Aberrant: Phoenix Rising - Chapter 1: The Delicate Sound of Thunder

[jameson (ST)]

Gregory goes back out into the street, luckily the rain continues to fall steadily. Taking the opportunity Gregory washes himself clean in the rain sloughing dirt and grim from his body. he also takes the time to recover his tattered clothing from the blacksmith's before returning to the shop.

Inside Courier completes the psychic link between himself and Adam whilethe others talk. Raider and Boothe discuss the likely origin of the mystery object. Based on the trajectory the impact location is very likely within 100-150 miles to the south. With any luck the object will be at least partially intact, the mid air explosion appeared to have greatly decelerated the object and the forests will likely lessen the impact further.

The discussion to open a warp is finally reached upon and as Gregory returns from his rain shower Adam begins to concentrate on a warp gate. Within a few moments an image of aircraft doors solidifies within the garage.

The twin doors open revealing a pine needle and leave covered forest floor. Through the gate little else can been seen due to the orientation of the gate but the ground appears wet and it is reasonable to assume that it too is raining to the south.

Adam concentrates, straining to hold the gate open as long as possible while also expanding the gate well past it's usual dimensions. The others move through quickly dropping to the ground below the open gate. The jeep is pushed through into the waiting hands of Courier who quickly deposits the vehicle on the forest floor. The covering of leaves and pine needles provides enough impact absorption that nobody gets hurt going through and Adam quickly jumps through just before the doors snap shut and the warp gate dissipates.

The group stands within a small clear area by a small stream. The rain continues to filter through the trees upon the group as the look about themselves getting their bearings. Standing quietly the only sounds which can be hear are the sounds of rain and the stream.

[BlueNinja]

Adam looks around and nods. "If I got us to the right spot, we should be about ninety-five miles south of the city. I can't be more exact because I got us here only through descriptions of the place, since I haven't been more than about seventy miles south." He looks up at the trees. "Somebody with good eyesight want to climb one and try and see if we can tell where the thing landed? I don't suppose anyone brought binoculars," he says, looking at Raider and Boothe.

[Courier]

Courier's eufiber shifts to reveal a pair of binoculars. He mentions in passing,

"I like to know about things from a distance. I’m going up, if anyone wants a lift now is the time to mention it…"

After a brief pause Doug flies straight up 100 meters, does a 360, then goes up another 400 meters and repeats the process.

[Michael Peters]

"If you wish, you can use mine." Jimmy says, handing Adam his pair of binoculars.

Returning to the jeep, checks it over briefly and puts the keys into the ignition.

"Well, gentlemen, shall we? I am rather eager to get underway."

[Gregory]

Looking around him, Gregory sees that he is in the wilderness. He surveys the area for any known landmarks and realizes that this area is alien to him. It would be best to stay with the others, he thought to himself. I can sneak away and scout around later.

[Buzzkill]

Buzz is still adjusting to the sudden shift from garage and reapir shop to the middle of a forest. He trips to the wet and needle strewn ground as they drop the short distance from the gate.

"Sonuva..!" he mutters as he gets to his feet and brushes his muddy and wet pants off. "A little warning would have been nice..."

[Mr Fox]

Raider had worked with Adam before so the bombbay doors were no shock to him, but he was impressed with the size he'd manage to make them. He'd never realized that the shape of the doors could be manipulated. <Have to remember that for future reference>, the thinks to himself.

Once they make it through and into the forest, Raider speaks up. "I'm going to tag along with Courier incase he gets in trouble. May be nervous folks looking up to make sure nothing else is going to fall on their heads." With his last word he fades mostly out of sight and puts one hand that seems somehow more solid than the rest of him on Courier's shoulder. "Hope you don't mind a passenger?"

[Michael Peters]

Jimmy gestures to Buzz and Gregory.

"Buzz, Gregory, I too enjoy a little stroll in the woods now and then but I believe that projectile, or whatever it is, is waiting for us.This could be important, and it could also be dangerous. I believe it is important that we find, classify and examine this... whatever it is." The excitement in his voice is clearly evident.

"Also," He calls out to Adam "Thank you for your help in getting us out here. It is very much appriciated."

He then starts the jeep up again, the rough 4x4's ignition shattering the calm of the area. Seemingly ignorant of that fact, Jimmy grins and gestures again to the others through the windshield, fiddling with the knobs and dials on the dashboard. Its been a long time since he was outside the Newbourough walls, and he finds himself enjoying it.

