Aberrant: In the Beginning - Chapter 2- The Firmament of Heaven

[Renee Byrnes]

Renee closed her eyes and concentrated. Yes, Juno?

[Katalyst]

"So a superhero nut huh, well Renee you come've to the right place." Jay srcatches his head trying to remember an earlier conversation. "If i'm not mistaken, Miss Mercer was looking for people to get involved in something like that, but I'm not sure that's in my future. What about you Michael?"

Originally Posted By: Jedi

He looked thoughtful, "Hell, I'm half tempted to start up a talent agency of sorts, would make a killing." Grinning at all the others present, "What do you all say, want to sign on with the Colin Chatham Novus Agency? I think I could guarantee any of you work, and it would only be part time."

"Hell that's a pretty cool idea. What kinds of work can you offer?"

[SalmonMax]

Juno gives Jedi a flat, insulted look, then shakes her head and concentrates her attention inwardly.

"I want to see if I can tell you're doing it," she says to Renee. "Just don't...like...look for anything embarrassing."

Of course, it's hard to make that request without actually thinking of embarrassing things. A memory of Michael's face all luminous and perfect hovering over her is foremost among them, along with fantasies extending outward from there in branching lines, each mortifying in its own special way. And that's just what's on the surface... Juno's mind is more complicated than her vocabulary suggests; her inner life much more varied and colorful than what she can easily express. It's kind of like watching a black and white movie of a full color hologram. There's a distinct sense that just under that thin meniscus of repression and expression are things that would shock even Juno herself.

Juno doesn't seem aware of the discrepancy, for her it's just how it's always been. She searches the tangle of sensations for something that might indicate Renee's presence in her mind, caught up in the curiosity of the moment.

When she talks to Jedi, her emotions turn cloudy and sour and mixed. She doesn't mind being called beautiful...but her contempt for 'models' is thick. A curl of resolution; she would not be exploited. Jay was right...a glow of affection there...she didn't want to be a 'face' or a 'spokesmodel.' She didn't want to represent something, she wanted to BE something.

Very little of this gets across when she says flatly to Jedi, "No thanks."

When she looks at Jay then, the glow Renee noticed strengthens and warms. It's not a romantic feeling exactly, though there's definitely an undertone of attraction. It's more a feeling of camaraderie. Jay's one of her peeps. She respects him, and more than that, feels that he respects her.

To him Juno shrugs and says, "I was just thinking, if she's reading your mind, maybe you can feel it. Then you wouldn't have to be paranoid, cuz you could tell what was happening. I guess that doesn't mean you could STOP it, but at least you'd know what to look for, right?"

Oddly, perhaps, she seems to be rather pointedly ignoring references to comic books. On the surface there's not much to explain why; it's just another of many subjects suppressed before it reaches the 'top.' She probably doesn't even know she's doing it.

[Michael Peters]

Michael watches the back and forth with interest, staying quiet. The fellow Novus that he has met over the past month, Jay, Juno, Fang and the others, are the closest thing to friends he has had in a few years. He hadn't realized how introverted he had become after his wife's passing and his retirement.

[Jedi]

Colin nodded understanding to Juno, "I understand Juno, you are looking for something a bit more meaningful and that's unfortunately not what I'm offering. I'm just looking at this from a money making perspective." Looking back to Jay and the others, "For starters, yeah, being a spokesperson or face for an ad campaign. That kind of thing pays really well. Think of it as being like Michael Jordan, the basketball player. You'd have your regular jobs or careers, but on the side you'd get paid some big bucks for having your picture taken wearing a pair of Nikes or whatever."

Colin reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a sapphire as big around as a dime and tosses it to Juno. "Chatham Created Gems. It's what my father's company does, makes lab grown gems. Identical to the real thing right down to the atomic composition. Only difference is that come out of a lab instead of the ground." He grins specifically at Jay then looks to everyone else, "For starters if you guys are interested in signing with me I could offer you each spots in the next Chatham ad campaign as a guarantee, and I'm positive I could get you all more sponsorships or work beyond that. Just think, it'd be like Michael Jordan, you'd have your real jobs, but now and then you'd go pose with some product or other for a companies commercials and earn some big buck to support you in your more satisfying meaningful career."

As he sat there thinking about it he was beginning to see some serious possibilities. "Oh, and you wouldn't have to work any more that you choose to work, that would be part of the deal. Who knows this could lead to other kinds of Novus work besides just sponsorships. Maybe even more meaningful stuff."

