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

[Titan]

Pax again takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"Your 'solid plan' has sprung into being in the last sixteen hours? Great. I'm sure the suits at your dad's gemstone plant were all over it, Colin. Look, I'm not going to horn in on your thing, why are you insistant on pissing all over mine? This is a thing that needs doing. It is something that almost everyone who has ever read a comic book in their life has dreamed of. If that sounds corny to you, then I'm really sorry. But this is a big deal to me. Obviously it's a joke to you, and that's fine. When you hold your 'meeting', I'll be sure to stay away. I promise I won't interrupt it with my own agenda."

He looks around at the assembled Novus, strategists, military officers, doctors, and diplomats. His face looks as though it could have been carved from stone.

"I can't do anything about the fact that we've only had the possibility of making this a reality for only two weeks. But, since that day, this is what I've been doing. I haven't hidden it, there is no 'Star Chamber' here. The 'meetings behind closed doors' have been here, every day. But, Jack! When did you create your first Superpowered Intervention team?"

A fat man in the back row thinks for a minute, then answers.

"About 1984, I think."

Pax nodded in satisfaction.

"Now, that may seem stupid to you. That's fine. But we have assembled, in addition to the military strategists, diplomats, and so on, some of the finest minds from the comic book industry and role playing game companies, as people who have spent literally their entire professional lives brainstorming and working out how these powers that we have would affect the world. I have a team of 161 people. Most of them are Aeon employees who would be doing it with or without my involvement. They are letting me be the front man in presenting it to you, as a courtesy to me, as a Novus speaking to Novuses."

Pax is visibly hanging on to his temper.

"As for money, Jeff, what were the latest numbers on projected salary for Novus?"

A short, middle aged man with a deep tan and reading glasses glanced at a paper, then stood.

"For the reserve members, we're thinking between 6 and 10 million a year. Active members, somewhere between 10 and 18 million."

Pax grinned wolfishly.

"Ok, so the motive can be altruistic. That doesn't mean that we can't provide well for ourselves and our families. Being who we are is going to command high dollar in the private sector, Colin, did you think we hadn't thought of that? No one is going to go broke with Utopia, and certainly not with Team Tomorrow."

"Now, you breeze in here and want to hijack my meeting? Okay. But don't criticize the preparation, which you know nothing about, then present your own 'plan'. This isn't a forum for different ideas. This is a discussion on how to further a specific idea, and how to make it into a reality. Take your 'alternative' elsewhere. The reason you are here is to have a say in it. But, you start off saying you don't want a say, you want to do something different. That's fine. But this, Team Tomorrow, is what we are doing, here. Go do your thing somewhere else."

[Jedi]

Colin kept his smile polite by an effort of will. "First of all, I'm not trying to piss all over your thing here. Yes, we do have an option and I would like for Michael to have a chance to present it. I would also like to point out that what we want to propose does not have to be in conflict with what you are trying to do. I believe it can work together very well with what you are offering." He glanced at Wraith who had paused to hear what was being said.

"I had not intended to step all over your spotlight here and I apologize for that, but Wraith was leaving and I wanted to make sure that she, and other's who decide they aren't interested in what what you propose know they have another option. Six to ten million dollars a year in salary is very impressive. As for your experts, well, I guess if I hadn't erupted, I'm might very well have been sitting right there among them myself. I respect that you've done all this prep. I hope you will respect that I have done my homework as well in terms of what we have to propose. If you really don't wish to here it or work with others then that is fine although it would be a great shame in my opinion I won't say anymore about the proposal in this meeting and let you have the spotlight from now on."

As if it was an afterthought he paused as he was about to sit back down and smiled at those in the room. "Oh, if anyone is interested I believe that it is possible to participate both in Pax's project here an our venture. We should be able to muster salaries in the same range as the project if not exceed them. Anyone interested can see us after this meeting ends."

[Dawn OOC]

Interesting magazines are possibly the rarest commidity on earth in a doctor's office. Joe mindlessly flipped through a number of them before the nurse stopped in front of him. At first he thought the young man, dressed in scrubs, was a doctor, but he said, "Hey, there, Joe, right? Yeah, I'm going to get your vitals before you see the doctor. I'm a Joe too, so how about you call me Seph?"

