ABERRANT: WEIRDER STUFF – CHAPTER VII "AND THERE WERE GIANTS IN THE EARTH IN THOSE DAYS"

[Lilly Pryor]

At Laurie's suggestion Lilly looked to Mari. 

"Remember when I said we have some help? Well, you're gonna meet some of of them." she grinned.

[Jaunt]

"Do what now?"  Mari asked, confused.  "What's a Qeeg?"

Devin smirked and appeared by his sister.  She glared at him.  "Stop doing that!"

"You're gonna love this," he chuckled.  "We'll meet you guys there."  He pointed at Laurie, "Now that you have some time... you, me.  Dinner someplace nice, like Hardee's.  Anything you want off the dollar menu, because you're worth it."  He winked and smiled at her.

"Ohh," she sneered playfully.  "You spoil me."  She nodded her head up.  "Get going my low budget Casanova, and Mari... don't freak."

"Freak?  Why would I freak?"  The twins disappeared and the rest knew where Jaunt had taken them.  One by one the other Irregulars began appearing aboard the Qeeg's observation deck, the spot on the hip Devin remembered most vividly.  People could say what they wanted, but when he was standing on the observation deck looking down over the Earth... there was no sight more enrapturing.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Mari said, completely in shock.

Laurie pointed to her wrist.  "Dev, you know I have a button right?  That takes me back and forth?"

"Oh, hush, let me show off."  He said sarcastically.  "I had to be the first to see the look on her face."

Marissa stood there, completely paralyzed by the sight of the Earth floating in space below them.  "We're... in space?"

"Oh... it gets better," Laurie smiled.  She had to admit she was enjoying this a bit.  Laurie had spent the last few years riding the coat tails of Mari's popularity what with her weird brother and all.  When she'd found that Mari had a weird brother too, they sort of clicked and she fell in love with Mari's outgoing, shameless, always being true to herself personality.  Now, however, Laurie had all the tricks up her sleeve and she was privy to a whole world that Marissa had no clue existed.  It was nice to on top of the popular girl in terms of being in-the-know about stuff.  "Like I said, don't freak."

"You are asking a lot..." Marissa said in a worried tone.

[Kia Mizuki]

On 12/9/2017 at 9:41 AM, Sara Hutchins said:

Sara just stared at Kia. She closed her eyes and opened them. "Your the one that wanted to talk to me I thought. But ok, I'll talk.

You want to know what bothering me, why I'm dropping out of school. The world is bothering me, Kia. We are wasting our time and our power pretending to be normal teenagers, letting the military, hell anyone but ourselves, telling us what to do or how to do it. We have the three smartest people in the world and instead of them telling the world how things should be done we are sitting around with out thumbs firmly up our asses.

Right now there are places in the world where decades long drought is causing famine on a scale that is unbelievable, in another part of the world torrential rains are destroying crops and flooded rivers are destroying homes and lives. In Alaska there's a fishing boat which is going to sink in a couple of hours with 47 men on board who are going to die. The Coast guard knows and is trying to get to them but what if they don't. And don't even get me started on the crimes against women and the poor that are being inflicted by terrorist and religious assholes all over the world." Sara is glaring at Kia now.

"We have the power to stop all of this to make this a better world. And what do you guys want to do. Go to the prom and graduate. Keep all of this secret for as long as we can so we can have a normal life.

Well guess what our normal lives ended in this cabin on Homecoming night. We are not normal, We are not teenagers any more and aside from lying to everyone around us more importantly you are lying to yourself if you think otherwise."

Kia took a deep breath. "Wow, okay. There's...kind of a lot to unpack there."

"I guess I'll start off by saying...I totally get why you're dropping out of school. I've thought about it too, to be honest. We have super powers, we stopped an alien invasion, it does kind of feel sometimes like we don't need it anymore, or that there's more important things to do."

"As for the rest, it's hard for me to imagine what it'd be like...knowing what you know. I don't know how I'd deal with it."

She looks away then, up at the sky.

"There's a difference between saving a sinking ship or helping with a famine, and stopping crimes against women and the poor though. You know? The first two, you're helping against natural disasters. But the other one..."

Kia looked back at Sara.

"Are you planning to make the world a better place, or to conquer it?"

[Sara Hutchins]

 Sara is silent for a moment, then she gives Kia a little smile and walks to the door then turns back to Kia "I guess that depends on them doesn't it."

She pulls it open before stepping out. "I have things to do I'll see you later."

Before Kia can say anything further Sara seems to leap out of the door in a blur disappearing into the air.

[WS ST]

ABOARD THE QEEG IN EARTH ORBIT

Lauri let the irregulars who had never been in space before marvel at the view for a few moments. While they looked at the spinning globe below them she moved over next to her sister. "Hey I have some tech readouts for you and the boys. Some of the things the T'tauri are willing to share. I have a Skin suit for you too, but it's not a full version, their holding back on that. So, what's going on with Sara?

 

[Jaunt]

"Aside from being an absolute sociopath?"  Devin chimed up with snark in his voice and a smirk on his lips.

Laurie glared at him with those 'you're being an ass and it's not funny' eyes.  "I'm talking to her," she gestured to her sister.  Go be an ass over there."

"Whatever," he fumed and wandered off.  Him and Sara, like his parents, were a touchy subject.  He felt she had such amazing potential to help change the world but, like him, she was too angry at it to want to save it.  Better to start over and make the world a better place from the ground up.  He was mad at because mostly, she was right.

Mari approached him, seeing her brother was agitated and tense.  "Hey, you okay?"  She marveled at view, placing her hand on his shoulder she leaned against her brother for support.  "I'm in total shock still, but tgis view... this view could fix any issue."

"I dunno," Devin sighed his words.  "We got a lot of issues."

"I won't begin to try and understand, Deej.  You guys have quite the secret racket going on here.  What I do know is that Sara's not a bad person, and you have a gift for pissing people off.  Maybe if you tried, I don't know, talking to her?"

Devin laughed dismissively, "What do you know about Sara?  It's not like you guys hang in the same circles."

"Sara's in everyone's circle," his sister skoffed with smirk.  "She sells primo, bomb-ass cush, and there is nothing more important to a small town like Shelly, than a good pot dealer."

Devin looked at his disapprovingly through their reflections in the glass, but Marissa shruggd it off.  "I drink and make out with guys too, Devin.  News flash, like you I'm 17 too.  Besides, drinking and drugs are the least of the sins required to put up with the bullshit of having you as my brother."

He wasn't satisfied with that answer, but he still managed a laugh as he wrapped his arm around his sister.  "Yeah, I am pretty amazing, aren't I?"

"And modest, we're both brimming over with modesty."  She smiled at him through the glass.

[Lilly Pryor]

Lilly's smile slowly faded into an expression of awe as she found herself on the observation deck of the ship, looking down at the Earth below them. She slowly walked forward, almost hypnotized by the sight before her, and raised her hands, cupping them around her mouth and nose as she stared at the Earth. Lilly had seen plenty of photos and videos of the Earth, but this was... different. If felt more real, in a way, and she was overwhelmed. It looked so beautiful, quiet and precious.

"This... This is what we are fighting for.. protecting..." she said in a near whisper.

Lilly paused a moment, shifting her gaze from the Earth, and looked around, taking it all in.

"We're in orbit... on an alien spacecraft... This is SO AWESOME!"

 

[Sean Cassidy]

Sean gave the rotating image of Earth before them a fleeting glance before turning her superhuman attention on the T'tauri vessel, more interested in its technical specifications. The brief look would never leave her memory, which she could review at will, and besides, she had seen sights as wondrous and touching flying with Sara.

When her sister joined her, Sean nodded in acknowledgment, lips curving in delight and interest. "I'm sure the boys and I will have a lot of fun looking over the readouts," Sean said, tucking the storage device Laurie handed her into a pocket. "And any Skinsuit the T'tauri are willing to share with me is more than fine. It'll just give me more opportunity to make my own modifications."

