Area 51

Even after all these years, I still can't believe it, were Shirley Maxwell's thoughts as she replayed the recordings over and over again, of telekinetics, of fire-starters/pyrokinetics, of people who combined high intelligence with strange powers, strange powers that were only just starting to come out to the open. The next evolution of humanity - even though Science says Evolutionary Levels aren't a thing.

An evolution that came too early; damn the L'mina, another part of her spoke in her head. Shirley gently shook herself; trying to dislodge the negative thinking. She had to, after all, look after the kids, just as her predecessor, Maria Eve, had done so. Both she and Maria had been maternal, even when the other members of Project:Indigo were not. Some had only thought of the children as commodities, weapons, or a threat to be destroyed.

They were not. As intelligent as they are, as powerful as they would be, the Star Children were just...people, as good or as bad as others. Was she being naive? Idealistic, sure, but idealists have won before. Besides, she can be ruthless when she wanted to; that came with being an FBI Agent who had joined this secret branch of the Government. And, well, she was going to have to tap into that ruthlessness sooner than expected.

She looked behind her, to where the other Agents, her subordinates, were waiting for the information to be reviewed, and for her to make the final decision. Said decision was obvious; it left a bitter taste in her mouth, but her conviction was that it had to be done. And so, the woman fully turned around, to the people that trusted her, and said in a solemn voice:

"We shall start the operations soon. Despite statistics saying that there's actually less conflict in the world today, not more, what matters is that people think the world is falling apart. We are divided, polarized, and because we are divided, the L'mina will conquer us; or rather, that is their plan. But enough lecturing from me. The point is, we need to capture the Star Children, fast."

No euphemisms; this was not an occasion that required them. Fact of the matter was, much as Shirley would have liked to say 'acquire', 'gather', or some other sugarcoating word, she won't, not this time, and not at present. They were kidnapping kids to use as weapons, and Shirley had to be fine with that. At least we're safeguarding them as well, she tried to justify herself.

"You guys have several options; my most preferred would be to stage an accident, then whisk them off to a black site, or privately offer them a mysterious job with high benefits, which is actually going to be a statement of truth." Shirley preferred the latter option, but knew not everyone would agree. "There's also blackmail, drugging them, framing them for crimes and ensuring that they disappear into the criminal justice system, stuff like that."

"Note, however, that we are not here to enslave them, even when kidnapping is an option. So play nice and don't rough up the Star Children." A few of the Agents felt rebellious, but that had to be worked with; not all of her department shared her view that the Star Children were people, which in turn, to be candid, was a dangerous view when practicalities are concerned.

And with that, Shirley stopped to give things some thought. She didn't like this, but it had to be done. Earth had to be saved, the US had to be saved. Damn Driders, she thought. One of said Driders was the one who tipped off the US in the first place; said Drider was a tentative friend. But they key word was tentative; she liked the guy personally, but his race had an horrible fate planned for Humanity, a fate that, once revealed, disgusted her. Human Ranches, Forced Breeding, Bio-Augmentation to increase Psychic Potential... the list was disgusting. That was why she was doing what she was doing, why the Star Children were needed, but, at the same time, why she needed to maintain as much morality as possible, because she didn't want to be any better than them...

Lexi was sitting at the dining room table enjoying a bowl of Fruity Pebbles when Sam, one of her three older brothers, shambled down the stairs and hurried off toward the bathroom to take a shower, muttering curses under his breath the entire way. Lexi just shook her head as he passed from view before finishing off her breakfast, placing the dirty dishes in the sink before pulling out her phone to play some games on while she waited for him to finish getting ready.

”Why does he always do this?” she asked herself as the time passed, getting ever closer to the point where they would be late for their first class of the day: Calculus III. As usual, however, Sam came into the kitchen fully dressed and with just enough time to grab a bagel and slather it in cream cheese before ushering Lexi out the door as if he had been waiting on her the whole time, completely oblivious to the glares she shot his way every time he reminded her that they needed to hurry.

In short order, they were situated in her brothers’ car, with Lexi seated in her booster seat in the back as required by the law, and on their way to the local community college, a good ten minutes drive from where they lived. Noting the time on her phone, Lexi was filled with relief that they would probably make it on time, especially given her older brother’s penchant for traveling a bit above the speed limit.

Once they arrived, they hurried to the lecture hall where their class took place, taking their seats shortly before the professor walked into the room and began the lecture on vector functions. Perhaps it was just because Lexi found the subject matter to be rather interesting, but the lecture was over in no time, people gathering their things and shuffling out the door to their next class or a spot where they could kill time with their friends.

Not having a class to go to for another few hours, and lacking the friends that most of the other students had, Lexi figured that she would head to the library, as she usually did, and listen to music while she worked on homework. Upon entering the library, a squat stone building towards the middle of the campus, Lexi waved at the librarian at the desk and made her way to an open table. Once she had pulled the necessary materials from her purple backpack and had put her headphones in her ears, she got to work, humming occasionally.

---

Having finished her homework quite a while ago, Lexi had started reading a book to pass the time, which she put away when her phone began vibrating to inform her that it was time to head to her next class: Art and Music History, which just so happened to be one of her favorites. She was also rather fortunate in that it was her last class for the day, as it usually filled her with at least one idea that she just had to sketch out, rendering her effectively unable to concentrate on anything else until she did.

When she arrived at the lecture hall where the class was to take place, Lexi took her seat, foot bouncing in anticipation of the lecture that was to come. Unfortunately, her enjoyment of the class made it fly by on even the slowest of days, such that it seemed they had barely started when the professor informed them that they would carry on where they left off at their next meeting. Ordinarily, however, Lexi was too excited about getting home and painting to bemoan the fact that the class had ended.

And this day was no different, as Lexi found herself eagerly approaching her brothers’ car where she would wait for them. Most of the time they arrived shortly behind her, but, as they were far more outgoing than she was, it wasn’t really all that uncommon for them to forget about her for a little bit while they hung out with their friends elsewhere on campus. And so, Lexi sat herself on the ground, not really caring that she would get her nice blue jeans dirty by doing so, and pulled her phone out to play games on until her brothers arrived.

The sun gradually grew from the dusky skyline, bringing the promise of a new day. The promise of a day of adventure, opportunity, excitement, an innumerable amount of possibilities. And, as was typical of her, Emma Rocha was asleep. And she would stay asleep for many hours to come. In fact, it wasn't until 2 PM that she reluctantly parted from her 'cocoon' of pillows and blankets. "I can't believe I have to wake up early for class." She muttered softly. Thank God for afternoon classes. That was one good thing to be said for college, along with the promise of better dining then the partly offering given to her by any number of private schools she had attended. Oh, and, of course there was the pursuit of a higher education and new avenues of knowledge. But that was inconsequential, of course, because while Emma attended classes to appease her parents she was loathe to stay awake for them. Even if she was awake she doubted she would learn much. She might have even felt guilty about wasting her parents money on tuition if it wasn't for the fact that they had access to a seemingly endless pool of riches and that they put her through several years of borderline emotional abuse.

But that was inconsequential as well. Emma couldn't give a fig or a fickle for her parents games, as she got quite adept at tuning them out. But, of course, the entire line of thought was also inconsequential because at the moment she had bigger concerns: Food. Her stomach was rumbling fiercely, as she had not had anything to eat since she went to bed nearly 18 hours ago. That would be 8 PM the previous day. It was rather standard fare for her- given the time she slept in class assuming she didn't have any obligations she would sleep a maximum of 22 hours a day. It was sleep, or play video games, or watch movies, or television, or eat, or sleep... It was rather baffling how such a life style was sustainable.

What was more baffling was the fact that Emma remained thin. She was willing to entertain the notion that if she was indeed developing superpowers that one of them must be some sort of super metabolism. Today for breakfast (or lunch, depending on your perspective) she prepared a pot of instant noodles. Her diet consisted almost entirely of the sodium rich dish, as it was quick to prepare and wouldn't cut into the time she spent pursuing her rest. Given this and her extremely sedentary lifestyle it was a wonder that she subsisted at all, being the reason that she plays with thoughts of super metabolism.