"Sure," Joe said. The nurse was very friendly, meeting his eyes, smiling and keeping an easy, light tone, but it seemed off somehow. Joe was getting a strange sense of disconnect, as if he walked a quarter of a step off from Seph and the rest of the world. Still, he wasn't sure how to say that, so he didn't, at the moment.

Getting his vitals was way more involved than he'd expected. Urine, blood and saliva samples were all taken. Then he was weighed, measured and it seemed as if Seph listened to every inch of his torso, scribbling notes all the time. "Ok, all done," Seph finally said, closing the folder he'd been writing in. They were in an exam room, and the nurse stood up and moved toward the door. "The doctor should be in shortly. Do you have a question for me before I leave?"

[Stargaizer]

Joe went through all the tests, all the measurements, and even having a male nurse listen to every inch of his chest as graciously as he could. He gave blood, spit and even pee, all in the hopes that someone would be able to tell him what he could do.

Then, as in every doctor's office on the planet, the nurse headed out to make Joe wait for the one person he actually wanted to see. However, unlike every doctor's office on the planet, Seph actually asked if he had any questions. This took Joe back a bit, as he completely wasn't expecting it, but he tried to hide his shock even as his mouth blurted out what he'd been thinking about all day.

"Any idea how they're going to figure out what I can do?"

Almost before the words were out, Joe half wished he could take them back. I mean, what type of superhero doesn't know what their special ability is? I'm so stupid.

Joe reassured the Nurse that, yes, as a matter of fact, he had absolutely no idea of what he could do. He then listened to whatever the Nurse had to say and prepared for a long wait before the old fart Mr. Dr. came in.

[SalmonMax]

Juno shakes her head.

"Dude, look, we came here to hear Pax and his idea. If you want to do a meeting later, I'll probably show up for that too. Coming into his meeting to hawk your idea is a dick move though. Shut up or take a hike."

[Michael Peters]

Michael finally stands, seeing that tempers are beginning to fray. He attempts to diffuse the rising hostility.

"Alright, this is not what we wanted. Pax, I'd like to apologise; presenting this alternative during your meeting was obviously not the best idea, but consider this: not every novus is going to want to become a part of the utopia venture. We are merely presenting an alternative for those who are inclined. We would like to have good relations with you and the Aeon Society. Surely you can see the wisdom of this."

[Dawn OOC]

"Any idea how they're going to figure out what I can do?"

Seph blinked and dropped his hand from the door knob. "Well, the doctor didn't tell me that," he said. "In fact, until you said anything, I wasn't aware that you didn't know. I thought this was like the other testing we did for the other guys. But, I tell you what, we have some of the best doctors here, and I'm sure they'll get you squared away."

"Sure," Joe said, not sure he believed that. But he smiled and acted like he did, because Seph seemed to want him to believe it.

Seph grinned back and opened the door. "Ok, the doctor will be, oh, uh here!" Seph stepped back and pushed the door open to reveal a petite woman of sub-asian descent. Her black hair shone as she stepped into the room, extending her hand and smiling. "Hello, Joe, I'm Dr. Rashoud and I'll be attending to you today. So, what do we have? A head cold, the flu?"

Joe blinked at her and opened his mouth, not sure what to say to that. She laughed, a delighted, feminine sound. "I am joking with you," she said, and he could hear more of her accent when she was amused. "You are here because you're not sure what your powers are. We have some suggestions for you. Some are more dangerous than others. But first, please tell me anything you can recall about your eruption." She leaned forward, her pen hovering over her page.

[z-Wei Fang]

Her head hurt, watching her people fight and squabble. To see them bickering over something like this, over one company or another when there should be one group, united, against any atrocities the baselines might attempt. And the money offered would mean nothing then. Because what was happening in China could happen again.

But she couldn't make them listen. She never could. She was a small woman, a minority female. Even Jay didn't understand her, and what she was capable of, not completely.

She was aware that she was standing up. Her head hurt - they had to see, had to listen - like when she was doing the report and for a second, Fang wondered - have to work together, or fall together! - if she'd hurt something, or if her node was malfunctioning. She started to sway, and her hand clamped onto Jay's shoulder to catch herself.

"We shouldn't argue," she said firmly, as the pain eased in a burst of quantum. "Jedi, what you want to do is well and good. Pax, your idea has merit. But whatever we do, we should do it together, for the good of all of us, human and baseline. Pettiness and bickering will only harm us."