Laurie glanced up at her taller sister, seeing the smile fade from Sean's lips. Spending so much time with the T'tauri and in Washington, Laurie hadn't seen Sean much lately, though they had talked a lot. Impossibly beautiful, intelligent, and charm, Sean had been a source of invaluable advice in dealing with the old white dudes who looked down at her for being a barely sixteen year old girl, despite having the ear and respect of an alien race.

With everything that had happened, Sean had still seemed happier now than when she had been a boy. Laurie hoped things were still good between her and Sara.

"Sara..." Sean sighed. "She's just... frustrated, more frustrated, lately. She wants us to do more, be more directly active, in shaping the world, making it a better place. It's not only that, I think, but it's a large component of it. And she's not wrong, but the goals I'm looking at are long-ranging and take a lot of groundwork to enact them in a manner that will benefit everyone and won't cause unnecessary disruptions. Sara wants - or maybe is 'being called' to - more immediate answers."

The briefest frown crossed Sean's face. "She's been spending a good deal of time with Pandora's... companion, Apollo, though she has spoken to me much about what they do or talk about." She glanced down at her sister, turquoise eyes intent as they cut to Devin for a moment. "Despite what you may hear though, sis, she isn't out of control. She acting exactly how she intends to, if not with the exact results she wants."

[Abel Cross]

Abel had been transported to the ship, getting his own first hand look at his homeworld from the outside looking in, and smiled.  "A wonderful view."   He was brought out of his own peaceful reverie by Sean's words, and spared a glance at Laurie.  He knew what he'd  done wrong last time, and He'd not repeat the mistake.  If Laurie asked, he'd give her the chance to become Enhanced as well, though he'd sit and talk with her, Sean, and Devin, so that she knew what it would be like.  

His eyes narrowed, and he sighed.  "It's more a concern of how long before she has enough of not getting the results she wants before she does something that forces the issue Sean.  We all want to make the world better, but like you, I think taking a measured approach is going to yield the best results.   Her way is going to make a mess that will take alot of effort and action to unravel, if we even can."

He looked back to their world, spinning below without care.  "We all agree we have to be ready, but there will always be disagreements on how we reach that point."

[WS ST]

Behind the Irregulars a swishing sound announced the arrival of one of their hosts. Of course everyone except Mari has seen at least one type of Alien but his was Mari's first and It was not at all what she was expecting.

He was barely 3' tall and a bit stocky, his blue markings on a grayish green skin stood out like intricate tribal tattoos, his four golden eyes took all of them in and a surprisingly shocked look appeared on his face. Oh and he appeared to be naked.

Officer Solu had been coming to find the ambassador and had not been the least bit prepared to find all of the Irregulars, the heroes of the Galaxy, on the observation deck. His eyes wide he realized that his suit was opaque so his fellow could read his markings, part of their native language, but that left him appearing naked to these powerful yet still primitive beings. His markings grew a deeper shade of blue then his skinsuit changed color to a conservative Yellow top complete with rank insignia and dark leggings.

"Ambassador, My pardon We did not realize that you had brought the Irregular's aboard." He quickly steps forward as he spoke eyes wide looking at each of the Heroes. His language was English with an odd accent. sort of like a mix of Scottish and Japanese. "Vanguard, Sage, Savant," his naming of each of the Irregulars as his eyes come to them a tone of reverence, " Archangel, Jaunt. It must have been you that transported everyone here, and through our shields, amazing. But wait, where are Chimera and Avenger, and who is this?" he asks pointing at Mari.

Laurie stepped up "That's Mari jaunt's sister, she's new and hasn't gotten a code name yet. And sorry about the sudden appearance without warning hope it didn't set off too many alarms."

"None actually. But we were wondering why your suit was showing up here instead of at the last transport coordinates. Anyway I was sent to bring you to the bridge Captain K'erk believes there is a situation that may need you. " he sweeps his hand to indicate the entire group.

The irregulars exchange glances and then follow the small alien into the turbolift.

After some incredibly physics defying twists and turns the lift opens on a scene straight out of a scifi film. The bridge of the Starship Qeeg. It looked like a mashup of the JJ Abrams Enterprise and the massive control centers of the big starships from the Star Wars movies. Dozens of consoles and screens 3 d images floating in the air of huge projectors a giant screen showing the earth at the front of the large room. Most of the crew are of the same species as Solu but not all of them. As the Irregulars are led to the central dias where the captains chair was, they could feel the eyes of all the crew watching them with the same reverence and awe that Solu had displayed on the observation deck.

"Ah good all of you are here." Said the Captain as he spun his chair to face the approaching heroes. "I'm Captain K'erk and I'm afraid thats all the time we have." He looks at Laurie, "Right after you beamed down Ambassador we picked up a marked increase in Qutrinos at the spot indicated on the screen."

The view screen shifted and zoomed in on the Earth until the southern portions of the African continent was center. A pulsing Dot with concentric circles showed about ten miles of the southern coast of South Africa, near Capetown.

"It's getting stronger almost 300% since you beamed down. This is definitely the strongest Quantum event we have recorded since the battle."

 

Spoiler

in case y'all forgot what the T'Tauri looked like

 

[Kia Mizuki]

Kia watched Sara go with mingled sadness and foreboding, then shook her head and turned away.

Devin, can you bring me to where you guys are now? My talk with Sara didn't go so great. She sounded unusually bummed out about it.

That lasted exactly one second after Jaunt gave her a lift to the ship's incredible bridge. Her eyes widened almost comically, and she sighed a long, "Wooooooooooooooowww..." as she looked around, wishing she could look everywhere at once!

"You guys this is so cool!"

[Jaunt]

"I know, right?!?"  Jaunt said with a grin.  Kia had appeared not far from where he was standing.

In classic Jaunt fashion he suavely absorbed the adoration of the alien crew.  Politely he smiled and greeted them, taking special attention to acknowledge those with lower ranks.  Inspiration and meeting your heroes was an important part of ones developmental career plans... or at least, that what the guidance counselor at school said.

"Not a problem Captain, sir.  We are all over it."  He stepped over to the screen looking up at it, stretching his neck back to get a good view.  "The Qeeg's orbit isn't too far off, I could probably open a portal right into Hanover Park.  That would place us pretty much smack dab in the middle of the city, shorter response times in all directions for those that aren't, well," he smiled his impish smile.  "Me."

"Or, the Qeeg's transporter technology could get everyone there and save you some energy." Laurie interjected.  "If trouble starts, you're going to need all your strength.  And, everyone 'beaming' in will about equally as subtle as you opening a giant purple, swirling doorway that bypasses the Qeeg's shields and leads right to the bridge..." she gave him a sarcastic smile.  "You know, just saying."

"Bah," he scoffed and glared at her.  He dramatically proclaimed, "You vex me woman!  But hey, you wanna come?  You can keep Mari company while we do awesome stuff then afterwards... Cape Town... serious date time.  Little dinner, dancing... making out on the beach?  Eh?  Sounds good right?"

[Marissa Jauntsen]

Overwhelmed didn't begin to describe the state of Marissa's mind.  Super powers punched her in the gut and she was at the point where she thought it made some sense... then aliens, space ships, transporters, quintrinos, code names... ambassador!?!?  She went from punched in the gut to down right getting a curb stopping by all that was happening.  Don't freak out.  Don't freak out.  Don't freak out.  She kept telling her self.

"What?" She snapped from her hellscape of acceptance, and looked around offering the strange little four-eyed aliens warm, if awkward smiles.  "Cape Town?  No.  Not just 'no', but hell no.  I'm all for a little teenage angst, but we can't go to South Africa, Devin.  Mom will kill us."

Devin snickered and made a raspberry sound as he tried to hold in his laugh.  "It's Jaunt, first of all, I'm on the clock.  And second?  I can't even right now... laughing to hard."

"Everything will be fine, Mari," Kia said in her usual cheerful and rational tone.  At least they were more familiar with one another than some of the other Irregulars.  She'd bought weed off Sara, but that didn't make them friends.  Lilly was an athlete so she didn't spend her time with the cheer squad.  Sean was just too busy enjoying the adoration others threw at her, but she knew there was something weird going on with her and now it made sense.  Abel had always just seemed to weird for her, like a robot trying to figure how people worked.  Kia, however, was on the cheer squad with her, plus friends with Laurie, so hanging out together was not uncommon for them.  "We do this all the time.  Jaunt can travel to other solar systems, he's that good.  Our parents won't even know we're gone.  We investigate, diffuse the situation, easy-peasy.  I know it's a lot to take in, the fresh coastal air will do you good.  Give you time to process."

