Aberrant: In the Beginning - Chapter 3 - Pangaea

[z-Wei Fang]

Fang considered the reports for a bit. She made a mental note to look into Bakri Dahab more in a moment; something about his tale drew her. And she was learning to listen to her instincts, for they were often half-conceptulalized thoughts. She wondered what the full story was. Gahiji Mugabe made her curious as well, and she decided to peer into that with more concentration as well.

The news about North and South Korea caught her eye as well. Her mind began to buzz with the possibilities of that situation – both for her plans and for Korea. Not for North and South, but for a unified Korea. A smile quirked her lips as she considered what it would mean for the world if there was once again one Korea, one Korean people.

Her list of ‘must research’ items was rather long, but again, Kiriyenko was important. She knew what his ascension would do to China, and for that reason alone, it was of interest. And again, her mind was trying to tell her something important, and she would listen to its budding warnings.

The Russian launch stopped her perusal. She needed more information on this immediately. Her stomach growled, reminding her that there was another issue which needed attention. She could grab some food and eat on the way to Aeon’s library/research division. Her mind made, the petite woman hurried out of her room, her mind flowing with plans and considerations.

By the time she entered the cafeteria, she had an audacious plan laid out. It was daring. It was insane. It was going to take incredible amounts of funding and work.

She really thought it would work.

[SalmonMax]

"Okay," Juno said to her dad as they walked out of the terminal towards the row of taxis and shuttle busses. "I haven't been watching TV, but apparently the submarine thing's been on a lot. But I wasn't in any real danger, dad, really. The only bad thing that happened was this dolphin attacked me, so I had to like...beat it up a little...but I didn't kill it or anything. And check it out, there was like this underwater thing, like a James Bond movie, I'm serious. It was like..."

She made and outline with her hands, drawing in midair to indicate the enormity of the underwater base.

"It was huge. So I went in, and let them catch me, and a couple of guys talked to me and asked me questions, and I finally asked them what was up with the sub, right? And they were all lying and saying, 'Gee, I dunno,' and I told them they were lying..." She shakes her head. "I don't think they really knew what to do with me though. Finally one of them talks on his wristphone thingy, and orders the others to let me go."

"Like I said, it was easy. They didn't even shoot me."

[Titan]

Voltage

The man rubbed his bald head with a huge hand, bejewelled with gold rings. He stood, turned first to one, then to the other, of the redheads, and made his farewells. He walked around the table, and Michelle got a better sense of just how large a man he was.

He wore linen slacks, just off of pure white, pressed with a razor's edge crease. Cream patent leather shoes and a white alligator belt set off the eggshell button up shirt nicely. The shirt was short sleeved, the better to show off his rock hard forearms and biceps. Around his neck was a heavy, but not ostentatious, gold chain which disappeared into his shirt. A pearl stud earring decorated his left ear.

He smiled at her, broadly, as he took her hand gently in his own. A violet light gleamed in his eyes, and indeed spilled out his mouth over his teeth when he spoke in his Brooklyn accent:

"Hey, how you doin' there, Voltage? Name's Louis. Louis Freeman, and the pleasure is mine."

He gestured to the seat nest to her, and asked:

"You mind I sit?"

Joe

Renee and Cecily looked blankly at Joe. They shared a glance with each other, and Renee shrugged. They turned back to him.

"Fahrenheit?" said Renee, "Never heard of her. Axe-head?"

Cecily shook her head. "Nope, who's that?"

Anibal shrugged. "Sounds cool, but I dunno either, chica."

Cecily looked at him skeptically for a moment, then her face cleared. She nodded slowly.

"Yeah, come to think of it, I think I did see you eating with her yesterday. Huh." She looked at Renee, who gazed back with a small smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. Cecily sighed, and turned back to Joe.

"Ok, you're in, if you want to be. We saw Wraith at a pub last night. We're going to help her catch a murderer. What are you doing tonight?"

Wei Fang

She stopped at the door to the cafeteria. Glanced around the room. Her heart began a beat, and she saw an eye widen in surprise, a lip bitten in flirtation, a glance of recognition, a betrayal planned, a sacrifice made, and fears calmed. Food choices, clothing, gestures, tablemates, and expressions all added to the threads she saw between people. She wove the threads into a tapestry tagged Aeon in her mind, and examined it. She weighed what she knew against what she suspected, and made guesses in areas where she had no information. She drew conclusions, and decided courses of action. She predicted the likely outcomes of those courses of actions, and discarded some as premature. She thought about the likely reactions of the various threads to the individual outcomes. She discarded a few more, as too shortsighted. She considered her options to respond to the reactions, and trimmed the actions she considered down to one. Her heart finished the beat, and she strode into the cafeteria after the briefest of pauses in the doorway.

[Jaunt]

Quote:

Jane looked at Empath a moment, then nodded. She turned back to Jaunt, and spoke gently. "That leaves us time for a question or two, I think. So, go ahead, we'll see what we can do."

Thankfully Jaunt had a plan. The number he gave them was to his sister Jenna's weekend job at the animal hospital. She picked up quick and nobody an impression of their mom better than her. He'd owe her big time for this, but he didn't want his parents knowing he was a nova! He couldn't have his secret identity blown before his career as Jaunt ever kicked off. Can't save the world if you have an 8:00 o'clock curfew, y'know?

Jenna tore him a new one, and Devin thought for a moment that she might have gone a bit overboard, but it looked like she'd done okay. Relieved, he decided to focus on the moment at hand. "Okay, fair enough. It looks like everyone's had a sec to catch their breath, so... who are you guys? Don't say 'Aeon'. I know that already. Be specific, what do you do here and why do you need me?"

[Grimm]

"Not in the slightest." Voltage grinned at him as she took another bite of breakfast. As Freeman sat she gave him another once-over. He was a big lad, she thought to herself with an internal leer. "So, Louis. What's your gig?"

"My gig?" The large man smiled back at her, curious. By way of answer, Voltage made a waving motion with her fingertip in the air.

"You know: your powers." She said, taking a swig of tea. "Other than being tall and gorgeous, what's it that sets you apart from mortal man?"

"I don't think the folks here would appreciate me showin' those off." Louis laughed easily, not in the least taken aback by the Nordic beauty's direct speech. "It can get a little tough on the furniture, walls, and stuff."

"Fair enough." Michelle nodded, picking up a sausage and biting the end off. "So what're you going to do after they've done poking and prodding you here."

