Heroes: Fugitive

[Brooklyn]

Heroes: Fugitive
[still open - go here to sign up!]

"Hi, miss? Can you spare a couple of dollars?"

Alaska couldn't count how many times she'd spoken those words. Especially that day. That day had been bad. Everyone she'd asked had been in a bad mood, or didn't have anything to give her. She hadn't eaten in around 30 hours, and she'd been sleeping rough in New York for the last week. In fact, she'd been sleeping rough since she arrived in the city. It would be a dangerous situation either way - New York was home to thousands of pimps, drug dealers, and gang members. What if she ended up in the home of one of those? Or what if they found her on the streets anyway? Night time was becoming a source of anxiety to Alaska. She was terrified of what would come.

By a stroke of luck, the woman, who had two young children pulling on her coat, took pity on Alaska, and handed her twenty dollars. "Thank you," she said, repeating it over and over until finally, the woman walked away. Alaska was standing at the top of the stairs near a subway station. It was Tuesday afternoon, and the streets were slowly becoming busier for rush hour. After that, it would be night time. Alaska moved away from the subway, looking for a small cafe or somewhere cheap to get something to eat. She could feel her stomach growling at her, even more so now that she had the money, as if it was telling her to hurry up and find some damn food.
Alaska walked down a few quieter streets, until she came across a run down, nearly empty cafe. It looked horrible. But, it looked cheap, and finding somewhere cheap to eat in New York City wasn't easy. She didn't even notice the van that drove lazily down the street behind her as she walked inside.

The lighting in the cafe was awful - the few light bulbs that worked were flashing on and off, and the place smelt like damp. It was a wonder it hadn't been shut down yet. There were three people inside the cafe, making the place look sad and abandoned. Alaska went up to the counter, where a bored looking middle-aged man was standing.

"Yeah?" he asked, as Alaska approached.

"What's good to eat here?" Alaska asked.

The man laughed, a nasty, throaty sound. The kind of laugh a heavy smoker would give. "Nothing, sweetheart." His expression had changed a little, though, seeing that Alaska was a genuine customer. "Nah, I can do you up an omelette with some toast for five dollars, whaddya say?"

Alaska just nodded. She was prepared to eat anything at that moment. The man disappeared from the counter, and went into what Alaska assumed was the kitchen. Sure enough, she heard the sounds of ovens and heaters being turned on. She sat down at a table intended for two people, letting herself relax. Alaska actually felt a little safer in that cafe. Maybe it was just the feeling of being in a building, about to get some half decent food, or maybe it was just because Alaska could genuinely relax. Or had she thought that too soon?

Alaska saw the cafe blurring around her. Alaska felt her vision blurring a lot. It was always before she was about to see something. Not now, for God's sake not now, she thought. She guessed she had two minutes to find somewhere quiet and empty. This place had to have a toilet, right? Alaska stood up, her legs wobbling, and walked past the counter and into the kitchen. The man who'd served her was standing over a fryer.

"Do you have a toilet anywhere?" Alaska asked.

"Yeah, it's just over there," he said, pointing to a door in the corner of the kitchen. "Hey, kid, are you feeling alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"I'm fine. I just need to splash my face," Alaska said weakly. She half ran to the toilet, and slammed the door, making sure it was locked, with no chance of it being opened. She put the toilet seat down, and sat on it, breathing deeply. Normally, if a vision came without warning, it was going to be bad. At least when she had sleeping visions, sometimes they'd be good things, or normal things. She leaned her elbows on her knees, putting her face in her hands, trying to keep herself awake. She was still trying to push the visions back. This one, however, hit her like a train. Within a couple more seconds, she was fully passed out in this small toilet, in a small cafe, in New York City.

[Rinn]

Jack quietly walked around manhattan. His hoodie didn't help much with the cold, but at least it covered his arms. No sense in letting some asshole pass by him screaming "hey look! Its Robocop!" Or some stupid saying that he has heard many times over. He was used to it. Being called "handicapped" or "special" Jack out a hiss in disgust. "If only they knew what I'm capable of." He muttered to himself lightly. Turning up his MP3 to the max level and bobbing as he walked to the sweet sounds of dubstep.

