Aberrant: In the Beginning - Prelude: Æon- Breath on the Waters

[Katalyst]

Jay notices that he's embarassed Fang, but she quickly recovers. As she starts gathering the others, King doesn't hesitate to move with them. His command voice kicks in. "C'mon folks, let's go find out what the heck is going on!"

[SalmonMax]

"Wait a second, dad," Juno says. Other people were taking up her call now. The weird guy who'd said he couldn't help her was going with them, and so was the Japanese girl that she had trouble understanding.

"I want to see what they say about this."

She lets go of Hector's arm. "Are you going to stay here, or check on Javier?"

[Fahrenheit]

Sascha nodded briefly at Wei Fang and followed her after she made sure it was ok on Cornelia's behalf. She only stole little glances at the faces of the others, staring most of the time at her own feet. Without being asked she introduced herself in a low voice. "I'm Sascha... from Germany. If anyone got hurt, I'm sorry... I can't remember anything."

[Peter Bell]

His fingers flew across the pages as his forehead throbbed with pent-up inspiration. Peter was glad despite the aching pain. He was glad to have a muse once more.

The first charcoal drawing was of Juno and her father; one valiant and the other protective. Next came Wei Fang as she gestured for everyone to advance. She was pointing at a shadowy Dragon in the Mist. The man - a soldier? - followed, his eyes seeming on guard for an unknown danger. A page flipped and then came Sascha, the edged of her outlined blurred for some reason.

He sketched like a mad man possessed. Charcoal smudged his shirt and his fingers. He followed people outside without seeming to watch were he was going. Nothing else mattered, just the art. Even though it lacked the true impact of a vision, it was artistically pure and vibrant at the same time.

As he moved through the crowd towards its center, people began noticing the sketches, if not the sketcher. The power of the art was enough to let him pass. A few people were even bold enough to skim the finished images that hung loose at the top of the book. Peter didn't appear to care, or even notice.

[Wraith]

Caryn loses focus. She looks around at the group of people, her eyes begin to burn.

"Damn it!" She says as she brings both hands to her eyes, rubbing them.

She looks up again, a few people are starting to move towards a asian man. She starts to follow. So many people with these powers... what is going on? She thinks.

The man in front of her was looking down, his hand sketching without hesitation.

She looks over his shoulder to catch glimpse of whats on the page.

[Katalyst]

It seemed that the others had heard his words as they starting moving together. The kid who had almost been fried by the german lady was one of the first to make her way towards him and Fang. "Guten Tag Sascha, I'm Jay" he says to the German.

King also spies the painter guy, who had earlier said he knew him, intently working on some sort of drawing. He spies some the one picture of Fang and is impressed. "His work is amazing isn't it" he mentions to the lady also watching him work. "Name is Jay, by the way."

[Wraith]

"I'm Caryn... and yes I agree... very impressive, I can't believe what is going on here, and why do they want us all here... so they can just try to kill us again?"

She continues to follow the group, until they come infront of the Asian man. She stops and listens to his conversation.

[Titan]

Everyone inside: People are starting to realize that they are not really hurt. They are starting to talk, and some point up to the hole in the ceiling. A few are scribbling into notebooks and pads. More than one is pulling out a cell phone.

Everyone outside: The people still watching the sky start becoming aware of a vanguard stalking across the driveway. Some react in confusion, backing away from yet another conflict. Others join the group, heeding Sgt. King's cry. A car has pulled into the circular drive, and three men have gotten out.

Juno: Hector hesitates, then brushes your cheek with a quick kiss. "I'll get Javier, and make sure he is ok. You be careful. I'll be back soon."

Rich: You see the group converging on the asian man. Dr. Briggs glances at the situation, and turns back to you. "Discuss it later," he says, "Let's see what's going on here."

Wei Fang, Katalyst, Fahrenheit, Peter Bell, Nathan, and Wraith:

As you reach the Vietnamese Doctor, he looks slowly down from the sky and starts violently to see he is surrounded... mostly by the 'New People'. He looks around for an avenue of escape. A large black man steps forward and grabs his arm. His eyes and mouth begin to glow with a blue-white fire. He says:

"Not so fast, you sonofabitch. You're gonna answer some questons, and hope to God that there's a reason for us not to core you like an apple!"