As he finished his sales pitch he also waited to see what the outcome of Juno's experiment would be.

[Katalyst]

Quote:

To him Juno shrugs and says, "I was just thinking, if she's reading your mind, maybe you can feel it. Then you wouldn't have to be paranoid, cuz you could tell what was happening. I guess that doesn't mean you could STOP it, but at least you'd know what to look for, right?"

"Yeah that would be helpful to know that's for sure. Did she just read your mind just then? What did you feel?" he asks questioningly.

"Colin, I could some money that's for sure, but I was thinking more along the lines of military work. You got any clout in that area?"

[Jedi]

"Yeah, would be good to know about the mind reading thing." He smiles.

"Jay, once I establish the company as a goto place for contracting Novus I'm sure other kinds of work would be possible."

[Renee Byrnes]

Renee broke contact, the psychic sense of something like the scent of rosemary fading from Juno's mind. She blushed a little and smiled ruefully. "I've never spent that long in somebody's mind, Juno - sorry if it startled you."

She turned her intense blue eyes onto Jedi. "I'm backing up what Juno said. I don't mind being famous, but I want it for a good cause."

[SalmonMax]

Juno shakes her head and wrinkles her nose in a way she probably doesn't mean to be as cute as it is. "It...smelled. Kind of like a flower or something. So if you smell flowers, but there's none around, look for Renee." She grins.

"Anyway..." She tosses the fake gem back at Jedi, with perhaps a smidge more of 'The Force' than is strictly called for. "Like I said. Not interested. Hey, Jay."

She looks over at the soldier. "Something else I want to ask. If I'm going to be in the Superfriends like Renee's saying, I want to be more than just 'the girl who grabs jars.' I figure, maybe you can show me some moves I don't already know. What do you think?"

She makes little 'punchy' gestures to emphasize that she's talking about fighting, rather than anything else.

[Katalyst]

"What kinda of like when Fang disappeared? I'll keep that mind." he says ducking away from her punch motion.

"Sure I can so you a thing or two, let's head on down to the gym. I wouldn't want to wreck the place up here. Everyone's welcome to watch."

[Michael Peters]

"I might be interested, Colin. Of course, I'd have to know a lot more before I comitted to anything."

He faces Juno and Jay.

"I know a thing or two about the..." He mimicks the punching motion that Juno made. "Maybe I can help out, or maybe learn a bit from Jay as well."

[SalmonMax]

Juno shrugs. "Sure, whoever wants. Come one, come all. Just lemme get some workout clothes and I'll meet you over there."

She heads off at a brisk jog.

********

The Aeon Society compound gymnasium is as oversized and lavish as anything else. Row on row of exercise machines and weight trainers, each with their own dedicated TV's (fitted for earphones no less) filled about half the room, save for a corner where benches and racks of weights sat ready for more traditional iron pumpers. The other half, a long strip that ran the length of the entire, enormous room, was an open padded area probably meant for step aerobic classes or other large group events.

It would serve quite nicely as an arena though.

The walls were mirrored around the first seven feet, then were hard wood veneer. Floor was polished wood on concrete, with mats dragged over the open area. High ceiling, maybe twenty feet, with long fluorescent lights hanging in rows. It was well lit, clean, and in perfect repair. Later on, that would be ironic.

The locker rooms were connected to the main gym via a sort of Y shaped hall...splitting off by gender. Juno emerged from the leg leading to the women's locker room (a shock to be sure), in an old grey T-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, various tears and holes torn in it, and tied off just under her ribcage. Some of the holes showed what was probably a black sports bra underneath. A pair of athletic shorts and sneakers rounded it all off.

When Jay came out to meet her, Juno put a sweatband around her forehead to keep her bangs out of her face and drops out of her eyes, and nodded. "No holding back, alright? It won't be doing me any favors when we're really out there."

[Katalyst]

Jay takes a moment to size up Juno before he makes his move. "No holding back huh, okay then here we go."

Jay begins a slow circle around Juno, concentrating on channeling his quantum energy in to a powerful blow. His target is to a blow the mid section. This should knock the wind out of her.

"Bo yah!" King shouts as he makes his strike to Juno's mid section. The blow come so hard and fast Juno has little chance to dodge. Once his punch lands Jay follows with a uppercut, looking for the knockout blow.

