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-and others-
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"...Voyager's mysterious disappearance continues..."

Riley mumbled as the sound of her superhero name roused her back to semi-consciousness. She felt terribly numb, like she had been surrounded by white noise. As her senses came back to her, she realized she was someplace dark and cramped, and as she tried to move she realized her arms and legs were twisted into a rather awkward position. Light seemed to be leaking from what looked like a door, and as her hearing came back Riley thought she could hear someone on the other side.

[color=MediumOrchid]"H-hello?"[/color] she croaked, her voice sounding hoarse from the lack of use. Immediately the sound of voices stopped, replaced by a sudden shuffling of movement. Straightening herself out, she powered on one of her psi-shields to illuminate the cramped area. She caught a glimpses of what looked like piles of clothes and boxes piled haphazardly around her. Before she could get a better look, there was a click and the door swung open, blinding Riley with the sudden onslaught of light. Throwing her arms up to shield her eyes, she shifted just enough to tumble right outside the small room, landing on her back at someone's feet.

"Oh....duck...." The voice sounded familiar. As her eyes quickly adjusted to the light, Voyager glanced around what looked like some sort of living space before looking up at the knight-like helmet of...

[color=MediumOrchid]"Fullbright?"[/color] Voyager asked, more confused then anything else. [color=MediumOrchid]"Why am I in your closet?"[/color] The white steel and golden helmet quivered slightly as Fullbright shook with panicked terror, and Voyager realized that her enemy was wearing a rather ordinary t-shirt and jeans combo instead of her usual vestments.

"It's...a very long story, Voyager." Going by the fact that she had dropped her usual theatrical voice, it was clear that Fullbright had no idea what to do in this situation, and Voyager didn't really have much of an idea either.

[color=MediumOrchid]"Well...could you help me up?"[/color]

A few moments later Voyager was up and sitting on Fullbright's sofa, idly picking at loose threads in her severely battle-damaged uniform. She tried to think back to what caused all of it, but couldn't place her finger on it. Had this all been from that fire? It was the last thing she remembered doing before she woke up again. Fullbright walked back over and tossed Voyager a water bottle, which she easily caught and gulped down.

"Honestly, we all thought you were dead," Fullbright commented as she stared at the half-alien.

[color=MediumOrchid]"Um, we?"[/color]

"Well, Fangs was the one who found you and brought you here. The others really didn't know what to do with the Hounds running around-"

[color=MediumOrchid]"There are dogs running around?"[/color]

"Uh, not those kind of dogs..." Fullbright said, scratching the back of her neck. "I mean the Hounds of Humanity. They're some paramilitary terrorist group. They popped up a few days ago the night we found you, and they've been hunting down and shooting up meta hangouts since then. Amorphous almost got himself killed the other day, poor guy." Riley was about to ask if Amorphous was badly hurt before something clicked in her head.

[color=MediumOrchid]"Wait, a few days ago? But I just fell asleep last night..."[/color]

"Last night was three days ago, Voyager," Fullbright said bluntly. "I don't know what happened but you've been out since Fangs and that Airbender girl brought you over."

Voyager felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. Bad guys were running around Pacific Point, and she was asleep for three whole days. How many people had been hurt when she was away? How many people were dead that she could have saved. And Martel and Jordan...would they have thought that she had been killed too?

"I don't really know why we kept you around, since all of us are kind of, well, enemies," Fullbright said awkwardly, patting Voyager on the shoulder as the alien girl stared blankly at the floor, confusion warring with the shock of what was happening. "But since the Hounds are after people like us we're all on the same side. Enemy of my enemy and all that."

[color=MediumOrchid]"But, what do the Hound people want to hurt Metahumans for?"[/color] Voyager asked innocently. [color=MediumOrchid]"Did they do something wrong?"[/color] Fullbright looked at the half-alien in confusion before what was going on clicked, the color seeming to leave her exposed neck in the process.