She felt good, much better than she had a moment ago.

[OOC: You are now being Center of Attentioned with Fang's new dot of Mega-Charisma. Enjoy!]

[Stargaizer]

Joe was somewhat suprised at the appearance of the doctor, though he had no idea why. There's no reason that a little asian woman couldn't be a better doctor than the old fart he'd been expecting. Maybe this was going to be more like an actual doctor's visit than being a lab rat after all.

Then again, maybe not.

All of his questions aside, Joe really wanted to know what he was able to do, so he recounted everything that he remembered leading up to his blackout. From walking home that night around one because he'd walked to work that afternoon, to being jumped, to making his break, to being drug off the bridge and into the drainage ditch, to basically beliving that he'd drowned.

Then, he told her about the hear-say that he'd heard regarding the time that he'd been unconcious, from James finding him on the doorstep, to his tattered clothes, to the 2 MRI's that had been done.

Lastly, he told her what little he knew about after he regained conciousness, basically that he had a splitting headache and that Steven told him about what had happened.

After all of that, he tried to remember if he'd left anything out, and not being able to recall anything that he might've left out, he puts the ball back into Dr. Rashoud's court with a "So, whatddya think, doc?"

[Dawn OOC]

She nodded and took notes the entire time, asking a few questions here and there. They were good questions and he could see the intelligence in her eyes and the careful phrasing of her questions. She was thorough and precise, and he felt better by the moment - he was in the hands of a professional. Surely, she could help him! "So, whatddya think, doc?"

His hopes were dashed when she frowned and closed the folder. "As I said, there are several options for you," she began. "We are still in the infancy of parapathology and the ins and outs of how an eruption works. So at this point, I have only suggestions. You can attempt to undergo hypnosis to trigger those memories you have lost. You can try to, in a limited and therefore safe manner, attempt to recreate what happened in your eruption. Someday, and I hope it will be soon, we'll have a nova who can read another's quantum-energy aura, or signature if you will, and tell him what he can do. Until then-"

Her eyes widened. "But, we do have that! Joe, give me a few mintues. We may have that ability! Just not directly! Of course, I should have thought of it before." She was up and out the door before he could reply to her. Whatever her idea was, she was very excited about it.

[Stargaizer]

Joe was in the process of starting to ask Dr. Rashoud what she was talking about when she ran out the door. He was half standing, almost as if her flight out the door had physically pulled him towards a standing position. He realized that she wasn't going to listen to him, and that she probably wouldn't even be able to hear him any more, so he just sat back down and ran through the different options in his head.

Would a second-esque eruption work...

Maybe hypnosis...

What in the world was she talking about, 'not directly'...

They already seem to know an awful lot about novas... has it really only been two weeks?

Drowning in water... surely Steven wouldn't have come all the way over, in person, for gills... would he?

Whatever happened to Steven anyways...

[Nathan Dayes]

Nathan's ring tone goes off as he's halfway through a report. He picks up. "Nathan Dayes here. ... you don't say. No idea, hmm? Okay, I can spare a few. I'll be right down."

A few minutes later, Nathan is true to his word, arriving outside of Stargaizer's room. "Hello, I'm here about powers being copied?"

[Titan]

Fang's words still ringing in the air, the room sat slack-jawed and stared at her. Even Pax and Jedi seemed at a loss for words. A pause like this felt weighty. Like the next words spoken could change the course of history. The door opened, and into that momentous pause stepped an unwitting young woman.

She walked briskly to Pax. He shook himself, glanced again at Wei Fang, then turned to her.

"Is there word on Margaret?" He demanded.

She handed him a note. Slowly, the other occupants of the room tore their gaze, one by one, away from Fang.

He scanned the note quickly.

"And Maxine has seen this?"

The girl nodded.

"Tell her I'm on my way."

The girl nodded again, then turned and left the room.

Pax looked at the assemblage with regret.

"I- I have to go. There have been a rash of disappearances, including a member of the Aeon Council, and there seems to have finally been a witness to another one. Jack, send a map of Vista, California to my PAD, and everything you can find on Natalie Rose Valaroso, or Rancho Buena Vista High School. It'll take me a couple of hours to get there, but I want it ASAP. Meeting adjourned."

He turned from the podium, and strode from the room, already discarding his tie and jacket.

