Mutants & Masterminds: The Indigo Children - [Second Phase: Beta Segment] Operation: CR-SC00

[jameson (ST)]

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010, evening

Washington Square, bordering as it did on Greenwich Village and Washington Village, was busy despite the hour, with performers playing music, doing magic, or freestyle dancing for people's donations. Tomoe was out with Rob and Tess, the three getting acquainted on a level that went beyond "shared genetic mutations" to a genuine friendship. Following an impromptu dinner of some fine New York style pizza they had gone out into the park to walk. The evening was clear and despite the city lights a couple of stars managed to show through in the night sky.

As they chatted and strolled through the little park a sudden rush of wind kicked up. Rob's hat was blow from his head, sending him trotting after it, and after Tess's scarf, which she wore despite the weather; unseasonably warm spring night though it was it was still cool by her standards.

The wind halted behind a tree, a wake that ended in a young woman with red hair. She held an envelope, plain manila paper, with a string clasp closure that was taped over. The packet bulged in the middle with what Valerie was certain was a small fortune in cash; payment to somebody for something. Valerie didn't need to know what it was or why. She didn't need to know the person being paid aside from their appearance and the answer to the code phrase. As a courier this is what she got paid to do, it kept her in clothing, food, shelter, and technology. Leaning casually against the tree she frowned as she saw a guy go running after a hat and a scarf, apparently blow free by her passage. She looked around, wondering when the guy was going to show up so she could be done.

[Velocity]

Velocity tapped her foot impatiently as she checked her watch and then checked it again. These shady types were always too late and it seemed the more important they assumed they were, the more they kept her waiting. It was as if the world was trying to mock her, making her wait at every possible occasion. It didn’t matter what – she had to wait for the waitress to take her order, she had to wait for her netbook to boot up or for someone to pick up the phone. While she was checking her watch for the third time within the same minute she looked over to the couple that was taking a walk in the park.

The male was looking handsome from what she could tell and he was actually going out with two women? From their looks it was hard to tell if they were engaged or just friends. She would have to keep them observed just to make sure they wouldn’t accidently bump into her delivery. Velocity hated getting into trouble and these people looked friendly but the people she was dealing with took no prisoners. She’d be long gone if something happened but she was sure she couldn’t deal with her conscience if she knew that some innocent bystanders got mugged and... probably killed.

„Common – ain’t got the whole night for this...“, she said to herself looking at her watch for the fourth time. The minute had just passed but it felt like she was already waiting for half an hour.

[Telluris]

"Here." Rob said to Tess with a smile as he trotted back to the girls and handed her back the scarf. His expression rueful, he ran a hand through his wind-tousled hair before pulling his hat back on and looking up at the sky for, his two companions noted, the tenth time just since they'd left the pizza place.

"Still looking for black helicopters?" Tomoe asked him with a grin. Rob had been checking his tail, looking up at the sky, examining every unmarked van and generally acting like he was a CIA agent in Istanbul all evening. It varied between being cute, funny, and really unnerving. Rob looked chagrined, then chuckled a little and shrugged.

"Can't help it. I'm half-expecting those dumbasses to try something else, even after what happened last time." he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets and falling into step between the other two. He continued in a slightly gloomy tone "I sometimes think that I'll need to go and threaten to EMP the Pentagon to get those nutjobs to leave us alone."

[z012]

Tess tucked her scarf back around her neck and mused, "That's if they're actually a legitimate military operation." She sighed and threaded her arms through each of theirs, pulling them closer for warmth and quiet talk. "Somehow I doubt that they'd be listed on the Pentagon's budget report to Congress; it's just as likely that they're Black Ops, mercenary, or even worse: run by one of us."

"I've been doing some poking about, but I wanted to finish the house AI before I started on serious digging. If they were government backed, or even just as well funded, it won't be easy to find much and it will be easy to get caught." She squeezed their arms, a ghost of a smile settling on her lips. "At least we have each other. Trying to deal with all of this alone....I think any one of us could do it, but who'd want to?"

Some of the sharper edges that Rob had seen of Tess when he first started to work for her had softened as she met and befriended more Indigos. She could still be ruthless or cold when needed, but when she was alone with them she smiled more and was as generous as they'd allow her to be.

