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

Helena Andersson - AUP Headquarters, France

"What am I doing?" Devon leant an arm on his knee, supporting his head with it as the other hand made circles on the cold floor. "I'm hiding, I suppose. What are you doing? Aren't you meant to be, like, in there? Licking my father's boots or something?"

Helena raised an eyebrow at that, first getting a little bit irritated by his nonchalant words. But then she thought about it from his perspective. He clearly didn't enjoy his situation now; he didn't even want to have dinner with them. Maybe he was jealous that his father gave the AUP so much attention but none to him? She sure knew what it was like to not be the one getting the most attention. Her smart and good younger brother always was praised by their parents for being good in school while her scores were nothing to celebrate at all.

"...Sorry," Devon then said, trying to make eye contact with her. Helena realized that she had managed to stay invisible for several minutes now. Without focusing on it. Did this mean that her skill was improving already? "My father's just a... yeah," Devon finished with a despondent voice.

Helena turned visible for him now, sitting against the wall just a little bit away from the boy. She wasn't really proud of what she had just done. Running off like that. "I... I got a bit... what Emil, I mean your father, said was a bit..." She didn't really know how to put it. "They sound like they don't like normal humans. They all have a grudge against them or something. I don't. My family are normal humans and I don't feel very un-human yet, to be honest. I'm just not sure that the AUP are the good guys in this story," she finished, thinking it was actually an elegant sentence. She had said it without thinking about it beforehand, but that was pretty much her fears summed up. She turned to Devon. "Are you? The good guys?"

Maybe Helena was seeing things in a little too naive way, black and white, but that was how her mind wanted to sort things to make life simpler.
​
 

Cira & Alex Gaile - Under the Vatican, Rome, Italy


Days? Talk about getting lost in your books. As Alex was slightly amazed how quickly the pricks healed up, Cira accepted Otto's help and looked across signs, seeing labels like "Passive" and "Active," and a few more specific ones near them that acted as generalizations like "Fire" and "Earth," referring to the element they were influenced by, and plenty of signs labeled "Miscellaneous." After a few minutes of searching, he found a "Psychic" sign, which he figured contained his ability. It had a /few/ more journals than the rest of the sections, at least not including "Miscellaneous" numbers one, two, six and eleven. The Librarian must have acquired a damn good memory ability if he could remember where every single one of those journals were.

After memorizing the Psychic section's location in relation to the rest of the library (albeit it very vaguely, like giving a non-English speaking foreigner directions from Paris to China... Texas.), Cira looked at Otto.

"Could you show me where some of the more interesting journals are?"

Meanwhile, Alex was showing the Librarian the iron bar he used over the day as the demonstration object of his ability, and asking him about his delectable tart recipe.
 

Christian Calaway- Atlantean Mansion, Boston, England


"I can speak Italian!" Antonia said proudly, as if she was rubbing her heritage in everyone's faces.

"It was an accident," Kieran said, narrowing his eyes.

"…and a few others…" Antonia muttered as clearly nobody cared at that point. Kieran's intensity had consumed the conversation. In the corner of her eye, she could see Christian matching Kieran and the tension between them filled the air.

"And I've only been here a few days, thanks very much. I'm not an expert at being an Atlantean. How do you even know what happened? It could have been a group training session! It could have been sparring. It could have been anything that happened. It wasn't," he added to Oakley, who was slowly sinking into her chair, "but it could have been. My power was a reaction to a giant armoured... Oakley falling on me. My bones don't go away, okay? They're always there. It was an accident. She's okay, see? I've seen far worse things happen to other new students. Don't accuse me of anything. What did you do to Oakley that was worth apologising about?" he turned to Oakley, still worked up a little.

Christian's face twitched, feeling attacked and insulted. To him, Kieran was just making excuses for his actions. He could of done something differently. Maybe not be there in the first place? Internally, Christian shrugged. Kieran did bring up a good point, and it was probably what bothered Christian the most.

What did you do to Oakley that was worth apologising about?

Part of him wanted to answer, and express the regret of what he did. Christian had the best intentions in mind, as in he wanted to protect everyone else in the room. He acted in arrogance, believing he could control his powers. He couldn't. And now, any time he had glanced over to Oakley he was reminded of his failure. But there was a difference, at least from what Christian could tell. He admitted he made a mistake, acted out of character almost, and learned from that matured. Christian was ready to work to make up for mistakes and become a better person.

But anger was consuming him like fire, and the smoke from that fire was leaving his body. Small plumes of smoke rose from his shoulders and arms. It seemed for a moment that Christian was ready to launch a smoke blast at Kieran see how useful his bones would be then. But then he could feel a gentle be placed on his own. "Calm down," Antonia said softly in his ear.

"But…he…he.." Christian said through gritted teeth.

"I think he is beating himself up enough. He doesn't need you adding to it."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I am," she said with a smile. At this point, Christian was beginning to make sense of the phenomenon of the better half. "You should apologize too."

"Now you are asking for a bit much," Christian said with a light laugh.

"Um, so you speak Spanish, Christian? ¿Sabes dónde los dormitorios de los chicos son?" Oakley had asked, probably hoping to change the topic completely. Kieran, of course, tried to be funny and interject his own Spanish phrase in the mix. Surprisingly despite not claiming to speak anything but English, the Spanish wasn't completely broken.

Christian had tried to process the Spanish, being a bit rusty having not spoken any Spanish for some time. "Lo siento. Mi español no es muy bueno. Pero sí sé dónde están los dormitorios. Son por el pasillo a la izquierda, sube las escaleras al final. Me puede mostrar si usted necesita la ayuda."

(OOC: This is easily one of the worst posts I have written in some time xD)
 
Brian Sheppard - America en-route to England


Brian felt a wave of relief come from Cobalt as he got into the car. Would this man really be relieved that I'm coming with him?, he thought. Brian decided to let the feelings stop from reaching him and instead chose to think about other things.

