Aberrant: In the Beginning - Doktor Krauss

[Darklighter]

April 10, 1998, Morning:

Jasper thought to himself 'This particular lab space has never suited me, but then again leasing is much more cost effective than owning. Plus, this basement was cavernous, and they had had no problems with poring reinforced columns that made it look like a set off of some low budget sci-fi. Not like I really spend much time here anyway, most of this is easier to work with in simulation - as math doesn't (often) lie.'. This was his game, small engineering ideas that have big potential - cheaper faster stronger longer.

He looked on as the new magnets were getting their checkout - they were well past the point a few months ago when (expensive) magnet shrapnel had necessitated the concrete columns and thick lexan safety barriers. Metal-Glass superconductors in the liquid nitrogen range, with no more magnetic tolerance than was normal ... not much for these Ytterbium alloys ... but with a pulsed array setup. Doesn't matter if the fields collapse if you build it so pulses are enough. This new MRI had tested out so well, and he wanted a scan for himself. Not that Jasper was worried about his own health - fit as a fiddle he was - but this would eventually mean equipment that was a little better, and a whole lot cheaper for hospitals around the world. The marketing consultants would need his testimonial, 'Very important given you are a Doctor and the chief designer, hospital admin types will trust that' they had said.

Looking at the progress of the techs, and given his Doctor hadn't shown up yet to supervise the 'first regular patient trial' there was time to wait. He'd keep himself available for last minute questions while he devoured some brain candy - he'd brought along an old favorite that made him think: Watchmen. For a comic, there were so many layers of meaning. Jasper pulled out the tattered graphic novel, and started idly thumbing through it. Lost in the fiction.

[Titan]

So caught up was he in the investigations of Rorshach into the Comedian's demise, Jasper almost failed to notice the petite Hispanic woman standing quietly about 8 feet from him. When he glanced up, she smiled, with an involuntary glance around his 'face', before settling her look onto his eyeholes. Which made her more steely than most, on their first look. She extended her hand.

"Dr. Krauss? I am Natalie Crawford, your attending neurologist. Dr. Fineman couldn't make it, I hope I will do." She paused, then continued, "This is your lab? Where do you keep your Death Ray?"

She said it deadpan, with a straight face. Then she glanced over his shoulder at the new MRI equipment.

"This it? Interesting. Ok, give me the run-down and we'll see if I can figure out all the buttons. Oh, and Doctor? Keep your eye on Ozymandias. I don't trust him, not one little bit."

[Darklighter]

The mask, with its peiricing - unwavering - gaze can seem overwhelming to some. Jasper had chosen the mask in it's present form for many reasons but in this case - meeting Dr. Crawford with a smile wide and strong under the mask - it was an amplifier, or better yet a lens. With nothing else human for others to focus on the only visible part of his face, the mouth, became a powerful conduit for expression. Likewise, since she was able to meet his gaze, his eyes stood out to her like beacons. Better that then were she to recoil from the monstrous, almost alien face under the mask. Dressed in shades of blue, in this case a fine dark blue suit that tended not to show sumdges from industrial areas like this one, he stood and cut a dynamic profile as he took her hand.

(OOC RP Notes: Masked APP 0, CHA 5, enough money for a great style consultant and enough knowledge to work little tricks of psychology with what he wears - namely the mask. HIs masked face is distinctly inhuman, though probably not as unsettling as the skull like disfigured husk that is the face underneath.)

In his rich, eloquent manner he said to her "A pleasure to meet you Dr. Crawford, and I think you might enjoy this. Please, do call me Jasper." and set down the graphic novel. Gesturing broadly he continues "Yes, for this particular project it is the laboratory. Here we were trying to evoke a sense of dingy industrial with iron-science accents in the decor. Very clean really, no frills - but we do have complimentary caffine: Coffee, tea, and soda are to the left of the lunch tables. Technicians need fuel afterall, so there is plenty."

He slowly walks toward to the machine, gesturing her over. "A fun read, Watchmen, even a dozen times through. One of those rare works that allows me an escape to a place where new ideas are more easily found. New ideas like this little machine. It is the prototype of course, and the production versions will not require any of the bulky calibration coils that do make it seem a bit H.G. Wells. Hence you may ignore that technical status work-station over there ... this ..." he points to a sleek silver panel at odds with the rest of the device becuase it looks so - finished "... is what you and everyone else will be using. Today and hopefully for years to come. Provided we keep the performance within tolerance and hold to our production price points."

He activates the panel with a casual brush, and on the featureless three meter wide sheet of concave-molded silvery plastic a number of glowing displays come to life. Jasper stands while he offers the chair to Dr. Crawford. He explains the various panels - from magnetic system scans to verify there is no danger of pullin loose metal to the actual display for patients internals. As they go he gives her the chance to make smalltalk. During the system-menu overview he says "Oh, and do not worry - the mask is not metal, nor is anything on my person. Perfectly safe ... though do leave anything metal at all on the table over yonder - behind the barrier. The machine simply won't start a scan with anything of the sort in range."

"It is up to you to proceed Doctor. I am now a patient in your care, and we can start rolling those documentary camers now too. Don't ham it up too mcuh for the marketing boys and girls, I'm told they don't actually like that." He says with a grin "I'm told over and over again, in fact."

[Titan]

Dr. Crawford nods, confident that she understands the workings of the new machine. She motions for Jasper to lay down on the imaging table. When he has done so, she fits his head into the brace.

"I don't typically wear jewelry, and knowing that we were scanning today, I left my cell in the car. No metal. For this test, we will not use a contrasting material, so no I.V. will be necessary. The patient is Dr. Jasper Krauss, incidentally the designer of this prototype. We will be starting the scan momentarily."

She used the table's controls to maneuver him into place.

"I am placing him into the magnet now. Once he is positioned, we will begin the scan."

Quickly in place, she moves to the silver panel. After a moment, she touches the panel, bringing up the real-time display.

"And, I am beginning the scan.. now."

She presses the button to execute the scan.

[Darklighter]

Smiling his - unique - smile to her and to the world in general, Dr. Krauss hops onto the table. Soon enough he is in the midst of the mechanical magnet, ready for a flawless test of his newest creation.

Jasper Krauss is not known widely in the world, but to those who have dealings with him, or interest in his wide ranging works, know him to be uncompromising in his drive. When Krauss has an idea (which is fairly often) he forges it into reality. When Krauss has a formalized a plan it almost implements itself. He has achieved what he has through trusting himself in what he knows he both can and cannot do. So, for him, hoping into the scanner didn't cause the slightest hesitation or fear - no trace of the 'what if they find something' worry so common in many. He wasn't fearless, by any means, but this was just another test. Just another exercise in a field where he had confidence.

In between passes of the scan heads he tries to strike up some friendly banter with Dr. Crawford. "Jasper. You should call me Jasper, after the reports and what not are done. <SCAN> Not that I wish to impinge upon our respective professionalisms but I really am pleased to meet you. It might surprise you, but I have too few guests ... even at my nicer holdings ... <SCAN> If you haven't already looked up who I am and what I do, I am glad to divulge - but I'd not want to put you to sleep at the controls over there. <SCAN>" he quips.

Noting her apparent proficiency (something he greatly admires) he adds "You are quite handy with the interface. What brought you into experimental medicine? Or is it a tangential interest?".

[Titan]

Originally Posted By: Darklighter

"Jasper. You should call me Jasper, after the reports and what not are done. <SCAN> Not that I wish to impinge upon our respective professionalisms but I really am pleased to meet you. It might surprise you, but I have too few guests ... even at my nicer holdings ... <SCAN> If you haven't already looked up who I am and what I do, I am glad to divulge - but I'd not want to put you to sleep at the controls over there. <SCAN>" he quips.

Crawford smiles back at Dr. Krauss.

