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Atlantis Arising [M] [Most Original 4Q '11] [Best Veteran 1Q '12]

5,114
Posts
17
Years
  • Age 30
  • AU
  • Seen Feb 18, 2023

"Otto" - Travelling from Florence, Italy to Boston, England

She was glad Cira took her hand. It meant he trusted her. Which way should they go? She already had half a plan mapped out. She was just waiting for the right moment. Still, they needed to be ready for it when it came.

"Please follow me," she said, heading down the train, towards the main doors, the ones that open when you reach your stop. Of course, they simply could not just jump off the train. No, that would be far too dangerous. Her preferable way included risk, but it was a way they could get off without attracting too much attention. And she trusted herself enough to not hurt the father and son.

The train went dark and its wheels echoed around them outside. It was what she had been waiting for, a tunnel. Without wasting a lot of time, she clapped her hands and pulled them apart, creating the strong, sticky web that was her ability. She wrapped it around the father and son despite their confused and reluctant looks. With the web still attached to her hand, she stepped forward and pushed the 'emergency door open' button, the doors sliding open to reveal the dangerous outside. She heard the shouting of other passengers but promptly ignored them.

"What?!"

"We are taking the fast way," she pulled them to the edge of the door, her arm around them, and with her other hand, flicked it forward, releasing a fair amount of web flying and attaching itself to the outside tunnel. The three were yanked almost instantly, her web proving its strength as they were pulled forward and out of the train together, swinging back and forward until they were hanging from the wall. The ground was about a meter and a half below them as far as she could see (it was quite dark), but she didn't have to break her web to get down. Instead, she waited a few seconds, the father and son still quite confused.

"Please wait," she said, feeling her arm pull as it held on to the web and the other held the weight of the father and son. She was strong and so was her web, but she didn't think she could hold on for another minute. She was saved though, by a small pop beneath them. She smiled at their rescuer, the only person she truly trusted.

"Well, hello there! Why don't we get a move on?" the voice below them said, grabbing Alex's foot and with a pop, teleported them out of the dark tunnel.​

The Vatican, Rome, Italy

They reappeared in a well-lit, well-furnished room, with the mysterious man's face in full light and able to seen. He was young, very young, about mid to late twenties. His hair was short and he was well groomed, dressed in a waistcoat with a tie tucked into it. He looked straight out of the 1900s but his facial hair was quite modern, with a neat goatee. He smiled at his guests and held his hands out wide.

"Welcome, Alex and Cira!" he said cheerily, pulling the web off the two with ease and disintegrating them in his palms. His voice was a pleasant English accent and just the tone felt comforting and like home. "Welcome to my home! As dearest Adeline must have told you, I am the Librarian, but you may call me James. Oh, sorry dear, you liked to be called something else, don't you?"

"Otto."

"Yes, yes, that's right."

His home as far as everyone could see consisted of one room, though there were open-arch doors which opened out to many more rooms. This room in particular seemed to look like a sitting room, with comfortable chairs surrounding a glass coffee table. There was a fire place, elegant wall paper, everything looked… nice. Retro nice. And surprisingly well lit with natural light despite being underground.

"So, drinks, anyone? Food? I have a delicious Tarte Tatin that is dying to be eaten."​



Connor Jackson & Hannah Brynn – Washington D.C., United States of America

"Let me take over."

"No."

"I can do this, c'mon!"

"No, let me. Please."

They both watched their target from a park bench, her face screwed up as she argued. They never got along, not since they met each other a week ago. Connor would argue that she was annoying and that he wanted her gone. Hannah would argue that she had every right to be here. He knew full well that he could 'take over' if he wanted to, but honestly, after he had spend every second with her since that point when the Atlanteans revealed themselves, she was starting to grow on him. Never the less, he would still argue he wanted her gone.

"I can see her, Connor. Please let me do this. You've been in control since yesterday. I need to breathe, please," Hannah said quietly as a random person passed her by, looking at her oddly. She felt so conscious when she was talking to Connor, but he had no shame. He didn't care what people thought, much to her dismay.

"Fine. But you'd know I'd do better."

"Shush, please."

She stood up, seeing Krystal and her school friends in the distance. How could she still go to a mortal school like that while she knew what she was? Did she know what she was? Hannah thought it would be overwhelmingly obvious. She had read the report with Connor, who had added his judging words at the end of every sentence. It wasn't very nice, Hannah felt empathy for her and Krystal's brother. She knew what it was like to have this tingling sensation, to know that your ability doesn't go away when you wake up. Though, Connor would argue that she was the problem, that Hannah never went away.

Connor seemed to argue a lot.

"Hurry up. Jesus. We don't have all morning," Hannah felt Connor, adding his bit like he always did.

The truth was, Connor and Hannah were the same person.

On that day, a week ago, Connor had been at work.

He had worked as a white collar worker, unbelievably talented at what he did. He designed furniture for a living and loved his job. His co-workers hated him for his talent and his annoying, angry and aggressive attitude but he loved his job. Hannah had made her mark seconds after the Atlantean crystal had been raised into the air, and Connor's body changed instantly. Then, he was Hannah and he was this voice in the back of her head. His sandy coloured hair grew long and lighter, his body changed from well-built to thin. He grew breasts. He was suddenly a different person, but Connor was still there.

Hannah had lived in the alternate universe as Connor. She was the same, but different.

She had worked as a white collar worker, unbelievably talented at what she did. She designed furniture for a living and loved her job. Her co-workers hated her for her talent and her annoying, introverted and worried attitude but she loved her job. Connor had made her mark seconds after the Atlantean crystal had been raised into the air, and Hannah's mind changed instantly. Her light thoughts grew heavy and intruded and she no longer felt alone. She heard a voice. She was suddenly a different person, but Hannah was still there.

Now, they could switch bodies at any time, but they both hated the thought of sharing their thoughts with another person. They both had enjoyed living alone. And now they couldn't. It was something they needed to get used to.

"They're not alone," Hannah said, watching their target from afar. "Should we wait?"

"I don't know, you're the genius. I would just grab the losers."

"That wouldn't be very nice, would it?" Hannah smiled at a passerby-er, quickly closing her mouth as they realised she wasn't talking to them. "I think I might wait until they're alone."

"How long will that take? You wanna watch them all day? What a dumb idea. I would take the police-paedophile option. Say you're a police officer and ask them to go with you. You know their parents' names, you could probably get away with it," Connor snickered with Hannah's mouth.

"You're awful," Hannah tapped her chin. "I could just tell them."

"Around their friends? Yeah, great idea numb nuts. That wouldn't be a bad idea."

"I think I might just do that," Hannah walked forward, feeling Connor's mental reluctance.

"What? Are you stupid?! That's dumb! Hannah, stop!" Hannah had to cover her own mouth to keep Connor from attracting attention. She continued to walk until she was just a little away from the group. Nerves hit her like a rock and she felt too afraid to say anything. Connor wasn't.

"Hey, you! Krystal!! Kris!!" Connor's obviously male voice blurted out, leaving Hannah rather embarrassed when the group turned around. Her face went red but at least she managed to communicate.

"Um, hello," Hannah waved awkwardly at the group, leaving long gaps of silence between each word. "Can… Can I please talk to you two?"​
 
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The warden

I'm back!
767
Posts
15
Years

Archie Stevens – Sheffield, England


So far Archie's day hadn't been too out of the ordinary, sure he was heading to register as a member of a completely different species to the on he had been brought up as but that paled in comparison to what was about to happen.


Behind him Archie heard some guys watch buzzing an alarm and was about to turn around to tell him to turn it off, he really wasn't in the mood today. Just then he felt a hand grab a hold of his shoulder, it was accompanied by a very unnerving sensation. It felt like he was being yanked backwards by his shoulder, he felt his feet leave the ground and lost all sense of balance, around him lights danced by, images that slowly formed but never quite became clear. Archie didn't know what was going on and frankly was too freaked out to even think straight enough to consider the possibilities but if he had been transportation would not have ranked high on his list of probable causes. In fact it would have come only slightly above abduction by aliens and that was only because he had found out that it was theoretically possible for some one to be capable of that two weeks ago. So he closed his eyes and waited for the ordeal to stop. It cut out the sights but the dreadful sound still surrounded him. So he just waited for it to end...

Location unknown



...And just as soon as it had started it stopped. Quite abruptly the noise stopped and he felt himself being propelled forwards by his shoulder. This was quickly replaced by another force applied to his body, this one was gravity pulling him back to the earth. He landed on one shoulder in a crumpled heap and swore. He started to massage his shoulder even before he began to open his eyes. Near by another person swore in pain and another was groaning in agony.

Looking around his new location appeared to be a warehouse of sorts. There were two guys there with him one was holding his nose and the other was cradling his arms on the floor, this was the same person Archie had heard groaning in pain.

"What the Hell is the bi--" The guy standing yelled at the other guy. But Archie wasn't paying attention. Three men approached, a man Archie would describe as a short east-end gangster, with two body guards flanking him. The lights came on dazzling Archie.

"
Hello Mr. Heiko, and Mr…" The middle man said, stopping to think, the name was a reasonable enough nickname for Archie for more than one reason but he didn't say it aloud. "…Mr. Stevens. Have a seat, both of you." It was an order, Archie looked round to this Mr. Heiko, it was the guy who had been holding his nose, the other guy nodded, a gesture telling them to sit down. Who ever the other guy was he was he was in on this, the fact that they already knew his name washed over Archie without his notice. Archie took his seat, the atmosphere was tense and he felt the compulsion to crack a joke but this wasn't the right situation. Instead he pulled the guitar case he had almost forgotten about closer to his chair. "I represent the Syndicate, a group of people interested in your....gifts, Archie and Jericho." Archie assumed that Jericho was the guy sitting next to him. "Though I am not a part of them, I do dealings with them, such dealings as having to... babysit... you Atlanteans." The man took out a cigar and began to smoke, he was practically a walking cliché, all he needed now was to start talking in cockney rhyming slang, or quote Del Boy Trotter. "You will be paid, quite generously too for someone like you, and your days will be anything but the boring lives of the humans around you as you will discover your ability and learn to use it,"He emphasised the word someone, which Archie took offence at, did they know he was Atlantean. "teaming up with others here to do what myself or those higher up, wish of you. So what do you say... Atlantean?" He barely spat out the last word. So they did know and this guy wasn't all too keen on Atlanteans either.

"How about no," Jericho said beside Archie, he was twitching slightly, it lead Archie to a hypothesis about what had happened.

"
So you drug and then kidnap us and expect us to accept your orders? Would you let us go if we said no?" Archie said, it wasn't the safest course of action to take but then he wasn't the kind of person who would be cautious under the circumstances.
 
