekinetic powers he feels a great rush of power, ancient and strong from behind him.
Nervously shaking he stutters telepathically "Perhappsss it wooood be betterer if I got useded tooo walking." As fast as it appears the power dissipated. "Would you care to walk with us." Something about this large green woman comforts him, something hidden, unseen, yet calm. He's only able to hear the surface of her thoughts, not like humans that project too much too often unknowingly.
As Steam holds the door open for Lila to enter the door they see the large green meta woman talking to the eel creature and several others starting to exit the lobby. Seeing repair crews on ladders fixing electrical burn marks in the ceiling as janitors mop up water that seems to have drenched everything.
"I'm not sure what the party was, but we seem to be arriving at the end of it." Steam looks as Lila and says sarcastically "So whats a normal day around here like. Alien invasion thursday, and hell on earth fridays? Its definitely doesn't seem boring. But I'm glad I don't have to pay the insurance premiums."
The blue sphere pulsed as it made the leap from one tip of a spear to another. It reminded Fletcher of a ball of lightning, but it was really just the holographic equivalent of a metaphor. He was watching the Torchbearer security subroutines from the inside, using a logic routing simulation he had written on the fly while finishing his cappuccino on the elevator ride to the Sim Suite. Everything checked out here too. Maybe it was time to let go of his fears and put this thing to a real test. He was running out of excuses for delaying Dannys requests anyway.
Or maybe, he should just come clean with Danny and explain what his real fears were. Would Danny understand that he had made the mistake of thinking nothing could go wrong when he had first made the (nearly) perfect AI? There werent many people that knew that Optimum was his creation. It wasnt exactly the kind of thing a hero put on his resume.
Fletcher shut down the holo-sim with a touch to his comm.. The familiar grid pattern faded in on floors, walls, and ceiling. Fletcher checked the comm. again for the time, and this is when he noticed the security bulletin. He read the sit-rep and scratched his head, perplexed. Making his way to the TitansNet terminal near the exit, he activated the console for voice commands and audio response.
Prometheus, activate security log protocols. A team was sent to the admin offices twenty-five minutes ago. Indicate authorization of this action.
Acknowledged. The female voice sounded just like Majel Barrett. That was quite a bit better than the James Earl Jones that it had been yesterday. He was fairly sure that was Dannys idea of a joke.
After about thirty seconds, which Fletcher felt was an unusually long time for a response, the voice of Prometheus spoke again. Results Inconclusive.
Um, what? Not his most articulate moment, but it was all Fletcher could come up with. How could the results be
Something wasnt right. He left the Sim Suite and headed for the security office where he could track things down properly. After about an hour of manual searching, he had faired no better than Prometheus had.
Results Inconclusive he muttered under his breath. He had left specific instructions for Prometheus to alert him of any security issues while he was running the simulations, but that had not happened. Further, the security team had been sent using the correct protocols, but there was no record of who had used those protocols. He had even checked the Prometheus AI upgrades, but they were still safely quarantined on their own subnet. Everything checked out, there were no problems. It was apparently just a glitch.
Unsure of how to proceed next, Fletcher began looking for other anomalies following the glitch in the system. It didnt take him long to find one, and it surprised him. He quickly determined that there was no connection to the former glitch, however. This new anomaly was easily traceable to a human origin.
For a period of time, security cameras and audio feed in the admin offices had been disabled. This had been done from Kates terminal. While it wasnt unheard of for Kate to turn these off during private interviews with dignitaries or generous donors, Fletcher could not ever recall her doing this with new tenants and certainly not with Academy candidates.
According to her terminal, Kate had left for lunch. He had almost decided to wait until after to ask her about why she had turned off the cameras, but then thought better of it and messaged her comm. to set up a meeting for when she returned. The response came back quickly, too quickly. The message read:
Comm Deactivated
Things were really getting strange now. Katherine St. Claire never missed a message or an appointment. Fletcher pulled up the TitansNet tracking program and typed in the code for Kates comm., requesting a GPS ping. The results were back in seconds, and Fletcher stood and walked to the elevator. In a few minutes he was in the admin area, and he headed straight for Kates office.
Her comm. unit was on the desk, her Riverhaven security badge alongside it. Fletcher picked up the badge and turned it over and over in his hands as he stared out the door, completely puzzled about what was going on.
Johnny quirks his brow at Kate as she ushers the Lemurian girl into her office, and she returns the look with an unconcerned smile. She has such an air of authority about her for someone so unassuming. Reminds me of the archmages back home.
Shrugging Johnny turns back to the group gathered in Andie's office, "Is everyone alright? Maybe we should take a walk and dry off a bit while they get this placed fixed up."
Shaking her head, sending water flying in all directions, before slicking her hair back and smiling at Johnny, Tyger hops off the desk. "Okay Mistah, you take us out of here so Lady can talk. You show where we live yes?" Tygers bodysuit resisted the water well, but still clung to her even more like a second skin. "Maybe you show us someplace Tygah can get more clothes to yes?"
After having a nice chat with Zakka, Lamprey shudders as he senses something outside that disturbs him. It feels like a powerful mind was watching, similar in strength to the one before but a different feel to it. As a large armor clad man and a smaller young lady walk by, it seems to follow them, watching them. Instinctually he wants to hide and shield himself from these strong minds, but part of him wants to help to protect the others from this unknown force.
