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

[The warden]

Archie Stevens – Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK

It had been over a week already since the Atlanteans had revealed themselves to the world. No that's wrong it had been over a week since Archie's people had revealed themselves to the world. In that short space of time the world had already began to change. The political fall out of an explosion in Berlin caused countries to enforce registration of all Atlanteans practically overnight. Registration was something that Archie had been putting off for a few days now, the way he saw it how dangerous was his power. He could cut through metal, so it was kind of handy if you didn't have a tin opener but there wasn't a lot it was practical for.

The last few nights Archie hadn't slept so well, worry had kept him awake until the early hours of the morning. Every time he closed his eyes to try to embrace the tranquillity of sleep his head would buzz with thoughts that kept him awake long into the night. His best nights sleep yet was after doing a gig at the students union, the turn out was quite good and by the time that his band had finished playing he was about ready to collapse. So naturally he had a couple of drinks and then got a bus back to his flat. There were no worries in his head as he drifted off to sleep that night.

In fact that he slept so well that when he awoke the next morning he felt thoroughly rested. Only it wasn't the morning it was gone midday.

“S***!” Archie swore as he realized that he had not only overlaid but missed an entire mornings worth of lectures. He repeated the swear word several more times as he tried to clear his head enough to think, this wasn't the first time he had woken late and missed lectures but generally just waking up makes it hard to think. He composed a text message to a friend who shared lectures with him asking to copy his notes, before dashing into the shower. The warm water woke him allowing him to clear his mind a little. It was 12:27 now so if he hurried up he could be at his lecture at 1. Quickly he got dry and pulled on his clothes before leaving his small room and heading to go out the door. He got halfway to the end of the corridor that linked the rooms of his flat mates when some one called him.

“Archie, I've got a letter here for you.” Jamie's voice called from the communal kitchen.

“Not now I'm late as it is.” Archie called back.

“That can wait, I think you'll want to take a look at this.” Archie stopped, it wasn't like Jamie to be as serious as he sounded now. He was a bit of a joker like Archie and the graveness of his voice was enough to make Archie forget about going to his lecture. He headed through to the kitchen.

“This had better be good. Or I'm going to beat you to death with an ironing board.” Archie joked as he walked through into the kitchen, normally Jamie would have laughed but he stayed quite, that more than anything else scared Archie. Jamie was a slight bit shorter than Archie had blonde hair and wore a pair of thick framed glasses. He handed over the envelope in silence and Archie inspected it without cracking any more jokes. It bore the mark of the student finance company, the organization that dealt with student loans. Archie opened the envelope and took out the letter, reading it in his head. Skipping straight to the most important part the letter said that the student finance company had come to the decision that until further notice they were stopping support to all unregistered students of Atlantean decent. The letter continued to say that they were working on the issue and that it should be resolved soon providing that Atlantean students register at once.

“Have you seen this!?” Archie asked Jamie not quite believing it himself.

“I got the same letter. What on earth do you think they are doing?”Jamie was one of the few people that Archie had revealed his heritage to.

“Don't have a clue, but it looks like I'm going to be spending the rest of the day queueing at some Atlantean centre.” Archie replied with a sight. It could be worse he would still have a loan for his course and could continue to study at least he wasn't being kicked out.

“Good luck man.” Jamie said as Archie headed back out of the kitchen. On his way out Archie grabbed his guitar, at least he could play it if he got bored. He got a bus into town centre and got of near the city hall, he knew that the Atlantean centre in Sheffield was somewhere near here but he would need to ask for directions if he wanted to find out exactly where. Glancing round he tried to look for someone who wouldn't consider him a complete freak just for asking.

[PkMnTrainer Yellow]

Erika Onzanem - Washington D.C., Virginia

Erika was a bit taken back by what the male was saying. They wanted to track her and... do what to her now? Her expression took on a look of mild disgust at the notion of being 'opened up' and having some stranger violating at least one hundred personal space rules. How messed up was that? Her gaze momentarily shifted from Adrian to space as she considered the fuller scope of what he had just said. When she looked back at him her expression was fairly neutral, as well as her tone.

"That's... a pretty heavy accusation, stranger."

Hesitating a moment before continuing, she eyed her drink briefly in thought. She had been about to ask if that would be a human rights issue before she considered that others may not find her human anymore. The thought bewildered her, causing her to explore why such a thing would happen. It seemed like ignorance to her. It would surprise her if there was an actual scientific reason behind such a claim.

Regardless, Adrian had asked her another question and she felt the need to answer it.

"Well--yeah. That's the dream isn't it?"

She seemed rather relaxed, all things said, if not mildly concerned. She had never wanted all that much. She wanted to learn everything she could, study lore and culture, absorb factoids, collect books, earn respect, and Heck she wanted to learn about this Atlantean culture. The seeming magic surrounding it was what had gotten her so interested.