I wonder how long it will take for them to notice I won't be coming back for awhile? I know this is the right choice but I feel like I'll be hurting them all in the long run. Brian cared for his family and vice versa but leaving may just be the best way to take care of them. The thoughts seemed to continue forever.

***​

It didn't take long for the two to get to the local airport and onward to England. Several times he felt confusion that wasn't his as they traveled. Some of it was about an Asian man and Caucasian teen, obviously them, while others were simply little things. All of it seemed to give him a massive headache. The plane ride had taken forever it seemed to Brian, though whether it was for the headache or simply the fact that it did take a while didn't faze him. He just knew it was slow.

After the plane, the pair had hopped onto a train heading for Boston where the mansion resided. It took an extremely long time and even when Cobalt tried to explain the point of the mansion to him, Brian's boring ride went unfazed beside for extra thoughts about the mansion/school and it being like Xavier's from X-Men, as well as some mixed feelings, starting with sorrow (or at least what Brian thought was sorrow), from Cobalt as the ride progressed.

Eventually they reached Boston and took a taxi car to their destination. The appearance of the mansion made Brian think even more of the old comics and cartoon. It was humongous and, after heading inside, the interior of the entrance hall and dining hall increased the thought. The teen watched as a couple people finished eating and was led to the table with food by Cobalt, who offered him some. Brian took the offer happily as even if he was an Atlantean, he was still a growing teenager with a bottomless pit as a stomach.

After being led to another table where they sat down to eat, Cobalt once again started to talk. "Before I show you the mansion and your room, I have someone who would wish to see you. The Oracle is a nice lady, then we can get you to bed, hopefully we can also get some training done tomorrow morning, how does that sound?"

"It sounds perfectly fine to me," he answered after finishing a bite of some of the best food he had ever tasted.

The thought of meeting the person who determined he was special was interesting to him. Would he be able to ask her questions about all of this and how he was, being an empath, a possible important piece of the puzzle. He absolutely wanted to know quickly. He finished the rest of his food and sat as he waited for Cobalt to show him to the important figure.
 

Atticus Forsberg - AUP Headquarters, France

"Of course," Emil said, nodding polietly to Nikolai. "Would you like Cooper to escort you? All training rooms are on the third floor, you'd have to take the elevator down. Wade is already down there setting things up." Emil winked. "You can find out what his power is."

"Mr. Bernot? What do you want me to do?" Natalia stepped forward. Atticus repeated the question with a grunt.

"You two can take Annie to her room. She needs to rest. Get Gerard if you need to," three sets of eyes fell on Annie, who was playing with her fingernails. She had never liked how people worried about her.

"And your son?" Cooper asked with a frown.

"Leave him be. He'll come around soon enough," Emil said with a sigh.​


Devon "Evo" Bernot - AUP Headquarters, France

Devon could now see the girl who called herself Helena. At least he recognised her now, he vaguely remembered her face. He didn't remember anything else though, or if his father had introduced her as anything else. She joined him next to the wall as Devon's eyes returned to his shoes.

"Are you? The good guys?"

"The good guys?" Devon made a face. This wasn't some kind of kids TV show where superheroes with super powers fought the super villiams. This was real life. As much as Devon hated it, this was his reality now. Still, as he thought about it, Helena was almost exactly like Devon... in a way. She had lived normally, then had been ripped from it out of the blue. And the situation they were in was almost like it was out of a Saturday morning cartoon so Devon didn't blame Helena for thinking like that. It wasn't, but it kind of felt like it. He tried to remember for a moment a scrap of what his dad had told him. "Um, well, I don't think my dad's a bad guy. He's such an ass to me, but he's... not a bad guy. I mean, he's my dad," Devon shrugged, "he drags me around and makes me do stuff I don't wanna do and talks to me about peace and crap," his circles on the ground grew a little more intense. "I just want to go home."

The elevator shuddered a little then groaned, starting to descend. It seemed somebody pushed the button. Devon lazily glanced upwards to see which floor had done so; nine. That was his father's (and his, but Devon rathered not refer to it as his home) living quarters.

"I think someone's looking for you," Devon looked back at the ground. Hopefully they were looking for Helena and not him.​

(OOC: The elevator is Nikolai when he comes. :P)
 
Helena Andersson - AUP Headquarters, France

Helena nodded slowly, more to just have something to do than to show that she concurred to what Devon said. But she did, though. Of course everything couldn't be black or white. But even though Emil didn't really seem like a bad guy, she was still disturbed by his apparent dislike for normal humans. So what would she do? Devon seemed to understand her. And he was still here. She would stick around too. It would be better to stay here and train so that she could use her powers properly if needed, than to stay with her family and have some more violent organization come after her and possibly harm her parents and her brother... yeah. That was why she had gone with Atticus in the first place. She sighed and smiled weakly when Devon said that he just wanted to go home.

"Maybe Atticus was right," she said. "Maybe Emil is right too. It could be best if we unite, we who aren't really humans anymore..." It felt really strange to say that. That reality still hadn't completely sunk in. "If nothing else, to protect humans from ourselves."

She then wondered what kind of ability Devon might have, but didn't get the chance to ask before the elevator started moving in the other direction. "I think someone's looking for you," Devon said.

Helena immediately turned invisible again and stood up, pressing herself against the wall before she could think about what she was doing. The doors to the elevator slid open.​
 
Nikolai Afon - AUP Headquarters, France

"Of course," Emil said, nodding politely to Nikolai. "Would you like Cooper to escort you? All training rooms are on the third floor, you'd have to take the elevator down. Wade is already down there setting things up." Emil winked. "You can find out what his power is." Even more intrieguing, Wade was setting things up? What sort of things would the man be setting up? And Nikolai still wondered about what Wade's power was, and how it was similar to his own.