"There are strange things happening today, powerful minds I have never felt anything like before. They are watching and working. But I can not feel why. One of them watches you." Lamprey says to Steam though everyone still in the lobby could hear it inside their head.
Steam looks at the eel like creature giving him a strange warning with a little bit of confusion. Seeing no immediate danger he transforms his armor back into his suit and hat.
"Well I haven't felt anything today, perhaps someone just likes to watch me. I come from a realm of magic, they like to snoop on people there. But I thank you for the warning my good .... umm man I would assume."
And with that Stanley does a slight bow and continues on his way wondering about the mind watching him.
"Gramps I know it's you, and you got noticed today. You're slipping." He says with a smile.
Comments
Both men jump slightly at the sudden noise, and turn to look at the purple-haired woman who managed to sneak up on them.
The woman holds up a yellowed newspaper folded to display a picture from the opening of the AHDC six months ago. "She calls herself Katherine St. Claire."
Johnny leans in to have a closer look at the old paper, "Well you're in the right place." He takes a step to the side and ushers the strange woman into the lobby. Before entering he turns to Lance, "Keep a watch on things."
As he escorts the woman across the lobby Johnny notices a few members of Riverhaven's security watching them. I'm sure they saw her bow, I wonder if I should do something about that, he thinks as they walk towards Andie's office.
... in the sky over the city, he was able to follow the trajectory of the disturbance. Size/mass: hard to determine due to velocity, but roughly humanoid. Electromagnetic charge: higher than normally consistent with an object falling from orbit. Velocity: terminal. Vector: aiming directly at Riverhaven, home of the League of Titans. Well, he thought to himself, I was planning to give them a visit anyway. I guess now is as good a time as any. ...
... High above the city, he could make at the area of Riverhaven, right as the object impacted the parking lot in front of the complex ...
... 50 meters above the impact crater, he could see a number of individuals starting to gather to investigate. He pinned his UNTIL identity badge to his jacket and ....
... Standing on the ground several meters from the crater, he saw a woman in a hazmat suit and an armored individual investigating the object in the small impact crater. He approached them, and said, "Do be careful, there's a bit of an electrical potential that hasn't discharged ... it may be a protective field. Doctor Vortex, by the way. I'll stay out of the way, let me know if you need any help."
((The badge is an UNTIL security badge, with his picture and "Tony Reynolds AKA Doctor Vortex - Research Division"))
"Thank you," Amara said, following the male into the building. The air inside was marginally cooler than outside, but both were much warmer than she cared for. She felt an unpleasant prickling sensation on her skin and realized it was sweat.
Like most of his species, the male towered over her. Still, she was a warrior of Lemuria, and walked with her head held high. She thanked him for bringing her inside, and wondered if he was a guard who would stay, and if he would resist.
"Welcome," Andie said to the small Lemurian girl, who regarded her with odd, slit-pupiled eyes. "Did you have an appointment with Ms. St. Claire?"
"No," Amara said. "I must see her."
"Thank you, Dr. Vortex," Leia said with a smile. "I think we'll just teleport him with a dampening field."
By now the medic team had arrived. They set up four pylons around the still form and triggered the dampening field. One of them set a marker on the body and it disappeared with a faint flash as the emergency teleport kicked in.
"Thanks for the help, all of you," Leia said, heading for the door. "I'll be posting updates on his condition on our secure link. If there's anything I can do for any of you, please let me know."
Trusting Joe to deal with the mess of a crater left behind, she smiled her thanks at the gathered crowd and disappeared through the door.
Agency for the Meta-Talented
Whats the good word today Geraldine?, she asked of the attractive African American woman sitting behind the receptionist desk.
Still having a problem with Verizon getting our high speed fiber optic access installed, she sighed. Theyre saying the routers in the neighborhoods routers are already loaded with the Champions building being right across the street and .
The Caucasian raised a finger to stop her. Tell them I want it up and running today or Ill give my friends at SAG a call and they can forget about any of their Can You Hear Me? spots or any other commercials for that matter. They promised us they could deliver when we first bought this place, now is NOT the time for them to be backing out on us. We need that web access.
Yes maam.
Satisfied that the matter was resolved, Francine continued on to her new office. As she walked, she couldnt help but muse on how events had brought her here. It was all Sapphires doing, of course. She was SUCH a diva. When shed taken her on as a client she hadnt realized how much hand holding the heroine would need.
But of course the young businesswoman was used to this. Before shed started to represent the Champion shed worked for a REAL star her sister, Annie. Compared to her siblings star, Sapphire was just a flickering flame, a one hit wonder. Of course that didnt mean Frankie was any less devoted or respectful.
Opening the door to her office, she grinned at the blond haired man arranging papers on her desk, especially as he checked him out as he bent over. Randal, you did a great job with the décor of the office. Thanks again. I would have done it myself but I had to be in Tokyo for that conference with the OPRPD
Its what Im here for, he answered in a deferential and softspoken British voice. Your schedule for this morning is on your desk. He turned to face her, a mask of civility on his face even as he knew what shed done as she came in. Will there be anything else?
