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ABERRANT: WEIRDER STUFF - CHAPTER II "Sometimes Eating the Cake Just Isn't Enough"


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Right before practice...

Lilly stood at the edge of the field, helmet in hand, and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. She focused on a little spot in her mind and exerted her will. She could feel the energy coursing through her body slow to a near trickle. After over a week since her enhancement, it felt odd to not feel the energy coursing through her muscles. It was something she had to do though. She figured that not only would her enhanced physical aptitude be nearly impossible to hide on the field, but it also wasn't fair to play against regular kids when she had powers like that.

Lilly wasn't quite sure how she managed to do it, but she had learned to 'power down' for lack of a better term, returning her body almost entirely to it's pre-enhanced state. Yeah, she felt just slightly more athletic that she had been, but it was very minimal and something she could deal with.

With a smile, Lilly jogged onto the field and over the coach, ready to start practice.

 

During practice...

Lilly could see that Chet was gunning for her, for whatever reason, and he was not playing, and he was clearly enhanced. Lilly and Alec had always been standouts, while Chet was an average player at best. But today, Chet was suddenly a standout too. Despite being red shirted, he was clearly trying to lay a good hit on her, and for a moment that worried her in her powered down state.

That worry faded though, as after several attempts to tackle her, Lilly had managed to duck, sidestep and scramble every time, easily avoiding Chet, despite his apparent enhancement.

On the next play though, Alec switched to coverage and went for a solid tackle on the red shirted Alec. The sound of their collision made Lilly's head snap to look and she went jogging over, pulling off her helmet.

"Dude. What's your proble-" Lilly got out at Chet as she noticed the other players and students looking up at the sky.

Confused, Lilly dropped her helmet to her side, holding it by the facemask as she looked up as well, watching the flock of birds.

"What the hell?" she said, her gaze shifting between the birds and the students, making note of who was and was not apparently entranced by them.

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The glare was surprising, if he was honest with himself. While he and Chet had never been particularly friendly, this level of animosity was usually reserved for Sean. Their relationship, while chilly at the best of times, was more often a case of each ignoring the other where possible.

"The fuck is your malfunction, Chet?"

He hadn't missed the attempts to tackle Lilly at any given opportunity either, only turning his attention to Alec after it became obvious that was never going to happen.

"Can't tackle a girl, so now you're trying for the Fourteen year old? You *really* that desperate to be the big man?"

That was unfair, he knew. But ever since classes began he'd felt his frustration building, particularly after history, and with Chet's history, both as Sean's bully and his assholeish nature... well. Ass deserved what he was getting. Hearing Lilly storm up, he chanced a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, only now noticing how distracted everyone seems to be. Looking up in confusion, the only thing he see's are a flock of birds (probably Canadian Geese, from what he could tell, but he wasn't a birdwatcher, so god only knew.) heading south. Sure, it was unseasonably cool, but it was about time that migratory birds would be heading down for the Winter, so what the hell was everyone so focused on?

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Sean would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying all the looks and attention she was getting. Where before her feminine features had been a source of derision and mockery, now they, along with the addition of her new and considerable womanly assets gave rise to awe and admiration, lust and envy, even hate. That was way better than before.

Luckily, her peerless physical beauty had been accompanied by the extraordinary wits and presence to wield it effectively and with grace. It hadn't taken her long to determine that she could cause chaos with a careless smile or gesture, word or comment. More than one boy had walked into a door, a desk, or another student while gawking at her. And everyone had noticed when she had leaned forward to scratch an itch on her ankle and the teacher had tried to get a peek down her shirt at her breasts.

Afterward, she'd been especially conscientious about the effect she had, and while the stares and ogling hadn't eased, she'd able to use her magnetic charm to keep her classes moving forward and prevent herself from being too much of a distraction. Still, everyone wanted to talk with her, be friends with her, be seen with her, or fuck her. She even drew the eyes and attention of the faculty, and they always called on her first for an answer.

Which she could always provide, even just giving class a tiny fraction of her attention, and expand upon at length if she so desired, though at times she pretended otherwise. Sean's cousin was intelligent, but not a true genius, let alone a polymath to dwarf Da Vinci. Her earlier presumption had been correct - there wasn't anything she could learn in high school, at least nothing academic or scientific. Her teachers wouldn't even understand the principles and concepts she was able to conceive now.

To relieve the tedium, she idly began to work out possible design specifications for a potential lightsaber or analogue, while, through subtle, casual, and seemingly unconscious movements and gestures, began an improvised survey of whether the boys were staring at her legs or her tits more. To her mild surprise, by her tally, her legs had the edge.

By the time lunch was over, Sean was already finding the constant attention and pandering tiresome. She imagined this was what superstars and rock gods had to put up with all the time, though possibly not even to this degree. Before, she had always tried to stay beneath notice, if not always successfully when her big mouth got in the way. And while she could deal with all the attention and her admirers with aplomb and grace now, she was beginning to feel a growing resentment of having to need to, to maintain the facade of playing her own cousin.

A woman who looked like her, sounded like her, moved like her, couldn't help but be aware of her appearance and the effect she had, and it would be ludicrous to pretend to be self-effacing or shy. So she played her part and took what delight she could in it, when all she wanted to do was tell everyone who she really was and shove the fact in their faces, then settle up every grievance she had built up over years of being bullied.

But what was troubling her the most was Sara. She had yielded to her touch eagerly enough in the unused Chem Lab, had enjoyed it as much as she had. It had thrilled Sean to be the taller one for once, the stronger one, able to hold Sara in the circle of her arms, able to protect her instead of being the one who needed to be protected. She yearned, burned, to do so much more than just kiss and make out with Sara.

But since then, it seemed Sara had been drawing away. Sean couldn't miss the signs, nor conjecture why she was doing so. Here she was, a woman like no other, one she maybe had even unconsciously become, believing it was what Sara really desired, able to have any boy or man in Shelly High she wanted with little effort, and with a bit more, could make many girls or women consider the possibilities. And yet, the one she wanted was drifting further and further away.