Then Natalia spoke up. "Mr. Bernot? What do you want me to do?" It was interesting that Natalia called Emil by his last name, even though he had insisted on Helena and himself calling him by his first name. Natalia did seem like one to be more formal and strict with rules, but Nikolai still found it strange. Perhaps the leader of the AUP respected the new recruits and got to know them on a first name basis, then went on later to be more official or something.

"You two can take Annie to her room. She needs to rest. Get Gerard if you need to.

"And your son?" Cooper asked, frowning. Nikolai had been wondering about that too, was it normal for Emil's son to act this way? It definitely seemed as though the boy hadn't wanted anything to do with Helena and Nikolai, but maybe it was more than just that. It seemed as though there had been maybe some...friction...between the boy and his father at some point.

"Leave him be. He'll come around soon enough," Emil said with a sigh.

Cooper and Nikolai left the room, Nikolai taking one last look through the windows to see the view before following Cooper towards the elevators. Cooper pressed the button, and the machinery in the elevator shaft quietly went to work bringing the elevator car to their level. While waiting, Nikolai tried to strike up a conversation with Cooper. "So, how did you meet Emil? He mentioned something about you teaching him with the Royal Family or something? And what are you and Emil able to do? Abilities I mean?" The elevator dinged, and the doors slid outwards to reveal Emil's son, Devon sitting on the floor inside. After an awkward moment, Nikolai entered the car. "Hello Devon. I'm sorry you missed the meal, perhaps next time?"
 
Leon Nef- Syndicate Headquarters, Birmingham, England

"Wait, wait." Leon heard the man named Jericho say. He appeared to be trying to contain a laugh as he continued to talk. "Who are you supposed to be? Don't get me wrong or anything, not trying 'offend' you or anything. You know I'm new here uh... Lenny? Is that your name? Yeah," he nodded. Leon cocked an eyebrow at him. Was Leon really that difficult a name to remember? He wouldn't know how popular or not it was outside, but it was a rather common name in his hometown of Switzerland. But Leon wasn't sure if he was actually trying to insult him, or if he really didn't know his name. If he was indeed trying to insult him, with a name like Jeri, that might not have been the best route. Jeri continued.

"Lenny. I'm sorry, but... Are you supposed to be important or something? You don't seem important." Jericho smiled, seeming pleased with himself. Leon wasn't taking the bait. He did this to people all the time. Perhaps Jericho was a bit similar to him. Maybe his initial thought was wrong. If they didn't slow him down, perhaps they might be alright to work with. Perhaps. Time would tell. Leon still didn't quite like the Archie kid.

"The name'sLeon. You should remember it, Jeri." Leon said, putting emphasis on his name, as if to show how ridiculous he found it. Leon smiled and walked over to Jericho, patting him on the back. "And yes, I am quite important, but I'll forgive you this time for now knowing me. You are new after all. Give it a day. You'll see just how important I am."

Leon backed away from Jeri back to where he was originally standing. Archie spoke up now, curious about Leon and Jericho's powers. Jericho explained first.

"I explode things," he said. Leon raised an eyebrow as he listened silently. "not everything, though. Just organic things, so no cars," he shrugged. Leon wouldn't say it out loud, but the power was actually pretty good, just like Archie's. The Syndicate weren't joking around, bringing these guys in. But something didn't seem quite right with both of their explanations. He wondered how long they actually knew about their powers. When Leon came into the Syndicate before, he wasn't as trained with his powers as these two appeared to be. This could mean multiple things. One: some powers developed more rapidly than others, meaning that Leon's power required extra training. This would obviously mean that the Syndicate realized he has a pretty powerful power, if they actually took the time to train him, and give him a weapon of his own. It could also mean that they had their powers longer than a week, like Leon. But it wouldn't make sense for them to be asking all of the questions they were asking now. They seemed to be in the same boat Leon was in when they first arrive. Then there was always the possibility that they were lying. That is, exaggerating their power strength to show off a strong front in front of the others. It's what Leon would have done in the same situation. There were many possibilities, but no matter what, it seemed like they had pretty useful powers, whether developed fully or not.

The others then stared at Leon, expecting him to show his power to them now. Leon grinned, and began to raise up his hands as if he was about to demonstrate. But instead of doing so, in a very Leon-like way, blew them off as he raised his arms all the way about his head and stretched them, adding a yawn.

"You know what? It's pretty late. I guess I'll show you my powers next time we go out on an assignment. It was...nice to meet you all." Leon waved his arm at them once more as he turned around and left, heading to what he believed to be the bedrooms. As he walked passed, he noticed name plates on all of them, including one for his. He wondered when they managed to place them there, as he believed those two were recruited mere hours ago, maybe even less than that. Leon shrugged as he walked into his room. Turning on the lights, he was surprised to see many of his old possessions from his apartment still there. He had never gotten a chance to get them. Leon crossed his arms and nodded to himself in approval as he observed the items inside, many of them familiar to him.

Leon wasted no time. He had a rough day of training, and some sleep was just what he needed. He got ready in a matter of minutes and slipped in between the sheets. It was then he was able to feel how sore he really was from the training. Closing his eyes, Leon felt himself slowly drifting away, until he couldn't remember when wakefulness ended and sleep began...
 

Adeline "Otto" Russo - Under the Vatican, Rome, Italy

"I am not sure, it depends on what you find interesting," Adeline cocked her head slightly to her left. "I find a few of the notes on the insect abilities to be rather interesting as well as a few of his journals on the American Revolution and World War I. What are you looking for, specifically? The Librarian has been alive for a long time."

Adeline herself had had a lot of time to read these books but never through the entire collection, even barely through an entire section! She had only ever read things that had to do with her own ability and various topics that interested her.

"I read a little from the Jacobean era also. I'm not sure how far back these records go."