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Silver Rogue

RolePlayer
258
Posts
12
Years
Nikolai Afon - Somewhere over Europe

Nikolai nodded at Annie as she suggested getting Helena something to drink. She pointed towards the front of the plane, near the cockpit, where there the kitchen was located. As Nikolai walked over to the kitchen, Helena asked a question that had been bugging Nikolai for quite some time too. "Annie... when we get to France... what will happen with me and Nikolai?" She seemed a bit hesitant when she asked, but who was Nikolai to judge. As Nikolai was looking through the various cabinets trying to find glasses, Annie started to answer.

"Well, I'm not usually the one in charge of handling new recruits," Annie once again turned back to her computer and started typing away again. "But, as far as I know, when we get to HQ, you will be going to do some training so that you can get a better hold of your ability." Nikolai absently wondered what his training could be. Annie seemed to know a lot about technology, maybe she would train him. But he decided not to press the issue for now. He would know eventually. Opening one cabinet, he grinned. Russians loved alcohol, or at least he did. In moderation that is. He was still feeling a little bit shakey, maybe he would poor himself some vodka if he could find some. Or scotch would do. He closed the cabinet, letting himself finish with Helena's drink before his.

Nikolai fished a glass out of one of the cabinets and opened the fridge, opening a bottle of spring water and pouring it in to the glass. Helena hadn't specifically said what she wanted, so he supposed water was the best option for now. As he finished pouring, Natalia stormed out of the room in the back of the plane, and headed straight for the cockpit. A few moments after she passed by Nikolai, Atticus followed, looking rather dejected and depressed. After what Nikolai had heard from the back room, he wasn't suprised.

Nikolai walked over to Helena and placed the water on the table next to her. She was still talking to Annie. Nikolai heard Annie ask Helena about her ability, and he decided to not disturb them in their discussion. Meanwhile, Atticus plopped himself down in one of the chairs. Nikolai went back to the kitchen for a moment, and fished around for some scotch, then took out a couple small shot glasses. Then he walked back out and sat next to Atticus. "You look like you need a drink. Want some?" he asked as he poured a bit for himself.

*OOC: For the record, Nikolai is not an alcoholic. He, like many Russians, just enjoys alcohol.
 

Swolligator

Butcher of the Sands
1,955
Posts
14
Years

Cobalt Chimura – New York, America


Cobalt listened intently as Brian described his abilities; he often found himself doing so to a lot of people lately, many thinking he wasn't listening to them, but rather he was letting the information sink in and mull over. 'so… an Empath, na? I wonder why the Oracle would think an Empath was important with such big of an event on the horizon…' Cobalt shook his head, they did not have the time for doubts, Brian had been one of the many names they were able to comprehend from the Oracle's garbled speech; the fact that she had even uttered his name meant that he was the least bit important. Cobalt smirked as Brian read his own emotions; yes he was incredibly uncomfortable in the suit, it was far too tight and he wondered how River had even convince him, much less got him into wearing it. On the other hand he was joyful for finding Brian; it had taken a lot of time following up on old contacts to be able to find the young empath.

Brain seemed to finish almost abruptly, like he still had more to tell, but held back on it. Cobalt hesitated to reply and push forward with it, obviously Brian did not want to reveal more due to, most likely, a bad experience; Cobalt understood that. He remembered the first time he had done anything major; it had felt like his soul, the very fabric of his being was being torn apart.

"Now, why exactly did you pick me up?" Brain asked.

Cobalt tilted his head down the street, motioning to Brian to follow him with a direction in mind, "As crazy as this sounds, I have picked you up because we believe you have a lot of potential, and we need as many people like yourself so that we can keep the world safe." Cobalt tossed the idea of revealing everything to Brian, but decided against the act; he would learn things all in good time. He would have to be careful with the kid, picking up people's emotion meant that he would have a better insight into people than others.

"Since I know your ability, it's a fair trade that I tell you my own." Cobalt waved his hands and all around them, stones and pebbles flew up off the ground, hovering around waist height like a sea of stones. "I am a terrakinetic; I control the earth." Cobalt let the stones hover for a little longer before letting them drop to the ground.

They continued walking, Cobalt breathing in the thick city air, the smells and tastes of America vastly different to that of England. "So Brian, do you have any other questions?"


Aidan Santoro – Washington D.C., America


"A heavy accusation you say? More like the truth!" Adrian wasn't kidding around, there were people out there who would like nothing more than to get their hands on one of them and dig around inside to see what made them tick, all humans were monsters like that. He moved aggravatingly under his shirt, it took much of his concentration not to stretch out and rip the shirt off; not to make a scene.

"So, what's this 'organization' called anyway...?" Erika asked.

"It's called the Syndicate, just the Syndicate. It's like working in a family business, you know some of the people there, do work for them and they pay you, while also teaching you how to control your ability… how to become more powerful." Adrian started to trail off, he had only been picked up recently, a couple of days before he was sent to pick up Erika to be exact, so he hadn't had much time in the organisation, yet he already felt a part of it and had learnt much. It beat the mundane nine to five existence in Rio that had been his previous life.

Adrian stretched out his hand, offering it in a hand-shake gesture of kindness, "so what do you say, Erika, take a leap of faith and follow me onwards?" Adrian was taking a leap of faith asking her this early on, but he was eager to show her around, there was something about this girl that made him believe that they would get along.


Joshua Meier – Syndicate HQ, Birmingham, England


Joshua watched in awe as Leon trained. He could stand and watch for hours on end as the boy harnessed the raw energies of electricity and used them against the targets. Leon pushed himself to do better, pushing onwards even to the point of exhaustion and his results were impressive, definitely showing his resolve to be strong. If anything, Leon was just as powerful as October, despite on just learning to control his ability as of late whereas October had much longer. Joshua recorded Leon's effort personally, the scores running down the side of the screen as he hit each target, ready to show it to the Boss. Unlike Jeremy's pacifism, Leon's hunger for power would mean that he could progress through the ranks of the Syndicate quite quickly; surpassing even Joshua.

'This boy is one of a kind, with the proper guidance he would be a magnificent weapon…' Joshua tossed the idea over and over in his mind; the Boss would be impressed with Leon's progress and dedication. Joshua bit his lip, a small chunk of resentment inching into his though process; his ability was nothing compared to Leon's.

'I wonder what dictates what ability we are given?' There were multiple answers for this question and it could be any of them, or a combination of several, no matter how much research they had put into it, the results always revealed the same disappointing fact.

"That's enough for today. I'm done with training." Came Leon's voice from over one of the consoles, Joshua hadn't even noticed him finish and come up from the training room; too busy lost in his own thought, the several projects he had going on taking his attention away from everything. "So…anyone know where the hell I'll be sleeping around here?" Leon asked to nobody in particular, and most of the scientists in the room looked at him blankly then returned to their computer screens. Of course they would not know, they were on scientists after all.

"A new recruit I see," came a feminine voice from over Joshua's shoulder as he realised he had not heard her enter either, "he's kinda cute, don't you think?"

Joshua turned around to take a look at the female behind him. In her early twenties, October Carter wore a plain dark singlet, slim cut black jeans and a pair of boots that came up to her thighs. Shoulder length mahogany hair covered the small crystal earrings in each ear while also drawing attention to her green eyes and practically perfect complexion; unscarred by teenage skin problems. She was the epitome of beauty; a deadly beauty that was to be treated with caution.

"I'll show him where his bed is, Josh," she spoke as she brushed past him, a hint of her perfume catching Joshua's nose.

If anyone could get away with anything, it would be October. No one even dared to call Joshua by his shortened name, all except October, who despite knowing the full consequences, walked around like she owned the place. If it came down to it, Joshua was more fearful of October than even the Blind Prophet or the Boss. It would take Leon a slip of the tongue, an insult thrown as what he was like, and all hell would break loose.

"I can show you where you bedroom is," she said approaching Leon, sizing him up, "the name's October, by the way, October Carter. And you are?" With her red lipstick, October looked almost seductive, and knew it too. She seemed to have an effect on guys; many would giver he what she wanted even if they had to bend their backs to get it for her.
 

Swolligator

Butcher of the Sands
1,955
Posts
14
Years

Jeremy Kyle – Birmingham, England


Jeremy cracked up laughing at the mention of drugs; Archie actually believed that Jeremy had drugged either of them? The idea was ridiculous in itself, but Jeremy abruptly stopped when he caught the eye of the bald guy. Jeremy rapidly composed himself and turned to Jericho and Archie; it was the typical good cop, bad cop routine, but for some reason the Directive always wanted Jeremy to bring his recruits this way which made absolutely no sense to him whatsoever.

"When I was like you guys, I was apprehensive about my joining too; I could barely teleport a meter ahead of myself. But by joining these guys, I've achieved much more than I would have if I was still in the mass of humanity. I've learnt to control my abilities; I've been all over the world!" Jeremy was hoping that by stressing how much he had learnt and grown, that they would join the Syndicate.

"I was bored at school, the work was easy, I acted out, and I was the class clown. Here, I can safely say I have never been bored; I am finally doing something useful for once. Us three are all Atlanteans, there are so many more of us in the Syndicate; it's like one big family. Why be out there with people who secretly want to supress your abilities and deny your heritage, treat you less than human? Become part of something big and join us!" Jeremy felt himself get a little emotional closer to the end, but he was true to what he was saying. Adrian and October treated Jeremy with disdain, he was alone and by himself in the Syndicate, he was sure even Leon would join their ranks, but Archie and Jericho; he had a chance to be friends with them.

"What do you say guys? Is my verdict enough to change your decision?"
 

SV

See You Space Cowboy
3,393
Posts
13
Years
  • Seen Feb 7, 2022
Leon Nef- Syndicate HQ, Birmingham, England

Leon looked around the room filled with scientists, who looked at him for a moment before returning to their monitors, not giving him a second thought. Nobody spoke up for a moment, and Leon crossed his arms. He was tired, and getting a bit impatient. When he would get impatient, he tended to get into a bad mood, which ultimately culminated in him not giving a sh*t about anyone else, really. He then heard a voice behind him. Leon turned and looked at the source of the voice, a woman, quite a beautiful one at that, with darkish red-brown hair, a pair of crystal earrings, and luscious, red lips.