[SalmonMax]

Tomoe shrugged, jamming her hands into her coat pockets.

"Well, government or not, we know they're not legitimate, since no official agency has the legitimate authority to do what they're doing," she pointed out, kicking at a pebble and sending it skittering away through the grass off the path.

"Seems to me that, if you guys are so worried about them, the answer is to go on the offensive. If you just sit around and wait for them to take another poke at you, then sooner or later it'll happen."

[jameson (ST)]

Valerie looked around impatiently. She was supposed to give the packet to a guy who'd be wearing red gloves, hat and scarf and standing under the Washington Arch. It seemed a silly way to do a transaction, what if the wrong person were wearing that exact ensemble? Still, Jimmy had been abundantly clear, and you didn't get Jimmy mad, not if you wanted to remain ignorant of his knickname.

Valerie decided that another quick run around the park would be in order, maybe she could see him coming, and then at least know he was close. She zoomed off, a wake of wind trailing her and sending the young man's hat flying once more. In a second flat she was back. The man, or at least a man, wearing red gloves, hat, and scarf, and looking rather warm for it, had entered on the opposite side of the park and was making his way toward the arch. Valerie settled in to wait.

Rob was about to reply to Tomoe when another aberrant wind gust tooko his hat away again. Scowling he went after it, to the laughter of the two girls. He idly pondered putting a strip of steel wire into the hat so that he could grab it with his powers, but dismissed the idea as ludicrous.

[Telluris]

"As I was going to say before my hat took off again..." Rob grumped as he trotted back over to Tomoe and Tess. "...I think you're right, Tomoe. I just don't know how to take the offensive. I've spent most of the last few years being as inoffensive as I can be." He pulled his hat down extra firmly and sighed.

"I'm worried that without decent information, I'll just land us all in worse straits." Rob looked at them both and shrugged. "I want to take care of the problem, though. It'd be nice to not worry about GiBs. Sometimes I think it'd be easier if we went public, though that'd just be swapping one set of problems for another."

[z012]

Tess nodded to both of them. "I'm working on getting us the intelligence we need, as well as making sure that if we have to hide or retreat, that we've somewhere safe to do so." She took a breath and then sighed, her accent a little thicker when she spoke again, "I'm not used to such...such direct confrontation. I'm rather useless in a fight; probably more of a liability than anything else."

She watched the few stars they could see from the park for a moment. "As for going public, I really don't see how that could be good for us. People will want us, want to control us. Most people will fear us, to one degree or another. They're not even the worse I can imagine, though. Think on the people that need, especially those of a religious inclination. They will either hate and revile us as abominations, or worship and revere us as something greater than human. Either position is precarious at best. There's already enough pointless holy wars in our world; I'd hate for us to be the cause of more."

She shivered and looked back down, "And they're not the worst. I'd leave that for the capitalists and the scientists. Those that would use us until we're burnt out or dead and those that would tear us apart with no regard for our humanity just to see what there was to be seen. No. Secrecy is our safety, our sanctuary as much as anything made of concrete or stone. I take some small comfort in the thought that the men that attacked us, their masters do not seem to want the public to truly know about us. At least not yet."

She sighed again, then brushed a stray hair from her face and smiled at her companions. "Forgive me, I do not mean to be so melancholy; it seems I've done little other than think on this for weeks, though."

[Velocity]

That must be him, Velocity looked over to the man making sure not to lose sight of him. The faster she could make her delivery the more time she had left for...

yeah, what for? At least she’d earn some money but not having much to do was slowly getting on her nerves.

Maybe if I can gather enough courage to ask that handsome guy out?..., she briefly glanced back at Rob and the women and discarded that thought immediately. He seemed to have both his arms full already... still she had trouble not thinking about it.

Making sure she was halfway hidden she sped off to appear next to the guy with the hat and scarf. Looking impatiently at him and waiting for his que.

Click to reveal..

Notice Check (1d20=17) vs DC 15 passed

[SalmonMax]

"We're not going to stay secret forever," Tomoe points out, oblivious to the wind now that the conversation has her interest. "Don't get me wrong, I'd like us to stay secret too...but all it takes is one of us who decides to show up on the daily news, or really, who just gets careless. I don't know how many of us there are, but it's only a matter of time."