"Thank you so much, Alex," the Librarian said on the lower floor with a bow to Cira's father. "Would you like to try any more of my sweets? I do have cheesecake chilling in the refridgerator, though I can speed up the process in a jiffy!"​
 

Jeremy Kyle – Syndicate Headquarters, Birmingham, England


Jeremy watched in excitement as Jericho and Archie explained their abilities, but couldn't help feeling somewhat inferior to everyone standing in the room. Looking at his hands, he thought about his own ability, sure he could teleport to anywhere he had been to, so long as he could remember the location well enough, but it seemed to pale in comparison to everyone else's ability. Leon had his electricity, October had her vibrations, Archie could cut through metal and Jericho could apparently make things explode; they were all offensive abilities and his was nothing more than teleportation…

Jeremy looked up as the elevator dinged, opening to reveal Adrian with a new girl; she probably had an offensive ability as well. Feeling left out, he retired for the night, following Leon into the hallway at the back, feeling the stress of the day overcome him as the pain from teleportation hit him. Cringing, he walked past a door, taking a brief look at the name plate.

"Fletcher…" Jeremy read, the last name obscured by a wavering blue bubble of sorts, "Even asleep the kid still has his defences up, he must be somewhat powerful." Jeremy continued onto the next door which had his name on a plate; slightly faded.

He dropped to his bed, still in his clothes as the door shut behind him, curling into a foetal position as pain began to wrack his body. Whenever he tried to put it off, the pain always came back worse, more so if he continued to teleport. Joshua had said that anyone traveling with Jeremy was safe, so long as their destination was a safe place, the toll it took on Jeremy however felt like it was tearing his body in half only to have it sown back together. The more he teleported in a day, the more pain he would feel, yet even after being here for so long, he was unable to increase the amount of times or number of people he could teleport without feeling the pain.

When the pain ebbed away to a numbness, Jeremy let himself drift away to sleep, welcoming the sweet arms of sleep take him in their grasp. His dreams were a combination of what had happened today, however it felt like everyone was out to get him, like he was being hunted and needed to run away yet no matter how far he ran or teleported, the Syndicate always seemed to have a track of his location.

It was four in the morning when Jeremy awoke encase in sweat soaked clothes. He quickly changed clothes before going out to get a glass of water from the kitchen. Once his thirst was quenched, he noticed a small figure piecing together a puzzle on the table in the lounge area.

"Are you okay, Fletch?" he asked the small figure who looked at him with wide eyes.

"I miss my brother…" he replied. Fletcher was only six, the Syndicates youngest member, but he hadn't come alone, he had been found with his older brother several weeks back, the both of them brought to the Syndicate, but Fletcher's brother had proven skill, and had been sent on an undercover mission. Not knowing when his brother would return scared Fletcher, the kid would often spend nights like these, waiting for his brother to return.

"How about you jump into bed, finish the puzzle tomorrow?" Being little, Fletcher was quite suggestive, but ever since his brother's disappearance, Fletcher had begun to listen to Jeremy, making him feel guilty as a replacement.

"Okay," was the simple reply as he slid off the couch, Jeremy following him to his room, noticing the slight shimmering of his force field as the kid walked back to bed. Jeremy wondered if he had it going all the time, surely he would be tired out if he did that. Jeremy tucked Fletcher into bed before retiring to his own bed.

In the morning he was the first to rise, walking into the living area and ordering a Cheese Omelette from the presiding chef. In a matter of minutes, the steaming omelette lay before him, eating it slowly and carefully he contemplated teleporting out, just leaving, but soon realised how selfish that would be, someone would have to take care of Fletcher in the mean time.
 

Oakley North - Atlantean Mansion, Boston, England

"Gracias," Oakley said, bowing her head at Christian. Kieran did a quick glance between the two, a confused look on his face. He obviously had no idea what they had just said, much to Oakley's relief.

"Thank you! I know that one," he said with a nervous laugh. It wasn't too hard to see he was trying to patch up his snap with a quick laugh but Oakley didn't think much of it. Right now, her newfound confidence just wanted her to try and sneak away though to try and find Michael before the night was out. With a glance of his watch, Kieran broke the short silence. "Oh, damn, it's that late? Sorry Oakley, I have to get going. I have a late training session. Can you promise me that you won't go see Michael? We don't want another accident, do we?"

"I have the Crystal, it won't happen," Oakley debated.

"You have to promise me!"

"Fine. Je jure que je vais aller voir Michael et faire exactement ce que vous m'avez dit de ne pas faire," she said with a hand on her heart.

"Good," Kieran said, standing up from the table, "I'll see everyone tomorrow. See you!" He waved and exited the hall. Oakley only waited a few seconds after he was out of sight until she too stood up and waved.

"See you tomorrow, okay?" she said to both Antonia and Christian. "Or tonight. Whenever... okay." And with that, also left the table. She felt a little bad for leaving so abruptly but this was important. Important to her. Taking Christian's instructions, she went down the hall, to the left and took the stairs up at the end. She surprised herself with her diligence and persistence, perhaps knowing the armour was not going to attack at any point gave herself focus. Whatever it was, Oakley needed to get her hands on one of these crystals.

She pushed the door open slowly, beds crammed (comfortably) in a cosy room. She didn't take long to find her brother, her eyes falling quickly on him, though he looked like he was asleep.

"Michael?" she said, making sure she had not woken him.​


Devon "Evo" Bernot - AUP Headquarters, France

"So, how did you meet Emil? He mentioned something about you teaching him with the Royal Family or something? And what are you and Emil able to do? Abilities I mean?"

"Whoa there," Devon heard Cooper from the other side. "Well, I met Emilio when I was working for the Royal Family. He was a student and I was, well, not a teacher but more of a caretaker but he was an exceptional student. And our abilities? I believe you'd better off ask Emilio about his own ability, sometimes it's seen as rude to reveal another's ability without persmission. And me? I have my tattoo but no ability. It's rare, but it happens."