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

[Kiklion]

Jericho Heiko: Wright-Patterson Airforce Base, Ohio (United States of America)

Jericho looked at Jeremy with a face that communicated how strange he found him and the situation. Not to mention all the other emotions that came out of it. Especially since he displayed more of this weirdness by teleporting out of his car. The first thing he focused on was Jeremy's first assurance. The way he said it just made Jeri more nervous. "I know what you're thinking, but I'm not a mass murderer" was basically what had come out of this kid's mouth. If that was the first thing that came to mind, he must have been some sort of stalker admitting himself on the sly or, more likely, he'd done this so many times that he'd gotten that kind of consistent reaction out of people. He wasn't going to begin on how scary that thought was. He also used words like "entail" and "employer". Not saying these were big, difficult words, but people didn't talk like that on a regular basis. Or at least in America. Especially the word employer. No one used that on a regular basis. Now, Jeri had seen his fair share of movies. Whenever someone says "my employer" in any sentence, that meant they were no good. Only bad guys had employers. The only jobs with "employers" were the ones a little under the law. That was just a fact of life.

He never understood why people in movies didn't understand the things he understood. If someone ever said that to you, warning bells should go off in your head. However, no one seemed to be able to call the police or run into a crowd and shout out these people's locations. Even if you were going to die, you'd have millions of witnesses and they couldn't kill everyone discreetly, could they? This, however, was a little off-topic. The point was, there was a killer on his doorstep. Jeremy promised him joining this organization (again, something only criminal would have (good guys had agencies)) would give him jobs (oh god) and pay for them as well. They were obviously criminals so Jeri could only guess the pay was substantial (criminals were always noticeably richer than the heroes of the story, he wasn't sure if that was a pro or not). The only problem seemed to be that he mentioned something paying for his expenses. Paying off his expenses? The way he said it implied he would have to pay for something. If he was going to get kidnapped (which was obviously going to be the end result of this, one of the main reasons Jeri wasn't just going to jump into this (I mean, come on, things were a lot less fun when you had to do it)) he wasn't going to pay for room and board. That just seemed unfair. Jericho forgot himself for a second and almost asked about this little clause. He was suddenly beginning to think that these guys weren't that rich at all since he had to pay to live in some dank, uncomfortable holding cell. And what if he didn't pay? What were they going to do? Evict him? Go ahead! He didn't even want to be there!

On top of this--on top of all this!--Jeremy did that whole "take my hand!" thing. The first thing that came to Jericho's mind was Kingdom Hearts. You know that game, right? The one about the kid with a giant key who beat up little shadow gremlin things? Something like that. Jeri had never actually played the game, just seen other people play it. He didn't remember all the names of the characters, but Jeremy was reminding him of the white haired one. You know the white haired one? Always sticking his hand out for Sora (or whatever his name was) to take it so they could experience "a new kind of world". Some kind of world of darkness, he believed, which he couldn't see why someone would willingly go for that. Especially every time white-haired-kid did the whole hand things a big ass tsunami or some monster or whatever would pop up and wash away Sora's attempts to join him seconds before contact. Jericho looked passed Jeremy, expecting to see a huge, world-splitting wave to come over the horizon. The image of all the continents split apart by space and populated by Disney characters came to mind.

Now it was thinking time, talking time. Jeremy had finished speaking. He had talked kind of quickly so he finished pretty fast. He'd called life mundane. Jeri had half a mind to tell him that his life was pretty entertaining. Jeri opened his mouth to spit a big fat "no" right in Jeremy's face. Pay or no pay this didn't seem like a good idea. This wasn't no McDonald's job, Jeri could already tell. However, Peter stopped him and pulled him a little to the side. Jeri looked at him with question. He didn't like this movement. It was almost as if Peter... As if he...

"I think you should do it," Peter whispered as they bent over in a secretive, huddle type fashion. His face going from serious to this grin. What!? Jericho had shock on his face in a moment. He looked at Jeremy and then looked at Peter. Was this kid some kind of telepath too? He must have screwed Peter's brain.

"Is your head screwed on right!?" Jericho answered just as quietly. There seemed to be something wrong with Peter, as if he didn't posses a sense of alarm. Peter nodded.

"Sure is and it's got an idea!" He smiled broadened. "Do you see the opportunity in this?"

"Oh yeah. Die or go to jail. What an opportunity!" Jeri replied sarcastically. The whole death thing didn't stop people from being enthusiastic.

"You're thinking like a pess." Peter had this thing where he shortened words like nicknames for no reason at all. Like pess was short for pessimist. "Look at it this way. You're getting paid and you're figuring out your powers." Now, Jeri wasn't the kind of guy to say no to money, but this was kind of different, wouldn't you say?

"Peter--" he cut him off.

"Come on! Don't you want a little adventure? Don't tell me you're going to back down." Jeri frowned. He wasn't the kind of just back down. Challenges were his thing and you didn't just quit a challenge. At least he didn't. Jeri raised a brow, asking the question. Was this a challenge? Peter's continuing smile seemed to answer the affirmative.

"I'm still basically being kidnapped here." Peter informed him that that was where his ingenious plan came in! He'd be getting paid, right? All he'd have to do was stay long enough to handle his powers, see what the deal was, and get enough money to get the first plane back home. He could sneak away easy. Jeri couldn't help but agree. He'd snuck away from plenty of places before. Big bosses weren't that smart anyways. Besides, they could finally get the score settled. Was he a pyro? Peter said no, Jeri said yes. If he were right, Jeri was gonna rub it in hard.