"That an offer?" Louis asked with another violet-hued grin. Voltage tsked, shaking her head.

"Old son... When I invited you over here? That was an offer." She told him bluntly, a wicked grin curving her lips. "Right now I'm making conversation."

[Katalyst]

Jay followed behind Michelle to the food that was laid out. As he moved through the room he spotted a few familiar faces as well a few he didn't know. Now that he back at Aeon he felt somewhat at peace. Here among others like him gave him a sense of belonging that he hadn't felt since he had left the Army. Heck even that kid Juno had sparked something in that he didn't think he had. He smiled at that last thought, and it reminded him that he would try and see her sometime today.

[z-Wei Fang]

Fang moved through the cafeteria, her thoughts both far in the future and right here. Part of her considered the waves and flows of the people around her while the rest of her was making a list. It was a very long list, and she could see the obvious first need: funds. Her paycheck from Aeon wasn’t enough and even her investments wouldn’t yield results like she needed.

She also needed a particular nova skill, one she didn’t have. Fang thought back to what she knew of the people in the room; there was one with that skill, but she wasn’t sure she could trust that one. In fact, as she spotted the person in question and their company, she decided that her assessment was correct.

She considered sitting and eating, but instead she took her tray and left the room. She had an office; time to use it. She sat there and ate, doing research on her computer. It was a simple matter to pull up Aeon’s satellite imagery of the part of the world she needed. Superimposing her mental plans on the landscape, she saw how and where she would make it work.

“Money,” she whispered in Chinese. That was the lynchpin to starting. Of course, she’d need less money if she found the right nova. That’d move up her time table as well. Time for some research.

Rising, she took her tray back to the cafeteria and headed for the research branch. Mazarin and the others should have the answer she needed. Arriving at the research offices, she knocked on the door, then opened it and looked inside. “Hello?” she called out, looking to see who was available.

[Titan]

Juno

Hector stared at her, aghast. He shifted his bag to the other shoulder, and stuck his hands in his pockets. He seemed to be fighting hard not to speak. He took in a deep breath, let it out slowly. Javier cooed in her ear, and grabbed another handful of her hair.

The lady at the Visa and Immigration desk was very kind, and stamped Hector and Javier's passports without any undue hassles.

Finally, as they walked from the desk, Hector looked at her again.

"That all sounds dangerous enough to me, Juney-bug. Though, it seems you did alright. A killer dolphin?"

He half-smiled.

"Anyway, you did look good on the news, which they played over and over... and over. You and your friends are famous. Which reminds me..."

He swung his carry on around to the front, so he could get at it. As they went through the automatic doors to the curbside area, he unzipped it and rummaged around inside. He withdrew an envelope.

"Mr. Tanenbaum from your school asked me to give you this." At her look, he assured her, "I haven't opened it!"

He turned and looked for a taxicab.

Jaunt

Dr. Crick looked thoughtful. She folded her hands on the table, and spoke seriously.

"I am not the expert on that, Jaunt. I will say that the Aeon Society has a long and distinguished history of philanthropy, from fighting AIDS to college grants to funding research. They have been working closely with the World Health Organization to determine exactly what the so-called 'Galatea Effect' is, and how it is affecting humans all over the globe."

She thought for a moment, as though organizing what she wanted to say. Empath cut into the silence.

"Only, now that we are here, and they are studying us, it's easy to see how we could help people. Everyone. And here we are, dealing day in and out with a group of people who are dedicated to helping people. And one thing leads to another, and we... the Novus, I mean, are starting to help out too."

Dr. Crick cut in,

"But that is not why I need you. I didn't say that Aeon needs you, Jaunt. I need you. Look. My hypothesis for teleportation is turning out to have more general repercussions. That is to say, my theories regarding how teleportation works seem to apply to how all the Novus abilities work. My assistants and I have done all we can, however, without a teleporter."

She shared a glance with Empath.

"Well, obviously there are teleporters here. But I need someone whose main ability is teleportation. I need you."

She took a deep breath.

"Next question."

Voltage

Originally Posted By: Voltage

"So, Louis. What's your gig...what's it that sets you apart from mortal man?"

Louis smiled broadly. A dim, violet light peeked between his teeth. The glow from within his eyes grew until it engulfed, became larger than the eyes themselves. His pupils became lost in the glow, shining violet like the rest.

"Plasma, s'what they tell me," he said, "Me, I dunno plasma from liquid crystal, but that's what they say. Sun-stuff, like. Or- no, what did he say? Oh, you ever seen a neon sign? That stuff. I'm workin' on controlling it, I got techniques where I shoot thin beams, or big fat beams of it. Gets pretty crazy."

Originally Posted By: Voltage

"I don't think the folks here would appreciate me showin' those off." Louis laughed easily, not in the least taken aback by the Nordic beauty's direct speech. "It can get a little tough on the furniture, walls, and stuff.

"Fair enough." Michelle nodded, picking up a sausage and biting the end off. "So what're you going to do after they've done poking and prodding you here."

"That an offer?" Louis asked with another violet-hued grin. Voltage tsked, shaking her head.

"Old son... When I invited you over here? That was an offer." She told him bluntly, a wicked grin curving her lips. "Right now I'm making conversation.""

He allowed the glow to subside from his eyes, and even his mouth stopped glowing almost entirely. There still remained a certain gleam to his look, however.

"Fair enough," he echoed unconsciously, "What am I going to do, after. Well, Fang...you know Fang, right?... Fang said something on the first day. Right after the nuke almost blew up. I had ahold of that bastard from Vietnam, and I was pretty mad up. I think I might 'o killed him, if she hadn't stepped in and stopped me. Well, she said something about sticking together, making sure we don't get attacked again. I'm probably going to do... whatever she does."

He nodded. The he smiled at her again.

"What're you gonna do??

Katalyst

Holding a tray loaded with food, he scanned the room. Michelle was already making eyes at a big guy over there. Renee was with Anibal and some other novas at the next table. The doctors and the administrative staff sat all throughout the nearly full cafeteria. As Jay looked around, he caught sight of Nathan striding along, with Dr. Mazarin of all people hurrying to keep up with him. Jay smiled to himself. He started to turn, but saw Fang out of the corner of his eye, putting a tray up and leaving the cafeteria.

Ah... decisions, decisions....

Fang

The young woman in the bright yellow 'smiley' shirt shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Miss Wei, Dr. Mazarin is in a status meeting with one of the staff. Just about everyone else hasn't come in yet, or has gone to get some breakfast."