"Che Bella..." Leon whispered under his breath, eying the woman up and down. She walked passed Joshua and towards Leon, who stood there, observing her walk. He wondered who she was. She walked with the air of someone important, but just how important? Was she an equal of Leon's, or what? Leon didn't really like the idea of having too many people above him in stature. Working under the Directive was enough without too many middle men in between. If this was another one, Leon wasn't sure if she deserved any sort of respect from him. He made up in his mind, however attractive she may be, that he would treat her the same way he would anyone else. To an Italian, an impression is made of someone before words are ever spoken to each other, and that impression usually sticks, and rarely changes. Interaction is often one of the most key cultural tools of life in Italy. However, Leon's Swiss background is just the opposite. Respect for privacy and discretion are key values in social interaction. One often does not interact to the extent of his other country. Observation is a key trait many of these people have. Although Leon has lived in Italy for the past few years on his own, he still identifies with his Swiss roots, and therefore, a first impression may need to be tested before fully established. That is one of the reasons Leon established his very annoying techniques of getting under other people's skin, combining his culture's mannerisms to get to really know a person, and perhaps not the shell they primarily put up.

"I can show you where you bedroom is," She said to Leon."the name's October, by the way, October Carter. And you are?"

The test began. Leon let out a small laugh, and spoke. "October? Who in the hell would give you a name like that?" He said, giving the girl a grin. "Leon. Leon Nef." he responded soon afterward. "Alright, I'll follow your lead...Ottobre." Leon said in his native Italian. He stretched his arms for a second, realizing he was still very much sore from the training, and eager to get some rest, which he felt, was well deserved.
 

Kikpanther

Not a beginner that's for sure
663
Posts
15
Years
Jericho Heiko: With Jeremy in a Nondescript Building (Location Unknown)

Jericho raised a brow and looked towards Jeremy when he started laughing. For a moment he thought someone would come out and say "Hey, Jeri, guess what? You've been Punk'd". He could see quickly that that wasn't going to happen. Only in an ideal world...

That didn't explain Jeremy's deal. Honestly, he didn't think this was something to be laughing about. He wondered what had caused Jeremy to make this outburst, but he stopped, to Jeri's pleasure. Subconsciously, Jeri started deducting points. Jeremy started talking then, all happy and whatnot. Saying stuff that didn't seem to match the overall scenery. He made it sounds nice, but looking at bald guy and remembering his first meeting with Jeremy he had to question whether this was scripted or not.
He raised a brow and looked Jeremy over. Then he spoke. "You've impressed me Jeremy," he said first, speaking slowly. "I didn't know people could really sound like the 'real people' that do product reviews during commercials. But you? You've got it down to a T." He lifted his hand on the word T, having his thumb and index finger connected together into a circle. The rest of his digits stood in the air. He lowered his hand and continued. "Look, you seem like a nice kid,"--you know, in a completely different situation--"and I'd love to hang out with you, but... I'm sorry." He pointed his thumb at the suited man. "Having a babysitter with a monkeys in his *ss and a few dimes short from buying a wig is a little too much for me." He glanced over at Archie for a brief moment and, just from that, remembered his little drug comment. He smiled at that, as if being teleported into some kind of warehouse was the equivalent of an acid trip.

Hm. So that's what he was laughing at. Alright, Jeremy. Points regained. His eyes went back to Jeremy after the brief moment. "If you'd given me a sign up sheet, rode me here on a bus, and sat me down in a nice bean bag chair at the community rec center, I might have been able to overlook that. But so far my trip here has been slightly less than comfortable,"--he fell from the ceiling for god's sake!--"and you've put me in--what is this? A warehouse? This place doesn't even look fun!" Jeri sighed. He honestly could go on, but he kind of wanted to get out of here. He looked back at the suited man, scowled, and then put his eyes back on Jeremy. "Jeremy, I don't know what your idea of a 'big happy family'--or fun for for that matter--is, but unless Marry Poppins or The Cat in the Hat bust in and tow this guy away my answer's going to be the same." He looked back at the suited man. "No."
 

Nakuzami

[img]https://i.imgur.com/iwlpePA.png[/img]
6,896
Posts
13
Years
KrystalKollyns
WashingtonD.C., USA
Two-in-one package
< Somnus; default >


"Hey, you! Krystal!! Kris!!" Krystal nearly jumped at the sound of a man yelling at her brother and her. Who could it be? Who even knew them here besides those gathered around her? Krystal turned to the voice, and was startled to see not a man approaching, but a girl.

"Um, hello," the girl said as she approached. "Can . . . can I please talk to you two?"

"H-hi? Who are you?" Krystal stuttered, confused.

"Hm . . . ," Kris murmured as he studied the girl. Krystal glanced at him, wondering what he was thinking.

"She have some weird personality disorder?" Krystal whispered to Destiny, although she probably didn't have the whole 'quiet enough to not be overheard' thing down.

"Or," Kris said, "is she an Atlantean?"

Krystal blinked and stared at her brother. "Excuse me? What are you-"

"Don't tell me it's not obvious? Strange girl walks up to us, speaking in two totally different voices, asks to talk to us by name even though we're technically on vacation, so no one around should know who we are, and we were also just going over whether we were going to go to the Atlantean Center or not; although you were the only one that needed any convincing." Krystal stared at her brother, dumbfounded. Even if he was wrong, he had kind of already reached the point of no return.

"So, the question boils down to this; who are you?" Destiny asked, giving the girl a hard stare. If Krystal was confused about what had just happened so quickly, then the other girl must have felt like they were speaking another language. At least, Krystal hoped so, that way she wouldn't be alone.
 

Dawn

[span="font-size:180%;font-weight:900;color:#a568f
4,594
Posts
15
Years

Erika Onzanem - Washington D.C., Virginia


If only Adrian knew that men without shirts don't violate US public indecency laws. Erika stared at Adrian thoughtfully as he went on. He seemed pretty passionate about what he just said. She didn't exactly blame him. he answered her question regarding the organization and she honestly had to wonder whom named their organization 'The Syndicate'. There was a negative connotation to that word in that one was most likely to think of a crime syndicate as the prototype of a syndicate. Perhaps she was thinking too much into it though. It was after all just a word that didn't necessarily mean that. He made it sound like a job though... She'd always loved being a librarian, though it did seem perhaps a bit dull in comparison. Power. That honestly didn't tempt her a great deal. She supposed it was a good thing, but it honestly hadn't been what she had been expecting.

The male stretched out his hand to her and her gaze shifted to it thoughtfully. For a moment she hesitated. There were questions she wanted to ask, and quite frankly she needed a moment to figure out what he was doing. You never knew what a stranger might be reaching for... Upon determining that the unexpected hand gesture was not in fact aggressive she passed the thought from her mind and found that in hindsight she supposed the offer to get stronger was pretty nice. She reached out and lightly took Adrian's hand, her gaze shifting to his face as she did so.

"Well... I guess so. You make it sound like a pretty big deal though, like I should be concerned or something."

A mildly skeptical look graced her features. After all, he was only asking her to come with him, right? That wasn't... a leap of faith to her.
 

Swolligator

Butcher of the Sands
1,955
Posts
14
Years

October Carter – Syndicate HQ, Birmingham, England


October felt the sting as Leon's words burrowed deep beneath her skin, but she would not allow him the satisfaction of seeing her squirm at those words. Instead she continued to smile at him, continued to charm him whilst stealthily brushing his arm; one brush was all she needed. Grabbing his wrist, she directed him out, a simple "this way" leaving her lips, but before they reached the door October turned on her ability. Shockwaves spread from her fingertips, vibrating their way up Leon's arm and to his skull where the real damage would take place. She intensified the shockwaves, not enough to cause brain damage, but enough to cripple Leon for the time being. They shook Leon's skull from the inside, resonating and interrupting any thought process. From the outside, it looked as if Leon was having nothing but a migraine, but inside, his skull was shaking.

October dropped down to her knees as Leon clutched his head in pain, her eyes meeting his, "this is the power of seismokinesis, if I were you, I would be careful where you tread with me," she spoke in a hushed tone, the smile still on her face.

"Cut it out, October, take the man to his room and leave him in peace," called Joshua from behind a console, October figured he didn't want her damaging his new pet.

"Anything you want, Josh," she replied, calling him by the informal shortening of his name out of spite, releasing Leon's wrist in the process. She had been careful enough to not do too much damage, but he would have a small headache for a little bit.

October returned to her feet, opening up the door and standing in the hallway, waiting for Leon to join her, "come on, we haven't got all day!" She smiled at him, giving him a stare that conveyed seriousness of what she could do. She turned around, pressing the button for the elevator, wishing that it would hurry up. She almost felt sorry for Leon, he was cute, and given the chance he could eventually grow on her, but Leon needed to learn the pecking order. Once he learnt that, October was sure the two of them would get on well.
 
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The warden

I'm back!
767
Posts
15
Years

Archie Stevens – Location Unknown



Archie hadn't even finished talking when Jeremy started to laugh, he had presumably said something that Jeremy had found funny but it was a joke he wasn't in on. He gave the guy a frown. Jeremy stopped laughing quite suddenly, which Archie suspected had something to do with 'Mr. Trotter' over there.

"When I was like you guys, I was apprehensive about my joining too; I could barely teleport a meter ahead of myself. But by joining these guys, I've achieved much more than I would have if I was still in the mass of humanity. I've learnt to control my abilities; I've been all over the world!" Jeremy said, well the mention of teleportation explained Archie's experience.



"I was bored at school, the work was easy, I acted out, and I was the class clown. Here, I can safely say I have never been bored; I am finally doing something useful for once. Us three are all Atlanteans, there are so many more of us in the Syndicate; it's like one big family. Why be out there with people who secretly want to supress your abilities and deny your heritage, treat you less than human? Become part of something big and join us!" From what Jeremy had just said he was quite similar to Archie in many ways.

"What do you say guys? Is my verdict enough to change your decision?"


Jeri, who Archie had forgotten was even there gave a long speech, with a lot a gestures, most of which Archie ignored. After he ultimately answered "No." Archie got his turn to speak.



"Teleport me and ask me to join, hey why not just miss out the middle man and use mind control on me? Then you wouldn't even need to ask. Surely that isn't beyond your capacities." Archie said to Jeremy. "And you." He said pointing a finger at the bald guy. "Still haven't answered my question. I have a few more for you too but I'll save them for the moment." He turned back to Jeremy, rising form his chair.


"The way you speak," He began to walk towards Jeremy, looking him straight in the eyes, "it's like you've been at this longer than just a few days," He was looking for any hint that would confirm his theory that there were people who knew what was going on before all this began and that Jeremy was one of them, he kept walking right into Jeremie's person space.


"Just how long have you had your ability?" Archie asked trying to sound as interested as possible, he didn't actually care what the answer was, there was probably a lot a stuff that was hidden from the public. By the government or whoever else had the money or power to do so. Really he was just a bit peeved at being teleported here and wanted to get his own back a Jeremy, in a friendly way. He turned his head to one side and walked off with out even waiting for an answer, sitting back down on his seat.


