Aberrant: Stargate Universe - Chasing Ghosts

[z028 Riley]

[A little after [Mission SG22]: P3X-559 second visit]

The thought had been spinning in her head for a while now and her curiosity had finally overridden her annoyance with the clumsy interface and search capabilities of this Earth's information core. She made her way to the open computer lab on the base and started with a simple name search, adding in the dates and places of birth when the first searches returned thousands of near hits. She sifted through public birth records, archived pictures, and newspaper articles from the turn of the century forward.

The lab slowly filled with others, mostly men, and Kyria ignored them with the effortless racism that had been taught to her from the cradle by her father. She frowned in annoyance at the screen in front of her and longed for a proper connection to the information. Despite her somewhat flighty nature at times, she continued on; her loneliness and isolation pushing her forward.

[Mr Fox]

Despite the interface Kyria eventually found some basic leads. Michael Donnighal was born in 1893 in Cambridge, Mass. Given the databases the SGC was hooked up to there was probably far more information than she would have been able to find on the open internet, at least without paying to join genealogy sites. Death certificate found for the same Michael Donnighal in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1956. No marriage license. Other records indicated that Donnighal did internship at John's Hopkins in the 20s and practiced medicine in New York for several years. Further records indicate that he moved to Jackson in 1950 and opened a private practice in the town. The death certificate stated blunt trauma as the cause of death, but no further records and no next of kin.

Max Mercer was less easy to track. He was born in 1899 in Chicago, and attended East Chicago High School graduating in 1917 and those were the only records on file for anyone who might be her 'father'.

[z028 Riley]

She printed off the records she found, including pictures of both me, with a pensive frown. Then she returned to the computer and did a brief search for a reputable and thorough genealogy site and entered the bank account information that Daniel had explained to her when she was formally hired by the SGC. It was the first time she'd spent any of the money she'd earned as a member of Stargate Command. She sought out both men again, looking mostly for children or other living relatives.

Her eyes strayed to the pictures as she searched, the frown still tugging at her lips. Her expression was somewhere between upset and incredibly sad, an unusual look for mercurial teen. As she searched through her pick of a genealogy site she wondered if she should ask the general if there were better interfaces or records that she was not currently allowed access to. Or if Steve would mind assisting her on this personal project.

[Mr Fox]

For a small fee the genealogy sites offered to provide copies of any record available for either of her searches.

Michael Donnighal turned up school records at Harvard, he had graduated with a 4.0 and was Valedictorian of his class. First in his class at med school and finished in 2 years less than the standard course of instruction. His father was a noted professor at Harvard although he was not in the medical sciences but physics. Each document was produced and printed in archival quality. The genealogy sites also traced back both men's ancestry several generations, both being lost in the 1700s. Had she chosen to pursue it Kyria could have traced other side branches of the family down to the present, but neither men produced any further information. Perhaps Steve would have more success. Beyond that only more direct methods would work.

[z028 Riley]

She gathered up the additional printouts and took one of the manila folders from the supply drawers under the printer. She headed out of the computer lab still lost in her own thoughts. She wandered the hallways in the same oblivious haze, her folder open as she leafed back and forth through the pages.

She scanned out into the base, searching for her teammate's mind and location. *Steve, do you have a minute? I need help with something and you'll be much quicker about it then trying to go through all the red tape and paranoia of the 'proper channels'. It's nothing dangerous to anyone and probably only insignificantly illegal.* She was already heading in his direction on the hope of a positive response.

[Courier]

Steve sent back, *I have lots of minutes and am always in favor of cutting through red tape.*

There were several undercurrents to this. Steve liked the idea of doing a favor for Kyria, her impression was that he'd probably hit her up for some more training later. Steve's mind was *much* weaker, younger, and slower than the Steve she'd met before... not all that surprising considering he'd had two centuries more experience than this Steve.