Walking for what seemed like hours, getting lost in his music like usual. Jack grew quite hungry. Looking for anyplace fast foot nearby. "Hmmm mcdonalds? No. BK? No... not even a Popeyes? What part of new york fid I walk into?" Spinning in a full 180° turn, he saw a small coffee shop with black curtains. "Guess that'll do." He said to himself. Putting on his wool glove over his mechanical arm, making sure no parts were showing. All he wanted was food, not attention.

Jack walked into the café. It was dark, dirty, but smelled amazing! It appeared some older man was in the back kitchen making some deliciously smelling eggs. He quietly took a seat at the bar right up front and yelled toward the back. "Hey old man! Whatever your making, I'll take an order as well!" The mans face grew aggitated with Jacks rudeness, but gladly obliged with a nod. Grabbing some more eggs out of the nearby cooler. Jack leaned back and put one leg up on the barstool next to his. Pulling out his smartphone, and started playing games.

[ShowdownVD]

Trael watched the two customers quietly as he wiped the table top. One was a girl who had headed off to the bathroom. The other was a man who, for some reason, Trael could feel a small electrical pulse coming from. He'd have to watch that man more closely. He smiled at a man reading a newspaper who was watching him watch the others. He walked over. "Would you like some more coffee, sir?"The man smiled. He was in his late 40's."Yes, please," The man responded, "Oh, and what may I call you?""My name is Trael.""Well, it's nice to meet a friendly face here in Manhattan, Trael. I am Abraham." Abraham leaned forward as he gripped Trael's arm. He whispered into Trael's ear. "And I know what you can do."Trael was stunned. He stumbled back a bit, before regaining his composure and speaking in a low voice."Let me get you that coffee. I'll be right back."Trael scooped up the cup and walked briskly back to the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee. How had he known? Does he mean... my ability?

[King Serperior]

"This is the last stop on this route! Everyone get off this bus!"
The piercing, loud voice of the driver Charter Bus 1256 came over the innercom. Everyone began to get up and grab whatever items they carried and get off. Everyone except a tall, blind African American man and what appeared to be his keeper and friend, a tall, pale White man. The bus driver waited paitently for them to get off. He had a soothing conversation with the blind man about six hours ago, so he had a soft spot for the fellow. The man actually seemed to care about his sick wife, how her last preganacy left her in pain all the time. It is so rare that people actually seemed to care.....
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With some help from Tobias, Jacob cleared the last step of the bus. He turned around and, though he couldn't technically see the driver, waved and said, "I hope your wife feels better. Please try that tea that I recomended. It may not be a cure, but it's a start."
"Thank you, sir," said the driver, "I hope you two have a good day. This is one of the few almost-good parts of New York. Enjoy yourselves!"
With that said, the doors closed and the bus set off again. Jacob then turned to Tobias and said, "Ok, we are now in New York. What should we do now?"
"I think that we should find a place to stay. Even for people like us, New York is a dangerous place," said Tobias.
"Normally, Tobias, I would agree, but we have been on the road for almost ten hours. I think our first course of action should be getting food."
"Ok, fine then. What would you suggest?"
"Eggs. Judging from the smell of fresh cooking grease and the sound of eggs cracking, there is a place about a block from here that has just opened."
"Ok, you're the boss then," laughed Tobias.
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After walking through the early morning crowd, the two companions were almost at the door of the facility when a voice shouted, "Please, help my daughter! She has cancer! Please donate for a good cause!"
Tobias turned and saw a rather small man with tears in his eyes as he ran from person to person begging for money. It figures that there were people like this in this city. Tobias shook his head and was about to begin walking again when he felt Jacob grab his arm.
"Tobias, that man is not lying. I can tell by the panicky smell coming from him and by the tone of his voice. His daughter really has cancer."
Jacob then leaned his walking stick against the wall and grabbed at his wallet. When he got it out of his pocket, he felt along the edges of each bill for the different pieces of tape until he found what he was looking for.
"Give this to that man," said Jacob as he handed Tobias a $100 bill.
Tobias sighed and took the money. He then walked over and slipped the bill into the man's hands.
"My friend heard your cries for help. It's not much, but it will help."
Tobias began walking away as the man fell to the ground crying, thanking him and God. Tobias ignored him as he walked back to Jacob.
"Okay, so we have done our good deed of the day, now can we go eat?"
Jacob smiled and nodded as he seemed to almost lead the way to the shop. Tobias opened the door and pretened to help Jacob inside. Once inside, Tobias "helped" Jacob into a seat and sat down on the opposite end of the table. Luckily, the facility was not crowded, so they found an empty table close to the exit. Tobias asked the bartender to bring a cup of hot tea for himself and a black coffee for Jacob.
"Well, Jacob, what shall it be? The menu is Omlettes, Pancakes, Eggs, Rice, Toast, and Bacon."
"I'll have a couple of strips of Bacon, an Omlette, and some rice."
"Okay, then I'll get some pancakes then."
Tobias proceded to make his order known and then sat back and read the newspaper at the table, telling Jacob any details that he thought were important.....