"Yes, I accept your offer." He said to Jeremy.
 
5,114
Posts
17
Years
  • Age 30
  • AU
  • Seen Feb 18, 2023

Atticus Forsberg - Somewhere over Europe


"Hey," Atticus turned his head, still sulking a little. It was Helena. At least she wouldn't yell at him. "Thanks... for getting me here in one piece."

"Din välkomna. Tack," Atticus said with a sigh, smiling softly back at Helena before Annie interrupted the brief silence asking Helena about her powers. Helena briefly showed Annie what she could do, which was a lot more than some people could do with the simplest junk. Atticus was a little glad her training wouldn't be as vigourous as it could be.

"Yeah, it's alright! You're all new to this so it's natural you'll have no idea what to do. Me and Natalia have had our abilities a little while longer because when you know of your heritage, it has the same effect as what happened a week ago. So yeah, don't compare yourself to other members at the AUP either. They've been training for some of the week," Annie nodded. "We should be there soon. Headquarters, I mean."

Nikolai returned from the kitchen, giving Helena a cup of water. That was something Atticus could really go for right now. Water? A cold drink? A coffee? Something like that. He'd probably get one at headquarters. He remembered there was a chick who could manipulate milk. Lactokinesis, she called it. Some people had said it was lame but look at Atticus; he had a tail.

"You look like you need a drink," Atticus turned his head to the Russian. "Want some?"

"Yeah, please," he said with a nod, taking the small glass as Nikolai poured it for him. At least this would make him feel better. "Thanks dude."

"Excuse me," Cooper's voice came over the speakers, "but I'll need everyone to take their seats. We're about to make our descent."

"Told you!" Annie said, strapping her own seatbelt on. Atticus followed suit and about a minute or two later, the plane dipped down. It didn't take long and the landing was very smooth, unlike most of their trip. They found themselves in a large hanger and as they could see from Natalia opening the door and folding out the small set of stairs, it was raining outside and probably getting to the point of early afternoon.

"Let's go everyone," motioning to the door as she went over to help Annie. Atticus unstrapped himself and stepped down to outside, meeting himself with a familiar face; it was none other than the leader of the Atlantean Unification Project himself.

"Atticus!" the man said, a hint of a French accent seeping through his British one. He was quite young for a leader, a little older than Natalia (probably in his early fourties) and was very clean looking, with his nicely combed kind of hair and goatee very clean and professional looking. He was wearing a dark suit with a crisp, blue tie and a bright smile on his face. There was also another standing next to him who Atticus didn't recognise. He was too young to be a body guard. Though Atticus knew well enough that the leader did not need a bodyguard. "Ah, I'm so glad you all make it safely."

"Guys," Atticus said as Helena and Nikolai exited the plane, "this is Mr. Bernot, leader of the AUP."

"Atticus, please, you listen to Natalia too much. Ms. Andersson? Mr. Afon? I am Emil and I am very much please to make your aquaintence. And this is Devon, my son. Oh!" he turned to Annie, Natalia and Cooper as they also exited the plane. "We're all here. This is excellent."

"Evo," the boy corrected his father quietly, though he went unheard by him. He looked about fifteen or sixteen.

"Emil!" Annie cheered.

"Mr. Bernot," Natalia said with a nod.

"Emilio, Devon," Cooper said, also nodding.

"It's Evo," the boy repeated quietly.

"Yes, yes, excellent," Mr. Bernot clapped a hand on Devon's shoulder. "Alright, so! Ms. Andersson and Mr. Afon, did you have any quick questions before we get on the way? We have a lot to cover before the day is out."​
 
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Quest

Veteran Roleplayer
984
Posts
14
Years
  • Seen Jan 6, 2023
Brian Sheppard - New York, U.S.A

Brian felt the small amount of confusion flow out of Cobalt's mind after he described his ability. Was I a bit too confusing with my explanation? he thought to himself. One bad thing about feeling emotions, you always feel like you did something wrong when a awkward emotion pops up.

It didn't take long for Cobalt to answer his question. He said he needed him to help protect the world because he had "potential." How can Empathy help keep the world safe? Brian wanted to ask him this but as he started to open his mouth, Cobalt had again started to talk.

He was telling Brian his ability. He was a terrakinetic. To Brian, that was a much more useful power. If something serious were to happen, which would be more of a help. Yep, the ability to control earth.

"So Brian, do you have any other questions?" the man asked.

Brian quickly answered. "How can I possibly help keep the world safe if I merely control emotions?" They continued to walk down the street and he started to miss his car. Why couldn't we have taken it?
 

SV

See You Space Cowboy
3,393
Posts
13
Years
  • Seen Feb 7, 2022
Leon Nef- Syndicate HQ, Birmingham, England

Leon watched as the woman named October continued to smile, even after he attempted to insult her. Leon cocked an eyebrow. He was able to ascertain that she wasn't overly sensitive, or took to much to what he said. At least, that is what he assumed in the beginning. His thoughts on that changed. He was grabbed at the wrist, and let out towards the room. Leon said nothing in the beginning, and let the arm guide him towards the exit. The situation seemed a bit awkward, or at least suspicious, but not really anything could have led Leon to suspect what would happen next.

Leon suddenly felt his arm begin to vibrate, and an apparent shockwave traveled up his arm and straight to his head. He clutched his head, as if he was experiencing a massive headache, and it only seemed to grow. He felt his skull begin to feel like it was shattering, or perhaps what he felt was his brain melting. Whatever the origin of the immense pain was, it was enough to bring Leon to his knees.

"Merda!" Leon shouted loudly, but over the buzzing and shaking resonating from the inside of his head, the shout seemed more like a whisper. Leon thought for a moment about somehow countering the ability, but he was drained of any lightning in his system, and the Corona couldn't be used at the moment because Leon couldn't seem to remove his hands from his head. She said something to him with a smile, but Leon could immediately hear it over the ability. After a while longer of the insufferable pain, it was suddenly stopped.

"Anything you want, Josh." He heard, as October released his wrist. "Urgh..." Leon began, trying to say something, but still recovering from the pain that was only just recently coming from his head. He knew he was going to have a headache after this. October meanwhile stood up and headed for the door, calling after Leon, as if nothing really happened. She smiled at him. Leon only stared from the floor, not really a stare of anger but more of contemplation.

It seemed that there was a pecking order around here. Certain people were held in higher regard and ought not to be messed with. There were those who dished out the orders and those who followed. Leon briefly accepted that when he joined the Syndicate, but he had a problem following orders. Where the Syndicate expected him to be, and where he thought he should be were two very different places. Sure, he could fall in line, start taking the orders silently, with no back talk, and he could avoid obvious repercussions of pain, like the Directive's earlier, or October's now. But then there would be a figurative, and perhaps literal place where Leon would remain in the Syndicate. He couldn't have that. He shouldn't have that. He had begun testing the limits of his powers and he knew in his mind he was meant for more. He knew he wasn't just another footsoldier.

Leon walked over to the elevator next to October, looking at the buttons light up as the machine approached. A smile crept onto his face.

So perhaps for now he will embrace his current position, albeit not quietly. But he's going to keep true to himself, keep pissing people off, and keep rising, until perhaps one day, they won't say that Leon Nef joined the Syndicate, but that the Syndicate joined Leon Nef.
 

TornZero

Resident Yuri-ism Cult Leader
1,137
Posts
13
Years

Cira & Alex Gaile - Florence, Italy to Boston, England

They rushed for the main doors, but no way Otto would just blow it open. The train went into a tunnel, and the last light beforehand showed a kind of grin on the girl's face. Then she wrapped the webbing around Cira and Alex.

"We are taking the fast way," she said, triggering the emergency door button. This webbing is REALLY resilient, it jerked the three out of the train and left them hanging in the tunnel without snapping. Otto asked for the two to wait a moment, not like they really had a choice. *Pop* Something grabbed Alex's foot.

"Well, hello there! Why don't we get a move on?" *Pop* And then they were gone.

The Vatican, Rome, Italy

They popped up in a well-furnished place, even had a couple art pieces on the walls. Alex, Cira and Otto were met by a groomed man, he couldn't have been over thirty, and he welcomed the father and son. Happily he disintegrated the web tying the two together.

"Welcome to my home! As dearest Adeline," heh, "must have told you, I am the Librarian, but you can call me James." Cira expected him to be somewhat older-looking.

"Otto." She corrected the Librarian-- I mean, James, on the name.

"Yes, yes, that's right. So, drinks, anyone? Food?" He mentioned a Tarte Tatin, which Alex was already dying to have a taste of, and he couldn't resist the offer.

"I'd love to take you up on that tart," he answered, while his son decided he'd prefer to look around first. Even just in the den, James' home looked amazing.
 

Legend

Kingslayer
1,308
Posts
15
Years
OOC: Behold: A monster post

Christian Calaway and Thalia Windspeaker- Atlantean Mansion, Boston, England


Your word will change the fate of the world.

Those words rung in Christian's years like a funeral bell, an eerie reminder of his fate. No amount of preparation could prepare him for this day where it would seem that he held the fate of the world in his hands. "No man should hold this responsibility," Christian whispered as it someone would be there to disagree with him. Why him? Why couldn't it be someone else? Someone stronger than him. There had to be better people than him. A man or woman could bear the burdens of the earth and overcome the challenges set before him. Christian couldn't even save two innocent women from a helicopter crash, needing to be saved by someone else. Christian was barely to save himself for that matter. Let's face facts, he was useless. It was only now that he begun to realize it.

And now this. "Your word will change the fate of the world," Christian said under his breath again. It was this point he had considered ignoring the whole ordeal of prophecy to begin with. He had never invested too much attention to fortune telling or anything related to before. Nicolas' girlfriend was into that stuff, even buying a pack of tarot cards one time. She read Christian's fortune a few times, only being about half right at any given time. Christian credited it under dumb luck and moved on, not having time for it. Not believing it then, why should he start now? Perhaps because extraordinary things have happened in the past week. Supernatural abilities, secret wars, ancient civilizations, and just about every major theme one could find in a comic book have come true. And Christian was right in the middle of it. With a deep sigh, he did not want to believe it now. It seemed too good to be true to begin with. He had finally acquired a means to the end of inflicting change, but a wise old woman has now burdened him an impossible quest. To what extent did his actions have on the world? Did his every action now have greater repercussions? He was already a bit paranoid, over-analyzing his actions…but now? Oh dear god, Christian felt his world was crumbling around him. Too much has happened in so little time.