Steve was very near by in an empty conference room and it was only a few steps for Kyria to find him. He'd been drawing boxes with cryptic symbols and then connecting them with lines on the white board... an organizational habit that Kyria knew the other Steve had done mentally.

Steve said, "What can I do for you?"

[z028 Riley]

Her lips quirked at the linked habit, momentarily pulling her out of her melancholic mood. She set the folder down on the table and nodded to the chart, "What are you tracking?"

She listened to his response, then motioned to the folder. "This is something personal, so I would appreciate your discretion on the matter." She flicked the folder open and pulled out the two cover sheets for both Michael and Maxwell from the genealogy site. "I'm looking for as much information as can be found on both these men. I have their birthplaces and dates, their genealogical charts, and several pictures of each of them. My research shows that Michael..."

Her voice faded out as she stared at the picture on the sheet for a heartbeat before continue. "It says he died from blunt trauma. I want to what happened." Her voice had returned with a dangerous undertone of anger to it that sent chills through the young con-man. She moved on swiftly, pointing to the other sheet. "There are no other records of Max after high school. I...I need to find him. I need to know what happened to him. This is all I could get from the internet core I have access to. You could find more for me, and much more quickly than I could. Will you help me?"

[Courier]

Quote:

She set the folder down on the table and nodded to the chart, "What are you tracking?"

Steve said, "Several things actually. Interpersonal relationships in the SG. Alien races and tech relationships too."

Quote:

She listened to his response, then motioned to the folder. "This is something personal, so I would appreciate your discretion on the matter."

Steve nodded reassuringly and put his best 'you can trust me' expression on his face.

Quote:

Her voice faded out as she stared at the picture on the sheet for a heartbeat before continue. "It says he died from blunt trauma. I want to what happened." Her voice had returned with a dangerous undertone of anger to it that sent chills through the young con-man. She moved on swiftly, pointing to the other sheet. "There are no other records of Max after high school. I...I need to find him. I need to know what happened to him. This is all I could get from the internet core I have access to. You could find more for me, and much more quickly than I could. Will you help me?"

*Personal Mission. Those are always fun. In a different setting she'd be telling me 'money's no object'. It's a pity she doesn't have any... so I'll just have to settle for more training on my 'keys to immortality' project. Step one, gain a favor: Let's just find what she's looking for... whether or not it exists.*

Steve gave a reassuring smile and said, "Always. You can count on me."

*She picked a good time and place. This is my favorite place for this sort of thing. The computer lab is above the main server room.*

[activate: Fade, Catfooted, & Mental Prodigy Investigative]

Steve spread the documents in front of him on the table, stared at them for a moment that stretched into a minute, and then two. Then Steve's head started turning to watch things that weren't in the room and his eyes started flickering towards and focusing on other realms.

In response to things unseen Steve said in bursts over the next half an hour, "Michael Donnighal. Something odd about his death. It reads like a murder but there was no investigation. No suspects. No nothing. Wait... Mike has a criminal record."

"1930, New York. He was arrested at a Gay rights protest. More oddness. There's one page, the first page, of his arrest and that's it. Again, no follow up. This reads like someone was paid to drop it."

"Let's try expanding. Two police names are on reports for his murder. They're both dead. Mike's dad... oh now, that's odd. Classified?"

"Mike's dad worked with Einstein and died in 1943 while working on the Manhattan Project. They claim natural causes. Um... yeah, probably. He was seriously old and had health problems."

"Maybe Maxwell will be more interesting. ..."

"No criminal record. No drivers license. Didn't register for the Draft. No bank accounts. He never bought stock. It's like he fell off the world right after high school. That suggests he changed his name or something."

"Um... hey, Max had a younger sister."

"Who is dead. Wait, the sister had children. Two children, one dead at 6 weeks... one is still alive. Mary Evenstein. She's on the social security rolls. Born 1933. Widowed, retired."

"Lives in Seattle Washington. That's down the road quiet a clip."