She sat up, looked sharply at the laptop on they countertop. She snorted. Then, shaking her head in amusement, she noticed Fang again.

"Oh, um... perhaps I could help you?"

[z-Wei Fang]

Fang smiled. "Yes, you can. I'd like a list of all the known New People who display elemental powers," she said to the young woman.

"Elemental... like earth, air, fire and water?" the woman asked, already heading for the files. "That kind of thing?"

Fang quirked an eyebrow. "Those are the elements only in the West," she said, not adding an acerbic remark about how there was more to the world than Western 'Civilization'. "Perhaps a list of anyone to manipulates any of the forces or components of nature."

"Sure." The lady started typing. "What's this for?"

Fang had already considered the possibility of being asked this question. "One of the New People, a man named Joe, has access to more than element. This is a curiosity of mine, to see if it is common for New People to have control of more than one element, or if this man Joe is unusual." She paused and smiled before asking, "I do not know your name. You know I am Wei Fang - who are you?"

[SalmonMax]

"Alright? We kicked ass, dad," Juno protested. "And yeah, it wasn't really KILLER though. It just kind of...like...rammed into me, and then try to do it again. I don't think it really got that it wasn't hurting me. So I just grabbed it when it hit me and punched it until it left."

She shrugs. "I guess it sounds dangerous, but you gotta remember, everything's on a different scale now. I was doing this training thing, right? And it was awesome, dad. Me and this other guy were sparring, and I was jumping all over the place, up onto the ceiling, and we were hitting each other like full force and he knocked me into a wall so hard that it like, caved the wall in a little...it was like a movie but in real life."

Reliving the good times, Juno ripped the envelope from her old school open and eased the paper inside out, hardly even wondering what it was. Probably bitching about a library book, or sending back grades or some shit, she figured.

[Jaunt]

Quote:

Dr. Crick looked thoughtful. She folded her hands on the table, and spoke seriously.

"I am not the expert on that, Jaunt. I will say that the Aeon Society has a long and distinguished history of philanthropy, from fighting AIDS to college grants to funding research. They have been working closely with the World Health Organization to determine exactly what the so-called 'Galatea Effect' is, and how it is affecting humans all over the globe."

She thought for a moment, as though organizing what she wanted to say. Empath cut into the silence.

"Only, now that we are here, and they are studying us, it's easy to see how we could help people. Everyone. And here we are, dealing day in and out with a group of people who are dedicated to helping people. And one thing leads to another, and we... the Novus, I mean, are starting to help out too."

Dr. Crick cut in,

"But that is not why I need you. I didn't say that Aeon needs you, Jaunt. I need you. Look. My hypothesis for teleportation is turning out to have more general repercussions. That is to say, my theories regarding how teleportation works seem to apply to how all the Novus abilities work. My assistants and I have done all we can, however, without a teleporter."

She shared a glance with Empath.

"Well, obviously there are teleporters here. But I need someone whose main ability is teleportation. I need you."

She took a deep breath.

"Next question."

It all sounded cool, but Jaunt didn't want the world to know he was a nova, hell, he didn't even want his parents to know. He dismissed the 'novas helping people' bit since he didn't have any plans on joining their club, but the doctor seemed nice, plus she was cute in an older woman kinda way.

"Well," Jaunt set down his 'Whopper' and wiped his face with the napkin. "I guess if want insight into how it's done." He stood up, holding his tray of food and was suddenly gone in a vacuous *thump* as air rushed to fill a void left by his presence. He took two steps towards the trash bin in the cafeteria, dumped his tray and set it on top. He turned about and took two more steps and to the surprise of those in the cafeteria... he was gone with a *thump*.

It all seemed so natural to him, like he'd been doing his whole life, not the last two weeks since a satellite exploded. He stood behind his chair and looked across the table at the doctor and slowly extended his hand. "I guess my next question would be: y'wanna give it a go?"

[Stargaizer]

Joe looked back and forth between Cecily and Renee. If he went vigilante with Wraith and her group tonight, that might hurt his chances with T2M. Of course, if Renee could get him talking with someone this afternoon about joining T2M, then he might just get a slap on the wrist instead of a refusal.

Of course, whether it hurt his chances with T2M or not, this guy was a murderer. That's what Jose and his posse had been trying to do before... well, before whatever had happened happened. Joe still didn't remember anything about what happened after he landed in that culvert, but whatever it was had saved his life.

Whoever this guy had gotten a hold of hadn't been so lucky... and now he could do something about it.

While he mulled everything over in his head, he took some more bites out of his cooling breakfast. He turned first to Cecily. "I'll be there, just tell me when and where... and maybe some directions, 'cuz this really is my first full day here in London."

Then he turned to Renee, "But until then, Renee, who would one have to talk to about signing on with Team Tomorrow?"

[Titan]

Fang

The woman in the yellow smiley tee shirt pushed her glasses up with the edge of her hand so that they settled on the bridge of her nose. Her dark brown hair was braided and hung down her back. She typed as she spoke.

"Farah, is my name. Farah Rashoud. We met, once, in a testing room, but I was masked, I think. And now, we move in different... there we go."

She popped a cd out of its case and slid it expertly into the computer. She looked at Fang and grinned.

"I've emailed you the list of all novas known to the Society, with abilities and last location. I hope that helps. I'll have a hard copy for you in a moment."

She leaned conspiritorally over the counter, and spoke in low tones.

"This is just between you and I, ok? Dr. Mazarin would probably blow a gasket."

She glanced at the screen, and pressed a button on the desktop. The tray slid out again. She removed the cd and placed it back in the case. She handed it to Fang.

"There you are. Anything else I can do for you?"

Juno

Hector held the door of the taxi open, and busied himself with strapping Javier's carseat in correctly. Juno didn't see his face when she described her fight with Jay. That was probably best. She did notice that he was more conscious of how to take care of Javier. Either he learned it from the nurses, or something in him had awakened to Javier's needs. Either way, it seemed like an improvement.

She held the letter and the envelope in her teeth and settled her little brother into his car seat. She cleared the latch part from under him, held his head gently back with her palm and pulled the padded frame over it, settling the shoulder straps into place. She clicked him in, and glanced behind her. Her father had the third bag in his hand and was walking to the trunk. Behind him, she saw two uniformed policemen hurrying into the airport terminal.

She began to read the letter as her father got into the taxi. Javier had a stuffed Teletubbie doll, and was chewing on it's head. She read:

Juno,

We have all seen you on the television. The class is following the developments each day, and everyone is curious how you are doing. You are missed by your friends.

