[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/8n19jWd.png[/img][/center] [hr][hr] [indent][indent]Michael had discovered that one of the many downsides to being ‘Changed’ and having the powers that he did now. When you’re just a casual browser the phrase ‘the internet never sleeps’ is simple; it just means you’re staying up until the wee hours of the night, browsing and looking at pictures and memes. When you can [i]see[/i] the internet, and access information 24/7? It means [i]you don’t sleep.[/i] Not that Michael really felt like he did anymore. In fact, he found that he acted more like a battery than anything. Time on ‘the grid’ led to him feeling well rested and lively. Conversely, time spent away from the grid led to him feeling dead inside, and tired. Luckily, even in the abandoned house they were hiding out in, Seattle was well wired, and he was able to reach the internet and ‘the grid’ from there. ‘The grid’ is what Michael began referring to the internet and the data he saw after his Change. What? He’s a science fiction fan, and it felt fitting. He was the one who could connect to the grid, and that made him special. That was how he looked at being Changed; it was different for him vs the others. Yes, he was against what the government wanted from them, but all in all… It was not a bad gig for him. Instead of sleeping while Jessica was waking the others, Michael was relaxing. He’d spent the night doing research — which mostly consisted of trying and failing to find information regarding the project they’d been a part of. After a while, though, he’d elected to chill out. It was different for him when compared to the others. Michael liked that they were in a secluded, abandoned house. He liked that there was no one to tell them what to do but themselves. He [i]liked that[/i]. He didn’t like people, he didn’t like school, he didn’t like talking. The people who’d raised him, his godparents, they were okay. All he [i]really[/i] liked was comic books, and he could get those whenever he wanted with his new powers. The next step was staying five steps ahead of the government that was surely going to chasing them down. With how smart he was now, and what he could be capable of, given enough time and the proper supplies… Michael wasn’t afraid of the coming conflict. Some part of him was even looking forward to it: it would be a test of their abilities. He was part of a ‘team’ of sorts, and though it was taking him time to warm up them, it [i]was[/i] happening, and where he may have originally been awkward and difficult to talk to, he knew that would change with time. Even so, when Jess came to wake them up, Michael went so far as to pretend to be asleep. He certainly didn’t want to speak to them if he didn’t have to; he was much happier laying there with his eyes closed. Truth be told, Michael had plenty of ideas for ways they could improve their situation, but he didn’t speak up about them. Besides, some of them might be ‘controversial,’ such as ‘rob a bank with our awesome super powers.’ No, seriously. If Michael got close enough to an ATM, he could just make it spit out all the cash it had in it, and given enough time, he could probably wire them endless cash. But he didn’t intend to say a word. He was perfectly content in their little abandoned home where they all had cots and there was a 3G connection. If the connection hadn’t been there? Maybe he’d be more vocal. For now, he was happy to sit back, listen to what the others had to say and what they planned to do, and then act accordingly. For now though? Michael had to ‘wake up’ as Jessica was going around rousing them from their slumber. When it came time for her to wake him, Michael responded first by raising his arms and giving a solemn thumbs up; his eyes still closed. This was followed up by a verbal response. [color=ef6f1a][b]“I’m up.”[/b][/color][/indent][/indent]