Rina
Member
Coffeeholic
STATUS: Huh, has it really been three years since my last post? I guess I’m back at least to lurk around. 6 yrs ago
PenguinStatus
Recent Statuses
6 yrs ago
Current
Huh, has it really been three years since my last post? I guess I’m back at least to lurk around.
4
likes
11 yrs ago
Dear life, I was told to get one but you are killing me. Can I get a refund on the extra hours at work and the lack of sleep for a bit of freetime. Yours dearly, The Coffeeholic
11 yrs ago
Sleep? You mean there is a such thing called a regular sleep schedule?
Bio
RP Status: Full. I'd be open to chatting but I'm currently not accepting any new RPs.
After a three year hiatus I’m back and with a new username.
If you want to know more about me or want to chat, feel free to PM me. I'm always up to meeting new people.
After a three year hiatus I’m back and with a new username.
- I joined the Guild in the summer of 2011
- I enjoy gardening, hiking, cooking and listening to podcasts (if you have any podcast suggestions send them my way)
- I have a huge interest in roleplays where I can really dive into the psychological side of my characters but not a fan of romance based roleplays
If you want to know more about me or want to chat, feel free to PM me. I'm always up to meeting new people.
Most Recent Posts
No worries. I look forward to it.
Woohoo, posted! Thank you BlessedWrath, Ryver, and ArcanicNeon for your help in writing this collab and an evening of fun on Skype. We'll have to do a multi-person collab in the future again.
Chapter 3
A collab with Kirra, BlessedWrath, Ryver et Rhine and ArcanicNeon
In the Midst of the Gunfire
Once the ragtag team of Charlies were prepared, Josiah motioned for the group to head towards the truck. Although they gained a new member to the group, it wasn’t hard to see that the woman was on the same boat as the other Charlies. As the first few Charlies scampered into the van, Josiah wasted no time and jumped besides Cameron. “Time to get going.” He said before holding onto Garret and once Daniel stretched his arm towards Josiah and clasped his shoulder, jumped towards the van. As the two headed towards the steering wheel, Josiah jumped yet again towards Cameron. With his vision swimming, it took the man a few seconds before he noticed that he missed his mark. With the TSP's gunmen now focused on the Charlies, he was glad when they gave little attention towards him as some of the TSP personals ran towards the trucks, hoping to catch them before they could get away while a few others climbed into their own vehicles preparing for a chase if it came to that.
"Come on Josiah, focus." Cameron said running towards the other man and gave him a slight shake. Although weak, Cameron could see that the man was trying hard to stay upright as he started to edge his way towards complete exhaustion. "One more time Josiah. Just one more time." Cameron continued as he moved the man's arm over his shoulder and tried to help the man walk but ended up mostly dragging the man towards the truck. Reaching the truck seemed impossible to him now that Josiah was out of the game. He knew if he left the man he would be able to defend himself and make it but with Josiah nearly incapacitated, reaching the truck would be disastrous. "We're going to get shot if you can't get us there Josiah. You don't have to reach the truck but if you value your life get as close as you can." That seemed to do the trick as Cameron watched Josiah trying to regain his focus. Moments later, the two of them were at the truck but were seconds too slow as a sharp pain shot through his back as the two jumped in front of the back doors of the lead truck. Taking no time to focus on the scratch that he knew far too well was made from Aaron, the man helped the man up and after getting himself in closed the door behind him.
With the two trucks running and ready to go, the two started back down the road. Injured and behind schedule, Cameron was glad to see that overall the plan was still on track. Pulling out the detonator out of his pocket, he watched the night sky as the remaining vehicles blew up. They wouldn't be following them this time around.
The Reformer's Base
Keeping true to his promise, Dr. Wilson started to work on the most serious injuries and was glad to find a medical kit stowed away in the truck. Stitching and patching up, Wilson wasn't too phased at the injuries sustained except for Vida who revealed that she didn't need any of his help due to her ability.
As dark skies outside of the truck started to lighten up as morning started to approach, a warehouse came into view. The Reformer's base.
The Reformers were not simply a group of malcontents and mercenaries; they were organized and well-funded. That, and not their powers, made them an inarguable threat to their enemies. Being able to teleport had its advantages, but without the assistance of a larger entity, even the most intelligent or powerful Super would eventually find his way into a cell again.
The sprawling, solemn building which loomed before them seemed a testament to that organization and funding as the convoy approached. It measured some 40,000 square feet and, presumably, boasted enough amenities to keep the Charlies safe, if only for the moment.
This area of the city had been set aside for industrial and commercial use. Much of the merchandise which supplied the major retailers in this state and others came through these warehouses. It was a central nexus of distribution and transport. That suited their goals just fine; no one would notice a few more shipments.
Clearly, the Reformers had chosen this area as their base of operations. The building they now approached was not the largest, and certainly did not show the best wear; many of the windows had been smashed out by trespassing teens, and almost the entirety of its walls had been covered over by graffiti.
The lead truck stopped, causing a chain reaction of brake lights from the other vehicles. Besides theirs, the parking lot stood vacant. Aside from the weeds breaking through the concrete, being here was like visiting a tomb.
"End of the line, folks," Garret quipped, muscling the gearshift into park. "I'd give you the tour, but I'm not really sure where everything is yet." He exited the driver's side and assisted with opening the side and rear doors.