She jammed her hands into her pockets and shrugs. "Of course, even once the world knows we exist, they won't necessarily know how to tell who's one, and who's not. That's why the masks and the codenames are good ideas."

"But having said that, I think you're being melodramatic on the consequences of it all. There's upsides to the world finding out about us. For one, these hunter guys are probably scared stiff of it happening. You can't legally make people disappear in the United States. The only reason they can get away with it right now is because the world doesn't know, it's not watching. Shine a light on us, and that ends. Scientists might WANT to dissect us, but they won't be able to. We'll have rights. People will WANT to exploit us, but we'll be a rare commodity, and able to name our own prices...once we have official status, we can exploit right back at 'em."

She waggled a finger. "Just saying. I like secrecy because what I do works better when no one's expecting it. But it may not be what's best for us, as an...um...ethnic group, in the long run."

(Notice check to see Velocity's movement - DC 20)

(19:53:04) (SalmonMax): Notice for Tomoe, +7 bonus.

(19:53:09) ChatBot: (SalmonMax) rolls 1d20 and gets 4.

(19:53:12) (SalmonMax): Ouch

[Telluris]

"That's what I was figuring." Rob nodded in agreement with Tomoe. "I mean, comic books and movies aside, can the Big Boys really turn around and say to the masses 'Hey, these dudes with powers aren't covered by the rights of citizens or human beings, mmkay? So we're just going to round 'em up and stick probes in unmentionable places. Rat on your neighbourhood super-person for cash and prizes, kids!'" He shook his head. "Way I see it, shining a light on us, making people realise that we are here and, by the way, like pizza... That might be the smartest move we can make."

"What if some of us don't?" Tomoe asked with a smile. Rob looked at her curiously.

"Don't what?"

"Like pizza." The slim Japanese girl clarified, deadpan. Rob looked up at the sky and rubbed his chin as though deep in thought. Then he shrugged.

"Then we oughta round those deviants up and make 'em watch American Idol re-runs. That beats probes and concentration camps every time."

Click to reveal..

Roll: [18 +3 Modifier -15 DC = +6] PASS.

[z012]

Tess shook her head. "I think you overestimate the security media attention can provide...and the amount of fear people with powers inexplicable by science and powerful enough to change the course of the world with only minor applications will generate in the public."

She spread her hands out in front of her, the black leather gloves warm against her skin. She lowered her voice to carry just between the three of them. "Think about it. There's the Pulse, which is still be debated as some accident or one of the largest scale acts of terrorism in United States history. Rob, you have the possibility of being one of the most powerful weapons against developed countries that exist. You can wipe entire cities back to the stone age, or you could erase all the data contained on computers in the same radius. Think what would happen if you took out the financial records stored in LA or New York? Or blacked out DC whenever you felt like it? That you wouldn't do these things is immaterial. You could easily be declared at threat to national security and taken into 'protective custody'. There might be movements that spring up in your defense, but I'd see them being as effective as those groups that decry the death penalty or abortion rights. Eventually, the public simply begins to live around them, and change nothing."

"I would be, in many ways, even more frightening," she sighs. "You could erase information, but I may change it however I please. Alter any electronic record, control communications, access an information I wish. Information is nearly everything in the modern world; I am the spider in the middle of that web and the world has no real defenses against me. On a whim I could pauper CEO's and politicians, make millionaires out of anyone I chose; I could change prison records and expose every spy the United States has in operation. I could take control of military bases; I could launch rockets with nuclear warheads. I could tell the United States all of China's state secrets or expose all of America's to the world."

She looked up at the two of them, "Do you really think public policy would be enough to save me?"

[SalmonMax]

"Save you?" Tomoe chuckled. "You don't need saving. With that kind of power, you could own the people who'd try to hunt you down. Those guys don't work without paychecks, you know."

She shrugged. "Anyway, just because the world finds out that there are people out there like us doesn't mean it finds out that we, specifically, are that kind of person. You could pretend to be just a regular old-fashioned human being, and use your powers to make sure no one looks too closely. That's what I plan on doing."