[SalmonMax]

Juno's guard isn't bad...she's obviously had some instruction in one martial art or another...but neither it nor she are up to the task of blocking such blistering blows. From Jay's perspective, Juno seems to move ridiculously slowly as he darts in under her guard and delivers a blow that knocks the breath from her lungs. She starts moving her hands to protect her belly when she realizes too late that it was just a distraction.

Her upper body is open for just a second, but it's more than enough time for Jay. His uppercut rings out with a CRACK as his fist momentarily breaks the sound barrier. Juno is caught squarely!

The force of the impact sends her flying back, spinning wildly around her centerline from the slightly off-center hit. She plows into a Soloflex machine hard enough to knock it over, dominoing into an adjacent, identical, one.

After a moment, the sound of clattering weights and exercise equipment settles down, and there's a moment of silence. Way, way too much silence.

Then a weight falls down from the top of the pile and bounces to the floor.

Another weight follows, and there's definitely something moving under the stack, trying to get up. Finally Juno gets her head free. She looks all right at first, until she looks around to face everyone. Her jaw is canted horribly to one side, as if someone had grabbed her chin and just YANKED it a foot to her left. Her cheek is caved in where Jay hit it, like a balloon half empty of air. Curiously though, there's hardly any blood...a smudge on her cheek, and on the collar of her shirt.

She grimaces and grabs her chin, wresting it back into place, more or less. Her concave cheek starts to fill back in...inflating the balloon. Her jaw visibly reconnects inside the skin, and starts to knit back together. In seconds she's quite literally as good as new.

"Holy shit," she says as she pulls her leg free with a grunt. "You never said you were that strong."

The changes don't stop with healing. Spreading out from where Jay hit, her skin turns grey and starts to bulge outward in weird little nodes. The nodes spread out and join, forming broad hexagonal "scales" that expand swiftly to cover her whole body, pushing her clothes into a sort of awkward shape. The joints of this new skin seem flexible enough to let her move freely though.

Juno looks at her new hands and flexes her fingers. "Okay...okay...lets try this again."

She charges across the floor and aims a punch at Jay!

[Katalyst]

Quote:

"Holy shit," she says as she pulls her leg free with a grunt. "You never said you were that strong."

Fuck me, that blow should have at least knocked her out. Damm it, I've got to work on getting stronger.

Quote:

Juno looks at her new hands and flexes her fingers. "Okay...okay...lets try this again."

She charges across the floor and aims a punch at Jay!

"Alright kid, this time no playing around." He waits as Juno's punch comes towards him. In what most people would think is crazy, Jay doesn't attempt to move, but a shimmering field of energy springs up just before Juno's punch lands.

Juno's face is filled with surprise as her momentum carries her past Jay. "Gotta ya now" cries Jay where in one fluid move the onlookers watch in amazement as he quickly takes Juno down to the ground.

"Time now for the camel clutch," he says glee fully as he positions his legs across her shoulders, and his hands around her neck pulling it up. "Let's see you squirm out of this."

[SalmonMax]

"Hey, you're supposed to...agh!"

In a heartbeat Juno knows she's lost this little 'match.' Which isn't really a surprise...she'd wanted him to teach her, right? So of course he was better. But did he have to be that MUCH better?

So she doesn't tap out. She struggles, and strains and grunts, but those muscles that sent her flying across the gym won't budge! To Jay, it's like holding a kitten as it thrashes and mews. He can barely feel her attempts to escape.

Then something changes. Juno howls in frustrated fury and jerks wildly...and Jay feels it gently tug his leg. Then he realizes that Juno is -swelling- in his grip.

A look confirms it...she's not just armored, but she's growing. Not in size, but in bulk. Her muscles visibly bloat, even under that weird plated skin. When she wriggles again, apparently not feeling any pain from the leverage, the kitten has become a rather adult cat, perhaps even of the feral variety. With a scream of triumph, she manages to wedge his legs slightly apart...but is stymied there. Jay realizes that she's almost as strong as he is now, maybe even just as strong...but he's still got the upper hand, unless she wants to break her own super tough bones to get out.

Juno thrashes and strains...and then...Jay can feel her bones softening. Before he can react to that, she manages to yank her arms free by twisting them in ways no one has any right ever to move. As she gains leverage, she manages to force Jay's legs apart and rolls out to her freedom!