[Wraith]

Caryn can't help but use her cop instincts. "Excuse me" she says as she pushes her way through the crowd surrounding him. "Yes sir, I tend to melt peoples faces off.. so I suggest you start talking" She says as she approaches him.

[z-Wei Fang]

"Release him!" Fang said, her voice cracking with authority. "This man be victim, not bomb-man!" Despite her broken English, it was clear she expected to be obeyed.

To the Vietnamese man, she asks, "<Do you speak Mandarin, Cantonese, or Wu>?" And she realized to her shock that she knew the all, because they were all so similar - how could one know one and not all the others? "English also good."

[Titan]

Fang, Wraith, others:

The Vietnamese Doctor replied, shakily, "I speak English." His accent is British. He looks up at the large black American, who has dropped his arm, but stands over him scowling. He turns back to the group, and looks at the woman who threatened him.

"I am also not interested in having my face... er, melted off, you say? Ahem. I will answer your questions willingly, though I confess I am as bewildered as you all are, I'm sure."

[Wraith]

Caryn looked at the girl puzzled. "Excuse me, but how do you know anything about it, or who he is?" She asks her.

Then she turns to the man. "Where did you get the briefcase? and What are you doing here.?" Caryn asks as her detective skills kick in.

[Katalyst]

King is assmused by Caryn's rather nasty threat to the Vietnamese doctor. "Let's hear the man out, now. I'm rather curious to hear what he's got to say."

[SalmonMax]

"Okay, dad...I'll be waiting here when you come back."

Juno crowds closer, acutely aware that things are finally turning towards information. She tries to see over the other people to get a look at the people at the center.

[Charlotte]

Realizing he's in good hands, Nathan backs off.

"All right. Does someone have pants-conjuring powers here?"

[Titan]

Lily: Your shoulders bunch and thicken as the muscles there grow bigger, stronger. Your neck stretches longer and longer, and your ribcage grows broader and more muscular to take the extra weight. Soon, you tower over the crowd, and can see the center perfectly, as though you were on a crane...

[Titan]

Nathan: As you back away, you bump into a tall young Hispanic. He overhears your sarcastic comment, and chuckles. He places a hand on your arm, closes his eyes and concentrates. The pores on his arm and shoulder begin to 'sweat' a black substance that runs down his arm towards his hand. In less time than it takes to describe it, the substance has twined into strands, then woven itself into threads... it streams over your body, then settles into a comfortable suit almost exactly like the one you had been wearing before. He opens his eyes and grins.

"What are the chances, right? I'm Anibal, by the way."

(OOC: So there.)

[Fahrenheit]

Sascha smiled barely visible at Jay and slowly lifted her head. It seemed as if the people around her where crazy, too. But it felt different... She closed her eyes and tried to summon the pictures of her dreams searching for any clue that could explain her presence here. Not sure if her situation had improved or worsened Sascha spoke out a bit louder.

"Can anyone help me?... I'm... scared.", standing there with Hectors large leather Jacket that fitted her like a dress Sascha looked extremely lost and displaced.

[SalmonMax]

Juno's first reaction is a sense of relief...she can see and hear much more clearly now. Then the realization of what's happened breaks through. Almost more awful than the bizarre change is how -normal- it feels.

The shock is so sudden, so intense, that she feels numb all over, then cold and prickly. Hesitantly she reaches up, touches her neck, then jerks her hands away when they verify what's happened. Suddenly she staggers backwards, struggling to keep her balance when her center of gravity has adjusted upward and her panic-stricken knees are giving out.

"Oh my god," she croaks, dry-throated. "Oh my god! Oh my GOD! Someone...I need a doctor...oh my god..." Her voice rises in pitch as she speaks, and by the end it's more of an anguished moan. She's nearly in tears as she keeps feeling and recoiling from her elongated neck. Her wail eerily echoes Saschas when she cries, "Someone please help me!"