Notice Check - 1d20+7 = 21

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2851065/

[z012]

"Look at me, Tomoe," Tess held out her arms, her pale complexion almost ghostlike against the darker colors of her coat. "Do you really think I don't need protection? I'm fine enough as long as I'm only dealing in the electronic medium, but a bullet will kill me even a bit easier than most other people."

She rubbed her hands together for a bit more warmth and shrugged, "Anonymity will be harder once our black-clad friends identify enough of us to put two and two together. I'm not saying we can't stay underground, at least some of us, but it won't be easy if we are outed as a group." She smiled softly at Rob, "But I could be wrong. I spend most of my life watching the seedier side of humanity in its macabre little dance with my own father attempting to play puppet-master over the rest. It doesn't lend itself to a cheery or optimistic view of humankind."

Click to reveal..

Notice Roll:

Roll(1d20)+13:

16,+13

Total:29

[jameson (ST)]

Valerie's limited attention span was already wearing toward boredom when the man in red finally arrived at the arch. She almost missed his signal, when he took his hat off and turned it inside out, showing the green fleece inside, before putting it back on. Now she just had to go over there, give him the money, and take anything that he gave her back to Jimmy. Maybe if she didn't screw this up Jimmy wouldn't be so mad at her. He hadn't given her a job in weeks, to the point where money was quickly becoming very much an issue, she'd almost had to beg for this job.

A rush of wind, a barely perceptible blur, and Valerie was next to the man. He started, looking at Valerie in shock. She held out the envelope. He looked at it, looked at her, and then took it. “Jimmy wasn't kidding. You're fast,” he said as he broke the seal with a knife and removed the contents. Valerie was forced to wait as he counted the money that had been within and then reviewed the documents that had also been present.

Tomoe, Rob, and Tess didn't miss the rush of wind, the escape once more of Rob's wayward hat, or the almost instant appearance of a young woman next to a man under the Washington Arch. The three quickly put two and two together; the multiple gusts of wind, Rob's hat, and her sudden appearance. Another Indigo, one possessed of superior speed. Tess, however, saw one detail more than her companions; she saw the man reaching inside his coat, and she saw the telltale bulge under the mid-weight jacket.

[z012]

Tess moved, muttering to Rob as she started towards the unknown Indigo and the man she was with. "Rob, he has a gun. Get it if he pulls it out."

"Sarah! Chris! Hey!" She waved her hands at the couple as she jogged over, apparently mistaking them for someone else. "You guys finally- Oh! Sorry! I thought you two were someone else. I thought Chris was the only one in the city with that silly hat!" She tittered, the carefree young New York socialite who had more money than brains and probably a few too many drinks earlier in the evening. "Guys! You've got to come see this! Someone else has Chris' hat!"

She tittered again, firmly planted in the personal space of the two attempting their clandestine meeting and waited.

[SalmonMax]

Tomoe grimaced. "She has to do everything herself, doesn't she? One second she's all, 'oh, I need to be protected because I can get shot,' the next she's throwing herself in front of a guy with a gun," she muttered to Rob, and stepped quickly behind a tree to hide the fact that she was turning invisible from the observers across the way. That done, she padded secretly towards the illicit meeting, hoping to be in position to help when, as it inevitably would, things turned sour.

[Telluris]

"Tell me about it." Rob muttered sotto voce to a disappearing Tomoe before following Tess, grabbing his hat up as he jogged.

"Tiz-zy" he said in an imploring, equally-drunk voice to Tess, deciding on the spur of the moment to play the pretty boy who, if not gay, was at least metrosexual. He caught up with her as she drew close to the two strangers, placing a hand on her arm. "Leave these poor folks alone. Gawd, sorry guys. She sees her friends everywhere." He rolled his eyes dramatically and grinned. "Probably because she has friends everywhere." he giggled, then did a double-take. "Oh my GOD, it IS Chris's hat!"

Inwardly, Rob was keeping an eye on the guy with the gun, hoping he was fast enough to either take the damn thing away if the dude pulled it or at least deflect the bullet.

[Velocity]

Velocity usually didn’t pay much attention since she knew it was better knowing less about the types she was dealing with. She tapped her foot impatiently which moved at a blinding fast speed commenting on the guys excruciating slow counting of the money, „Come on, you don’t have to count that shit...“, when she heard the threesome couple approaching.

