Aberrant: Phoenix Rising - Book 2: Chapter 4: The Division Bell

[Courier]

Doug acknowledged, "True, but when blood is shed, the reflex should be to jump in." *And this wasn't much of a loss.*

Doug added, "I've have done the same thing for her. For you too maybe."

[Joani]

Anna quietly placed one hand on Doug's wound and healed it absentmindedly. She wasn't sure what to think of this all... something went wrong, seriously wrong and she had trouble putting a finger on when everything went to hell.

She shook her head to nothing in particular and stood up and walked away a few steps aimlessly without much on her mind.

Click to reveal..

22/28 QP

[jameson (ST)]

KB pirouetted away, "Because he tried to hurt my Doug. Because he was insolent. Because I wanted to, because I enjoyed it." She looked at the corpse as her expression was serene, she hadn't killed a man she had crushed an insect. He gaze turned toward Ash, her cold eyes, looking like nothing more than the deepest blue of a cloudless summer sky regarded her for a moment. Then she laughed, a capricious sound and twirled away into the air.

[Courier]

Doug watched Anna and then KB wander off and said, "I'm having real problems trying to think John was the cause of all this. His power just wasn't global. Even Beth's power wasn't global. I think John's power failed because of whatever happened globally. It was a result, not a cause."

Doug continued, "John's power failed when the event happened. Some of the novas went nuts, although some of them might have been abbies even before the event. They were put down. Beth got pissed and went all nuclear on the site."

"And the event happened 'fast'. They didn't have time to run."

[SalmonMax]

"It's possible," Ash acknowledges, looking away. "We don't know the event is global yet, but we know it's pretty huge at the very least."

She looks at Raider.

"Any way you could verify? Like, teleport to the other side of the planet and see if it's like this there?"

[Joani]

Anna simply walked on without looking back. She wasn't particularly fast or determined, the direction she was walking to seemed absolutely random and her shoulders were visibly slummed forward. She didn't care anymore the world stopped making sense.

[Courier]

Doug sent to Anna, *Anna? You ok?*

[Joani]

Anna put her hands on her ears as if to shut out any voices.

*Leave me alone, Doug! KB has gone crazy and I'm losing my mind, too. I can't take this anymore. We're all doomed, we're aberrants, just like the man said.*

Now she was slowly picking up speed taking longer strides and falling into a slow jogging pace.

[Mr Fox]

Raider didn't think Ash's statement was correct. Six year olds could do plenty of damage if they were determined to do it, they just had to be sneaky about getting in the first blow.

[Courier]

With some sympathy Doug asked, *Anna, where are you going to go? And no offense, but you're not going insane. Crazy people don't think they're crazy.*

*That guy? He was crazy. Crazy with grief, or hate, or something. You would have healed him for nothing. I would have traded healing for the information he gave us. But he didn't want that.*

*He knew I was bullet proof and he stabbed me anyway. He knew I could fly a lot quicker than he could run and he stabbed me anyway. He knew I was much, much stronger than him to. He wasn't trying to kill me, he was trying to make us kill him.*

*He wanted to die.*

[Joani]

*I'm sick of it, sick of it all! No one ever tells me the truth, not the whole truth. I'm tired of the killing and my vain attempts to heal them. I can't fix the most important thing, I can't be normal again and it's driving me insane. You and Raider and Ashley - you can all look normal if you want. But me and Gregory... poor Gregory...*

Her thoughts were getting a tangled mess of self-pity, frustration and true fear. Anna picked up speed as she ran. She wanted to run away from everything.

[Courier]

*Going off to die somewhere by yourself isn't going to help anyone Anna.*

Doug flew over next to Anna to keep pace with her. (Activate Hyper-Flight 2)

*And Raider and I can't look normal. I always have muscles, Raider always has hair. Gregory on the other hand can look baseline if he chooses to. It's just a matter of turning off your node. I know the theory but never saw the point of learning. Gregory and Ash don't know the theory but might be able to teach it.*

(OOC: Doug has taint 0 but always looks like a nova. Raider has aberrations).

[Gregory]

Once again, Gregory was appauled by the violence in front of him. KB's outburst shocked him into acting againts her. He had to know why she did that to the man. Her explamnation did not make sense. He could get the truth from her: all it would take was some carefully phrased questions mixed with a little of his power.

((OOC: Activating Confessor on KB))

"KB. I need to ask, but isn't killing that man a going to hurt what we are trying to learn.?" Gregory was trying to get her to open up, even if she might not be willing to. "He was going to tell us who 'she' was. Without him we won't know who she was."

Gregory looked into her eyes with a sympathetic look. "Do you know who he was referring to?" If all went well, whe would explain her motives and if whe knew what had happened. he hoped her taint had not taken her. For that reason, he kept his Force field up. Her behavior was chaotic.

[SalmonMax]

Ash watches Raider, then finally shakes her head sourly.

"Stony silence I guess means no. Okay, now I've managed to piss you off too. Now if I can alienate Greg and Anna, my fiendish plan to isolate myself from the few people left who'll have anything to do with me will be complete."