It wasn't crazy, it wouldn't be her first superpower. During her morning routine that centered around the consumption of tasty noodles shadows dance wildly across the walls of her dorm. In most cases one would use the phrase 'shadows dance' in a figurative way, but it is meant very literally. Emma had discovered a curious ability: She could control shadows. It was an odd and unexplained phenomenon that Emma had no intent of sharing. It was fortunate that she didn't have a roommate. Well, that is to say, she didn't think she had a roommate. She couldn't disprove the existence of a mysterious stranger that haunted her dorm room during the hours which she spent sleeping. That would explain how the fridge always mysteriously filled itself... and the other bed. And all the other assorted objects that didn't belong to her.

Now she wasn't so sure she didn't have a roommate.

For the time being her ramen was finished and she had no choice but to take a shower. She enjoyed the feeling of hot water cascading down her skin. Plus it didn't hurt to feel clean. Of course, given the choice, she would be using the time she spent on personal hygiene sleeping, but she at the very least had the wisdom to understand the necessity of showering and dental hygiene. After she had finished cleansing she was obliged to dress for class. She always wore the same things- Sweaters, sweatpants, whatever was comfortable. It was easier to sleep in. She would worry about looking pretty when she had a reason to care about it.

With her begrudging morning routine done Emma reluctantly dragged herself to class. She always noticed people looked at her. Maybe it was because of the way she shuffled slowly, head hung low and signs of sleepiness displaying clearly on her face. To others she must have looked like some kind of reanimated corpse willing itself forward. Perhaps that was an unflattering way to put it, but suffice to say she looked like she was ready to topple over.

She noticed another kind of gaze too. A look of curiosity. The male students of Cornell saw in her something odd. Her outward appearance may have been vaguely disheveled but she was unmistakably pretty. It was a rather odd combination of body and personality, and one she loathed. How much easier it would be to be ugly. No one would mistake her for one of them. By them Emma meant the socialites, the plastic people that dominated the halls of this 'prestigious' institution. The women who went on dates with cute boys and spent the night partying and drinking. She hated it. She scorned every occasion where she was invited to a party or asked out by a boy. She wanted to sleep. She didn't care for it.

Of course, one important detail that she had not internally addressed to her private audience was her attendance at Cornell. A 14% acceptance rate meant that one such as her had no place in the gilded halls of an Ivy League institution such as this. It was all her parent's doing. They wanted her out of their house, but they would not have the Rocha name attached to a meager community college student, or a barista making minimum wage. It was only the best, even for one unwanted such as herself. It was for this reason that her parents pulled a great amount of strings to land her in their ancestral university. It was all an unfortunate mistake on the part of her parents and on the part of the university, for she had absolutely no intent on getting a degree.

It was for that reason that as she shuffled into her first class (Differential Equations) she picked out her seat, placed strategically in the farthest corner from the front, and buried her head into a makeshift pillow formed from her arms and promptly fell asleep. She had been the topic of many a conversation within the room, for most people had caught onto her ritual of not taking any notes and sleeping the entire class. It was an oddity, especially in a place such as Cornell. Even the professor caught onto her game- When the semester was younger he would make a point to call her out, but quickly realized it was to no avail. It was only due to her parent's connections (and sizable donations to the campus) she would not be dropped from Differential Equations, or any other class.

The same scenario played out as the day went on in her next class, and the next, and the next, until it was time for her to return to her dorm.

To her surprise there was someone waiting for her in the room, sitting quietly on the couch. A girl, likely the same age as her. Emma spoke up, "Uhhhh, excuse me, can I help you?" The girl looked up in surprise. She took a moment to process Emma's words, until her mouth grew agape. "Are you kidding me? Emma? We met the first week, when we moved in. I know we have different schedules- and, your, uh, sleeping- but really?" That would explain the other bed, and the groceries.

It would appear Emma did indeed have a roommate. Go figure.

The girl shook her head, "You're lucky I get so much grocery money from your parents." That was undoubtedly money payed not only for groceries, but also to put up with her. Emma's expression didn't change, "Well, uh, nice to meet you? Or I guess I already met you. Either way, I'm going to bed."

And so Emma's day ended, not even 6 hours after it began.

Present Day

The Millard Fillmore Academy for the Arts

Getting one's friend to build you an Air Cannon was the easy part; one can tutor him in both Music and Non-Musical Subjects. Finding out one was able to use the Air Cannon like a pro, was the hard part; hard not because of any present difficulty, but because this increased your suspicions that one's skills were not normal. Using said cannon to launch cupcakes at another student, meanwhile, was awesome, especially when said student was a good sport and just ate the cupcakes; at least, some of them.

Then, there was expressing (not feigning, expressing!) interest in some other students' pottery and sculpture works, and finding out that one was able to use a potter's wheel and sculptor's hammer and chiesel well, although the works one turned out were pretty generic. Oh, and one also found out you can use paintbrushes well. One being Cedeic Wessex, genius, who, whenever he touched a tool or instrument, recieved a feeling of...adeptness at its use.

Cedric Wessex, like a certain fictional boy genius, was young enough to believe in Magic (or the Paranormal), but smart enough to deduce the ramifications of its existence within him. He knew that this...gift, though potentially personally profitable, would just inspire the fear of those who were afraid of those not like them, the avarice of those who wanted to use such gifts for themselves or a cause, or even both sorts of people. Therefore, it was imperative to keep things a secret.

Not that testing out an air cannon, as well as other artistic tools, would help in keeping one's gift a secret. Nevertheless, one had to find out that said gift existed before making the decision to keep it secret in the first place. Oh, and the boy experimented with making various shivs out of 'missing' items in the past few days...and found out that he was able to hold them like a pro; same for the Swiss Army Knife he used to make the shivs.

C-R-A-P, crap. The boy was not normal, and thus, he knew that, one day, the Government will hunt him down, either to do experiments on him, turn him into a child soldier, or both. There might also be episodes of forced nudity, torture, and abuse, perhaps sexual; the boy knew that his body was most appealing to potential rapists. That's why he talked the teachers into letting him carry a can of pepper spray just in case the older students...gyah, he was afraid.

Cedric Wessex knew how it was to be scared a lot. He was scared when a garter snake appeared in his backyard. He was scared of horror movies. He was scared of more adult things like being deprived of your rights because you were of the wrong ethnicity, social class, religion, or sexual orientation (he was white, middle-class, and straight <He wasn't>, thankfully for him), as well as the staggering amount of sexual abuse cases found in America.

Yes, the boy was obsessed with rape and sexual abuse; he was a hormonal teenager as well as a genius, after all. That didn't mean that he was completely irrational, as his phobia did have a somewhat-reasonable foundation - he can cite the appropiate statistics. All he knew now, was, that if the Government came for him, he would have no choice but to surrender to them or face the dangers of fighting his own country.

And if his own country wanted to treat him like the terrorists and innocent civilians found in Abu Gharib and Guatemano, well, he would have to submit to that treatment, even if he was afraid. However, nothing said that his country had to find him, of course. And that was where his 'paranormal gift' came in. With computers, he can create dummy accounts that he can access from internet cafes (yes, he had money; he won several prizes in several shows)...

...And with a shovel and other tools, he can dig a secret tunnel out of the Academy. After all, he liked the staff and the other students, but he didn't like being shoehorned into musical instruments. He wanted to pursue his real loves, dangit! Anyway, the boy's Air Cannon can also be loaded with nails and other stuff, like his shivs, but this was a last resort, and probably counterproductive as it would get him marked as a terrorist.

Anyway, Cedric, at present, was listening to a lecture on Music Theory; it was facsinating, even though the subject itself was marred by people who believed it was another way of 'Measuring the Marigolds', which it is not. Anyway, though, the boy was multi-tasking; while he absorbed the lecture, he was also bringing up Tv.Tropes' So You Are A Teenager With Superpowers' guide**, which was an awesome thing to read.

((*http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Build-a-Generic-Air-Cannon/))

((**http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/JustForFun/SoYouAreATeenagerWithSuperpowers))

======

Where did Cedric Wessex's paranoia about being, well, abused come from? He came from a happy, ordinary home, was raised in happy, extraordinary circumstances, and didn't know anyone who had been subjected to the traumas he now feared. True, he was curious about the world, but surely, like most people, he won't be afraid that the bad things he saw on screen would happen to him, right? Those were for other people, right?

Well, let's just say this: Cedric's umm...phobia came from the most unepected of circumstances - shitty fanfic. Or rather, shitty pornographic fanfic. A long time ago, when he was eight, he went looking for LotR fanfiction, and instead, found 'The Pride of Boromir'*, a fic which involved the titular character being raped, at the age of ten, by his father Denethor, who was subject to character derailment. Said fanfic also involved Aragorn spanking the now-adult Boromir...