"Go on inside, find a place to sit, and we'll try to explain this the best way we know how."
The exhaustion of the day was evident as Dr. Wilson looked around at not only the Charlies but the rest of his team. Knowing it would be best to dive into everything after everyone was well rested, he decided to keep the conversation brief and to the point and tie up the loose ends in the morning.
"You are all here for the same reason; because you have been fundamentally altered in a way which has enhanced your abilities. You were all taken prisoner as a result of that alteration. We don't think that's right. You're here because we think you deserve a chance to prove you can be a positive force for this world. But before we can figure that out, we have to get you rested and equipped. For those that were hurt but I wasn't able to get to in the truck, follow me to the infirmary and the rest of you can go with Garret and Daniel and they can show you the open beds we have. Once we are well rested we can continue but until then, good night. Or rather good morning, seeing that sun is rising."
Sam, who had been rather quiet during the ride and the doctor's introduction speech, simply shrugged and followed after him to the infirmary. Despite her feelings about medical men, she was hurt; she knew it and, by now, so did anyone who paid the slightest attention to detail. She was still uncertain about how she could help these rogues, but knew that her present condition would certainly hinder any effort to do so. Wilson performed a few standard tests. Once he saw the dilation response in her eyes and the difficulty with words and balance, he knew what had happened to her.
"Looks like you've suffered a mild head injury during the crash," he mused, reaching for the medical kit. "I'm going to give you something to help you sleep. Be sure you keep your head elevated and don't do anything unnecessary. Keep still and try to let your brain heal."
12:54
The smell of greasy eggs, burning bacon and charcoal toast filled the makeshift cafeteria. The combination of the atmosphere and the unappetizing smell was enough to turn any stomach. The dented metal tables, the lopsided plastic chairs, the chipped white crockery and the harsh white light made the dining area look like an underground morgue. The huge crates, the black cloth draped over the tables piled in the corner and the broken mannequins lying in a heap in the center of the room helped to reinforce this impression. Callie observed that most of the Reformers would either avoid this place (and live on take out) or they would pile their plate and leave. She stared as a huge group of "old timers" walk pass the cafeteria without stopping to say hello. She quirked an eyebrow and poked the eggs with her assigned spatula.
"Watch it! You are breaking the yolks!"
"Sorry!" She exclaimed. "I mean that was really rude of them. Couldn't they at least come in to say hello or check what is on the menu instead of pretending we don't exist?"
The chef on duty coughed and then wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "Most of them are addicted to Chinese."
"Well, they are missing out on good "wholesome" food."
"Awww shucks," Garett smiled a little before pretending to frown and wag a finger in her direction. "I bet you are saying to flatter me. I know you crafty newbies always try to sneak more than your assigned portion."
Cal returned the smile even though she was cringing on the inside. The food was so bad that she would have left to get take out as well, but she was stuck doing kitchen duty today. The rest of the newcomers, who were also assigned to kitchen duty, were nowhere to be seen. "I am a small eater."
Garret snorted in response. "As if! I saw the way you were packing those chocolates and candy this morning while jogging round the track. Don't worry I always reward my helpers. I give them an extra large serving of eggs and bacon fat. That's the tastiest bits."
"Oh... erm. Thanks! I do love bacon and eggs," Callie said as cheerfully as she could while trying to change the topic. "So what other duties do we have to do around here?"
"Well newcomers only do kitchen duty with me or garbage duty. Truthfully you should thank your lucky stars that you are one of my assistants."
"Are there a lot of people in the base? Like more than what I saw this morning? I mean... you make garbage duty sound horrible. Almost like a death sentence."
The man burst out laughing. He laughed so hard till tears formed in his eyes. "Coz it is. You will have to shovel the garbage collected over the last few weeks into a barge headed towards the landfill. No matter how you shovel the amount of garbage seems to remain the same. Heck if you aren't careful, you might even step into some of that black liquid collecting at the bottom of the heap."
Callie wrinkled her nose. "Urgh..."
"That's not all. You will also have to empty and clean out the sceptic tanks. Those containers house everything flushed down the toilet - including dead lab animals."
"I love you, Garret. You know that, right? I will work hard to be the best kitchen assistant you ever have."
"Now I know you are bullshitting."
Cal shrugged. "At least I tried."
As Cal was in the kitchen, Jenna was in her bedroom basking in the pain and soreness that emitted from her body as she laid on her bed looking towards the ceiling. She heard Cal leave earlier to help out with cooking but Jenna couldn't find it in herself to climb out of bed. Her whole body ached from the crash she was in and she was still tired from everything that had happened and wanted crawl deeper under the blankets and fall back asleep. However she couldn't. The thought of what might wait for her as the smell of burnt toast reached her nose kept her awake.
With a sigh, Jenna slowly climbed out as the soreness she felt while laying down intensified. She needed to find some pain meds as well as a cup of coffee before she started her day. Although the Reformers had a few stray pieces of clothing they could use, Jenna decided to stick to her own. However as she headed towards the bathroom to wash her face, she wished she could have gotten out of her grimy clothes when she was given the chance. She hoped that they would supply her and the others clothes besides borrowed shirts and sweatpants sometime soon.