I do not know if you remember our discussion earlier that day. We discussed evolution. I find it particular that your Galatea Effect manifested itself in the way that it has. If you haven't told the doctors at Aeon, you should.

In any case, we here hope that you are well.

Matt Tanenbaum.

Juno looked up to find that they were on the highway. Javier had fallen asleep, as he always did when riding in a car. Her father looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Everything ok, Juno?"

Jaunt

Dr Jane Crick stared at Jaunt with eyes about to bug out of her head. Suddenly she threw her hands in front of her, and started out of her chair, backing away from Jaunt almost frantically.

"No,no, no, no," she said, "Thank you, but no, I don't think so."

She looked from Jaunt to Empath and back. She shrugged, and said sheepishly,

"I want to know how you do it, because it will help me discover how the universe is knitted together. I have no desire what. so. ever. to go 'jaunting' out of our universe into zero-space and just assume that you will hit the re-entry every single time. Do you know the calculations required for such a trip? And you do this instantly, over and over and over. To do such a thing, myself I do not see. Ever."

She gave him a shamefaced grin.

"I still think it is wicked cool that you can do it, though."

Empath laughed, and stood. He looked at Jaunt eagerly and said,

"I'll go."

Dr. Crick lunged at the table.

"I want to watch you with the helmet!"

Joe

Cecily smiled, perhaps for the first time, at Joe. She said:

"No worries, we're meeting in the foyer at eight."

Anibal nodded, but threw a warning glance at Renee. She looked at him a moment, and sneered. He shook his head, and she sighed.

"Fine. But how am I supposed to get recruits, if I don't find out who is willing to get involved? Welcome aboard, mate!"

Renee looked down at her tee.

"Well, Pax gave me this shirt, and he did have a meeting; but, he didn't really pass around a sign up sheet, because the meeting broke up. So...,"

She looked around at her tablemates, shrugged.

"I would say Pax. But, good luck catching up with that guy. Uh... Nathan would probably know."

[Stargaizer]

Again with the telepathy... It's one thing to be left out of a normal conversation, but to be left out of one that you can't even eavesdrop on... that you can't really tell if it's still going on or not... that's something else

Joe tried not to let any of his slight annoyance show as he shoveled in most of what was left on his plate and nodded to Cecily. Once he swallowed, he smiled at her and said, "Gotcha, meet in the foyer here at 8 tonight."

Then he turned again to Renee, smile intact. "Pax, yeah, I've heard that he's really important and almost always busy. Trying to catch up with him for a meeting would kinda be like catching the President in his favorite restaurant and trying to have a chat about taxes. So, Nathan... Ok... any idea on where he might be? A physical description or a last name might help too."

[SalmonMax]

Juno grinned, first at the letter, then at her dad's face. She folded the letter and stuffed into her jacket pocket. Matt Tanenbaum. Mr T. It seemed like forever since she'd just talked with him, like two adults would talk. A whole other world. She wondered if he missed her...and immediately chased the thought away. She was a student, a kid, even if he didn't talk down to her.

Or...she had been. Now she was something else. A 'novus.' Did age still matter to someone who, according to doctors, would never get older?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a note from one of my old teachers, saying they watched me on TV in class." She couldn't help but grin at that, and wished she could see their faces.

She looked over at her sleeping brother and reached out to brush his thin, black hair out of his eyes. "How's the brat been?"

[Katalyst]

Jay quickly threw down his breakfast, faster than he had done in basic, all in effort to catch up to Fang before she got away from him again. He started to call out her name, but then remembered that public attention was hard for her to display.

Putting his tray away he headed off towards where he saw her going, only to see that she had managed to lose him just that quickly. Sure wish I knew my way around this place better, I hate having to ask for directions. Stopping a passerby he was able to find out that Fang had headed off to the research area. A quick word of thanks and he was off.

A few minutes later he manage to catch up to her just as she was coming out of one of the offices. "Good morning Fang. Can you spare a few moments of your time to talk?" he says flashing his best smile.

[Titan]

Joe

Cecily snorted as she stabbed at pieces of scrambled egg on her plate. "Pax thinks he's important, and he acts busy."

She shoved the forkful into her mouth, then noticed the way Renee was looking at her. She scowled.

"Whuh?" She said, her mouth full.

Renee shook her head, and turned to Joe. She smiled.

"Natha-"

"He wishes he was the President." Cecily scoffed.

"Would you please!?" Renee whirled on her.

Cecily shrugged. Renee looked at her hard for a moment. Then, satisfied that she would not be interrupted again, she turned back to Joe.

"Nathan Dayes. He is the Director of this facility, and he has an office upstairs. I'll show you after breakfast."

Renee looked at her plate, and the food that was still on it.

"Ugh. Which for me is now."

Juno

Hector leaned forward, gazing out of the front windshield. He absently spoke to Juno, squinting into the distance.

"Don't call your brother that."

He stared a moment longer, then glanced at Juno.

"He's been fine. Happy baby. I don't think he enjoys flying though. I can rela- What is going on?"

The last was directed at the driver, as the taxi approached a section of the highway approaching Aeon's gates. The driver gestured to the people lining the road.

"They've been coming for the past two weeks, in dribs and drabs. Fair taken over the hotels and parks, they have."

Those by the road held signs, pictures, flowers. Some of them seemed to be praying. As the taxi glided through slowly, the crowd only got bigger and bigger. A group was singing, loudly, something about the 'whole world in his hands'. A woman stood holding hands with a boy in a wheelchair. The boy looked wasted, and propped against his legs was a sign: 'Dr. Cure! Help me!' He locked eyes with Juno through the taxi window. He slowly raised his hand to point at her.

[Stargaizer]

Joe wasn't for sure if he should be amused or afraid of an explosion between the two women... not knowing what anyone at the table was capable of, besides one telepath did make him a bit edgy, but after what he'd been through in the future, he was actually fairly confident that he could handle himself.

He looked down at his plate. He'd actually been able to eat a fair portion of it, between listening to everyone else talk and making time to formulate what he was going to say. So he offered to take Renee's tray up for her. Provided that she agreed, he politely excused himself from the table, reminding himself and Cecily about their meeting at 8:00 that evening in the foyer and dumped the trays.

It didn't take him long to join back up with Renee as they headed out of the Cafeteria and into the hallway. "So, which way to a brighter tomorrow?" He said in a cheerful voice with a smile. He hadn't had any coffee or sleep, but you wouldn't be able to tell from his attitude.