She caved, a little quicker than Kia expected her out-spoken, strong-willed friend to, to be honest.  She obviosly was not feeling herself at the moment and the empathic sweetheart of the Irregualrs understood why.  "Fine.  Whatever.  How do we do this?  Stand on circles or something?"

[WS ST]

"Captain!" One of the crew...things raised his voice. "The anomaly has pulsed again it's now effecting an area about 20 Yyyks across. An earth air vessel is now in the area of the event."

Up on the screen the concentric circles grew and a line could be seen passing through the edge of the pulsing dot.

"Enhancing image."

The screen blurs and clears to show a scene from a movie. looking down from above the large Boeing 777 with the colors of Air France Airlines flying high above the ocean Obviously experiencing a great amount of turbulence as they watch they can see part of the starboard wing break off the plane.

[Charlie Cole]

There may have been many voices out loud in the plane, be it from conversing passengers, staff or the captain's announcement that they were going to be in Capetown shortly, but one row was awkwardly silent. In the seat closest to the aisle, sat a very attractive young woman, in her late 20s. Long glowing blond hair, vivid green eyes and... amply well formed, one might phrase it. She had a smile, though it frayed at the edges given the atmosphere.

The older man - by a decade and a half - was not really hiding his discomfort so much. The proximate cause was the person at the window seat, a teenager radiating waves of 'I hate you and  refuse to acknowledge your existence' as only a teen could. But of course Charlie was absolutely justified.

After all, his dad had the utter gall to take their family, the vow and bond between him and Mom, and wreck it all by decided, well, the old lady's becoming just that, time to find me a bimbo with big boobs and a fat ass so he could have a sense of mid-life superiority. First Charlie had to deal with that, then the humiliation of Lucius Cole insisting (and inexplicably convincing a court) that he was still fitted to be a proper parent and role model with custody rights and that the witch named Susanna would promise to be a wonderful mother.

And the net takeaway from Charlie's perfectly justified outrage: they needed a vacation to mend the wounds. No, Charlie needed the two adulterers to go drop into the ocean...

Then the boom unleashed, a terrible consuming roar that threw the plane shaking. Off balance, Charlie fell right against the window edge. He pulled back, feeling his forehead. Yep, that hurt,  head throbbing and he was bleeding. He could taste more cuts on his lip. And the screeching started along with the tumult and panic as the shaking sustained itself - and the wing started to break off.

Oh God, please, I didn't mean like this!

[WS ST]

Panic and screaming as the plane began to shake and rattle oxygen masks fell from above the seats as the pilots fought the planes as the right wing disintegrated then another loud boom and on the left of the plane a ball of fire as the port engine exploded the plan began a dizzying spin as it heeled over and began its fall to the Ocean.

The irregulars stared at the screen frozen by the horror the were witness too. At least that what it looked like to the outside world. At the spped of thought they tossed ideas and plans then the engine exploded and they hear another Qeeg crewman shouted, "Picking up a fast moving object on an intercept course with the plane. It has to be Avenger! She's the only thing that can fly that fast on this world."

As they watched in the blink of an eye a dot came from over the top of the globe and shot toward the the dot that marked the plane the two seemed to merge. On the big screen the engine was still in the act of exploding when they saw Avenger, Sara, fly into view, slowing to near motionless.

Then the pulse came again.

The Irregulars saw the wave of Quantum invisible to all but the most sensitive of instruments even at this distance they felt it. Sara was hit by the wave and tossed away from the plane like a rage doll the last they saw of her was her form plunging toward the ocean below.

The plane was flipped end over end and sections of the fuselage began to rip off...

 

the violent motions of the plane slammed Charlies into the window which suddenly showed multiple cracks at the moment and piercing pain like a red hot needle being driven through his eye exploded in his head.

 He didn't see the cracks going up from the window in the structure of the plane itself...

 

[Abel Cross]

Abel scowled and spoke quickly.  "We need to act quickly.  I can stabilize the plane with my telekinesis.   We need to get someone inside to check on the passengers, make sure everyone's alright.   The plane isn't going to float and so Jaunt, you'll be in charge of getting everyone inside to safety.  Kia, take Sean, between the two of you you should be able to find Sara and make sure she's alright.  Vanguard, You're on crowd control in the plane.   Not that I think any of them could do anything to us, but they're going to be panicking, and we're appearing inside the plane, at least the three of us are.   I know you can can control yourself better than most, and can keep anyone from harming themselves or others.  More than that, with this much, who's to say there's not a Key manifesting on that plane, or more.   Having you there to restrain and calm them if need be is better than my way of doing it."  It was a true statement.   It was a quick plan, but one that as things stood, would work best he thought.

We need the three of us.." he motioned to himself, Jaunt and Vanguard,  "Into the plane to enact our plan.   Can you do that quickly, Captain?"   He asked the dwarvish alien.   He wanted to talk at length with the Captain, but once again something dramatic came up to force him away from his desired course.

[WS ST]

Captain Qeeg nod vigorously, "Yes point to point beaming is possible not easy but it is not instantaneous, It will take several Seconds to materialize."

"Captain, The Qutrino pulse has stopped we are not longer reading anything"

[Jaunt]

Jaunt stepped up to Laurie, kissed her passionately, and then winked and smiled.  "Time to be a hero.  See ya, babe."  He disappeared and in a moment, Lilly and Abel disappeared too.

Laurie tried to hide her flushing cheeks as she bit her lips and hid her smile with her fingers.  Mari smirked and nudged her with her elbow.  "Wow, you go girl."

Aboard the plane it was absolute panic.  The moment they arrived they began tumbling around the cabin.  "Abel!  Stable this shit!"

They tumbled, rolling around from the floor to the ceiling at the plane spiraled.  "Abel!  Hurry up, dude, I can't portal up with all this tumbling, bro!"

[WS ST]

The plane was pulling more gees than it's air-frame was ever designed to handle the irregulars could take the strain but the baselines couldn't most had already mercifully blacked out. Towards the center of the fuselage near the wing a large section came loose and several rows of seats were sucked out of the plane.

[Abel Cross]

Abel knelt down, placing his hands on the floor of the plane as soon as they were within it, and with the cabin depressurizing,  it was going to be even harder to do this.   Quickly he reacted., not removing a hand from the floor, but turning his head, and a blue-tinted energy field  thrummed into existence, Sealing the hole so that they could repressurize the cabin, and to keep anyone else from getting sucked out.   He then turned what remained of his considerable power to taking hold of the plane and  stabilizing it.   With some effort, he managed to take hold of everything, the people, the plane, the cargo, every nut and bolt of the frame, The entirety of it, and slowly stabilize it, counteracting the terrible G-forces, and using his own positioning as as a focus, He began to guide the descent of the plane downward.  it wouldn't float like this, but This would buy them time to get the people off the plane.    "Jaunt, try to save those who got sucked out!" he called out quickly across guild chat, emotion showing in his mental voice, despite the grim set of his jaw as held the plane together and controlled its descent to the Ocean below, albeit, at a pace he set.   

Abel is activating multitasking, his first action is using his Wall forcefield to block up the newly created hole in the plane, the second will be to stabilize the plane with telekinesis.

MT roll

Roll(7d10)+0:
9,4,2,2,2,5,9,+0 success

FF roll first 3 are mega 

Roll(9d10)+0:
10,9,8,5,3,4,4,8,6,+0
Total:57 success

TK roll first 5 mega

Roll(12d10)+0:
7,3,9,5,1,2,9,5,7,7,10,2,+0
Total:67 success

[Jaunt]

"Dude," Jaunt stood up as the plane stabilized.  "We're Irregulars.  We don't try."