"Wow, I'm really not qualified to explain that," Fulbright said, flustered. "Maybe when this is over and the situation isn't so bizarre we can talk about it, but right now maybe you should get out of here before the others get back."

[color=MediumOrchid]"Yes, that does seem like a good idea,"[/color] Voyager said, eager to get back to the lab and make sure her friends knew she was okay. [color=MediumOrchid]"But we can be friends until the Hounds are gone. Maybe we can even fight them too!"[/color]

"Uh, sure, let me just give you something to cover up with." Fullbright said, cautious of how accepting her enemy was of this. "Might need to wait on that, me and the others are kind of busy right now."

[color=MediumOrchid]"With what?" [/color]Voyager asked, turning her attention back to the ruined state of her outfit.

"The Hounds came after me the other night," Fullbright explained, once again confused by the shocked look on the face of her 'enemy' as she returned with a box pulled from behind a shelf. "I'm fine, but the bastards kidnapped my girlfriend in the struggle. We're going to mount a rescue."

[color=MediumOrchid]"Oh dear,"[/color] the half-alien said in response. [color=MediumOrchid]"Are you in need of any help?"[/color]

"No! I mean uh, no I think it's best we handle this on our own. The city needs you more then it needs us, after all."

[color=MediumOrchid]"Hmm...well I suppose you're right,"[/color] Voyager admitted as she took the package from the villain. [color=MediumOrchid]"What is this exactly?"[/color]

"I don't honestly know, some sort of suit?" Fullbright said with a shrug. "Girlfriend ordered it the other day and asked me to keep it here. It looks like it'd be your size, and the colors match. She'll probably be pissed that I gave it away, but if it's to you I think it'll soften the blow." The villain suddenly turned toward the window as what sounded like the bass line to a song floated into earshot. "Crap, that must be then, you'd better run."

[color=MediumOrchid]"Thank you Fullbright, hope to see you soon!"[/color] And with that Voyager was out the door and down the hallway, the package clutched to her chest as she meandered down the stairs. Easily finding a rear entrance, she slipped out the back to properly open up her impromptu gift, starting to tug off the shreds of her old outfit as she got a better look at the new one. Her mouth dropped open in shock. This wasn't just close to her old outfit in color. It was almost perfectly matching! It had the same purple and black color, the same highlights, the same armored plating...it even had a gap where her inhibitors would be! Turning it over in her hands and letting it unfold, she half-expected it to be the same design, but let out a gasp as she saw the familiar design on the shoulders and collar. She knew this design by heart; it looked almost exactly like the Starfleet uniforms from [i]First Contact[/i]! Feeling a sudden chill, she shed her old outfit entirely and pulled on the new one. Not only was it comfortable, it even fit like a glove too! Turning around to admire herself, she wondered what else was in the box and reached down to pick it up, only to catch glimpse of a note that, in her excitement, she didn't see fall from the package as she opened it.

[i]Ms. Fletcher,

Here's the final prototype, if there's anything else you want to fix send it back, otherwise it's ready for action. Hope your friend Riley likes it!

-Thorvald[/i]

She read her own name with mounting dread. The suit matching her wasn't a coincidence, it WAS for her. And Fullbright said that her girlfriend had ordered it. A girlfriend named Fletcher...who had a suit made for her. Fletcher...Jordan Fletcher. And if she was the girlfriend, then...

Tears welled in her eyes as Voyager let her arms hang in disbelief. Her best friend...on top of all the people they hurt, the Hounds had taken her best friend. It had hurt to find out how long she had been gone and how many people she couldn't save from the Hounds, but this? She...she didn't know what she was feeling. Unsure of how to react, Voyager reached down for the box again to finish searching, her excitement replaced by that nebulous feeling again. Inside were the boots that went with the outfit and a brand new pair of goggles. She turned the goggles around, seeing her own reflection with the new suit in the purple glass lenses. A sense of duty welled inside her as she saw herself as the captain of a starship, leading a loyal crew into battle and saving the day from the bad guys. Seeing herself like this...it wasn't enough to dampen the hurt of knowing her friend or the city was still in danger, but Voyager knew what she was feeling now. She felt like she had a job to do. She felt like she had to save her friend and save the city from the villains.