[Courier]

Quote:

Fox:Once they make it through and into the forest, Raider speaks up. "I'm going to tag along with Courier incase he gets in trouble. May be nervous folks looking up to make sure nothing else is going to fall on their heads." With his last word he fades mostly out of sight and puts one hand that seems somehow more solid than the rest of him on Courier's shoulder. "Hope you don't mind a passenger?"

Courier shifts the link to Raider and responds,

*No, that's why I asked, and you're a pretty light load.*

The two of them rocket up, and as they travel Courier's clothing changes color to become much more gray, storm cloud grey in fact.

*Changes are good that no one is looking our way, but if they are, there's no need to make it easy for them.*

[Gregory]

Hopping into what was called 'Jeep', Gregory was ready to find this object, dangerous or not. he pulled his 38 from his picket and checked to see if it was loaded...just in case.

Deciding that there was no better time than now to sate his curiosity, Gregory began:

"Hey Jimmy", how does 'Jeep' work?"

[Michael Peters]

Jimmy waits patiently for Buzz to collect himself from the fall, know that if he asked him to hurry the crotchety old man would take longer just to make a point. Jimmy always liked the old man as he seemed to represent something most novas lacked: patience.

"Well Gregory," He said responding to the question without looking, his eyes still looking at Buzz. "this jeep works off of a machine called an engine. The engine uses four strokes called pistons to draw in a mixture of fuel and oxygen and then compress it. A spark is then introduced which causes a small explosion that forces trhe piston into the down position, providing power. The piston then raises up for another cycle." He turns to face the young man "That is of course a simplified..." Jimmy notices the gun for the first time, his eyes widening. "Please be careful with that weapon inside my vehicle. I would not like to patch bullet holes in the chassis for a second time."

[Gregory]

Gregory listened patiently with a childlike grin on his face. He was hearing strange new words like: engine, fuel, pistons, oxygen. The entire process seemed very complicated too. When Jimmy finished, Gregory just stared at the back of Jimmy's head and blinked.

After ten or so seconds, Greg spoke. "Uhh...Ok, thanks." After another brief pause. "Oh yeah, sorry about the gun, I just wanted to make sure it was ready in case we need it" He quickly put it back in his pocket and turned his attention to the scenery outside the Jeep's window.

[Michael Peters]

Jimmy sighs, seeing the all to common sound of uncomprehension in Gregory's voice. It was all so easy for him now, Jimmy frequently forgot that others simply didnt have the abilities he did when it came to technology.

"Think of it this way, Gregory, this jeep is a horseless carriage. It moves things and people from place to place in much the same way. Just as a horse needs feed, the jeep needs gasoline. And just as a horse needs attention, so does the jeep. Today, I decided to bring the jeep out because it was fast and it needed the excercise. We cant just take it out everywhere through, because gasoline is very expensive and hard to find. Is that a better explination?"

[Gregory]

"So it is like a metal animal?" Gregory queried, the wheels of understanding starting to move. "Does it ever get sick? Will it die?" He pause realizing that Jimmy might start getting angry with all the questioning... "I'm sorry, most of this is very new to me..I was just curious."

[Michael Peters]

Jimmy smiles, pleased with the young mans questions. "It does get sick, and without care it will die. Not like an animal, but a death none the less. I purchesed this jeep about 6 months ago from a junk trader, I healed it with solder and oil and replaced its ruined parts with functional ones. Now look at it - healthy and operative. I put a lot of work into it and it paid off. Perhaps when we return to town you would like to see my workshop? I'd be happy to show you."

[BlueNinja]

Quote:

Originally posted by James:
"Think of it this way, Gregory, this jeep is a horseless carriage. It moves things and people from place to place in much the same way. Just as a horse needs feed, the jeep needs gasoline. And just as a horse needs attention, so does the jeep. Today, I decided to bring the jeep out because it was fast and it needed the excercise. We cant just take it out everywhere through, because gasoline is very expensive and hard to find. Is that a better explination?"

Adam restrains a snort of laughter at the idea that a Jeep needs exercise. He climbs up on the back bumper and holds on, figuring that since he's passably strong, he should leave the riding to those who aren't suited to the walking. "Hey James, you think you could win a race against flyboy up there?"

[Michael Peters]

Jimmy glances in the rearview mirror, seeing Adam on the back.

"You can sit in a seat, Adam. This is a four door vehicle. As to a race..." He trails off for a momnet, running some calculations quickly in his head. "In open terrain, perhaps. Although I dont know Couriers top speed. In a forested area like this? I would not care to try. I think the best we can hope to do is trail them to the landing point."