The elevators doors opened as Helena stepped back and turned invisible. Two people entered, Cooper, Devon's father's friend or partner or something and some other guy who Devon kind of remembered from when the new recruits from the plane.

"Devon, why are you in the elevator again?" Cooper said, his face creasing into some kind of sheepish smile. Devon didn't answer, only shrugged, continuing to circle the ground with his finger. Cooper acted like his father or his responsible uncle or a younger grandfather "Your father worries about you."

"Yeah, I know."

"Hello Devon. I'm sorry you missed the meal, perhaps next time?" the other guy said. Devon raised his head, having no idea what this guy's name was, and narrowed his eyes just a little.

"It's Evo," he sighed. Why couldn't anyone appreciate his nickname? Devon made him feel like a brand of food or something. He didn't mind that much when his father or Cooper called him that, but when he introduced him as Devon when his father knew how much he didn't really like being called that, it just ticked him off. "And yeah, sure, next time."​
 
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Helena Andersson - AUP Headquarters, France

Helena felt that she should have said goodbye to Devon... Evo, or what he wanted to be called. But there wasn't really a chance to do so right now and they would probably see each other soon again. Trying to be slimmer than she really was, she squeezed herself out from the elevator at the same time as Nikolai and Cooper entered. She overheard them talking about Cooper not having an ability and the fact that it was considered rude to ask a person about some other person's ability. She might do well in remember that.

Back in the room, she took a breath, still invisible, and walked back to the table. Atticus and Emil hadn't seemed to have gotten up yet, nor had Natalia. Her supposed instructor when it came to training her ability. Clutching the back of Atticus' chair, Helena turned visible again. She started speaking before they could.

"I'm sorry," she said. "That won't happen again. Let's... let's just get to training. I'm sorry." She probably blushed a little as well. This wasn't like her; she was usually so confident and cheerful in her own environment! Now she had freaked out and come crawling back like a scared puppy. She focused her eyes on Emil's. "I'll do my best."​
 

Cira & Alex Gaile - Under the Vatican, Rome, Italy


Cira had to take a second to think of something, considering the Librarian's lived for quite a while. Abilities found in the Renaissance could be pretty full of variety, But in the end, he just went for one of Otto's recallings.

"I'd like to see what some of those insect abilities are." He could only imagine how many there were. Spitting acid like a fly, the general immunity to diseases could make James a potential carrier to a multitude of them if he didn't have an ability that already nullified infection. All kinds of insect wings got into his head, and he imagined seeing them on the Librarian. (Kind of both silly and cool, at least with mosquito or ladybug wings.) Beetle exoskeletons, being able to turn into a colony of ants or other pack bugs, the possibilities were endless. Then there were all the toxins in spider venom, not to mention Adeline's webbing. To what extent she could use it he didn't know, but Cira figured he'd find out soon enough if they stuck around.

"A good cheesecake is always worth waiting for," Alex commented. "What say that be a snack for lunch tomorrow? I'm a little tired from the flight and running around Florence, and it wouldn't be right not to savor every bite." Proving his statement, he covered his mouth in a short yawn.​
 
Erika - Syndicate
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Eriika sat with her legs crossed the majority of the taxi ride, her gaze often shifting towards space as distant thoughts of the paranormal drifted through her head, paranormal in this case referring to Atlantians. She seemed ever so slightly restless without something to pre-occupy herself with, as she for some reason restrained herself from reading throughout the duration. The plane was a different story however, as not only did she insist on very briefly picking up some extra reading material whilst they waited for the plane she almost immediately took out a book and began to find her place in it once they found their seats. If one happened to recognize the title, which was actually questionable as this particular book was reasonably obscure in fame, it was a romance book. One could also deduce this potentially by the artwork on the cover, depending on how savvy they were. More easy to notice if one was paying attention however was that holding the book seemed to cause Erika's muscles to relax. Books were a comfort to her, and she had full plans to take advantage of them during this long, /long/ flight.

For the most part, Erika seemed to handle the flight with ease, though she spent a good portion of the ascent and descent yawning in an attempt to get her ears to pop. She was, overall, a pretty well adjusted person in society. What fate had Adrian just doomed her to? When they arrived, Erika was somewhat groggy, and while mildly impressed by the waiting vehicle was unable to show it. She managed to look slightly stir crazy and tired at the same time as she got into the awaiting vehicle There had been plenty of time for the initial surprise to wear off, though it would probably return in full when she actually got to see where she was going and whom she was meeting.

When Adrian spoke up her attention was grabbed. He apologized, apparently trying to sympathize with her. Erika was about to respond when she noticed something moving under Adrian's shirt, which immediately stole her attention. The following sequence seemed to impress her to some degree, or perhaps it had just startled her. ...Huh, why hadn't she thought of multiple layers of clothes?--probably because she hated replacing the ripped ones. Were clothes cheap here? She allowed the thought to roll its way out of her mind as being trivial, deciding instead to answer Adrian's question, all the while awkwardly examining his physique. Perhaps she didn't realize what she was doing.

"Well... scary probably isn't the word I would use..."

A minor pause.

"...Distressing?"

Erika was attempting to describe the sheer anxiety this sort of thing could cause. She just sort of gave Adrian a small smile before diverting her attention. It was then that Adrian described that he had to 'hide' his powers. This actually somewhat surprised her. He couldn't turn his off? She would probably hate that. They eventually reached their stop and Erika accepted Adrian's hand pulling herself out of the vehicle, immediately stretching her arms and legs. She felt as if it had been an eternity! Joining Adrian on the elevator, Erika seemed slightly anxious now that they were at the border of their destination, so to speak.

"Sounds pretty fancy..."