Following the smell of breakfast food, it didn't take long before she reached the kitchen where Garret and Cal were working hard in making breakfast for everyone. "Hey guys." Jenna said to the two as she watched them prepare everything to take to the dining table. Breakfast would be ready in a few minutes.
"Finally the rest of you are waking up." Garret said as he pointed to where the plates and silverware were. "Would you take those out to the table?" However before Jenna could respond a scream came from the direction of the bedrooms. "I guess the silverware can wait. You better check on that before Josiah does. He's not much of a morning person."
Moments Earlier, In the Bedrooms
Sam's restless sleep took her through uncharted lands. She found herself gliding through a carbon fantasy, moving silently over spark-blue traces etched in a glass-smooth obsidian floor. Impulses streaked by at imperceptible speeds, careening toward the horizon in all directions. She reached out for one of these pulses and, before she could think better of it, caught one in her palm.
She was instantly accelerated by the blue ball of energy, snapping around corners with a speed which should have broken her neck. The ride was oddly devoid of inertia, however, and she could not feel the hold of gravity as she normally should. In the distance, great skyscrapers rose out of the surface of this alien world, composed of integrated circuits, capacitors and light-emitting diodes. At the center stood a colossal computer core, and she was heading straight for it.
Instantly, Sam found herself bolt upright in her bed, drenched in a cold sweat. Her chest was heaving with the effort to catch her breath. A quick inventory of her situation revealed a tiny room of incredibly Spartan decor. Her blanket now lay at the foot of the bed, thrown off by her violent awakening.
Once she had calmed enough, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and allowed her bare feet to touch the cold stone floor. She winced at the memory of the cement flooring of the institution, but blocked it out; there were much more important things to deal with.
She noted that there were no windows in this room. Despite her initial reaction to that information, she didn't feel the same way about this place as she had the TSP holding cell. She didn't get the feeling that a part of her mind had been cut off from the rest, as that room had given her. There was another feeling as well; one she couldn't quite place.
Slowly, Sam allowed her body weight to shift from the bed to her feet. One foot, then the other, and she began a slow pace to the opposite wall, upon which hung a very old electric lamp. She couldn't take her eyes off of the light; it didn't even occur to her. In moments, she was reaching out for it. When she touched it, everything she knew changed.
"Hello?" Jenna said as she approached the room, knowing that Sam would be there. "We heard someone scream and was asked to check it out. Are you alright?"
Sam lay on the floor, curled into the tightest ball she could manage, and appeared to be rocking gently. Her eyes were locked on the lamp, which had now gone dark. The occasional spark illuminated its broken frame.
"Oh god, what happened?" Jenna said as her eyes became accustomed to the dark room and saw Sam on the ground. Quickly taking a few steps towards the girl, Jenna crouched down besides Sam. She wasn't sure exactly what happened in the room but whether it was due to the girl's power or something else that causes the lamp to break, she could see that something happened to it by the way the girl watched it. "Are you hurt at all?"
As Jenna attended the young girl, she became aware that her lips were moving. At first, she made no sound, but, between breaths, began a soft whisper of indistinct words. Still, her eyes would not move from the lamp. As the rocking gradually accelerated, so did her words and so did her volume.
"...of the halogen group of gasses, interacted with a high-voltage surge well outside the normal 120 volt range, causing the quartz envelope to rupture, leading to a cascade failure of the entire enclosure..."
A puzzled expression was written on Jenna's face as she listened to Sam speak. "Hey, are you okay? Can you hear me?" Jenna said placing a hand on her shoulder but with no change from Sam, Jenna knew she needed to find someone to help her. "I'll be right back Sam. Don't worry, I'll be back with some help." Climbing to her feet, Jenna rushed out of the room and looked to see if she could find Dr. Wilson or someone else that might know how to help Sam.
Her speech was hypnotic; as though she were in some kind of trance. She did not blink, did not look away from the lamp. To outside eyes, she was totally unresponsive. Even as Jenna left to find help, her monotone droning about components and repairs continued on.
"...may be possible to replace the quartz component, if the tungsten element is not damaged, but a new environmental seal and low-pressure halogen atmosphere must be established..."
Minutes later, Jenna came back with Dr. Wilson in tow. Finding him in the dining room where the other Reformers were as well a few of the other people like her, or "Charlies" as she heard them be called, having coffee as they waited for Cal and Garret to serve breakfast. "See, I'm not sure what to do with her. She was like this when I found her." Jenna said motioning towards Sam.
Wilson peered through the gloom at Sam, who had continued blathering on about halogen and technical problems. By this time, it seemed her diatribe had expanded to include a range of theoretical adjustments to improve efficiency, though it was well outside the experience of a doctor.
He used his penlight to gauge pupil response. There was none. She refused to respond to physical stimuli, had no reaction when he waved in front of her eyes. His brow furrowed as he reached for the medical kit once more.
"Samantha, I need you to hear me. If you do not respond to me, I will have to sedate you. You are having an episode and it needs to be stopped before you hurt yourself. Do you understand me?
When no response came, the doctor shook his head and injected her. The effect was gradual, but inevitable, and she drifted off to sleep once more. Wilson gently laid her back on her bed and scratched his head.
"Damned strange," he commented. "Never seen that before. I'll have to do some tests."
"What happened?" Jenna said returning to the room with a spotlight and saw the girl in her bed.