(not sure if Sascha's speaking German or English now... )

[Katalyst]

At the sound of the cry King turns and, is stunned to see that the teenage girl, now looked like a human giraffe. "What the... Christ, oh my!"

King calmly and quickly makes his way toward the girl. "Stand back everyone, let me talk to her." In his most reassuring voice he attemps to calm the teenage girl down. "Hey lady, look at me, focus on my voice. What's your name? I'm Jay King, or jk for short, you get it." Hopefully my humor will get thru to her. "It's gonna be alright, ok, just stay calm and things will be fine."

[Courier]

Rich watches everyone deal with the Asian man, sees the various displays of power including the neck stretcher and the "make eyes and mouth glow" and realizes he's come to the right place. He comments to the pants creator with sincerity,

"Now that's a useful power... especially if you're a shapeshifter as well?" A close look at Rich shows that his clothes don't fit well. His waist has gotten smaller and his chest bigger as he's gotten younger/better/more fit.

He comments to the other two men,

"First thing to do is to check for other nukes", and he loses focus a bit as he concentrates and tries to 'feel' for any radioactive material around.

(OOC: I'm assuming Elemental Mastery lets you detect your 'element' like the other Anima/Mastery type powers. Range should be 120m or twice that at +2 diff.)

[z-Wei Fang]

The tough-American woman looked at Fang, clearly puzzled. "Excuse me, but how do you know anything about it, or who he is?"

Fang didn't hesitate to answer. "I know some. Need details. Then... know future steps." She needed more data to help see the paths of the blossoms, to figure out how they would open. Why couldn't people see the obvious? Why were they wasting time and distracting the delegate with these questions?

Losing patience with the interruptions, Fang glanced back at the girl, saw what was making her neck work that way, and said, "You do it. You stop it. I stop it, no learn yourself."

She turned back to the delegate to see what questions were being asked. She had the bad feeling that no one would ask the important ones, but she wasn't sure her English was up to the task, yet.

[Peter Bell]

To no one in particular, Peter says,

"He's not the one we should be looking for. The one we should be looking for is the One who did this to us. This was no accident, People. We are not accidents."

He keeps the same calm, steady tone throughout, without a sense of panic. He also has made out two pleas for help. To Jay he tears off and hands him the picture of Juno and Hector. Tell her to concentrate on who she is in this," the picture, " and not what she is right now. It might help."

Or it might not. You have no idea what you are doing.

Peter then kicks and manuevers his luggage over to Sascha. He bends down and opens it up. Quickly enough a pair of men's boxers appear followed by a belt and then some jeans.

"I know its big," he tells her, "but it should help somewhat."

Looking at her for a second, Peter starts going at his sketch pad once more.

"I've seen you before, I think," he tells the German. "You are in my painting."

He stops sketching and shows her his image of her in charcoal. He gives her a kind smile.

"Worry less and hope more. This is the time of hope."

Almost as an afterthought he adds,

"Worry will come later."

[SalmonMax]

Juno doesn't seem to notice King's humor, but she does hear him talking to her and turns her head to look down at him with terrified eyes. King realizes though that the change to her neck is already starting to undo itself. The swell of tissue and muscle around the base of her throat has ripped the neckline of her T-shirt a bit, but that seems to be the only damage done. As if on an elevator, Juno's head rides slowly down her shrinking neck. It takes a few seconds, but finally she looks like she did before, with no obvious side effects.

Frantically the girl feels her throat, her chin, her shoulders, then sags with exhausted relief, holding her head in her hands. For a moment she's quiet, then she looks at King and says, "I don't know how you did that, but thanks."

[Titan]

The house is somewhat in order. Dr. Mazarin is continuing his speech:

"I'm not saying there is no danger. As with all scientific endeavor, there exist risks. But we must be willing to face them, to understand them, if ever we are to overcome the risks. Some around the world, and even here, have said that this isn't really happening, that it is a hoax. I think we are all certain now that is not the case. It is real, and the risk will not go away without understanding it. You, all of you, are needed to help us understand this phenomenon."