Looking tired Steve focused on Kyria in the here and now and said, "I think that's about as much as we can do via computer. If you want more..." *Like that's an 'If'* "...we should go visit Mary. If he's still alive Max might have contacted his family over the years. She might know something."

"As for Mike... if there's more it's probably in a cold case box somewhere, *if* you're lucky. If true then even the index isn't on computer but with records that old it might not be."

Steve waits to see how Kyria handles this.

[z028 Riley]

"His father's work was classified? I know who Einstein was, at least in my own timeline, but what was the Manhattan Project? Can you get to the classified files? Also, can you track the names of the police officers, find out what happen to them and if there's a lead we can follow there?"

It was odd. She was angry with her actual father, who was safely ensconced in his own reality and quite alive, but the death of this man who shared his name was pulling her into a mystery over half a century abandoned.

"We can pursue the niece later, but if Max disappeared when he was after high school, I doubt there's much she'd know. She probably never met him." She frowned at the papers as if willing them to give up the secrets of her progenitor's dopplegangers. "Let's start with Michael. Where would this cold case box be?"

*********

Half an hour later Kyria was knocking on Damien's door. She knew she could probably get off the base by herself or with just Steve along, if he decided he wanted to come along, but she didn't want a Marine escort or to have someone tailing her the entire time she was looking around Mississippi. The Captain had offered to help her get some time off-base and 'see the world'; hopefully he'd be up for a short trip in between missions.

"Damien? It's Kyria. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

[Adrian Moss]

Caine was counting down the day until he was allowed off base. He paced inside his office going over post mission reports, equipment reports and other such bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo when the voice came over his intercom. For just an instant he was hoping it was HER, but it was someone else. Still, it was someone he considered a friend.

He walked over and opened the door.

"Damien, eh? Okay, Kyria what can I do for you? You look ... pre-occupied."

The man looked inordinently at peace this time around, not the emotional wreck of their first meeting.

[z028 Riley]

Kyria, on the other hand, looked uncharacteristically distracted and concerned. She took a few steps into the room and motioned for him to shut the door. Once they had some privacy she fidgeted, then blurted out, "I need to get off the base; there's something I'm looking into, something personal, and I don't want to have to drag a pair of Marines with me. Or spend the time dodging whatever spook babysitter the general tails me with just to make sure I'm not heading for the White House or something. Would....would you come with me? They trust you here and I'd rather have someone I know with me than strangers."

She laced her fingers behind her back to keep from fidgeting further as she waited for his response. For a woman that could bench-press a car and survive naked in the vacuum of space, she looked downright vulnerable at the moment.

[Adrian Moss]

Though he thought on if for a nano-second, Kyria know that could be a much longer time for a nova.

"First off, I'll go. Now that's settled, were are we going and what are we going to do when we get there?"

He wasn't cavalier, he was being a man of his word ... and a friend, and that sometimes meant you did some weird things with little understanding of what you were doing at the time. Friends don't need reasons for being friends.

Caine was already sending glances toward his duffel bag in the corner and Kyria could see him make up a list of what he needed to carry.

"Mind you, it will take three more days. I'm still under disciplinary action. I can put in the request now though."

He reached for the phone,

"Anyone else coming along?"

[z028 Riley]

"Steve might be. He said he'd let me know when I had more definite plans." She looked down, relieved but still unsure if she really could explain this in a way he'd understand.

"I need to go to Mississippi, to a town called Jackson. A man was killed there in 1950's, probably murdered, and I want to know what happened. He....he's the man who would have been my father on my Earth. Whatever happened, it was covered up and dropped. It probably sounds weird, tracking something down like that and caring, but I do...." There was more, of course. There was always more, but this was strange enough by itself and would hopefully satisfy the other nova.

"Three days." She took a breath and nodded. "I'll see if there's anything else I can pull up on the case until then."