...without his consent, and, well, let's just say that this fic was like a trainwreck, and it left an impression upon the 11-year old. Especially when he grew curious and decided to see if this sort of fanfiction was common. It was; the next fanfic he saw was set in Axis Powers Hetalia (a show he didn't watch, but heard about), in which an Original Character who was supposed to be The Netherlands raped the Nation-tan of Sealand (who was physically 12)**.

The boy, now stricken with morbid curiosity, began looking for more bad fanfiction, and was directed to a rant by another fanfic author detailing how 'rape culture' permeates fanfiction and how fanfic writers should be ashamed of themselves. Being curious about 'rape culture', Cedric looked it up...and was terrified by the thought that someone could blame a victim for his or her rape. With rape culture also came looking for rape statistics, and the results were even more horrifying.

Rape was everywhere, and the usual sterotypes were wrong. The primary practitioners of rape weren't strangers in dark alleys, but rather family members and friends. Even the Army wasn't safe, as it turned out that the higher-ups actually aided and abetted the rape of female soldiers, not to mention the rape of male and female prisoners in...certain facilities. Also, it might just be paranoia speaking, but, well, Cedric could see the way some of his friends looked at him...

The boy was aware that his behavior might be seen as paranoid and neurotic, but, still, there was no harm in defending oneself, or learning how to do so. Not merely that, but now that he knew he had powers, perhaps what seemed impossible was now possible; perhaps he would be taken to some dark facility to live out the rest of his life as a thing, either a child soldier, test subject, or both who also spent some extra time as a sex object.

Which was why, in the dark of night, he had to escape, and it was the dark of night at present. The boy was now at the back of the school, behind a dumpster, clad in tough jeans and a sturdy woolen shirt, digging with a shovel. With said shovel's help, he would escape from Millard Fillmore School for the Arts, and, and...

What was he doing? He can't abandone his home, and surely he can't sever himself from his family, just out of fear that something might happen! But, at the same time, he had to, because he had powers that made him a freak, and if anyone found out, his life, as he knew it, was going to be over!

At least, this way, he can maintain some measure of happiness, even if it was a life on the run. Yeah, with his talents, he can forge a new life in Latin America, perhaps Bolivia and Brazil, or maybe Cuba; he hated the Castro regime, but knew that they would at least keep him safe from those who wanted to use him...

((*The fic actually exists IRL, but I'm not linking to it in order to spare your brains.))

((**This fanfic also exists, but again, I'm not linking to it.))

======

Cedric ran out from the tunnel, his shirt and jeans muddied by the disturbed soil. A large rucksack was slung across his back, heavy with necessities. Now to implement the next part of his escape plan; get as far away from the Academy as possible. Thankfully, his clothes, thanks to their make and the mud, looked just like the clothes of the hundreds of homeless kids in the city. Not that his plan was to mingle with said homeless kids; that would just get him involved in gang activity, or worse.

The next few hours would be occupied with walking and crawling through the streets of the city, avoiding guards and stray animals, crossing roads whenever traffic seemed to lighten, and, when he was sure there were no rapists, ducking into dark alleys and taking shortcuts; trying to randomize his direction, so that any pursuers he might have would be confused as well. Then, the boy took advantage of a public restroom to change his clothes and clean himself up, and...

...And climb out the window. For, this time, he had another plan; catch one of the public trains. With his small size, as well as wads of cash, he would surely be able to get to one that would bring him out of the city. If need be, he could just say that one of the nearby people was his parent, or aunt, and that she's sending him to buy tickets. Yeah, that plan would work. He'll go to Bangor, Maine, and from there, take a plane to Canada, then Cuba.

Some Hours Later

He couldn't help it; he blew some of his hard-earned money on a First-Class seat. True, riding Economy would have been better for secrecy, but, the boy was in the midst of an adrenaline surge right now; he was free, he was independent, and, furthermore, he had a lot of money to spend! Not merely that, but the Economy class seats might have the occasional pickpocket or even kidnapper; he was not the only one who knew the obsfucating qualities of riding Economy...

Lotus cocked the hammer back on her pistol, took two deep breaths and fired. Aim twice, shoot once. Aim twice, shoot once. It was a mantra that had been drilled into her since the first time her father had let her touch his gun. There were other ones - don't put your finger on the trigger until you're reading to fire, always know where your gun is pointing, etc - but this one was her favorite. It suggested action. True action. Lotus was an action person. It was one of the things Josh said he loved the most about her.

Her thoughts always somehow made their way back to Josh. Her deceased husband was the reason she was here today, after all. His death had pushed her into accepting the role of bringing in these star children. She reloaded her gun, raised both hands, and repeated the steps. Aim twice, shoot once. Aim twice, shoot once. BANG. BANG. BANG. The bullets whirled through the air and hit the paper target on the other side of the room. Lotus set the gun down, removed her ear plugs and pushed the round black button next to her shoulder that brought the target forward. Once it reached her, she made note of the grouping of the holes. Tight. Perfect. Nearly dead center in the chest of the outlined body. Even better. She tore the paper off the hanger, smirked, and headed out for orders of her next assignment.

Just one more.

One more mission, and Big Brother could die and West could move away from this life once and for all. Sure, the mission was massive with numerous components and multiple targets, but the men behind the static screen on his monitor assured him that this was all he needed to do to finally return to the life he once desired.

He rubbed at his eyes. Heavy shadows drooped down his face as he took another sip of the bitter coffee next to him on a lonely park bench. His computer was alive. A portable drive stuck out the side extended his wireless range as he sifted through files once more to access the information hidden to him. He’d always prided himself on his research. Writing essays was a breeze in college when he could easily craft decisive theses from all of the work that he’d done.

The Coyote and Big Brother had less “appropriate” methods unfortunately. Searching the Darknet proved there were people willing to do anything for the right amount of cash, including delivering the right information. Or, he could just access the network himself.

Coding may not have been his speciality, but it was just one of many shady behaviours he had to pick up. He kidnapped people for a living, for Christ’s sake.

His first target had already been planned. Finding the first source was simple enough. With this star children coded as “geniuses” to the public eye, they usually could be found with some level of press surrounding them. This became even easier in the realm of social media. People always had something to say about anything.

West didn’t engage in discourse that way. It tarnished the information for what it was. Sure, he had is own opinions but those he kept to himself. Becoming Big Brother meant becoming cautious to the world around you, and that included simple conversations on random forum pages. God knows who could find him if they followed the same channels he did. The strange crime group that hired him even made it easy for him by handing him a list of names.

Too many jobs started with “the son of so-and-so” or other vague ideas that he usually had to figure out.

For now, the first member on the list of people he was supposed to take out was a stereotypical unmotivated genius, if the news tabloids were to be believed. Even as he sipped his coffee he could see the tops of buildings at the prestigious Cornell institute. He’d been stalking around the university for a few days now, posing as a potential PHD student. That could explain why he looked so paranoid and deprived all the time. Ultimately, however, he was doing it to understand this girl’s schedule. People were surprisingly willing to blab about it too.

A student in one class, another from their floor in residence.

His net had been laid out, now all that was left was to go in for the capture.

The organization stressed that they wanted these Star Children alive, which wasn’t a problem for him. The gun in the inside pocket of his long jacket was more a precaution of the crime world than anything else.

No. All he would need is the right drug in the right syringe, the right pills in the right cup, or, in the worst case, a stun baton right where it hurt.

He closed his laptop quietly after memorizing the room number and residence name. That took a little bit of cracking, but hopefully it wouldn’t leave a trail.

His paranoia made it essential in his brain to remain safe. Even as he walked towards the residence at a brisk pace with a heavy book under his arm, he repeated his mantra under his breath.

“You’re Big Brother. You watch everyone. But everyone’s watching you too.”

Emma Roche was the first name on his list, and while he’d been slowly twisting his web around the necks of the others, Roche would be the first one fed to this spider.

Big Brother’s final hope for freedom fell into this last case.

"I'm leaving now," Conner said as he left for school. It was just another typical day. School, then home, then whatever else needed to be done, then school again and so on. The endless cycle of normal every day life. Conner liked that. Everything was kept track of and perfectly fine. On a day like this, what could possibly go wrong?

"Heeey! Conner, wait up!"