"Pleased to meet you too, Jasper. I have heard about you, of course, and when Dr. Fineman asked me to fill in, I was more than pleased to do so."

She looks at the real-time display, already showing a rough outline of the brain. She speaks to the cameras.

"The prototype displays results in a fraction of the time a typical MRI would. The level of detail after just one minute seems equal to twenty minutes using the usual machines."

She leans in, and looks at the display closely. A line appears between her eyes.

Originally Posted By: Darklighter

Noting her apparent proficiency (something he greatly admires) he adds "You are quite handy with the interface. What brought you into experimental medicine? Or is it a tangential interest?".

"Shhh," she says, without looking away from the display. After a moment, she glances at him nervously, and speaks for the camera again.

"The scan is nearly complete, after only three minutes. The level of detail increases in approximately fifteen second intervals, compared to the five minute intervals we are used to seeing."

She leans over to Krauss, who is immobile on the table. She speaks too low for the camera's mic to pick up.

"I'm showing an anomoly, Doctor."

[Darklighter]

Jasper is always happy when he meets a new person who doesn't shy away from him, in fact, that constitutes a good day. It is a way of making quality associates and good friends ... separating the wheat from the chaff ... but it is still hard to be rejected for any reason no matter how hardened one's mind.

As she mentions the anomaly he thinks to himself with a more than a hint of frustration and anger 'Another array anomaly? Blast those subcontractors! Lousy suppliers and their impure alloys! Damn them if they can't produce the parts becuase their factory is too blasted dirty. This is the third time I've dealt with this! What does it take to get components rated to the specs printed on the box?'. He lets the scan complete, so at least they will have a clean scan ... a chance to cross calibrate to compensate for the defect in the machine.

Jasper then says "Apologies Doctor. We've had this problem before, the modular magnetic array elements are new designs, and our supplier can't seem to live up to their end of the deal. We can swap out the defective component and try again in fifteen."

[Titan]

Dr. Crawford checks the display, and presses a few buttons before replying.

"I don't believe that the problem is with a defective componant, Doctor. The array is functioning six-by-six. I have a clean scan. Your device is successful, as far as I can tell, and impressive. If you will come here for a moment, I can show you."

She points to the display, where she has marked off a square area of the frontal lobe. Nestled between the left and right cerebral hemispheres is an acorn-sized tumor.

"It seems to have rooted itself to the genu of the corpus collostrum. I'm not seeing any blood flow, but I'd love to get a PET, to see if there is any actual impulse traffic."

Seeing the look on Krauss's face, she loses much of her enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry, Doctor. Perhaps it is a problem with the array."

[Darklighter]

The mixture of emotions, the intensity of ... feeling ... was too much for Jasper. Joy, attraction, frustration, anger, and now the darkest of fears. He liked his intellectual world, his well ordered mind-space, to be uncluttered. In classical times scholars practiced a mnemonic technique known as a mind-palace - something he had read about in the marvelous old libraries of the London Diocese. If one visualized one's own mind as rooms with furniture and curios the mind imposed order on itself. Like those mental giants of old, scholars, philosophers, he had ordered his mind by living in this palace of rarefied thought. He had been building that, his most valuable asset, since he was that monstrous boy alone in the musty stacks of the old libraries. Now 'CHAOS!' began to set in - the walls were coming down.

As he made his way to see the display, Jaspers expression was one of shock. His magnificent mind would be demolished in a single stroke if this tumor was the cancer he feared it might be. His heart was pumping, he was struggling to maintain composure, as he said "It ... it can not be. I am in good health ... of course Doctor you are right - the diagnostics on the array are six by six. We should run more tests ... arrrgh!"

The pain was obvious now. Sudden, sharp, almost bitter. Had he simply not noticed this symptom before? How could this be happening to him? They weren't thoughts really, they were feelings deeper than thought, and he didn't know how to deal with all of this feeling. His old fears, his vulnerability, all the things he had worked so hard to leave behind in the hospital ward when he first looked at himself in the mirror with that plain white mask ... all of that childhood 'WEAKNESS!' that threatened him again. He clutched his head reflexively against the pain. Then thoughts came to the fore, his Ego asserting 'No, I will not go back to being that way. I will not be a burden, some corpse slowly rotting in a ward. The tumor is in a difficult location, surgery would be worse than a lobotomy! NO!'

At no time has it occurred to Jasper that he might be one of the new people. In all truth, it has been a busy couple of months for him and the most he has done is skim a few articles on the topic. He had overcome worse than this in the past, he had to fight through it. He thought to himself 'I can not show weakness. I must not give in to fear. Have I grown so complacent that id will triumph over ego?'.

Jasper closed his eyes as his focus was slipping away, dark - fetid - fear ebbing into the edges of his rational mind.

[Titan]

He slowly became aware of himself.

He was lying on his back, staring up at a slatted wooden ceiling. His headache was bad, but packed nowhere near the wallop it had there towards the end. Slowly, he pushed himself up to a sitting position. He looked around in surprise. His equipment, the prototype MRI, the techs, Dr. Crawford... None were in sight. Raw brick walls and brick columns held up the ceiling. The floor was filthy, littered with beer cans and newspapers. Jasper felt an intense sense of deja vu, but couldn't place why.

There were no windows, but at one end of the cavernous room was an elevator, next to which was a door marked 'Stairs'. As he walked slowly towards the stairs, graffiti on the wall caught his eye. It was the word 'Utopia' in white, but over it had been painted a zero with a slash through the center. Underneath this, someone had painted 'We never asked for a perfect world!!'.

[Darklighter]

'What is going on here?! Where ... am I?' Jasper thought to himself. He sat for a moment just taking in the scene and massaging his temples, and then checking himself for injury. He mumbled under his breath "Good, good, no obvious wounds. But this ... this is too detailed for a hallucination, unless ..." He picked up a crumpled newspaper to read some fine text, something complex.

Again mumbling to himself he says "If this is a hallucination, even an especially lucid one, odds are I will not be able to read in any meaningful capacity. If this is not a dream, not some fabrication, then perhaps I will be able to learn where I am ... yes. Calm, Jasper you must remain calm. Let's hope I am not actually in a coma ward somewhere." Of course he was anything but calm - his hands were shaking like leaves in in the wind.

Sifting through papers he read them at his usual lightning pace - practically absorbing information in an attempt to either overload his dreaming mind and produce the gibberish that would test for a coma or dream state, or to tell where he was - if this is real he needed information. He had to find a recent one though, becuase it is most likely to be local and not some packing material for a crate. When he realized he was rooting around in filth - repellent to him who was used to finer things - he mustered the strength to stand.

After a few moments of reading he convinced himself of the reality of the situation "How in God's name did I get here?" he muttered. and then he realized there was a chance he could have been abducted. He had best be quiet. 'Damn this headache ... can't even think clearly!' Just then he thought to look at his watch for the time and date.

[Titan]

Originally Posted By: Darklighter

'What is going on here?! Where ... am I?' Jasper thought to himself. He sat for a moment just taking in the scene and massaging his temples, and then checking himself for injury. He mumbled under his breath "Good, good, no obvious wounds. But this ... this is too detailed for a hallucination, unless ..." He picked up a crumpled newspaper to read some fine text, something complex.

The text, though a bit blurry at first, cleared quickly:

...Mayor said today in an interview, "We will make every effort to integrate existing infrastructure into the new plan. Rest assured that Dallas is in compliance." Whether this demonstration of solidarity will discourage the INA from taking root in the city, remains to be...

Originally Posted By: Darklighter

Again mumbling to himself he says "If this is a hallucination, even an especially lucid one, odds are I will not be able to read in any meaningful capacity. If this is not a dream, not some fabrication, then perhaps I will be able to learn where I am ... yes. Calm, Jasper you must remain calm. Let's hope I am not actually in a coma ward somewhere." Of course he was anything but calm - his hands were shaking like leaves in in the wind.