A woman in the crowd raises her hand for his attention, then asks, "Dr. Mazarin, how do you propose to continue amidst such chaos?"

Dr. Mazarin stands straight and looks her in the eye. "Dr... Rashoud, isn't it? Because, doctor, it must be done. I believe that I am one to help do it. What about you? How do you propose to continue? Knowing that this is real, that you can have first hand experience studying the phenomena, how can you not?"

The woman smiles, her dark brown face lighting up for a moment. She says, "You misunderstand me, doctor. Wild bulls could not drag me from this facility. My question is, 'How do you propose that we continue, under the chaotic circumstances?'"

Henri smiles in return. "Exactly. How many more of you will show this courage, and join Dr. Rashoud and myself?"

Dr. Go steps forward, raises his hand. "I too, shall continue, Henri. How could I not?"

Around the room, the majority decides to stay. Voices are raised in support, and the few who disagree do so quietly, slipping silently away from the luncheon.

Dr Mazarin rubs his hands together. "Alright, this is what I propose. Feel free to poke holes in it. First..."

[Titan]

Out on the driveway, Wei Fang and Katalyst have helped keep the crowd surrounding the Vietnamese doctor calm. He looks around at the group of New People, and a few others, and says,

"Here, now. That attache was given to me by a member of the Party. I was asked to deliver it personally to the leader of the Chinese delegation, a Dr. Wu. I do not question how Hanoi chooses to conduct negotiations... When I was told that China had chosen not to send a delegation, I was going to return it to Hanoi. That is all I know of the case."

Wraith: He seems to be telling the truth.

The large black man is still glowing at the eyes and mouth. He leans forward into the doctor's face.

"So how did the bomb get in it, huh? Riddle me that one, Batman."

The doctor shrinks back from the awful blank power of the staredown. He shakily answers,

"I do not know. I don't even know if there was a bomb. It may have been a power by the Titan man. I don't know either way. Why the briefcase was taken from me is still a question I don't have an answer to. There is no proof that there ever was a bomb. And now, I think I shall take my leave. Any further questions should be directed to the Vietnam Embassy in London.

Wraith: He does not believe what he has just said, you think.

The black man takes the doctor's arm again, much to the man's alarm. He turns to Wei Fang. He says,

"You seem to know what the hell is going on. Say the word, and I'll sit him down in a chair and he'll answer any question you ask him."

Rich: Aside from the above...

"You do that. We'll see if we can find who's in charge around here," Dr Briggs says.

As you stretch your senses, you become slowly aware of the trace radiation coating the hand, arm, and hip of the Vietnamese doctor. Not too bad, though. If nothing else, the case was well shielded. Interestingly, the black man's eyes and face are glowing with a benign radiant. It doesn't seem to decay, but rather go...out when it gets away from his face.

"What... what are you doing? Can you hear me? Help!"

The sky, as far up as you can sense, is clean.

[Courier]

Originally Posted By: Titan

"What... what are you doing? Can you hear me? Help!"

Rich looked around and tried to identify whichever nova was talking to him and said out loud, "Yes, you're coming in fine, I can hear you. I'm checking this site for radioactive contamination or other nuclear devices. Where are you? Never mind."

"So far..." Rich moved closer to the Asian man and said, "Yes. You still have traces of radiation on you. Interesting... you carried the briefcase with this hand and next to this hip?" Rich pointed to the man's hand and hip and it was more a statement than a question.

Rich said to everyone else, "There are no other atomic weapons around." Rich decided against publicly telling the black man that he's broad casting a radiation-ish like energy. This doesn't seem like a good time or place.

Rich adds as an after thought, "And I don't sense any fall out so far. The nuke must have been quite a distance away."

[Wraith]

"There WAS a bomb, I saw it myself" Caryn raises her voice at the doctor.

As her heart rate picks up, she feels a warm sensation all over her body, she looks off to her side and catches her reflection.

Her eyes are all white, she looks down at her hands they look blurred. She reaches out towards the man and her hand passes through him.

She calms herself. "You want us to just let you walk out of here... no harm done?" She asks.