Oh yeah, there was also that, Conner thought as Kimberly caught up to him. "Hello to you too, Kimberly," Conner greeted his childhood friend. Kimberly flashed him a smile and began some small talk, "So, Mom asked me, again, if I wanted to skip another grade. I keep telling her, 'No, Mom, it's ok. Conner's not skipping, so why should I?'"

"I know I've told you this before, but you don't have to hold yourself back just because I'm not moving ahead," Conner said. "I'm sure you'd be in better places by now, too."

"I never asked you before, but, why aren't you skipping ahead?" Kimberly asked. "I know you're smart enough to do it, maybe even skip high school altogether." Kimberly reached over to grab Conner's hand, but the moment they made contact, there was an audible zap, and Conner pulled his hand away reflexively. "Ahh, jeez, are your hands still discharging static?" Conner asked in annoyance.

"Yeah, sorry. I was kinda hoping that that would've gone away by now," Kimberly said guiltily. "Um, anyway, back to my question. Why aren't you skipping?"

"I just don't feel any need for it," Conner said. "Sure, it's great academically to skip ahead, but I also need to think about other things in life, y'know? I mean, I certainly don't want to be seen as some oddball because of it, and I would'nt have much else to fill my days if I didn't go to school. I doubt many people would want to hire a 14-15 year old kid for a full-time job or anything either."

"So basically you're too lazy to do anything else," Kimberly summarized teasingly. "Shut up," Conner said as he looked away, which earned him a small giggle from Kimberly.

((Collab Post between Letter Bee and Mass City; Post that moves the plot will be coming soon))

Bangor, Maine

As Cedric Wessex waited for his flight, he began to have belated second thoughts. Was trying to flee the country really the answer? Would he not be endangering his fellow Star Kids by leaving? After all, there was still room to bargain, right, and there would be rewards for good behavior.

So, he departed his seat, seemingly going to a small bookstand, keeping a high level of awareness, watching every shadow and any stranger that was close by.

Then, halfway to the bookstore, he spoke, out of nowhere, in a voice that would not be noticed by any passerby but would be picked up by watchers:

"I'm Cedric Wessex, and I'm ready to bargain."

No one really noticed him saying his statement. Those that did thought he was a kid playing a prank.

Well, best to buy a book, then; it was apparent that he should just wait to be nabbed. Continuing his walk, he then bought a biography of JFK once he reached the bookstore, although he had to lie to the shopowner that his parents are nearby. He then began walking back to his airport seat; would the Government really just let him leave the country?

"Boy you're making a mistake." said the man next to him.

Cedric turned around, fear in his eyes. Turning his face to look at the man, he said:

"What mistake?" in a surprisingly mild, yet firm tone.

"Running away." replied the man reading a newspaper. "Running away isn't like you Cedric." the man kept his face behind the paper.

"I was afraid," said the boy. "Do I have any reason not to be?" he was still calm, but prepared to bolt at the first opportunity.

"Well we can take care of your needs." the man said behind his paper.

"Tell me what to do, then...but remember that I'm running for it should I see anything suspicious," Cedric was both conceding, yet prepared to withdraw said concessions at the first reason to do so.

"Oh, and I guessed that you were tracking me."

"We knew where you were going. We put your face into the NSA database. Figured you'd leave via a smaller airport. Got a hit here. Luckily I was near." The man pulled down his paper. He looked like a regular man. Grey hair, a scar on his cheek, and a pair of sunglasses.

"We just want to talk."

Cedric nodded.

"This isn't a secure place. Mind taking me to your leader, then?" Agent Cartwright, which was who the man was, would - perhaps would - be thinking that everything is proceeding the way wanted it.

"Sure follow me." Agent Cartwright held out his hand for the boy to take it.

Cedric took the older man's hand, letting out a sigh of relief that the business had been settled.

"I am Cartwright." the agent led Cedric to his car.

"You know my name already, but mine is Cedric Wessex," Cedric finally let down his guard as he sat down on the car seat.

The car would drive off to a private airstrip, where Cedric would be taken to a small jet plane, where all his needs would be provided for. A few hours later, he would arrive at Area 51.

All Star Children and Hunters Except Cedric

Slowly but surely, the various teenagers and young adults would see things...changing around them. An extra shadow here, a few new faces there, and the feeling of being watched, obviously. While people such as Emma wouldn't care, others, such as Lexi, might. There were also unmarked cars roaming around; nothing flashy, but, to the Star Children's minds, unsettling precisely because they were so ordinary.

And if Emma had actually noticed, her roommate was watching the windows and doors, and all points of entry, with a steely gaze that belied her supposed 19/20 years of age. She would also notice, if she weren't so lazy, the flash of guns hidden inside a drawer; a pistol as well as an assault rifle; the latter which could not be smuggled into the place without the connivance of the guards.

West, meanwhile, would notice several new faces in Emma's current Academy, new teachers, janitors, IT people, all of them with the muscles of trained martial artists and trying to hide them. If he didn't act fast, the school would become a fortress...

Lotus, meanwhile, would be directed to kidnap Kimberly Juno and Connor Flynnagan; the Government would give her a van, as well as four people well-versed in CIA Black Site operations. She would be instructed to leave the kids unharmed. Should she protest, the Government Agent assigned to handle her would say:

"Things aren't what they appear, what you think they are. You should know that by now as a criminologist. If you succeed in this, you'll have enough clearance to know what I mean."

Lexi, once her brothers took her home, would find two people, a man and a woman, in suits conversing with her parents; if she asked what they were doing there, her Mother would say:

"Isn't this great? These people want to take you to a special school for the best of the best!"

@Scarifar@RedXCross@Diggerton@TaliPaendrag@BreakingMe@Mass City

West paused right before the gates. He kept walking past, just for a moment as he saw someone walking down the main path.

And was that a wire in their ear? When he saw fingers move towards it, he figured that was the case. Shit, it looks like his attempt at a pre-emptive strike was a little too late. No matter, there were always contingencies. You didn’t get to West’s position without numerous back-up plans and other ways of dealing with a problem.

So, distractions would be necessary. That was fine. He could handle that.

He followed the sidewalk, pulling his phone out of his pocket and opened an app of his own devising that connected directly to one of the labs in the main lab building. He’d been setting things up for the past few weeks to make this procedure a success.

He would get his success.

With a press of few buttons on the app, the receiver in the lab got the message.

An electrical signal pulsed through the room, and an EMP wave distorted the computers, the lights; basically every piece of technology in that lab either frizzled with loud noises or sent the lights haywire.

Step two was the dorm building itself. Some sneaking around and careful hand movements on a residence tour gave him access to a private office on the main floor of the building.

That was a little trickier. Planting explosives was usually a bad idea, but a little reassembling got him to put a very tiny explosive in the back of the computer. Not enough to damage anything but the device itself, but it would be enough to get the fire alarm to set off.

Phase one: kite away some of the guards. Phase two: get the building to evacuate.

Phase three: get into the crowd, grab Emma, knock her out, and sneak away before he gets noticed by anyone else. There were many things that
could go wrong, but he still had numerous contingencies to get him out of it. As well as a few methods to take out an Elite agent if they got in his way.

Including a strange device sent to him by the organization he was hired for.

“Use it in a pinch.” They said. Hopefully he wouldn’t get there. Using anything he didn’t understand made him dreadfully uncomfortable.

Right now he had his two buttons pressed. A fire in the main building, and a laboratory going haywire. When the time was right, he could move without any other issues. He stepped through the gates, pulling out the ID card the school gave him so that people knew he was a visiting grad student and walked passed the school towards the main gate.

As it turned out, today was one of those days where her brothers seemed to forget about her, which was only made worse by the fact that her phone had died on her shortly after she sat down, leaving her with nothing to occupy herself until they showed up. Sighing, she returned to watching the cars pass by at the edge of the parking lot, absently moving some small stones near her left hand with her telekinesis, something that was rather easy to do consistently due to the amount of time she’d spent practicing in her room at home.

What had drawn her attention to the cars in the first place, apart from sheer boredom, had been the fact that there were an awful lot of them driving down this particular road, which was too far out of the way to be a popular route. Secondly, Lexi could have sworn that there was at least one vehicle, a blue mini-van, that appeared to be going up the road every few minutes, though it was hard to be certain due to being unable to see the driver due to glare and being unable to read the license plate from the distance she was at.