...latest in HyperCombustion technology with Old World style and luxury to bring you - Myius. A perfect car, for a perfect world. Mazda. Looking ahead.

Originally Posted By: Darklighter

Sifting through papers he read them at his usual lightning pace - practically absorbing information in an attempt to either overload his dreaming mind and produce the gibberish that would test for a coma or dream state, or to tell where he was - if this is real he needed information. He had to find a recent one though, becuase it is most likely to be local and not some packing material for a crate.

Galactica Grounds- voted best nationwide coffee chain three years in a row. Proud sponsor of the '16 Olympics.

Jasper flipped the page over, then flipped it back.

the '16 Olympics.

He looked at the paper. Yellowed and brittle, the paper was old. And here, out of the sun, it should be preserved pretty well. '16?

As in 2016?

Has to be a joke. I never heard of Galactica Grounds... although I think I may be kneeling in some...

Originally Posted By: Darklighter

When he realized he was rooting around in filth - repellent to him who was used to finer things - he mustered the strength to stand.

After a few moments of reading he convinced himself of the reality of the situation

He found a newer paper, in much better condition, under the graffiti. It wasn't right off the press, by any means, but the pages were white, and it was nearly whole. The headline screamed at him.

INA ASSAULT ON Galatea's Child!
Pax Promises Retaliation

LONDON - Members of the terrorist organization, the Independant Novus Alliance, last night mounted a massive assault on the NUFU space headquarters Galatea's Child. The attack was aimed at Team Tomorrow leader Pax Ordus, according to NUFU spokesmen. Four members of the intervention team were killed, including founding members Omega and the EvAngelist, and more recent additions Shaman and Giantess. An enraged Pax was quoted by the Associated Press as saying, "We will hunt down INA members, and INA sympathizers, wherever they may hide, and bring them to the justice that they deserve. Anyone who helps the INA in any way will be just as guilty under the law as those cowardly terrorist thugs who attacked the 'Child. I will personally see to it that these criminals meet the same fate as the woman who led them down this path of destruction. Sascha Kindler was not a visionary, or some kind of freedom fighter, much less a messiah, for God's sake! She was a murderer, and a psychotic. I have been tolerant, WE have been tolerant of the INA for long enough. It is time to teach these people that you can't do whatever henious thing you want to today, because Tomorrow will always catch up to you."

According to reports, the INA launched their assault from Western Australia...

Jasper, his hands shaking, looked at the top of the paper. The Boston Globe. Slowly, he looked for the date.

February 12, 2026

Holy Shit.

Originally Posted By: Darklighter

"How in God's name did I get here?" he muttered. and then he realized there was a chance he could have been abducted. He had best be quiet. 'Damn this headache ... can't even think clearly!' Just then he thought to look at his watch for the time and date.

His watch says 13:36 April 10, 1998.

[Darklighter]

The man who had reigned as a mental giant in the old world stood feeling very small, as if realizing the immensity of the universe. He thought with awe 'Jasper Krauss. Time Traveler? Certainly the physics were possible if the wormholes and Einstein Podolsky Rosen bridges weren't simply artifacts of math and bench top wonders. Time machines had been validated theoretically in '85 provided they existed through the range of their operation - and even that was only to keep energy levels reasonable ... beyond human technological reach by any stretch of current knowledge, but ...'

Then it hit him ... and he slowly mouthed the words as he thought to himself "The tumor isn't cancer. The tumor is a natural wormhole machine. A natural organ to control large scale quantum superposition? No, it would also have to do matter energy conversion ... or maybe ... Do I have the novus neural macro-expression?!" Novus or not, Jasper is a scientist. Without thinking he began folding papers neatly and tucking them away in his suit, in the pockets of the utility vest. He did this as he walked a circle of the room taking in everything.

"Damn it. If this is a dream I will be SO pissed off at me. I need to get to a library, if they haven't all closed down by now. Jasper, stay calm. Think clearly." he said, as if he was his own coach at some game-breaking moment.

After collecting as many papers as he could, he committed them to memory. He economized pocket room by discarding the articles who's content was easiest to recall - non-technical, non-numerical data best suited to mnemonics. Then he gathered himself up, cleaned up as best he could (thankfully he was in work clothes that didn't show dirt), and decided to slowly venture up the stairs.

If the door was locked, he would have to try the elevator.

[Titan]

After reading the newspapers, Jasper became convinced of several facts.

• In 2010, the UN was disbanded, and the Nations United for Utopia (NUFU) was created.
• In 2012, the space platform Galatea's Child was launched. Permanently orbiting on the dark side of the earth, the sattelite headquarters is always ahead of the sunset.

• The Independant Nova Alliance (INA), a movement that began soon after N-Day, was led until 2018 by Sascha Kindler, calling herself Fahrenheit, and is responsible for numerous acts of terrorism against Utopia and NUFU. The movement is now led by Jennifer "Slider" Corbin.

• The nations of the world were assimilated into NUFU, first by acclamation, then by diplomacy, and finally the last holdouts were brought in forcefully. Worldwide compliance was achieved in 2019.

• While technically a planetary democracy, NUFU is run as a triumverate dictatorship. Maxine Mercer heads the NUFU as Chairwoman, and her dictates are law. Administration is handled by Nathan Dayes, and he holds the most power of the three. Pax Ordus leads the Enforcement branch, via Team Tomorrow.

• Justice is swift. A trio of women form the High Court, Chief Justice Byrnes, Justice Pfalzgraff, and Justice Rousseau, and they instantly determine guilt or innocence. Lesser telepaths, called Witnesses, travel freely throughout the world dispensing judgement as needed.

• Technological iimprovement has accelerated at an incredible pace. Flying cars, desktop fabricators, handheld supercomputers, neural implants, and genetic modification are commonplace.

• All members of Homo Sapiens Novus are required, for the safety of the general public as well as their own, to register at regional Rashoud Clinics. They must submit to testing and tagging, and live lives of luxury while working at whatever tasks NUFU assigns them.

• There is no war, no poverty, no hunger, and no disease in most of the world. The last pockets of resistance are crumbling, as inhabitants of these Abandoned Areas are the last sufferers of these maladies. The last resistance to Utopian rule lies in the INA and the Church of the Flame, an underground religious movement worshipping Ra, the Unconqured Sun, and specifically deifying Fahrenheit as his daughter, who died so that Man and Novus might be free to pursue their separate destinies.

The door to the stairwell is open, and the stairs are relatively clear. Jasper starts to make his way up to the ground floor, and a sign on the wall of the stairwell makes him realize the source of his earlier deja vu. He is in Boston Memorial Hospital basement, exactly where he started. Only, it doesn't look like his lab. It looks the way it was when he found it, minus the trash and graffiti. He has not moved physically, only temporally.

Once on the ground floor, he picks his way through the wreckage of the former hospital, until he is looking outside the opening that was formerly a sliding glass door. The neighborhood he looks out upon is devastated. Rusted out cars (the kind he is used to) litter the streets like a giant child has left his toys out in the rain. The buildings that are in his view have the dilapidated look of the long abandoned.

According to the papers, the only dangerous spots left in the world are in the Abandoned Areas. Apparantly, he is in one.

[Darklighter]

"What has the world come to? Jasper old boy, you are in a pickle. Yes indeed, a dangerous spot. You need a game plan." he said to himself somberly - under his own breath - as he gazed out on the doomsday vista. There was no telling what would happen now, but it was imperative he survive. That demanded concentration, remaining hidden, marshaling resources, and figuring out the extent of his possible abilities. "That was the term - Novus. I am Homo Sapiens Novus. Curses I have to make more time in the day to keep up on current events, maybe thin out my schedule ..." he scolded himself just as he realized how free his schedule really was at the moment.