[Gregory]

"Yeah, I would like that" Gregory responds, with a sly smile, to Jimmy's invitation.

"Let's get 'Jeep' moving. The big metal object from the sky waits for us."

[jameson (ST)]

As the jeep winds through the forest tracking Courier and Raider becomes more difficult and James begins to wish that his jeep was instead a motorcycle or a 4-wheeler. The density of the trees is fairly consistent but is also such that the jeep must travel 2-3 times as much ground as the distance Courier flies.

Otherwise goings in the jeep are quiet broken only by Gregory's questions, Boothe's answers, Buzz's constant droning and the occasional quip by Adam; not very quiet at all when one comes to think on it.

Up above Raider float along beside Courier his nearly massless body drifting through the air. Courier himself is camouflaged to a limited degree and keeping as close to the treetops as possible to limit their exposure to view.

While the binoculars provide a more detailed view they are hardly required; the pillar of smoke emanating from the treetops is a dead giveaway to the crash/impact point. It appears that the crash site is roughly 8 more miles to the south west. With a little additional altitude Courier and Raider quickly see that the object did indeed smash a path through the trees before hitting the ground.

[Courier]

Courier sends out to Adam, James, & Raider,

*There it is. Call it... 8 miles away. Left a mess of a trail. I don't see anyone yet but that doesn't mean anything at this distance. Guys, given the Terrain and the downed trees, that Jeep is probably an hour or more away.*

*If I could fly there from the settlement in an hour we have to assume others might as well.*

*Couple of options here. Raider and I could fly ahead, then Adam could use that Gate thing and have you join us. For that matter I could pick up the jeep and move all of us there in less than five minutes. Problem is I expect others to join us pretty quick.*

*Another option is Raider and I go there and then fly the thing over to where you are. That works IF it isn't radioactive, and IF there's no one else there, and IF it's light enough for me to pick up.*

[Gregory]

"Hello?" Gregory asked in response to the silence that went from person to person in the Jeep. "Are you guys Ok? What's goin' on?"

[Michael Peters]

Jimmy blinks then says.

"Ah, yes Gregory, Courier can speak to us telepathically. It is a very usefull skill."

He slows down to swerve around a rather large tree, then concentrates.

*I believe that speed is more important that stealth at this juncture. If you could come and retrieve the jeep, perhaps we could recover the projectile before any other interested parties arrive*

[BlueNinja]

Adam looks at James. "Personally, I say we have Courier pick up the Jeep, fly us over there, so that I can conserve my energy for any opposition we run into."

[Michael Peters]

Jimmy nods at Adam, pleased that they were thinking the same thing.

"I agree. We were quick in coming, but I can think of some novas that would contest our interest. I am somewhat worried about what this thing is. There are few things I can think of that could survive such an explosion. Unfortunately, most of them are weapons... something the world needs a break from."

[Mr Fox]

Watching intently as they closed in on the smoke trail, Raider opens the thought-line to Courier, "Just let me know if you want to become incorporeal as well as disguised. I can manage to shift us both if it looks like there might be hostiles down there."

[Gregory]

"....Ok...So does that mean he talks inside your head?" Greg asked falteringly. He then continued. "Can he read your mind as well?"

Looking over at Adam, Greg changes the topic. "Is that wise? I mean, what if a bunch of Nova are there, and they shoot at Courier and he happens to drop Jeep, with us in it."

[Michael Peters]

Jimmy is still intently driving, avoiding the ditches and divots as best he can.

"He cant read our thoughts. Its just communication, like whispering so only one person can hear you. And I've trusted Courier and Raider before, so I can trust them to get us and the jeep to the impact. Right now, discretion is not the better part of valor."

[Courier]

Quote:

Fox: Watching intently as they closed in on the smoke trail, Raider opens the thought-line to Courier, "Just let me know if you want to become incorporeal as well as disguised. I can manage to shift us both if it looks like there might be hostiles down there."

Doug responds,

"Now that sounds useful. Your hand seems solid enough, I wonder if I can still pick stuff up if I'm inorpa- unreal".

Quote:

James:*I believe that speed is more important that stealth at this juncture. If you could come and retrieve the jeep, perhaps we could recover the projectile before any other interested parties arrive*

(Verbally and mentally) "Agreed. We're coming back."

Courier swoops down and back, grabs the back bumper, and they are off again. After he picks up the car he says,

"So how long has it been? 5 minutes? I figure at best we'll only get a few minutes before company shows up. You all figure out what we want to grab, then we move it out."