Sean knew she wasn't exactly the same, the same inside, as she used to be. She didn't think of herself of a boy wearing the form of a superheroine, but rather a woman who was built like one. She might know so much more than she used to, but at the core, she thought she was still the same person she had always been. But now, there was the slightest twinge of doubt that in playing the part of someone else, she was truly becoming someone else.

Sean considered ditching the rest of the day, but her absence would be more than conspicuous, not the least because it was supposedly her first day at Shelly High. And then Abel gave word that he wanted to speak with all of them after class. The end of school couldn't come fast enough for her.

She strode into the stadium and then extricated herself from the impromptu entourage growing around her with vague and noncommittal promises about joining the cheerleading team to join her cousin's - no, her! - friends higher up in the bleachers. Before, she hadn't had much interest in football, but now, she leaned forward, paying more attention.

With the possible exception of Lilly and Alec, Sean knew she would have dominated if she'd been on the field. It was just practice, but she analyzed the plays as she would any scenario in a video game and tactically considered superior executions and the best counters. And again, she mused on the possibility of wresting the head cheerleader position from Courtney.

When Alec and Chet began to clash, Sean wanted to go down there and put Chet down like a dog. It took her only an instant to examine two dozen ways to kill him, and nearly as many ways to permanently cripple him. She got no further than getting up to her feet, no more than any other girl concerned about two boys fighting. A girl new to school wouldn't rush to intervene between two boys she had just met, even if one of them was her cousin's friend.

Sean hid a shiver. It had been easy and brutal to picture all the ways she could incapacitate Chet, just like the scenes from the RDJ Sherlock Holmes movies. And she had done it instinctively and with frighteningly cold calculation. Who am I becoming?

She noted immediately when people's attention on the field where directed away from the brewing fight, and noticed that it was only those who had been at the after-party and been rendered unconscious, except for Courtney and Chet. But her Spiderwoman-senses weren't tingling. If not an attack, maybe something to pick out who was enhanced and who was not, or maybe those who had been rendered unconscious had been tagged in someway?

Sean pretended her attention was drawn up to the sky like nearly everyone else, at the mathematical precision of the formation of the geese, while surreptitiously trying to find anyone who was trying to take advantage of the distraction.

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This Morning Before Class

 

Sara and Sean slipped ou tof the empty classroom before the second bell. Straightening clothes and wiping lipstick with a furtive look the parted and went to they're separate classes. Neither one noticed Penny James, a cheerleader and one of Courtney's inner circle standing at the far corner by her locker staring at them wide eyed.

 

Right Before Lunch

Sara Switched out her books for her Biology class after lunch, she was looking forward to seeing Sean It was a pain that they had given her a locker on the other side of the school and they still didn't share any classes. She closed her own locker and was startled to find Courtney and a couple of other girls right there as is they had been laying in wait. Sara had to take a breath while she had never been attracted to the bitch there was no denying that Courtney was more beautiful than any woman Sara had ever seen before.

“Hi Hutchin's, I have to say I am really digging the new look,” said the gorgeous blond,” but I really really never pictured you going Fem.”

Sara tried to speak but Courtney shifted seductively and Sara's thought drifted away as she caught a whiff of Courtney's scent.

“Of course your trade up from little boy Sean to his hot cousin is something and I can see why you had to make the change after all how on Earth could you ever compare to that super butch. Ok yeah, soft butch really, but yeah she has a real Ruby Rose thing going on like times a thousand.”

Sara's eyes went she quickly backed away from Courtney shaking her head, “I don't know what your talking about.” She threw her books over her shoulder and jetted past the cheerleaders who were giggling now.

She had lied she knew exactly what Courtney had meant. And worse Sara realized that it was true.

 

She had skipped lunch sending Sean a quick Thought through they're link and told him she had a bad headaches and was gonna just take a nap in the library. She knew that Sean hadn't believed her but she had blanked the link right after.

What the fuck was she going to do.

Later Abel had called for everyone o meet up after school so he could tell them something. She didn't want to go but couldn't come up with an excuse.

As soon as she saw Sean her heart beat quickened and she couldn't believe that she had even had a single thought that Courtney had been beautiful. She sat in the bleachers next to Sean but apart so they wern't touching. She looked up when Alec and Chet had the start of their littl thing and so was watching when the kids all looked up into the sky.

 

 

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On 2/6/2017 at 3:34 PM, Abel Cross said:

<Guys, something's not right, be ready.>

Sara's head snapped around to look at Abel, at the same time She stepped up In front of Sean shielding her from the weirdness on the field.

Sean could feel the heat suddenly coming off of Sara and the ends of her Hair had litle flickers of bluish flame.

<What is it Abel> her thought shot into guild chat for the first time since breakfast.

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Lilly turned on the tap in her brain, and once again she could feel the energy coursing through her body. She was uncertain if Chet was going to get aggressive or not, so she prepared herself just in case.

< They are looking up at the sky, but not at the birds at all. And they are all muttering something. I can't make it out though. >

Lilly, while still keeping an eye on Chet, focused on Sandy, reaching out with her mind.

< Snap out of it Caldwell! > she thought to him firmly over the private link, hoping the bossy, tone of a coach would get his subconscious to reflexively react.

< Dude, I know this is weird, but DON'T freak out. REALLY try to keep looking in the sky, and not at me. > she thought to him.

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<What is it, Abel?> Sean echoed Sara over Guildchat.

She turned her eyes from the sky to scan the the field over Sara's shoulder from her vantage in the bleachers. She still couldn't see or sense any source of danger, though those staring up at the sky seemed to be hearing or seeing something the rest of them could not. And her sister was down there on the field, surrounded by many of them, as well as too near to a belligerent Chet and a conniving Courtney.

Sean smothered a small smirk as Sara moved to stand in front of her protectively. She understood the sentiment - she wanted to do the same. Though she could protect herself, she didn't have the extraordinary powers the others had. Even through her vest and hoodie, Sean could feel the heat radiating off Sara. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of azure embers flickering at the ends of Sara's hair. Sean didn't have any active powers beyond her farsight, but she wondered if it was something inherent to Sara's manifestation of Quantum Enhancement or if all those with more fantastic powers evoked such cues.