The world spun as the he plummeted to the earth below him at over two hundred miles per hour.  The first of the passengers that were sucked out rose up on him quick.  He extended his hand and the person stopped in mid air.  He landed atop the halted person like a ninja perching on a branch.  His perceptions reached out and he collected speed of descent, distances, how much time he had... his mind and perceptions moved radically fast and within a moment he knew exactly how to pull it off.  "I am utterly fucked."  He mumbled.

Lilly... sweetums... pookie bear... I think I might need The Vanguard.  He spoke through guildchat.

Lilly pressed her temple.  Jaunt... you okay?

Yeah... yeah... everything's fine.  I got this.

"I so don't got this..."  He said to himself as he realized he may have bitten off more than he could chew.  "C'mon, Lills... don't lemme down."

Like a bullet he took off, his speed was so fast it may as well had been instantaneous.  It launched him forward and as he caught up with the next falling person they froze in mid air and he landed on them and used them as a springboard to launch himself towards the next one and over and over he repeated this process.  Thankfully there weren't too many, the hole tore out several seats and passenger, but the seats only held a few people each.

Within moments, several people were frozen in time with nowhere to go.  Jaunt collapsed, sitting Indian style on one of the frozen passengers.  "Ookay, Dev... how do you get them all down...?"

Guys, how y'doing in there?

[Lilly Pryor]

<Dude. You gotta get me out of here then. Abel plugged the hole with his forcefield so it can re pressurize. If he opens the hole or I make a new one, then more people get sucked out.> she thought back to Devin.

She focused for a moment, pulling in quantum energies, feeling every bit of bone, tissue, and fluid that comprised her body, every cell even and pushed the energy through. She could feel two new minds, well, not new, her own mind, but not her own, in the link as she looked over her shoulder and nodded to the two identical Lillys standing behind her.

"Uh.. hi!" Lilly said aloud, addressing the passengers with a booming voice she developed on the football field.

"Everything is going to be okay. Seriously. We got this. The plane is being stabilized. We just need you all to try and stay calm so we can get everybody off. I know that's asking a lot, but can you do that for me?" she asked with a confident smile, trying to provide some reassurance, though the fact Abel has plugged the hole with his forcefield and gotten the plane back under control certainly was a big help.

The two Vanguards began walking up and down the aisles, checking on people, looking for potential problems and keeping an eye out for the potential KEY on the plane.

<I'm at the back of the plane. So get me out of here so I can help you.> she added.

 

Spoiler

Spending a Willpower for an auto sux on her Charisma + Command roll with Natural Leader to try and calm and reassure everybody and assert some authority. 2 sux total.

 

[Kia Mizuki]

Kia took hold of Sean's hand and said, "Get me under Sara! Sean, hold on!"

She never really knew if it was Jaunt that sent her, or the ship's technology. All she knew was that a moment later she was tumbling through the air towards the water...and above her was a dark streak of smoke that trailed after Sara as she plummeted on a similar trajectory. Sean's enhanced mind was able to make much more sense of things. Even so, the shift was breathtakingly rapid.

One moment they were in freefall...then there was an explosion next to Sean. Not an explosion of flame and concussion though, but of rapidly changing, expanding flesh. A suggestion of thick skin, then overlapping armored plates...and then...brightly colored frilly furry feathers engulfed her. Under that soft, downy surface she could feel the rigid surface of something hardened. The 'feathers' were thick though, and comfortable, and slowly shifting colors from bright pink to vibrant orange in a sort of wave.

Perhaps trying to attract Sara's attention?

Kia's new form was something like a manta ray...a broad, wide, flat body. The 'wings' were much wider in their span than a ray's, and were more articulated...flapping in broad, slow strokes to stay airborne. A multitude of smaller wings and vanes branched from the sides of her 'fuselage' behind the two main wings, helping to keep her stable despite the lack of a tail. She was big...big enough to fit four or five people on easily, but not the sort of behemoth Sean knew she could become.

There was a loud WHOOOOOOMP as she beat the wind and accelerated to stay under Sara as the heroine fell.

22 shapeshift successes. 4 on Flight, 4 on armor, 4 on invulnerability to fire, 2 on Sizemorph: grow,  1 on enhanced move, 1 on body mod: winglets, and 1 on body mod: fluffy furry, super comfortable feathers.

That doesn't use them all, but it should be enough.[/spoilers]

[Sean Cassidy]

Sean's expression was smooth and calm, only a flicker of an eyelid betraying her concern for the falling Sara. Her mind raced with hundreds of thousands of calculations, corrections, and correlations. Jaunt, Sage, and Vanguard went for the plane. That left Sara for her and Kia. Sean's eyes narrowed slightly as the readings on the Quantrino Pulse vanished from the Qeeg's monitors.

It wasn't hard to decipher and interpret the T'tauri system of measurement and distance and Sean conveyed the exact coordinates she and Kia needed to be teleported to to intercept Sara just as Kia took her hand. "Stay alert for another pulse or source of spiking quantrinos," Sean warned the bridge crew. "And see if you can get visual sensors on the center of the pulse. This could be a distraction, a misdirect, specifically for us."

Then they were falling, blue sky above, blue-grey sea below, Sara a detailed spot to Sean's eyes above her. Her sunset hair ruffled in the wind of their fall and as Kia initiated her transformation, Sean stretched out her arms and legs, slim patagia growing between the wrists and ankles of her PAM suit to slow her descent enough so that she was hovering above Kia rather than beside her.

Sean considered their relative trajectories and velocities - Sara's was already terminal, and if not necessarily lethal, Sean didn't want to chance the probabilities. With the WHOOOOOOMP of the Kia-ray catching the air, Sean pulled in her arms and legs, increasing her descent for a moment to land on Kia's velvet-feathered back with inhuman grace.

Sean crouched on Kia's back, grabbing a handful of feathers to brace herself while she dug in with her boots, compelling her PAM suit to develop toe-hooks to grip the ridged, armored plates beneath. She glanced quickly at Sara than the sea below Kia's undulating bulk.

<Dive Kia and don't stay directly below Sara,> Sean informed Kia, reassessing the situation with Kia's new characteristics. <We'll come at Sara on an angle to mitigate the force from the impact.> She sent her erstwhile mount a mental image of their and Sara's projected paths and where they should cross. <A bit steeper. Slow your lateral movement. Good.>

<We're going to crash into the water!> Kia protested.

<Only if you are a clumsy flyer, Kia,> Sean countered in confident assurance. <We got this.>

Despite Sean's assurances, Kia couldn't help but notice the sea growing closer at a disconcerting rate. It probably wouldn't damage her too seriously, but she wasn't sure about Sean and it certainly wouldn't help Sara at all. But if the sea was closing in, Sara was closing in even faster. Sunlight glittered off the cresting waves of the water, making it look like a broken mirror.

Sean stood up on Kia's back, boots locked onto the plates of armor, her eyes locked on Sara's limp form falling above and ahead of them. She could feel faintest spray in the air, the heat raising from the ocean below. Almost there! Almost!

"Steady!" Sean stretched, a pair of fingers brushing Sara, arresting her uncontrolled tumble. Then Sara was in her arms, precise contractions and relaxations in her arms and legs robbing the impact of most of its force as her ass plunked down on Kia's cotton-candy back. "Got you!"

<Got her! Level and pull up!>

For a creature of Kia's considerable bulk, the water was entirely too close, the tips of her wings actually brushing the surface of the water for a moment, threatening to overturn her before she could correct herself. Broad wings flexed and tensed, focusing all their downward momentum forward... and barely in time.

They skimmed just above the surface of the choppy sea, their speed forming a great wake throwing up a huge spray of water that fractured the sunlight into a rainbow of colour. 

 

[Abel Cross]

Abel saw the problem with his strategy within moments of enacting it, he couldn't really stop the plane's descent from within, though he had at least stopped the spinning and sheering force that was going to tear it apart.   He moved quickly, using a particular quirk of his shield he'd learned of through sparring with Blitz, He simply passed through it,  matching speed with the plane in its descent, then moving to the front of the plane, facing it as they both plummeted to the ocean below.    Taking control, he began using his own ability to fly to make tiny course corrections and arrest the speed of the plummeting plane, a bright blue almost flamelike aura burning brightly, almost making the descending Key and plane look like a shooting star.  