"Christian Calaway?" a female voice entered the silence of the room. Christian barely heard it over the stampede of thoughts. "I am Thalia Windspeaker, but most people call me Thalia."

Christian stared at the wall more, unable to take his mind off the prophecy long enough to pay any to the woman. He then abruptly shook a bit, only realizing that a person was in the room before him.

"I'm sorry," he said as he stood up. "I was…lost in thought. How can I help you?"

Thalia made a little cough before repeating her words, "I'm Thalia, one of the leaders of the Royal Family, River sent me here to train you." Thalia looked at the bulky guy, wondering how someone with an aerokinetic ability such as her own could control it in such body shape, but she wasn't here to judge, "Would you like to follow me outside and we can begin training?"

Christian simply nodded in response and quickly went over to reclaim his jacket, grabbing it and putting it on in a seamless motion. This was what he was waiting for. And hopefully, the training would ease his troubled mind. That being said, he was not as enthusiastic was he imagined himself to be about finally becoming useful. Grabbing his jacket only reminded him that the best he could do for an innocent woman was to offer his jacket to keep her warm.

"Lead the way."

Thalia turned and lead Christian out, gathering gazes from many of the few students that resided; most if not all had training together in classes, only a couple of special cases ever had training with just a leader. She led him down the stairs and out into the courtyard where a few students sat in groups talking under the shade of the trees that grew there. instead she turned left, heading east to a large field bordered by trees. It was relatively empty this time of day, most of the students would either be in class or relaxing in the shade, which was perfect timing for training.

"First of all, Christian, I would like you to coalesce your smoke into a simple ball, like this," Thalia held her hand out in front of her and within seconds a condensed ball of wind spiraled about in the middle of her palm.

"Right. Easy enough," he replied, having practiced this a few times. Christian put his hand out, with smoke fumes emerging from his of his fingers. He tensed up a bit as Christian concentrated on bring form to the fumes. Slowly, the fumes gathered into a cloud in his palm. The cloud had no defined shape however which frustrated the smoke manipulator. Unable to smooth the cloud out easily, Christian released the cloud into his atmosphere. The challenge of making a perfect sphere was harder than he thought. He restarted, gathering another cloud in his palm and bringing his other hand into play, smoothing out the gathered cloud into a perfect ball which rested calmly his palm. "There. A ball."

Thalia watched Christian concentrate on the ball, finally getting it circular after a couple of goes. "Being able to shape your smoke is a useful tool, if it is dense enough, it can really hurt someone. However injuring someone isn't everything, sometimes you need a distraction to get away," the wind around them picked up and a miniature whirlwind wrapped itself around them; shielding Thalia from Christian's view. Once settled, Thalia was no longer in front of Christian.

"Sometimes, distractions are the perfect weapon," She said from behind him. "Now you try, let's see what you can do!"

Christian was a bit confused at this point, not entirely grasping the point of the lesson. It was not that he couldn't see her point. A confused enemy is a vulnerable one. He knew that much watching Nicolas fight punks on the backstreets of New York, when he threw a bit of dirt in their eyes. But how was he supposed "teleport" to a different location? It seemed that Thalia used the wind to simply obscure his vision. And that gave him a bit of an idea. It wasn't as crazy as his flying trick that nearly cost him his life, but it was still be a bold one to pull off. Cracking his neck and back stretching a bit to loosen up, Christian took a deep breath to relax himself. Was it nerves? He didn't really know.

Christian dropped his hands to his side and a rush of dense smoke surrounded both Thalia and himself in the span of a few mere seconds. With the dense smoke filling the area, Christian himself transformed his physical body into smoke, blending himself into the dense cloud. Fluttering around to swing behind Thalia took some time with Christian being uncomfortable without a tangible body, but in a few moments Christian had "teleported" behind her after regathering his physical form and the surrounding smoke successfully.

"Took a while. First time trying that."

"A good effort, but-" Thalia begin as she turn around to face Christian. Face being used in a loose sense of the word, being that Christian was a fair share taller than her. "Your movements are too stiff, too rigid, too….human. As an aerokinetic, you must like the air itself. Free and flowing yet firm and strong. You want to be like a gentle breeze yet be strong like a gust of wind. You must make the nature of the air part of yourself. Only by doing that will you unlock your potential," Thalia said with an earnest smile.

Christian was, appropriately, mind blown. He couldn't quite grasp the whole idea of being like the air itself. With eyes wide, Christian tried to make sense of anything. Thalia was right, or at least he believed her. But how exactly to be more…free? He was always the serious, methodical one. Asking him to suddenly more relaxed and free spirited was like asking a piece of wood to sink.

"Come now. Grab me," Thalia ordered.

"I'm sorry. What?" Christian said, with a hint of nervousness. Was she coming onto him?

Thalia chuckled: "Grab me as if you were in a fight." Christian sighed in relief and placed his large hands on her shoulders. He let his grip be rather gentle, as to not harm Thalia. He understood it was training and it was usually best to imagine every moment as "real" but Christian had a capability to adjust that others did not. "No, no. Again! But…this time as an Atlantean." Thalia pointed at Christian, locking her eyes onto his own.

Christian stepped back, as if he knew what she meant. Christian put about 3 meters between Thalia and himself. Grab her as an Atlantean. Doesn't sound too hard. Right?, Christian thought to himself with a gulp. Knowing what he wanted to do but not knowing how exactly to do it, he looked at Thalia for a few moments. He closed his eyes and envisioned a number of things. Turning only his legs into smoke, trying to be more free flowing, being calm as the breeze yet able to be strong like a hurricane. Rubbing his hands together to warm up again (and probably another nervous tick), Christian outstretched his arm and attempted to focus on the task at hand. Concentrating hard, Christian's arm slowly lost form and became a smoke stream. Visualizing a large arm in shape and design, Christian attempted to mold the smoke into a human arm, but failed. All he had created a smokey mess where his right arm used to be.

"Calm down, boy. Remember, be like the air. Free, peaceful, but strong and powerful. The air is a volatile element and one with many natures onto itself. You must able to adapt and change like the changing of the winds. 'Go with the flow' as they say. Do not carry yourself like a stone on the ground. Your gift is not contained in a small package. The sky is your canvas and the smoke is your brush."

Yeah, right. Easy for you to say. Damn hippie. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. That seemed to be the major lesson here. Up until now, he was always trying to keep his power under control with constant vigilance for fear of going up in a puff of smoke was overwhelming. He had never once considered calming down and going with the flow for a moment. Being uptight was just in his nature so when he learns of a power that causes him to lose his physical form any time he loses focus was not a good idea (not that he could help it). Well Thalia put his power into perspective. It was associated with the air, the wind, and nature itself. Why not at least try to be like that element? Even if what she was saying sounded like lunacy.

"Here goes nothing then," Christian said with false enthusiasm. Christian loosened up, let go of his reservations, and went with flow. Well, at least to a greater degree than before. It was not easy. Be like the air, be like the air, be like the air. After talking himself into being calm, he managed to trick himself into being more "free spirited", it seemed his body simply did what he had envisioned loosely his head. A large arm formed with what appeared to have a fully functional hand. A small smile stretched across his face. The hand felt like a new extension of his body, as if a once invisible limb was now visible for the first time. Christian gazed upon the new limb with satisfaction. Even if the control of over his ability was not absolute or complete, it was a nice shimmer of hope. Eager to experiment, Christian reached out and grasped Thalia in a firm hold, surprised that he did not immediately crush her into dust.

"Very good. You are learning quite quickly, but you still have quite a ways to go. Overconfidence will be your greatest weakness should you allow this small step get to your head," Thalia warned. She stared out into space for a brief moment as if her brain had to restart like an old computer. "Ah!" She exclaimed suddenly, causing Christian step back from his approach to her. "Stay right there. Actually…take a few steps back. Back where you were should be good. I have another exercise for you. I think this may help the most in fact." Christian wanted to groan, but remembered that he wanted to train. He wanted to get stronger.

"This exercise will put all what have you done into a single exercise. Think of it as the…culmination of your lessons. A final exam if you will, but I highly doubt we will end on this note. There is quite a bit of daylight left to be had," Thalia said. Thalia then swung her arm in large yet quick hook, as if she was cutting the air like a short blade. A rush of sharp wind gust past Christian's face, but all it let in its wake was stinging cut on his cheek. "We shall do a bit of sparring. You must find a way to avoid my attacks, and approach safely with the goal of stopping me."

"And how do you suppose I do that?"

"If I told you that, it would ruin half the lesson. I don't think an enemy will tell you how to stop them. In battle, you must be able to observe your opponent and find a weak point all on your own. Now, let's begin," Thalia said preparing another air slash.

"Whoa, wait up a moment!" Christian pleaded. "At least let me put my jacket down." Thalia nodded, allowing him to tend his needs. Christian stripped himself of his jacket, folded it neatly, and placed it on the ground. Whether Thalia realized it or not, it was an elaborate plot to waste a few moments to devise some sort of strategy. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, Christian's mind drew multiple blanks. Maybe it would be best to improvise a bit. He had a few ideas, but he wouldn't know if they would work until he actually experimented. For the first time in his life outside of his relatively elaborate imagination, Christian would be engaged in a fight involving superpowers. Sure, it was sparring but the novelty of all whole situation was overwhelming.

"Right. Let's begin."

Thalia wasted no time, immediately waving her arms with broad motions. She did it slowly, as if showing Christian some degree for mercy. However, her accuracy was dead on, aiming for his appendages as to not kill him; just punish him for any mistakes. Christian was able to dodge a few attacks, but found himself running around the air slashes more anything else. Being that his goal was to stop Thalia, and running around the attacks did nothing but stretch out the process evolving into into a senseless standstill. After a small leap to dodge one attack, Thalia read Christian's evasion and launched an air slash cutting his leg. Christian winced as he slid across the ground, almost taking a dirt nap. "That hurt."

"You have to fight back eventually. Do this in a fight, and you will die," Thalia said flatly.

"Right. Again."

"As you wish," Thalia said excited that Christian was not backing down.

Thalia launched another flurry of attacks, but this time Christian showed no fear and simply guarded his face, playing his large arms in front of him. He was soon showered in cuts, with air slashes butchering his arms. Christian stood his ground, enduring the pain until a better idea would come to fruition. Really wish I had a shield right about now. Wait! That's it! A light bulb flashed in his mind. Trying to remember his old lessons, Christian focused (lightly) on crafting a shield, a wall, something to protect himself from the onslaught of painful blades of air. Soon enough, a wall of dense smoke emerged from his arms, blocking the blades of air. It worked! Christian thought to himself. Able to hide from a brief moment, Christian examined his arms and legs, seeing a fair number of injuries, each bleeding more than he would care to admit. Injured or not, Christian had a job to do and he was not going to lose this little match. Going over all the lessons he just had, Christian tried to devise a way to bring all his new-found knowledge to use. Distraction and manipulation were the focal points of this whole training. Let's see how I can put them together. That is the purpose after all. Christian sat on this for only a few seconds before a plan was formulated. Considering his other plans, this one was sane. But perhaps that would be why it may not work.