"I don't know. I've seen schizophrenia before, but never this organized or specific. If she was hallucinating, I doubt it would have given her such elaborate detail."
He thought for a moment, tapping the penlight against his palm. "I'll wager my life's earnings that this is something to do with the serum. Have you been able to determine what type of gift she's been given?"
Jenna's eyebrows furrowed for a second as the man mentioned a gift. From what she had seen so far the serum brought her nothing that resembled a gift to her. "No, I am not really sure. She had a notebook of some sort with her in the cell with complicated drawing but other than that I don't know."
"Somehow," Wilson said, looking over his shoulder at Sam. "I get the feeling we're going to find out."
"Yes, I think so too but until she wakes up there isn't anything we can do so let's head back. They should be serving food now." Jenna said giving the girl sympathetic look before heading back to the dining table, with Wilson in tow. The plates and silverware was set and she met Garret on the way with a plateful of bacon.
"I hope you like eggs and bacon. I tried to make toast but they are a bit burnt."
"Yes I think that sounds good." The woman said as she sat down and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Good morning everyone." She said after taking a sip of her coffee. "Or I guess afternoon would be more precise."
A collab with Kirra, BlessedWrath, Ryver et Rhine and ArcanicNeon
In the Midst of the Gunfire
Once the ragtag team of Charlies were prepared, Josiah motioned for the group to head towards the truck. Although they gained a new member to the group, it wasn’t hard to see that the woman was on the same boat as the other Charlies. As the first few Charlies scampered into the van, Josiah wasted no time and jumped besides Cameron. “Time to get going.” He said before holding onto Garret and once Daniel stretched his arm towards Josiah and clasped his shoulder, jumped towards the van. As the two headed towards the steering wheel, Josiah jumped yet again towards Cameron. With his vision swimming, it took the man a few seconds before he noticed that he missed his mark. With the TSP's gunmen now focused on the Charlies, he was glad when they gave little attention towards him as some of the TSP personals ran towards the trucks, hoping to catch them before they could get away while a few others climbed into their own vehicles preparing for a chase if it came to that.
"Come on Josiah, focus." Cameron said running towards the other man and gave him a slight shake. Although weak, Cameron could see that the man was trying hard to stay upright as he started to edge his way towards complete exhaustion. "One more time Josiah. Just one more time." Cameron continued as he moved the man's arm over his shoulder and tried to help the man walk but ended up mostly dragging the man towards the truck. Reaching the truck seemed impossible to him now that Josiah was out of the game. He knew if he left the man he would be able to defend himself and make it but with Josiah nearly incapacitated, reaching the truck would be disastrous. "We're going to get shot if you can't get us there Josiah. You don't have to reach the truck but if you value your life get as close as you can." That seemed to do the trick as Cameron watched Josiah trying to regain his focus. Moments later, the two of them were at the truck but were seconds too slow as a sharp pain shot through his back as the two jumped in front of the back doors of the lead truck. Taking no time to focus on the scratch that he knew far too well was made from Aaron, the man helped the man up and after getting himself in closed the door behind him.
With the two trucks running and ready to go, the two started back down the road. Injured and behind schedule, Cameron was glad to see that overall the plan was still on track. Pulling out the detonator out of his pocket, he watched the night sky as the remaining vehicles blew up. They wouldn't be following them this time around.
~.~
The Reformer's Base
Keeping true to his promise, Dr. Wilson started to work on the most serious injuries and was glad to find a medical kit stowed away in the truck. Stitching and patching up, Wilson wasn't too phased at the injuries sustained except for Vida who revealed that she didn't need any of his help due to her ability.
As dark skies outside of the truck started to lighten up as morning started to approach, a warehouse came into view. The Reformer's base.
The Reformers were not simply a group of malcontents and mercenaries; they were organized and well-funded. That, and not their powers, made them an inarguable threat to their enemies. Being able to teleport had its advantages, but without the assistance of a larger entity, even the most intelligent or powerful Super would eventually find his way into a cell again.
The sprawling, solemn building which loomed before them seemed a testament to that organization and funding as the convoy approached. It measured some 40,000 square feet and, presumably, boasted enough amenities to keep the Charlies safe, if only for the moment.
This area of the city had been set aside for industrial and commercial use. Much of the merchandise which supplied the major retailers in this state and others came through these warehouses. It was a central nexus of distribution and transport. That suited their goals just fine; no one would notice a few more shipments.
Clearly, the Reformers had chosen this area as their base of operations. The building they now approached was not the largest, and certainly did not show the best wear; many of the windows had been smashed out by trespassing teens, and almost the entirety of its walls had been covered over by graffiti.
The lead truck stopped, causing a chain reaction of brake lights from the other vehicles. Besides theirs, the parking lot stood vacant. Aside from the weeds breaking through the concrete, being here was like visiting a tomb.
"End of the line, folks," Garret quipped, muscling the gearshift into park. "I'd give you the tour, but I'm not really sure where everything is yet." He exited the driver's side and assisted with opening the side and rear doors.
"Go on inside, find a place to sit, and we'll try to explain this the best way we know how."
The exhaustion of the day was evident as Dr. Wilson looked around at not only the Charlies but the rest of his team. Knowing it would be best to dive into everything after everyone was well rested, he decided to keep the conversation brief and to the point and tie up the loose ends in the morning.