She silently wondered how they managed 24/7 service. It didn't seem all that practical, but what did she know. When Erika stepped out of the elevator, welcomed in by Adrian, she was immediately startled by the actions of another female. Erika maintained an initial silence, a decidedly... ambiguous red tint coming to her cheeks when it was mentioned that she and the other were apparently the only females around. She decline to comment however, instead taking the hand of the other and shaking it briefly. October offered Erika her help before going back over to Adrian. Erika had this vague feeling they had something going on there... Though she wasn't sure why!

"Thanks..! So...-"

Erika just sort of drifted off, waiting for someone to explain the seemingly obvious question of what exactly the syndicate was and what exactly she was going to be doing during her stay here, besides apparently getting room service.
 

Archie Stevens - Sydnicate HQ


"Wait, wait." Jeri said with a laugh. "Who are you supposed to be? Don't get me wrong or anything, not trying 'offend' you or anything. You know I'm new here uh... Lenny? Is that your name? Yeah, Lenny. I'm sorry, but... Are you supposed to be important or something? You don't seem important." Archie glanced at Leon, this wasn't going well. He was compelled to ease the tension the only way he knew, by cracking a joke but didn't get the chance.

"The name's Leon. You should remember it, Jeri. And yes, I am quite important, but I'll forgive you this time for now knowing me. You are new after all. Give it a day. You'll see just how important I am." That seemed fairly straight forwards, Archie could tell that Leon was going to be a real good friend.

 "I explode things," Jeri said in response to Archie's question. "not everything, though. Just organic things, so no cars," That was still pretty cool, was there like a potted plant round here Archie thought. He just had to get a video of this. And they have to be alive, you know... Right now."

 Leon raised his hands in a manner that suggested he was about to demonstrate his power. He caught ever ones attention but instead he just yawned.

"You know what? It's pretty late. I guess I'll show you my powers next time we go out on an assignment. It was...nice to meet you all." The troll said before he headed to his bedroom.

 The lift dinged again for the umpteenth time, a man and a woman emerged form the lift. The man barely had time to take in his surroundings before he was glomped by October.

" Adrian!" Was the only warning she gave the guy, who somehow managed to catch her. Holding her up in the air for a few seconds while she kissed him Archie noticed Jeremy sulk away. He figured the guy was tiered or something.

"October, this is Erika, Erika, this is October, so far the only other female with us." The guy introduced the new girl with him, so October was dating Adrian? And this was a new girl too? They must be having a recruitment drive. October was a little less interesting when Archie realised that she wasn't single.

"Finally good to have another girl around here! These guys are the other new recruits, if you need anything, I'll be glad to help." She returned to Adrian's side, cuddling into one side of him.

 Archie slipped too, he headed towards the bedrooms and found the one with his name on the door. Inside he placed his guitar in the corner and took a quick look around. A double bed was in the centre of the room, Archie sat on it to test it, it was far comfier and spacious than his bed at university. Next to the bed was a chest of draws where an alarm clock and a phone. One wall was made up of sliding door wardrobes with mirrors on the doors. Opening them Archie looked inside. There was a black jump suite in his size, for training he presumed but that was all. The other side of the room had a desk and a chair, Archie hadn't bee given the chance to bring any of his belongings here apart from his guitar, which was simply by sheer chance. He sat back on the bed and picked up the phone, reception answered.

" Hello Mr Stevens. This is the syndicate reception how can we help you?" Archie uncomfortable being called Mr. Stevens.
"Could you take care of my university and tuition loans, I won't be going back."

" Of course is there anything else?"

" Yeah can you pick up my stuff from my flat, stuff like clothes, and personal belongings. You can leave my books and notes."

" We send someone up to collect your keys and arrange for it. Is that all?"

" Yeah, Cheers."

" Have a good night sir." The receptionist said, these people were only too happy to please. Archie put the phone down. Oh wait, he shouldn't have said that, take care of, didn't that mean kill in an organization like this. No, he was over thinking things again.

 He wasn't tired yet he hadn't been awake that long today. So he got out his guitar and began to practice. A few minutes later he was disturbed by a knock on the door. He answered it and handed his keys over to the guy who had been sent to collect them. Then he resumed his practice. Playing his guitar with out further disturbances until he was ready to sleep.
 

Atticus Forsberg - AUP Headquarters, France

"Before we separate," Natalia started getting up to take Annie away, "I do have to ask about Tillmann. Where is he?"

Atticus turned his head, eyes wide. Tillmann was still alive after the explosion? How was that even possible? It was miracle enough that the Leader of the House of Fire managed to get away but Tillmann wasn't just at the heart of it, he was the heart.

"Tillmann," Emilio said with a sigh, "is in a jail cell below. It's okay, we have him subdued. He is surrounded by corrupt crystals. There is no way he can escape, especially with his guards."

"Right," Atticus said, taking a deep breath. "That's good, I suppose."

"Mm," Emil nodded. "Make note not to discuss him around the younger recruits. Knowing that he's alive below us would make some of them exceptionally nervous."

"Will do," Natalia said.

"Yep," a tired voice came from under her.

"Yeah, no, yeah," Atticus made a face.

Atticus almost had a heart attack when he saw a hand on his chair behind him. Helena had come back! Atticus breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully she had not overheard their previous conversation. Emil gave her a warm smile.

"That's perfectly fine, Ms. Andersson. I understand. Please, take note, we do not wish to harm mortals in any way," Emil politely nodded, then turned to Natalia. "Please take Annie to her room and make sure she sees Gerard. Atticus, please escort Helena to the training room."

"Shouldn't I take Helena, Mr. Bernot? We would get to training faster." Natalia pointed out.

"It would do, but I know if Atticus takes her, she will definitely persuade him not to take her to Gerard," Emil shrugged with a smile. Annie frowned at her shoes. "Now, I'm sorry to be so abrupt but I do have some other matters to attend to. Good luck and goodnight." Emil bowed and left the four alone.