She tumbles...flops really...a few feet away, then manages to get to her feet. Jay imagines he can almost see her bones re-solidifying as her stance changes from droopy to firm.

"Okay," she says in a slightly wheezing voice, "What else you got?"

With that, Juno steps in, pivots, and aims a sweeping kick straight at Jay's midsection!

[Katalyst]

Wow this kids got some moves Her little trick to get out of his move has impressed him. Where was this power at when we fought Ra?

He doesn't have to much time to think as she comes at him again with another kick. He stands again and lets her kick hit him, but this time Jay can feel some real force behind it as it knocks him back a few steps.

"Damm kid, you sure you needed me to help you?" he replies as he summons up for another powerful blow. The effect this time is quite drastic as his hand hit's Juno. A slight smile crosses her lips as she takes the full force of the blow with out so much as budging. "Holy crap, what the hell did I just hit!" he cries out in disbelief. Another quick swing only further confirms that Jay isn't quite strong enough to hurt Juno anymore.

Jay quickly steps back from Juno, trying to get a feel for what might come next. Hmmm I should go invisible, try another take down, yeah let's she her handle that

"Okay Juno round two is yours, now he comes the real test, defend this!" as he speaks he summons a burst of quantum and quickly turns himself invisible.

[SalmonMax]

Juno's mouth drops open. "Hey! That's not...you...goddamnit!"

She edges forward, tilting her head this way and that, clearly trying to listen for Jay's movements. But he moves quietly, and she loses track of him quickly.

With just a little caution, Jay manages to come up behind Juno and aim a titanic wallop at the back of her head, hoping to knock her out with a blow to a vulnerable spot. Juno cries out and is sent sprawling forward until she trips and falls onto her face. A moment later she gets back up, wobbling a bit, but only for a moment.

"Jay!" she snarls angrily. "This is a shitty thing you're doing! But don't you dare stop now...I'll get you...you just wa..." While she's distracted talking, Jay comes in from her side, knocking her over again, but she's back on her feet before she even stops rolling this time. Then her eyes light up as she's looking down, rubbing her mouth with the back of her hand.

Juno starts walking cautiously forward to where Jay hit her before. She's looking down, probably trying to focus on hearing again. Jay slips to her left and gets in position...and Juno suddenly whirls to face him and leaps at him, arms wide to tackle him!

[Renee Byrnes]

Renee stood well out of the way, watching with wide eyes and a soft curse now and again.

[Katalyst]

Ha, gotta her again. Smiling he prepares for his strike, when suddenly he's see Juno flying on top of him. "Oh crap" he spits out as she lands on top of him.

Juno has learned pretty fast he relizes, much to his chagrin. "Dammit girl get off me" he shouts. He finds himself stuck in her grasp, for a few moments before he breaks free. Coming to his feet he let's his invisibiliy fade, allowing all to see him once again.

By this time a small crowd had gathered around he two Nova's . Most were clearly cheering for Juno, which didn't surprise him in the least. He turned his head for a quick moment, and Juno takes advantage of that.

There's a another cheer from the crowd as Juno's swinging fist catches him right across his head sending him crashing down to the ground. "Ooof" is all that comes out as hits the mat. Okay, play like your hurt, get her to come close again and tie her up again.

[SalmonMax]

Startled by her own success, Juno glances around at the audience, then back at Jay. She grins and circles closer to harry him with little jabby kicks...seemingly confident that she has him where she wants him now.

"Come on, is that it? Are you Army or Air Force, man?"

[Katalyst]

That's it a little closer now, wait a sec, now! As Juno moves in Jay makes his move. A swift kick with his legs sweeps her off her feet.

"Who's laughing now!" he says standing up over her. "And it's Army don't you forget that!"

[Titan]

Pax descended the steps of Æon, and cocked his head. He heard fighting, he just wasn't sure where. Cheers and jeers, too, which meant that this probably wasn't a real fight, but a match.

"About time," he growled under his breath. He tucked the cardboard box tighter under his arm and stalked off in the direction of the sounds.

No one seemed to take this seriously. He tried, really he did, to make allowances for the 'hey cool, I have powers!' aspect of their situation, but it was hard. All around the world, every day, he saw things they could be doing to make it better. Gangland executions in New York, Tornadoes in Alabama, Serial killers in the Ukraine, Missle Testing in Pakistan, and on and on and on and on. He had thought, after their near miss with Ra, and the massacre at Cairo, that maybe these Novas would wake up and start doing something constructive, and combat training was a good start.