Jericho stood up straight with a small smile. His expression didn't have the doubtful fears and misgivings as it did before. It had the look of a guy who knew he'd win a bet. He smirked. "So travel is free, right?"

[Nakuzami]

Krystal Kollyns
Washington, D.C., USA
Atlanteans Rise; A Nightmare in the making

< Classic Game Music; Theme >

♥

Krystal woke up screaming. It wasn’t the first time.

For a while now she had been plagued by atrocious nightmares, but it wasn’t all that bad until the Atlanteans had revealed themselves. Because of this, Krystal kind of wished they hadn’t. Her life was normal, or at least, it had been normal, but then the Atlanteans happened. Sure, she had found it cool to learn that there were people with superpowers, and that she and her brother were two of those people, but after a fewn ightmares and a bit of thinking, Krystal believed she might actually miss her normal life. A life without all these nightmares, one where she could just be herself and not have to worry about Kris or herself in such a way she had come to in the last week.

It had only been a week.

It seemed more like an eternity. It probably would have been fine if it wasn’t for the nightmares, and thanks to her “ability,” they seemed to last forever. They were lucid, and she was aware of everything in them. Every. Single. Moment. Every tragedy, sorrow, terror – it all felt real. That’s what terrified her the most. Sometimes she wasn’t even aware that she was dreaming, hadn’t realized that she had fallen asleep, and then it all just went too far. It had forced her to stay up, just so that she wouldn’t have to drift off to sleep and into a nightmare. Of course, there was no way she could stay up forever, and so she eventually had to return to that realm. That realm of nightmares.

Not too much worse than reality.

Krystal shook her head. A week ago she wouldn’t have thought that. A week ago she wouldn’t have thought anything like that, no matter what. She would have been upbeat and optimistic, genuinely happy and not giving out false reassurances. That’s what they were now, whenever someone asked her if she was alright. The smile she gave them, the cheery “I’m fine!” and telling them not to worry? It was all a lie.

It didn’t seem too much better for her brother, Kris, although he didn’t suffer from nightmares. Krystal wasn’t completely sure what he suffered from, as he chose not to talk about it, but Krystal knew he wasn’t alright. He wasn’t himself. Sure, he was normally a strange little recluse that didn’t see the light of day too often, other than heading to and from school, but lately he was just even more withdrawn than usual. He had tried to shrug it off, reassure the others that he was okay – they were on vacation, after all – just like she had, but to no avail. At least, it didn’t convince her.

Krystal sat up as she swung her legs to the floor. She gave a sigh as she stood up, glad to be awake but not really wanting to be just yet. She grabbed a change of clothes, took a quick shower and then all of the other routine morning things, until her brother complained that she was taking toolong in the bathroom. What, it had only been a little over an hour? New record. Krystal chuckled as she exited the bathroom and walked back to her room. She grabbed her pack, slipped on her pokéball headphones and began to listen to some Angels and Airwaves. She chuckled a little as she thought of her mom when she first showed her AvA, complaining about how she couldn’t understand a single thing they were saying. Perhaps it took some getting used to.

Krystal turned to exit her room, and at the last moment she grabbed her Jake the Dog hat. She put it on and played around with the strings on it, to the beat of the music, of course. She yelled to Kris as she passed bythe bathroom, notifying him of her departure, and then left the house with her friend, Destiny.

“So, what to do today?” Krystal asked cheerily as they walked out into the bright sunlight.

Destiny shrugged. “Whatever, I guess. Although,” she paused, eyeing Krystal for a moment. “Maybe you should do something about your little . . . predicament. I mean, it’s not like you can just shrug it off, what with all the nightmares and everything. Maybe you should go somewhere, learn about it, and maybe see if you can do something about them? There’s a center right here in D.C. . . .”

Krystal sighed and shook her head. She knew what Destiny meant; go to one of those damn Atlantean Centers. It had crossed her mind a few times, and she definitely did want to learn about her ability, and help Kris with his, too, but she wasn’t so sure. It just seemed so odd, and it was all happening so fast. It was almost frightening – no, actually it was frightening –how fast people had reacted and began to counter the Atlanteans. I mean, could they really be all that bad? They had lived in society for centuries, and nothing too extreme had happened . . . unless people like Hitler had been Atlanteans. That would suck.

“I’m not so sure about it. I mean . . . ,” Krystal trailed off, not sure what to say.

Destiny stopped and turned to Krystal, causing her to stop as well. She had one of her intense stares on, although it was always different for Krystal than other people, seeing as they were friends and all. It was more. . . well, less bloodthirsty and more “do this for your own good or I’ll drag you there myself.” Krystal knew Destiny would do it, too.

“Do I have to?” Krystal moaned.

“Yes,” Destiny stated, “I’ve already told Dimitri to get Kris when he’s ready, and he agrees with me. Dimitri, I mean.”

Krystal sighed once more. Destiny stood there, her long black hair shining from the sunlight. Krystal looked her over again, imagining a threat to give to Destiny. She smiled. Destiny was very pretty, but she was capable of giving the best death stares and dishing out the most painful beatings you could imagine. She was anything but girly.