[Titan]

Joe-

As he sits and ponders, Joe starts to feel heavy. His eyelids drift closed, and he dozes. Not really asleep, but an 'I'm waiting for the doctor to come back' kind of dozing. He imagines that he can feel a hand on his arm...

Nathan-

Nathan arrives in front of Joe's Examination Room with Dr. Rashoud beside him. She is chirping away about the ramifications of your abilities on the discovery of new Novus, and how much time Nathan will be able to save them. Nathan turns the handle on the door to the room, and walks into insanity.

Directly in front of them is a hole in the shape of reality. Only, it's not a hole, exactly. It's more like a funnel, twisting the shape of the reality behind it, and in the center of it, a man is sliding away from Nathan and Dr. Rashoud, into the hole... His body is being being held by someone. Nathan can't make out much as they draw further and further away, but he does catch a flash of red hair before they vanish.

The funnel pushes reality towards him, and dissapates. There seems to be nothing remarkable about the room now.

[Joe's story will be continued in the 'Joe Smith' thread]

[Jedi]

Jedi felt the weight of the moment. Fang had said what really needed to say and what he'd tried so feebly to get across. He was just about to open his mouth to say that he and those that might follow him would do their part. And then Pax had gone charging out of the room like a rhino head down and barreling at the target at full speed.

His next instinct was to use the situation to his advantage. Pax rushing out was the perfect opening to strike a telling blow. Again he was just on the verge of opening his mouth to speak when he decided Fang was right. The future needed to be more than just about personal glory and gain. So instead of taking a shot at the absent man and making his sales pitch he turned to Fang and spoke loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"You are absolutely right Fang. We'll make our offer to the assembled Novus later, this afternoon or tomorrow. Right now we should discuss our future. Not Pax's vision or mine. I can see that you've been thinking about this even more than Pax or I, and in the correct terms. So tell us what conclusions you've come to and let us talk of what needs to be done."

[Nathan Dayes]

"Oh Jesus, no, no. Not this time, I am DONE with snatch and grabs on my Goddamn watch - "

Nathan narrows his eyes and tries to latch onto the intruder's powers, to try and follow him.

Originally Posted By: OOC

Nathan will powermax if need be.

[Renee Byrnes]

Renee remained silent through the whole argument, her intense blue eyes blank as a still mountain lake under a clear winter's sky. When Pax rose to leave, the slender girl rose silently and bolted after the bigger nova.

Pax, wait! she mentally sent. My abilities could help you scan for extra thoughts or trouble. I can also focus on one particular detail amongst many and remember it flawlessly.

[SalmonMax]

The sudden commotion broke the spell Fang had cast over Juno, and she turned her head away, eyes watering from not blinking for too long. She understood what Fang meant, she thought, but on another level she thought it was disquieting.

Not argue? Arguing was how a group of people came to a decision. The only way to get a group together on something without an argument was to give one person absolute control.

And Juno would argue against doing that.

Even so, enough of that strange captivation remained that Juno decided to let Fang talk and see if maybe she'd just been trying to shut everyone up so she could talk. Besides, with Pax gone, what could it hurt?

[Titan]

Renee caught Pax's thoughts as he rose up from Aeon's grounds and flew west.

Thanks for the offfer, but not this time, Renee. Instead, keep me apprised of what happens in the meeting, if you would. I hate like hell to have to leave right now, and I need to know what is said in my absence. Thanks, Renee.

[z-Wei Fang]

What did I do? For the first time, the young nova was afraid of her powers, of what she was capable of doing. She'd walked a line that was perilously close to the removal of free will, and she shivered a little at the thought. That had not been her intention; all she'd wanted was for the petty fighting to stop. Pax's departure was welcome, not because she wished him to leave, but because he broke that strange pull she'd been emitting. Patiently, she waited until he was done and had left, as well as through Renee's departure and (ooc: presumed) return. It seemed that sides were being chosen already.

"Dissension is good," Fang said into the silence after Jedi's statement and everyone had left or settled back down. She realized she was still gripping Jay's shoulder and she released it, standing on her own. "Talking about all our views and disagreeing is good. I grew up in a land where expressing oneself was heavily censured." She smiled suddenly and there was a slight remaining gravitas to her smile, as it was somehow more open, more friendly, more charming than ever before. "One thing I have gotten very used to here is the freedom to speak, as you all have become aware.