Her body starts to feel hotter, as she comes closer to him she feels the changes. She's blinking in and out of visibility. "How about we ask that Titan guy if he wants to just forget about it and let you walk away!" She raises her voice again.

[maminka]

This was the second time his life had been threatened in less than 12 hours.

I need some answers to this shit. Right now though I have to focus on fitting in with everyone. For some reason I have something similar going on with me just like the rest of these poor people. Some of them seem to be just fine with it and are making me uncomfortable. The young girl though, she seems as surprised as me to this whole thing...

Wes moves over close to Juno without startling her. He uses the commotion and Mazarin's speech to his advantage...

"Hey there little one. Are you ok?" Wes says in his calmest voice. He also notices there are others around her but tries to make eye contact and give her a smile of reassurance.

OOC:If this fails or for some reason Juno is being mobbed by everyone and their brother Wes will keep an eye on her and offer any assistance or volunteer to get her to a safer place.

[SalmonMax]

Juno, distracted from the doctors, glances at Wes quizzically.

"Little one?" she asks. "I hope you weren't talking to me."

[z-Wei Fang]

"Stop it!" Fang roared, surprising loudly for her frame. With attention on her, she gestured to Kun and said, "<This man didn't know he had the bomb,>" she started. "<I know who did, and I tell you, this man didn't know what he carried. His life was risked as much as ours.>"

"Who did it?" someone shouted.

Fang shook her head, her eyes flashing with anger. She was tired. She hurt. But mostly, right now, she was frustrated beyond all recall. "<No, I would not be so foolish to tell a group of vengence-hungry New People who is responsible. I will tell those who can keep their heads, and we will protect the rest of you. If you want to know, you'll agree to be an adult and see the larger picture. A larger picture than your health and well-being. We are now working toward a new race, and we must work together, or we'll fall to our enemies.>"

[Charlotte]

"Son of a - what the - " Nathan stares, unbelieving, at the suit that he's currently wearing. "Good Lord. That's a handy power. Wish I had tha - ah!"

Nathan stares incredulously at a small tendril of flexible black tar that has crawled out of the pores on his hand. "What the duck-fucking - how the - "

He pulls at it. In response, it withdraws back into his hand. He stares at it, incredulously.

"Huh. How did I...?"

[Katalyst]

King didn't quite know what to make of Fang as she rasied her voice in anger. King waited on Kun who quickly told the group what Fang had to say.

,,

Originally Posted By: Wei Fang

"No, I would not be so foolish to tell a group of vengence-hungry New People who is responsible. I will tell those who can keep their heads, and we will protect the rest of you. If you want to know, you'll agree to be an adult and see the larger picture. A larger picture than your health and well-being. We are now working toward a new race, and we must work together, or we'll fall to our enemies."

Turning to Kun, "Fang, working together is no problem. But knowing who tried to kill us is just as important to know as well. I don't pretend to be real smart, but if you got a plan ma'am they by all means let's hear it!"

[Courier]

Rich considers telling them what he knows, but decides this is "political" and he's probably not supposed to.

[Fahrenheit]

Originally Posted By: Peter Bell

Peter then kicks and manuevers his luggage over to Sascha. He bends down and opens it up. Quickly enough a pair of men's boxers appear followed by a belt and then some jeans.
"I know its big," he tells her, "but it should help somewhat."

Looking at her for a second, Peter starts going at his sketch pad once more.
"I've seen you before, I think," he tells the German. "You are in my painting."
He stops sketching and shows her his image of her in charcoal. He gives her a kind smile.

Sascha smiles shyly back at Peter and put on the offered clothes keeping the jacket on to cover her modesty. As he spoke she mustered him, "I don't know you... you're not the man in my dreams. Maybe I'm not that girl?", she pointed at her picture.

Originally Posted By: Peter Bell

"Worry less and hope more. This is the time of hope."
Almost as an afterthought he adds,
"Worry will come later."