[TheStinger]

Robert & Darryl were driving through Manhattan in a triple black 1968 Dodge Charger R/T(picture). Robert and his father restored this car together 3 years ago. When they began it was nothing but a rust bucket taken from an abandoned garage. It took them a couple of months to get it done and they stood true to the original, without any modern modifications. When Robert and Darryl left Miami because of the Government agents this is the car that they fleed in, making their way NYC. Robert stops the car in front of a bar. "Listen, i'm going inside to the bathroom cause I can't hold myself anymore, you wait here until I get back and then we'll go home. We did enough searching for today." Said Robert with his head turned over to Darryl. "Brother, this is New York City okay? There are lots of mobs, gangs and drug dealers making a living around here. And i'm sure that they all need a good driver for whatever shit. All we gotta do is look. Now go and take a dump." Replied Darryl. "You make it sound like finding these guys is easy. Stay here!" Said Robert as he got out of the car, which had the motor running and the keys in the ignittion, and slammed the door.

Robert got in the bar and started to look around. It was dark and very depressing. But most importantly cheap, very, very cheap. He couldn't believe that a place like this still functioned, especially in a rich and respectable neibourghood like manhattan. This bar remainded him more of Harlem. There were a couple of people inside, not too many though, about 4. Robert made his way to the middle of the bar. "Hey! My man! Bathroom?" He asked. "Over there!" Responded the bartender as he pointed to the direction of the bathroom. Robert headed to the bathroom, got inside, and entered in one of the 4 toilet rooms, locking the door. Outside of the bar, the 1968 Charger R/T was rumbling angry as Darryl was waiting inside for Robert to show up. He was looking on a Playboy magazine that he found in the glove box. "Oh yeah, you have the finest ass i've seen in my life. I would fu....." Darryl couldn't finish his sentence because he got distracted by someone knocking on the window. Judging by the way he looked and dressed it was just some begger who was begging for some money. "Come on man get lost. Come on, make steps out of here." Said Darryl as he got out of the car, grabbed the begger, turning him around and pushing him away. "I don't have time for this shit." Said Darryl silently as he opened the door odf the car, attempting to get back inside. But the begger kept pestering him. Darryl slammed the door, placed his left hand in the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out a 50 $ bill giving it to the man. "Ok, here. Now get lost and leave me alone." Then Darryl opened the door and got back inside the car, as the begger sterted thanking and bvlessing him. Darryl takes the Playboy mag from the driver's seat and puts it back in the glove box from where he took it in the first place.