What the...?, she stared at them mouth agape. She couldn’t FUBAR this again, not after the last fiasco. Jimmy would surely kill her. Making a half step sidewards to face the uninvited guests Velocity raised her voice with an aggressive undertone, „Hey yo, get the fuck out of here, this is none of your business, capiche?“

She was obviously unaware of the present danger...

[jameson (ST)]

"What? What the hell, get away from us! We're not your silly friend, get the hell away!" The man quickly stuffed the money, the papers, and the envelope into his jacket and began to back away. His other hand remained in his jacket, the gun remained undrawn, though it was a short action to do just that; if need be.

For her part Valerie was equally upset, and for similar reasons, she was certain that these idiots, the woman and her super gay BFF, would ruin this job for her. The consequences of that failure were not something that Valerie wanted to dwell on. "Hey yo, get the fuck out of here, this is none of your business, capiche?" she yelled at the interlopers.

[z012]

'Tizzy' blinked in drunk-slow reaction to the barrage of anger from the couple, obviously a little too tipsy to react quickly to the harsh reception.

Valerie's cellphone, on the other hand, was a little shocked to be addressed so directly, but Tess' requests -though odd- were well within it's abilities to perform. Data streamed from the cell phone to a satellite, then through a web of invisible information streams and finally back down to Earth somewhere not too far distant from its starting point. A fraction of a second later another data stream hit the cell, changing settings and inserting what the sender hoped would be a heeded warning.

For everyone else, Mad World rang out loudly over the park from Valerie's cellphone just as she finished her polite introduction to the newcomers. She had a text message.

Click to reveal.. (Text Message)

From Tizzy: Man was reaching for gun. Trying to help. Trust us.

[Velocity]

Velocity reached for her cell phone cursing at it for the impeccable timing.

"Who the...", she started cursing staring at the screen, then open mouthed at the crook. For someone possessing her prodigious speed and quickness Velocity took awefully long to put this message into context. It never crossed her mind that someone might shoot her, she was just a delivery girl.

Her eyes fixated the man and the obvious hand inside the jacket which probably held said gun. I can't screw this up, I mustn't!

"Hey, tell Jimmy I won't take any money no more, ok? Just don't kill me please.", she pleaded ready to dash away should the man as much as twitch or make a wrong move.

Click to reveal..

OK, - I don't know if this is physically possible but Velocity can do actions at 500 times faster than normal actions and runs around 2500 Miles per Hour - she could theoretically outrun the bullet if she sped off at the exact same time it is shot. If possible I'll "ready the action" to flee straight away and then make a sharp turn trying to dodge the bullet

[SalmonMax]

Shielded from sight by her power, Tomoe watched the scene unfold before her with an odd feeling of detachment. No one looked at her, or acknowledged her presence, so it felt like she was watching some kind of TV show, or movie, more than real life. Fortunately though, she had the option of making this 'show' interactive whenever she wanted. Tomoe glanced up at the starry sky through the lamplight and the shadowy tree branches and grinned.

Maybe what they needed was a hero.

(Tomoe creates an illusion of Apex hovering about forty feet overhead this round. She won't have it call attention to itself just yet though.)

[jameson (ST)]

The image grew from a point of white to a full sized figure in mere moments, the growth tweaked such that it appeared as though the urban hero had flown in from elsewhere. "Apex" hovered over the square quickly drawing the attention of numerous bystanders, many of whom had stopped when the scuffle began. Somebody shouted, "Look, it's Apex!!", which drew more attention.

"Shit," the would be killer cursed. A moment of hesitation and then he turned and fled, dashing away from Valerie and the rest. He ran into the street, cars coming to screeching halts, horns blaring, as he retreated still clutching the manila envelope full of cash and the papers.

OOC: The man hasn't gotten away yet if you wish to detain him. This is meant for RP so no init rolls or anything.

[SalmonMax]

Apex grinned a suave grin with teeth so white they seemed to glint even in the dull orange-ish light of sodium streetlamps. His uniform was tight and outlined his prodigiously sculpted figure in bright primary colors; the colors of the flag.

"Don't worry, citizens!" he trumpeted in a deep, powerful voice. "That miscreant won't get far! Dun dun DUN!" The last phrase came out as a sort of singsong, as if he was imitating a dramatic orchestra hit.