The plan ... the basement was a defensible spot, though he would take a better one if it presented itself - he could sleep there and bar the door if need be. He might need to remain near the site of his temporal transit if there was hope of return. Actually, it was a big space, no windows and big enough that a small fire on the concrete floor wouldn't be dangerous in terms of combustion or CO poisoning from incomplete combustion. Plus he knew the layout of the area around it perfectly, even if there were going to be renovations in other areas - they clearly wouldn't be recent. The last major work done here was probably around the same era as the cars outside.

In his vest he had his work tools, most importantly his trusty multi-tools and a micro-torch. His magnifier would also come in handy should the little bit of butane run out - solar ignition for that most basic of technologies: fire. He slipped the little magnifier into his briefs in case he should be relieved of his obvious tools. Later he would conceal his smaller multi-tool somewhere safe. He would save the candy bar too - he liked snickers, but that half-bar in his pocket might have to satisfy him another day. The city is a wasteland, locals might be rough, and there might be animals - he had to watch out.

Not lingering too long in open sight, he looked for something to use as a weapon and things to salvage. It wouldn't be much, but he needed to arrange a torch. There would be old oil in the cars, and lots of metal around the hospital for crude clubs - a spear would actually be better, simpler to use and deadlier. Tubing from beds that could come off with wing nuts - side rails and that sort of thing. He was fine for water for a day, and food for about two. Old cords and wire could be used to lash the door, or something sturdy could be used to secure it. The basement door wasn't an exterior door, so code had it opening inwards as expected - it could be barred easily. The discarded papers would be good insulation, so long as he slept off the floor on a pallet or platform of some sort to conserve heat. Containers would be useful, even the non-crumpled beer cans, and more ideas would occur to him as he surveyed what rubbish he had to build with.

In his salvage tour of the hospital he was careful and quiet. He avoided areas where he might be cornered, avoided the darkest parts, and planned to use the daylight to survey the city from the roof. Quietly, he would observe from a prone position looking for activity. He wasn't good at stealth, but he was good at geometry and remembering things - like layouts. He would have to use the buildings to hide him with angles covering his profile, and just be careful to step in clear areas - avoid the rubbish - to avoid making too much noise.

He would return to the basement well before it was dark, and fortify the entrance securely - even taking a few moments to spot weld the elevator doors shut if possible, shim them with metal from the crumpled cans too. That would buy some relatively safe time ... time to try and figure out what else he could do, or if he could effect temporal travel again.

[Titan]

His salvage tour of the hospital was fruitful. He made several trips back to the basement with tech and tools that he could make use of. No food, though. Whatever food there had been had rotted or been salvaged by some other persons many many years ago.

He had a few bad times. While prowling through what had once been the ICU, he heard an explosion. His heart rate tripled, until he slowly realized that it had been very distant.

Later, as he was going into the stairwell to the basement, he heard the staccato of an automatic weapon. It sounded much closer than the explosion had. He decided that it was time to survey the Abandoned Area from the roof.

The elevators were not functioning, as he had supposed, so the trek to the roof was a long one. Once there, however, he had an excellent view of the city. It looked as though Boston was one big Abandoned Area. Downtown, anyway. But there seemed to be some hope. He could see the Harbor, and as far away as the airport across the water. Aircraft were taking off, and landing at the airport. They were very small, and didn't move like the airplanes that he remembered, mostly they flew straight up, paused, then flew straight away in differing directions. He watched them for hours.

While watching the activity across the harbor, he also noted the furtive, stealthy forays into the streets by fellow refugees. Parties of 6-10 for the most part, as well as he could make out, heavily armed, though with exactly the sort of weapons that Jasper remembered from his own time, so not the latest, it seemed. They were dressed in what he would call 'Post-Apocalyptic Punk'. There are no conflicts that he sees while he is watching, but each group seems determined to defend themselves. Far to the north, there is an area of what looks like farmland, that certainly wasn't there before, but Jaspar can't make out much at this distance.

As the sun begins to set, Jasper makes his way back down to the basement, and while he ignores his growing hunger, plans his next move.

[Darklighter]

"Well Jasper, it has been a good day. Good work Doktor." he said to himself, looking at his work and recalling the day. "Too bad the game plan didn't cover building a time machine. Where is Mr. Wells when you need him? ... Yes, I am talking to myself, but it is only polite to entertain company and you are the only company I have old man."

With the good fortune to haul some decent salvage he would at least be secure and relatively comfortable in the short term. No food was something he would have to live with, though hopefully his Novus physiology was tougher than it used to be. Still, his hideout would do for now - In short order he had made a nice warm bed (assembled from several broken beds, though the linen wasn't exactly Hilton standard), a small wood stove - more like a glorified lantern - but invaluable as a light source even if the reflectors were sand-burnished beer-can scraps. Plenty of nice containers for water (pots), fuel (dead plants), and soil (useful as aggregate refractory for the stove, abrasives, etc.) came in the handy form of the many dead potted plants and some janitorial supplies (actual buckets). He made several two bucket shoulder bars and (from plastic bed-sheets and overturned filing cabinets) made a huge rain catch below a section of the roof that had partially caved in. The rain catch would thus be one floor lower and out of view of those aircraft. Supplementing that was a smaller series of dew traps made with plastic bags near mid-level broken windows. Water was taken care of more or less.

Fuel for the lantern also came close at hand - reams of old scrap paper, a tub of rauchy (but flammable) old fryer grease from the abandoned kitchen, and plenty of old motor oil meant relatively smoke free light and fire-bundles for weeks if not months. Plenty of actual lumber was also available from the structure itself. The 'spear he had fashioned was actually more useful as a pry-bar and walking staff, and that made getting lumber much easier. Fuel was all important for heat, it would eventually allow chemistry, but presently his night vision wasn't enough to do more than navigate by in this windowless basement. Not even enough light down here to ... wait!

As he realized his discovery Jasper said to himself "My vision! Mental Note - Observation 1: My vision has improved significantly. In retrospect, my senses have generally sharpened. Given the observations I made today from the roof and my ability to navigate in this dark windowless basement, the improvement has been substantial. Recalling my last few visits to the optometrist as a baseline reference - very substantial. Also, I feel something at the edge of my awareness, something I am sure I did not feel before but cannot describe in words. Meditative efforts will have to be made to test for various theorized weak and strong extra sensory perception abilities, but that can wait until I am in bed and resting quietly in darkness. Ganzfeld protocols are easily doable here as they require no equipment, in fact gedanken experiments may be more useful than all the high-tech I could want."

Security was a high priority, and alot of bed frame steel saw that the door was barred very securely from the inside. For the outside he had assembled some miscellaneous debris to lay over the door as if the portal had not been used for some time. Without close inspection and a good flashlight no one would suspect anyone had been this way in years. The debris was a sort of pallet which he could put into place before he closed the door or after (it was effective whether he was in or out).

Testing equipment (high-tech in general) was another story entirely, and he wouldn't be working with much. Thermometers, stethoscopes, some misc. specialized hand held gear (not generally useful enough to be salvaged by looters), and a few microscopes had been put into a roller cart and hauled out of instinct. At the very least he could sit on his bed and use the cart as a decent work surface, illuminated by the lantern. Plenty of pencil and paper to work with, even if one side of it was often old photocopies or printed medical records ... he had a writing desk, and so he had complex maths. Really, he didn't need a computer ... the cart would also be useful for collecting things to read.

He had gone to the parking levels and removed a few alternators and ignition capacitors from wrecks that hadn't been stripped down, and along with some partial exercise bike wrecks could generate some power - and a sizable shock with the capacitor array. That would mean electric light in a few days, as he could remove plenty of LEDs from various junky gear - tomorrow. The bike generator wasn't together yet, that would be a project for tomorrow but he had the parts collected. It would do to charge some of the batteries on a variety of roller-stand bedside medical monitors. Those he hadn't really looked at too carefully, more just hauled them down to the lair regardless of how smashed up they were. He could cobble a working one together from parts to at least track heart rate, BP, oxygenation, maybe some other standard vitals too. At the very least they would provide plenty of LEDs for his electric candelabra. Again, that project would have to wait for tomorrow afternoon - once he had some electrical power.