Christian strengthened his wall, buffering it up a bit. This was only to load up his gun. Christian tightened up and then with a quick burst of energy, unleashed a large wave of smoke upon the field. Thalia was briefly overwhelmed, but kicked up a small torrent of wind to clear the field. However, much to her surprise her opponent…wasn't there. She spun around, but Christian wasn't there either. Suddenly, she felt a hand coil around her body.

"Got you," Christian said. "I hid myself amongst the smoke you blew around. Allowed me to flutter around later grab you. Wasn't sure if it was going to work."

"Good move," Thalia said being quite pleased with Christian's success.
 
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5,114
Posts
17
Years
  • Age 30
  • AU
  • Seen Feb 18, 2023

Connor Jackson & Hannah Brynn - Washington D.C., USA

Hannah was fairly alarmed at their excessively fast deduction; she wasn't deaf, she could hear them from where she was. And so could Connor, squirming in his subconscious. What was with these kids? How rude was that, from the girl they didn't know giving them attitude. For all they knew, they were randoms in the street. Connor felt like biting back but he felt Hannah push him down slightly. How could they recruit them if they were ass holes to them?

"Me?" Hannah put a hand on her chest. Connor rolled his eyes inside Hannah's head. Yes, who else, genius? "My name is Hannah Brynn."

She looked at them for a second, not realising she had to do more than introduce herself. The question was not who she was, but who she was. Well, who they were.

"Oh, um," Hannah looked at her shoes briefly, "yes. Um, Kris and Krystal," Connor mentally sniggered at this one. Who named their children with such alike names? Right royally lame, "can you please, um, can we please talk?"

Oh god, she was going to awkward their way through this, wasn't she?​


Oakley North - Atlantean Mansion, Boston, England

"Not here? What do you mean?" Oakley shook her upside-down head at the girl under her bed, who looked awfully frustrated at her. She was about to retaliate but thought better of it, pulling herself from underneath the bed and exiting the dorm rather hastily. Oakley was left with a confused look on her face. What was she doing? Was this person... spying on her? Snooping around? Going through... well, Oakley didn't have any stuff here, it was all in her bag. Maybe... maybe it was just bad luck? It was hard for her to shake the thought, lying back down on her bed and closing her eyes, her right arm resting on the floor as she felt it twinge in pain. She let herself relax and fell asleep, for the first time in two days.

"Oakley North?" her name woke her and Oakley opened her eyes to find a familiar face standing in the centre of the dorm, the man who had came to meet them before they came to the Atlantean Mansion. Oakley couldn't remember his name though.

"Mmmhello?" Oakley rubbed her eyes with both hands; her armour had receeded in her dreamless sleep. He tilted his head and looked back at her, giving a crooked smile. It took Oakley several seconds to realise that he was in a girls' dorm and that he was not a girl.

"Good morning! Or should I say afternoon?" he laughed then waited for Oakley to respond in someway, which she didn't, and continued, "I'm Justin. Justin Oak. I came with the group that picked you guys up this morning. I'll be helping you with your training today."

"My training?"

"Yep. River should have mentioned it to you? She wouldn't have forgotten. We're training in one of the lower halls. It should be empty until late, so we can take as long as we want. So get ready and we'll go, okay?" he stood there, patiently waiting for Oakley, his hands linked behind his back. Oakley breathed deeply, standing up as she processed what... Mr. Oak had said (is that what she had to call him? He was so young...). Training... which meant she had to use her ability. Or try to. Or fail miserably. She tried not to think about it too much, pulling off her coat, leaving only a singlet top and a pair of jeans. She would change her clothes tonight.

"C'mon then," Justin turned around and exited the dorm, Oakley following behind him. They maneuvered around, heading down a few flights of steps until they had found themselves in a mid-sized hall, about the size of two classrooms. It was semi-empty, seats stacked on the side towards the windows and posters of information hanging from some of the walls. Sunlight flooded in through the windows; Oakley was a little surprised how long she had slept, it looked like it was probably after 2pm. Justin walked to the middle of the room and outstretched his arms.

"Well, this is it!" he said, gesturing to the empty space. "I figured we needed a lot of room because of your ability."

"Yeah..." Oakley rubbed her right arm; it had already moved up her fingers and her palm on the trip down.

"River told me a little about it. But can you explain it to me, please? I'd like to hear your words!"

Oakley's eyes went to the floor. How could she? Keiran was easier, he knew how Oakley felt. He had a similar power. He knew what the pain was to be an Atlantean. But, she didn't even know Mr. Oak's power. Did he even have one? Surely so, he wouldn't be here otherwise. He tilted his head at her silence. Oakley wasn't even sure how she had opened up to Kieran, what had compelled her to do so? She hadn't spoken to anyone about it, aside from the doctor, but that was extremely brief and the doctor had figured most of it out. It had to be their likeness, right? Their similarities? Or was it something more?

"Oakley, I can't help you if you don't open up to me! Please, you need to tell me. If you show me your secret, I'll tell you one of mine," she looked back up at him. He looked sincere, but could he help? Or would he make it worse? Kieran's words echoed in her head.

Don't get so worried about it, okay? Everyone here's gonna try and help you deal. This place really helped me. I'm positive it's going to help you too.

Everyone's gonna help you.


"Okay," she said, putting her right arm forward. "This is... my arm. There's this... armour that grows on it. And when I get worried or... anxious or anything really, it grows. And it hurts a lot."

"Good, good! Is there anything else that is particularly odd about it? Is it heavy?" Oakley frowned. Well, wasn't it odd in general that she had armour growing on her arm?

"Uh, no, um, well, there's this gem that grows here," she put her hand on her forearm; the armour hadn't grown there, so she couldn't physically show Justin, "and there's a sensitive part on my palm. And in between the armour joints," she tapped her palm and elbow, the black skin on her palm visible. Was there anything else? "Oh, um, I think it grows not just on my arm," she could remember a little from the helicopter. The letting go, the blackness that swallowed her. "Um, when we were in the helicopter we fell out and... the armour grew all over. And then, I blacked out before we hit... um, the ground."

"Okay, good!" Justin nodded. "Now, my secret, would you like to know?" Oakley didn't mind either way. She was a little glad she had spoken about her armour without it growing in the process. "I have a sister, but she doesn't live here anymore. She's not very nice. And she did a not very nice thing to my... well, girlfriend at the time. Now my girlfriend isn't here either. And I miss them both. You know what the funny thing is though?"

"What?"

"Well, I've heard rumours about both of them and it's kind of funny, since they both seem to be in different organisations. I wish I didn't have to be against them."

"Oh."

"Anyways!" Justin clapped his hands together. "Okay, let's get on with it. From what I've kind of concluded, your power is mainly defensive. You're pretty much a tank. River told me you got pretty big when the armour was all over you. So, tanks are all about protection. A sheild. You take and deal powerful blows but I'm guessing you can't move very fast when the armour is all over. Though, you never know. Abilities work in mysterious ways." So, Oakley was a... a shield? She had to protect people? But, Oakley was small! Weak! Short! She could barely protect herself, let alone others. How was this meant to work? How could she trust her ability when all it had done was make her miserable? "So, Oakley, I want you to punch me as hard as you can."

"What?"

"Punch me!"

"I don't think... um," she looked at her right arm. Punch Justin? What would that even prove? "What happens if... um..."

"Oakley, I need you to take your best shot," Justin spread his arms out wide. "Don't even think about it. Just do it."

"But what if--"

"Oakley!" Justin shook his head. "Just do it, okay? You will never get far in life unless you take chances. Take risks! Make mistakes, okay? Besides, I have this all under control. Nothing bad is going to happen!"

"BUt..." Oakley inhaled deeply, "you don't understand! It hurts, okay? It really hurts. You can't p-promise something bad won't happen, okay? You can't promise anything. B-bad things happ-pen and p-people change," her armour started to shift upwards as that choking feeling you get before you cry struck her. The armour grew in a funny way; it was all wavy and bubbly like water. "O-o-ow. Please, m-make it stop." Justin didn't move from where he was.

"Oakley, you're doing this to yourself. You need to calm down, alright?" Justin pulled a blue crystal from around his neck. "See, you want this? Oakley, calm down, okay? I'll give it to you."

"C-calm down?" she sobbed. "I'm n-not doing this, it's th-this th-thing, okay? I never wanted this thing h-here." The armour moved faster, now reaching her mid bicep and her arm had expanded, now touching the ground. "S'il vous plaît! Faire l'arrêter!"

"Hit me Oakley!" Oakley didn't really know what she was doing, only that her legs moved and her right arm was outstretched to grab the crystal, only colliding with a desk that had somehow stretched its way from the side to in front of Oakley's arm. When it exploded from impact in front of her, she could see Justin behind it, arms moving as he manipulated the wood, particles from the explosion moving back together. Soon, wood surrounded her like a wall. Oakley was panting, her heart rate rising as she panicked; the wood was moving so fast around her, what was she supposed to do? Her armour twinged and she looked back at her arm. The armour had now started to spread across the top of her chest. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't relax like this!

"Laissez-moi sortir!" Oakley cried out. She started to feel dizzy now. "Laissez-moi sortir!"

"Oakley, you can't rely on others to do things for you," Justin said from behind the barrier, his voice muffled from the spinning wood. Claustrophobia set in and she felt the wood move in closer, even though it really just stayed where it was. She started to hyperventilate, and the armour distortedly moved down her torso, ripping her skin, twisting her bones and expanding outwards and it hurt like hell. She could just imagine what would happen if she hit the spinning wood; thousands of splinters going into her hand. Maybe it would crush her arm? How could she determine this kind of thing, especially when it felt like they were going to collide into her. THe armour moved across her torso, spreading onto her other arm, destroying her singlet top in the process. As she grew taller, spreading down her legs, she doubled over in pain. She began to think of the worst; who would she say goodbye to? She would say... sorry to her father for lying to him. Sorry to her mother for not being there. Sorry to... Michael, her brother, for missing him so much and never telling him. She would... she... who was Michael? Who... Where was she? In a classroom, wasn't it? No, wait... she was... she was...

Sorry, what was my name again?