Before she could contemplate the mystery too much further, her brothers showed up, digging at one another and laughing uproariously as they usually did. Once they were situated in the vehicle, Sam started it up and drove to the entrance of the parking lot, pulling out right behind the blue van, which very promptly took a right turn. Regardless, it seemed that they were in the clear, as her brother had a tendency to drive pretty fast, leaving the blue van with virtually no time to circle around again. Finding comfort in that knowledge, Lexi relaxed a bit, watching the trees go by as she waited for them to arrive home.

When her house came into view, Lexi was a bit surprised to see a white car sitting in the driveway, though Lexi just assumed that her mother had invited over another client to discuss how they wanted her to decorate the interior of their house. Upon entering the house, however, her mother surprised her by ushering her into the living room before she could even toss her backpack on the bench by the door, explaining, rather enthusiastically, that the individuals in suits seated on her parents’ couch were there to offer her a spot in a prestigious school of some sort.

”May I see a some information about the school?’ Lexi asked, sitting down on the loveseat on the other side of the coffee table in front of the couch and beginning the interview, for that’s sort of what it was. Several hours later, the representatives were thanking her parents for their hospitality and announcing that they hoped to receive a call soon, having been convinced that Lexi would think about their offer and call them with her answer.

And the duo certainly had given Lexi a lot to think about. For one, she would have to check and make sure that the school actually existed, as neither of those two had behaved at all like the HR representatives she had encountered thus far. If it was actually a real academic institution, she would have to contemplate if she was okay with moving across the country to go to school, albeit a supposedly great one.

Shortly after they left, Lexi went downstairs into her room and grabbed her laptop to begin doing some research. Very quickly, she realized that the place probably wasn’t real, as, though they had a website and working phone number, the address she had been given put her in the middle of nowhere regardless of the software she used to look it up (i.e. Google Maps). It was a shame that such a place didn’t actually appear to exist, as it had seemed perfect, but it did have the upside of making her choice a lot easier.

With that laid to rest, she spent the rest of the evening painting and practicing her powers, like she usually did, before showering and heading off to bed in the warm embrace of the numerous stuffed animals and blankets..

((Collab post between Letter Bee, RedxCross, and Diggerton))

Despite Emma's apparent apathy towards her surroundings she perceived a change in character of those around her. It was unmistakable: People who weren't truthfully involved in the academia of the university were sprouting up around her. It was easy to make a guess why. As the powers which she had mysteriously acquired grew people were certain to notice. It wasn't hard to imagine her parents passing off a tidbit of information about them to the government; It would be a simple way for them to make their troublesome heiress disappear.

As for Emma's mysterious new roommate, it was clear to her that she wasn't what she seemed either. It was no matter; what could Emma do? She was dealing with forces far beyond her capabilities, and she was sure that if she ran they wouldn't be far behind. So, for the time being, all she could do was maintain the status quo. She wouldn't do anything to make them suspicious of her. Whatever happened all she could do was go with the flow. She had no doubt her powers were growing, but for the time being they served as little more then a neat party trick. Certainly unable to contend with an assault rifle.

One thing that Emma was not cognizant of was the existence of West Scarborough. She had noticed the supposed grad student hanging around her building, but nothing indicated he was more then another one of them, whoever they may be. It just so happened that as he enacted his plan, setting off a number of distractions throughout the campus, Emma was sleeping as she was wont to do. Luckily for him she was prime for the taking, and likely enough she would sleep through the distant fire alarm. However, it was unlikely that she would find the willpower to sleep through a home invasion.

Already people were starting to scramble. Some of the staff from his point-of-view were already running towards the fritzing computer lab as students started to push out of the residence building.

Everything was going according to plan as of now. As he watched, he was only slightly surprised that there was no sight of his target in the group piling out of the school. He thought he might have seen her roommate, but that too might be implausible. The other force at work here could've gone as far as to push their own that close to her. It wouldn't be that hard to falsify a roommate.

Still. Time was of the essence. With the scrambling of people all around them, West made his move. He took a backdoor fire escape and made his way up to her floor, dodging the confused and bored young adults who were all leaving with the slightest irritation. He did well to dodge one student running down the stairs with their laptop open in their hands.

It all seemed to work out. The hallway of his target had dispersed. Despite the irritated fire alarm, the rest of the hallway was absent of sound, of movement. West had to plan the next step carefully as he grabbed one of his shock batons and hid it up his sleeve. His breath slowed, his eyes focused as he stalked the hallway towards her door and test the knob gently.

It twisted open without resistance. With all the chaos of outside, it didn't surprise him that the door had been left shut. The hard part had been done. Now all he needed to do was pacify his target and pull her out of here into the confusion of the crowd, back to the car he had waiting in a parking lot nearby.

Except for one thing on the way: Emma's unnamed roommate was standing behind the door, assault rifle aimed at it.

The doorknob was unlocked, his baton hidden. He twisted it and pulled the door open gently.

Only to raise his hands quickly and step back.
"Oh dear..." He paused. His eyes shook subtly as his hands twinged with nervous sparks.
Cover hadn't been blown yet. His main aggressive tool was hidden in his sleeve. A gun was still on the inside of his jacket.
The unknown device was in the back pocket of his jeans.

His cover wasn't blown yet.

"I-I didn't know firearms were allowed at this school," he chuckled nervously. His whole demeanor was more like a weak sidewalk tree than an aggressive object, "Anyhow... I was just checking you heard the alarm? I don't know how well these walls absorb sound..."

His hands were still in the air. HIs stun baton hid in his sleeve like a bee's stinger and it rubbed its cold handle against his arm.

"You know better than to lie to a Government Agent, Mr. Scarborough. You're a nasty piece of work, that's what you are," said the roommate, a young woman of perfectly ordinarly looks. "And now word has arrived that you're serving a certain organization."

"How much did they tell you again?" It was clear that she was keeping him alive only to get intelligence.

He sighed. His arms dropped to his sides. Strike one he thought as his hand gripped the handle of the shock baton. "Well, I wouldn't call it 'serving' a certain organization. I work for a contract, I'm sure you would know that. Where did the government dig you up? A Russian sleeper agent get in too deep? Or was this the only way you could get out of trouble?"

He checked behind his shoulder. Still nothing. The fire alarm was still blazing. The door was too far away to be used to get out of this.
The device was still in his back pocket, but he still had no idea how it worked. And a security camera underneath its dark little sphere watched, but that would be wiped away before anyone could do anything about it.

"I'd love to help you. But all I was given was a target," he shrugged, "And I thought that it was my side of the world that killed people without a fair trial."

The gun stared at his chest with its dark barrel eating at his nerves.

"Keep your hands up!" the agent shouted, "I know your tricks. And, you're right; throw down your weapons, and you'll get your trial - before a military court." Without looking back, she then said:

"Ms. Rocha! There's a team ready at the back of the school - I suggest you sneak out the window and go there right now!"

For the duration of the pair's conversation Emma had been tactically positioned on her bed, wrapped up in a coccon of blankets. Of course, it was here where she spent most days. She had awoken as Scarborough made his way into her room, and had been waiting for some opening to move. She didn't hold alliegence to either side, and was merely interested in following whoever promised to deliver her from the situation alive. And, for the moment, that appeared to be her would-be roommate.

So Emma followed her instructions. She seperated herself from her bed, taking a moment to glance at the doorway. She had no interest in seeing the situation through, so she headed straight to the window as instructed, opening it and clambering out onto the lawn. She began hurriedly pacing towards the rear of the school, avoiding the urge to run so she wouldn't draw uneeded attention.

Shit, he thought to himself as his target got away. This whole situation was going sour pretty quickly, and if he didn't do something soon, he would be toast. Still he tried hard to keep his composure. Without any other option, he pressed the button on the device through his pants as his hands started to raise into the air.

Just then, something strange started to happen. First, he was struck by a searing headache. Words started to dance through his head in an awkward, robotic voice.

"HOST BRAIN PROTECTED. OFFENSIVE MENTAL SHUTDOWN IN 5 SECONDS."
It shouted at him. He had no idea what that meant, only that the moment the words were said, his headache started to subside.
Five... four...
"Hey, as far as I'm concerned, she can either be captured by me or contained by 'the system'. And when was the last time the system helped any of us?"

One...

The countdown finished, and as it did, those within a very close area to him would feel an incredibly debilitating headache. The effectiveness would decrease at a longer range, but up close, it would be very painful. Enough to send someone to their knees.