[Titan]

Jay and Joe

Putting his tray away, Jay glances to his right and sees Joe scraping two trays into the garbage can. Joe feels someone looking at him, and glances up. Their eyes meet briefly. Jay jerks his chin up. Joe smiles and nods back. Jay turns and hurries out of the cafeteria, and turns left. Joe slapped the two trays onto the stack and does the same, turning right.

Joe

She waited for Joe just outside the Cafeteria. A tall, offensively handsome blond fellow was grinning at Renee and talking to her in low tones. She looked back at him coolly. Joe stepped up.

Originally Posted By: Joe

"So, which way to a brighter tomorrow?" He said in a cheerful voice with a smile.

The blond glanced in his direction, then turned and faced him full on. He grinned infectiously.

"Oy, mate. You too? I thought us Ozzies were going to be the only ones, good on ya'." He glanced at Renee. She turned to Joe.

"Joe, this is Ewen. Ewen Banks. He's apparently interested in Pax's idea too, so he's asked to go see Nathan with us."

They are all startled by the sudden loud announcement...

Jay

Jay hurried along the hallway. He saw two women talking in the foyer. One stood and the other was seated. Neither was Fang. He glanced left and right, but didn't see her.

"Hey, did either of you see Wei Fang?"

The seated woman shook her head, but the woman standing pointed behind her, towards a hallway. He thanked her and hurried on. He passed by a couple of people on his way toward the Medical Research facilities. Finally, as he approached the double doors, he saw her coming out of them.

Originally Posted By: Jay

"Good morning Fang. Can you spare a few moments of your time to talk?" he says flashing his best smile.

Suddenly, the air was filled with a loud announcement from a public address system...

Jay and Joe

They hear:

"Hello? Hello? Good. Attention all staff. This is Dr. Mazarin. Please report to your research station within the next fifteen minutes. Be prepared to discuss your findings. All Novus volunteers, if your last name, or family name begins with any letter from A to L, please report at nine a.m. sharp to the W.H.O. Medical facility. If your last name begins with any letter from M to Z, please report at nine a.m. sharp to the Aeon Development Center. If you are a translator, find the Novus that you translate for and tell them where they need to be. Thank you for your patience, we will have a schedule in your hands by the end of the day. That is all."

[SalmonMax]

"Oh shit," Juno said softly, and acting on instinct, she covered her face and sank deep into the seat.

"I can't do anything to help them, but I don't think they're going to care about that," she quickly explained to her dad. "It's crazy! Like a mob! I think something like this was going to happen at the airport, but the security guys broke it up before it could. Can we go any faster?"

[Stargaizer]

Joe smiled a friendly greeting at Ewen, his words cut off by the announcement.

A-L to the Medical Facility, M-Z to the Aeon Development Center... They couldn't be starting this soon...

Joe glanced down at his watch and then let his smile cover both Ewen and Renee. "Well, I don't think fifteen minutes is enough to get us signed up for tee two em, so maybe after we're done we could all meet back here for lunch and then go fine Nathan... unless of course they hand out invitations during whatever it is that we have to go to." He chuckled a little bit as he waited for an answer.

Then, he thought of something. "Ewen Banks, I guess you have to go to the medical facility, I'm Joe Smith, so I have to go to the development center... but I never did get your last name, Renee. Where do you have to go?"

Renee, of course, said that she had to go with Ewen to the W.H.O. Medical Facility, but was kind enough to ask if Joe knew where the development center was.

"Well, I got the nickel tour... yesterday... but there was so much on my mind... I think I remember where it was, over that-a-way, right?" To which he pointed in the complete opposite direction.

[Grimm]

Originally Posted By: Titan

"What am I going to do, after. Well, Fang...you know Fang, right?... Fang said something on the first day. Right after the nuke almost blew up. I had ahold of that bastard from Vietnam, and I was pretty mad up. I think I might 'o killed him, if she hadn't stepped in and stopped me. Well, she said something about sticking together, making sure we don't get attacked again. I'm probably going to do... whatever she does."

He nodded. The he smiled at her again.

"What're you gonna do??

Voltage shrugged her bare shoulders, finishing the last of her tea. "Buggered if I know, Louis. That Jedi kid is trying to get me to sign on with his job agency, but I'm not sure being rich is in my top ten things to do. I've got some ideas, but no definite shape to them yet." She pushed her plate away and stretched, leaning away from the table. "I'm not too bothered right now. Christ knows I've always made shit up as I've gone along, so why should now be different. The only thing I know I want to do is change the world for the better on my own terms. But I'll be blowed if I know how.

Originally Posted By: Titan

The air was split suddenly by a voice over the emergency intercom system.

"Hello? Hello? Good. Attention all staff. This is Dr. Mazarin. Please report to your research station within the next fifteen minutes. Be prepared to discuss your findings. All Novus volunteers, if your last name, or family name begins with any letter from A to L, please report at nine a.m. sharp to the W.H.O. Medical facility. If your last name begins with any letter from M to Z, please report at nine a.m. sharp to the Aeon Development Center. If you are a translator, find the Novus that you translate for and tell them where they need to be. Thank you for your patience, we will have a schedule in your hands by the end of the day. That is all."

"Bollocks." Michelle glanced at the speakers, then over at Louis with a wry 'it figures' grin. "Looks like you're going one way and I'm going the other." She stood and offered him her hand. "See you at the bar later." With that she turned and sauntered towards the exit, grinning to herself as she felt Freeman's eyes on her arse.

Wish I could just do that 'electrical transport' thing, but I don't think they'd like it if I showed up naked. Got to figure out how some of the others keep their decency... Voltage exited the cafeteria and headed towards the Development Center. This better be important... Mind you, they've not wasted my time yet.

[Titan]

Juno

Juno was ducked down below the window, and didn't see if the crowd reacted to her presence. The driver apologized, but was unable to speed up for fear of hitting anyone. Javier awakened and began to fuss. Hector tried to tend to him, but glanced around fearfully.

"I've never seen anything like this, Juney," he said.

Finally, they pulled up to the gate. The driver rolled his window down and spoke to the guard.

"Pretty crazy out here, eh?"

The guard didn't speak, but noted Juno's presence in the back seat and nodded. The gate opened and the taxi moved forward. They reached the circular drive with no further incident, Javier pacified with a timely binky. Hector looked at Juno and let out a shaky laugh.

"Well, we're here."

Joe

Renee laughed.