"You are all here for the same reason; because you have been fundamentally altered in a way which has enhanced your abilities. You were all taken prisoner as a result of that alteration. We don't think that's right. You're here because we think you deserve a chance to prove you can be a positive force for this world. But before we can figure that out, we have to get you rested and equipped. For those that were hurt but I wasn't able to get to in the truck, follow me to the infirmary and the rest of you can go with Garret and Daniel and they can show you the open beds we have. Once we are well rested we can continue but until then, good night. Or rather good morning, seeing that sun is rising."
Sam, who had been rather quiet during the ride and the doctor's introduction speech, simply shrugged and followed after him to the infirmary. Despite her feelings about medical men, she was hurt; she knew it and, by now, so did anyone who paid the slightest attention to detail. She was still uncertain about how she could help these rogues, but knew that her present condition would certainly hinder any effort to do so. Wilson performed a few standard tests. Once he saw the dilation response in her eyes and the difficulty with words and balance, he knew what had happened to her.
"Looks like you've suffered a mild head injury during the crash," he mused, reaching for the medical kit. "I'm going to give you something to help you sleep. Be sure you keep your head elevated and don't do anything unnecessary. Keep still and try to let your brain heal."
~.~
12:54
The smell of greasy eggs, burning bacon and charcoal toast filled the makeshift cafeteria. The combination of the atmosphere and the unappetizing smell was enough to turn any stomach. The dented metal tables, the lopsided plastic chairs, the chipped white crockery and the harsh white light made the dining area look like an underground morgue. The huge crates, the black cloth draped over the tables piled in the corner and the broken mannequins lying in a heap in the center of the room helped to reinforce this impression. Callie observed that most of the Reformers would either avoid this place (and live on take out) or they would pile their plate and leave. She stared as a huge group of "old timers" walk pass the cafeteria without stopping to say hello. She quirked an eyebrow and poked the eggs with her assigned spatula.
"Watch it! You are breaking the yolks!"
"Sorry!" She exclaimed. "I mean that was really rude of them. Couldn't they at least come in to say hello or check what is on the menu instead of pretending we don't exist?"
The chef on duty coughed and then wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "Most of them are addicted to Chinese."
"Well, they are missing out on good "wholesome" food."
"Awww shucks," Garett smiled a little before pretending to frown and wag a finger in her direction. "I bet you are saying to flatter me. I know you crafty newbies always try to sneak more than your assigned portion."
Cal returned the smile even though she was cringing on the inside. The food was so bad that she would have left to get take out as well, but she was stuck doing kitchen duty today. The rest of the newcomers, who were also assigned to kitchen duty, were nowhere to be seen. "I am a small eater."
Garret snorted in response. "As if! I saw the way you were packing those chocolates and candy this morning while jogging round the track. Don't worry I always reward my helpers. I give them an extra large serving of eggs and bacon fat. That's the tastiest bits."
"Oh... erm. Thanks! I do love bacon and eggs," Callie said as cheerfully as she could while trying to change the topic. "So what other duties do we have to do around here?"
"Well newcomers only do kitchen duty with me or garbage duty. Truthfully you should thank your lucky stars that you are one of my assistants."
"Are there a lot of people in the base? Like more than what I saw this morning? I mean... you make garbage duty sound horrible. Almost like a death sentence."
The man burst out laughing. He laughed so hard till tears formed in his eyes. "Coz it is. You will have to shovel the garbage collected over the last few weeks into a barge headed towards the landfill. No matter how you shovel the amount of garbage seems to remain the same. Heck if you aren't careful, you might even step into some of that black liquid collecting at the bottom of the heap."
Callie wrinkled her nose. "Urgh..."
"That's not all. You will also have to empty and clean out the sceptic tanks. Those containers house everything flushed down the toilet - including dead lab animals."
"I love you, Garret. You know that, right? I will work hard to be the best kitchen assistant you ever have."
"Now I know you are bullshitting."
Cal shrugged. "At least I tried."
As Cal was in the kitchen, Jenna was in her bedroom basking in the pain and soreness that emitted from her body as she laid on her bed looking towards the ceiling. She heard Cal leave earlier to help out with cooking but Jenna couldn't find it in herself to climb out of bed. Her whole body ached from the crash she was in and she was still tired from everything that had happened and wanted crawl deeper under the blankets and fall back asleep. However she couldn't. The thought of what might wait for her as the smell of burnt toast reached her nose kept her awake.
With a sigh, Jenna slowly climbed out as the soreness she felt while laying down intensified. She needed to find some pain meds as well as a cup of coffee before she started her day. Although the Reformers had a few stray pieces of clothing they could use, Jenna decided to stick to her own. However as she headed towards the bathroom to wash her face, she wished she could have gotten out of her grimy clothes when she was given the chance. She hoped that they would supply her and the others clothes besides borrowed shirts and sweatpants sometime soon.
Following the smell of breakfast food, it didn't take long before she reached the kitchen where Garret and Cal were working hard in making breakfast for everyone. "Hey guys." Jenna said to the two as she watched them prepare everything to take to the dining table. Breakfast would be ready in a few minutes.