Then he was off; a streak of white and blue over the street, landing on the far side where the gunman was running towards.

"Let's be reasonable, son," the caped defender of justice said sternly. "Those don't belong to you. Hand them over, and I'll let you off with a warning. THIS time."

[z012]

Tess stuffed down the bout of giggles at the display going on and instead focused on the girl they'd probably just saved from a messy and pointless death. "Hey," she said quietly, all faux-drunkenness dropped and a soft English accent replacing it. "I'm Tess - 'Tizzy'. This is Rob. We can take you somewhere safe until this gets sorted out."

She smiled at the girl, her pale face sincere, "I want to help. I know what it's like to be...different. We'd better leave quickly. There's a lot of attention here and we don't want some sort of repeat of Times Square."

She held out a hand, utterly sincere, "Trust me."

[Velocity]

Velocity stared first at Apex and then saw the crook running away. She was still completely surprised by the fact that he was about to shoot her. Was this a setup? Was Jimmy trying to get rid of her after she failed him? It surely made sense now.

Her body was ready to explode in a burst of blinding speed when the young girl approached her. Velocity looked like the proverbial reindeer caught in the headlights. To much confusing events at once.

What the fuck am I supposed to do now? I can’t go back to Jimmy if he wants me dead? I can’t go to Daniel, they’ll kill him instead... the worst case scenario just unraveled in her minds eye. She screwed up badly and there was no going back.

The young mutant didn’t quiet catch on what Tess said, only the last words managed to penetrate her panicked state of mind.

„Trust me.“

She looked at Tess and finally made a step forward, a step that was forced to be slow and steady. Tess could tell by the tension in Velocity’s body that she was about to explode like a loaded spring and was struggling to slow down her hyperenhanced state to more normal speeds.

„I’m screwed...“, she managed to say, her throat suddenly very dry. I’m dead... Tess could see tears that Velocity tried to swallow down, the young mutant was probably in a mild state of shock.

[z012]

Tess smile became softer as she curled Valerie's arm into her own. "It's okay, we'll figure it out. We do need to go. No one will harm you at my house."

"Rob? I'm going to get a cab for us, once the rest of this..." she waved towards the figure of Apex and the crowd, "clears up please find Tomoe and meet us there? I'll send our location to your cells."

At Rob's nod, Tess and Valerie started a slow walk towards the edge of the park and any one of the ubiquitous New York cabs. Tess kept the walk sedate and calm, not wanting to draw attention away from the show with Apex and the thug. When she spoke, it was if she was discussing the evening's weather, "So, what happened? You were....facilitating a trade of goods, shall we say? Who would want to kill you for that?"

[jameson (ST)]

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

Then he was off; a streak of white and blue over the street, landing on the far side where the gunman was running towards.

"Let's be reasonable, son," the caped defender of justice said sternly. "Those don't belong to you. Hand them over, and I'll let you off with a warning. THIS time."

"Oh fuck," the goon cried as he reached the middle of the road. Seeing Apex on the other side, the man skidded to a stop and tried to turn direction, attempting to double back toward the park. His foot slipped on a patch of black ice and he went down hard to one knee and one hand in the middle of the street. The screech of the car's breaks was almost overwhelmed by the blaring of its horn as it bore down on the fallen man. The inevitable sound of the car hitting the man was absent however.

Instead he vanished in a puff of red and black smoke.

Those nearest could smell the sulfurous odor as the smoke dissipated into the night air. A hushed moment fell over the square and then the pedestrians could be heard chattering into cell phones and to their neighbors. "Another super! I was right there!" "He vanished like some kind of magician!" "Escaped from Apex! He's like some kind of super-villain!"

[Velocity]

Originally Posted By: Mordred

At Rob's nod, Tess and Valerie started a slow walk towards the edge of the park and any one of the ubiquitous New York cabs. Tess kept the walk sedate and calm, not wanting to draw attention away from the show with Apex and the thug. When she spoke, it was if she was discussing the evening's weather, "So, what happened? You were....facilitating a trade of goods, shall we say? Who would want to kill you for that?"