"Nope, it's out front. I'll walk you, we've got time. Ewen, we'll meet up with you around noon here in the foyer."

Ewen agreed genially, winked at Renee, and headed towards the Medical wing. Renee shook her head at his departure. She looked askance at Joe.

"He's good looking, and knows it. The thing I've noticed about the Novus guys is, if they thought they were God's gift to women before, now they are convinced of it. Come on."

She led him out the front door and down the steps, where a taxi was just pulling up. She pointed at a large building down the lane that looked like a gymnasium.

"There it is, let's go."

Voltage

Louis gave her a jaunty wave and collected his tray. As she left the cafeteria, she saw him chatting up one of the better looking female doctors.

She exited through the double doors and turned left. People passed her going in either direction, as the halls were humming in a way that they had not been since she arrived. She entered the foyer, and saw groups of people heading upstairs, or down the hallway, or outside. She made her way out the front doors. At the top of the steps, looking down onto the circular driveway, she saw a taxi, the driver just exiting the car. In front of her a couple stood at the bottom of the stairs. The woman was pointing towards the Developmental Center. She spoke to the man:

"There it is," she said, "Let's go."

[SalmonMax]

Juno unbelted Javier from his seat and hoisted him easily out, letting him sit in the crook of her left arm, leaning against her shoulder.

"That was gonna get ugly," she said to Hector. "They would have been like...flipping the car over or breaking the windows if they'd seen me."

She looks over at the main building, and her jaw sets. "I'd better tell them to do something. Break those people up before all hell breaks loose. Where are you going to be, dad?"

[z-Wei Fang]

Fang's eye twitched at Jay's approach. It wasn't that she was unhappy to see him, but she'd been caught up in the heat of the hunt and his presence was an interruption to that hunt. It was not his fault, so she forced away her irritation. "Yes, Jay?" she asked politely, gracing him with a smile.

Originally Posted By: Titan

The air was split suddenly by a voice over the emergency intercom system.

"Hello? Hello? Good. Attention all staff. This is Dr. Mazarin. Please report to your research station within the next fifteen minutes. Be prepared to discuss your findings. All Novus volunteers, if your last name, or family name begins with any letter from A to L, please report at nine a.m. sharp to the W.H.O. Medical facility. If your last name begins with any letter from M to Z, please report at nine a.m. sharp to the Aeon Development Center. If you are a translator, find the Novus that you translate for and tell them where they need to be. Thank you for your patience, we will have a schedule in your hands by the end of the day. That is all."

Another interruption! Would she ever get anything done?! Fang closed her eyes and tried not to let her anger show. You need Aeon - for now, she reminded herself.

"Wei. Pleased as always." The voice stopped her mantra and opened her eyes. Hair the color of a bold sunset drew her eyes, even as a slight flush arose on her face. Fang knew that she was reacting to the sight of Nathan, but she couldn't stop it - his exotic appearance always caught her attention.

"Dayes," she said in her slightly accented English. "Good morning." He would be going to the medical facility, her mind informed her before she thought to seek the answer. Jay King. He will not go with you either.

Addressing both men, Fang said, "It seems we are being summoned."

[Jaunt]

Quote:

Dr Jane Crick stared at Jaunt with eyes about to bug out of her head. Suddenly she threw her hands in front of her, and started out of her chair, backing away from Jaunt almost frantically.

"No,no, no, no," she said, "Thank you, but no, I don't think so."

She looked from Jaunt to Empath and back. She shrugged, and said sheepishly,

"I want to know how you do it, because it will help me discover how the universe is knitted together. I have no desire what. so. ever. to go 'jaunting' out of our universe into zero-space and just assume that you will hit the re-entry every single time. Do you know the calculations required for such a trip? And you do this instantly, over and over and over. To do such a thing, myself I do not see. Ever."

She gave him a shamefaced grin.

"I still think it is wicked cool that you can do it, though."

Empath laughed, and stood. He looked at Jaunt eagerly and said,

"I'll go."

Dr. Crick lunged at the table.

"I want to watch you with the helmet!"

"Heh, good luck Doc. I move fast." Jaunt boasted in the manner of a typical sixteen year old with an awesome new toy. He looked to Empath and shrugged. "Where to, bro?"

"Uhh," Empath didn't know there'd be a quiz, but it was normal for people to not really know where they wanted to go when suddenly faced with the opportunity to go anywhere they wanted. "Stonehenge." He said suddenly.

Jaunt tried to focus and think about taking another with him. He'd not really tried jaunting others yet, but if Nightcrawler could do it... He approached Empath and placed a hand on the man's shoulder, then he simply told his mind to 'jaunt'.

And just like that the were gone...

Empath's world collapsed as it felt like he was sucked into a vacuum from behind. Like he was kicked in the but at light speed everything swirled and spun as the world collapsed into a tunnel of super-speed so fast it was nothing more than a blur. They moved so fast that they pass through solid objects like ghosts pass through walls. He didn't see Jaunt though... Empath got his own 'tube' to travel through it seemed and when the end of the journey arrived as swiftly as it began he was kicked out back into real-space.

Empath stood up and looked around, the arrival had knocked him on his butt, but the fresh air and moist grass told him that he wasn't in Kansas anymore. Jaunt was leaning up against one on the stones, his arms crossed. "One Stonehenge. Dude, is that ride not a total head trip, or what?"

[Nathan Dayes]

"Sounds like, doesn't it? I had a talk with Dr. Mazarin about the efficiency in his department. He might be overcorrecting for a few days but I think he'll be okay." He smiled. "How does my tuxedo look? It's for the U.N. shindig tonight."

[z-Wei Fang]

Fang smiled at the exotic American. "You look very nice," she told him and meant it. She had considered inviting him into her plans, but she knew that he was given to his country, and not his people. That was his path and his karma, and she would not risk her path or karma trying to gain his support - no matter how useful his skills would be. "It is a sharp suit. You will knock them down."

That didn't sound right, somehow...

[Titan]

Juno

Hector Reyes and the driver unloaded the luggage from the trunk. Hector paid the taxi driver, and thanked him for the ride. He put his carryon over his shoulder.

"I don't think they would have flipped the car, Juno," he said, and stopped, looking at the steps.

Aeon looked like a school that had just let out class. Thirty or more people streamed from the doors, moving quickly. Half the Novus she knew exited the manor, and were headed to the auxiliary structure known as the Developmental Center.

Hector looked around at the sudden flow of people and shrugged at Juno.