"But I hope that we can rise about petty one-upmanship and political maneuvering that we have all seen recently. There is an entire world that, whether they know it or not, needs us. Ra saw our potential. 'Promise me that you will fix Egypt,' he asked of us. Consider what he was asking, for us to make her green again. He was asking us to change the world, to make it better.

"That is what Pax and Jedi were talking about too," Fang added. "Changing the world for the better. We all have ideas about how that can be done. I believe that we should make China release those novus it has forced into captivity, that all of its people, baseline and nova, should be allowed to be free. I have been there, and I am here now, and I once thought that allowing no dissent was good. I have learned that sometimes, disagreement is good, and wish to bring that lesson to my birth nation. But that is my dream, not yours. It is not greater or lesser than the things you want to fix.

"Let us start without conflict. Let us start with one public face, to show the world what we can do," Fang said. "Let us - Jedi's agency and Pax's team work together to turn Egypt green. And then we will go on from there and fix all the world's problems."

[SalmonMax]

Juno frowned a little. She wasn't sure she liked the 'turn Egypt green' idea, but eh...it seemed petty to get into that now. The IDEA Fang was talking about seemed about right.

"I'm all for making the world better," she says. "I was only mad at Jedi because he was trying to push his thing over Pax's...and I came here to see what Pax had to say. I think Fang's right though. We seriously need to get our act together before we go to the UN or anywhere else."

[Michael Peters]

Michael grinned at Fang, please and impressed with her impassioned speech.

"Well said, Fang, and and excellent point Juno. We do need to be united, at least with each other. Personally, I am leaning towards Jedi's organization for the simple reason that it is a fresh new idea. Something we 'New People' can make our own, from foundation to polish."

He looks around at the others, his face almost... beatific.

((Activating Awe-Inspiring enhancement))

"I believe that whatever and whoever we choose to join, Pax or Jedi or whatever, we need to be colleagues and friends first."

[Katalyst]

Fang's touch had been the only thing that had keep him still in the meeting. I should have never come to this stupid thing! As he tried to leave, Michael's voice captured his attention, and suddenly he seemed like a whole new person.

Jay found himself in awe of this man. He couldn't explain it, it wasn't in a kinda of sexual way either. It was like an angel had just stepped into the room. Man, how can I say no to that. He's so beautiful Jay stood there, content to bask in Michael angelic glow, waiting to hear his glorious voice.

[Renee Byrnes]

Renee returned in time to catch Fang's speech, storing everything in her capacious memory as she listened to the others. When Michael spoke, she found herself agreeing, overawed by his personality and looks. Still, she remained silent - as sometimes it was better to be in the background.

Isn't it interesting that both Michael and Fang are acting like we will inevitably be divided from humanity? she thought silently.

[Wraith]

"I have my own ideas, I'll stick to them guys." Wraith says as she finally makes her way out the door.

going solo is my only chance I think, I can do so much and no one would even know who did it to them, all witnesses wouldn't know what happened. Eventually they would realize it was me, at least these guys would know, but if it's for the better, then why not?

She follows the hallway to her room. She starts to pack her things.

I need a place of my own, I have so much to get started on, to help me with my missions... straight up Batman style.

She laughs at herself, then she grabs her bags and heads back for the lobby.

[Titan]

Wraith looked around the lobby of the Æon main house. So much had happened since she came here. Some of it was very good, and she had made friends that she knew she could count on. Some of it was horrific. She knew that she would never forget being in the thrall of Ra, or the things she had done.

The taxi would be here any moment. No one was here to see her off, which was fine, the way she wanted it really. She came alone, she would leave alone. No ties, unbeholden to anyone.

She looks around the entry hall. There. The doctor had been standing there, when she realized that he was carrying a bomb. She gazed up at the ceiling. The repairs had been finished last week. She walked out, and down the stairs. There, on the lawn, is where Titan Omega had laid Titan's burnt and blackened body down.

For a while, she had thought that maybe she and Pax... but no. It really was better this way. He had barely looked at her, anyway. She looked up as the taxi swung into the drive. She had worried that the guards wouldn't have gotten her request to let the taxi in.

"Hullo, miss. Heathrow, is it?" The cabbie hurried to get her bags.

"No, actually, I've changed my mind. Do you know of any rental offices? Some place I can rent a flat?"