[Adrian Moss]

"Oh, Steve is going to be tough. If people don't directly remembre him, nothing can get done with him. In essence, I have to give my word that he'll return to the General, because there is no way of us keeping track of him."

Damine sighs.

"I don't know this guy. From what I do know about him is that he's a civilian and may want to go back to civilian life - which is going to be tough if he can't keep credit cards, or a bank account. I don't blame him. The NID completely screwed over his life and really deseves a chance to get it back."

"Help me to keep an eye on him, okay?"

"I'll put the request in and I don't doubt there will be a meeting with the general before we depart, but we should be good. Is your suit the only clothing you need?"

"As for Jackson, its the Capital of Mississippi was the center for a group called the Klu Klux Klan - the KKK. If your father was Northern and/or an activist that could have been the reason for his demise. They were bad that way and through to the 1980's."

"Are you familiar with Racist, right-wing reactionary groups? You may want to look it up before we go."

[z028 Riley]

Her brow furrowed at his references, but she nodded. "Alright. I'll look them up. As for Steve, I don't think he'll try to get away from us. If he's anything like the Steve Courier I knew, he'll go wherever the best opportunity is. Right now there's no one else in the world that can help him develop his powers that isn't at the SGC."

She hugged him, an impulsive gratitude for his help. "Thank you. This...really means a lot to me."

[Adrian Moss]

Caine hugs her back lightly.

"You aren't alone here, Kyria. You have people in here and we'll stand with you if need be. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels the way I do."

Letting go, he adds,

"I'll get right on the request. I'll do it in person, to put the best foot foward, to go along with my written request. Move along you," he makes the effort to swat her hip,"I have some work to do. I'll let you know what I've accomplished at dinner tonight."

He leaned back against his desk. She had made this one of the good days, filling him with a new purpose, a new mission, and a new goal. All he needed to do was get O'Neil's approval.

[Mr Fox]

"She wants to do what?" The General raised an eyebrow then sat back in his seat considering. The IOA wouldn't like it. Letting an alien telepath loose on the planet, on the other hand she was human and a member of Stargate Command. If she could be trusted here then why not in Jackson Mississippi? Besides she would have both Major Caine and Specialist Courier to keep an eye on her. What could go wrong? He shivered at the images that thought brought up...

"Permission granted Major. She is your responsibility while you are off base. See that you don't get yourselves into any trouble."

[Courier]

(Before)

Steve had blinked at some of these questions then Kyria had realized how low on juice he was and had zoomed off while he rested... and considered.

*She's gorgeous, intelligent, poised... and totally ignorant of some 'universal' cultural icons. She's from further than Omar I think. Totally different culture. I've always gotten the feeling that she viewed herself as 'ethical'... but now I really have to wonder exactly what that means to her.*

*I wonder how she feels about sheep willingly supplying money if you ask them correctly? Or how she feels about using one's powers to their full economic potential?*

[Adrian Moss]

Caine caught up with Kyria after PT with her team. He pulled her aside so they had a moment of quiet.

"We are a go," he said seriously, but then added, "if we get in trouble, we are orphans, got it?"

"So, when do you want the three of us to head out. Just two more days of restricted movement and I'll be ready. Whose paying for the plane tickets?"

It was an honest question, and Caine only had the barest incling that Kyria had no real conception of wealth. He was sure that she was getting paid. He was also sure of what flight they could take. they would fly from Dallas to Texas then grab a connector to Jackson, no problem. He had it all laid out. All that needed to be determined was ... money.

Would Steve 'want' to pay for his own ticket? Caine could certainly handle his own, but this was Kyria's mission. How much responsibility would she want to exert?

[z028 Riley]

Kyria shrugged, unconcerned by money as only one who had never had a scarcity of it could be. "I can pay for them. Da- Dr. Jackson showed me how to access my bank account, and I don't really need money for anything else. I think there's around ten thousand dollars or so in there right now. Do you think that will be enough for this trip?"