“Fine, but if this doesn’t work out I shall get Kasey’s help to make the most girlish, pinkest, frilliest dress you can imagine and then we’re going to force you into it.” Destiny gave a look of disgust, and Krystal burst out laughing.

“Well,” Destiny said, nodding in the direction behind Krystal. “Here they come. Time to go.”

Krystal turned to see Kris and Dimitri, Destiny’s boyfriend, walking up to them. “Great,” Krystal sighed one final time, “best to get it over with.”

[雷影 イチロ]

Thalia Windspeaker – Atlantean Mansion, Boston, England

“You have no need to worry Xiao, I will teach the boy what I can,” Thalia watched River wince as she used part of her real name, not even Cobalt, Blayze nor Justin knew River’s real first name, so Thalia was careful to use it only in private conversations; much to River’s annoyance.

“This is the biggest prophecy the Oracle has announced since she revealed her death in the upcoming disaster. She’s not always wrong, but Christian could be the one to change whether she dies or not.” For just over a week now, Thalia, River and the others had been on high alert, gathering those they believed could help stop the coming disaster that the Oracle predicted. A long with that prediction had been a list of names muttered in her episode; Cobalt was rounding up the last of the names the five of them had been able to comprehend. During her episodes, the Oracle would speak in Atlantean, something they were still learning to this day.

Thalia walked out of her wardrobe into the bedroom where River stood; hands on hips. Most people who saw Thalia would think she was well out of her time, others called her a modern day hippie, but these were just labels; Thalia was Thalia despite her silk thread pyjama pants, rainbow coloured ink shirt, open souled sandals and headband complete with thick, circular glasses. Her long auburn hair flowed unaided down her back, reaching down to her tailbone.

“Nature is the root of all today, Xiao, this smoke manipulator can learn much from the world around us; I shall only aid him.” Thalia spread her arms out wide as a small breeze wafted in through the open window.

“I take it that means yes, Thalia?” Like most people, River always found herself lost when talking with Thalia; there was something about the way she talked that threw almost anybody who talked to her off.

“Of course, my child,” Thalia smiled at river before heading for the door, opening it wide offering River to leave before leaving herself. She followed River across the courtyard to the opposite side of the building and up the stairs to the boy’s wing. River stopped in front of a room, the twenty-two year old Christian sitting on his bed gazing at a wall almost catatonically.

“May the universe grant you luck,” River whispered in Thalia’s ear before departing.

Thalia hesitated before knocking on his door, “Christian Calaway?” she said almost apprehensively. “I am Thalia Windspeaker, but most people call me Thalia.” She took a gulp, she was never really good with students, she always felt nervous when dealing with people; she left that to River and the others.

[Supervegeta]

Leon Nef- Syndicate Headquarters-Birmingham, England

Leon made periodic glances between the Corona in his hands and Joshua, who was explaining its use and functions. Without a doubt, it was an intricate piece of technology. Leon especially like the ability to store extra electricity in it. Not only would it give him a better energy source, but it would allow him to add additional amounts of electrical storage, besides just inside himself. Leon was beginning to like the device more and more. He noticed the button the Corona which would detract the poles, too. But Leon was edging to try it.

Joshua smiled “I knew you would ask that. Feel free to come in here and train anytime you wish, you could even train now. Ask any of the scientists here and they will also be able to put you through a pre-programmed training scenario for you." Leon nodded, picked up the Corona, and headed down to the training room below.

"Let's test this out." Leon said. A scientist immediately approached the console and started typing in commands.

"I'm going to run the training program for you. The object of the simulation is to hit all the targets. Some will be standing still. Others will be moving at various speeds. You can either attempt to use the Corona up close on the some of the targets as a melee weapon, or attempt to pour in enough electricity into it to arc the shots as long-range hits. The choice is up to you. Note that the further out the Corona's electricity extends, the less potent it could be. We have a damage percent identification program that will compute the damage each target receives as if they were a regular human. They range from 0%, meaning no damage, to 100%, meaning sure kill. Generally, any percent over 20 would be quite damaging, and anything over 60% would be quite lethal."

Leon nodded as the scientist explained the system. Leon would try to get all of his hits to at least a 60% this time around, that way, and improve from there. "Ready." He said as he positioned himself in the room. He swatted the button on the Corona to activate it, and began pouring electricity into it. He could see the spark plug accept the electricity, and the volts light up.

"There will be ten targets to hit. Try to do it as fast as you can. Ready...go!"

The targets popped in place. They were spread out across the room. Some stood still while others moved rapidly. The closest target was to Leon's left. He lifted up the Corona and slammed at the target with a side-swap from the Corona. Electricity pulsed off the target and scattered across the room, and the hit left a noticeable black smudge. Another target was to Leon's right, also within striking distance. Leon struck at the target again, this time with a backhand. The next target was moving side to side a meter away from the one he just hit. Pouring in some electrical energy into the Corona, Leon aimed at the target, and did a running hit on it, extending his arm back and then thrust his arm forward. The electricity sprang from the Corona for a moment and managed to extend far enough and leave its mark from half a meter away. Leon was surprised that it was able to do something like that, but decided he wanted to see what else the new weapon could do. There were three targets all relatively close to each other on the side of the room. Powering up the Corona with a little extra juice, he contorted the electricity to bend to a shape that extended from one of the poles a little more than the other, than made a distance swipe at all three. His prediction was correct. The Corona never was able to reach quite that distance yet, barely scraping at the three targets. Leon came in closer and repeated the process, swiping at the three. The result was much better. Leon wandered across the training room, trying to hit the remainder of the targets as quick as possible. Time should also be a consideration when trying to launch his attacks.