She felt like a hero!

Seconds later there was loud bang as Voyager triumphantly barged into the room, her uniform fully assembled, her eyes glowing with psionic power. A loud shriek came from Fullbright as she dived under the table while Monsterk4t and Typhoon took up fighting positions, the latter drawing his blade with a flourish.

"I THOUGHT THE IDEA WAS FOR YOU TO LEAVE [i]QUIETLY[/i]???" Fullbright bellowed from under the table before emerging with her helmet on again. The two other villains gave Fullbright a look before turning back to their enemy again.

[color=MediumOrchid]"I know you're going to try to rescue Jordan Fletcher,"[/color] Voyager declared, her words echoing with psionic power. [color=MediumOrchid]"That's why I'm going to help you!"[/color]

They weren't exactly in a position to say no.

---

[b]Elsewhere...[/b]

Maddy Fen Ming quickly became a sort of minor celebrity among the other interns when she returned to Silver River after her stint at the hospital. A bit morbid to say the least, but Maddy did at least appreciate the sympathy and the encouragement that she got from other students. Less welcome was the attention she got because of how 'thrilling' the story was. News flash: Getting shot is not fun, and as intelligent and bright as her fellow students were, very few of them picked up on the fact that she really just wanted to bury her head in her work and not talk about how afraid she was that she was going to die every five damned minutes.

[color=DarkGreen]"Happy place, Maddy, happy place..."[/color]

Feeling exhausted but spirited, Maddy shouldered open the door to her flat, exhaling a sigh of relief as she kicked her shoes off her aching feet. Almost on cue, there was a distant thump and a small shape darted across the floor towards her.

[color=DarkGreen]"Heya Kaiser,"[/color] Maddy said sweetly, leaning over to let her arm hang down [color=DarkGreen]"How's things?"[/color]

Kaiser, a fluffy white cat with coffee colored markings on his cheeks, purred contently as he rubbed his face into her outstretched hand. Pausing to scratch him behind the ears, Maddy trudged over to the center of the room and plopped down on her loveseat, Kaiser jumping up after her and curling into a ball next to her. It had been a long day, but it felt good knowing how much she got done. The material orders were finally sorted and up to date after her absence, she got herself caught up on the Institutes biological studies, and most importantly she had made excellent process on her new material. Still was, in fact.

[color=DarkGreen]
"Hmm, nothing out of the ordinary yet," [/color]she pondered, staring at her left hand encased in a glove made from the yet unnamed material. As far as she knew, the adaptive matrix of the stuff was working fine. Anyone else would have released it and called it a day, but she wanted to account for everything. Heat resistance, damage resistance, or in this case, making sure being in contact with the stuff wouldn't burn your skin or something. Thankfully, the material seemed to be not only harmless but quite comfortable and form fitting, though it was hard to tell just from it being on her arm. Feeling pleased with her progress, she flipped on the television and stretched out, wondering what she would do for dinner.

"...in other news, Voyager's mysterious disappearance continues, entering its third day," the news anchor carried on in her professional tone. "As the Hounds activities in the region escalate, many are voicing concerns that one of Pacific Point's more vibrant public figures may have run afoul of this terrorist organization."

[color=DarkGreen]
"Yikes, I hope not,"[/color] Maddy said, idly scratching Kaiser behind the ears with her other hand. Maddy hadn't been following the news recently for obvious reasons, but the Hounds story had been inescapable by design. Needless to say, when a rogue terrorist group arrives in a flurry of explosions and bloodshed only to declare war on metahumans, you tend to take notice. Her parents were so scared that they called her nonstop for the rest of the day when the news broke, and Maddy couldn't blame them. She was scared too.