"What do you know of hope anyway?", her voice was distant and cold. She had known hope but she had given up on that concept. Hope was for the weak, for the inactive. Those who had hoped died doing nothing. Her eyes reflected that without her saying a single word. Though Sascha looked like a teenager her eyes were those of a seasoned veteran, of someone who saw things she shouldn't have. "I'm scared..."

[Peter Bell]

Originally Posted By: Fahrenheit

"What do you know of hope anyway?"

He's still distracted when he responds to her.
"I know you need hope if you are going to do more than survive. I know this is a new day, and you can have hope once more, if you really want it."

Originally Posted By: Fahrenheit

"I'm scared..."

Finally, he looks into her eyes and with a slight touch of his hand stops her from looking away.
"So am I", Peter tells her. "Tell you what: stick with me and if you start to do anything crazy, I'll pull you back. You do the same for me, okay?"

Leaving his luggage to fend for itself, Peter attempts to pull Fahrenheit along with him as he approaches the center of the conflict. Giving the German woman a last serene smile, he addresses to of the major players in the conversation.

"Caryn," he says addressing the woman who so recently stood close to him, "you saw the bomb, but have you seen another one?"
Looking at the large, black man with the glowing eyes and mouth.
"I get glimpses of the future and I don't see anything like the bombing that was thwarted going off again ... today."

Louder,
"This crisis has past. Let's get back inside and start organizing ourselves before someone else takes a wack at us. If we don't, we are going to end up being tools like," he motions to the Vietmanese doctor, "this guy here."

"Please, can we all take a step back and start looking toward our futures. If we let this bombing divide us, the bomb will still have done its work. Don't give the bastards the satisfaction."

[maminka]

Wes smiles directly at Juno,"I am sorry if I affended you. I meant in the best way possible. Your much smaller in than you were just a moment ago."

Wes notices the other man who seems to be by her side...

"Is she alright? Are you a doctor?"

Wes doesn't wait for an answer and extends his hand to Juno...

"My name is Wes. I just came over to make sure you were ok. I heard you scream then.. well I am not really sure what I saw. In fact this whole get together is a little hard to believe. Don't you think?"

[Wraith]

Caryn looks at Peter, She then searches around, focusing on all cases. Nothing.

"I'm not seeing anything else right now." She says.

"I saw a few people flying after the man they called Titan, We need to keep an eye on this doctor, but we also need to find out about Titan.... somehow." She says as she looks up.

[z-Wei Fang]

"Fang, working together is no problem. But knowing who tried to kill us is just as important to know as well. I don't pretend to be real smart, but if you got a plan ma'am they by all means let's hear it!"

Though Kun, Fang said, "<I plan to tell those responsible that I know. And that should they do something... stupid, I'll tell the entire world what they have done. All it will take is access to a computer and a keyboard that can create Hanzi characters.>"

As for the next step, that would take more work. "<Kun, ask them who would like to protect us from future assaults. Seriously work at it, not just a bit.>" She would need their help; they all had abilities she lacked.

[Titan]

Inside: Oblivious as only doctors can be, the various delegations have for the moment seemingly forgotten the nuclear threat they had just faced. Ideas are coming forth fast and furious. Dr. Mazarin has co-opted Dr. Rashoud, and the two are taking notes on a whiteboard that someone has dug out of a storeroom. They seem to be dividing the schedule into three parts. One of testing, one of observation, and one of assisted control. The room has naturally split into the three groups and the doctors and delegates that remain are talking exitedly among each other.

Outside: The black man has once again let go of the Vietnamese doctor, at Fang's outburst. Some muttering had started in again, until Peter quashed it with his impassioned plea.

Into the pause, Kun interjects Fang's question, "Who here would help protect the New People from attack? Not just talk about it, or think about it, but work at it? How many?"

While the New People think about their words, two men come out of the house. They walk quickly through the group until they reach the Vietnamese doctor. Each one takes an arm and they begin walking him to their car.

"Excuse me, people. Last thing we need here is an international fuck up on top of an already tense international fuck up," says the younger of the two, as he drags the doctor to the car.

Rich: The older of the two seems to be asking a question with his eyes as he nods you to the car ahead of him.