The cabbie nods.

"Sure thing, love."

Wraith looked around again at the Aeon grounds. Little more than two weeks, it sometimes felt like she had lived here for years. She shrugged.

"Let's get out of here."

"Yes'm."

As the taxi swung around and headed for the gate, Wraith didn't look back.

[Wraith's Story will continue in the 'Wraith' thread...]

[Dawn OOC]

[OOC: Sorry for any mistakes - carry on if they're there, please. I'm not Tom Clancy.]

Northern Atlantic, 100 kilometers south of Iceland

10APR1998, 2354 hours

Ian Malcolm loved the ocean, loved her swells and her eddies, loved her deep blue depths. He hadn't loved the Navy, its demands and its expectations on him. Yes, he and the sea had a love that the US Navy had managed to sour in four short years. And then he'd gotten all that changed, with the Dominance. And he'd been made her skipper, something the Navy never would have allowed, on account of his 'anger issues.' Well, the Navy could suck his cock, because he-

The klaxons rang out in the enclosed space, jerking him upright and sending him turning toward the comm. He grabbed the phone and picked it up, calling out, "Comm-Engineering. Philipe, get your ass on the phone!" He didn't care that his statement got piped all over the ship. That little French fuck had fucked up his engines, and that just fucking pissed him off.

And under the anger, there was a little fear, too - problems on a ship were infinitely worse than on a land vehicle, and problems on a submarine were nightmares from Hell itself.

Philipe didn't pick up the phone. Instead, Ian became aware of another sound: the screams of his crew, echoing through the halls of his ship.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

11APR1998, 0433 hours

Hovering above the Northern Atlantic, the SH-60 Sea Hawk Helicopter was trolling for submarines. One of the listening buoys had picked up the sound of props out here a couple of hours ago, and the USS Theodore Roosevelt had been told to check out. Accordingly, they'd dispatched one of the Sea Hawks to drop an ear in the water and suss out the problem.

The problem was immediately apparent. Over the sonar, the tech could hear the sound of water rushing in to fill an empty space, and even more distantly, screams. "We've got someone drowning," the tech said.

The SAR call went out immediately.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

0914 hours

The HMS Gannet, normally based out of Prestwich, Scotland, was running out further today, and they were closest when the Roosevelt asked for SAR assistance. The Roosevelt was a well-stocked carrier, but the Gannet was a specialist.

When the Gannet put out a Mayday themselves, no one was quite sure who to call for a moment.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

1018 hours

Maxine lowered the phone and pressed her hand over the mouthpiece, frowning. Her contact in the Royal Navy had been quite upset, and she was certainly sympathetic. It sounded as though they had some sort of major problem.

Around her, techs examined every inch of the room. They still had no answer why Joe had disappeared. She thought for a moment, wishing that Pax had not left for California. Sighing, she gathered her wits. "Nathan," she said, turning to the man and extending the phone, "we've had another situation, one unrelated to what happened earlier. Can you talk to Lieutenant Steward? They've had a bit of a mess and he thinks we can help."

[Nathan Dayes]

Nathan frowned. He recognized the tension in the air, and it never was welcome. He nodded to Maxine, and picked up the phone. "Lieutenant Steward, my name is Nathan Dayes. Tell me what you can."

[Dawn OOC]

"Well, Mr. Dayes," the crisp voice with a tight British accent said, "this morning about four o'clock, the Americans heard a downed submarine flooding. They contacted us, as we had a SAR - er, search and rescue ship in the area. The problem is that the SAR went down, too - some of the crew was able to get off, but they aren't able to tell us what happened. Appartently, all hands below deck were lost, and the few above didn't see much, not much coherant, anyway. The survivors were able to take a helicopter to the Roosevelt, that's the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Now we're getting some weird chatter that indicates that Roosevelt is having some problems.

"The major concerns is that this area is one hundred klicks south of Iceland," Lieutenant Steward said. "That puts this problem in the Gulf Steam. It this is something environmental, then it will wash up on Ireland's shores, and then Scotland's and so on. You see the issue."

[Nathan Dayes]

Several ships, all in a chain, all having mechanical failures? I wonder...

"Was anyone from the original American sub rescued by the SAR?" Such as an erupted - no, don't leap to that. Not every problem is a nova's fault. "And have you had any direct contact with Roosevelt and her captain?"