Justin Oak - Atlantean Mansion, Boston, England

He didn't want to do this to her. It was against his nature to push people to the edge, but River had simply insisted they needed to get to the bottom of her ability. Justin did not want to hurt her and had not done so physically (except maybe for her armour), but felt as if he was inflicting some kind of mental damage to her. He cringed as she told him to stop but River's words echoed into him.

"You're a part of the Royal Family now, Justin. You need to do what needs to be done."

"What are you trying to say, River?"

"The children of the Oracle's Prophercies must be prepared the most, Justin. Oakley is yours. I need for you to push her limits. She doesn't want this but she needs to understand her importance. She needs to know her place."

But, where was the line between what was right and what needed to be done?

Justin heard a heavy thud on the ground and stopped moving his arms immediately, the wood around Oakley falling dead. But, Oakley was not the Oakley he had first trapped in his wooden cage. She had now grown at least three times her size, her entire body but her head covered in armour. And she was unconscious. Justin stepped over to her, inspecting her limp body. No, she was not dead, she was breathing. There was a small puddle of blood underneath her; the armour must have grown too quickly. Ah yes, the armour. It was all rough in texture, distorted in the way it had grown across her. What had he done to this poor girl?

"Oakley, I'm sorry, give me a second, I'll get rid of all this for you, hang on," pulled his bracelette off with his Atlantean Crystal, only to hear a large groan coming from Oakley. The stone on her arm that she had mentioned glowed blue and then, there was a snap and a helmet snatched her head away. Justin was pushed back by an arm, dropping the crystal and the suit of armour that was Oakley began to stand up, ominous by the slow speed it moved and the shape of its helmet.

"Oakley?" Justin also stood and stepped forward. The armour did nothing but stared. What was this? "Oakley, it's okay, I can fix this, just let me help, okay?" His eyes scanned quickly for his Crystal and he spotted it, a few meters from the armour. "Oakley? Are you okay?"

The armour continued to sit there, motionless. When Justin had told himself it wasn't going to do anything, he briskly walked over to his stone. He had almost reached it when he was flung back by a hand, the armour had silently and quickly sped forward and knocked him over, Justin using the wood from the desks to catch him. Then, the armour was at him, its hand pulled back to swipe him away. Justin acted quickly, pulling his arms up with the wood to protect himself then pushing his feet down, falling to the ground. The armour smashed through the thick wood as if it was twigs and Justin felt underpowered without the help of his Crystal.

"Crap!" Justin rolled away as the arm followed Justin down, breaking the wooden stairs he had quickly crafted. When it had landed, it stomped through the walls Justin had hastily forced up as he ran over to his Crystal, jumping for it. He was thrown out of the way, Justin's wood no match for this armour's sheer strength. What was this?! This couldn't be her Chaos form, could it? No, she would have to be in mortal danger for that to happen. Was this just how her ability worked?

More wood caught his fall and Justin needed to be quick; the armour was starting to slow but by the look of it, its strength had started to rise, beating through the platforms Justin had built to try and make his way over through the air.

"Mr. Oak! What's going on?" Justin looked over at the voice, only to see Kieran, one of the boys who had come over with him to pick up River and her recruits. A little of Justin was relieved but a lot of him was scared. The boy was not strong enough to help him!

"Kieran, get out! She's not herself!"

"She? Who's she? Mr. Oak, let me help!"

"It's Oakley!" Justin jumped off his platforms, gripping to a rung that stablisied the roof. The armour had crushed the last of Justin's platforms but had yet to notice Kieran. "I need the Crystal! She needs to touch the crystal!"

"Right!" Kieran ran in, spotting the Crystal immediately and making a mad dash for it. His heavy footsteps caught the armour's attention and it instantly forgot Justin, trudging its way to Kieran, its arm pulled back again for another blow. Justin took the oppourtunity and manipulated the broken wood on the ground, creating a set of steps to the ground. Kieran on the other hand, whipped off his coat and pulled his arms up, catching the armour's swing and compressing the punch. The sheer strength was enormous, this thing must have a weak spot! Wait... the palm! Kieran, with a yell, pulled his arm up and dug one side of his bone sword into the armours palm. It made a deafening roar, stepping back, left arm going limp. As blood started to gush from the wound, Kieran remebered something; that was still a person. He could not hurt her. Justin had now his hand around the Crystal and ran forward, the armour turning around at the noise. It put out the bloodied hand to grab Justin but was met with the Crystal and with a metallic groan, the armour immediately shrunk, leaving a naked Oakley unconscious on the floor. Justin sighed heavily, falling to the ground. That was the last time he was listening to River for this kind of advice.

"Oakley!" Kieran stepped over to her, hesitated a second but then immediately grabbed his coat, covering her. "Oakley, wake up!"

"Shh," Justin sighed and with his Crystal, tapped Oakley on the forehead. Her eyes snapped open though her eyes were hazy to look into. "Oakley, are you okay?"

"Oakley?" she said softly. "Oakley... that's me, isn't it?"

"Yes, Oakley," Kieran stroked her hair. "That's you."

"Oh... oh!" and as if a lightball switched on in her head, she blinked again. "Oh! Oh... oh no, what happened?"

"It's okay Oakley," Justin shook his head. She slowly sat up, cringing. The armour had obviously taken a toll on her. She was still and her hand was bleeding. They had to fix that up immediately. "I'm really sorry, it's my fault. We'll train again but next time, I'll do it slowly. Now, you need to get to the Healer."​
 
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Swolligator

Butcher of the Sands
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Michael Cale – Atlantean Mansion, Boston, England


'You boy, you will lose that which you hold dear.'

The words resonated within Michael's skull, bouncing off the sides of his skull and mixing together with one another until they became nothing more than a jumbled mess of words. Now that he had left his school life behind, Michael had nothing that he held dear, not that he had someone like that in the first place. Knowing this, his first through was to distance himself from the people around him, if he never got close to anyone, then he would spare the loss that both of them would feel. But that was the problem, for some reason Michael had in his head that that which he apparently held dear was a person; the Oracle had never said that it was a person. All the different possibilities and vagueness of it troubled Michael; he would just have to be careful from now onwards.

A rapid tap of knuckles on the wooden door frame snapped Michael out of his trance like state. "Michael Cale?" spoke a deep voice in an accent that did not seem to belong in the middle of the English countryside.

"Yeah?" Michael replied sheepishly as he turned to have a look at the man who stood in the doorway, not recognising him in the first instance.

Standing at around the same height as Michael, the man seemed to be quite well built and his skin tone was darker than that which could be achieved through tanning, but lighter than people from African descent. His accent was definitely foreign, one Michael had a hard time placing, but the closest he could get to was the South Pacific. "River sent me. It's time for your training." He left the door way with a single wave of a hand, motioning for Michael to follow.

Quizzically, Michael follow him down the halls where he noticed most of the students looked at the man in surprise and shock, while others showed some sort of reverence. Once inside the training room come classroom, Michael finally popped the question that was on his mind; "Sorry, who are you?" he said somewhat bluntly.

A laugh escaped his throat as he leaned back on a desk, "I would have thought with the news you would know me. The name's Blayze, Blayze Nalaar."

Michael finally understood why everyone was so shocked; this man should have been dead! Blayze had been blown up alongside half of Berlin, the fact that he was living and breathing right now wasn't right. "B-but you… you should be dead!"

Again, Blayze laughed, a flame sporadically appearing in his palm, "I control fire, Michael, it would take more than a simple incendiary explosion to kill me." The flame disappeared and Blayze turned serious, "this training isn't about me Michael, it's about yourself. I am here to help you learn more about your ability." From the desk, Blayze produced a simple wooden box, rattling it to show it had contents inside of it.

Michael picked up the gist of this exercise before Blayze needed to explain it. He wanted Michael to use his ability to see through the box at the contents inside. The only problem was that Michael knew it wasn't a switch he could turn on and turn off; it seemed to come and go on its own will. "I can't," he replied simply.

Blayze seemed almost disappointed, "it's not a matter of 'can' or 'can't', but rather 'will' and 'won't'. It's not that you can't, because you obviously can, but that you won't." Michael's ability allowed him to not just see through objects, so he could do so, but for some reason Michael was holding himself back; not allowing himself to see.

Michael turned his attention from Blazye and back to the box in Blayze's hand. He focussed on the box, straining his eyes, trying to force himself to look into the box, but despite all the effort he put in, his eyes did not budge and the box kept its contents a secret. Sighing, he tried again, straining his eyes, yet the result was still the same, no matter how much he tried to use his, his ability didn't want to manifest itself.

"I can't do it!" Michael exclaimed frustrated, "Maybe I'm not the person you were meant to get, the wrong Michael, I probably don't have an ability at all."

"You are, we know that for certain," Blayze furrowed his eyebrows, trying to think of a way to help, "if you weren't who you are, if you didn't have an ability, we would have never picked you up in the first place." Blayze unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a rather scarred abdomen, pulling **** shirt to the left, he revealed the dark marks that stretched up the side of his body, creeping across his abdomen and back. "This is an Atlantean Tattoo, a mark that defines my heritage as Atlantean, similar to the swirl that appears on your neck Michael."

"What if it's just a simple tattoo that some put on my body? There is nothing about it that makes it different from any other." Michael looked down at his feet, "I'm not special" he thought to himself, "I don't have an ability, this is just stupid!" Michael was beginning to get frustrated.

"Stop being selfish Michael," Blayze exclaimed, the temperature of the room heating up slightly as his anger increased, "you're just being a selfish, arrogant, emotional child that no one likes. Seriously, man up and accept the fact that you are who you are!"

"If I'm all that then let me leave, let me continue on my life away from here!" He now found himself raising his voice, almost to the point of yelling.

"You are weak Michael, giving up when it gets too tough, you would never make it in this world if you couldn't leach off of others." Blayze was rapidly losing his temper, to him, Michael was being all that he said, and by denying his role in events to come, Blayze saw nothing but failure on his behalf; failure that would let everyone down.

"Good," Michael exclaimed loudly, "I have nothing to lose!" The words seem to hang in the air motionless between the both of them as though they had reached a verbal stalemate.

Blayze had at first seemed shocked with Michael's sudden outburst, but soon his facials relaxed into a look of disappointment. Michael still stood there, breathing heavily and fuming, Blayze had pushed him to his tipping point; Michael was beginning to not like him at all.

"Oakley…" both Blayze and Michael turned as the wall adjoining the next room shook as if someone had been slammed against it; the voice the unmistakeable sound of Justin's. Blayze took this opportunity while Michael was frozen to grab the boy's hands, binding them together in a lock around Michael's shoulder blades. Michael squirmed and shook his body, but his strength was no match for Blayze and so he stood there helplessly.