Back in the bathroom of the bar, Robert finished his business and was now washing his hands in one of the sinks. After he washed his hands Robert placed them under a blower and waited for them to dry. In the meantime his spatial sense, an advanced telekinetic technique that allows him to "see" his surroundings using telekinesis, picked up someone else that was in the bathroom with him, someone young, but that wasn't showing any signs of movement. Robert heads to the direction that the sense was leading him to a locked door in one of the toilet rooms. Robert places both his palms on the door. He could have blown it forward but that would have been way too noisy and noticable. So in turn he lowers himself at the same level with the lock, extends his index finger and manipulates the lock to open itself. After that happened, Robert gets inside and finds a girl sitting on the toilet and totally passed out. Robert grabs the girl by her shoulders and pulls her out. "Hey! Hey, can you hear me? Wake up damn it." Said Robert after he placed the girl on the floor and with her back against a wall. Then he took some water from a sink and sprinkled it on the girl's face. But still nothing. "Shit! I should have minded my own business. Now what am I gonna do? If I take her outside of the bathroom then those fools are gonna think I did something to her." Said Robert as he ran his right hand through his hair and leaned down on his left knee.

"OK! Now or never!" Said Robert as he grabbed the girl, lifted her up on his arms and slammed open the door of the bathroom with his right leg. Everybody inside the bar started looking weird at him including the bartender. "Don't even think about it OK! I found her passsed out. I didn't do anything." Said Robert to the bartender who grabbed his shotgun from underneath the counter. Darryl saw Robert from in the car and got out with a confused look on his face. "What the hell are you doing man? Who is this!" Said Darryl with his arms stretched forward. "Shut up, open the door and help me put her in the back seats." Said Robert. Darryl opens the door, lowers the driver's seat down and Robert puts the girl on the back. Then both men get in the car and turn around as they stared at the girl hoping she would wake up. "Shouldn't we call an ambulance or something?" Said Darryl breaking the silence. Robert just looks at him without answering. "Forget I asked!" Responded Darryl to Robert's look as both men turned their view back to the girl.

[Brooklyn]

Oh, God, it was dark. Why was it so dark? Alaska felt like she was floating - this was how she normally saw her visions. She was floating just above whatever it was she was meant to be seeing. She looked around. From the look of things, she was in some sort of prison cell. Prison cell? No, something had gone really wrong here. Think, think, think, think. Alaska pushed herself back. Further back. She was trying to work out how she'd got there. Stop! Alaska could see herself, outside the cafe, about to go in. A black van idled lazily just down the street. Alaska was inside the cafe now. The black van was coming closer. Someone was getting out. No, two people were getting out. Two men. Dressed in formal suits, by the look of it. One had a gun. The other had what looked like a taser. Alaska pushed herself a little further forward. And then she saw herself being dragged out onto the street, and thrown into the van. She was unconscious, by the look of things.

Wait, no, this was all disappearing. Was this already happening? Her 'dream' was blurring, and everything was black. It was like she truly had just been knocked out, or something. She could feel someone's hands on her. Had they already caught her? No, she was starting to come around. If she'd been taken by agents, they would have knocked her out with a taser gun. Someone else was moving her. Wake UP, Alaska thought. Finally, however, she forced her eyes open. She found herself lying on her back in a car, looking up at two men. For a second, she panicked, thinking that she had actually been caught, but she took their faces in. They looked completely different. And they weren't in suits. But who were they?

Alaska sat up. Whilst she felt safe in the knowledge that they weren't agents, and that the vision she saw wouldn't come true, she still wasn't happy about being in some stranger's car.

"Who are you?" she asked.

[BiHeathen]

Jesse adjusted his sunglasses as he walked the streets of Manhattan wearing his new outfit he bought earlier that day. It was in the middle of the afternoon, so rush hour was taking a huge toll, cars and people crowding every area. Fixing his scarf, Jesse started to eye different banks in the city. He was getting broke again and needed to make another round. Jesse would always tell himself that he would never rob again, but his mind would change once the money started disappearing from spending it all the time. He was never a privileged kid, so he went a little crazy with money sometimes. Jesse scoped out the banks until he found one that seemed legit. But he learned that the more legit ones, had the most security. This would be a problem. He would have to look for every camera, know where they are located, and either try to avoid it, or disable it by phasing his hand through it if necessary. Taking out his iPhone, he went to the notepad app and started jotting down notes as he approached the city bank, walking around it slowly and taking note of everything.