Nope, she stated, sitting in her chair and turning it to look out the window. Thanks again. As her personal assistant left, she was already deep in thought, looking down out of her west facing window at the big C of the Champions HQ below. Ostensibly chosen to be near her biggest client, it also secretly gave her a sense of satisfaction to look down on them, just like she could when
Suddenly the phone rang and her reverie was broken. She instantly entered business mode as she spoke in Spanish to the person on the line .
A strange voice can be heard as if it's coming from inside your head "How can these surface dwellers live on the ground bed like that. The skies allow so much more mobility.
He once again flies off towards Riverhaven the home of the League of Titans to see what excitement the surface world held for him today. The only place around he's found that a "out of towner" such as himself seems to fit in more easily. Part of him hopes to meet an atlantean again, such odd folk, humanoids from the oceans just as the lemurians he grew up near were. Yet so different, almost more regal.
Zakka faces the direction she wants to go and in one mighty leap she is off. Leaving behind the frost covered rock and the remains of a colossal battle and wreckage which was once a humongous destroid. In just a few bounds and leaps she arrives as her extraction point. She is to return to Millennium City to return to her new teams base of location and perhaps something to relieve her boredom awaits her arrival.
Probably wondering what I'm doing loitering around. He thinks to himself. Starshadow can not always be around to help. Wonder where Johnny and that strange girl went off to. . .
~Ship do a scan of the area and report to me. In particular I want a scan on "Joe August" our resident maintenance person. There is a lot more to him than he lets on. Or else he has been replaced for some reason.~
~Yes pilot. Scan initiated. Indicators show an increase in eletrical activity in your location along wth nano technology on an unusual frequency.~
~Explain.~ says Lance mentally as he watches Joe open several odd canisters. What appear to be ball-berings roll into the crater that had been made by the crashed meta in the parking lot. Joe takes out an odd device and several of them form up into various shapes and moving formations.
~I see through your mental imaging that those are the sources of the electrical interferance. Now scanning the being you indicate as not being someone named Joe.~
~Well?~
~Unable to classify. Meta-structure is unidentifible. Not of human base stock or known alien genomes. Suggestion. Approach with caution. Indicators say possibly extremely dangerous. "Joe August" does not exist till six years ago. Forged legal documents.~
~Interesting. Keep scanning data banks and find out more. Keep me informed. Out.~ Lance closes the mental link turns and walks back inside the lobby. He feels like two eyes are on the back of his neck and almost turns to find out if he is right. Taking a seat he picks up a magazine, his face is on the cover, and smirks at what is inside, while waiting for Johnny to come back.
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Joe stops his work a moment to watch a dark haired young man, maybe late teens early twenties, go inside the lobby. Well well. Look who we have here. He continues watching him through the closed door and as the other sits down to read a tabloid.
Do not get too curious Stirling. I knew you were there along with your friend. Smelled that aftershave you always have lingering on you.
He turns back to his work and directs the nanobots to shore up the foundation and bring up where the impact was. They break down various pieces of the rubble. Several others industriously spit out new materials while others begin creating a new covering.
Joe then places a few hardlight hologram beacons to give the illusion of a work crew filling in the crater. The whole area is roped off with an indication of dire consquences if anyone should cross the lines.
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"Daddy! Daddy! Look outside! A construction crew! Isn't that cool! And there is Mr. August he always gives me lollipops! Daddy why is he holding an RC remote like you and I use when we race our cars? Can we go see him?"
"Becky how can you see that from here? Sweety we shall go see him soon enough. I have to go check on Mommy she is in the bath. And we want her to feel well today right? Because we did promise to take you to the zoo and Auntie Roxy will come with us too. Now eat the pancakes. You made them and there is quite the mess in here." T'omaz smiles at his little girl.
Finishing one last bit of his food he gets up and walks over to the sink. Puts his dishes in the dirty side then picks up the tray to carry in to the bath room. Smiling he opens the door.
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Natalia tosses and turns but still can not go to sleep. Sighing she mutters something under her breath, gets up and tosses her closet door open. Looking around inside she finds a pair of jeans, tennis shoes and a top with the MC All Stars baseball team logo on it.
After putting everything on she goes into where here vanity is, does up her hair in a nice braid and puts on her make up. She then walks over to the phone and dials Danny's number and waits. . .
Once the cab pulled up to the curb outside the parking area where people were working on a possible hazmat scene. "Thanks pal." the mans bemused grin at her accent didn't stop her from paying the man with cash before Tyger started off towards the facility, her longcoat barely concealing her sidearms and silver/black, tiger striped bodysuit. One of her first priorities upon finding someplace to hang her holsters was to go shopping since her last paltry collection of clothes went up in smoke when she had to run from the seedy motel in Bankok where she ran afoul of some VIPER scum. Tyger looked over at the crater, and the people around it, one of whom seemed to have an UNTIL badge which made her feel a bit better about the group as they seemed to be on good terms with an established organization. Making her way into the loby of the building she sauntered up, putting her hand on one hip as she spoke up. "Scuse me mistah, I looking for someone tell me if I can join you group. My name Tyger Tyger, you call me Tyger tho kay?" tygers black lipsticked lips part in a wide grin as she tried to look cute and harmless despite the weapons belt barely concealed under her coat.
OOC: She speaks like Shen Hua from Black Lagoon, always loved that character.
Johnny catches Andie's eye before glancing at the girl's bow.
"Do you want me to stick around Andie?" he asks, giving her a concerned look.