"Well, let's go," Natalia said, wheeling Annie back to the elevator. Atticus turned to Helena.

"Thanks for coming back."​


Adeline "Otto" Russo - Under the Vatican, Rome, Italy

"Oh my word!" The Librarian put a hand to his forehead in surprise. "I didn't even realise the time! I'm so sorry, I often forget people have to sleep. Dear Adeline rarely does and I don't need to, fortunately. Perhaps it's time I show you to your rooms!" He turned around and called out to Adeline. "Adeline! Please bring Cira down here!"

Adeline lazily glanced at a clock (it showed 23:18) Cira, gesturing at him to follow. She grabbed a book along the way back down and passed it to Cira.

"The Librarian's experiences aboard a pirate ship in the 18th century. In the Caribbean. It's interesting."

"Yes, yes, I'm very sorry Cira, but I do believe your father is quite tired and we all have a big day ahead tomorrow. I promise to cook you all a delicious breakfast and then we'll get straight on to training! Now, if you follow me..." he turned around and led them out of the library and down into the hall. Instead of going back towards the kitchen and sitting room, he led them the other way and onto the first door on the right. The door led to a room split into two stories with a spiral staircase leading up to the top floor. Each story had its own bed, its own lazy chair, its own small assortment of books and a small sitting area. Each floor seemed to have its own bathroom and closet as well. Everything was beautifully furnished, as expected, and the beds looked wonderfully soft for tired eyes.

"These are your rooms," the Librarian gestured to the two floors. "You can choose who wants what. If you want, I can move a bed downstairs if you'd like to be closer. Adeline and myself are the next room over. There's nobody staying with us currently so you don't need to worry about unnecessary intruders in the middle of the night. Though, it already is the middle of the night, isn't it? Sorry about all that, I really am! I promise to let you all sleep in until lunch time, if you wish. Usually I don't get so carried away, Adeline's the one to remind me. One time, I stayed up to see a meteor shower with some guests an--"

"Sir."

"Oh. Right, sorry. The closet have all kinds of clothes in them so you'll have to look around if you do need a spare pair. I keep a lot of clothes because I never know who is going to drop in, you know? It's always wonderful to have guests."

"The Atlatean Unification Project," Adeline interrupted again.

"Right, yes," the Librarian nodded. "I am expecting guests in the morning, not too early, so please do not go wondering around naked. I don't want anyone to be embarrassed like that. Adeline is the next room over and I will be working in my Library on Alex's ability. Sleep well, Alex and Cira!" he gave them a cheery smile and a nod and waved as he exited.

"Sweet dreams," Adeline said, following the Librarian out.​
 
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Christian Calaway- Atlantean Mansion, Boston, England


Well, at least she was thankful, Christian thought to himself. In the span of only a few moments Oakley and Kieran were off. Kieran had training to do, of which Christian was thankful for. Another few moments with him would of been unbearable. Oakley appeared to make some oath in…French…let's go with that…and then left as well. Christian had only take a guess at what she was doing, but it was fairly obvious to anyone who spent some time with her.

"Where do you think she is going?" Antonia asked when Oakley was safely out of earshot.

"To see her brother most likely. They probably haven't spoken in a while. Not since the Oracle at least," Christian replied right before finishing his meal. Antonia seemed to quiet down for a moment, especially when the word "Oracle" left his lips. She stopped eating (though there wasn't much food left. Training must have been exhausting) and looked down at the table.

"Christian…about my prophecy…" She said weakly. "What do you…thin-"

A large hand placed itself on her shoulder: "I wouldn't worry about it." Christian said with a smile.

"You remember it?"

"I remember most of them."

"Then you know she said I would hurt those around me. That could only mean that I would hurt anyone I cared about and that alone just scares me."

"And according to her, I am going to change the world," Christian said, trying to laugh. It didn't work, the laugh was obviously forced. He couldn't lie. The whole idea of prophecies was hard to wrap his head around, much less the ominous ones the Oracle made. There were far too many questions concerning them to think about. "If the prophecy does come true….I…I am sure that you will do the right thing when it comes down to it. Worst case, I will do my best to make sure you won't hurt anyone. After all, you probably can't hurt me. I'll just puff up into smoke or something," he finished making a small cloud of smoke fly up into the air. The least he could was to try to put her at ease.

Antonia let out a weak laugh, "Thank you. That means a lot."

"Your welcome. Now let's get to our rooms and sleep. I'll walk you to your room."

-------------

The walk to the dorms was a bit quiet to say the least. Neither Christian nor Antonia knew exactly what to say to each other. The whole ordeal made Christian uncomfortable to say the least. It didn't help that his ability wasn't telepathy. That would be a perfect ability to have right now, even if it did intrude on people's privacy.

"Well, uh, here we are," Antonia said pointing at the door. "I am pretty sure you can't come in as much as I'd like you to."

Christian blushed lightly before nervously stammering over words," Ha…ha…yeah that would…be…" Christian gulped. "Nice. Fun too…I guess?"

Antonia giggled, before suddenly hugging him and gave him a light peck on the cheek. "Good night. See you tomorrow." With a bright smile, she slipped through the door and closed it gently as to not disturb the other students. Christian found himself standing in the hallway, wide eyed, confused and probably a little dumbfounded. Guess I will never wash this cheek again. That is what I am supposed to think right?

Christian made his way back to the cafeteria, as it was the only way he knew how to get back to the male dorms. It usually took him a few trips before he memorized any sort of directions and until then he needed to take a certain path every time. It allowed him to develop a sense of muscle memory. At one point, he would like to simply fly over to his room. He probably could if he developed his ability a bit more. Looking back at the whole day, Christian felt rather accomplished. It was a good day even if he did have to go through the unfortunate event of falling out of a helicopter to get there. But the mansion, the training, and the (hopefully) accepted apology leading to some friendship with Oakley (he still regretted the whole center business) made today feel like it was the first step in a larger scheme of things. Christian smiled as he reached his door, slowly opening it and making his way to his bed. Christian stumbled onto the bed and closed his eyes. Sleep was well earned.
 