Eventually, all of them had been hit. Leon looked up at the scientist, awaiting the results. The scientist looked over the damage identification computer, and announced the results of the speaker above. "78, 75, 43, 23, 36, 47, 62, 56, 59, 56." He said. Leon noticed the three he hit simultaneously and from a meter distance were much less potent than the ones he had hit from further away. He also noticed the ones towards the end he hit were less stronger, probably because he rushed them.

"Not good enough." Leon said out loud. "Let's run it again." He wanted to be to the point where every hit he makes was at least above 60%. After that, he wanted to try targets a meter away, and attempt the same thing. He'd then keep working his way up from there, until the point that a single swing from the Corona was a sure kill to a human. It was going to be a long day.

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

Leon had lost track of the times he had gone with the simulations. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he knelt over, catching his breath. He had been steadily improving the damage he dished out over the next few hours. Over this time, he had also picked up a few new tricks he could use with the Corona. The Corona was a deadly close range weapon, the lightning capabilities of which much more effective than his normal bolts he could dish out. Truly, at his current pace, a single swipe, if hit with enough energy and at the correct position of the body, could kill a human in a single hit.

“96, 87, 85, 77, 82, 91, 82, 79, 84, 90.” He heard over the loud speaker, the scientist relaying the last percentiles he achieved in his last attempt. It was definitely a substantial improvement. Leon would have liked those two seventies to be a bit higher, but overall, he could live with it. “Shall we take another break?” The scientist asked. Leon shook his head. “No, not yet. Give me a refill on energy, then run it again.” He said. Leon thought for a moment, then spoke again. “Actually, is the program able to change what the percentage is based on?”

The scientist thought for a moment, and spoke again. “Well…theoretically yes. It would be possible. What would you like it changed to, then?”

Leon grinned, and spoke. “Change it to an Atlantean.” The scientist stared at the smirking Leon, then typed in commands into the console. The targets detracted for a second, then appeared right out again. “It’s done. When you’re ready, begin again.”
Leon positioned himself. Now that he had a handle on the Corona, he would try to take down all targets within a much quicker pace than when he first began. He would make mental notes in his head to try to keep it under a minute and a half. An orb of electricity floated into the room, a sort of battery that they were using to power up Leon’s electrical reserves inside his body as well as the Corona.

“Ready, begin!” The speaker said, and Leon sprung into action once more. He pounced onto the first target, knocking it with a frontal hit with the Corona. Electricity traveled from his palms, through the device, and ended on the target as Leon impacted. He turned around in a rapid motion and attacked the next available target, which was positioned a meter away on his right, and moving at a moderately fast pace. Leon didn’t hit it directly with the poles of the Corona, but rather expanded the electrical energy around the weapon to impact in a ‘splash’ damage around the target, ensuring it was hit without Leon having to directly hit it. There were two more targets side by side with one another. Leon ran at them at top speed, hitting one with the Corona like a club, and the other he attacked with a backhand. Electricity pulsed off the targets, and particles scattered in all directions. The remainder of the targets floated around him in a distance. Since the started of training, he was going for only power. Now he was going for power, speed, and efficiency. While the Corona was a useful weapon up close, he began relying on improving his marksmanship with long range bolt attacks during training as well: an ideal close and long-range combination. Leon gathered energy from inside himself as well as from the Corona, and transferred it over to his left hand. His nerves in his arms felt the familiar tingling feeling as the electricity gathered there in bundles. Leon stuck out his index and middle fingers, and aimed at the targets which moved around the room, rather fast. The lightning shot out of his two fingers and hit a target with immense speed. However, it did not hit directly in the center. He was sure that would take off the amount of damage actually done to it. He put it out of his mind as he aimed for the next ones, and released the lightning strikes from his fingers. One of his shots went awry, but the rest managed to hit their marks. Leon looked around, making sure all targets were hit before looking up at the scientists to see what he got. The scientist seemed to look over some calculations before speaking into the microphone.

“64, 53, 27, 54, 33, 36, 46, 49, 35, 30.” He said in a clear, monotone voice. Leon cocked an eyebrow, wondering if the statistics were off. He doubted it was a computer error, though. It just meant that Atlanteans truly and for the most part would be much harder to take one out. Leon sighed. He had worked quite a while to get to the numbers he was at before, only to see them dwindle. He felt for a moment as if he had learned nothing at all, but quickly dismissed that thought in his mind. He knew he was improving. He could feel it, inside his body, and out. “I’m going to take a break. Get some food.” Leon said.