Lance looks up from the article he is reading and smiles. "Hello Tyger. " He stands up, drops the magazine on the table and puts out a hand. "I'm Lance. Pleased to meet you. I am not really part of any 'group'. Though I can direct you to the office of the complex management to get you an apartment. Follow me I'll take you to Andie's office."
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Joe sees Tyger go into the building as he is directing more of the nanobots to fix the crater. He does a quick scan and notes the weapons plus other equipment she was carrying. If anything goes wrong I'm sure Fletcher can handle it. That lady looked a bit on the lethal side but as the old saying says "Can not judge by the cover."
He turns and notices the UNTIL agent watching what he is doing. Hmm this could get interesting. . .
Again with only a few might leaps and bounds she arrives! Landing rather hard right out front, causing the floor to crack and break in several places splintering out into random patterns.
Zakka takes a long puff from the end of her pipe before glancing around and waving. "Mraa! Greets, have I missed anything important?" she gives a grin walking towards the entrance flicking her tail back and forth as she does.
"Is it always this busy around here this early in the morning?" is about all he could think of as a conversation starter between the nervous looking Packrat and the strange girl that seemed to be checking out his gear more than him.
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Lamprey circles Riverhaven to see if anything interesting is happening when he sees a strange woman drop out of the sky from over his head and land hard on the ground. Seeing her as a green skinned tailed meta-human he decides to fly down and say hi. Always feeling more comfortable around the less human meta's, as they are less likely to respond negatively to his appearance. He flies down and activates his exo-suit for a perfect landing beside Zakka.
"Hello, Zakka you may call me Lamprey" is heard inside the heads of everyone in the area.
If Lamprey agrees to a hug, Zakka would lift him off the ground slightly and give him a good big old bear like hug.
Tyger slapped the man on his shoulder, "Okay Mistah Lance, you show me dis Andie fella. Wha happen outside? Dis place attacked?"
"Is it always this busy around here this early in the morning?"
She turned to see a man in power armor... not exactly power armor, as she could not sense any high tech devices on the man's armor. Lila wondered what could possibly power it when she realized that she hadn't answered. "Er, sorry, I was just admiring your suit," she said a bit flustered. "Not always this busy, no."
With barely a movement Stan activates the runes and his Steam suit changes into his street suit. The helmet transforming into a bowler hat, as the armor becomes his shirt and pants, the steam pack on his back just sort of unfolds itself into a duster. Within seconds his standing there in a blue and red striped suit with mystical lines drawn into it.
"Thank you miss." He responds as he bows before her.
"Do you live or work here within Riverhaven?" Stan asks as he looks around at the massive building in front of him.
"I am still new to the Titans and haven't had a chance to really visit it yet. Seems like it would be an extraordinary place to live and work."
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As sudden as his introduction to this tall green skinned woman was, he now finds himself being grappled by her and his tail barely being able to touch the ground. Not hearing any hostile thoughts but feeling instinctually scared by the sudden physical contact his electrical field triggers, barely responding in time to keep it lite enough not to electricute the new person. As Zakka puts him down his field dissipates and he regains some composure.
"Such a strange greeting you land dwellers have some times. I apologize for the sudden shock, my people don't have arms so such greeting are unknown among our kind." Lamprey says as he remembers the first meeting with a person that shook his exo-suits hand, that ended quite poorly as he had not expected physical contact. Luckily they made a full recovery, though they had to wait for their hair to grow back properly.
She licks her hand and pats down her hair. "Come from the ground do you or is it the sea? I have known many creatures from many places. Sadly I do no get to visit the sea as I would like. The inability to breath in the aquatic paradise is what my race and the humans seem to be one thing we share in common!" She laughs and give a good but friendly slap on the back to Lamprey. "Look at me yapping on like a hatching! Please tell me of yourself and your people! My thirst for knowledge is most unquenchable!"
"Miss Andie is one of the complex managers. As for what happened out in the parking lot seems like some meta dropped out of the sky. He decided the parking lot would make a great place to leave an impact crater."
They go through a door that leads to another corridor and further on into the office section of the complex. They hear voices coming from Andie's office. "Popular place this morning." He smiles at Tyger as he taps the frame of the door to announce their presence.
He notices the lady with the bow and Johnny in there too. "Hi Andie. I have another person here who could use a place. She is also interested in possibly joining the team here too. Tyger Tyger meet Andie, Johnny, and. . . I'm sorry miss I did not catch your name earlier." Lance apologizes.
"I would be happy to show both of you around, Amara and Tyger," she said. "I will, of course, need to ask for your weapons. Only registered building members are allowed to carry their weapons past the lobby. RiverHaven has excellent defenses against attack, of which common sense is the most powerful, of course."
The Lemurian girl's hand rested on the hilt of what appeared to be a knife made of bone strapped to her thigh. She was small, but her lithe body was tense, her pupils mere slits as she blinked rapidly, a nictitating membrane flashing across her eyes.
"I must see Katherine St. Claire," she insisted again, her voice a clear, lilting soprano. Something about it made the hair on the back of Andie's neck stand up. She found herself wanting to take the girl to Kate right now. Which wasn't how it worked. Which was wrong.
Looking out the tinted windows of the limo, Lansley felt an annoying sense of de ja vu. The sign was bent slightly, as if someone had backed into it while coming around the corner. Bent exactly like the sign he had seen earlier, an hour ago."I really wish you would have simply let me charter a greyhound bus instead of sending me in this auto-car. I swear this is the fifth time the AI has driven through this place."