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Cobalt Chimura – Atlantean Mansion, Boston, England


Cobalt noticed Brian finish his food rather quickly, looking up at him as if to say that he was ready. When they had been younger, Cobalt and the others had sworn to protect the Oracle, as had their parents before them and their parents before them. However it still did not ease the fact that she scared him. Out of all them, Cobalt still had his prophecy from her to come true, and the longer it took; the more Cobalt began to wonder about the severity of it.

"Okay Brian, follow me," Cobalt showed Brian out of the Dining Hall and to the right, walking around to where the Oracle resided. He could see his hands shaking a bit as he reached for the door, taking a deep breath before opening it, beckoning Brian in, and then quickly shutting it. The room was slightly musty and nearly pitch black save for a single candle burning in front of the Oracle's cross-legged position.

"Madame Oracle," he said, bowing out of respect, "Brian Sheppard" introducing the boy with a wave of his hand. While Cobalt respect for this woman was out of the question, she still put him on edge, making him wonder what he had come into.

The old lady opened her cloudy eyes, looking straight at Brian. The Oracle wasn't technically blind, she still had her human sight, but rather it would be clouded more often than not with visions of the future and all its probabilities. Raising a single bony hand at Brian, she first spoke in an ancient language lost years ago before switching to English;

"You must decide in the end whether you will stand up for others, or stand up for yourself." She rasped.

Almost as quickly as she had awoken with his prophecy, she withdrew her hand, closing her eyes and falling back into whatever kind of slumber she experienced. Sweat now beading itself down Cobalt's head; he thanked the Oracle, bowing once again before ushering Brian out and into the hallway. Once out, he took in a breath of air, trying to clear his head before continuing.

"If you have any more questions, I can answer a couple now as we walk, but I shall show you to your sleeping quarters and we can start training tomorrow." Cobalt lead Brian to the right, and out into the open courtyard, purposefully walking slowly in case Brian had any questions to ask.
 
"Devon, why are you in the elevator again?" Cooper said, smiling a bit sheepishly. "Your father worries about you."

Devon just looked down and gloomily replied, "Yeah, I know." After Nikolai said that he was sorry he couldn't make it to dinner, Devon clearly got ticked quickly. "It's Evo." Obviously he didn't like his name Devon. Which was strange, seeing as how Emil introduced him as Devon, and Cooper had just called him Devon as well. "And yeah, sure, next time." The way he said it didn't make it seem like he meant it.

"Alright, Evo then. Nice name, I like it. Evo, like evolution or something, very cool." The elevators doors slid shut, and it slowly made it decent. "Anyway, I suppose training begins now. I suppose your free to watch if you want Evo, although I'm not sure how entertaining it will be." Nikolai felt bad for the kid, it seemed like he was a bit neglected, his father busy with running the organization. Nikolai could relate. Evo needed friends, someone to keep him entertained and someone to hang out with. Maybe he could help with that.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open to reveal another floor of the building. As Nikolai stepped out of the elevator, he decided to ask Cooper another question. "So how is Harrison's ability similar to my own?" Nikolai looked back to see if Evo was going to come with them, or stay.
 

Devon "Evo" Bernot - AUP Headquarters, France

"Yeah," Devon replied, not even bothering to look up. He didn't want to go watch this guy, he didn't want the pity. He just wanted to be alone.

"Well, like I said," Cooper said, ignoring Devon's bad attitude, "it's rude to ask people about their ability. I'm sure you'll soon find out." The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Cooper led the way and the doors shut behind them and Devon just caught Cooper's words as they walked away.

"Don't worry too much about Devon. He's a little disappointed with everything at the moment. He's like me, ability-less. Now, let's press on."

Devon pulled a face as he got up for the first time and pushed the elevator button, going down.​


Wade Harrison - AUP Headquarters, France

"Mr. Afon!" A voice welcomed Nikolai as he entered the room, though that probably what was he noticed first. The skinny man in the centre of the room was currently bending over the tower of one of the many dozen computers that were all circled around him. He stood up straight, revealing his face; he had short, dark hair, hazel green eyes (though they probably couldn't be seen from here) and a scruffy goatee. He looked probably in his mid to late thirties. His attire was casual, sporting a comfy looking tee and a pair of jeans. He smiled kindly at the newcomers and plugged one last power cable in before making his way to the door.

"Nikolai, this is Mr. Harrison," Cooper introduced him but Wade shook his head.

"Mr. Harrison was my father. Please, my name is Wade. I'll be your tutor for today. And this is your classroom," he gestured to the computers. "Thanks for bringing him down here Cooper, I'll take it from here."

"Good luck," Cooper waved, leaving Nikolai's side and exiting back the way they came. Wade put a hand on Nikolai's shoulder. It was obvious now, as they linked eyes, that Wade was Atlantean; his tattoo could be seen swirling around his ear and down his neck.

"I've spent all day setting this all up for you," Wade gave a nod, obviously proud of his work. "Each computer is set up to its own router. The computers are placed into twelve different groups with a different amount of computer in each group and each group is connected to its own router and then that router is connected to a modem. Basically, it's a family tree of computers!" He inhaled then exhaled. Yeah, it had been a lot of work. It would be well worth it when he was done though.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," Wade let go of Nikolai's shoulder. "We've been paired up for now because of our similarity in abilities. In the same way you can travel through electronics, I can travel through a person's thoughts. It's exceptionally hard and I am definitely no master but I can try and help you control it and speed the process up. Annie was telling me of your exercise on the plane so, I kind of did that, but bigger!"

"Are we ready to start?"​
 
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