As he crossed the lawn, he saw Caryn, sitting by herself. Knees up to her chest, peering off at the horizon, she looked like a lost little girl. He'd never tell her that, though. His brief experiences with her had shown him a woman who didn't take no shit off of anybody. She was no little girl.

"Caryn, what are you doing out here? Don't you want to watch the fight?"

"Wraith," she mumbled into her knees.

"What?" Pax asked, although he had heard her clearly.

She turned to glare at him. "My name is Wraith. You said it yourself. Caryn was a name from another life, one I can't go back to even if I wanted to. And I'm not sure I do want to. Call me 'Wraith'," she said with a sardonic smile, "It means, 'ghostly'."

"I know what it means," Pax said irritated. If one more person made fun of him for that day. It had seemed important. Hell, it still seemed important. It changed everything. Plus it let him quickly and painlessly send 'Shelby Eisenfaust' to a watery grave, an unfortunate name if ever there was one.

"Well, Wraith, I'm gonna go watch the fight. You should come, I'm handing out presents when it's over." He hoisted the box for emphasis, then tucked it under his arm and walked towards the gym, without looking to see if she followed.

He slipped in a side door, noted with approval who was fighting, and took a spot behind Dr. Go. He set his cardboard box down at his feet, and clapped with the crowd. He overheard one of the Novas from Canada offer a nearby doctor a $50 bet on Jay King.

"No way that little girl is gonna take down a professional soldier, doc."

Pax interjected, "I'll take that bet, Griffin."

Armstrong spun, saw who was talking and laughed.

"Coming down to mingle with the hoi polloi, Pax? Ok, you're on."

Pax bit back an irritated reply. They just didn't get it. Any of them. He wasn't holding himself back from them, he didn't think he was better than they were. There was just so christing much to do!

Instead, he put his fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly.

"C'mon Juno!" he shouted, pumping his fist above his head.

[Renee Byrnes]

Renee looked at Pax with intense blue eyes that widened dramatically and waved with a grin. The guy kicked ass in public... She wondered if he'd agree to her idea of a superhuman team.

[Michael Peters]

Michael watched the fight with interest, leaning against a weight bench near the doors. He's very interested in the little exhibition between Jay and Juno, and is cheering, wincing and applauding with everyone.

He notices Pax's entrance but doesn't pay to much attention.

"Go Juno! Nail his bag-of-hammers ass!"

[Jedi]

Jedi wasn't too surprised by the two girls not wanting to work, he was just glad that Michael and Jay were interested. Even two were a good start, and with all the talent around this place he could make himself and them quite a bit of money.

He was startled out of his thoughts when Juno threw the sapphire back at him and with some force to it. He didn't have time to think he just reacted. The stone stopped flying just before it hit Colin in the face and hovered there. After a moment Jedi grinned, he was able to use telekinesis after all. He'd been worried for a while there. During his eruption he'd used it, but hadn't been able to remember how since. Now he did and it felt natural. He thought he could remember this from now on, but just to be safe he just kept holding the stone and moving it around.

He almost missed it when everyone got up to head down to the gym. He was the last to follow and kept playing with floating the stone around all the way there.

[Jedi]

Colin had sparred for years in his martial arts and fencing training and it had been pretty violent, but this sparring between novas was brutal. When Juno had been sent flying into the gym equipment he'd almost rushed over to her or used his force powers to lift the weights off her, but she'd turned out to be one hell of a tough fighter.

He had a desire to get in the ring with one of them, but he wouldn't really be able to show what he was capable of without using his lightsabers and that wouldn't be a very nice thing to do no matter how tough the opponent. Maybe with some blunt practice swords? He looked about but the only thing he could see that was even close would be one of the bars for the free weights. I could cut one in half I suppose and use them. Still be brutal against an opponent, but not so deadly as the lightsabers. He'd just have to wait and see if anyone wanted to have a go.

In the mean time it just didn't feel right to be cheering for either of them.

[SalmonMax]

Originally Posted By: Katalyst

That's it a little closer now, wait a sec, now! As Juno moves in Jay makes his move. A swift kick with his legs sweeps her off her feet.