She was running hot and cold: excited to get off base and do something worthwhile that wasn't an order, yet also still ambivalent over the two men she was chasing after. Her eyes flicked up to him, "And by orphan, you mean that if we run into trouble the SGC will not be able assist us, right?"

[Adrian Moss]

"O'Neil wouldn't leave us hanging," Damien said seriously. "The orphan comment was a joke. Keep your wits about you and don't get mono-focussed, okay?"

"Ten thousand will do fine. That's more than enough for round trip tickets from Denver to Dallas and from Dallas to Jackson. That should run you about two thousand all told. I'll take the room costs ... Steve still needs to sleep."

"I'll pick us up three clean laptops to work with from here - call it a training op. You can load all your non-sensative data on it and I'll need security to pass it through the day before ... we had better go get them now."

As they walked,

"We'll get Pay as you Go cell phones so we can stay in communications without taxing your telepathy. Steve might need some civilian clothes. Anything else we need you can think of?"

[z028 Riley]

"You seem to know much better than I what is needed. Between myself and my eufiber, I don't usually travel with....well, anything else. So whatever you think we need, I'll go along with. Is there anyone else you think we should bring along? Anyone else that might be useful? I know most of the specialists at least by name and face now, but I haven't gotten to know everyone's abilities and skills yet."

[Adrian Moss]

"Don't forget your ID badge. Steve should definitely not forget his, or he's boned."

"Others? Steve works with machines. We aren't going to need a freight train or a k ... combatant. If we need to analyze a bunch of data rapidly, Olivia. Gwyn's got the physical sciences. Hmmm ... I don't know about Aradia yet, but we could ask her. I get the feeling she knows personally a strata of society we may not have experience with. I get the feeling that there are some people who wouldn't want to come. They are moving away from the Team structure."

"I don't know about Captain Teflon. This may be a bit far afield from what he wants to do in his spare time. Personally, I like the team you have. We are not weak anywhere."

[z028 Riley]

She considered Olivia for a moment, then decided the last thing Livy needed was someone else's problems dumped on her again so she shrugged and nodded. "Alright. I'll go check and see if Steve is coming, and then....well, where do we want to meet to leave? I'm used to 'porting around or warps, so....."

She looked lost already. This was going to be an interesting trip.

[Adrian Moss]

"We'll meet in the motor pool at 8am tomorrow morning. Bring some kind of luggage," he grins.

****************************

The ride down to Colorado Springs was brisk and cool, but none of the novas seemed to mind (well maybe Steve). Kyria had been a bit suspect about the car. It rolled along the ground, for starters. It smelled of gasoline, no matter how slightly, and rumbled somewhat oddly. The important thing was that it took ... forever, and this was only the start of their quest.

In Colorado Springs, they went to the airport and waited in line, again, for the airplane. It all seemed horribly wasteful of temporal resources, but Steve and Damien took it in stride. It was more mind-numbing horror for Kyria. She could feel her intellect fading away IQ point by precious IQ point.

Caine saw her pain through her empty-faced expression.

"I've brought a few magazines for you to read and there will be an inflight movie ... I hope."

At the end of the security line, Caine had to get into it with one of the security guards because Steve did not exist in their records and Caine's written report wasn't specific enough. Caine got angry and he was cowed by the spectre of the Nova's wrath. It got them through though.

Now came the plane ride. For someone who had traveled through space, it didn't sound so bad ...until the plane's rattleing could be felt through the seat at take off. Then the desperate realization on how flimsy and primative a device she was trapped in. Oh yes, and it was powered by a highly volitale flammable substance. It was almost enough to make her wish for the technological accomplishments of her homeworld.

[Courier]

Steve felt considerably more in his element at the airport. He and especially Kyria attracted a considerable amount of attention just walking around. Fascination, jealousy, lust... Steve loved it.