Along the way any reading material worth reading had also been fired into the roller cart drawers. Many magazines from waiting areas, useful books from offices and cubicles, and a nice rack of 'future' National Geographics from a janitorial bathroom, and a great selection from the 'book wagon' cart. All of these he would read not just to get more details on the future-history - that he already had a good idea of - but more Jasper wanted to learn everything he could about Homo Sapiens Novus. His kind were already a big thing in the news after N-Day ... even if he hadn't paid as much attention as he should have. Now, even if this material was decades old it would provide him with data that researchers of his time wouldn't be able to access for years. Even just seeing media documentation of various Nova feats told him volumes about what was possible, accounts by Novas would indirectly reveal how their powers worked. There was much indirect information to be gained in this treasure trove of yellowed old print.

Jasper, reading by firelight, said to himself "Doktor Krauss, you now have your library card. Simply fantastic ... though tomorrow I will have to find a safe reading spot in the daylight, as this is a waste of fuel. Yes, somewhere I won't be spotted - maybe I'll use one of those old sofas ... Of course! The fine control and function of powers must be subconscious! Else I would simply be aware of what I am able to do. Likely, if I can travel in time I must have the ability to transit through wormholes, the only phenomenon science can point to that might be the answer. The only method that I can think of to do this would be some way of converting myself into energy in a controlled fashion for the transit and then back again. How would I be preserved as me? The mind especially - where would 'I' be stored without a physical brain? Unless thought is not purely a material phenomenon ... These things I do not know. Yet Novus can obviously trigger their abilities at will, and obviously I triggered mine. How did I do it?"

He had to find the triggers. After lights out he had three testing modalities to try - and he would try them all. The first was meditation to his own heartbeat, amplified via the stethoscope, which could alter his state to grant him greater self-awareness. This was a parallel to several za-zen and Christian sacred heart methods, and exemplary of most meditative modalities yet requiring little specialized training if ones mind is disciplined. If this did not yield clues, then he would try the Ganzfeld approach - basically sensory deprivation. The Ganzfeld or 'whole field' approach would itself benefit from the meditative state established by the first trial. The last thing he would try was sequential and symbolic forced recall of the events in his lab ... at least the scene in the lab of his 'real present' before the temporal displacement. With his photographic memory he would recreate parts of the the experience, isolating elements from 'active' scenes systematically, visualizing possible triggers. Given his skill in the memory-palace techniques he would employ something similar to cleanly isolate elements from 'active scenes' in his memory - like picking out parts of a snapshot to define 'trigger' and 'not trigger', and intensify those triggers should emotional or bio-feedback thresholds be required for activity. This third recall trial was to be left for last though, as without the benefit of any clues garnered via the altered states he would likely just be hitting triggers at random - who knows what could happen. Plus this was all based on a knowledge of how human memory and psychology worked, with the Novus power end of the figurative equation being unknown ...

As he lay there in silence and deep black he said, as if dictating "Mental Note - Observation 2. I should be exhausted, and sleepy. I am neither, in fact I am feeling better than I have in a long time ... especially now that my headache has largely subsided. Low ambient temperature should be making me uncomfortable, especially given the recent reduction in normal caloric intake, but it is not having the expected effect. I am indeed inhumanly resilient to deprivation and environmental effects. I may well not sleep tonight, and given my current state I doubt it will diminish my capacities as lack of sleep should. Thinking about the fact that I am testing and training alone, my own subconscious bias will influence the things I try and the observations I make. This information might be useful as meta-analysis - namely that what I try to explore first will certainly indicate my true subconscious states. Later, I shall make an effort to separate the logical development of these trials from my own bias in order to study my own inaccessible psyche - quantitative introspection. Then quantitative exercise endurance tests can be performed, I could even make a crude spirometer ... alright Jasper - get to work. Time for trial one - induction of altered states via meditation focused on cardiac rhythms ..." In the darkness Doktor Krauss silently sought inner enlightenment. Iron concentration, mental discipline, and the will to power would light his way to uncovering hidden abilities.

OOC: Outlining the effects of Mega Stamina (Adaptability) and the increase in Perception in his IC observations.

[Titan]

OOC: Feel free to delineate your findings, I just chose to skip to the morning to propel the action, I'll leave the description of your powers in your capable hands.

The morning found Krauss still meditating. His inner journey had taught him much. He now had a greater grasp on his power, though he sensed that there was more to it that he had not yet uncovered.

Through his reading, he now had a thorough understanding of the workings of the M-R node, as the National Geographic, and other magazines, had called it. Manipulation of 'quanta' to achieve desired result. He had laughed out loud. Why didn't they just call it 'magic' while they were at it. He had never read such a scientifically obscure way of saying 'We don't know' in his life. Yet, this Mazarin and his partner had been quoted again and again. They were the accepted experts, and apparently no one had had the temerity to call them on their intellectual dishonesty. Oh well, the more things change...

He slowly rose from his cramped position. As he stood, one hand on his back, he heard a faint rumbling noise that quickly got louder. Before he could react, the ceiling of the basement caved in right in front of him.

Jasper coughed and spat out most of the plaster he had inadvertently inhaled. Before him, a giant of a man floated a few inches above the rubble that had been the ceiling. Sunlight shone through the hole in the ceiling, and reflected off of the man's hairless head. Jasper immediately recognized him from pictures in the many magazines he had been reading. Pax Ordus. 'The Peace of the World'. He was scowling down at Jasper, his fists clenched at his sides.

Two other figures leap through the hole to land immediately behind Pax. One of them, a woman, is very tall and muscular. Half of her head is shaved, and she wears skin tight black leather. The other, a man, wears a black robe and hood. He is carrying an honest-to-god lightsaber, its crimson blade certifying the surrealism of the moment.

Pax speaks.

"Sixteen years of hiding, and this is how you get caught, Doctor? Didn't your 'advanced intelligence' warn you that we still might routinely scan Abandoned Areas for untags?"

The man with the lightsaber stepped forward.

"What I want to know is how he's changed back into flesh. Have you found a cure for Taint, Doctor?"

"That doesn't matter," Pax growled.

"Yes it does, you know it does-"

"What matters is that we have the Doctor now. Whatever cure he may or may not have discovered belongs to Utopia and the world. Ragnarockette, put the inhibitor on him."

The large woman moves forward threateningly.

[Darklighter]

Jasper was still elated with his progress, but recovering from the last round of tests more than three hours ago had been a little slow. He maintained a light meditative state to keep as many variables as possible out of the recovery process in order to get one clean estimate on total recovery time from his 'Quanta-Zero' point. As he maintained his mental state, he had been roughing out his 'lab notes' ... "Mental Note 72 - Summary of Findings, Primary Trials Type 1 through 3, Day 1, time by solar estimation 8:20 am. Integral numbering of Future Time Frame: 1. In less than twenty two hours I have come a long way to understanding my capabilities, but much remains to be learned."

"On Senses and the Mind: The Ganzfeld approach did indeed allow me to discern that my mind has possibly expanded, specifically my senses feel 'wider' even with no significant sensory input. I feel a background noise with some noticeable variations, yet they are too faint to discern. It is the same feeling I felt just before blacking out, where something seemed to creep into the edges of my mind. This, I am guessing was a mistaken perception on my part and in fact it was my mind somehow diluting into the surrounding space, time, other dimensions, etc. I can surmise this is the case becuase now, my mind feels expansive while using the memory palace technique. The hallways are noticeably longer and I visualize them differently despite trying to impose the imagery I am used to. There is a definite neural-web-like quality to them, as they are no longer grid like in layout. Also, it is almost like I am a part the structure rather than an occupant, again no matter how much I try to impose my familiar technique. I am also able to do everything faster, in fact my mathematical ability has improved in numerous ways. Not only can I do math faster, but the complexity is of vastly higher orders. This was verified by use of a range of proofs I am familiar with, who's fractal nature allows for quantifiable scalability. This trial especially is falsifiable and verifiable given my published work and previous record book attempts, have to do that sometime if I publish."