"Who's laughing now!" he says standing up over her. "And it's Army don't you forget that!"

Juno grimaces, more with embarrassment than with any physical discomfort, and somersaults backwards to get swiftly up to her feet again and get some breathing room. Jay was better than she was in hand to hand, she realized. More practiced, more trained. And he was faster. Maybe if she tried different tactics...

She dodged around Jay to the tangled pile of machines she'd been punched into. The weights were oblong rectangular slabs. She grabbed a handful of them and looked up. Long light trays on stalks that rose up to the ceiling. How much weight would they hold. Wanna find out?

Juno crouched down even as Jay, not liking the idea that she was arming herself, came bulleting towards her. He was rocked back in surprise when she sprang upward...her enhanced strength propelling her body easily into the air. A little too easily maybe, as she went way too high. Only grabbing one of the slim rods that held the lights up prevented her from vaulting right over and landing on the far side.

As it was, a squeaky slide down the rod later, Juno stood atop a wildly swaying light element with weights tucked under her left arm. She grinned down at Jay and said, "Think fast."

Then she started throwing the weights at him.

[Katalyst]

For every sec the fight went on Jay felt less and less confidant that he could end the fight. Damm this kid! I'm not gonna live this down if I don't win.

Juno's quick moves startle him, and he watches as she picks up some weights an then makes a quite spectacular leap onto the over head lights.

"Hey..." he cries out as weight's come flying at him. One manages to hit him right smack dab in the head, before deftly dodges the others. "Two can play at that game Juno." He runs over to the solo flex machine, and effortlessly picks it up. "Head's up girl!" he laughs out as he tosses the machine right at Juno.

[SalmonMax]

Juno's mouth drops open in startled dismay as the huge, twisted weight trainer comes tumbling at her through the air. The remaining weights in her arm clatter down as she lets go of them and does the only thing she has time to...jumps.

The entire row of fluorescent lights explodes in a shower of sparks and glass and metal when the soloflex hits it, then rips through to crash against the far wall. The mirrors covering that wall add their own sharp daggers of glass to the mix when they burst under hundreds of pounds of steel and aluminum struts hitting them. The destruction of several exercise bikes is almost an afterthought to the devastation.

Juno however, isn't among the wreckage. She's on the ceiling, clinging to the smooth concrete between the support struts with her head tilts back to look down. She looks almost comically surprised. Then she grins.

"Lets see if your Star Trek shield can stop this!"

She launches herself off the ceiling, diving straight at Jay with both hands extended in front of her, as if diving into a pool of water...but with fists!

[Wraith]

Wraith blushed a little. It made her wonder if he said it because he actually "wanted" her there, or was he just being nice, trying to make her fit in.

She stood and began to follow him. She caught up to his side.

"I'm not sure they want me here, after what I have done." She says to him. He stops just as the reach the door to the gym and turns to her.

"No matter what everyone else says or thinks, I don't blame you." Then he walks in the door.

Wraith stands still, her eyes following him as he enters the building.

Even with all the strength she has, and all the powers at the moment he spoke to her she felt a little weak in the knees.

Wow, maybe he has some kind of attraction power or something.

She wasn't sure where this was coming from, she's never been involved with to many men, she was surprised just as she was with Michael, when they were on the plane.

Wraith shakes her head, then also enters.

[Katalyst]

"Oh shit, there goes the exercise bikes." Jay watches the carnage he creates and catches Juno leaping away like some damm toad of something. "Get down her girly!" he shouts and shakes his fist at her.

To late he realizes Well shit, here she comes as she comes streaking down at him. "Fuck me!" he spits out as Juno crashes into him.

The force of the impact sends the both of them almost crashing into the spectators. A few cries of concern can be heard, but no one is hit. Rolling to his feet, and slightly out breath Jay looks at the faces of the crowd as another roar of approval sounds out as Juno also rises.

[SalmonMax]

Juno shakes her head to clear it of the woozies, though it's only partly successful. Guard up, she crosses back away from the spectators warily. She wasn't -tired- exactly, but there was definitely a sense of heaviness nonetheless.

What she didn't see was that her skin was changing again. Slowly this time, unwillingly. The armored plates were contracting, fading back into skin. Her muscles were still inflated, particularly around her chest and arms, making her look kind of awkwardly top-heavy, and pulling her shirt tight across her now-human body. A thin coat of sweat made her skin shine in what was left of the lights, but there was sense that she was lacking something. A sort of subliminal glow that was only noticeable in its absence.