Thinking of powers, I really wished I'd had the time and resources to develop some kickass armaments. Though to be sure, she probably wouldn't have been allowed to bring them on school property. She had the strength, speed, and talent to best Bruce Lee without a sweat, but still, her hands itched for a weapon, a sword or a pair of pistols, almost anything, but her hands and feet would have to do.

<Move down onto the field,> Sean urged Sara over their direct channel, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She quivered and felt near as hot as a running car engine. <I want level ground beneath me and to get closer to my sister in case something happens.>

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1 hour ago, Lilly Ann Pryor said:

Lilly, while still keeping an eye on Chet, focused on Sandy, reaching out with her mind.

< Snap out of it Caldwell! > she thought to him firmly

In a moment between the shortest moments measurable a tendril of energy flowed out from Lilly. This energy was part of Lilly, a part of the fundamental building blocks of the Universe. the particles slammend into tna d through Sandy without any awareness on his part but now lIke the rest of the Irregulars Sandy and Lilly were connected at a Quantum level.

47 minutes ago, Sean Cassidy said:

<Move down onto the field,> Sean urged Sara over their direct channel, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She quivered and felt near as hot as a running car engine. <I want level ground beneath me and to get closer to my sister in case something happens.>

Sara started down the stands it took all her will to not just leap off the bleachers and fly to the ground, instead she reached back and grasped Sean's hand pulling her along to the field.

1 hour ago, Lilly Ann Pryor said:

< Dude, I know this is weird, but DON'T freak out. REALLY try to keep looking in the sky, and not at me. >

Sandy blinked he was looking up at the sky...why was he looking up at the sky, coach was screaming at him, screaming at everyone, asking why were they staring at the sky. But Lilly, Lilly was over there, and she was in his head, "What?"

 

Almost as one the kids who had been entranced all stopped staring up and started looking around. The were confused and many of then (not just the girls either) were scared. And none of them had any clue what had just happened. Coach Adams had everyone sit down and call the Principle. He was on the verge of panic nothing like this had ever happened to him before and he didnt know how to handle twenty kids all getting sick at once.

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As the other cheerleaders snapped out of it and looked dazedly around, Kia was struck at how...random it was. Just a bunch of kids, zoning out for a minute or so. What was the point? There wasn't one, it was just like...

Like running at a training dummy and slamming into it? Like jumping up and down and chanting until you could do it backwards and forwards?

Like practicing. Yeah. Chet. Courtney. The Irregulars.

Who else?

She sent to 'guild chat,' <Guys. Do you think this is another enhanced? Like us and Chet and Courtney?>

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Following along in Sara's wake, her long strides making seem to move at an almost sedate pace compared to Sara's hurried, Sean noticed the tension in Sara's limbs, the way she almost bounded off each step down the bleachers. She wants to take to the sky, which to be fair, if I could fly, I'd probably want to as well. Were they instincts from our respective powers and enhancements, or just a natural accommodation based on what we could do?

The trance the students was breaking up just as she and Sara reached her sister. Sean glanced quickly around, using the precise chronometer in her head to measure any variance of the effect dissipating, looking for an epicenter or line of travel for the effect.

<It could be,> Sean sent back, but she sounded doubtful. <But all those affected were the ones that got... zapped or whatever and have spotty memories. I think it more likely this has something to do with the Asheen or their servitor races, if that was what the alien bugs were. Maybe some sort of signal they were exposed to, rather by accident or by purpose.>

"What's going on, Sean?" Laurelei asked, sounding worried, pressing up close to Sean's side, seeking comfort or reassurance in Sean's tall, impressive presence.

"Don't rightly know, Cousin," Sean admitted truthfully, her lips quirking in a small grin. "But I gotta say, Shelly is turning out to be a much weirder town than I ever expected it to be."

Getting among the cheerleaders, Sara had let go of Sean's hand as if she'd been stung, and Sean had caught the brief, vicious smirk on Courtney's face. Courtney knew something. It wasn't that she was actually the same Sean Cassidy she'd tormented for years, there would be far more in that smirk if Courtney had known, but there was something.

Either she'd found something else to hurt Sara with or she or one of her minions must've seen them make out or come from the chem lab, it had to be. Sean was just surprised she hadn't noticed if that was the case. Still, she didn't feel much concern about it. She gave Courtney a level look and arched a perfectly shaped brow, daring her say anything about her supposed proclivities in public, or make an issue of them.

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<I don't know what just happened, but I do know all those who were staring at the sky were looking at the exact same spot, with a unity of purpose.   It would behoove us I think to get a call in to Kia's Father, and have him check and see if there were any quantum anomalies in the sky over our location today.>

Even as he sent that be began pulling back into himself, sensing normal thought patterns return to everyone there, and getting a pretty hefty dose of everyone's confusion.  In his own head he muttered  This isn't what I called everyone here for, and certainly this isn't the place to discuss things.  He collected himself, and then sent over guildchat <Look, after we make that call, and they let us all go home, I'd like for all of you to come to my house tonight, just like we were doing game night.  There are some things you should know, and we're gonna have to be somewhere secure to discuss them.>  

Over the private link he held with Sean he sent <Do the numbers 48.626303, -112.002731 mean anything to you Sean? >

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INTERLUDE

BULWARK AFB

“Wait...what did you say Blitz?”

Dr. Mizuki had been going over the latest report from Dr Rashoud and so hadn't really been following the conversation between Blitz and the other Portal Scientists. But something the enhanced dog had said had caused something to click in his mind.

They were sitting at a set of consoles in a control room somewhere in the facility. Blitz was at a console talking to one of the scientists at the Nevada site. There were other technicians and Airmen in the room monitoring the screens and the automatic guns which had been trained on the one remaining active portal. Sgt.Julio Sanchez sat nearby playing a video game on his phone.

 

Blitz look back over his shoulder at Dr Mizuki, “I was discussing with Dr Crawford about the tunneling effect the Transdemensional Portals use and how it stresses the Quantum Fabric.”

“Yes, yes but about the Hijacking? You said that because our tunnels were , the word you used, Severely short which made it necessary for the Asheen to Hijack our Portals to make the incursions, isn't that what you said?” Mizuki had set aside his tablet and was looking out the large window at the portal.