"I'm going to throw these bags on my bed and get some breakfast. I'll meet you later. Here, give him to me." He took her brother in arm, gave him a kiss on the cheek to settle him. He gave Juno a quick kiss on the cheek, too.

"Thanks for meeting me at the airport, Juno." He hefted his luggage and set off down the walkway towards a dormitory.

Jaunt

Guy Reynolds got as far as his knees, and rested. His stomach heaved and writhed. Warm saliva jetted into his mouth. He clamped his jaw. He stood, turned, swallowing hard. He looked at 'Jaunt' through watery eyes.

Originally Posted By: Jaunt

Jaunt was leaning up against one on the stones, his arms crossed. "One Stonehenge. Dude, is that ride not a total head trip, or what?"

Guy opened his mouth to say, "Head trip." He got as far as "Heh-", however, and deposited his breakfast and coffee inside the circle of stones known to the world as Stonehenge. He wiped his mouth with his hand and shook some nastiness into the grass. He held a knuckle against one nostril, blew hard through the other. He wiped his nose on his sleeve. Cleared his throat.

"Head trip, for sure." He sounded hoarse, but Jaunt could see he was recovering nicely, after a bad start. Guy swallowed again.

"Stonehenge is kilometers from Aeon Manor. How far can you go?"

[Jaunt]

Jaunt leapt back a bit from where he was leaning once Empath decided to blow groceries. "Oh! Dude, watch the aim..."

He chuckeld a bit but didn't raz him too much. "Y'okay? Warn me if you're planning launching sidewalk pizza next time, eh? Aside from my sister, who I think I teleported, you're pretty much my first guinea pig. I wonder why it hits you so hard? I'm totally cool doing it."

Quote:

"Head trip, for sure." He sounded hoarse, but Jaunt could see he was recovering nicely, after a bad start. Guy swallowed again.

"Stonehenge is kilometers from Aeon Manor. How far can you go?"

"Dude, I'm from America, I've clue what the heck a kilometer is. We could be down the block for all I know." He shrugged and grinned a bit. He really didn't know how far kilometer was. "To be honest, I don't know. I know I need to breathe. I know I need to keep warm and stay hydrated... so if I had to guess, space is out of the question. I've never really considered limits, they'd just get in the way. I just tell myself where I want to be, and I go there. Easy, peasy."

Although Jaunt wasn't trying to sound like a braggart or a tough guy, he never quite realized the weight of his words. "Limits... they just get in the way." Perhaps that's why Jaunt seemed to have had his powers before others, or why he didn't seem to have a limit on how far he could go; he simply considered himself and his potential absolutely limitless.

"You gonna be alright, man?" He asked. "We can chill a sec if you need to."

[Katalyst]

Fang's smile looked lovely as ever, and inside he could feel the rumblings of butterflies starting to creep. He quickly surpressed the feelings, and before he could speak the dam intercom went off, instructing everyone to report to there stations. Dam, can a guy get some free time around here,he thinks shaking his head.

"Sorry Wei, I was wanting to talk to you about Colin's business proposal. Seems I'll have to wait and see what these guys have in store for us to really sit down and talk to you about it." "Indeed we are summoned. Seems like that's all were doing", he says sweeping his arm out in the direction they needed to head. "Shall we?"

[Stargaizer]

Joe looked around. There were apparently a lot more people than he had originally thought going in the direction of the Development Center. There was also a car that was just pulling up.

Joe smiled at Renee. It was nice of her to offer to walk him where he was supposed to be going, even though it meant that she'd have to rush more to where she was going. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. It's nice to know someone who knows their way around; both where to go and who to see once you get there."

He happened to notice a punk-rocker type woman who was also heading in their general direction. He flashed her a quick smile. Renee wouldn't be able to stay with him, and almost everything was better when you had someone with you. Maybe they'd meed up once whatever it was started... or maybe someone else would catch his eye. Who knew?

"So, you already said that you could read minds. You got anything else up your sleeve? Not that that's not enough, just curious, ya'know?" Joe tried to make small talk and then recover. "I can, apparently, control the elements... so, sort of a one trick pony, you could say."

He was selling himself a little (or possibly a lot) short, but he still wasn't exactly who he could trust in this timeline. He didn't remember hearing a lot about a Renee in the future.

[Nathan Dayes]

"Thank you very much. They didn't cover tuxes at secret agent school. I felt very misled." What is it about this woman that makes me flirt with her? Nathan straightened his tie. "Are you coming, or are you working?"

[SalmonMax]

"I can get the..." Juno sighed. Her dad was too far for him to hear, especially in the hurly burly. "...luggage."

On impulse she caught one of the people heading for the Development Center and asked him what was going on. When he told her about the announcement, she paused, mulling it over, then shrugged and joined the crowd on their march to the Developmet Center.

[z-Wei Fang]

Originally Posted By: Katalyst

"Sorry Wei, I was wanting to talk to you about Colin's business proposal. Seems I'll have to wait and see what these guys have in store for us to really sit down and talk to you about it." "Indeed we are summoned. Seems like that's all we’re doing", he says sweeping his arm out in the direction they needed to head. "Shall we?"

Fang's smile slipped when Jay mentioned Colin's business proposal. She'd hoped for Jay's help, which she admitted was ridiculous. He’d never expressed an interest in anything like her plans. Perhaps, he just hasn’t considered them. Or he hasn’t had anyone introduced anything like that to him. She wrestled the smile back into place. “Excellent,” she told Jay. “I would like to hear it – I believe he has one for me, too.”

Originally Posted By: Nathan Dayes

"Thank you very much. They didn't cover tuxes at secret agent school. I felt very misled." What is it about this woman that makes me flirt with her? Nathan straightened his tie. "Are you coming, or are you working?"

Fang smiled at Nathan’s joke. Part of it was from the fact that it was funny; the rest of her smile came from her ability to grasp that it was a joke, and why it was funny. “I am Wei, with my…” She stopped as she realized she’d mangled her English. “My family name is Wei,” she corrected quickly. “You both go to the Medical Facility, and I to the Development Center. But yes, I am going to the summoning. Summons? That is right. Summons.” Was she being too literal, to differentiate between going on her own or coming with Jay and Nathan?

[Titan]

Jaunt

Guy 'Empath' Reynolds wiped his face with a shaky hand. He seemed a gaunt wizard here, in this circle of stones, and Devin was reminded of the old 'Excalibur' movie his dad had made him watch. The wind whipped his coat and shirt around his thin body like robes, and his hawkish face seemed older than it was. He spoke reassuringly, though his pale skin and bobbing Adam's apple belied his words. He certainly seemed excited regardless of his nausea.