When it was done, the device fizzled out in his pocket, leaving a dark sear mark on the back of his jeans.

The agent was now prone on the ground, holding her head. However, through the pain, she managed to say:

"You people...are worse..." before she fainted.

As for Emma, she can see the team her roommate mentioned, led by a 16-year old boy with red hair and green eyes, who, upon seeing Emma, rushed out to meet her, seemingly with no weapon. Should he catch sight of West, who might be moving to intercept right now, he would create a wall of fire with a wave of his hand, hoping to flummox and delay him.

If West wasn't pursuing, he'd create a wall of fire anyway.

As Emma came upon the team that was suppoused to be saving her, she was quite suprised by the appearence of their suppoused leader. She looked at him pointedly, "Aren't you a little young to be doing this?" She paused, and quickly backpedaled, "That doesn't matter. So, what's your plan? Are you supposed to be taking me dead, or alive? I would hope the latter."

He watched the agent collapse to the ground as his hand brushed the blackness on the back of his pants. If there really was a team waiting, then following after them was definitely not the path he should be taking.

"We are not 'you people'. At least my side didn't hang me out to dry when my life fell apart."

Instead, he went the way he came. He backed out of the building into the crowds and cut through, going the other way around. Loud chattering was happening everywhere between struggles in the tech lab and the fire alarm, but going around to the other edge of the building didn't seem to be a problem. From his hiding spot, he saw as Emma met up with another young man. His eyes widened as he watch the boy wave his hand, and fire errupted from behind them.

Now he remembered: Stefan Zimov. Another possibility on his list. One of these other "star children" that he was supposed to capture.

Now, the super power thing had been left out of his files. No matter. As long as he could sneak up behind them, he could nab them and go.
His shock baton found its place back on the inside of his jacket. Instead, he popped the cap on one his pen needles, leaving his other hand free to grab the shock baton just in case.

A knock out drug. That's all there was to it. But it was fast acting, especially when administered directly to the bloodstream. If he got lucky, maybe he could grab Emma too.

Two was always better than one.

"Alive," said Stefan. "You may not believe it, but we're here to save you. Now go!" he intoned with a note of command, before scanning his surroundings with a hard stare.

Then, as Emma would - hopefully - go to the team and their car, Stefan would flick his fingers, and a dumpster behind West would erupt into flames; a barely audible 'tsk' from the boy would imply that he missed.

"I know you're here, West!" he was shouting. "Come out, and no charges will be pressed! There might even be an amnesty for you in the making!" The boy's face was red with anger - or was it just the heat?

"You don't know what you're messing with!" Another eruption of fire. "It's us or War of the Worlds!" The implication behind that last statement was clear.

Emma followed the command she had been given. There was little time for any argument, as her intrepid pursuer was not far behind her. She hurried to the waiting car, pulling the door open and throwing herself inside. She knew she wasn't quite out of and danger yet, so, for the time being, she merely took a seat, not allowing herself to rest just quite yet.

((Written by Letter Bee as RedXCross left the game))

West was not going to listen to some teenaged brat; powers or no. He made to throw his pen needle -

Before his head got blown off by a round of assault rifle fire; Emma's roomate had gotten up.

Now, Emma herself was safe, safe and being taken to Area 51.

((Collab between Letter Bee and TaliPaendrag))

Lexi would be woken up by a breeze - the window had opened - and find herself facing a man in a Special Forces outfit, who would then press a rag soaked in a strange-smelling liquid onto her face.

A few hours later, Lexi's parents and brothers would find that the girl had vanished, taken from her bed. And there would be a sinking feeling that they would not see her again for a long time...

Shivering suddenly as a breeze swept across the room, Lexi opened her eyes to find a man dressed all in black in front of her, the basement window (i.e. the only one in her room) open behind him. Before she could react in anyway, he clamped a damp, foul-smelling rag onto her face. Figuring that it was not something that she wanted to be breathing in, Lexi held her breath and began struggling. Unfortunately, the size difference alone meant that it required virtually no effort on his part to hold her down, even when she tried to knock him off balance with her powers.

Though it seemed to last forever, the struggle ended almost as soon as it started, the man digging his thumb into her collarbone to make her gasp and inhale the fumes of whatever was on the rag. Within seconds, the chemical took effect, her body relaxing against her will as her vision faded. The last thing she heard before she passed out completely was the man alerting his team that the target had been acquired, which would have been enough to terrify her had she had been fully cognizant.

Timeskip

Lexi would then wake up on what seemed to be a plane, her arms and legs restrained by cuffs bolted directly into the chair she sat on. She would still be in her pajamas, and one of her stuffed animals would be with her. The man and woman from before would be in front of her, both now clad in full special forces armor and helmets, so as to fend off any telekinetic attack. The man would then say:

"You should have accepted the offer to go to Milestone Academy for Special Girls and Boys," that had been the name of the fake institution. "Now you'll have to join the kids in the missing child reports each day."

"You don't have to be frightened," said the woman, "sorry for having to resort to...all this just to get us to hear our side out, but, well, we're strapped for time, and we can't just let someone with special powers out into the world without guidance, can we?"

”Ohhhh… I feel like I got hit by a truck…” Lexi mumbled as she came too on the plane, her head pounding. When she tried to move her hand to massage her temple, she was surprised to find it immobile, which prompted her to fully open her eyes and glance to see what was restraining her. Her brow creased as she took in the sight of the leather band that was pinning her forearm to the arm of the chair she was seated in.

Before she could dwell on it too much, a man spoke up, drawing her attention to the seats positioned directly across from her as he explained that she should have taken the offer to attend the fake academy. Though she hadn’t recognized the duo on sight due to the body armor, his voice, a soft orange that felt like ice water dripping down her spine, was unmistakable. He had been the false HR representative from before! The woman’s voice as she tried to comfort Lexi while justifying their means, a dim gray that felt like a dry wind, only confirmed her suspicion that it was the same pair.

”Well, maybe you should have taken better care to make sure that your story checked out under the scrutiny of a casual Google search,” Lexi responded with a huff, albeit sort of quietly, while fidgeting in the restraints and probing them with her telekinesis to see if she could undo them, if only to make herself more comfortable for the ride, as they had, for some reason, decided to fasten them unnaturally tight.

”And I feel like the rational response to being kidnapped and loaded onto a random… plane, is terror,” Lexi continued with a pause to take in her surroundings, attributing her current boldness and general lack of fear to the remnants of whatever drug they used in her system. Ordinarily, she supposed that she would have been too scared to keep her pants dry, let alone say anything intelligent.

Lexi could appreciate that they were, at the least, trying to make her comfortable and assuage her fears, as they had taken the time to grab Zooks, her favorite stuffed animal, and they had left her in her pajamas. The interior of the plane was also incredibly cushy and ritzy, the only downside being the restraints on her wrists. Of course, it’s not like any of this excused their actions. They had still kidnapped her, but at least it let her know they weren’t going to be brutal and savage.

”It would probably help me feel better about this whole situation if you told me your names at least, though assuring me that I won’t be turned into a child soldier or something along those lines would also help,” Lexi said, wincing as her head pounded again. Hopefully, the duo would get up or something so she could get the restraints off without them seeing. Though she honestly had no intentions apart from just getting her hands free, as she knew struggling would be futile, she had a feeling they wouldn’t believe her.

"My name is Richard 'Dick' Carver," said the man, who, through his helmet, was staring at her; she can tell by the glint of the light on the visor.

"And I'm Selina Hutchins," the woman introduced herself. "I can't promise you that you won't be a child soldier, though, but at least allow us to explain the reason why." Her voice was mild and honey-like, Lexi would notice, before Selina looked at Richard, and said:

"Do you think we can let her out of the restraints?" Richard's response was to pull out a small knife...which then sliced the leather straps holding the small girl's arms and legs in place. He then told her, slightly less firmly:

"Get up, we have to meet the Defector," those last two words were said roughly, before gesturing at her to get up; Selina would go before her, while Richard was behind, knife stil in his hand, though not pointed at her.

They would then take her down a small hallway, to a large room, where Lexi would meet a most shocking sight:

A...being with the lower half of a giant spider and the top half of a human was sitting on his own legs at the far end of the room, gazing at a holographic table. Said table's light glinted off the blue-green, iridescent skin of the alien, reflecting onto the walls.