“Yes pretty much, Why?” asked the dog.

Mizuki looked at Blitz

“Then where did the portals in the camp with the children come from?”

 

ALOE LAKE

The Island

It was quiet as days usually are on the island. A favorite fishing spot in the popular lake today it was unusually quiet.

The scout had not been able to escape via the Transportal during the attack the Anomalies had prevented that and it had stayed in the vicinity as soon as the signal had come it had moved to the designated position avoiding the inept military patrols. It's data would be invaluable to the coming invasion...

 

HOUSTON

NASA MC

“Sir, we have acquired the object on K77F3, It is definitely the drone sir.”

“How the hell have we been missing that,” queried the FD not really to anyone?

“Don't know sir it just appeared on K77's camera feed. Getting data now, its at 298 miles, speed and path show a Geo over Northern Montana” The technician waited for instructions.

“Any telemetry from the drone?”

“No Sir.”

“Hand it Off to the Air Force.”

Spoiler

You may post again... this has been happening  at approximately the same time as the action on the football field

 

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Receiving the numbers, Sean instantly began analyzing and correlating them with everything else she had jammed packed into her head. She'd always been good with numbers and since her transformation, that facility had only grown in leaps and bounds. She replied back almost instantly. <Off hand, judging by a human-centric viewpoint, I'd say they're GPS coordinates. I don't use them much, but I'd say that is somewhere north and west of here, estimating from coordinates I do know.>

Sean pulled out her phone and began typing in the numbers. <Now, in the context of the Asheen or other aliens, the numbers could mean nearly anything, especially with nothing else to compare or correlate them to. And that's assuming they even use a base 10 numerical system...> Sean trailed off for a moment, glancing at the results of the numbers being plugged into Google, then accidentally sent her next thought into Guildchat. <Uh-oh!>

<What 'uh-oh'?> Alec asked, instinctively turning to look over at the cheerleaders, Sean standing noticeably taller than the next tallest girl nearby.

Dammit! Didn't mean to say that in general chat, though I don't see a reason why they shouldn't have known, except for Abel being coy about whatever enhanced powers he actually possesses. <Kia, you should definitely call your father and ask him about any anomalies occurring at this moment or very recently. Someone else should find Carmody or Sissiano, just to make sure the Project hears about this.>

<Hears about what?> Alec asked, growing a little exasperated.

<Seems like our brain-fuddled classmates were picking up a signal of some sort> Sean explained, glancing over at Abel for a moment. <that Abel was able to overhear. It was a pair of numbers.> Sean sent the Irregulars a mental image of what Google Maps had pulled up on her phone. <They are GPS coordinates for an island on Aloe Lake. If I had to guess, the purpose of the signal is either to call the affected kids - could have implanted a subliminal command or something - or it's an evac zone for any stragglers that got left behind after the portals closed.>

Sean gave her sister a hug of reassurance, then pulled out her keys. <Either way, I think we should go check it out,> Sean suggested decisively. <Who better than us, considering how we dismantled the aliens' attempted beachhead?> Plus, I'm curious and want to know what's going on without having to read a filtered and redacted report. <And the sooner, the better.>

"C'mon, Laurie, let's get home and out of the way, in case they need to call in the EMTs or have the kids taken to the hospital."

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His gaze returned to Chet, still standing almost toe to toe with him. The slight sneer curling the other boys lips was almost enough to make his blood boil, but seeing the Coach now on the field, neither boy felt particularly inclined to make a bigger scene. Almost at the same time, each took a step backwards, eyes still fixed on one another. I was another three or four paces before either felt comfortable enough to turn away. Things has stabilised for now, but with Chet's newfound attitude, odds were good that something would bubble over sooner or later. For now, though,

<Aloe Lake? Huh, either could work. Dad used to fish out there, but other than that, it's pretty empty, so nothing really to make a scene for someone wanting to make an Exit.> Watching as the Coach blustered about, clearly out of his depth, he continues <I could go take a look ahead. I can be there between one step and the next and between speed and flight can probably stay comparatively safe while keeping an eye on things, at least till you guys catch up. If anything does cause me trouble, I can be home none the worse for wear.>

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Kia was already fishing her phone out, and muttered, "Okay, okay...jeez..." as she waved to the cheerleaders and went a little ways off to talk with some privacy.

"Hi, dad? No, everything's fine! I mean...probably!" She sighed. "So there's this thing that happened at school where the kids who were at the lake when...you know, all that happened...they were all kind of spacing out at once, and Abel said it was because something was happening at Aloe Lake. So now everyone wants me to ask you if you know about something going on over there."

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Dr. Mizuki looked at the portal on the other side of the bullet proof glass as his daughter said that  something was going on with the children.

"Wait Kia, are you talking about the enhanced children, you and your friends or the other children at the Lake that night?"

Blitz's ear went stiff as he heard the Doc mention the kids. Abel.

 Julio heard the doc too and set his game aside and stood up seeing where the Doc was looking.

"The other kids dad, and we aren't children..." protested Kia.

"Alright Kia keep the chil... the other kids all together where you are and give your phone to Abel I need to know what this is about concerning the lake. I'm putting you on hold do not hang up."

The line goes to  easy listening music.

<Abel,my dad wants to talk to you.> Kia shot into guild chat as she held up her phone so Abel could see from the stands.

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Lilly's brow furrowed as she felt a small surge of energy in her mind, and she instinctively understood it's purpose.

'Huh...' she thought to herself for a moment before bringing her focus back to the field.

With whatever happened, practice was no over. The entire team, with only Lilly, Alec and Chet excluded, had been affected, and so the coach was having them and the other students there, all victims of the 'lightning strike'.

< The lake is what, like 20 miles away? 30 minutes by the speed limit? This might sound kinda weird, but if you all got into a car, I could pick up the car and run us to the like in like 5 minutes, or make it in just a leap or two if I really tried. > she thought over guildchat.

Lilly walked over the Sandy as the team walked off the field and brushed him, shoulder to shoulder playfully.

"Dude, you okay?" she asked as they walked.