She looks around and realizes Anna's gone.

"...make that Greg."

[Mr Fox]

Raider shakes his incorporeal head and becomes solid enough to speak more audibly, "You haven't pissed me off, but I'd prefer to wait till we finish this discussion before hopping to the other side of the world, and I was silent because it's hard to hold a conversation when you are not solid. Anything I say comes out very weak airy sounding."

[Joani]

,,

Originally Posted By: Courier

*Going off to die somewhere by yourself isn't going to help anyone Anna.*

Doug flew over next to Anna to keep pace with her. (Activate Hyper-Flight 2)

*And Raider and I can't look normal. I always have muscles, Raider always has hair. Gregory on the other hand can look baseline if he chooses to. It's just a matter of turning off your node. I know the theory but never saw the point of learning. Gregory and Ash don't know the theory but might be able to teach it.*

*Stop lying to me! All you do is lie!*, Anna suddenly stopped and turned around to face Doug, her pain mixed with anger and frustration reflected in her amber eyes. She was slowly growing, getting bigger and bigger as she prepared herself to fight.

Click to reveal..

Spent 1 WP to overcome her Pacifist flaw

*Get out of my head!*

"Get out of my head!", she both screamed with her voice and in her mind.

Click to reveal..

Activate Growth

[SalmonMax]

"Well," Ash points out, "when someone asks you a question, a weak airy answer is better than silence, right? And I wasn't asking you to do it now. I was asking if you COULD do it. If it was possible, I mean."

She shakes her head, and seems about to say something when Anna's yelling outside can be heard.

"Shit."

The still glowing Ash runs out towards the sound of Anna's voice at enhanced speeds!

(Raising force field)

[Courier]

Doug assumed a defensive posture and said out loud, "I've never lied to you Anna. But it's easily proven."

Doug said more loudly, "Hey Gregory! Anna wants to see you dorm."

(OOC: Doug will reserve an action and if Anna starts to swing on him he'll fly back out of her range. If that's not possible he'll try to block.)

[Joani]

Anna was really angry and frustrated but most of all she was scared. She balled her fists combat ready but hesitated. She didn't like fighting, she always waited and remained passive in combat and even though she really wanted to hurt someone she was still reluctant to take action. Doug who was far more combat experienced could read this all in her eyes the conflict she was going through.

Anna kept growing, though until she was the size of a small tree. Her mass had increased too and she looked like she could crush Doug with a single blow. Her arms were shaking in held back anticipation - instead of punching him she screamed... screamed as loud as she could.

[Gregory]

((OOC: Didn't realize KB had gone.))

Gregory was going to continue with his probe, but she had gone. He doubted that she even heard him. He shrugged his shoulders and saw everyone tear off after a giant woman in the distance. Anna..?

Quote:

"Hey Gregory! Anna wants to see you dorm."

Gregory heard him, barely, and he ran towards the group heading in Anna's direction. Why would he want to dorm at a time like this. His force field would drop, and he could not hide. Yet in his mind, being vulnerable warred with looking human.

[Courier]

Doug backed off and let Anna scream. He noted that Gregory wasn't exactly rushing to dorm down during nova combat and decided he didn't blame him.

[Joani]

After a long and very painful scream Anna slowly collapsed to her knees and buried her face in her hands. “Go away, Doug.”, she managed to say in between sobs. “You make me sick.”

[Courier]

Doug nodded, realized Anna wouldn't be able to see him and decided he didn't care, and let himself move upward at a good clip to do another aerial view of the area.

[Gregory]

After a minute or two of running, Gregory reached Anna. Above them, Doug hovered. he was either keeping an eye on them or surveying the area.

"What wrong Anna?" Gregory said as he approached her. Just to be on the safe side, he kept his shield up.

[Joani]

"Everything!", she yelled at Gregory, venting part of her frustration on him. Then she looked heartbroken and shrank back to her normal size.

"Oh Gregory, I'm so sorry I failed to heal you. I'm so sorry...", Anna was close to having a nervous breakdown.

[Gregory]

Cautiously, Gregory moved closer until he was right in front of her. He dormed. When he did, his scales became flesh and his hair returned. His eyes, which always cried, did not dry up and look normal like they used to. For Gregory, it was a sign that he would always look like an Abbie and everyone else would know he was one too.

"Anna." He said. "Thank you for trying, but I know that abbeyrations don't heal. This is the best I can do to hide them." Gregory put his arms around her.

He spoke softly to her, his normal unrefined speaking coming through. "We talk later if you want. It make you feel better. Ok?"

[SalmonMax]

A moment later, Ash caught up with Anna and Greg...not so much because she was slow, but because she was -fast-...and overshot them the first time, then had to look around.

"Anna!"

It took her a moment to realize that the mood there was not one of danger.

"Are you okay?"

[Joani]

Anna hugged Gregory like a brother she never had. Even though she was far larger than him her embrace was gentle and careful. She sobbed bitterly and cried unable to answer any questions directed at her. She was really heartbroken and desperate.