"Finally the rest of you are waking up." Garret said as he pointed to where the plates and silverware were. "Would you take those out to the table?" However before Jenna could respond a scream came from the direction of the bedrooms. "I guess the silverware can wait. You better check on that before Josiah does. He's not much of a morning person."
Moments Earlier, In the Bedrooms
Sam's restless sleep took her through uncharted lands. She found herself gliding through a carbon fantasy, moving silently over spark-blue traces etched in a glass-smooth obsidian floor. Impulses streaked by at imperceptible speeds, careening toward the horizon in all directions. She reached out for one of these pulses and, before she could think better of it, caught one in her palm.
She was instantly accelerated by the blue ball of energy, snapping around corners with a speed which should have broken her neck. The ride was oddly devoid of inertia, however, and she could not feel the hold of gravity as she normally should. In the distance, great skyscrapers rose out of the surface of this alien world, composed of integrated circuits, capacitors and light-emitting diodes. At the center stood a colossal computer core, and she was heading straight for it.
Instantly, Sam found herself bolt upright in her bed, drenched in a cold sweat. Her chest was heaving with the effort to catch her breath. A quick inventory of her situation revealed a tiny room of incredibly Spartan decor. Her blanket now lay at the foot of the bed, thrown off by her violent awakening.
Once she had calmed enough, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and allowed her bare feet to touch the cold stone floor. She winced at the memory of the cement flooring of the institution, but blocked it out; there were much more important things to deal with.
She noted that there were no windows in this room. Despite her initial reaction to that information, she didn't feel the same way about this place as she had the TSP holding cell. She didn't get the feeling that a part of her mind had been cut off from the rest, as that room had given her. There was another feeling as well; one she couldn't quite place.
Slowly, Sam allowed her body weight to shift from the bed to her feet. One foot, then the other, and she began a slow pace to the opposite wall, upon which hung a very old electric lamp. She couldn't take her eyes off of the light; it didn't even occur to her. In moments, she was reaching out for it. When she touched it, everything she knew changed.
~.~
"Hello?" Jenna said as she approached the room, knowing that Sam would be there. "We heard someone scream and was asked to check it out. Are you alright?"
Sam lay on the floor, curled into the tightest ball she could manage, and appeared to be rocking gently. Her eyes were locked on the lamp, which had now gone dark. The occasional spark illuminated its broken frame.
"Oh god, what happened?" Jenna said as her eyes became accustomed to the dark room and saw Sam on the ground. Quickly taking a few steps towards the girl, Jenna crouched down besides Sam. She wasn't sure exactly what happened in the room but whether it was due to the girl's power or something else that causes the lamp to break, she could see that something happened to it by the way the girl watched it. "Are you hurt at all?"
As Jenna attended the young girl, she became aware that her lips were moving. At first, she made no sound, but, between breaths, began a soft whisper of indistinct words. Still, her eyes would not move from the lamp. As the rocking gradually accelerated, so did her words and so did her volume.
"...of the halogen group of gasses, interacted with a high-voltage surge well outside the normal 120 volt range, causing the quartz envelope to rupture, leading to a cascade failure of the entire enclosure..."
A puzzled expression was written on Jenna's face as she listened to Sam speak. "Hey, are you okay? Can you hear me?" Jenna said placing a hand on her shoulder but with no change from Sam, Jenna knew she needed to find someone to help her. "I'll be right back Sam. Don't worry, I'll be back with some help." Climbing to her feet, Jenna rushed out of the room and looked to see if she could find Dr. Wilson or someone else that might know how to help Sam.
Her speech was hypnotic; as though she were in some kind of trance. She did not blink, did not look away from the lamp. To outside eyes, she was totally unresponsive. Even as Jenna left to find help, her monotone droning about components and repairs continued on.
"...may be possible to replace the quartz component, if the tungsten element is not damaged, but a new environmental seal and low-pressure halogen atmosphere must be established..."
Minutes later, Jenna came back with Dr. Wilson in tow. Finding him in the dining room where the other Reformers were as well a few of the other people like her, or "Charlies" as she heard them be called, having coffee as they waited for Cal and Garret to serve breakfast. "See, I'm not sure what to do with her. She was like this when I found her." Jenna said motioning towards Sam.
Wilson peered through the gloom at Sam, who had continued blathering on about halogen and technical problems. By this time, it seemed her diatribe had expanded to include a range of theoretical adjustments to improve efficiency, though it was well outside the experience of a doctor.
He used his penlight to gauge pupil response. There was none. She refused to respond to physical stimuli, had no reaction when he waved in front of her eyes. His brow furrowed as he reached for the medical kit once more.
"Samantha, I need you to hear me. If you do not respond to me, I will have to sedate you. You are having an episode and it needs to be stopped before you hurt yourself. Do you understand me?
When no response came, the doctor shook his head and injected her. The effect was gradual, but inevitable, and she drifted off to sleep once more. Wilson gently laid her back on her bed and scratched his head.
"Damned strange," he commented. "Never seen that before. I'll have to do some tests."
"What happened?" Jenna said returning to the room with a spotlight and saw the girl in her bed.
"I don't know. I've seen schizophrenia before, but never this organized or specific. If she was hallucinating, I doubt it would have given her such elaborate detail."
He thought for a moment, tapping the penlight against his palm. "I'll wager my life's earnings that this is something to do with the serum. Have you been able to determine what type of gift she's been given?"