"Like, pretty much everybody zoned out and stared up at the sky. What was with that?" she asked as she casually took his hand. at her side, trying to not draw attention to it, as it was something Coach was not thrilled about.

Lilly's bio-magnetic field brushed his and she could sense his body, it's functions and everything going on with it. Strangely, she could sense some sort of infection in him, creating a third field.. like something piggybacking maybe? Her brow furrowed once more and she gave his hand a squeeze, sending energy surging down her arm and through her hand into Sandy, burning away the 'infection', or whatever it was.

< Uhhh guys? Sandy has some sort of infection in him that's making a 3rd field.. consciousness. Like something spreading through him and either going to piggyback in his body or take it over. I am willing to bet all of the un-enhanced at the lake have it. I just burned it out of Sandy. I think I should check everybody, starting with Talena and Laurelei. If anybody else has it, I, and probably Alec, can purge people of it. It just take a touch and they will not even know it's being done. > she thought over guildchat with serious concern.

 

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Abel nodded <Give him my number, or call out to me normally or I really can't just walk down there, Not without people asking even more questions.>   

Waiting for whichever option she chose to use, he considered what Lily had said.  <focus on the ones you can get to easily right now, and to be sure WE aren't infected, it might be wise for all of us to be checked too, relatively soon.  We can work on getting to everyone else in the next day or so.>

Considering that they had a good idea of them being coordinates on the island in the lake, he came back with  <as soon as we can disengage from here, let's Discreetly make our way to the lake.    Powers or not, getting seen using them by the general public is probably still a bad thing at this point.   Cameras are pretty ubiquitous now.   We can at least drive to the outskirts of town, and then however best we can all get there is fine.  I don't think it a good idea for us to go alone, so let's just go together to see what's going on.>

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< Easy there, Mr. Bossy-pants. I'm pretty sure we are not infected. I'll check though. But I am starting with Talena and Laurelei. If the shoe was on the other foot, I know I'd want Sandy or my family checked first. > Lilly stated in guildchat.

< Wow! Thanks for telling me that. I had absolutely no idea that using our powers in public was a bad idea or that cameras are pretty much everywhere. I must not have grown up, you know, on Earth. > she then thought, her sarcasm evident before adding, <I wasn't suggesting I run out of the school parking lot at 300 miles per hours carrying a car. I'm not stupid, dude. > with mild irritation.

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Alecs response was deadpan through the link.

<Everyone thinks you're dating, man. I think people would view it as weirder that you're not making your way to her than it is for you to have no apparent reason to. Seriously.> walking past one of the other players from his team, Alec claps him on the shoulder, the feedback from his power painting a strange picture for him. <Yeah. When I touched him it feels like three distinct beings inhabiting the space where only two should. It's weird. They certainly *feel* like the soldiers on the base.> With an idle flex of his powers, he sent purifying light coursing through his arm, wincing as the other boy glowed faintly. Snatching his hands back, he's glad it was so bright out, so the faint glow as his power suffused the other teen was not as obvious as it might otherwise would have.

Shakily, he moves past the huddled group to where Taleena was sitting at the bottom row of Bleachers, plopping down beside her.

<Well, good news is I know not to do that where someone might see me. Bad news is I can't do that where someone can see me. Looks like that may be down to you, Lilly. Though I 'preciate you taking care of Taleena.>

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The look Kia gives Abel says really? more clearly than any telepathic impulse ever could, and she makes her way over across to him and hands him her phone.

"Oh no, look, people know we're friends," she says deadpan, then grins.

With that, Kia turned to look at the others, her smile fading a little into a concerned expression.

"So this...is it like possession or something? Your dog never said anything about this."

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"Anyone else need a ride?" Sean asked her friends, giving her keys a shake and nodding her head towards the student parking lot to indicate what she meant to those on the bleachers who might not have heard her verbal question. She smiled wryly and shook her head when more than one of the other students looked eager to take her up on her offer. "Sorry guys, only so much space in the Camry."

Sean stepped around the field with Laurelei on one side and Sara on the other, moving close to where Lilly was standing near Sandy. Laurie looked up at her sister questioningly, but Sean just shook her head and mouthed, 'I'll tell you later.' <Thanks for giving my sister a check-up, Lilly.>

Then she sent Lilly a private message. <Ease up there a bit, Lilly. Nobody was saying, or even implying you're stupid,> she said, a bit of her surprise at Lilly's sarcastic comment coming through. <But you sounded just a little... cavalier about jumping and running around at superspeed with a car in your hands. I'm sure that wasn't what you meant, but it come off that way, a bit.> Lilly felt a wry grin to Sean's thought. <And one more thing, I don't know how it works for all you with more, er, dynamic powers, and how they don't destroy your clothes or whatever when you use them. But you might want to be careful when running with a car - just from an engineering viewpoint, they aren't meant to move as fast as you can.>

Sean switched channels back to general Guildchat. <I second Abel's suggestion we stick together for mutual support, but I might have another way to take a look around the island,> Sean offered, <If someone else can drive me there after I drop off Laurelei.> Sean considered explaining the potential holographic nature of reality, the interconnectedness and the higher mathematics involved in the theory, but decided to keep it simple. <I have ESP, but if you think texting and driving is distracting, trying sensing two places at once. But I should be able to get a look around while we are on our way there.>

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Abel didn't bother replying to Lily, or Alec.   They had different outlooks on things, and in part couldn't hide how different they were.  Instead he turned his attention to the phone handed to him by Kia.  Abel took the phone and thankfully wasn't really near anyone else anymore.  


Immediately Dr. Mizuki began to bombard him with questions.  "Abel Kia said you know about something going on at the Lake what i s she talking about?"


Abel answered him calmly his voice quiet and even so as to not carry beyond the phone.  "All I can tell you is  most everyone who was at the lake and hit by those things is here on the football field, and those who weren't enhanced were looking at a particular point in the sky. I got this weird feeling and two numbers popped into my head. Sean thinks they're gps coordinates and when I plugged them in, they come up as the lake."


"Alright You have all of the students there where you are at? I am going to notify your Father And Alec's Mother I want you to wait there until they arrive. And i will have the Colonel check out those coordinates what were they?" was the Doctor's immediate followup.