"On Transformation: Triggering attempts were fruitful in two major ways. It does seem as if there are elements of subconscious wish fulfillment related my eruption. Reading the exploits of my favorite character Dr. Manhattan directly before considerable emotional stimulation correlates strongly to an altered physical state I can assume. However, it is not the character I seem to have copied, more likely it is the concepts I often postulated when considering what it might be like to be him. Certainly, he is an idol of mine ... and my appearance is similar. In my other form I am composed of a strange crystalline material. It is smooth, supple like flesh, but also resistant to physical trauma. It does not evoke the idea of flesh so much as it seems to be utterly inorganic. Even with moderate physical force, the most I can generate personally, I was unable to damage myself. My skin is translucent, like frosted glass. My internal tissue and eyes are incredible transparent - almost perfectly so, which leaves me baffled as to what material this could be. Index of refraction, clarity, luster, structural properties ... none of it makes sense. I can only vaguely see the differentiation of tissues, and I seem to have that only around major organs. I also notice slight changes with each transformation, as if I am putting myself together, engineering a new form. Certainly I do not have any rational control over this, it seems more autonomic in nature. This is a very close parallel to Dr. Manhattan and bears study when access to proper equipment is feasible."

"My appearance, however, is elegant if inhuman ... like frosted blue sapphire of the same shade as my mask when the crystalline matrix is not refracting - perhaps diffracting - ambient light. The 'glow' is, however, only an optical illusion, as once background light becomes sufficiently dim the luminosity utterly ceases. In either form, my body is still inhumanly resistant to deprivation and fatigue ... though in my less durable human form the phenomenon may be somehow energy related as the material properties of my flesh seem unaltered. Again, this is initial work that will only be validated by clinical trial. Transformation to my crystalline form is somewhat taxing, and I can perform it numerous times, but do feel a bit winded by it. Perhaps I could accomplish it ten times before exhaustion - my current record is three."

"On Spatial Rifts: My wormhole theory may be correct, though it takes more energy than a transformation ... and I cannot seem to accomplish it in my human form. When I looked for a teleportation trigger as per Doctor Manhattan I saw, in my mind palace what I thought was a room with a vast field of stars. Yet each star seemed to have a 'place' that corresponded to it, a little like a scene in a snow globe but mostly they were not clear. One of the stars, in particular, was easily within reach and I recognized it as a 'clear object', a scene somehow different from the rest. My words cannot clearly convey the nature of this experience at the moment, and it is entirely odd to observe an object you know has information content but have only the vaguest sense about it - so I grabbed the tiny globe. The result broke my concentration as instantaneously I seemed to be enveloped in a spherical field of blue-white energy. Through the energy, which lasted approximately five seconds, I could see my surroundings were both the dark room and bed illuminated in the flash of light and also a spot on the sofa I had been thinking about going to read on today. When I studied the couch scene I was lying there, and no longer enveloped by the energy."

"Indeed I had transported myself in space by engulfing myself in some sort of spatial rift. The feeling of 'memory object clarity' may well be some sort of familiarity with the area visited previously, or known by some means. Later testing of this fascinating ability consumed enough quantum to exhaust me, and I had to rest for several hours simply observing the rate at which energy returned to me. The engulfing energy appears to actually be a spatial rift, which is just as easy to render in a flat two dimensional plane - resulting in a portal. If this is a wormhole, I am enlarging it somehow, or perhaps those in this universe cannot notice the size due to relative spacial-fabric distortion. Sadly I am not an observer outside the universal frame of reference, and would not be able to determine these things. The proof was in some tropical fruit I managed to quickly grab from a plantation in the tropics. Mangoes and Bananas never tasted so good, despite the fact I was not impeded significantly by my hunger. One note of disappointment with this tremendous new power is that I am completely unable to effect temporal travel by these means, not even a second it seems."

... A little less than an hour later Jasper was fully 'charged', close to starting his next series of trials, and in short order the ceiling was crashing down ...

'SHIT! This is not the place where I want to be right now ...' thought the Doktor as Pax touched down, he was sputtering, and the Aeon cronies were making their entry '... and that is one strange feeling, more than just vibration.'.

As they talked at him he focused all the power he could to a hasty but hopefully effective plan of escape. It took longer than he wanted it to, but then again he was new to all of this. At the very least he wouldn't waste time by jabbering, though at some point he would have to look at getting a light saber - that is a very cool toy. When it came, his power flared in a magnificent blue-white spectacle:

Simultaneously he effected his transition to crystal-form, while opening two spatial rifts at once. One was less than 10 centimeters in front of him - interposed directly between him and his enemies. This plane approximately three meters by three meters opened towards them, and hopefully they would have to move around it or simply transition to a random area as far south as he could manage. This might just give him the instant he needed. At the same time he remained stationary and engulfed himself in a rift - wasting no time in getting as far north as he could.

He also stood ready to make a longer journey as soon as he was out of immediate danger. Given his present inorganic form, he had no compunctions about choosing a random angle at least ten degrees offset from the invariable ecliptic plane of the solar system and going as far as he possibly could ...

OOC: Willing to spend willpower, pull out the stops, whatever to get the heck outta here. It is also my sincere hope that Dl is acting out of surprise, but lets face it - Pax knows more about DL as a Nova than DL does. Anyway, I have to at least try to escape.

[Titan]

Things happened very fast. Dr. Krauss threw up the spatial rift, and Pax and the lightsaber weilding novus immediately blurred into motion. Twin semi-circular paths around the rift, faster than the eye could track. They met at Dr. Krauss, Pax perhaps a hair faster. Pax reached out his arms to engulf... air.

Jasper appeared on an ice shelf. Before he could get his bearings, a spwoot! to his right alerted him. He turned his head, and saw the dissipating quantum signature framing a short blonde woman. She seemed painted in liquid latex, and carried a weapon with the biggest barrel that Jasper had ever seen. She grinned, and fired. Some sort of clear goop shot out at the Doctor, and passed through the space where he had been.

He reappeared well above the Earth. A fantastic view of the western hemisphere lay before him. He saw her appear this time, luckily, as there would be no sound in the vacuum this time, to warn him. The same smile was painted on her face, as she raised the 'goop gun' again.

[Darklighter]

There was little time for contemplation, none in fact, but on a base level Jasper knew he could not evade her for long. It was more of a feeling actually - forming those last three spatial rifts had taken quite a toll on him. He had enough energy left for a few more ... but the odds of him being able to outdistance a seasoned Novus in a straight race were slim. Again he didn't really think, it was more that threads of pure mathematics flowed through his mind running odds and projections lightning fast at an instinctual level: Estimates indicate she was smiling because she realized he had no means for conventional intra-spatial movement - he could not fly - and was thus adrift. Therefor she would take her shot at him, an easy stationary target. He had to try one last move ...

He would create a rift just as she telegraphed firing. She wasn't moving relative to him and she likely wouldn't because she has a clean shot. Raising her weapon indicates she is mentally committed to taking the shot. His rift would be of the gate variety, centered exactly on him and intended to 'tunnel' the shot. The other end of his gate would instantaneously deliver that same shot to her back. Dead center of the entry gate to dead center of the exit gate, with everything in fairly simple linear alignment. Transit of the shot would be instant across the gates. At least that was the plan in an ideal world - where he trusted all of his senses, even ones he may or may not have discovered in his recent 'holistic approach' to self discovery - he would essentially steal her shot. He almost felt the impending danger in a new way - not just as risk to be mitigated. Despite the beauty and wonder of this future world, he didn't like the feel of it at all - not since the first minute he had arrived.