Tess could feel how Velocity struggled to remain calm. It felt like touching a body that was constantly on the verge of sprinting away. Her calm voice did much to help her open up and thus slowly relax, still Velocity felt much like running away from everything – it was all she knew. The only thing she was good at.

„I don’t know if I should tell you. They’ll kill you, too. God! He wanted to kill me!“, it seemed as if she was just now realizing what just happened.

„And I only screwed up once, I’ve been always faithful, never asked questions, just delivered and collected. Why does he want me dead now?“, she seemed really disappointed and sad with her shoulders slumped forward. Shortly after she straightened herself up again and looked at Tess.

„I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to dump my problems on you. You really shouldn’t be seen with me. These people kill first and ask questions later... I should be going now.“, she had somehow managed to tumble infront of Tess and hold her at her shoulders.

„Oh why, Jimmy – why?“, she half said to herself then looking up as if the heavens would know an answer.

„Oh“, she suddenly realized she spoke out loud and stared back at Tess. „Just forget about that name, ok? They’re bad people and you’re far to nice and cute to be dragged into this. Thanks for saving me... I think I should run... and never stop.“, a heavy sigh escaped Velocity’s pouty lips as her grip on Tess‘ shoulders released.

I don’t know what to do..., indecisiveness held her in place, for now.

[SalmonMax]

Tomoe frowned. She hadn't expected THAT. Teleportation? Another illusion? Hm!

It was certainly interesting.

"I've got no time to waste," she made her puppet say. "I've got to find out who that was...and what he was up to! Farewell until next time, New York! Dun dun DUN!"

He raised one fist over hs head, and put the other one over his heart, then lifted off with dizzying speed; quickly dwindling to a point and being lost in the dark of night.

Tomoe nudged Rob as she passed him and whispered, "I'm going over to Tess."

She listened to the girl's fears, then made an illusion of herself stand up from behind some bushes.

"Hey," Tomoe said. "Just so you know? That guy disappeared into smoke...still had your stuff too. No idea where he went."

[jameson (ST)]

"Smoke....?" Tess frowned at Tomoe, then took Val's arm again to keep the flighty woman from taking off. Her mind raced, and she poured over the events of the last few minutes again. Tapping into House she tasked her computer system to review the data stolen from the girl's cell phone and report back on it. Best to be in the know, especially if it could help explain why somebody appeared to be trying to kill her. Tess couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't what they all thought it was. It didn't make sense to kill somebody in such a public place in a very obvious way.

Valerie looked down at the hand, so tiny and actually somewhat weak. If the speedster wanted she could break that grasp easily and flee. Valerie didn't understand what had happened, why would Jimmy try to kill her now? Who were these people and why did they risk themselves for her?

Tomoe trailed along in Tess and Valerie's wake, walking beside Rob. All around her the people in the square were either still watching Valerie and the rest of them or had gone back to their own business. The average New Yorker's attention span for events out of the ordinary already kicking in and sending them on their way.

On the periphery of her vision, such as it was, Tomoe saw a figure moving through the crowd parallel to her little group. The man wore a baseball hat, the navy blue brim visible protruding from the hood he had pulled up over it, obscuring most of his face. After a few minutes, as they backtracked to the opposite side of the park from the Arch Tomoe was certain the man was following them. The few glimpses she had of his face were enough to give her deja-vu, she'd seen this man before, somewhere.

[Velocity]

Inside Velocity felt like a fire was eating her up. She could feel tiny cramps climbing up her calves and she tried to shake it off by rapidly stepping on the spot. Her feet shuffled so quickly they were just a blur and caused a small cloud of dust and debris raise around her knees.

„I’m sorry... I’m nervous.“, she excused herself but Tess could feel how she was struggling to remain calm. It seemed that being calm was rather worsening her state than granting her some kind of relief or relaxation.

„Who are you people?“, she finally blurted feeling somewhat embarassed that she was having a near nervous breakdown around her hearthrob Rob. Tomoe’s scary appearance seemingly out of nowhere didn’t do much to increase their trustworthyness but this wasn’t really troubling Velocity’s mind. She was more concerned protecting them from her and her criminal background. Velocity really didn’t want anyone to get deeper involved with the mess she caused. Her shoulders slumped forward again and she was shaking from the effort to not cry.

I’m such a mess...