It took some time, but soon it no longer resembled a falling star, as Abel brought the plane fully under his control, the aura from his flight still blazing, but he now had total control of the plane, and could hold it in the air with ease.   He kept it well above the water, not so much that it would generate a sizeable wave if he dropped it, but well out of reach of a rogue wave or some other phenomenon.  

I've got the plane, Jaunt, we're good to go to start the evacuation, Savant, Chimera, mission accomplished? he sent over guild chat, hoping that Sara wasn't injured by the impact.

[Jaunt]

Dude, how much juice do you think I have?

With an aggravated grunt, Jaunt appeared in the plane's cabin and people freaked out.  "Yeah, yeah... you're all about to survive a plane crash, shut up.  That isn't the weirdest shit you're gonna see today.  We walked, as best he could, to the rear of the plane where Lilly was waiting for him and scooped his arm around her.  He was looking pale, with his cheeks flushed slightly, Devin was getting tired.  "So," he whispered and smirked. "Wanna make out?"

"Get everyone into the portal, it leaps to Hanover Park."  A purple, swirling portal irised into existence as he and Lilly disappeared. They reappeared standing atop one of the frozen bodies.

"This is weird..." Vanguard offered him.

"I'll explain later.  Okay, I'm going to place one of the Vanguard on each of the falling passenger.  Grip them, hold them, calm them down.  You'll need to cushion their impact into the water or they'll die.  That means you need to hit it at a certain angle and act as their shock absorber... and I won't lie it's gonna hurt."  Savant, calculate that angle.  I'm prepping this.  He teleported from frozen passenger to passenger and on each he summoned one of the clones Vanguard made.  By the time he was finished he was short of breath and sweating as he appeared near Vanguard.

"Remember, all that matters is getting these people to safety."  He said to her as he vanished.

Jaunt!  Jaunt, what are you doing!  I know that tone, you're doing something stupid! Mentally Lilly screamed at him and the rest of the Irregualrs would have held their ears if it would have mattered.

He fell back towards the Earth.  Wind and sky refused to claim a holed of him as gravity summoned him downward.  The people and the Vanguard awaited him below and they were approaching fast.  He summoned up his power, his strength, and tucked himself into a ball.  He counted it down 4, 3, 2... and untuckd releasing a blast of quantum energy, a thunderous humming sound like what one might here on the Transformers ship cascaded off of him.  He was halted in the sky, his body stretched out in an 'X'.  His eyes exploded purple and flared in the African horizon.  He saw all possibilities, all time slips, time streams, and possible outcomes and for a moment, he touched time itself.  The moment was short lived, however and gravity claimed him once more.

Weary and tired he fell limp and began his descent into the water below.

Spoiler

Power Max (5 sux).  Adding Area and Selective to Slow Time.  The Vanguard and the passengers will fall at 90% (roughly) of their original speed, along with the plane.  I could calculate the distance the area covers, but trust me, it's substantial.  The Vanguard are slowed, the Irregualrs are not (including Lilly).

Also Jaunt is out of quantum and falling thousands thousands of feet.

 

[Lilly Pryor]

Lilly brought a half dozen more vanguards into existence, allowing Devin to place each one on with one or more passengers. A few of the Vanguard had to grab a different person with each arm, one even grabbing the dead body, but swiftly all of the passengers were covered. 

When Devin sent out the blast of quantum energy and collapsed, Lilly dove after his plummeting, unconscious body with a grunt of frustration.

You dumbass. she thought herself about Devin as she dove, tucking her arms to her side and straightening like a missile to speed up her fall. Thankful, with Devin in unconscious free fall, he was far from the most aerodynamic shape, allowing Lilly to catch up to him. She reached out with both arms and grabbed his limp body, pulling him to her in a tight embrace as the ocean raced up at them.

< Okay ladies. Time to fly. > she thought as she focused on her body, her back and shoulder blades and poured quantum energy into it, tweaking and activating cells, multiplying and mutating them with information locked away deep in the DNA as huge, feathery wings (matching her hair color), like those of a hawk, sprouted from her back and spread out wide, increasing her drag and changing the pair's trajectory from a fall into a long, horizontal glide. 

< I got you. > she thought privately to Devin, even if he was unconscious.

Behind her, albeit at a much slower rate, the rest of the Vanguard followed suit. Dark, feathery wings, sprouted from their backs and they began to use them in the same manner, changing the passenger's fall into a horizontal glide, like a choir of angels answering the prayers of the falling passengers.

Lilly felt each of the Vanguard pulling at her stores of energy, and for the first time she was thankful for the training she had received from Apollo and Pandora. Lilly might find Apollo annoying AF most of the time, but with his help she had grown in her ability to channel and store of quantum energy, increasing her reserves, as well as learned to better use her abilities, both new and old. Right now, his training was paying off.

< Hey guys. I can get these people down safely, but I can't actually fly and we are miles from shore. I mean, I can lifeguard swim them to shore, but there are, like, great whites in these waters. I could maybe get them onto the wing of the plane, or maybe even back in if Abel drops his forcefield.> she thought into Guild Chat as the waves grew ever closer.

As if they were of the same mind, the rest of the winged Vanguard aimed for the plane, now being held just above the waves.

< Incoming! Lower the drawbridge! > Lilly thought as the plane drew near. She was moving faster than the rest of the Vanguard and would be the first one in. On cue Abel dropped his forcefield, allowing Lilly and the rest of the winged Vanguard, one after another, to swoop in, each delivering their passengers, and bodies, in their care, while Lilly cradled Devin in her arms.

< You know, you do not need to do this self-sacrificing, overly heroic stuff to impress me. > she thought privately to Devin as she held him close. < You dumbass.> she added teasingly. 

All the while, the two Vanguards on the plane searched through the mostly unconscious passengers, trying to calm the people and direct them, while seeing to the most critically injured and evacuating them through the portal, all the wile searching for the possible Key on the flight.

 

Spoiler

The two Vanguard on the plane will use Healing on anybody critically wounded (both on one, if needed) to at least stabilize them. Dunno if that means she comes across Charlie or not.

 

[Charlie Cole]

The pain lanced right through to his brain, and Charlie blacked out.

When light returned to his vision, he was feeling oddly weightless. It was serene, really, the sky around him so pretty... THE SKY?! Shock drove him to awareness and realized he was in the air, with nothing holding him, plummeting from beneath the plane.

That and the people frozen in space above, someone with wings holding another person, some... manta-ray like thing struggling to hold up the plane. Finally, Charlie realized his body looked quasi-translucent? Not entirely there? Actually, that probably was the case in more ways than one.

It's sorta like Hamlet. Charlie decided. One parent's betrayed the other and taken a new companion. I'm upset and now I'm losing my mind. And about to find the undiscovered country. So the water rushed up to meet him.

Charlie hit the ocean - and pushed off and up-- wait. Charlie now was standing upright, floating about a half-foot above the surface of the sea. Experimentally, since about as much as anything here made sense, he tried pushing again and found himself moving upward. Another 15 seconds of experimentation confirmed he in fact was essentially flying under his own power.

Well, this was a new twist. He pointed his head back up at the listing plane and flew back to it. Perhaps he would survive this hallucination long enough to get medical attention.

[Jaunt]

Quote

< You know, you do not need to do this self-sacrificing, overly heroic stuff to impress me. > she thought privately to Devin as she held him close. < You dumbass.> she added teasingly. 

<Admit it though,> he smirked, semi conscious in her arms.  He was looking pretty bad, but wasn't injured.  A little peckish... okay a lot peckish, like Superman after taking Doomsday's nuke.  They all knew he'd be fine, it'd just take some rest and time to get him back up and going.  It was a harsh reminder to all of them though on how reliant they'd become on Quantum Energy.  <You were totally impressed.>

Even his mental voice was weak, but they all heard him.  <Besides, it wasn't self-sacrificing.  I knew someone would catch me, Big Damn Heroes is in our blood.  It's what we do.>  They could all empathically feel his his trademark impish grin.

The Qeeg, moments ago...

"Devin!"  Mari shouted.  She flew into a panic and suddenly the little aliens weren't all that weird to her anymore, they were people in a position to safe her dying brother.  "Help him!  He's falling!  You have to help him, he's gonna die!"