[jameson (ST)]

"Shit. She's a crazy as they said." Adam shook his head as he watched KB's ethereal form dance and twirl through the air. Eventually she made her way to Doug as he floated above the ruined town. Adam shrugged and began to search the man's body, "No point in letting anything go to waste," he muttered to himself as he searched.

KB, her body once more looking less substantial appeared lost in her own music until she wrapped herself around Doug, her diaphanous limbs embracing him and yet being not wholly there at the same instant. "Can I kill her too?" she giggled the question but the sparks of lightening in her eyes belayed any humor in the question.

[Courier]

Doug flew with KB and got lost in the moment. In response to her question he stole a kiss and replied confidently, "Let her live. She'll come around."

[Gregory]

Gregory had never had anyone return a hug, and he found himself holding onto her tighter and stroking her back in an attempt to calm her. He was fighting to hold back his own tears, as he wondered what it must have been like for her where she came from and the pain she had to endure.

Gregory vowed to comfort her until she felt better.

[Mr Fox]

Raider eventually made his way to where the conversation had moved. He was pleased to see that Gregory could dorm and return to a semblance of normal, or mostly so. He still seemed to be crying, but that could just be the emotions of the moment, it was hard to tell. He waited for a moment to avoid interrupting the touching scene, but finally spoke, "Ash or anyone else that wants to can come with me. I'm going to pop in and see if I can see what's going on in other parts of the world."

[Joani]

Anna’s outburst slowly reduced to sobs and the occasional hickup. She slowly withdrew from Gregory and looked at him through watery eyes. “Oh Gregory…”, then she realized he looked normal again!

She stared at him suddenly sobered by what she saw and slowly shook her head with a look of dread in her eyes. “Oh no… it’s starting… I’m losing my mind… I’m… I see… it can’t be.”, she reached out for him and didn’t dare to touch his skin, his human flesh and hair. Gregory looked perfectly human again and it didn’t make sense to her.

Anna scooted away from him scared and confused. Her world was collapsing and she desperately tried to grasp the pieces of her sanity. Her body shivered and she breathed heavily stricken with panic.

[SalmonMax]

Ashley stood there watching Anna and Greg hug, feeling a bit relieved and a bit uncomfortable, and even a little jealous. Not that she really went for Greg's new look, but...he could obviously do something about it.

When Anna reacted with fear though, she was confused and concerned all over again. What was with Anna suddenly? A dark corner of her mind whispered maybe the 'aberrant bomb' had left some kind of residual radiation behind. Were they all changing?

"Anna," she said, stepping forward. "What's wrong?"

[Joani]

Anna looked at Ashley nervously, her eyes still frantic. “Ash… oh god, I’m seeing things… impossible things. Gregory looks normal and Doug keeps telling me lies… I don’t know what to do. I think I’m losing my mind. I’m becoming an Aberrant!”, Ashley could hear the terror in Anna’s voice. The large tree like woman was losing her grip on reality.

[Gregory]

"I am still me." Gregory said, as he moved a little closer to Anna. "I can turn off quantum-stuff in my body and look like normal person," Almost. Gregory was very wary of Anna at the moment, as her size was intimidating. With Ash there, though, he felt a little safer. She could Dorm'd too.

"When I turn it back on..." Gregory became his normal aberrated self. "I turn back into an... Aberrant." Actually saying the word 'Aberrant', made Gregory want to retch.

[Joani]

Anna stared incredulously at Gregory and pointed at him, then she spoke to Ash. “You can do that, too? Is that really possible?”, her voice was full of hope. And it also meant that Doug wasn’t lying about that part… but he still didn’t make much sense to her.

Suddenly feeling very guilty Anna looked sadly and self consciously at her friends, “I’m so sorry… I think I lost my composure there and suddenly panicked. I… I didn’t mean to scare you. I still don’t know what we can do… and how do you do that? Shut down your Quantum?”

[Gregory]

"I'm not sure how I do it." Gregory said. "I have been able to do it since my e'ruption."

Thinking for a moment, Gregory adds: "I just close off part of me head to the en'gy and my body become more like it used to be." Gregory pointed to his forehead to illustrate where he turns it off.

[Joani]

Anna shook her head in disbelief, “I don’t think I can do that…”

She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the point Gregory was pointing at but aside from getting a minor headache nothing happened. “I… I can’t do it…”

Anna looked helplessly at Ashley. She knew how to dorm, too. Maybe she could explain her how it worked? Anna wanted to be normal again but she was also afraid of losing access to her powers. The conflict was irritating for her and made things more difficult than they normally would be.

[SalmonMax]

Ash caught Anna's look and stepped forward. She 'pushed' at the power raging within her; with effort stuffing it back up into her head. The white glow from her body and eyes faded and she was a creature of flesh again.

"It's a little different for me," she tells Anna. "When I do it, it feels like I'm pushing all that energy back up into my head...and it kind of snaps shut once I get to a certain point, and then I'm like this again."

"I'm sure you can learn to do it...but it'll probably be different for you than for us."