...

"OH! Somebody better fire up a rad-counter. If this is a busted nuke then we leave."

[BlueNinja]

Adam blinks, and glances over at Booth again. "Do we have a rad counter? Failing that, do we have a canary?" Without bothering to wait for a reply, he checks the glove compartment, figuring it to be the most likely place.

[Michael Peters]

Letting go of the sttering wheel, Jimmy turns the jeep off, feeling he should be polite and not blast Courier with exhaust.

"I have a rad-counter. I keep it on my tool-belt for when I go on excusions such as this."

With a deft twist he pulls out a battered looking piece of machinery. Its covered with wires and battered looking cable, but he clicks a few buttons and a familiar ticking fills the jeep. The sound an everpresent reminder of the invisible poisons found in the ravaged world.

[Buzzkill]

Buzz bounces along in the jeep content to quietly grumble about the chain of events and the sorry state of what passes for education nowadays.

As they approach the site he mumbles "In the old days we used a canary!" as they begin to bring out rad counters and other such do-dads.

"Anyone see a body? In the old Holovids of Nova fights one Nova usually got cracked pretty good and could make a crater and a sonic boom."

[jameson (ST)]

Courier lifts the jeep from the rear moving to put his hands on the frame as the back bumper lets out a groan of tortured metal. The flight is quick and within a few moments the scar in the trees is visible as is the blasted ground at the center of the impact crater.

Jimmy keeps an eye on the Gieger counter and is relived that there appears to be no increase in radiation as Courier moves to set the jeep down. A quick scan of the area does not reveal any others near the crash site.

The impact crater itself consists of a 50 foot furrow terminating in a heap of plowed earth. Embedded into the earth is a crumpled metal shape. The original geometry is impossible to determine and the material is scarred by soot, ash, and dirt. Although the object was moving at over the speed of sound when it first entered the airspace over Newborough it's crash landing was clearing more controlled than not.

The group stands at the edge of the blasted dirt looking down into the crater at the object.

[Gregory]

Hopping out of the Jeep, Greg stared at the scene in front of him. It looked like a giant had taken a claw and dung into the ground. The strange object at the end however, looked like a big metal boulder.

"Wow! That is sure a sight" Greg said in awe. "Who wants to check it out?"

[Michael Peters]

"Phenomenal..." Jimmy whispers as he scrambles over the ruined earth towards the metal.

"We must recover this! Others will be here in moments!" As he nears the top of the furrow he pulls out a small metal detector, attempting to see how large it is and how much of it is under the earth.

"Courier! Adam! Please, be ready to leave at a moments notice!"

[Courier]

Courier replies,

"Now seems like a good moment. Stuff I lift stays together, so if it's not too heavy I'll just lift it out."

Courier checks the object with his rad detector, then he checks to make sure it isn't too hot to touch, then if both of those are fine he will try to lift the object free.

(If it is too hot to touch then he will see about shielding his hands)

[BlueNinja]

Adam climbs out of the Jeep, and balances himself on the roof, looking around. Everybody seems sure that more people will be showing up soon, so he'd rather get the drop on them. "Hey, Courier? Mind if I borrow your binocs?" Assuming he gets them, Adam will scan the sky for Aberrants first, Novas second. Any Aberrants will be bombed. (multiple action; open Warp, then Q-Bolt) If he sees anyone heading their way, he'll shout out a warning.

[Buzzkill]

Buzz looks on unimpressed. "Yep, that's one big hunk of metal. 'Course, I've seen bigger."

[Courier]

Quote:

BlueNinja:"Hey, Courier? Mind if I borrow your binocs?"...

Doug hands them over without comment.

[Mr Fox]

Raider remains incorporeal as he approaches the object.

He thinks to Courier, "Now it's time to earn my keep. I'm gonna phase through it and see what it is made of and perhaps what is inside if there is an inside to it. I'll let you know what I find and you can pass it on to Jimmy. Of course, even if it's just a hunk of metal it will still be worth salvaging so long as it doen't glow in the dark, if you know what I mean."

*Unless something occurs, he will phase through the object to learn more about it. If they are attacked he will rush to the aide of anyone that needs it and use his ability to get them out of harms way. He also has a small med kit with him in case it's needed.*

[Gregory]

Gregory began to slowly walk around the crater, looking at the lacerated ground and the object inside it. He looked for signs of footprints or other evidence that someone may have arrived before them. He noticed one of his associates had become like a ghost and was approaching the object.