"Mari," Laurie interjected.  "MARI!"  Her loud, harsh tone snapped her back into the moment.  "Mari, you have to trust me, trust them, and, I can't believe I'm saying this: trust Jaunt.  They've trained for this, they do this on the regular.  Calm down and trust that your brother has a plan.  He always has a plan, Mari.  Always."  She looked back at the screen the quantum flare of his eyes announced to the African sea board that the Irregulars were all in their business.  She tried to be strong, for Marissa's sake, they couldn't both be losing their minds at the same time, that would look bad.  Besides, she was the Ambassador for an alien race.  Still, it was Devin.  She considered that for a moment... <Dear God, Devin please have a plan...>

Lilly caught him and Mari sighed, her panic subsiding a bit.  Laurie grasped her hand tightly.  "See?  They live for this shit."

"That's good," Marissa sighed sweetly, then her tone dropped off into a very flat, dark, frustration.  "Because when I see my brother again, I'm gonna kill him."

[WS ST]

Only seconds had passed since the planes first wing had started to buckle and now barely thirty seconds later the Crew of the Qeeg were witness and a part of what would become a watershed moment in Earth History.

The plane was stable and being flown by a straining Sage, it was a draining task to keep his force field, TK field and flying all at the same time. But he managed. The plane was skimming along at a good clip about a hundred feet above the waves. 100 meters in front of the plane and some 10 feet above the waves flew Chimera with Savant holding an unconscious Avenger riding on her back. Both were flying in the direction of the distant shore which they could make out as a hazy line rising on the horizon. Inside the plane Vanguard and her clones were shuttling unconscious passengers through the Portal Jaunt had opened, while he maintained it and rested.

Below Chimera the water crashed and surged with strong waves even this far from shore. Something deep moved matching the speed of the plane closing in on Chimera.

Aboard the Qeeg

“Sir, Ambassador, sensors are clearing from the Q-interference. We are picking up something below the aircraft under the water. It's moving at over 300 earth knots.” The T'Tauri crewman looked up his four eyes wide with shock. “the bow wave will reach Chmera in less than 15 seconds.”

Under the sea

Pain filled it's primitive mind driving it onward, hunger accompanied the pain. It sensed food ahead and above. A force never before witnessed on this planet, powers only imagined in fantasies, a beast driven by primal instinct hunted.

Spoiler

for all intents we are in combat rounds. determine initiative. Chimera, Sage, and Savant may make awareness checks to see if they sense the danger...savants special sense does not kick in since she is not the creatures target, any other normal danger senses alarms any of you have do. remember my rolling instructions

 

[WS ST]

Skimming the wave Kia, now that the folks on the plane had been saved and were going to be taken someplace safe, was actually enjoying flying like this, She just hoped that Sara was alright. As she was thinking something caught her eye a flash of movement, something dark in the water . She banked slightly to get a better look.

<Sean! Theres something in the water! it's big!> Laurie's thought echoed through Sean's mind even as he was overcome with a sense of great danger from below.

<"KIA! UP!">

The command hit Kia both from her auditory senses and in her mind through the link as Sean shouted a warning both mentally and verbally. Kia was quick, her training paying off as without a thought her body responded Wnigs moved and her lazy turn turned into a steep climb, her eyes watching the once only a few meters below as the thing erupted from the depths.

At first she thought it was a whale, an Orca, but then her brain registered it's size. First the snout came it's mouth wide and filled with teeth as long as her normal body. But that wasn't all, it kept coming out a long, much too long body, with arms with bone like claws. It rose as if propelled by a rocked it's jaws stretched to catch and crush her and her cargo.

Spoiler

I need a dodge from Kia. Sean you need to make a might  check to stay on kia and to keep hold of Sara when Kia dodges. Abel You see the creature at about the same time as Kia. It has an incredible Quantum signature. several times more than any any of the Irregulars give off. It is roughly the size of the 777. everyone on the GC link hears Seans warning and if Kia and able are broadcasting can see what they see.

 

[Kia Mizuki]

Kia's weird feathery air-manta form was big...more than big enough for two people to sit on the back of and feel secure...but in the face of the shadow beneath the waves she looked just about the right size for its jaws! The tradeoff she'd taken, to be relatively small in exchange for being fast, turned out to be presciently well-chosen.

Sean's telepathic imperative hit home, and the panic in her mental voice drove past any inclination Kia might have had to question or hesitate. She beat at the air and rose up...and beneath her the seas opened, and behind the water was an abyss lined with teeth.

They raced one another into the air...the pink fluffy butterfly and the the massive black and white mountain. Sean could smell its breath, salt and the sour stench of the sea all around her. Forced to hold onto Kia's feathers for dear life, along with Sara, Sean couldn't keep more than half an eye on the beast below...but it was hard to miss those massive teeth slowly catching up. Slowly starting to come down towards Kia even as the opposing set far below came whistling up. Not slow, Sean realized distantly. Just far away. Covering lots of distance. Not slow.

Physics took a toll though, even for quantum monsters like this. Kia wasn't jumping, she was flying. The creature's muscles were able to propel it clean out of the water...and with that much mass, it boggled the mind how much water it had to displace to do that. The ocean floor was probably devastated by it. But once out of the water, it had nothing to push against. It slowed. Kia didn't.

The jaws slammed shut behind Kia with a deafening crash, and a gust of wind that nearly knocked her out of control. Then it was falling back down, maddened eyes big enough to drive a yacht into glaring up at them as it did. Promising them that this was FAR from over.

Sean, Kia's mental voice came into her mind, I have to get you and Sara out of here. I can't fight and keep you safe!

[WS ST]

The beast jaws closed on....air, the crash of teeth sounding like thunder. Already the monster, for what else could you call it, was falling back toward the ocean slamming into the surface sending  spray hundreds of feet into the sky.

The beast submerged and it's dorsal fin cut a trail that was visible for miles from the air, as it continued on, it's momentary attempt to satisfy it's hunger already forgotten. The eyes of the Irregulars that could see it followed it as it gained speed then the fin disappeared as it submerged fully. It was heading toward shore.

It was heading towards Capetown.

Spoiler

By your calculations it will tack it about ten minuts to hit shore if it goes straingt in but it seems to be curving more toward the city which will probably take it closer to thirty minutes to an hour depending on if it gets back to 300 knots or not. You are about five minuts from the beach in a straight line, some of you can get to the city much faster. you are aprox 35 miles from the city at  this time.

 

[Lilly Pryor]

Lilly rolled her eyes and dropped Devin to the floor of the plane in a heap. "Oops." she said to Devin, deadpan.

< We'll stay here and finish getting the passengers through the portal. You go kick that thing's ass! > one of the Vanguard thought into Guild Chat, though it was clear shew as speaking to Vanguard Prime. 

< Once you got them to safety, go through yourselves and prepare to intercept that thing in case we do not catch it. You have to protect the city. And a couple of you stay behind to protect the plane and any of us on it. > Lilly thought back, making sure the others knew what she was doing as she kicked off her Ugg boots.

< Drawbridge down. > she thought to Abel as she started running toward his forcefield. On cue he dropped it and dove into the crashing waves below with a grace and form that olympians would be envious of. As she plummeted toward the water the feathers of her wings were shed in a trail behind her and her wings were gone. Each feather lingered for a moment, dancing on the wind, before vanishing. She closed her eyes and focused, gathering a massive amount of quantum energy, and the forced it through her body. Every muscle of her body flexed and relaxed and the energy surged through her. 

Lilly hit the water, the force of her dive pushing her well beneath the waves. Instantly webbing spread between her fingers and tone and gills sprouted from her neck, making her far more comfortable in her aquatic environment. She opened her eyes, which now had a protective lid and far more cones, granting her enhanced low-light vision in the depths. Lilly smiled. This was sooo cool and sure beat the hell out of snorkeling.

From above a distorted ball of white expanded under the waves and a moment later it erupted into a huge splash when it broke the surface and Lilly was gone, leaving a trail of displaced water behind her as she swam toward the beast at an incredible speed.