OOC: If there is willpower left in reserve (there should be), it may help to make or break this escape. In for a penny, in for a pound as they say ...

[Titan]

She squeezed the trigger, and Jasper opened his rift, as if they had choreographed it. The 'goop' hit the rift, and exited the matching one behind her. It struck her in the back, and engulfed her midsection. Her eyes grew round as the goop grew tendrils and wrapped themselves around her arms and twined around her legs.

Jasper watched in horrid fascination as the goop engulfed her. Her mouth formed the word 'NO', but of course he didn't hear anything. A clear tendril wrapped itself around her head. He could still see her, within the stuff, albeit distorted. When she was completely covered in goop, a blue flash of electricity streaked through the goop. He couldn't be sure, but it seemed to Jasper that the flash began at her forehead. The goop seemed charged, and crackled with energy. Then, it vanished.

Doctor Jasper Krauss fell towards the Earth in a semi-stable orbit, alone, and considered his options.

[Darklighter]

Doktor Krauss was a small humanoid speck of sapphire-blue crystal alone in orbit above a beautiful blue-green world that was at once his home and at the same time utterly alien. Lingering only the briefest moment to take in the stunning vista below him, he marshaled all of his concentration to form a long-distance gate. His previous transits had been hasty, and the anomalies hadn't been as stable as he knew they could be. As he opened the gate he applied the same level of energy as before, but carefully smoothed the curves of the rift as he shaped them. The blue-white portal flared around him, taking him deeper into space and farther in one jump than he had even traveled before. Then he did it once more, though he was careful to avoid draining himself too much. Hopefully, that would take him out of the scanning range of the NUFU forces and give him time to replenish his internal energies.

Soon he would hopefully have a chance to rest, replenish his reserves of energy, and consider where in the world to go. 'Jasper old boy, how did you get yourself into this?' he thought to himself, 'Where can I find safe haven?' The Church of Ra and the INA are being dominated by NUFU - that much was clear. Not that he really knew where to look for them in any event. The abandoned zones were not safe because he was a Nova, they could scan for him. How old was the information he was working with anyway? Was it 2026, or was it much later? If there was still a resistance movement then they would have to be able to avoid both the telepathic justice department and the scans. Judging by the inhibitor technology they had, the 'goop', the scientists of this era must have some fundamental understanding of Quantum. This 'taint' also seemed to be a problem, but he just had too little hard data. It was still all speculation - except one thing: it had taken them a nearly day to locate him and move in. That meant their system was by no means perfect. The vast distances of space, and the law of inverse squares that should apply to limit effective range of scans, may well protect him out here.

The most incredible part was how angry the Pax Ordus seemed to be with him. 'What have I done to deserve all of that anger? Am I in any way responsible for the muted brutality in this world?' Jasper wondered. He considered himself a good man, not saintly by any means, but virtuous enough. Life had tested him, and he had his share of failures along with success. 'It is possible this power makes me ruthless - along the lines of the old axiom 'ultimate power corrupts absolutely'?. Yet I do not have ultimate power, and am still a tiny, finite, fragile being in a vast cosmos. I do feel so different now ... am I still human? No. I was human, and now I am another class of being. Yet I feel a kinship with them still ...' he mused, looking at his crystalline hand scattering the sunlight into radiant blue hues. 'I have more work to do. I must discover the true extent of my powers.'

Feeling a bit paranoid, he waited for his Q to recover and jumped a few more times to really put distance between himself and the Earth - mixing vectors a bit to be evasive. Out here he would get some peace and quiet. Time to think, make connections, remember some key detail that might be the big trigger. His hope was that he would discover the means by which he arrived in this time, the means to return to his present. Certainly, his body was making the transition to some sort of high-energy form, and this new crystal body was like ... a conductor? Or could it be residual? His mind was expanding, and certainly that must be taking energy. He did not know where this power was coming from ... However, he was beginning to realize that his quantum abilities were not powerful enough for time travel. Transit in three dimensional space was something that he could grasp, but transit in time would take orders of magnitude more energy as a minimum - even with the most forgiving interpretations of physics. He had been careful not to encourage his own psychological boundaries or bias lest he end up setting his own power limits artificially low, but the rift-travel experience was not yielding success at temporal effects. That meant there was some sort of natural phenomenon, another Novus, perhaps an exotic technology that had brought him to this time or even amplified his power. He meditated on this between continued systematic trials that would hopefully uncover more of his quantum capabilities.

...

If there was no progress to be made on uncovering powers then Jasper would go with a hunch: It was entirely possible that NUFU would not be able to scan deep cave networks. He had once been exploring deep caves in Chile, South America to collect extremophile organisms, blind cave fish and odd lichens. The caves had been discovered on the long played out lines of the El Teniente underground mine in Chile during unsuccessful bids for new exploration. Those caves were deep, and nestled in metal bearing ores. The sparse silver ores in the region had never been rich enough to mine, nor had the small uranium and thorium deposits - but the tiny flecks of copper and the tectonically stressed geo-matrices were everywhere. By now, the mine would likely be played out completely, but that geology would be his best bet for a safe place on earth. Plus there might be plenty of salvage in the many inaccessible 'safety-cabins' that should still be secure past the less robust tunnels that often collapse - where the cabins were themselves reinforced. Handy that he could travel via spatial rift, given there were nearly two thousand kilometers of tunnel at the site circa '98.

[Titan]

Jasper arrived at his underground destination, inside one of the 'safety cabins'. His first reaction was exultation. Not only were they still here, but he had reached one on his first try, from a picture seen briefly several years ago. His second reaction was dismay. He was not alone. And, he was running dangerously low on quantum.

A short, handsome Asian woman sat with dignity on a stool. Her ebony hair was shot with white, and she wore a white, ankle length dress. She made sure he had seen her, then inclined her head, smiling. When she spoke, it was with perfect English, in accent and inflection.

"Exactly on time. Excellent. Welcome Doctor Krauss. I assume that you have many questions. I will answer what I can, while you rest. First, I must tell you that you are safe. I will not hurt you, nor turn you in."

Her eyes gleam with what Jasper might almost call fanaticism.

"Indeed, I have waited for this moment for quite some time."

[Darklighter]

With his reserves almost exhausted, Jasper had no other option but to stay, and be calm. She claimed to be peaceful, and if she was here she might well be aligned with a faction that wasn't interested in his capture.

"Pleased to meet you ... apologies, as I do not know who you are ... It is, however, pleasant to be expected and welcomed ... are you able to enlighten me about my voyage through time? Can I return to the past?"

As she replied, Jasper took a seat to be at the same level - even though in his new form he seemed to be as comfortable standing as sitting it also felt more relaxed to be sitting. He continued ...

"I do have many questions. In my brief time here I have been able to access some older publications and thus have seen the general state of the world as portrayed by popular media. I am sure there are unpublished, and recent, facts I lack. What is the date? Knowing my own history would also be a good thing. If you would be so kind as to provide me an accurate synopsis of the time I have bypassed ... it would be much appreciated." Jasper then relates the version events he knows so that she may correct him and save time for other topics of conversation ...

(OOC: He will recite what he learned in previous posts)

***

... like SCIENCE! "Also, I would be remiss if I did not ask about several points of physics and biophysics. Namely, it is critical that I know how Novas are detected, how quantum works, how to properly train the deeper levels of my abilities that I currently seem unable to access, how 'Q' is controlled, and what is this 'taint'? I am extrapolating from a enveloping polymer or perhaps nano-gel projectile weapon that I have seen and has been referred to as an 'inhibitor' that 'Q' can also be technologically dampened. This frightens me. The supporting points of theory and application behind technology such as this are of keen interest to me, especially means of avoiding detection. You will understand that I have recently made a rather narrow escape from Pax and associates, and would prefer not to encounter such entanglements again. Naturally, I am curious as to the current state of all science and technology, but for the moment it is our kind I am most curious about."