"I have to go help her!" Michael roared as he thrashed about until Blayze grabbed a fistful of Michael's hair and yanked his head upright so that all he could do was stare at the wall.

"Not until you use your ability, look through the wall and see your sister in trouble, see her agony, see the pain that wracks her body." Blayze spoke into Michael's ear as he strengthened his hold on Michael, making the boy cringe further.

There was another thud and Michael again struggled against Blayze's grip, he already knew that he would not relinquish and that Michael could not free himself, but he needed to help Oakley, he needed to be there for her when he hadn't been. He had ditched her and been shipped off to boarding school in England, he had left her to fend for herself in an evil world. He was the real evil person for not being there to protect her.

"Oakley!" he roared as the tears forming at the sides of his eyes now slip down his face like miniature streams. He felt the tears roll down his cheeks and watched as the fell to the wooden desk below, those sweet, red droplets of tears. "Wait, red?" Michael was unsure as to why his tears would be red, but he didn't have time to worry, he needed to help Oakley who was in trouble. He looked up at the wall and it slid away, out of existence like a curtain being drawn back to reveal a stage.

He could see into the classroom beyond, two figures opposite each other; one Oakley, one Justin. Justin was darting forward only to be whacked back by… an arm? Michael concentrated further and the moving shapes began to take on different colours as the world seemed to drain of its own colour. The small figure of Justin became a moving red blur, while the larger figure became blue; its centre a blazing red mass. From out of the corner of his eye he saw a red figure blur down the hallway and into the classroom where Justin and Oakley faced off. Michael watched the new figure dart forth and strike the palm of the oversized Oakley, causing the beast to scream in agony.

"Oakley!" Michael yelled again and his vision switched, the walls and floors of the building giving way like a veil until Kieran, Oakley and Justin stood in what appeared to be mid-air. He watched as Kieran and Justin yelled to each other and Justin dart forth, only to be stopped by the bloodied palm of Oakley. Within moments, the armour began to shrink back into the shy, little girl that was his sister, turning away as he realised that she was naked.

Michael stumbled backwards, unaware that Blayze had let his grip go several minutes before. He fell onto the floor, closing his eyes then opening them again to find the word as it had been. Stumbling to his feet, he jumped for the door, spinning in the corridor and into the room where Kieran stood over top of a covered Oakley. He watched as Justin brought his finger to his lips in a 'quiet' motion, tapping Oakley on the forehead with his crystal.

Michael's heart fluttered as she woke up, confirming her name. He watched jealously as Kieran stroked her hair; Kieran had no right to do that after stabbing her in the palm with his blades, but also because Michael wanted to be the one who Oakley saw.

Blayze placed his hand on Michael's shoulders, "I know how you feel, and it is always hard to see the ones we love suffer. But you can't always be around to protect her, no matter how hard you try." He let out a sigh, Michael wouldn't believe him until such things happened; something unfortunate.

Michael took off down the hall, Blayze letting him go, Michael needed the time to calm down. But Michael wasn't running away, sprinting along the hall he caught the name plate on the door he was looking for; Oakley North. Grabbing an assortment of clothes from a suitcase that had been dropped in their rooms randomly containing a selection of their clothes from their closets, he rushed back to the room she lay in, only to find that they had moved on.

"The Healer is downstairs dude, between the garage and labs." Blayze told him.

Michael sprinted down the hall, almost out of breath but would not stop running until he had done this for her. He reached the bed she was in, placing the clothes neatly on the table bedside her bed before stopping to take in mouthfuls of air.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," he cried through gasps of breath, gently rubbing her shoulder.
 
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Helena Andersson - Some airport somewhere in France, right?

"Yeah, it's alright! You're all new to this so it's natural you'll have no idea what to do," Annie said, probably trying to cheer her up. "Me and Natalia have had our abilities a little while longer because when you know of your heritage, it has the same effect as what happened a week ago. So yeah, don't compare yourself to other members at the AUP either. They've been training for some of the week," Annie nodded. "We should be there soon. Headquarters, I mean."

Helena nodded. Swell. She would be a total rookie where they were going. She was used to being a pro at her sport and in the gym. Well at least she could probably put up a good fight if that was required of her... she hadn't been as good as fleeing from Atticus as she maybe thought she would be, considering the speed and parkour skills she thought she had. Man, she really hoped she wouldn't fail these people now when they believed in her and wanted to help her and all. Nikolai returned from the kitchen just then, giving Helena a cup of water. She thankfully took it and drank it all up, wiping her lips with her sleeve afterwards. That reminded her about the wound. She hoped they would take better care of it when they reached... wherever they were going now again.

"Thanks," she remembered to mumble to Nikolai before the young man went over to Atticus to seemingly chat and drink. So he rather fancied hanging around another man than her, huh. Well, no wonder. She was probably a little sorry mess right now, hair poking out everywhere, blood stained sleeve and all. She raised an eyebrow and sighed a little, but gave Annie a little smile just in case she thought Helena wasn't happy about being there. For some reason, she didn't want to upset the woman in the wheelchair. Of course, Helena never liked to upset anyone, and it wasn't like this woman seemed frail even though she was handicapped. She just seemed like someone Helena would come to like and wanted to be on good foot with.

"Excuse me," Cooper's voice came over the speakers, "but I'll need everyone to take their seats. We're about to make our descent."

"Told you!" Annie said, strapping her own seatbelt on. Atticus followed suit and about a minute or two later, the plane dipped down. It didn't take long and the landing was very smooth, unlike most of their trip. They found themselves in a large hanger and as they could see from Natalia opening the door and folding out the small set of stairs, it was raining outside and probably getting to the point of early afternoon.

"Let's go everyone," motioning to the door as she went over to help Annie. Atticus unstrapped himself and stepped down to outside, meeting himself with a familiar face; it was none other than the leader of the Atlantean Unification Project himself.

"Atticus!" the man said, a hint of a French accent seeping through his British one. He was quite young for a leader, not much older than Natalia (probably in his very early thirties) and was very clean looking, with his small mohawk kind of hair and goatee very clean and professional looking. He was wearing a dark suit with a crisp, blue tie, glasses and a bright smile on his face. There was also another standing next to him who Atticus didn't recognise. He was too young to be a body guard. Though Atticus knew well enough that the leader did not need a bodyguard. "Ah, I'm so glad you all make it safely."

"Guys," Atticus said as Helena and Nikolai exited the plane, "this is Mr. Bernot, leader of the AUP."

"Atticus, please, you listen to Natalia too much. Ms. Andersson? Mr. Afon? I am Emil and I am very much please to make your aquaintence," the man said directly to the two newcomers in the AUP. "And this is Devon, my son," he gestured briefly to the boy standing beside him. The boy said something but Helena didn't hear what it was.

"Oh!" Mr Bernot turned to Annie, Natalia and Cooper as they also exited the plane. "We're all here. This is excellent." Everyone greeted each other like old friends of various degrees. Helena noticed how different everyone in the group was. Annie was a bright soul who was kind towards everyone, Natalia was a serious, wise woman and Cooper was... well Helena hadn't spoken to him much but he seemed to be your regular friendly guy.

"Yes, yes, excellent," Mr. Bernot clapped a hand on his son's shoulder. "Alright, so! Ms. Andersson and Mr. Afon, did you have any quick questions before we get on the way? We have a lot to cover before the day is out."

Helena threw a quick glance at Nikolai and decided that she would rather ask Annie or someone later if she could sneak out to the toilet than ask the very leader of the organisation she had just become part of. AUP. She was finally starting to remember its name.

"I'm good... I mean, I don't really have any questions. Yet. I think," she told Mr Bernot in English with an unusually heavy Swedish accent. Man, was she nervous? She had been feeling nervous at times in her life when she had to stay calm and strict in front of well educated people; she wasn't the most strict or well educated person herself so she felt a bit awkward when it came to those moments. But then again, she knew nothing of if the AUP really consisted of farmers, workers or rich lawyers... She didn't even know if the group she had seen yet was very representative or not.​
 

Silver Rogue

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Nikolai Afon - France, AUP Headquaters

A voice broke through Nikolai's light sleep.
"Excuse me, but I'll need everyone to take their seats. We're about to make our descent." Nikolai had been leaning on his hand and had apparently dozed off at some point without meaning to. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then fastened the seat belt around his waist as he felt the plane start to move downward. He stared out through the window, seeing the clouds flash by, then exiting below to the beautiful country of France. He had been to France a couple of times with his father on business trips, and he always had remembered loving the country, everything from the culture to the people. He was honestly looking forward to spending some time in France. If only he knew the language, and that might take a little while.

The was a light thump as the plane touched down, but it was a very smooth landing. Not that Nikolai would expect anything less from Cooper. The plane rolled on the tarmac for a couple of minutes before it finally came to a slow halt. Natalia opened the door from the cockpit and moved quickly to the door, opening it and extending the stairway. As Nikolai exited the plane with the rest of the group, he saw that they had entered a hanger. Outside the hanger doors, there was a light drizzle, the sun poking slightly out of the clouds illuminating the drops as they fell. On the hanger floor they were awaited by two people, a middle aged man, wearing a suit and looking very professional, and a younger person, possibly a son?

The older man grinned as they came down the steps. "Atticus! Ah, I'm glad you made it here safely!" The man had a mixed accent, probably more British with a tinge of French mixed in. Understandable seeing as they were in France, perhaps his time in the country had mixed together his accent a bit. Once closer the man seemed more professional looking. He looked to be in his early to middle thirties, and had a goatee. Atticus introduced him as Mr. Bernot, the leader of the AUP. Mr. Bernot waved his hand saying, "
Atticus, please, you listen to Natalia too much. Ms. Andersson? Mr. Afon? I am Emil and I am very much please to make your acquaintance. And this is my son Devon." The boy mumbled something, but Nikolai couldn't quite make out what he said. He had a slightly displeased look on his face though.


"Yes, yes, excellent," Mr. Bernot clasped a hand on his son's shoulder. "Alright, so! Ms. Andersson and Mr. Afon, did you have any quick questions before we get on the way? We have a lot to cover before the day is out."

"I'm good... I mean, I don't really have any questions. Yet. I think," Helena said, her voice seeming a bit nervous, and her Swedish accent heavily accenting her words.

Nikolai cleared his throat and began," I do have one question, what now?" He shuffled his feet a bit, then went on. "What I mean to say is, what are we supposed to do now? Natalia told me a bit about what the AUP wants, but how exactly will we go about achieving that, how will we be trained to do so?"
 
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