After circling it a few times, he turned around and made sure no one was watching him before he went inside of the bank to scope out the inside. Adjusting his sunglasses again, he looked up all around, eye every surveillance camera and making note of it. Out of the corner of his eye, a bank greeter came up to him. "Sir is there anything I can help you with? Setting up an account? A transaction?" The lady was really friendly. Jesse turned to her and smiled, moving his sunglasses to his forehead. "No I'm fine for now. But thanks," he said nicely. The greeter nodded and walked to the next few people that entered. Jesse lowered his sunglasses back down and continued to look around, making sure he missed absolutely nothing. With the amount of cameras and security guards this place had, they must have a lot of money. This robbery was crucial and any mistake could cost him. With his ability, it was easy to escape and disappear but he didn't want his face plastered on every news network. After about a few minutes, he exited the bank and walked across the street, looking both ways and made sure he wasn't being watched. He had to get back to his apartment.

[ShowdownVD]

Trael brought out a cup of coffee to Abraham and then poured two more for the gentlemen who had just walked in. He smiled.
"Your meals should be here soon," he told them before moving back to Abraham's table and taking a seat.
"So," Trael said, "How do you know about..." He made a spark jump between his fingers, "...This?"
Abraham chuckled. "I am a genetecist. I was a professor of science at a nearby university, but recently I have taken a great interest in human evolution." Trael began to stand up at that. "Nonono," Abraham tried to assure Trael, "I am simply interested in what the different 'abilities' are. I see yours is Advanced Neuroelectricity. I also recently heard of a government plan to eradicate anyone with these abilities. Have you heard anything of this?"
Trael nodded.
"That is actually why I am up here in New York. But you still havent answered me. How do you know of my ability?"
"I once met a doctor named Mohinder Suresh. His father had mapped out everyone alive who had an ability."
"How did he know?"
"There is a specific gene encoding that, when altered, provides the bearer with an extraordinary ability or set of abilities. Now, the ability expressed depends on the amino acid sequences in place of that original gene. But I wont get into that."
"So, he was somehow able to locate this gene and make a list of all the people who had theirs altered?"
"Exactly."
"But not their specific powers?"
"No. That was what he was trying to do. He wanted to go to each person, help them learn how to use their abilities and then make a handwritten list of what each one was and what it could do."
"Thats awesome." Trael smiled and stood up. "It was nice to meet you and I hope you find more like me, but I am sorry to leave, but I have work."
"That is quite alright," Abraham replied, "Thank you for the time you have provided me." Abraham smiled as Trael left.
Now, for the others that are here, Abraham thought to himself.

[King Serperior]

Tobias was sitting at the table with his newspaper when he came across an article.
"Hey, Jacob, listen to this: Three days ago, someone with Pyro powers blew up an apartment floor, killing 15. The guy has been arested and is going to not have a trial. Can you believe this....."
"Shhh! Tobias, I am trying to hear this."
Tobias looked up from his paper to see Jacob with his head turned just slightly, a frown on his face....
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The moment Jacob heard the sound of a spark and smelled ozone, he knew something was up. He turned his head slightly at the mention of someone speaking of some government plot to eradicate people with powers. From what he understood, the government only wanted to round up all powered humans, place markings on their heads, and control them.
Jacob leaned forward to Tobias and whispered, "There are two people close to us who are discussing something rather quietly. We have to speak with them. One is a person like us. The other appears to have the same goals as us."
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Tobias and Jacob both stood up and walked to the man named Abraham. Tobias spoke first.
"Who are you? If you are a part of the government, I will not hesitate to defend myself or my companion."
"Tobias, please calm down. The man is who he says he is."
*Note: This conversation is in hushed tones.

[ShowdownVD]

Abraham chuckled. "No, no, dear friend. Jacob is right. I am Abraham. I am a genetecist who is only interested in helping out people with this altered gene. Now, Jacob." Abraham turned to the black man. "Can you display or tell me of your ability?"
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Trael grabbed a bag of trash and took it to the dumpster out behind the restaurant. As he closed the lid, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and then nothingness