Flipping off the news channel in an attempt to find something a bit more mindless, she heard a distinctive ping from her PC in the loft. Leaving Kaiser in his comfy spot, Maddy dashed up the stairs to check the message from Steam, chastising herself for forgetting to turn it off before she left. She was pleasantly surprised to find it was from Megan, another of her friends from work.

[quote]
[b]Lucina64: Hey Maddy, do you know who had the keys for the company truck last? Need to make a last minute delivery.
Lucina64: Yavor said he thought you'd know.
Lucina64: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ [/b]
[/quote]

Smiling Maddy bent over to type out a quick response, kicking her wheeled chair away with the back of her foot by accident, where it floated gently across the floor right into a tall lamp stand.

[quote][b]WyldHyena:[/b] idk, check with Vic, I think he was out last.[/quote]

Maddy started to ask what she needed the truck for before something fell right on the back of her head with a loud bang. Screaming out in terror, she instinctively clutched a hand to her stomach and stumbled backwards in a mad attempt to escape. Slipping off the top stair, Kaiser let out a yowl and took off into the other room as Maddy caught her foot on a railing and tumbled backwards down the stairs.

[i]*CRASH*

*SHHHRIIP*[/i]

Head spinning, heart pounding in her chest, a dazed Maddy concluded things weren't moving as fast anymore, and that she hadn't been shot again. Feeling irritated and more then a little embarrassed over that display, she got to her feet to survey the damage, pulling herself up bu the metal railings of the loft.

Blinking, Maddy took another look to settle herself after the fall and found herself staring over the railing of the loft. It was at the height of her chest...but she had just fallen down to the ground floor? Reaching up to rub the sore spot on her head, she winced as her knuckles smacked into the ceiling.

[color=DarkGreen]
"What the...?"[/color]

She glanced up, seeing the roof of her apartment a lot closer then it should have been. She looked down after feeling something pop, noticing for the first time that her shirt and jeans had been shredded and were hanging on by threads. Maddy looked down at her feet, then back at the ceiling again. Feeling it cautiously, she felt another seam in her shirt pop as her arm extended outward. Looking back at the loft, she spotted the broken lamp and the chair that had caused her fall. She reached over and picked up the lamp to right it again. With one hand. The lamp was the size of a ruler. Maddy stood there in stunned silence as it finally dawned on her.

Maddy was three times as big as she was a moment ago.

[color=DarkGreen]
"Okay Maddy...don't panic,"[/color] she said to herself, the quivering in her voice and hands betraying that she was about three seconds from a mental breakdown. [color=DarkGreen]"You can handle this. You're a big girl. In...more ways then one at this point."[/color] Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes to try and stave off the inevitable. [color=DarkGreen]"Don't lose your head now. Think of a way to fix this. Think of a way back to norma-aaaaaah!"[/color]

The mantra turned into a frightened yelp as Maddy felt herself shrinking down towards the ground, the sudden height decrease throwing her off balance. After a moment of frantic panic, Maddy collapsed onto her loveseat at a much more normal size then before. Immediately jumping to her feet again, she dashed over to the coat rack, leaving a trail of shredded denim and cloth behind her to line up with a coat hook that she knew was at her eye level. A perfect match. Breathing a sudden sigh of relief, feeling substantially more drained then before, she tried to stagger back to the loveseat but stopped halfway, leaning against the wall and sliding down to a sitting position.

[color=DarkGreen]"So..."[/color] Maddy told herself coolly. [color=DarkGreen]"That...just happened."[/color] There was a small mewing noise as Kaiser snuck back around the corner and cautiously approached Maddy again, clearly scared of Maddy becoming a giantess again. [color=DarkGreen]"Crazy night, huh Kaiser?"[/color] she said to the cat. The statement seemed to sooth the feline as he picked up speed to come to her side, purring soothingly. Maddy started to pet him before she realized something; she still had the glove made of that material on. It hadn't torn or stretched in the slightest and felt just as new and whole as before.

[color=DarkGreen]"This will require further study..."[/color]