He was about to be guided by one of the scientists, but he raised his hand in decline. He remembered the way, and would rather not have anyone go with him while he ate. Proceeding to the area Joshua had shown him before, Leon walked in silence to the kitchen room. He opened the refrigerator, and examined the contents, before taking out a few bags of bread and spread. He searched the area for a fruit, a certain fruit he had craved for, but none of its kind was present. He grudgingly chose an apple instead to add to the food. Preparing himself some sandwiches with the spread, he ate silently, and thought. The past few days’ events rolled in his head and he tried to make sense of how fast everything had happened. The teleportation into the warehouse, the battle in the woods. It all seemed like it happened so long ago, but in reality, it had not been that long at all. The murder of those four Atlanteans still lingered in his mind quite often, though, no matter how much he tried to bury the thoughts. Whenever they resurfaced, Leon told himself that it had to be done, that there was no other way, that it was either him or them. He told himself that, and for a while longer, everything was fine again.

Leon finished his food, and proceeded back into the training room. “Fill me up.” Leon said again as he walked past the scientists back down into the training room. He had a set target in his mind, and he was going to reach it before the days end.

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

Leon’s bones ached. He had given it his all, in a final effort to reach his goal. All targets were damaged from constant attacks of electricity. The Corona lay on the ground next to him. He looked back up to the scientist, who processed the percentiles, for what Leon hopes to be one last time. The scientist looked up, and announced the scores.

“87, 75, 82, 80, 62, 68, 73, 65, 79, 93.” The scientist said, with a smile on his face. Leon panted on the ground, but smiled to himself as he rose up. Good enough, Leon said to himself. “That’s enough for today. I’m done with training.” His body was sore with every step he took. He had probably overexerted himself for today. Leon climbed back up to the control room, trying his best to compose himself, and regulate his breathing back to normal.

“So…anyone know where the hell I’ll be sleeping around here?” Leon asked, looking at nobody in particular. He was tired, done with all the nonsense, and didn’t want to do much else today except rest. He knew he earned it.

[Skymin]

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

"The knowledge is in your blood, your lineage," she said, finding herself a little frustrated and impatient as the train moved along faster and faster, but keeping her face cool and emotionless. "It will be a simple process. It would take about three minutes for him to obtain this knowledge. And then, in return, he will supply you with his own knowledge." The Librarian himself, like she had said before, was a being of knowledge. One of the original Atlanteans, an immortal. She would not share that information just yet though, there was still more she had to get from this father and son and more she had to give.

"Stopping the train will be a simple task. My ability possess strength. But there are emergency stop buttons located all over the train. And it would be easy to lie to the driver. Or, if we would not like to stop the train, there are other methods. You just have to trust me," she said that honestly. Not many people did trust her. Her hair, her tattoos, her clothing. To everyone else, she felt like some kind of terrorist. What she needed now was for this father and son to look past that.

She stood up and held out her hands to the father and son, offering to help them up.

"I am Otto and I am Atlantean. And we want to help others who are Atlantean to understand their purpose."

[TornZero]

Cira & Alex Gaile

In their blood? Okay, it's definitely Assassin's Creed-y now. Did they really have something like the Animus? "It would take about three minutes for him to obtain this knowledge." Three minutes; okay, so no Animus. And was she a subject of it? "In return, he will supply you with his own knowledge." Fair deal, since aside from the look the girl seemed alive and well. Anyways, who was this guy who could get ancestral information from someone's blood? That's a question that sparked Cira's curiosity, but it would have to be answered later.

"My ability possesses strength." Maybe she could stop the train with her bare hands. Maybe not if it was at full speed, but it wasn't there, yet. "Or, if we would not like to stop the train, there are other methods. You just have to trust me."

Then she introduced herself. Augh, just making more questions. What's their "purpose?" GAH. And worse, it'll have to WAIT before they're answered. Cira got the answers to his initial questions, and with the train getting ever farther from the Vatican he wasn't gonna push it without risking the girl changing face.

Cira took Otto's hand and stood up, Alex pulling himself onto his feet. "So," Cira continued, "which way should we go? Just get the conductor to stop the train, or a more exciting way?" Of course, his father would instantly try and opt for the latter.

[雷影 イチロ]

Jeremy Kyle – Ohio, America

Jericho stood upright after conversing deeply with Peter, something about the boy had changed in the few minutes the boys had taken to converse with one another about the possibility of Jericho leaving, and by his reply, Jeremy knew Jericho had made up his decision.

“So, travel is free?” Jericho asked with a smirk, making Jeremy smile and take the boy’s hand. Jeremy was ecstatic that someone else was going to be joining them and the Syndicate, sure Jeremy liked Leon, but Leon was still quite hostile towards Jeremy, reminding him somewhat of the Directive, and others would mean more people to get to know and hang out with.

Jeremy brought Jericho closer to himself to make it easier for teleportation, bidding Peter a swift farewell before teleporting himself and Jericho halfway across the world to England. When it came to himself, Jeremy found it easy and that it took less energy to teleport by himself, with another person however, this became twice as difficult. The more people he needed to teleport, the more difficult it became for him, and if he wasn’t careful, he could easily kill himself, and no doubt the others he was taking with him. The energy required to teleport himself would be doubled, triple, quadrupled and so on depending on the amount of people he would be teleporting; one extra person was more than enough energy.