< I'll be there in a few seconds! >

The eight Vanguard on the plane all set to work shuttling passengers through the portal, using their strength and speed to their best advantage as their wings similarly vanished, the feathers just falling away and then fading from existence.

 

Spoiler

Let me know if I need to edit.

Lilly is dropping the Wings body mod.

She will "Max" her Hypermovement: Running, which costs 1 wp and 7 q, and she rolls her 7Q = 3 sux
Spending 2 to add Extra Mode: Swimming (from Hypermovement) extra and 1 sux to double the speed of the power.

She will activate Enhanced Movement and add Webbed Hands/Feet, Gills, low-light vision and some sort of extra eye lid body mods

Lilly should be able to swim at up to several thousand knots now (3779), which would put her at the thing in like 3 seconds.

The rest of the Vanguard will drop their wings as well and get people off the plane and then go through themselves, with 2 staying behind in case it decides to attack the plane with Able, Devin and whoever else on it (unless somebody suggests they go through the portal too).

 

[Jaunt]

Devin stood swiftly like a sprouting tree.  We wavered from side, catching himself as the weariness of his lack of energy reminded him not to move to fast.  He noticed a scared teenage girl, no older than the Irregulars themselves.  He offered her a comforting smile and a confident nod.  "She's totally into me, I'm wearing her down,"  He took a breath and let it out slowly.  "Yeah... you know how it goes."

He clapped his hands and stood up straight.  "Well, it's been nice meeting you.  Enjoy your rescue, and hey, if you have any questions or concerns, please take up with our customer service representative.  He's the guy over there," he pointed to Abel.  "His name is Sage and he has a very unhealthy relationship with his dog.  Long story.  He's a great guy though.  Please be his friend.  He needs friends."

He took a moment to catch his breath.  He stepped out of the plane through the massive hole in the side of it.  With the plane safely in a breathable atmosphere, the Force Fields weren't needed any more.
 

Spoiler

 

"Within you lies infinite power," he remembered to Pandora telling him the fundamentals of how his node operated.  "But, the human body was not meant to channel such a vast amount of energy through it.  So, there are safeguards in place, to help you tap into only the amount of power you need, when you need it."

"And... without those safeguards?"  He had to ask, it was Devin after all, living like an idiot was pretty his niche.

"Then your power would be unlimited."  Pandora replied coolly, never showing any signs of being perturbed by his antics.  She saw that Jaunt was about to ask another inane question, that seemed to be, in the younger parlance, 'his thing'.  "For as long as you could control it, that is.  As the quantum energies flowed through you, without the protection your node provides, you would be consumed by the very energies you attempted to command.  Like Icarus flying to close to the sun.  You're exhilaration would be absolute, albeit brief as you were burned to ash or displaced into pure energy."

Jaunt smiled and nodded in rapt fascination.  "Sweet.  Go big or go home."

Now Pandora groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

 

Jaunt focused inward.  The roar of the ocean, the cool sea breeze lapping his skin with the salty mist of the displaced waters.  He rocked with the sway of the plane, listening, feeling.  He traveled deep within himself until he felt it, that flex of a muscle within his mind where a simple patch of tissue gave him the ability to control the very fabric of reality.  It was floating in the dark, swimming in a sea cerebral spinal fluid.  It was blackened and dark.  With no juice left in Devin's body it had shut itself down to recharge.  He winced, scrunching his face and straining, yelling at it mentally to listen to him.  He strained, grit his teeth and clenched his fists, summoning as best he could all the power left him.  From every muscle, every organ, each individual cell.  All of it contained a fraction of his power and he called it now.  He ushered it to his mind, his brain, his Node.  His face turned beat red.  It sparked.  There in the fluid of his skull it sparked.  Just a bit at first, the blackened flesh igniting with an inner light as if lightning was crackling behind the cover of clouds.  Vibrating with power it suddenly exploded with pure energy, his node expanded into a brilliant purple sun the shone brightly, expanding, growing, stretching like a growth across the surface of his brain to accommodate the influx of power.

Jaunt exploded into a purplish anima.  An anima of pure power roiled from his body.  The energy tried to escape him, in small random patches his skin would light up from the inside and purplish fire seemed to exhaust itself from his pores only to puff out moments later.  His eye were smokey purplish orbs of energy and if they were still there, none could see them.  The pain was unbearable, every cell in his body was exploding and burning like acid and liquid nitrogen were injected directly into his heart.  He had to keep it together though.  He'd done it.  Unlimited power.

He looked back at the girl in the plane.  "Wanna see something cool?"  His voice was crackling fire mingled with a cacophony of all realities, every him that ever was or would be, spoke through him.  He smirked and took off like a purple comet.  The water displaced as he launched himself across it's surface.  After a moment there was an explosion as he broke the sound the barrier.

"What the hell?"  Marissa looked to Laurie.  "Laurie?"

"No idea."  She said.  <Savant, what the hell?  Why did Jaunt just go Super Sayan?  How, did he go Super Sayan?>

<By being more reckless than he is smart.>  Savant replied.  <I don't think he knows what he's done...>

Vanguard had it covered underwater, he needed to help her.  Vanguard.  Vanguard?  Lilly!  That's right!  Sea monster.  Had to stop the Orca monster.  He zoomed past the monster as a speed it's bulk couldn't hope to counter.  Within it's path he arced to the left and began to run laps.  He ran, and ran, the purple comet of friction and kinetic energy sliced through the water and the more he ran, the more the water heeded his command.  It swirled and angrily crashed up waves in protest, then soon it smoothed and began to sink.  The currents of the ocean twisted an wrapped becoming part of the massive two mile whirlpool that was forming.  It wouldn't stop the beast, but it would hopefully hold it for a few moments so... so... Vanguard could do what she needed to do.

<Th-s is...,> The Irregualrs and those in GC winced as an uncomfortable quantum feedback squealed through the connection.  His mind wasn't human anymore, the connection was having a hard time holding.  <Ama----ing!  You --tt- try t--s!>

Spoiler

UNLIMITED POWAH!  Jaunt has activated Avatar mode: +10 STR/+10 MSTR - +10DEX/+10MDEX - +10STA/+10MSTA +300B/+300L Soak - +300 Bruised Health Levels - Unlimited Quantum Pool

Spoiler

Just kidding.

Seriously, he used 'Dying For Power'.  I hammed it up, because Q7 (We're in the big leagues).  He sacrificed his Bruised HL this turn to gain 2QP.

Science!
By running in a circle at 6,400mph, Jaunt has created a whirlpool that should be able to slow the beast down.  Like a drain it'll be sucked in and have to wrestle with the currents to escape.  It's big, and fast, so I doubt it'll stop it, but it should buy the Irregulars time to do something.

 

[Sean Cassidy]

On 12/23/2017 at 3:55 PM, Kia Mizuki said:

Sean, Kia's mental voice came into her mind, I have to get you and Sara out of here. I can't fight and keep you safe!

<Don't worry, I'll take care of Sara> Sean assured her mount and friend, <Loop around to the plane to drop me off, then you can go all Cthulhu on Orca-zilla's ass.>

As she banked around, through her resilient hide and fluffy feathers, Kia could just make out Sean's light and balanced steps as she glided to the rear of the brightly coloured, furry manta ray, Sara cradled in her arms and tucked against her chest. Sean had been calculating the relative velocities of Kia and the telekinetically manipulated plane and she didn't hesitate when Kia leveled off ahead and above the plane and leapt off her back.

Savant could have made the jump from furry manta ray to plane with ease, but it would be harder with Sara in her arms. From her back expanded broadly splayed loops of PAM polymer, precisely angled to mitigate her fall. She landed lightly on the plane so agile and with such bodily control, Sara wasn't jostled at all.

Sean flowed into the plane via the hole in the fuselage, the force field no longer in effect with the plane being so low. One glance took it all in - the Vanguard darting in and out of the swirling purple vortex, the edges fraying indicating its imminent collapse. The concentrating Abel, his feet not actually touching the deck as he carried the plane with the power of his mind. The limp Jaunt, exhausted from twisting time and space in knots...  A slight frowned bent Savant's perfect lips, as she noted the quantum energy begin to be savagely yanked from the mitochondria of Jaunt's very cells and flow towards his quivering Node.