The girl who sat next to him only smirked at the comment and shook her head. Her posture was impeccable, her dress sleek but simple, and she didn't need any sort of revealing cuts to look stunning. Instead she just oozed with the kind of natural cool grace and wit that was normally the domain of mythic kings. It really wasn't all that unnatural though, it was just the product of a strict childhood. "You are just being paranoid brother. Like when you thought my dolls were trying to eat you at night." She chided Lansley, taking great satisfaction from his inevitable response. Lansley's face turned red as he groaned and tried his hardest not to recall the embarrassing incident from when he was five years old. His sister simply smiled, noting how her brother's red cheeks contrasted with his black dyed hair. Lansley just looked out the window.
So this is the city. He thought to himself. The city streets were littered with people of varying attires. A Copacabana of societies all in one place at one time, a stimulus for the mind that would think to see it as such. Lansley looked out of the window with a silent smugness that he'd be able to be part of that world soon, and hopefully learn to better come to terms with his mental abilities. He never noticed in the blur of urban life though that his sister looked out her window with a far different expression on.
Out there was a world she had never been allowed, a place supposedly full of miscreants and lazy imperfectionists. Herself, as the heir to the family business, estate, and fortune was never afford a time to be out there with those people. Her musical training was classical, her clothes refined, her education top class; everything desirable in an upstanding young woman. But to her they were simply circumstance, a burden of life just as much as breathing.
"We're here." She said coolly, suppressing the envy and sadness her thoughts wove about Lansley. She was right as she usually was, proven to be so as the robotic voice of the drive announced their approach to Riverhaven. The car slowed as it went over the speed bump and into the Riverhaven parking lot. Morosely Lansley's sister took her eyes from the towering complex and down to face her brother.
"Broth~" She began to speak before her eyes had even reached her brother's, but was cut short as the robotic driver came to a halt. Whatever the girl in red had on her mind was gone, as both she and her brother looked out to the spectacle outside. A crowd of people and obviously super-heroes all congregated around a taped off area.
Due to a recent accident, I will not be able to navigate to the designated parking location. Travel location is within walking distance, would the young master like to stop here? The robotic driver's voice came from the small speakers in the ceiling.
"Y-yes, that would be fine." Lansley said reaching for the door, suddenly feeling a nervousness from his sister. "I'll make sure to give you a call sister!"
Getting out of the car door, his sister replied "I.. I'll hold you too it then." .Going around to the trunk of the car Lansley waited for the AI to pop it open, and then took his single suitcase out. Closing it again, he waited until the AI had driven off down the street and out of sight, a bittersweet tinge in his heart.
Lansley stayed there for a good ten minutes, looking out to the horizon of buildings that made the urban metropolis. Once he had his fill of the feelings that he couldn't completely define, he turned towards the Riverhaven complex and pushed open the front door with his artificial left arm. With his case in his other hand, he entered in time to see a man directing a woman to somewhere else inside the complex. Not seeing any reason in sitting after being in a car for over seven hours, Lansley went to wait in front of the now unoccupied lobby desk with his case at his feet.
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Summary:Lansley arrives in a car with his sister, gets out and goes into the lobby with a suitcase, and is now waiting at the desk to be helped.
OOC: The only thing that might come up at a detector would be his artificial left arm, which is a custom model made of varying amounts of extremely valuable precious and mystical metals (such as orialcum which is known to make a good nervous-circuit interface material). It doesn't have any weapon modules. Just thought I'd point that out to help the securities peoples know what they'd get from a scan.
"Who is Katherine St. Claire?" as he scans those in the lobby for the answer.
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Seeing the strange cyber looking creature talking to the large green lady with a tail, Stan turns his attention back to his new friend.
"Well the place deffinately seems lively to say the least."
"She is here!" she cried, and drew her bow. Energy arced between the curving ends as the bow hummed to life. An arrow was in her hand as she kicked the door out of its frame, a song bubbling in her throat as she prepared for battle.
Realizing that she was staring again, she reddened from embarassment. "I'm sorry," she said to Stan. "I'm kind of a techhead, and I always like checking out other tech. I'm Lila, by the way. I didn't catch your name?"
As Lansley was standing up from getting his suitcase, he used as much psychokinetic force as he swung the suitcase at the woman. About ten pounds of pressure was all he could accomplish at the moment, but it was enough to produce a satisfying click from the spring loaded suitcase which popped open. The clothes that had been so neatly organized flew out as the case reached the arc of it's swing; an explosion of cloth in the general direction of the woman that seemed quite threatening at the moment.
Then Lansley coughed a spray of blood as he felt his body naturally react to the immense use of psionic potential. Normally had he not be inundated with the antipsionic drugs remained in his system he wouldn't have had to used much psionic potential at all to open a simple suit case. Having only stopped his daily routine of taking such medication though, his blood levels were still absurdly high as they had been the day before with the buffering chemicals. The result was simply that he had to use far more psionic potential than normal to overcome the resistance the flowed through his blood. He shook slightly then fell to one knee but didn't let the raging headache get to him, even as a trail of blood flowed down the side of his mouth.