[Telluris]

"Relax." Rob said, his tone conversational and a pleasant smile on his lips as he followed along. "We're the good guys. Well, the 'better than the alternative' guys, at any rate, from the looks of that mook you were dealing with. We also share a common color with you, somewhere between blue and violet in the spectrum."

He glanced at Tess and Tomoe. "Well, it's one way of finding out." he said a little defensively. He glanced up at the sky again, then addressed the strange girl. "If you can keep it together a little longer, you'll be both safe and more knowledgeable. That sound like a good deal?"

[SalmonMax]

"Uh," Tomoe said through her image, "Don't look now but we have a tail. Over to the left. Hoodie with blue baseball cap. Looks kinda...familiar. I'm going in for a closer look. Keep talking to me like I'm real and for god's sake don't touch me."

The invisible, real Tomoe turned and stalked towards the guy following the group, leaving the illusion of herself behind.

[Velocity]

„But you don’t understand!“, Velocity protested, „These people mean serious business, they’re crimnals, they’ll kill you – they’ll kill everyone who helps me... I should run“

Tess could feel the impulse inside Velocity to take flight but also her attempt to suppress the urge. The young speedster was breathing fast and her body was flushed with hyperenhanced adrenaline that demanded release in shape of movement. It was only a question of time before she had to give in to her body's demands or deny it release and deal with the consequences... very painful consequences.

„I’m hungry...“, she suddenly added shaking slightly.

[jameson (ST)]

While Tess and Rob tried to calm Valerie down and get her story Tomoe moved away from the group. She left her false image behind walking silently with the others, trusting to fate and luck that nobody on the sidewalks would bump the illusion. Cloaked in a shroud of redirected light the young woman stalked closer to their shadow. Moving through the crowds of people she came at the stranger obliquely and quickly got to within a handful of feet. The man's cap and hood hid his face well, but with a little effort she was able to get a good view of his face and found it familiar. It took her a moment before it clicked; it was the man who'd been shot the night of the Pulse, the one she and Melissa had helped to flee from his pursuers.

Click to reveal.. (Stealth check)

Roll: 3 +10 Modifier +5 Circumstance Bonus = +18

Roll: 2 +10 Modifier -18 DC = -6 FAIL.

[Telluris]

"Then let's get you some food." Rob told Valerie with a mixture of sympathy, urgency and worry in his voice. He looked at the others as he spoke, taking care to include Tomoe's illusion in the conversation. "What do you guys think: public or private?" He paused, brown eyes studying the jittery redhead with a certain amount of empathy.

"Sucks, doesn't it?" he said with obvious sympathy, his voice low and gentle. "Trust me, I know what it's like to have people gunning for you and to feel like no-one can help. We can help, though." He looked at Tess and the faux-Tomoe before looking back at Valerie. We're not exactly helpless here, okay? Especially when it comes to criminals." He gave her an oddly-reassuring grin.

Meanwhile, Rob paid close attention to the crowd around them, trusting Tomoe to cover the man she'd spotted as he tried to identify other threats... without looking like a paranoid schizophrenic.

[z012]

"Mmm....private would probably be best. Safer, and we'll have a chance to actually talk. We can get you some food, and," Tess glanced up at the woman and gave a small huff of a sigh, her voice still pitched not to carry. "Running probably won't help. If you were considered important enough to send a hitman after in a public park, then whomever did so thinks that you're important enough to spend resources and risk at least some small exposure on. Personal or business, they'll keep looking for you."

Tess kept her pace at the brisk-but-not-fast speed she'd started with, but angled the group gently to one side, curving their path so it would take longer to reach the street and give Tomoe time to scout out their mysterious tail. "As for who we are, right now we are your rescuers and possibly your friends. Time will tell. We'll take dinner at my home and talk more there."

[SalmonMax]

Tomoe spent a moment staring at him to make sure...then hurried back to the others. Her image seemed to 'wake up' as she devoted her attention back to its animation...not just walking along glassy-eyed and unresponsive, but actually seeming to sense and react to the world again.

"Guys," she said excitedly through her proxy, "It's that guy I met during the Blackout! Me and Shirayuki took him to her apartment...he'd been shot...and his blood was all weird and he healed really fast. He's gotta be one of us. I'm gonna go see what he wants."