The holographic table itself showed people like Lexi, people with telekinesis, super strength, super reflexes, and pyrokinesis.

"This is H'mina, the defector," Richard was gruff, clearly in a bad mood.

Lexi felt a little comfort at being told the names of her captors, as that ultimately made them feel more… relatable. It was, however, shortly undermined when the woman, Selina, informed her that it might be required for her to be a child soldier. Before she could dwell on it too much, Richard spoke up about removing her restraints, using a knife to cut the leather straps before anything could be said otherwise.

”Thank you,” Lexi said, flexing her fingers and toes to restore proper blood flow more quickly. ”I was afraid that I was going to have to loosen them myself.” Before she could really enjoy the newfound freedom of movement, Richard directed her, rather firmly, to get up so that they could go meet someone known as the defector, tugging her out of the seat when she didn’t immediately comply.

Rubbing the wrist that Richard had grabbed to get her moving, Lexi followed Selina to the back of the plane, conscious of the fact that Richard hadn’t put his knife away. The first thing Lexi noticed upon entering the room after Selina was the holographic table displaying people with abilities like her own, which explained how they had found out about her.

It wasn’t until Selina stepped out of the way, however, that Lexi was able to see who this “defector” was. Upon seeing the… thing that Richard introduced as H’mina, Lexi let out a sort of choked scream, immediately back pedaling toward the door and colliding with Richard, who was rather immovable. Though she knew it to be irrational, Lexi couldn’t help the panic that gripped her when she was anywhere near spiders.

"Please," Richard's tone was perfectly ordinary, without a tone of sympathy, "he's actually less likely to hurt you than us."

"Dick," Selina said, "that's not a good way to reassure her."

"Do not be afraid," H'mina broke in in a naturally modulated voice. "As the man called Richard said, I am not here to harm you, but rather, to reassure you that the conflict you might be fighting in will be as just as any conflict involving children could be." A stare, Lexi could see that H'mina had whitish hair on top of his head, if she had time for that, before the alien continued:

"I am H'mina, of the Es'mira faction of the L'mina species. The Es'mira are a rebel/resistance group fighting the D'Nava, the main planetary regime, due to differences in belief that would be elaborated on once all the Star Children that can be gathered, are gathered."

"To elaborate," said Richard, "The L'mina are aliens, the D'Nava are Fascists who believe in torturing people, then sucking out their psychic powers in order to make their own much stronger, while the Es'mira are a group who believe that psychic powers must be strengthened through training, working together, all that Hippie stuff, except that their powers can make it work."

Lexi shook her head at Rick’s comment as if to convey that it wasn’t that easy, as it seemed that they believed she was scared of the fact that H’mina was an alien, and that he would harm her. Even if she could have spoken through the terror gripping her, she wasn’t sure that she would have been able to explain properly that it didn’t matter whether she knew she was safe or not. The H’mina was part spider and that was enough to trigger her phobia.

When he started speaking and explaining what was going on, Lexi closed her eyes and concentrated on his voice, a rather muted green that felt like tingles running up and down her arms. Without the visual input, it was easier to ignore the fact that the H’mina was part spider, and, though she still quivered with fear, it allowed her to actually focus on what… it was saying to her.

”I… uh… suppose that makes sense,” Lexi said shakily. And it did make some sense, or at least as much as her suddenly being able to move things with her mind did. Both scenarios were, in her mind at least, equally far-fetched but nevertheless true. ”Is it safe to assume that, had you guys not kidnapped me, the other group would have?”

"Yes, yes it is," said H'mina. "Anyway, we're about to reach Area 51. You might meet a new friend there; he came willingly." The reference was to Cedric.

”Oh, well, thanks, I guess,” Lexi replied, albeit a little hesitantly. While being treated kindly and being given time to train her powers without fear of becoming a pariah was rather swell, they had still kidnapped her, resulting in a bit of an unpleasant grey area in her feelings regarding the group. Fortunately, the pilot chose that time to alert the passengers that the plane was beginning its descent and that they needed to return to their seats and fasten their seatbelts, a directive to which the humans complied readily, the plane touching down moments later...

Area 51 - All Star Children, Agents, and Hunters

It was over; all of the Star Children have been gathered. Lotus had been asked to see Shirley Maxwell, while the kids themselves, and the remaining hunter, one Winstow Munroe, were either confined in several comfortable, but padded, rooms, where they would wait a while; Conner and Kimberly might take this time to separate, or they might not, instead staying fused for as long as possible.

Either way, Stefan Zimov, the Pyrokine who had rescued Emma Rocha, would make his rounds to the holding cells with an escort of guards; he would then greet the Star Child inside with a smile, a kind gesture, and then say:

"Hey, sorry for the trouble we went to get you; can you come with me so we can explain things? And please, don't try to escape; this installation is in the middle of the Nevada Desert, if you must know."

And with that, he and the guards would then escort the children to a wide chamber, one that seemed like a classroom due to the placement of the chairs, as well as the presence of other kids and young adults, among them Cedric, who for his willingness to go with Agent Cartwright, had been allowed to while away his time in the laboratories before the meeting.

And, facing all the chairs, looking more like a schoolteacher than a Project Head, was Shirley Maxwell, a redhead with a long ponytail, green eyes, and a warm gaze and smile that defied sterotypes about project heads.

"Well, it seems that we've gathered all that can be gathered," the woman finally spoke. "Anyway, I'm here to answer your questions; why were you given offers that you cannot refuse? Why were you abducted? Why were you abducted, then offered a job?"

"The answer is because you guys, as you yourselves admitted, have powers, powers that are needed, powers that are wanted, powers that need to be used in a coming conflict. Most of you already know what your powers are, and had experience with using them. That is a good thing."

"Now, Second Question, what conflict am I referring to? H'mina, you take the reins," she gestured to the blue-green, drider-like creature, who then walked up to the stage. Said blue-greed drider then said, speaking suprisingly good English:

"Hello, my name is H'mina, and, yes, I am an alien, of the L'mina species. The L'mina are a race from the far reaches of this setctor of the galaxy, naturally psychic, and who evolved in a planet rich with life. We developed technology in different ways than your species, using crystals and biological life as the basis instead of chemicals and metal. Then, we went out to the Stars, using Psychic Technology in order to break the Light Barrier."

"It was then that things changed. In L'mina society, psychic powers can be increased by feeding on the torment of another L'mina - a practice that, when translated into your tounge, would be known as 'Paracannibalism'. This was a banned practice, taboo, but, even as the first explorers began to roam the galaxy, things changed. One of our Great Powers, the D'Nava, first allowed the use of Paracannibalism on Criminals, then Political Dissidents, then, on anyone who opposed them, including other nations. In thirty years, the D'Nava united our race...at a high cost in blood."

"However, the D'Nava knew that in the end of the day, consuming their own species would cause their society to collapse, so they saw space exploration as an opportunity: why not go look for other, psychically-capable races, and Paracannibilize them, instead? Problem was, the psychic potential of other races was low, comparatively low...until they got to Humanity."

"Humans, you may not know this, have a lot of psychic potential - but do not go believing your 'fortunetellers' and 'psychics' just yet; this potential was supposed to manifest in, say, 100 or 200 years. But the L'mina, now under D'Nava rule, wanted to alter that, and so, they began abducting and experimenting on humans, mixing their own DNA to them, in order to bring out this potential. The so-called 'Greys' are a Red Herring, a false clue left behind to mislead those who went to investigate the abductions."

"However, the L'mina were not wholly dominated by the D'Nava; there always remained a subculture that believed in growing one's own psychic powers by one's own effort, by one's own skills. This faction was called the ES'Mira. I am one of that faction. I infiltrated the D'Nava's covert forces on Earth, recorded their experiments on people, and, once I was done, defected and told the strongest government on Earth about what they were doing."

"There's something you haven't explained yet," spoke Shirley. "Why do these kids have powers?"

"The L'mina abductions began in your so-called 70s. Your grandparents were part of those abductions; it was meant to be a generational project. Your grandparents didn't become geniuses, your parents didn't, either. But you, you and others have achieved the psychic prowess that the L'mina - or rather, the D'Nava, were looking for. And because of that, they are preparing to harvest Humanity, at a time when most humans are afraid."