Jenna's eyebrows furrowed for a second as the man mentioned a gift. From what she had seen so far the serum brought her nothing that resembled a gift to her. "No, I am not really sure. She had a notebook of some sort with her in the cell with complicated drawing but other than that I don't know."
"Somehow," Wilson said, looking over his shoulder at Sam. "I get the feeling we're going to find out."
"Yes, I think so too but until she wakes up there isn't anything we can do so let's head back. They should be serving food now." Jenna said giving the girl sympathetic look before heading back to the dining table, with Wilson in tow. The plates and silverware was set and she met Garret on the way with a plateful of bacon.
"I hope you like eggs and bacon. I tried to make toast but they are a bit burnt."
"Yes I think that sounds good." The woman said as she sat down and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Good morning everyone." She said after taking a sip of her coffee. "Or I guess afternoon would be more precise."
Haha yeah, that's true.
Bummer, not again. Oh but a tip in avoiding double posts, if you click submit post and it's not loading or you're taken to a white page don't click the refresh page because if you do it will resubmit your post again thus creating a second post.
Nice! It looks good to me Ryver! I just got home from a hike so let me fix up some dinner and settle down for the night and I'll get to work on my post.
As for the next question, what did you character dream about after arriving at the Reformer's base?
As for the next question, what did you character dream about after arriving at the Reformer's base?
I've been in very successful roleplays with just three or four determined core members that wants to continue a roleplay or in one with long periods of time between IC posts so it doesn't necessarily mean this is dead. I'll be around to finish my cs and my first, and very delayed, post once I get home tonight.
I've talked to Ryver and her post will involve helping you out so you'll be good there.
Nice! And here's another post! I wonder how long it is going to take before Elysia forgoes her stubbornness and realises that she isn't in a simulation but in the real world.
The anger Elysia quickly dissipated as Gilgamesh mentioned her being form another planet. How could that be, the simulator never was programed with earthlings knowing who they were. Ever since space travel was perfected to the point of traveling to other habitable planets with signs of life, it was a strictly followed rule that the identity of who they were and where they were from was to be kept as a secret and the punishment was severe to the point that only twice the rule has been broken. Once, when an explorer lost a device while exploring earth and another at a far off planet governed by cannibalistic creatures that tried to capture an explorer. Sure, there were times that they revealed themselves to another planet, that is after a long and taxing meeting where the Council weighed the pros and cons of doing so and usually only if the such planet was advanced enough and were able accept her world and their culture. Earth was close to join the list of planets in consideration but still lacked in many ways that would make interacting with earth dangerous if they knew the power they held.
The man knowing that she wasn’t from Earth seemed impossible and seemed to be an error in the programing. Maybe they were testing her to see how she would respond if a speculation was made against her but that seemed illogical considering the fact that she was a warrior and not an explorer. She didn’t have to learn to interact with people that way since she would never face a circumstance such as that in real life.
Whatever was going on, she knew that either the new program still had many bugs in it or someone was intentionally screwing with her during the situation. The faulty test didn’t tell her what her objectives was at the beginning nor did it allow her to reach her database when she tried to bring up files of the current situation and finally a person was talking to her about being from another planet. There were other minor bits and pieces and things that needed to be improved to get the best a person could out of the simulation but before someone could worry about that, there were more severe issues that needed to be fixed either by a techie or someone being fired.
However that didn’t answer how she should respond to her current situation. Should she continue the simulation and ride it out until the end or abort the simulation and see if someone could fix the issue. She didn’t want to abort her simulation if the person in charge was causing the fault. Knowing that all the mistakes she faced couldn’t be due to pure mistakes or a rookie’s mistake but something intentional, giving up early seemed to as if she was giving up and Elysia wasn’t someone that would give up on what she was faced with. However if it was bug in the system, she would be wasting her time to prove her will against something futile. She knew that the man was speaking to her as the vehicle started to drive down the road and would soon notice she wasn’t paying much attention to his words if she decides to stay and appear to be thinking about something else.
Giving a stubborn snort to her choice to stay, Elysia noticed that the man was talking about the children as well as her temper, the former being much more of an interest to her. The man spoke truth about the children being too young for the abilities they possess. Maybe the duo were from a different world trained in combat and destruction and had the aim of destroying the city. Although it seemed farfetched for the simulation, she knew at this point she couldn’t let any little speculation pass her in this obscure test. She was curious in learning more about them, poet or not.
However her curiosity didn’t last long as the man returned to the topic of aliens. How was she supposed to answer the man? Even though she was in a simulation could she still be punished if she allowed Gilgamesh to believe she was an alien or worse, a denizen of Ryton? But what would she do if in this obscure test that the Earthlings somehow already knew who they were and she appeared as a fool trying to convince him that she wasn’t what she was. She knew she could take the easy route and tell the man to drop her off but she knew if she did so she would lose the opportunity to track down poets and she couldn’t let that chance pass by her, simulation or not.