After they got their boarding passes and were waiting for the plane, Steve glanced at the clock, at Caine, noted that Caine was sitting so he could watch everyone enter or leave the area, then Steve played through several scenarios in his mind. Eventually he decided he might as well and his shadow vanished.

Ten minutes later he said, "Hey, Caine, Kyria, restroom break. Anyone want me to bring back a bagel?" Neither seemed interested so Steve walked over to the rest room, then to the vender, paid cash, then came back and his shadow returned.

*Out of sight, out of mind... and there was an ATM conveniently down a bit from the rest room and out of sight. It feels good to have cash.*

[z028 Riley]

Kyria fidgeting while they waited in line for their tickets, chafed at the nearness of everyone in the line to board the plane, and nearly demanded to get off the baselines contraption when they experienced a moment of turbulence lifting off. It was only the image of her father's face and the words on the coroner's report for his counterpart in this world that kept her in her seat.

She prayed silently to whatever forces were at work in this universe that they all landed in one piece, and that someone figured out teleportation technology here before she had reason to travel again.

[Courier]

Steve noticed Kyria's distress and guessed at the cause. *Superwoman from the future is afraid of flying? I guess if I were in a 1930's aircraft I'd be nervous too.*

Steve reached over, gave a reassuring smile, and tried to hold Kyria's hand saying, "Your first time? Don't worry, statistically these things are safer than cars." *Of course that says a lot more about cars than it does about airplanes. Let's try distracting her.*

"So why the big effort at following these guys?"

[z028 Riley]

Distracted as she was, it was easy to say more than she intended to. "He's my father." She looked down at the file in her hands, slowing her breathing and deciding that talking was better than panicking. "My father's counterpart in this place, I mean. It..it was just a curiosity to begin with, but..."

She shook her head, "It didn't seem like it'd be so difficult to find them here. And Michael wasn't hard, but this look likes so much cover-up and....I don't know. My father....well, he had a knack for getting involved in all sorts of things. It seems like some things are universal." She looked back to him. "So I want to know why his murder was covered up."

Her fingers flipped idly through the pages in the file, "And then there's Max. He just disappeared. Again, not the kind of man to walk quietly in the world. I mean, he's subtle, but just like Michael, he's powerful. Something like disappearing right after high school is as much worth looking into as coroner's faked or altered report. He's just better at covering his tracks than I am at following, so far."

The cabin dinged to tell them they could take their seat-belts off now, and the captain came on over the speakers to tell them not to unless they needed to use the lavatory. The stewardesses began their paths up and down the aisle to hand out peanuts and sodas. Kyria took a ginger ale and seemed to settle much more comfortably into the flight.

[Courier]

Steve thought for a moment then said cautiously, "If this was your dad's counterpart, then he was like his twin brother. You might want to think of him as your uncle instead."

*Because you have a lot of power and you're looking for justice, or maybe revenge. That might not be a good combination on a many decades old trail where you're probably not going to find anything. If you weren't a telepath I might find you a scape goat, but even that's not possible.*

[z028 Riley]

Her lips twitched at the thought of two Michael's running around a single world. Somehow that seemed like a bad idea. She shook her head, "He's...this Michael isn't my father. I know that. I mean, he's a baseline! But, he should be something like him, maybe he thought like him. I don't know."

She sighed, "Maybe it is foolish to do this, but I'm willing to be foolish for a while, then. I need some sort of closure with him, even if it's just by proxy. As fun as missions can be, and as the SGC in general usually is, there's more to me and more to life than 'yes sirs' and wormholes. This will help me move on to that. I know it." Her voice was conversational, not the hushed whisper of someone speaking of state secrets but also not likely to be noticed over the general buzz of engines and conversation in the cabin.

[Courier]

*Hmm... born 1893, Kyria is what, 20? He'd be like 90 when he had her. More indication of more years. And not especially relevant to what's going on now, you already knew this. Closure by proxy implies no closure. A good looking girl with daddy issues... and you're coming dangerously close to underestimating her, don't do that again.