15 hours ago, Jaunt said:

"No idea."  Laurie said.  <Savant, what the hell?  Why did Jaunt just go Super Sayan?  How, did he go Super Sayan?>

<By being more reckless than he is smart.>  Savant replied.  <I don't think he knows what he's done...>

Savant and Avenger slipped through the portal in the wave of a pair of Vanguards just as it collapsed and Jaunt's eyes flared with violent, violet incandescence. Sean couldn't but compare what she had seen going on in Jaunt with what was happening to Sara. Sara wasn't physically injured, but the quantum pulse had triggered... something. Sean could see the cellular mutations of Sara's node taking effect, the quantum energy flowing in and coming out altered, shifting the configuration of her quantum signature. It seemed very reminiscent of Sean's own dramatic metamorphosis, in fact, even if Sara wasn't evidencing any outward physical alterations.

So far.

<What I am going to do is try to make Cape Town seem unpalatable to our Orc-ish friend> Sean informed the Irregulars.

<Orcish?>

<The giant sea monster bears Orca-like characteristics, clearly that is orcish.> Standing watch over the improvised recovery zone, Sean turned to one of the Vanguard, offering her the blond girl in her arms. "Can you keep an eye on Avenger for me? She's not hurt, but she might be disoriented when she regains consciousness."

"Of course, Savant," Vanguard assured her, accepting the supine Sara into her arms. "What's wrong with her?"

"At a guess, her quantum expression is being rewired," Savant hypothesized. "As I said, she might be disoriented when she wakes up, but I have our mental channel open and active just in case she's concerned if I'm not around."

"And where will you be?"

Sean grinned. "Doing science. I may not be able to go toe-to-toe with Godzilla out there." Sean had doubts about how effective her Havok Rifle or Photonblade would be against something of such massive mass - she could tell the Irregulars its precise dimensions, mass, and density, if they wanted to know. "But I got an idea on how to keep it from the city."

Savant focused her sight and senses, attuning herself to the plethora of broadcast signals and transmissions streaming through the air. She followed them and nodded as she found a particularly busy telecom tower. Just what she was looking for. She had her tablet and a few things in her satchel, and her hands were more precise than any industrial machine, but she would need a few extra parts.

Arno had watched in rapt awe and amazement as the swirling purple hole in space appeared in the middle of Hanover Park and then women started coming through with people in there arms. He had thought them twins at first, until he saw the other young women who looked exactly the same coming through. Triplets, quadruplets, sextuplets. From the clearing of the park, not that far from False Bay, most had seen the the plane falling from the sky... until it wasn't. It wasn't hard to believe these women had something to do with that.

Another woman stepped through the portal just before it snapped shut, but it didn't take even an instant for Arno to realize she was different from the others. Taller and more voluptuous, with hair that held all the colours of dawn and dusk. She spoke with one of the sisters, handing her another girl, then turned. Arno felt his mouth go dry.

He wasn't entirely sure she was a woman, or human at least. A dream perhaps, or a fantasy, or a superheroine, but unambiguously real. He had never imagined such symmetry and perfection of form, and with a single glance, her haunting turquoise eyes seemed to know him more than he knew himself. He blinked and found her standing before him, the easy curve of her lips releasing him from his stupor.

"We saved those on the plane and now we're going to do what we can for Cape Town," the vision said in a voice of pure music, in English, then in flawless Afrikaans. "But I need a few things. Is there an electronics or computer store nearby."

Arno found himself answering before giving it any conscious thought, unable to bear the thought of disappointing this impossible woman. There were a number of stores surrounding Hanover Park and he automatically gave her directions to one that suited her needs. She smiled and he felt his heart skip a beat.

"Thank you, my friend. We're going to stop the threat to your city, but you may want gather your friends and family and start heading North, just in case."

Then the vision in a dark, figuring defining bodysuit was off in a sprint that would have left Usain Bolt in the dust. Savant might not have Lilly's or Jaunt's speed, but over these short distances, she was fast enough. She would need to supersede the limits of the telecom tower, but it should endure for long enough. She considered the Kaiju's mass and apparent genetic derivation, to determine the frequency, amplitude, and power she would need to affect it without damaging the rest of the populous.

Essentially, a sonic fence written large to drive off Godzilla from a city, instead of stopping a pet from running out of the yard. Savant's lips curled in thrilled anticipation and challenge. Failure would result in untold amounts of damage and loss of life - actually, Sean could calculate the damage and loss to a frightening degree of accuracy - but there was no room to consider failure with the situation upon them.

Do or Do Not. There is no Try. The Tao of Yoda.

 

[WS ST]

Phones and cameras. that's really what Sean saw as she ran through the park and into the city to the electronics store. Phones, cameras, and shocked amazed looks on faces of the men and women she passed at blurring speed....

From the beach the storm of lightning colored purple flashed from the angriest sea anyone on earth had ever seen. Currents fought and were subdued by the force being applied tot he surface of the ocean, wave which should have been shooting off were instead drawn in a wall of water rose nearly twenty feet and the lightning went round and round faster than the eye could see. Inside the the wall the water dropped as it swirled just as Jaunt had intended but more so it fell fast the wall of water creating a boundary.

In the whirlpool, the beast slowed and stopped much fast then it should have been able too, the water fell around it replaced by air but it did not fall. It felt a new hunger. It's senses opened It felt the pull of a new food. The air already swirling began to crackle with electricity as  storms formed in the vortex. The beast raised it's head and bellowed and begane to rise with the wind.

Lilly saw the wall of.... calling it swirling water was an injustice to the grand scope of what Jaunt was doing, She didn't slow she had lost sight of the beast but knew it was in there could feel it just like she could the quantum outputs of her fellow Irregulars, so it had to be close.

She hit the boundary of the whirlpool at full speed and knifed into it, her body immediately adapting to the change in pressure as water turned to air and she saw it falling no not falling hovering in the middle of the vortex. A vortex of wind and lightning under the ocean. The wind spawning tornado's rising toward the surface a hundred feet above.

Spoiler

Lily is in the storming air in the center of a vortex. if she doesn't change to something that can fly or glide she will start to fall toward the bottom. Jaunt cannot really see what is happening in the mess he has created as his concentration is completely on running if he falters the whole thing collapses and the results will be catastrophic for Capetown and all of the coast of south Africa. there are six tornadoes rising from the vortex each is about a force three. all of this is still about five miles from shore so it is somewhat visible to anyone who is watching more so from the air.

 

[Charlie Cole]

If there seemed to be any more doubt that Charlie had gone mad, or the world itself, a giant orca-Godzilla thing reared up itself from the depths, snapping at the manta-thing before breaking off toward - oh boy - Capetown. Were this not all insane, he'd make a joke about Tokyo or something.

Then the purple glow appeared, trailing a figure that moved like out of comic book superheroics, around Orcazilla. Charlie wondered if his mouth could drop any lower without falling off, although given his air-like state, maybe it could go right down to his knees.

The newly formed whirlpool raged, and suddenly, Charlie found himself being yanked as if he was a rubber band, and the full snapback was starting. Had he a better understanding of what he had become, his form, more time and practice, Charlie might have been able to break free. Might - as one might with slightly less might be able to cut down the mightiest tree in the forest with a herring.

Thus, with much screaming, Charlie was sucked into the funnel of the whirlpool.

[Abel Cross]

Abel watched the spectacle unfold from his position guiding the plane.   Half a dozen emotions ran through his mind even if only a slight frown formed on his face.  "One thing at a time.  I'll set the plane on the beach, then head back to help with this if I need to.  The people on the plane come first for now."   he spoke aloud to no one in particular.     He went around the swirling vortex and the tornadoes it spawned,  unable to do much more, as dividing his focus further would likely be detrimental to everything else he was doing.  

Over the private link he shared with Sean he asked calmly.  <Any ideas for safely shutting that vortex down?  It's a bigger threat now than the Orca.  It will be another thirty seconds or so before I' set the plane down and alert the authorities, but we need to be ready.>