Sheffield, England

With eyes closed, Jeremy kept a mental picture of the air force base for later reference if he was to ever travel to America again, the slowly replaced the picture of Ohio with one in England; Sheffield to be precise. Jeremy checked his watch when they arrived, already feeling the stress on his body from having to teleport Jericho alongside himself, but he had one more recruit the Directive wanted him to receive, and with two failed attempts, two recruits would be better than one, despite the drawback he would experience. Before traveling to America, Jeremy had searched out the next residence where his new recruit lived, bringing Jericho into an alleyway, frightening a stray cat. Jeremy had planned the timing perfectly; the picture of Archie Stevens matched the same description of the boy who walked past the alleyway, stopping to wait for a bus.

Jeremy motioned for Jericho to follow behind him as he left the shadow of the alleyway to the sidewalk, following Archie from a safe distance. As soon as Archie stopped at the bus stop, Jeremy carried on walking, joining Archie at the bus stop as his watch began to buzz. His heart started racing,, the buzzing of his watch meant that he was out of time, the Directive would be expecting his presence in the Warehouse within the next couple of minutes and if he didn’t make an appearance soon, he would be in sever trouble with the Directive; someone he would never want to cross.

“Sorry,” Jeremy muttered under his breathe, eyes down cast, as he grabbed Archie’s shoulder the same time as he reached back and grabbed Jericho’s shirt. Jeremy would explain thing when they were back in the warehouse, but for now Jeremy needed to deliver them to the Syndicate. By the time Jeremy had grabbed their shirts; he had already brought up the picture of the warehouse in his head and began to teleport. He would regret the damage done once they were in the warehouse.

Birmingham, England

It felt like his arms were going to rip out of their sockets. As per usual, Jeremy appeared a metre about the ground, the three boys falling onto the hard concrete below. Jeremy cried out at the pain from having so forcefully teleported the other two, tears brimming at the edges of his eyes threatening to roll away. He brought his arms close to his body, wrapping them around his chest, keeping them in as if somehow they would recover quickly that way. With eyes firmly closed to drive back the pain, he didn’t notice the light flood the floor they lay on and three men stepped out from the shadows. The middle man was the same that had met Leon and Jeremy the day before; he was short, around five and a half feet tall, his bodyguards closer to six feet. Balding and stocky, this man seemed to fit the stereotype of "rich drug dealer" or at least someone who dealt in dodgy dealings, with influential people.

The chairs from yesterday remained, yet another chair had made an addition to the ones already existing there; they had obviously been expecting at least two of Jeremy’s recruits to make an appearance. “Hello Mr. Heiko, and Mr…” he stopped for a bit, tapping his chin in a thinking pose, “…Mr. Stevens. Have a seat, both of you.” This wasn’t really an offer more like an order, but Jeremy still gave the two a look as if to say ‘go ahead.’

Clearing his throat, he began to speak again, "I represent the Syndicate, a group of people interested in your....gifts, Archie and Jericho. Though I am not a part of them, I do dealings with them, such dealings as having to... babysit... you Atlanteans." He pulled a cigar from his coat pocket, lighting it in his mouth and blowing the thick, acrid smoke out in front of him, "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 ‘someone’, as if trying to make them feel insignificant, he had done this countless times to Jeremy, "teaming up with others here to do what myself or those higher up," he briefly looked at the ceiling, "wish of you."

"So what do you say... Atlantean?" adding the last word a few seconds later, almost spitting it out.

[Kiklion]

Jericho Heiko: Wright-Patterson Airforce Base, Ohio (United States of America)

To make a story short, Jericho could describe teleportation as... Terrifying. It wasn't what he saw, fore he didn't see anything. He was going to fast for anything. It was like a blink but... Longer somehow. He didn't know how to describe it at all. This horrible feeling had come to him. Like something was horribly wrong. He could feel it in his stomach and then throughout his body. This feeling of panic like he was about to be ripped apart, turned to shreds, die in some horrible, inter-dimensional way. He almost felt like he was being ripped from where he was, dragged faster than the speed of light to another location by an unknown hand. It felt like he'd slip from that grasp any second and land by himself somewhere horrible where bad things happened. He could hear it, what would happen. Hear things around him but not know what it was. It was like a screaming, some unnatural screech and caterwaul sounding about. Whatever it was, it sounded like it was Hell. The more he heard it, the more he wanted to pull away and run back. He couldn't, though... And it took so long.

It all stopped, suddenly. It was quiet now, peaceful, dark. The change had been too sudden and Jeri felt another emotion coming up his bowels. Then, he felt a cool breeze. Jeri opened his eyes, seeing himself completely somewhere new. It was winter, here, wherever he was. He felt confused for a second, flustered. He couldn't fathom why he was here. Didn't he just...? He tried to remember the past horrors, but nothing came to him. All he remembered was that he was with Peter and then he'd opened his eyes here. His shaking, something he wasn't aware he was doing, stopped as he realized no danger was present. That feeling in him subsided and soon everything seemed to be normal, discluding the sudden change in location. He grinned, laughing a to himself.

This was awesome! Who ever got to teleport? Well, Jeremy of course, but... Ah, who cared about specifics? He just teleported! Jesus! He felt like one of those futuristic dudes! He wondered how much fun Jeremy had with this. He probably did it all the time! It was f***ing spectacular! His smile faded a little without his notice. Something in his mind disagreed.