"I'm great. That was incredible. No limits, eh?"

He wiped his hand on his shirt and looked around at the stones. His black hair blew back from his face, and for a moment he seemed about to fly off of the hilltop. He closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly feeling the sun and wind on him, and then opened his eyes and turned to Jaunt. His expression was thoughtful.

"You have to call your sister in a few minutes anyway..."

Empath smiled at Jaunt, a challenging tilt to his head, one eyebrow raised skeptically.

"Can you 'Jaunt' there, instead? Do you think you could hit the Chemist's shop in America, if you wished?"

It took Devin a moment to realize that he was talking about the Walgreen's Drug Store on MLK. Of course that was where Jenna had called from. His twin was nothing if not predictable.

Jay

You realize that Fang is not going to Medical with you at about the time that Jedi and his group arrive . Colin slows down and glances at his phone. Anibal mock punches you in the gut as he passes you, then laughs and winks. They push open the double doors of Medical behind you, and start going in.

Nathan

Henri Mazarin seems to be a man of his word. Strange that he didn't do this before. Everyone certainly is getting right to it, now. Colin and his clients passed on their way to Medical. Dr. Kevnoh nodded a greeting, while Wes raised a hand to Nathan.

Now all Nathan had to figure out was if he was staff, or a Novus volunteer, or what?

Fang

Jedi and many other of his power bloc arrived to interrupt the conversation. Down the hall, Fang could see many others of the New People going outside.

Joe

Renee, having pointed out the Development Center, felt duty bound to escort Joe at least part of the way there. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and considered the question.

"Computers," she said, "I have a way with computers."

As they joined the stream of people headed into the Development Center, Renee bid Joe goodbye.

"Hey, I'll see you in the foyer as soon as they let us out, ok?"

Juno

Hector slung his bag more snugly over his shoulder and held Javier tightly to him. He waved off Juno with an 'I'll see you later' gesture. She saw Itsuyo, and asked him what was going on. The Japanese Novus was in and out of Aeon, dividing his time between London and Osaka. He told her of Mazarin's announcement, and thus the exodus. He went ahead, always in a hurry, and by the time Juno had processed what he said, he was well ahead of her.

Medical

As the Novus filed in, Dr. Mazarin was on his way out. He looked at each Novus grimly, nodded and turned to Dr. Rashoud. He pointed his finger at her, walking backwards for a moment.

"I mean it, Farah."

He turned, and exited quickly.

Dr. Farah Rashoud blinked once, twice, her mouth a round 'o' pucker. Abruptly she closed her mouth and turned to her colleagues.

"Very well, doctors. You have your room assignments. I will assign each team one Novus, and you will have three hours before we will break for luncheon. Get to it."

She turns back to the Novus, and look them over. Finally, she smiles.

"Hello, good morning. This morning we will be doing things a bit differently. If you will be patient for a moment, we will wait for everyone to arrive, and then we will proceed with assignments. Thank you."

She bent to her computer, eyes flashing with a strong emotion.

Development

There was some confusion at first. The physicists and biologists, researchers and therapists, stood in their group, by the offices. The Novus milled around for a bit. More Novus arrived. One of the assistants made an heroic pot of coffee. Finally the broad doors of the Center opened, and Dr. Mazarin entered.

"Into the conference room," he snapped at the collected labcoats. They scurried to do his bidding. He watched for a moment, then nodded sharply to himself. He turned to the Novus.

"I will be a few moments straightening out a minor matter with the staff. In the meantime, may I suggest familiarizing yourself with the gymnasium, if you are not already?" He gestured to the main floor, which was on the other side of a padded, reinforced wall. Thick glass separated the gymnasium from the observation lounge. The gym itself was a vast, three story warehouse of a combination gymnastics floor and boxing studio. There were some gouges in the concrete wall behind a series of exercise bikes, but otherwise it seemed little worse for the wear since Jay and Juno's sparring match the day before.

Nina Nemet was the first through the door. She cartwheeled four times, and each cartwheel she left herself behind. As quickly as that, there were four of her. She laughed.

On the other side of the glass, Dr. Mazarin walked purposely towards the conference room.

[z-Wei Fang]

Fang bowed to both of the men. "I will see you later," she said to both of them, her eyes flicking between them. With a fetching smile, she turned and headed for the group walking outside.

Click to reveal.. (Notes)

This is a very short post, I know. I'll post a longer one (or add something to this) once I know what the boys are doing if anything.

[SalmonMax]

Juno sauntered out onto the gym floor and looked around appreciatively. They'd done a great job fixing the place up.

"So...anyone know what this is all about?" she asked aloud, directing the question to anyone around her.

[Stargaizer]

"Yeah, I'll see you then," and then Renee was off. Then again, so was Joe, swept up as he was by the mass of novus flowing into the Development Center.

Joe listened to the guy in a lab coat who told them that now that they were all assembled that they all had to wait, and then he started milling around and trying to find a familiar face.

That's when she spoke up. Inside the gym a woman, well, just a girl really (at this point in time anyways), but a familiar face nonetheless.

He walked up to Juno in the gym, his tone casual. "Yeah, I hear that was quite the show... yesterday. You're Juno, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Joe." He tried to keep it simple, she wouldn't remember them having met in the future. But at last, finally, he had met up with someone from then. The first piece of the puzzle.

[Grimm]

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

Juno sauntered out onto the gym floor and looked around appreciatively. They'd done a great job fixing the place up.

"So...anyone know what this is all about?" she asked aloud, directing the question to anyone around her.

"Blowed if I know, luv." Voltage said from off to one side as she studied all the other Novus with curious appraisal. She smiled lopsidedly at Juno. "It'd better not be aerobics, though. No way am I squeezing my arse into a leotard for the docs to perve over." The crooked smile became a grin. "The naked prodding and poking was enough without me havin' to make a goddamned spectacle of myself."

"What I'm curious about..." Michelle went on as she watched Mazarin stalk off to the conference room. "Is what's got him so riled up. He's tenser than a lyin' politician on live telly." Almost absent-mindedly, the electrical-manipulator tapped a cigarette out of the packet she drew from her ripped BDU pants. Still lost in thought while frowning in the direction Doctor Mazarin had taken 'Chelle snapped her fingers to produce a spark, lighting the cancer-stick and taking a deep drag.