Remembering that soldiers died fighting these things, he was loath to tell him, and resolved to try to get him to simply let them handle things.  "Dr. Mizuki, I think it best if you don't do that. It's just going to cause more of a fuss. Why don't we handle this discreetly? Let us go all together to check out the coordinates, we can report to you once we find anything there, if there is something there."


The Father in Dr. Mizuki was certainly showing, as well as the stereotypical adult/government official. "Under no circumstances are you and the other enhanced to go anywhere near those coordinates Abel. We will check out what is going on there i will have Blitz help since he knows about these things. But you Children are to stay there and wait for your Father He has been briefed on these things. I will have Dr. Rashoud heading that way as well. and make sure all of the kids stay there I am counting on you Abel. Now i have to go and get things underway here."


Slightly frustrated, Abel tried one more time.  "Dr. Mizuki, there is little I can do to keep everyone here, I really advise you let us handle this. It will be much, much quieter this way."


The doctor was having none of it, however.  "Abel no, you are children this is dangerous and serious now give me the coordinates please."


Knowing there'd be repercussions, but still knowing they needed to be the ones to respond, he spoke quietly.  "Sorry sir, I can't do that." 
With that Abel hung up the phone and turned it off quickly.  Then sent into guild chat.

  
<So Kia's dad wants us to stay put and he's gonna send Dr. Rashoud and my dad to check everyone here, while the military goes to the Lake.   That's option one.   Personally, I remember the base after the attack, and I'd rather avoid something like that again.   So, If we're going to go and investigate for ourselves, We better get a move on.   Kia, I think I just ticked your dad off pretty bad too.>

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Sara grabs Sean's arm to stop her from moving off to the parking lot.

<Guys, what the fuck?> She looks back at the football players and cheerleaders sitting on the ground looking with confused and scared looks on their faces, the coaches fussing over them. The images of they're fellow students and friends flashing from her eyes into the Irregulars minds. < We cant just leave the others. Didn't you hear Lilly and Alec? They've been infected with something. And what about the rest of the kids from the lake? The kids who aren't here we have to find them before what ever this is hurts them.>

Sara directs her gaze at Lilly and Alec <You two can heal this right? Then leave the damn island to the Army and lets help our friends.>

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< Well, if the base wants to check it out, then let'em. Blitz is there now and they are way more alert, aware and informed than they were before. We got shit to deal with here. > Lilly commented over guildchat.

< Both Alec and I can fix it, but Alec's process is much less subtle than mine, so it looks like it's on me. So I can purge it from them, but I have to touch them, so that kinda complicates things a little. > Lilly added as Sara, Sean and Lauralie came over to her.

Lilly smiled and offered hugs, asking if they were okay and letting her field brush the others' as she check them as well. Thankfully, they were all clean. Granted, Lauralie was not at the lake, but she was at the base and you can never be too safe with infectious stuff.

< Okay. Sara, Sean and Lauralie are clean. Nothing to purge. That means Kia and Abel are the 2 of us I have not checked. My guess is all of us enhanced are clean, or else we would have been staring too, so I am not too worried about that.>

Lilly then walked over to Alec and Taleena and talked to them for a moment about the strange happenings.

"Well, I am gonna check and see if everybody else is okay or needs anything." She said, departing with hugs for each, which she used to check them.

<Taleena is clean too. Looks like it is in everybody who was 'captured' at the lake. Probably something in that stinger they got them with. > Lilly relayed over guildchat.

< Okay, time to check the rest. Looks like we are only missing is four of the 'captured' kids from the lake. The three skaters that Alec hangs with and a girl in band who plays the flute, Michelle Flarhety. We'll need to find them. >

Lilly pulled off her pads and set them aside as she set about helping calm and organize things a little, moving from student to student, asking if they were okay, had a headache, or needed anything (with a hand on their shoulder of course). Over the next ten minutes she moved through the students, subtly purging the infection from them without drawing attention from the coach or staff. Lilly was just being her usual, friendly self by all accounts.

< Hmm.. Okay. I'm done with everybody here. The infection was getting stronger as I got to the last few though, so that worries me. So we need to find those last four ASAFP. > she thought, sharing her urgency through the guildchat.

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As Lilly moved through the assembled infected using her Quantum derived power of healing, others began to show up. The first on the scene was Coach Sissiano, who went up to Coach Adams, they talked briefly with him filling her in then she watched Lilly for a minute before joining her.

Sissiano didn't say anything she just observed and handed the kids a Gatorade after Lilly moved on to the next.

As soon as a kid was purged of the Alien presence his or her mind cleared completely  though still confused by the event there was no longer a lingering confusion or the short term memory loss that had been plaguing them since the encounter at the lake. Abel could feel the clarity and the difference immediately.

Carmody showed up next along with he principle and several of the school's nursing staff. He went straight to where Abel was with Talena, Alec and the rest of the Irregulars. They Noticed that Courtney and Chet had stepped away from the gathering and made their own little group, both of them watching Lilly intently.

"Abel, give me the coordinates now," demanded Carmody in a lowered voice as soon as he was close to the group, "before you get into more trouble than this is going to cause already."

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Abel nodded and rattled off the coordinates to Carmody, nonplussed in the extreme.  He'd thought the others wanted to go, but had obviously read them wrong.   He seemed unfazed by any wrath coming his way, by the whole situation anyway regarding them going to the lake.   The danger to the students was a big concern, but This was the first time since the incident he'd heard of anything like this occurring.     He'd wanted to be open about things, he had been trying to avoid unnescessary injuries to more soldiers.  He handed Kia back her phone after turning it back on.   "Sorry if I caused any strife between you and your dad with that."

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Carmody, giving Abel as stern a look as possible with his pudgy face and thick lensed black framed government issue glasses, types the coordinates into his phone as a text and forwards them directly to Col Pryor.

"Your father is on his way I want you and the rest of the Enhanced to stay with him until this is cleared up. We are going to take the other kids to the hospital for monitoring. Do you know where the other kids are, by my count there's four or five absent, and whether or not they experienced this odd behavior?" says Carmody without even looking at any of them.