***

"This world is quite unsettling, as it seems our kind are hunted at best, slaves at worst. I would like to assume this is the doing of Aeon, and its public arm Utopia. Pax was looking for me, and he was so angry. I hope that I am not somehow at fault for all of this. What else should I know regarding the disappointing state of this world? What went wrong?"

As they talk, he is conserving internal energy and his form eventually reverts, with the transformation happening as if sapphire crystal was being 'rewritten' into flesh fiber by fiber all in the blink of an eye.

[Titan]

Originally Posted By: Darklighter

"Pleased to meet you ... apologies, as I do not know who you are ... It is, however, pleasant to be expected and welcomed ... are you able to enlighten me about my voyage through time? Can I return to the past?"

The Asian woman inclines her head briefly.

"You may call me Thetis. You have been brought forward as a result of a plan over twenty-five years in the making. My life's work has come down to this moment, so you can understand that I am very pleased to see you."

Originally Posted By: Darklighter

"I do have many questions. In my brief time here I have been able to access some older publications and thus have seen the general state of the world as portrayed by popular media. I am sure there are unpublished, and recent, facts I lack. What is the date? Knowing my own history would also be a good thing. If you would be so kind as to provide me an accurate synopsis of the time I have bypassed ... it would be much appreciated."

The woman smoothed her skirt and spoke quickly.

"I'm not sure how much time we have for a history lesson, but I understand that you need some confirmation of your deductions. Let me see, I suppose that you will want to know about Project Utopia first...

(She proceeds to give Jasper a slightly less biased version of the story that Juno tells in the 'Joe Smith' thread...)

...And that brings us to now. March 22, 2029. Tomorrow is the thirty-first anniversary of N-Day. Utopia's consolidation of the world is nearly complete. The INA is nearly eradicated, there are only a half-dozen abandoned areas where the baselines put up token resistance. Pax's Utopia is a virtual reality."

Originally Posted By: Darklighter

"Also, I would be remiss if I did not ask about several points of physics and biophysics. Namely, it is critical that I know how Novas are detected, how quantum works, how to properly train the deeper levels of my abilities that I currently seem unable to access, how 'Q' is controlled, and what is this 'taint'? I am extrapolating from a enveloping polymer or perhaps nano-gel projectile weapon that I have seen and has been referred to as an 'inhibitor' that 'Q' can also be technologically dampened. This frightens me. The supporting points of theory and application behind technology such as this are of keen interest to me, especially means of avoiding detection. You will understand that I have recently made a rather narrow escape from Pax and associates, and would prefer not to encounter such entanglements again. Naturally, I am curious as to the current state of all science and technology, but for the moment it is our kind I am most curious about."

What follows is a discourse on Quantum mechanics as it relates to Novas, a technical discussion on nanotechnology, medical science, fabricators, and the last 30 years of development of same. It is, of course, of little interest to you and I. We'll come in near the end.

"...likely she was using an attuned Eugun. See, we've utilized the Eufiber technology to fabricate polymers with similar properties. If the 'glob of goo' had struck you, it would have enveloped you, as you say it did her, and most likely teleported you somewhere she had pre-attuned it to go. It works much like converting elements into other elements by adding to the protons around each nucleus..."

Ok, too soon. We'll just jump ahead further, shall we...

"...interrupts the flow of quantum to the node by shutting down the Corpus Collostrum. Obviously, if the rest of the brain has no access to the node, it follows..."

Boy, she does go on. A little further...

"...But, I do go on. I'm sure that you have other questions."


Whew.

***

Originally Posted By: Darklighter

"This world is quite unsettling, as it seems our kind are hunted at best, slaves at worst. I would like to assume this is the doing of Aeon, and its public arm Utopia. Pax was looking for me, and he was so angry. I hope that I am not somehow at fault for all of this. What else should I know regarding the disappointing state of this world? What went wrong?"

Thetis looks unsettled for a moment. She reassures him quickly.

"In no way, is this your fault. You might even argue that it is my fault. Pax's anger at you is easily explained. You have eluded him, not you of course, but your future self, for sixteen years. Pax is a hammer. To a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. That's all that is."

Originally Posted By: Darklighter

As they talk, he is conserving internal energy and his form eventually reverts, with the transformation happening as if sapphire crystal was being 'rewritten' into flesh fiber by fiber all in the blink of an eye.

Again, she looks surprised, but quickly recovers. She chuckles at herself.

"I had momentarily forgotten that you were still able to do that. Jedi was surprised too, you said. The Doktor Krauss we knew was no longer able, or possibly just not interested, to resume his flesh form. That I can be surprised is... somwhat surprising itself. This is good for me in more ways than I had suspected."

She grows serious quickly, and runs her delicate fingers through her hair.

"Time, at this end grows short. I must explain myself to you, and that will be hard, for I cannot explain all. Jennifer Corbin, called Slider, has brought you forward in time, she thinks to become a soldier in the INA's rebellion against Pax, and Utopia. I want to use you for a different purpose. And, it will be hard to do on such a limited aquaintance. The first step, you must turn yourself in to Pax."

[Darklighter]

"Thank you Madame Thetis, for the insight and the respite. I must admit that many things in this future are wonderful, and no doubt there is more than a little good for the human race. I, however, distinctly do not wish to be tagged. One tags an animal, or a criminal, and I am neither." says Jasper, clearing his throat and proceeding to take a swig of fine cognac out of the little silver flask he keeps in his inside vest pocket 'for medicinal purposes only'. He continues "I do want to help, but I still fear for my freedom. I also fear for the fate of our kind, and that does strike a balance of sorts ... Mind I do not make accusations toward you, but if I were to lay a trap and it failed by force ... then using honey to bait the fly is just the other side of the coin."

He looks weary as he says "I have pondered this time, this world, and a life on the run isn't for me ... neither is one of slavery. What am I to do? I would think to ask you to lay out as much of your plan as you are able, to convince me a little more ... and hope that you do not find that request unreasonable." He offers Thetis a sip of the good stuff ... and as he talks with Thetis he is making mental preparations to flee once again, but in his mind and manerism he is sincere about wanting to help - and staying to at least listen.

[Titan]

Thetis inclines her head in acknowledgement of his thanks, and politely waves off his offer of cognac. She nods in agreement to his request for more information, and settles herself into a lecturing posture.

"Of course you would never offer yourself up as a sacrificial lamb, Jasper. I wouldn't ask you to. You are, however, a legend. Utopia's one very public failure. Many in the underground murmur that some day Darklighter will surface to take down Pax. Pax himself is subconsciously worried about that very event. Now, you and I know that that presents a remote possibility, if indeed there is any possibility at all. But, he will be on edge. That's where we want him."

She leans slightly forward, looking into his eyes.

"It will also give you an edge once you are inside."

At his puzzled stare, she smiles smugly.

"We have allowed the world to think that the novas taken during the purge were killed. That is not, in fact, the case. They were given to me. All of them still live. Most of them still have their quantum powers, though they are dormant. None of them will trust me, however."

She looks away, off into the distance.

"I have had to do things, Jasper, to prove my loyalty to Utopia. Things that I would rather have struck my arms off than do. But I did them, and would do them again. Long ago, a friend and I saw the possibility of this moment. The only way for it to succeed was for me to be in the position I am in. Jennifer will assemble her strike team from her remnants and recruits from the past. They will assault Galatea's child again, a last defiant gesture. Jennifer hopes wildly that if they can kill Pax... It cannot succeed.

"I have been prepared to neutralize my staff at the facility in Bahrain from the beginning. But if I set the prisoners loose, they will be a mob. Most likely, they will tear me apart first, then waste precious time destroying the facility. No chance they will follow me."

She looked back at him piercingly.

"They will, however, follow you."