Steve said seriously and earnestly, "It's not foolish really. If you feel that you have to do it, then it's not a waste of time either." *Not for me anyway. I'm already $500 richer and showing that they can 'trust' me on a long leash is a very good thing. Another time or two like this and I'll be out and about on my own.*

[Mr Fox]

The plane landed in Jackson without incident to the relief of it's 'alien' passenger. The weather was hot and humid for an October day. With jackets on it quickly became uncomfortable in the 90 degree weather, it had been in the 60s when the group had boarded the plane in Colorado Springs. As the trio of inhumanly attractive people debarked and made their way through the airport people stared. People always stare at beautiful people, but this was different. These people whispered to one another asking each other if they should know you from a movie or something.

Outside the airport there was no issue with getting a cab, a yellow and black checkered minivan pulled up right past another waiting fare and stopped next to the three SGC members and jumped out offering to take your bags. "Where to?"

[Adrian Moss]

Looking to Kyria and Steve then the cabbie,

"The Courthouse, if that's were they house the Hall of Records."

Once they were on their way, Damien turned to Kyria and says quietly,

"Let's see what didn't scan into the internet database. Then we figure if there is anyone still around we can talk to by checking pension files. We can see where that leaves us."

"Max is going to be a case for another time. I don't think we have that much time and the trail is much, much colder. Still ... somewhere, somehow, he made a footprint and we can find it. Not even Steve here is totally invisible if you know what to look for."

[Courier]

Steve nodded in agreement but thought, *Not yet... that's odd.*

Steve looked intensely at the back of the cabbie's head then glanced at some other people they passed in other cars. *Am I seeing things differently, or is this just the first time I've bothered to look?*

[Courier]

The cab stopped at a red light, Steve stared intently at a middle aged woman standing with some others at a bus stop. *Let's give it a whirl and see what happens.*

Steve reached out with his 'Control Machines' power and tried to send the order: *There's a problem. Take a step back.* (One succ over her willpower)

[Mr Fox]

The woman looked alarmed and took two steps back looking around for the problem.

[Courier]

Steve watched and evaluated. *Interesting and useful. No pointing at the taxi and screaming 'witch'. She interpreted that thought like it was her own.*

*I think it'd be a lot harder to order her to step out into traffic. She wouldn't mistake that idea as her own idea. Still, I've always tried to work with people and not against them. Even unsubtle abilities can be used subtly.*

Letting his 'allies' know about his new ability never even crossed Steve's mind.

[z028 Riley]

Kyria nodded and was quiet for most of the ride. It wasn't that she was being introspective or was worried; she just didn't really know what to say to these men. One was a sort-of friend (maybe) that had asked her to wipe his mind so he didn't have to deal with being attracted to someone, and the other was Steve. Well, not Steve, but he seemed like Steve-light and she thought he might become more like the other Steve the more powerful he became. Then again, maybe not....and that was giving her a headache. So she was quiet and returned the stares and small crowds that converged on their taxi at every intersection with a politely blank smile.

[Mr Fox]

Jackson had seen movie stars before, but these unknowns were getting even more stares than a movie star would get. People would talk about the three supermodels that had gone through town and no doubt soon there would be a rumor of some style magazine doing a shoot somewhere around the town. Apart from the attention that the two men were not accustomed to, or at least not to this degree, it was a pleasant ride to the courthouse.

Once there they quickly received directions to the hall of records and a very nice, very attentive lady offered to show the three all the records they had on a one, Michael Donnighal. Turned out there was quite a bit more than was online. Seems Jackson was slow in getting dragged into the 21st century. There was a business license from when he opened his medical practice. A home deed which had gone into receivership and eventually auctioned off by the city when no one came forward to claim the estate since Mr. Donnighal did not have a next of kin. Tax records both personal and business related. And finally a death certificate, which included the name of the Justice of the Peace who pronounced him dead.