<The skaters hang either around bunnies or by the municipal buildings, Michelle is in my Govt. Class and she wasn't there today  so maybe she's home sick or something.> thinks Sara into guild chat. What should we do?>

 

 

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Turning back from the parking lot at Sara's insistence, Sean gave Lilly a mental nod, grateful for her clearing Laurie of any infection, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of irritation. It wasn't that she didn't care about the other potentially infected students, it was just that she couldn't do anything to help them like Lilly and Alec could. She could do a lot about the island, about what was there or why the infected students had been assaulted with the coordinates, she knew she could.

Though outwardly the implausibly gorgeous senior seemed calm and collected despite the situation, inside she was beginning to seethe with frustration. As she had suspected, save for the cake, making out with Sara in the Chem Lab, and some idle amusement being the most attractive woman in a school full of hormone driven teenagers, school had largely been a waste of her time.

In addition to that, their Watchers at Shelly High, and Project Stepping Stone in general, seemed inclined to holding her - holding them - back, treating them as children. Though ostensibly, she was only sixteen with the physiology of a genetically perfect eighteen year old woman, Sean felt... older than that. She had more brainpower than M.I.T., and while it had only been a week, Project Stepping Stone hadn't been nearly as forthcoming with the reports, experiments, and history of the things they had been and were involved in. She was a resource they weren't using to the fullest potential.

She wanted to know, know everything they knew, know about what she and her friends were becoming. She wanted to know what was at those coordinates. Lilly might be able to heal and was a physical powerhouse, and Alec could do all sorts of things, but analyzing and figuring things out was her thing, and she wanted to do something directly.

That said, the information that the infection was growing stronger or more virulent was a cause for concern. Sean noted the way Courtney and Chet were watching Lilly with an odd, suspicious intensity. Sean moved over so she was standing between them and Lilly, pretending to innocuously look in her satchel or make in a phone call. In actuality, will affecting casualness, she was posing to subtly emphasize the thrust of her breasts and the shape of her legs, to draw as many eyes  - specifically Chet's and Courtney's in lust and jealousy, respectively - towards her and away from Lilly.

Carmody did earn himself a hard, level look from Sean when he demanded the coordinates from Abel and then commanded them to stick around until Dr. Cross showed up. She felt no inclination whatsoever to accede to his demands, unless she decided it was the best and most efficient course of action.

<I'll take a look around Bunnies and the Municipal Buildings from here> Sean informed her Guildmates. <They are relatively close, so it won't take me extra time to focus my farsight. Does anyone know where Michelle lives?> Quickly searching her memory palace, Sean realized she'd never heard or seen where Michelle Flaherty lived. <Preferably in relation to another landmark or location. If so, I can take a look there too. If I see any of them, we'll know where Lilly or Alec, or both, should go, without having to run around. If I don't find them, then we'll have to look for them the hard way. Lilly, are you okay on juice? purging the infection isn't tiring you out? If so, it might be better if Alec goes. Away from school, it shouldn't be as bad even if his power isn't as circumspect as yours>

Sean glanced over at Abel standing next to Carmody and arched a brow at them. Really, with the Airforce running around everywhere at every incident, Sean couldn't believe they had managed to keep Project Stepping Stone a secret for so long. There was snark in her mental suggestion. <Might as well tell Carmody where we currently suspect the missing students might be, Abel. While I look, ask him if he rather we just wait here and not do a single thing about it, or see if we can do something about it before it might be too late?>

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BULWARK AFB

Col Pryor stepped into the control room and handed the note pad with numbers on it to the Airman that called the room to attention. "At ease, those are the coordinates how soon can we have the drones over that site?"

"Drone sir, we can only fly one at time right now sir. The other work stations aren't up and running yet. But we are already in the air heading toward the Island. so about ten minutes and we will be over the site"

"Jesus Christ," mutters the Col, "we have got to be faster than this people these are freaking aliens. What's the status on the Black Hawks?"

Another airman answers from a different station. "Sir, both birds are fuels and ready and both Special Forces Teams are on Board awaiting orders once aloft they can be there in five minutes."

"Get them in Air, now" Pryor walks over to yet another station this one with multiple monitors showing a marshy landscape. "What have you got, airman."

The young woman ignores her commanding officer for several seconds as she types rapidly and seemingly at random on her key board, every once and a while flicking the tiny joystick with her thumb. The pictures spring to life under her touch.

Pryor notices the airman's silence but decides not to bring it up as he studies the incredibly clear and detailed pictures on the screens. "These are from the long range cameras?"

Airman first class Allison Bigby finally acknowledges the officer at her shoulder with a cold look that could almost be considered contemptuous. "Yes sir they are from the long range cameras, that's what my job is."

Pryor gives the woman a sharp  look but before he can say anything the drone controller calls out. " Approaching the coordinates sir and we have movement..."

The picture from the four prop drone shows the ground rushing along suddenly there is a green flash and the pilots screen goes blank. "I've lost the drone sir."

THE SHELLY FOOTBALL STADIUM

"She lives in a trailer in the Horizon park I don't know which one exactly I think it's blue." Talena who is tucked into the crook of Alec's arm, answers Sean's silent telepathic question.

A question she couldn't have known about.

 

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He'd been about to answer Sean, and then Talena piped up. He looked at her, his eyes narrowing slightly, and wondered what she was hiding as well.   A matter for later to be sure, there were simply too many people around right now.  She was a friend after all, and he wanted to talk, to be honest, and trust, as opposed to invading her mind to learn for himself. 

He looked back to Carmody as if nothing were amiss.  "They're normally around Bunnies, or the municipal building.  Michelle wasn't at school today, so she may be home, sick.   She lives in the horizon Trailer park."   A look of concern passed through his eyes.  "Are you sure you want us to remain here, and simply do nothing?  We can help you know, before anyone gets hurt, or it becomes a major situation."

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Nodding along, Alec paused. Hang on... that.... what? Looking down at Taleena where she was huddled up against him. He was fairly sure that was supposed to be impossible.

"Taleena?" the bass rumble of his voice practically a whisper, so as to not carry beyond just the two of them. "How'd you know to answer? The question wasn't asked out loud?" There was no suspicion in the question, just curiosity.