[Dawn OOC]

"That's the funny thing," Steward said. "The first sub wasn't American - it's unknown. We've had no communication with it, so we're not sure what's wrong. They could hear screaming, so at four this morning, people were alive. They'd still be, assuming that some of them could seal off an area. The Gannet hadn't been able to initiate the rescue before they'd begun to take on water. And I've not spoken with the Roosevelt either."

[Nathan Dayes]

Sounds ominous.

"Okay then, Steward. What are you asking the Æon Society to do for you?" Nathan makes sure Maxine is on the phone to yea or nay any decisions.

[Dawn OOC]

"Well, I heard you chaps were involved in the fracas in Egypt, and I was wondering if we might borrow some people for a few days," Steward said. "We need send someone into the water to find out what's wrong, but I'm thinking that if it's as dangerous as it seems, your man Pax might have a better chance of surviving whatever it is." Steward cleared his throat nervously.

[Michael Peters]

Michael sits back down, not really aware that he has become superhuman in his appearance.

"I am signing on with Jedi's corporation. I think that having control over a new venture, Novus at the helm, will allow us to make this our own. I have nothing but respect for the U.N. and the Aeon society, but they have both been established for decades and I don't believe they will be open to the many new ideas that will occur from this influx of amazing new people. I hope all of you will consider this opportunity."

He relaxes back in his chair, smiling. Hoping some of the others will show interest.

[SalmonMax]

For the second time in her life, Juno was captivated by someone...and it was the same person as before. This time there was a fly in the ointment though...a ripple of discontent under the rapture of it. Because as much as she wanted him to be right, a small but persistant voice in the back of her head was saying he was wrong. Jedi was wrong.

Or rather...no. He was right...but...

Incomplete.

Juno sat up straight as something like fire ignited in her brain, driving out for a moment even Michael's presence. The same thing had been nagging her about Pax's proposal. It had been missing something.

Yes. Goddamnit...yes.

She looked down at the sheet of paper she'd been doodling on, and turned it over. She started drawing on this side too, but with purpose.

Something like Jedi's idea, in that novus wouldn't just be bigger than life guys running around stopping supercriminals and freaking turning deserts into jungles. They'd be down to earth. Helping you with your taxes. Building houses. They'd be...accessible. But there WOULD need to be crisis intervention, because there WOULD be crises. And Jedi's idea was too mercenary. If novus were getting paid millions of dollars, then the people hiring them would have to PAY millions of dollars, and only rich guys or governments could do that. Unless it was subsidized by, say, an insanely rich foundation.

She paused, and saw another flaw. It was all about Novus, wasn't it? Novus, Inc. Team Tomorrow. Novus, novus, novus. No. You'd have to get normal people in it too. And not just as patsies. All levels. Planning and leadership and yes, in the field too. That was the whole point right? Show everyone how it was done. Lead by example.

Maybe you really could have the best of both worlds.

[Katalyst]

Jay soaks in every word that Michael speaks, almost without realizing that he's already agreed to help out Jedi. With Michael's presence in the company Jay could see it quickly becoming a thriving business.

As Michael sat down and finished speaking Jay's head started to clear up. Whoa, that was something else alright. Jedi should be in good hands with him around. He turns to Fang and whispers in her ear that he's going to head out for some fresh air and that he'd be in the lobby waiting.

[Renee Byrnes]

Renee found herself agreeing with Michael Peters until he finished speaking. Then she gritted her teeth inwardly and fought off that feeling. Oh, she agreed with people's right to make money as they wished, but superhuman mercenaries... Well, shit. They'd wind up recruiting folks as bad as StormWatch's main enemy in the earliest issues, the M.E.R.C.S.

[Nathan Dayes]

"We're certainly open to it. I'm going to have to check with my people, however." Nathan covers the mouthpiece and speaks to Maxine. "Shall we get the rest of them together?"

[Dawn OOC]

Maxine smiled. "That's certainly your call, Nathan. But I think most of them are already together." She glanced at her watch. "Pax was in a meeting with them. He's been called away, but if you hurry to the main conference room, you should be able to catch them before they leave the room."

[Nathan Dayes]

"Gotcha. I'll be right back, Lieutenant. Director Mercer will be able to assist you." He puts down the phone and runs towards the conference room.