"Alright, no more fancy stuff," she said to Jay, apparently unaware of the change. "Lets finish this."

[Katalyst]

Jay quickly picks up on the change in her skin. Concentrate now time to shine! Jay nods at her words and stands still, ready to dodge anything that comes at him, when Juno does move either, Jay smiles. "Been a good match kid, but like you said, game's over for you!"

Channeling the last of his energy, Jay's eyes and face are a expressionless as he prepares for his last big strike.

In a loud voice that rattles the gym, Jay strikes. His blow catches the Juno dead in the chest and once again sends her flying across the room wrecking what was left of the remaining gym equipment. The glow surrounding his fades out, as Jay feel the last of his quantum drain away. A slight look of satisfaction comes upon Jay's face along with a bit of worry. Geez what a punch! Hope she's not hurt to bad

Everyone in the crowd is holding their breath and wondering if Juno is going to get up. The suspense is think in the air, and for a what seems like an eternity their is no movement. Confidant that the fight is over, Jay goes and checks on Juno.

"Hey you alright kid." he says

(OOC spent 1 point of Willpower for Smackdown strike)

[SalmonMax]

Jay walks down the lane of destruction, where Juno had flipped and tumbled along the floor, plowing at an angle through recumbent bikes and stair stepping devices, knocking them over and away. The end of her trajectory is against yet another mirror, and has Juno sitting under a pile of cords and weights and glass fragments, but visible.

She's definitely breathing, but has her eyes closed and head lolling a bit. It looks as if Jay may have won after all...

When he calls to her, Juno opens her eyes. Shakes her head and winces. "That actually hurt," she says in a pained, constricted voice.

Drywall and glass patter off of her in rivers as she pulls herself slowly to her feet. Little cuts and bruises are flowering over her arms and shoulders and face...and they're not healing. Even so she seems only marginally impaired by these enduring injuries.

"Stop...calling...me...KID!"

She steps forward towards Jay, and swings a wide punch across at his face!

[Jedi]

Seeing the pair of combatants come crashing into the crowd Colin does a Jedi move and leaps somersaulting in mid air to land in a clear spot a few yards away. Hell of a fight.

Colin ended up near Renee and grinned as he gestured at the massive collateral damage to the room. "No wonder the Xmen had a special room for this kind of stuff. Wonder if this is coming out of their paychecks?"

[Katalyst]

To Jay the next few moments will always be replayed by him in slow motion. The gathered crowd gasps as Juno stands up cut and bruised but really unhurt. She sees Jay's eye go wide with shock as her fist connects squarely on his jaw.

Oh man that hurt like hell is all he can think as he takes a step back before falling down on one knee. He looks up at Juno, with newfound sense of respect and admiration. She beat me, fair and square, goddamm that is something else.

Jay can see a bit of anger still on Juno's face, as he rises she stands ready to take another swing. "Hold on, Juno!" he says emphatically. "It's over, you win. Goddamm it you did." He offers his hand in truce.

The crowd goes bonkers as Jay admits to Juno's victory, and some even come over to congratulate her. Jay stands and watches, disappointed, but a new sense of resolve has crept inside. Never again!

[Michael Peters]

Michael moves back as the crowd surges forward to congratulate Juno. He manages to avoid the crush and moves towards Jay, concern written on his face.

"You okay Jay? That got a little..."

He surveys the ruins of the excercise room.

"...intense."

[SalmonMax]

Juno looks startled...then when people start applauding, her face lights up. As people come over to her and pound her back and talk to her, the muscular growth she'd experienced starts to recede. Her stretched out shirt is hanging on her like a sail when she goes over to Jay to shake his hand, beaming at him. Then she pulls him into a hug before letting him go, and she stands next to him so that when people come up to her, they come up to both of them.

[Katalyst]

Originally Posted By: Michael Peters

Michael moves back as the crowd surges forward to congratulate Juno. He manages to avoid the crush and moves towards Jay, concern written on his face.

"You okay Jay? That got a little..."

He surveys the ruins of the excercise room.

"...intense."

"Hey Michael, yeah I'm okay my pride is a bit hurt but, I think that will pass. Man your right that was intense as hell. Juno's one hella of a fighter, and mucho tough as well. I think I learned more today that she learned from me."