Dread came over Jericho for a moment. The feeling, he couldn't place it. He pushed it down without a thought. They had ended up in what seemed like an alleyway. The noise of some cat came out from behind him. He jumped, not expecting it at all and then took a deep breath to calm himself. Stupid cats, he thought. He smiled mentally, reminded of his own cat. A kid passed by the alleyway entrance, not noticing them at all. Jeremy told him to follow. Jeri raised a brow. Where were they going? And where were they in the first place? He had a mind to ask, but something told him that he shouldn't just yet.

They came up behind the person that had walked by the alleyway and now stood still at the bus stop. He raised a brow, wondering where on Earth they were going next. They stopped at the bus stop, waiting, he supposed, to go somewhere new. He became distracted to his surroundings when he felt that annoying feeling on his stomach again. A feeling that had plagued him since the beginning of the week. That itch. It prickled at his stomach, only in two specific places, begging for attention. He grimaced and tried to ignore it. Stupid tattoo... Marking... Thing! Why did it have to exist? It's start up only made him think about this waiting. He got irritated then. If he could teleport, what was the point of going to a bus stop!? Jericho looked at Jeremy and opened his mouth to speak. He didn't get a word in before the watch rang, he felt Jeremy touch him, and that horrifying sensation was back.

Next thing he knew, Jeri was suspended in the air. Actually, the ground was rushing towards him. He landed on the ground with a loud and painful smack!, right on concrete. He jumped up immediately, making an exclamation of pain and a curse.

"F*cking... Christ!" Jeri held his nose in substitute for everything else on his body that hurt. His nose felt like it'd taken the worst hit and luckily it was the easiest to reach. It didn't seem broken. He looked above them from where they fell and then down at Jeremy. Jeremy had cried out and Jeri thought he deserved it. He had the mind to kick him right in the ribs. Instead he scowled and yelled at him. "What the Hell is the bi--" he stopped his oncoming rant by a sudden shadow over him. There was a man there with them... Not just a man. Men. There were three. One short man in the middle and two flanking his outsides.

There was something about this small middle man. He stood out much more than the average person. He didn't even know him, hadn't even seen him before and yet he could see he was important, feel it even. Something about him mad Jeri's natural bravado cool into weariness. He looked at the kid they abducted, then at Jeremy. His eyes looked doubtful for his earlier decision. His eyes snapped back to the suited man when he began to speak. He was told to sit and he stood there for a moment, not moving. Another look to Jeremy gave him a nod. Things would be okay if eh just sat down, it seemed to say.

Jeri did as he was told and the suited man began a spiel. He felt a ripple go over his skin, making him suddenly hot and then suddenly cold when the man spoke his name. It was weird that he already knew him... That people he'd never seen already knew him. It was creepy, unnatural even. It made him want to run in the other direction. The man started talking... Talking with this sort of tone Jeri could tell wasn't right. His words were sincere, telling them, him and "Mr. Stevens", about the jobs they would do about his job. Jericho frowned when he mentioned babysitting. His bravado came back and his anger went up a bit. You can't babysit people you kidnap. Okay, he sort of volunteered, but this other kid... Mr. Stevens? He didn't exactly agree to this.

Jeri had the urge to get up and punch this guy in the face. Babysitting. You can't call it babysitting if someone was taken against their will. He wasn't going to play this whole kidnapping thing but... Come on. These people were getting on his nerves. It was like they were trying to say he was a burden. He spat out his last word. Atlantean. A small shudder went through Jericho. He could tell now he wouldn't like being called that. He'd lived as a human for nineteen years and now they wanted to tell him he was something else? No, he wouldn't accept that. Not readily, at least. He was a human a week ago and he was a human now. He wasn't going to change because of some stupid tattoo. Mentioned now, he was reminded of the each. It was coming back again and worse than ever. He winced, gripped the arms of the chair, and gritted his teeth. This was going to be hard to ignore.

This whole thing seemed like it would be a fun challenge, but now as Jericho got into it, it seemed like it would be quite the opposite. These people were going to drive him crazy if they were going to keep up this... Attitude. He wasn't planning to stay here anyways. Why even go into the scheme?

"How about no," Jericho growled almost on purpose. He gripped the chair harder, winced, and made an aggressive frown. It was hard keeping himself from twitching and fidgeting over this itch. It was even harder to think. He managed to get thought in his head... Ones seriously considering how bad this deal probably was. This suit guy didn't look like he was the right person to pick as a friend and the whole organization as a whole seemed shady. It made him question Jeremy's character, he seemed like someone who was probably nice even though he scared the **** out of him earlier. That didn't seemed to fit very nicely now. He stole a glance at Jeremy, wondering not only how he could put up with this, but if he was really all he seemed to be.

[Skymin]

"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?”

[The warden]

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.

[Silver Rogue]

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.

[雷影 イチロ]

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.

[雷影 イチロ]

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?”

[Supervegeta]

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.

[Kiklion]

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]

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.

[PkMnTrainer Yellow]

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.

[雷影 イチロ]

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.

[The warden]

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.

[Skymin]

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."

[The Final Watchman]

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?

[Supervegeta]

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]

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.