"Must be quite interesting for you to be able to see all the hero's with their different techs in a place like this. My steam suit is more magical then technological I'm afraid so not much for you to check out. A few pressure chambers with steam tubes and vents is about the most tech it gets."
Fingering the runes the coat folds in on itself again and becomes the steam tank. Setting it down proudly. "This is my pride and joy of the suit. A fire and a water elemental both bound into the chambers to create an unlimited about of steam. A few conjuration spells bind my clothes to the suit and allow me to switch with barely more than a thought and focusing on the runes."
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Seeing the lemurian break through the door Lamprey's instincts kicks in, backing away and around when he notices he isn't the target. Noticing the human as the target and watching him use his minor psionics to respond with a box of thrown cloth, gives Lamprey an idea. Using his own telekinetic abilities he assists in boosting the force as the cloth hits the lemurian. Seconds later launching a lightning storm attack to attempt to further distract his foe. Unaware of the construction techniques of surface people it arcs and hits the ceiling in several places and activates the fire suppression sprinklers sending water pouring down on all of them.
The girl turns and kicks down a nearby door. Damn, she's strong for her size, Johnny thinks to himself. Just then the room erupts into a storm of clothing, water and electricity momentarily obscuring his vision. Over the ruckus he screams, "Drop the bow! Drop it!"
The bow swung to face the smaller, eel-like creature just as she was hit with a fluttering school of soft somethings that fouled her aim. Then electricity arced around her, stunning her momentarily. And water poured down - a relief, but making it even harder to see with her eyes, and making the electric current arc wildly.
Her nictitating membrane closed, protecting her vision, and her mind reached out to grasp that of the eel-like creature. She tasted surprise, vague recognition, but none of the feel of ancient power that she had been expecting. Could she have been weakened by age? But no, he was male...
"But you're not the Lorelei," she blurted, blinking wildly. The tip of the bow wavered.
"Drop the bow! Drop it!" one of the humans cried out behind her. Amara flushed deeply, her skin turning a dusky purple beneath the blue hue, and lowered the bow. She stared at the eel-creature, feeling the water running down her face and braided hair, catching in the ceremonial gold she wore for her quest.
With a jolt Lance felt his powers starting to activate and could not stop. I hate it when that just takes over. He mentally wrestles for control negating him taking on full manifestation. All that appears in his hands are a globe of darkness, which he is preparing to throw at the purple bow carrying girl, and a construct that looks vaguely like a shield.
Mustering as much authority in his voice as he can Lance says, "All right everyone just calm down. Let's get this sorted out. Andie call Joe and see if he can get this place repaired, plus just contact Miss St. Claire. I'm sure Tyger will also want to speak with her. You in the armor turn off the electricity. Johnny stand down. Amara was it? Keep that weapon down. We're all somewhat adults here let's talk this over. I know tensions are running high after this morning's events."
Johnny makes a gesture at him and he realizes his eyes have gone to that solid blue whenever his powers activate. Andie gives him a look that says, "We are going to have a little talk. . .soon." Lance closes his eyes and concentrates on disipating the dark constructs he is holding then reopens them. Looking as normal as he usually does.
"So where were we. . ." he tries to say mildly.
Instinct told her there was danger, Lance moved Andie to safety as one of the others went for a bow. Tyger drew her shotgun and flipped forward, arcing her body so that when she landed on the desk between Andie and whatever threat lay beyond the shattered door that she was ready with the pump action weapon couched against her side and ready for anything that may come through. Lightning seemed to arc throughout the area, blasting the sprinkler system and drenching them all. "But you're not the Lorelei," the archer blurted, blinking wildly. The tip of the nocked arrow wavered.
Lance stepped a bit forward, commanding her to, "Drop the bow! Drop it!" And as the bow went down, Tyger lowered her own weapon and set it on the desk.
Tyger was soaked, her bodysuit shed water well enough though as it was designed for all weather conditions, but her precious weapons were wet and she did her best to shake the pump shotgun free of most of the water before laying it on the bag with her other weapons and sitting crosslegged on Andies desk, "Dis place funny, Lots action make for fun introduction. Lady no say kill you though and Mistah no say shoot so Tyger put gun down, we be friends now yes?" The genetically altered super soldier smiled like a cheshire cat, her cat like eyes glinting. "Unless Mistah change mind, then we play."
Seeing the lemurian lower her bow and realizing the damage his electricity was causing Lamprey quickly canceled it. Looking over at the boy that was bleeding and could barely stand, he moved a chair near him in case he decided to sit down as he had seen humans do in the past for comfort. Hearing thoughts best left unrepeated, and seeing the miserable look on the humans faces, Lamprey looks at the ceiling where his electricity had hit the water pipes. But always keeping some attention on the lemurian, who now seemed disappointed at not having found her true target, yet relieved by the falling water.
"I am sorry for the damage I have caused. It was unknown to me that you keep water in the walls. I have yet to fully understand your surface dwellings. Such fragile beauty they are, so unlike the caves and reefs of my peoples cities."
A disturbance from inside grabbed her attention just then. "OK, this is not the usual activity around here."
Males who were dressed alike appeared quickly, with the alertness of warriors. They wanted Amara to give them her bow, but she refused. They had no authority over her. There was brief comment about calling somebody called "Police", but it was decided that the incident did not require that. One of them turned off the water and another began to help the bleeding male.