<Are we contagious or something?>

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Carmody gives Abel another annoyed glance and still engrossed in his phone starts off toward the sitting students. "Stay here until your father arrives Mr. Cross, all of you."

He seems to either not have heard Talena or more likely has no clue what the child is rambling about.

Talena turns her head and doe eyes meet Alec's eyes. "The Raven said you would be looking for her and I remembered that she told me she lives in a  blue double wide at the Horizon Trailer Park. I have a class with her you know she's kinda weird always talking about sex and stuff."

 

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Sean had been about to extend her senses to Bunnies to look for the absent skaters when Taleena answered a question she hadn't asked out loud. As quick and deep of thought that she was now, Sean almost gaped at her, huddling under Alec's arm. As it was, it was a near thing. Sean sashayed over to them, on the pretext of asking what Mr. Carmody had said.

"So, what did Mr. Carmody say?" Sean asked Abel while giving Taleena a surreptitiously suspicious glance. She wasn't buying the innocence in those soft brown eyes. A Teddy Bear had been talking to them in their dreams, Felix had been contacted by a girl who didn't seemingly exist, and now Raven - a deity among many Native tribes - was supposedly talking to Taleena.

"That's helpful," Sean muttered softly, changing where she was going to extend her senses to first. She knew where Horizon Trailer Park was, if not the specific Trailer Taleena was referencing. She needed to calculate the best height and position to focus her point of view on, to see most of the Park. "Thanks, Taleena. Raven have anything else helpful to say?"

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Moving back to the gathered Irregulars, he smiled.   "Carmody wants all of us to stay here until my Father arrives, though I suspect Dr. Rashoud will be coming along as well."   He didn't hide his look at Talena, "You just said "The Raven" told you that we were looking for Michelle., you don't remember saying this?"   

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Talena looks perplexed at Abel's question, "No...I didn't say anything about a Raven." She looks questioningly at Alec.

Lilly and Sara with Laurie  and Kia in tow Join them by the stands. All of of the adults, including Dr. Carmody and Coach Sissinano, are focused on the other kids.

Lilly notices that Courtney and Chet are makeing a bee line for the nearest gate out of the stadium and into the parking lot.

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< Chet and Court are trying to slip off. That can't be good. > she thought to guildchat.

"Huh. Look at that. Chet and Courtney must be REALLY dazed. Look a them wandering off. They must need extra close examination by the doctors." Lilly said loudly to the Coach so that the other staff could hear too as she pointed at the pair trying to slip off.

"Courtney! Chet! Over here. We're supposed to wait over here for the docs!" she yelled and briskly jogged over to them, making sure to make plenty of noise and draw lots of attention.

< If anybody can find any of the other we're looking for, let Alec or me know so that one of us can take care of them too. And we need to remember to ask the bear about 'The Raven' next time. Heh. >

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Focusing her senses towards Horizon Trailer Park, Sean was only peripherally aware of Talena's perplexity regarding The Raven and Chetney trying to make their escape. Personally, she thought they had the right idea, and that the Irregulars should have followed, to keep tabs on them and to make it easier to get to the infected, but perhaps bringing attention to them would derail their plans.

 "Okay, I can see the trailer, but Michelle's father's truck isn't there, nor her mother's car. No lights on except for the porch," Sean said in Guildchat and aloud for Laurie's and Taleena's benefit, though she kept her enthralling voice to a bare whisper. How knows what else someone would come up with. Though her senses were in two places at once, there was nothing obvious about it, except for Sean's eyes incongruously flicking around. "Panning around the rest of the trailer park, I don't see any sign of her."

Sean took a deep breath then let it out slowly, her hypnotic, turquoise eyes intent. "I'm gonna relocate the focal point inside the trailer." Sean was silent for a moment. "I don't see or hear Michelle inside, but I noticed a notepad."

She sent the image of the Irregulars. "It mentions an appointment at 1:45, but I don't recognize the doctor's name. Most of the ones I went to see besides Dr. Cross were in Great Falls or out of state. Does anyone else recognize it?"

Though she asked the question in case Abel, Alec, or Lilly, all with parents in the medical profession had recognized the name offhand, Sean was already typing out multiple searches on her phone. It wasn't one of the newest models, but some software tweaks had it running faster than a top line model and she answered her own question before anyone else did.

"Hmm, there are several Dr. Parkers in Great Falls. A trauma surgeon, a GP, but I think our best bet would be the neurologist, considering the effects we've been seeing in the other infected," Sean informed the others, typing some more, her eyes taking in all the information on the screen in a fraction of a second.

Reviews and recommendations, and where Dr. Parker operated from. She pulled it up on Google Streetview and nibbled on her lower lip as she considered. Some might have called it luck, but it was really an advanced form of correlating disparate facts she had picked up here and there along with statistical analysis as Sean tried to estimate where in the building she might find Michelle Flaherty, if this was where she was in fact, and had also suffered the same trance as the other infected and at more or less the same time.

<I'm going to take a look at the parking lot. If I can find either of Michelle's parents' vehicles, I'll take a look inside the building> Sean explained over Guildchat, blinking to refocus her Farsense. <Abel, you noticed the infected picking up the coordinates in the first place, could you maybe find something like it again, maybe in a tight group or small area, that could indicate where the skaters are?>

Spoiler

First Farsense/ESP Roll, for parking lot, first 2 dice Mega.
8D10E7 => ( (7, 1, 5, 4, 5, 1, 6, 9 → 2 successes against 7) ) = 2 | ones: 2 , first success is a Mega, so worth 2 successes for a total of 3 three successes, granting Sean perfect perception with one sense, choosing Sight.

If Sean does see either of Michelle's parents' vehicles, she'll take a look inside the building, where she can best estimate where Michelle might be.

Second Farsense/ESP roll, inside building, first 2 dice Mega.
8D10E7 => ( (10, 8, 4, 9, 8, 10, 7, 7 → 7 successes against 7) ) = 7 | 10s: 2, uh, with Megas, that is 10 successes! Which is a stupid result. ;)

QP: 22/26

 

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