“Aliens?” Elysia said with a tone of slight amusement in her voice. “I’m not sure if that would be the right term to use but we can roll with it if you like.” Deciding to keeping things a bit light and casual to feel out what the man already knew, the woman continued. “Well, most people get to here or there or anyplace they desire with their feet. That’s exactly what I did when I heard the ruckus the twins were making.” After a slight intentional pause as if she was thinking of something, the woman continued. “Wait, you weren’t talking about that were you? Do you mean how I made my way to America? It wasn’t a piece of cake as it is for most immigrants, not to mention the long ride in the air. Not by a flying saucer or things like that if you’re thinking of that type of alien.” She said with a slight chuckle, hoping that the idea of her being an immigrant from another country might be good enough from him and he would put the idea of her being an alien aside.
“All jokes aside though, how I came to America isn’t as important in why I am here. I’ve been sanctioned by my government to track down poets and he led me on a chase to the states. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to worry about jurisdictions and such and find this man with ease but being one with their life centered on poets, I couldn’t allow innocent passersby getting hurt so I had to stop the twins with what ability I had.” Elysia said spinning a story embedded with enough truth that it seemed solid enough to her. Although sanctioned by the Council in becoming a warrior for her planet as well as searching for one particular man of interest that drove her crusade against poets, how the story melded together was far from being exact. “There’s a chance that you might know him though. Have you heard of Skylar? He a dangerous and quite skilled in the art of poetry. But putting that troublesome man to the side, I do have a question about you. Over the years I’ve heard of people fighting for a cause, whether war or poets in your case, but I don’t care about the reasoning behind the cause. I want to know about you. Why are you going after the poets?”
The man knowing that she wasn’t from Earth seemed impossible and seemed to be an error in the programing. Maybe they were testing her to see how she would respond if a speculation was made against her but that seemed illogical considering the fact that she was a warrior and not an explorer. She didn’t have to learn to interact with people that way since she would never face a circumstance such as that in real life.
Whatever was going on, she knew that either the new program still had many bugs in it or someone was intentionally screwing with her during the situation. The faulty test didn’t tell her what her objectives was at the beginning nor did it allow her to reach her database when she tried to bring up files of the current situation and finally a person was talking to her about being from another planet. There were other minor bits and pieces and things that needed to be improved to get the best a person could out of the simulation but before someone could worry about that, there were more severe issues that needed to be fixed either by a techie or someone being fired.
However that didn’t answer how she should respond to her current situation. Should she continue the simulation and ride it out until the end or abort the simulation and see if someone could fix the issue. She didn’t want to abort her simulation if the person in charge was causing the fault. Knowing that all the mistakes she faced couldn’t be due to pure mistakes or a rookie’s mistake but something intentional, giving up early seemed to as if she was giving up and Elysia wasn’t someone that would give up on what she was faced with. However if it was bug in the system, she would be wasting her time to prove her will against something futile. She knew that the man was speaking to her as the vehicle started to drive down the road and would soon notice she wasn’t paying much attention to his words if she decides to stay and appear to be thinking about something else.
Giving a stubborn snort to her choice to stay, Elysia noticed that the man was talking about the children as well as her temper, the former being much more of an interest to her. The man spoke truth about the children being too young for the abilities they possess. Maybe the duo were from a different world trained in combat and destruction and had the aim of destroying the city. Although it seemed farfetched for the simulation, she knew at this point she couldn’t let any little speculation pass her in this obscure test. She was curious in learning more about them, poet or not.
However her curiosity didn’t last long as the man returned to the topic of aliens. How was she supposed to answer the man? Even though she was in a simulation could she still be punished if she allowed Gilgamesh to believe she was an alien or worse, a denizen of Ryton? But what would she do if in this obscure test that the Earthlings somehow already knew who they were and she appeared as a fool trying to convince him that she wasn’t what she was. She knew she could take the easy route and tell the man to drop her off but she knew if she did so she would lose the opportunity to track down poets and she couldn’t let that chance pass by her, simulation or not.
“Aliens?” Elysia said with a tone of slight amusement in her voice. “I’m not sure if that would be the right term to use but we can roll with it if you like.” Deciding to keeping things a bit light and casual to feel out what the man already knew, the woman continued. “Well, most people get to here or there or anyplace they desire with their feet. That’s exactly what I did when I heard the ruckus the twins were making.” After a slight intentional pause as if she was thinking of something, the woman continued. “Wait, you weren’t talking about that were you? Do you mean how I made my way to America? It wasn’t a piece of cake as it is for most immigrants, not to mention the long ride in the air. Not by a flying saucer or things like that if you’re thinking of that type of alien.” She said with a slight chuckle, hoping that the idea of her being an immigrant from another country might be good enough from him and he would put the idea of her being an alien aside.
“All jokes aside though, how I came to America isn’t as important in why I am here. I’ve been sanctioned by my government to track down poets and he led me on a chase to the states. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to worry about jurisdictions and such and find this man with ease but being one with their life centered on poets, I couldn’t allow innocent passersby getting hurt so I had to stop the twins with what ability I had.” Elysia said spinning a story embedded with enough truth that it seemed solid enough to her. Although sanctioned by the Council in becoming a warrior for her planet as well as searching for one particular man of interest that drove her crusade against poets, how the story melded together was far from being exact. “There’s a chance that you might know him though. Have you heard of Skylar? He a dangerous and quite skilled in the art of poetry. But putting that troublesome man to the side, I do have a question about you. Over the years I’ve heard of people fighting for a cause, whether war or poets in your case, but I don’t care about the reasoning behind the cause. I want to know about you. Why are you going after the poets?”
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