A human female of about Amara's own height appeared. She had the pale pink skin of the northern humans, dark hair, and violet eyes, and carried an air of authority.
"Hello," she said in a cool voice. "I am Katherine St. Claire. How can I help you?"
Amara stared at her, straining against the blanket that smothered her senses. She appeared so... human. Could she be wrong?
"I am Amara, daughter of Lailu, daughter of Beleriel, of the Kingdom of Lemuria. I am here to arrest you on charges of murder and to bring you home to justice," Amara said, standing tall. Considering her relative statue compared to most of the others, the small eel-like creature excluded, that meant she was really only taller than the female St. Claire.
The female's dark eyebrow lifted, but she did appeared neither alarmed nor angry. "I think perhaps there has been a mistake. Would you like to come to my office, Ms. Amara?"
"Shall we go investigate then? Never know who may need help, even here." as he bows to Lila as a gentleman does while motioning towards direction of the door.
Shrugging Johnny turns back to the group gathered in Andie's office, "Is everyone alright? Maybe we should take a walk and dry off a bit while they get this placed fixed up."
The female led her to another office, which looked soft and welcoming to Amara's eyes. Instinctively she relaxed, her grip on the energy bow easing slightly.
"Please, have a seat, Ms. Amara," the female said, gesturing at one of the chairs. "Would you like something to drink?"
"No, thank you," Amara said stiffly. She remained standing until the female sat as well, unwilling to be at a disadvantage. Doubts she may have, but if this was indeed the Lorelei, she was in grave danger.
"Now, would you like to tell me what happened?" Katherine St. Claire said mildly. Amara's slitted pupils dilated slightly in the softer light of the office, and she studied the human. She stained to taste her through the psionic shielding. If she could just...
"I am here tracking one of my people," Amara said slowly. "She left what became Lemuria millennia ago. She had no name, then, that we know, but she became known as the Lorelei." She felt awkward explaining this, for of course if she were right, then Katherine St. Claire already knew all this. "She hated the humans," Amara went on, gaining strength in the memory of the legendary atrocities. "She wanted to hurt and kill as many as she could. She would choose dangerous waters as her home, and then lure sailors to their deaths again and again until driven away."
"We have the legend of the Lorelei in the human world as well," Katherine St. Claire said with a nod. "But this was hundreds of years ago. Why would you think the legend is real?"
"Because we have the same legend, but dating back further," Amara said stubbornly. "She was one of the first to make the pact with the Bleak Ones."
"The Bleak Ones?" the female asked.
"The ones who gave us the ability to change our form," Amara explained. "To take a human form in addition to our natural physiology."
"Ah." The female looked at Amara, studying her with violet eyes. "I can see that you believe this," Katherine St. Claire said, "but why would you believe that I have anything to do with it?"
"I..." Amara hesitated. Now, confronted with this calm human female, it seemed so preposterous. "I have done much research," she said, "since contact was reestablished with the surface world. I know that the Lorelei was real. And from the length of time the stories span, I believe she has found immortality. I have traced her movements from the stories, both above and below the true water, and... I found you, in a place where the Lorelei was known to be, and long before your human life should have started."
"So you wish to arrest me because you believe that I am this Lorelei. That I have lived thousands of years and killed countless people," Katherine St. Claire said, arching a brow. "Do I look like such a person? And even if the Lorelei existed, or exists, might she not have changed over the vast time you are speaking of?"
"There is no... statute of limitations on murder, as the humans say," Amara said, her fingers tightening on the bow. "There is no end to the need for justice, as our people say. The Lorelei is a blight, a stain upon our race. It is not for me to judge. You must be brought home, to answer for the deaths you have caused. If you truly regret these deaths, then you must see that it is the only way for justice."
"What I see is a young girl with an active imagination and a strong sense of duty. I commend you for both of these, Ms. Amara," the human said. "I think that you will do well for your people. But coming here was rash, and unwise. If you really sought the Lorelei, you should have gone through the diplomatic channels that are being established. There is a way that societies work, to keep the peace, and acting the vigilante or bounty hunter is not one of them.
"However, I can tell that you lack the patience for such things. I would encourage you to develop that patience. You might consider enrolling in our Titans Academy - they are specifically designed to help emerging young heroes, like yourself. For example," she said, reaching over to depress a button on her desk, "one of the first things they teach is not to be drawn into prolonged discussion with your enemy. They call it "monologuing" and is usually dangerous for both parties."
The psionic shielding dropped around them, and the world was suddenly full of taste and color again. Amara gasped, her pupils constricting in reaction, and she had just enough time to taste the brightly burning essence of the creature in front of her before power seized her mind in its grip.
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The shielding in the room was re-established. Katherine St. Claire smiled at Amara. Amara smiled back, but something uncomfortable skittered through her.
"Thank you for enrolling me at the Academy, Ms. St. Claire," Amara said. Her heart was racing, as if she had swum the length of the city. She would need to eat soon.
"Of course," Ms. St. Claire said with a small smile. "I will call over there and let them know you are coming, and will need a private room."
Amara nodded, dazed, and stood, picking up her bow to sling across her back. She left, hardly noticing the humans at work cleaning up the watery mess in the lobby.
Katherine St. Claire watched her go with violet eyes, and pulled her notes for her next meeting. At noon she left for lunch, and never came back.
As they start to exit the lobby Zakka walks in "What...did I miss some form of party?"
"We were just going for a walk." Lamprey responds in what could be felt by those nearby as almost embarrassed tone "While they fix the damage I did to their structure."
As his exo-skeleton walks on all fours in a shaking gate. "Though I can't figure out why people choose this method of travel. Sky swimming is so much easier." As Lamprey lifts into the air using his telekinetic powers he feels a great rush of power, ancient and strong from behind him.
Nervously shaking he stutters telepathically "Perhappsss it wooood be betterer if I got useded tooo walking." As fast as it appears the power dissipated. "Would you care to walk with us." Something about this large green woman comforts him, something hidden, unseen, yet calm. He's only able to hear the surface of her thoughts, not like humans that project too much too often unknowingly.
As Steam holds the door open for Lila to enter the door they see the large green meta woman talking to the eel creature and several others starting to exit the lobby. Seeing repair crews on ladders fixing electrical burn marks in the ceiling as janitors mop up water that seems to have drenched everything.
"I'm not sure what the party was, but we seem to be arriving at the end of it." Steam looks as Lila and says sarcastically "So whats a normal day around here like. Alien invasion thursday, and hell on earth fridays? Its definitely doesn't seem boring. But I'm glad I don't have to pay the insurance premiums."
Or maybe, he should just come clean with Danny and explain what his real fears were. Would Danny understand that he had made the mistake of thinking nothing could go wrong when he had first made the (nearly) perfect AI? There werent many people that knew that Optimum was his creation. It wasnt exactly the kind of thing a hero put on his resume.
Fletcher shut down the holo-sim with a touch to his comm.. The familiar grid pattern faded in on floors, walls, and ceiling. Fletcher checked the comm. again for the time, and this is when he noticed the security bulletin. He read the sit-rep and scratched his head, perplexed. Making his way to the TitansNet terminal near the exit, he activated the console for voice commands and audio response.
Prometheus, activate security log protocols. A team was sent to the admin offices twenty-five minutes ago. Indicate authorization of this action.
Acknowledged. The female voice sounded just like Majel Barrett. That was quite a bit better than the James Earl Jones that it had been yesterday. He was fairly sure that was Dannys idea of a joke.
After about thirty seconds, which Fletcher felt was an unusually long time for a response, the voice of Prometheus spoke again. Results Inconclusive.
Um, what? Not his most articulate moment, but it was all Fletcher could come up with. How could the results be
Results Inconclusive, repeated Prometheus, apparently interpreting Fletchers confusion as poor hearing.
Something wasnt right. He left the Sim Suite and headed for the security office where he could track things down properly. After about an hour of manual searching, he had faired no better than Prometheus had.
Results Inconclusive he muttered under his breath. He had left specific instructions for Prometheus to alert him of any security issues while he was running the simulations, but that had not happened. Further, the security team had been sent using the correct protocols, but there was no record of who had used those protocols. He had even checked the Prometheus AI upgrades, but they were still safely quarantined on their own subnet. Everything checked out, there were no problems. It was apparently just a glitch.
Unsure of how to proceed next, Fletcher began looking for other anomalies following the glitch in the system. It didnt take him long to find one, and it surprised him. He quickly determined that there was no connection to the former glitch, however. This new anomaly was easily traceable to a human origin.
For a period of time, security cameras and audio feed in the admin offices had been disabled. This had been done from Kates terminal. While it wasnt unheard of for Kate to turn these off during private interviews with dignitaries or generous donors, Fletcher could not ever recall her doing this with new tenants and certainly not with Academy candidates.
According to her terminal, Kate had left for lunch. He had almost decided to wait until after to ask her about why she had turned off the cameras, but then thought better of it and messaged her comm. to set up a meeting for when she returned. The response came back quickly, too quickly. The message read:
Comm Deactivated
Things were really getting strange now. Katherine St. Claire never missed a message or an appointment. Fletcher pulled up the TitansNet tracking program and typed in the code for Kates comm., requesting a GPS ping. The results were back in seconds, and Fletcher stood and walked to the elevator. In a few minutes he was in the admin area, and he headed straight for Kates office.
Her comm. unit was on the desk, her Riverhaven security badge alongside it. Fletcher picked up the badge and turned it over and over in his hands as he stared out the door, completely puzzled about what was going on.
Shaking her head, sending water flying in all directions, before slicking her hair back and smiling at Johnny, Tyger hops off the desk. "Okay Mistah, you take us out of here so Lady can talk. You show where we live yes?" Tygers bodysuit resisted the water well, but still clung to her even more like a second skin. "Maybe you show us someplace Tygah can get more clothes to yes?"
"There are strange things happening today, powerful minds I have never felt anything like before. They are watching and working. But I can not feel why. One of them watches you." Lamprey says to Steam though everyone still in the lobby could hear it inside their head.
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Steam looks at the eel like creature giving him a strange warning with a little bit of confusion. Seeing no immediate danger he transforms his armor back into his suit and hat.
"Well I haven't felt anything today, perhaps someone just likes to watch me. I come from a realm of magic, they like to snoop on people there. But I thank you for the warning my good .... umm man I would assume."
And with that Stanley does a slight bow and continues on his way wondering about the mind watching him.
"Gramps I know it's you, and you got noticed today. You're slipping." He says with a smile.