@Scarifar@Diggerton@TaliPaendrag@Mass City@Simple Unicycle

@Letter Bee
Winston, after being thrown into the padded room, sat down and thought to himself. 'Is this the end? Am I going to die? I did my damn job...' He sighed. Then, someone came into the room and got him, dragging him into a large room. Then the children came. What the hell was going on? A woman began to speak to everyone in the room, then something... An alien? Whatever it was, it spoke after her, and explained how something called the D'Nava were going to invade Earth and harvest humanity to grow their powers, and the government needed the children to stop these things. That's when Winston spoke up. "And what the hell do you need me for? I'm a damn bounty hunter, I don't have any fuckin' powers." Once he finished, Winston crossed his arms and stared intently at the woman and the alien.

The woman, still unconscious, suddenly began to glow white and defuse, the two kids returning to their original forms. Conner was the first to awaken, albeit a bit groggy from the tranquilizer. He took a moment to recover, then looked around to determine where they are. His memories came back to him, and Conner realized that their worst fears had come true. Conner wasted no further time by heading over to the door, and quickly determined that there was no way to open it from the inside. They were trapped. Conner then went back fit he spot where he woke up, still thinking about their situation.

Conner looked down at Kimberly and began to wake her, but hesitated before he even touched her. He didn't want her to see that they had failed to escape. However, Conner resolved himself and shook Kimberly in an attempt to wake her up. He reasoned that she would eventually see it anyway, and they might as well make the best use of their time.

Kimberly soon awoke, also groggy, and lazily looked up and Conner. Pushing herself up, she slowly asked, "Conner... what's going on?" Conner bore a sorrowful expression as he said, "Kimberly... I'm sorry." Kimberly began to look around, noting their surroundings, then her eyes widened in shock as she recalled the events that led up to this moment, and she began to look around more frantically before returning her gaze onto Conner. "W-w-where are we? Is this..." Kimberly whispered, her fear rising. Conner merely nodded and continued, "We got caught, it seems."

Kimberly looked away from Conner to stare into space, then curled into a ball, clutching her legs and her head resting on her knees. "No... no... please, no..." Kimberly whispered to herself, tears flowing from her eyes and her entire body shaking. Conner hugged her tightly, trying to comfort her as best he could. He desperately wanted to say things like how everything would be alright or how they would escape no matter what, but he held his tongue back on that. He had no intention on making promises he couldn't keep. Instead, what he said was, "Kimberly, I know how you feel, but we can't just feel sorry for ourselves. We'll need to work for our freedom if we want to escape." Kimberly did not move from her position, only sobbing gently every now and again.

Meanwhile, Conner took the time to make a second observation of the room, noting how surprisingly comfortable it was. Before he could think about it further, the door to the room opened, and a surprisingly young-looking guy with armed guards entered. Conner was not swayed by his friendly expression, but decided that it was better to comply for now. "Come on, Kimberly," Conner said to her, who slowly got up and began to walk with her head down. Conner kept an arm wrapped around her, guiding her to where they had to go.

When they arrived, Conner was rather surprised to see just how... normal everything seemed. He expected some sort of torture device or lab equipment, but there were just chairs. The person at the front of the room also looked surprisingly friendly, though Conner still didn't trust any of it.

Then came the lengthy explanation about the aliens called "L'mina", their practice of "paracannibalism", and the existence of everyone's powers. Kimberly raised her head as she listened, gaining the hope that they were not in fact here to be experimented on. Conner had to admit, the drider-like creature was definitely something that looked like it never originated from Earth, and the story almost sounded crazy enough to be true, but Conner still had questions to ask.

"Your appearance is shocking, sure, but not exactly definitive proof that your story is true," Conner stated. "Why should we trust you at all, especially after you kidnapped us and everything?"

Almost immediately upon disembarking from the plane, Lexi was ushered inside the squat, plain building that she assumed was the organization’s base of operations. Before Lexi could get a good look at her surroundings or enjoy the relief from the heat that the air conditioning brought, she was being led down several hallways that all looked the same and into a padded, comfortable-looking room where she was instructed that she would wait until someone came and got her. And then Richard and Selina left the room to go about their business, leaving her well and truly alone, assuming that they didn’t have cameras watching her that was.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t really anything in the room to keep her occupied until someone came to get her, which meant that, after examining the sterile decor of the room for all of two minutes, Lexi became rather bored. Feeling that she would be entirely unable to sleep given her current circumstances, Lexi decided that it might not be a bad idea to practice with her powers for a while. And so that was how she found herself unscrewing one of the bolts in the frame of her bed from across the room, which just so happened to be a pretty good exercise for develop dexterity, or finesse, with her telekinesis.

By the time Stefan showed up at the door, she had moved onto working on two screws at once, which turned out to be qutie a bit more difficult at first. Having been quite engrossed in her exercise, Lexi jumped when the door opened, dropping the screws in the process. Once the boy in the doorway finished his spiel, Lexi nodded, standing up and floating Zooks over to the bed as she followed after him and the guards. Before too long, they arrived at what looked like a lecture hall, Lexi taking a seat towards the back of the room while Stefan and the guards went to get the other kids.

Once everyone was gathered in the room, the redheaded woman at the front started explaining why they were there, her voice a soft purple that felt hot in Lexi’s hands, like a cup of hot chocolate. When she got to the part about the alien conflict, however, she stepped aside to allow H’mina to speak. Upon seeing the drider-esque being, Lexi clenched her eyes shut and tried to ignore her rising panic. Fortunately, she had taken a seat that was far enough away to take the edge off her fear, so it actually wasn’t too difficult to listen to what he was saying, which was rather chilling if she was being honest.

While Lexi felt it rational to trust H’mina’s word when it came to the conflict they were going to be involved in due to how she had been treated up until that point (i.e. like people and not tools), it appeared that some others didn’t find it so easy to put their faith in the alien’s claims. Ironically, however, it was a self-proclaimed bounty hunter that spoke up first, questioning why he was even there in the first place in his blue, gritty voice.

After he had said his piece, leaning back and crossing his arms rather defiantly, a boy with black hair and green eyes spoke up, questioning why they should believe the Defector’s story at all, his voice contrasting the bounty hunter’s with its orange color and slick feeling. Figuring that it would probably be a good idea to participate in the discussion as well, Lexi raised her hand after H’mina answered the questions that had already been lobbed his way and asked, ”What is our life going to be like here while this whole thing is going on?”, hoping that it would be more or less like a summer camp where they got to practice their abilities.

The last several hours were a blur, mainly because Emma drifted in and out of sleep throughout their trip. She felt obliged to stay awake but didn't really care to; she wasn't going to have a choice in where they were going, after all. She didn't particularly like the idea of being a guinea pig in some government lab, but she knew better then to try to stage an escape on her lonesome. The boy who manipulated fire was certainly evidence enough that there were others like her, so if it came down to her needing to escape she could count on there being allies wherever she was going. Allies that would incidentally have super powers, to her fortune. So for the time being she resolved to be a compliant captive and go along for the ride.

The car took them to an airport, the airplane took them to another car where she was blindfolded upon entry, and then the car took them on what she estimated to be a several hour ride until she was finally released into a cell. Not exactly the kind of treatment she was used to but there wasn't much to be done on that count. Her cell was comfortable enough for the time being.

When one Stefan Zimov came to retrieve her, along with a small herd of children, she nodded, following behind. The group was ushered into an oddly disarming room resembling a classroom and sat down in front of a once again oddly disarming women who attempted to bring them up to speed with the situation. Emma lazed back in her seat, paying only a cursory amount of attention to the women. Instead what garnered her attention was the alien. It was always her opinion that alien life was an obvious conclusion: After all, in a universe with billion of planets it was a statistical improbability for Humans to be the only life to develop. She was still quite surprised at the appearance of the creature, as she certainly had not begun the day expecting to meet a walking, talking alien.

When it was the alien's turn he spoke of great alien conflicts and the origin of their powers. Emma at the very least had the intelligence to pay attention to a spectacle such as this instead of sleeping. Emma didn't have any reason to believe it was a lie, and when one of the children questioned the truth of the story Emma spoke up, clearing her throat.

"Well, the fact of the matter is that regardless of how true their story is, we have no choice but to believe it. After all, after going through the trouble of retrieving us they aren't just going to let us go. And besides, we have no reason to mistrust them; I myself cannot puzzle out a better explanation for our powers."

Emma leaned back in her chair, relaxing. She had no intent to ask any questions of her own. She had already resolved to 'go with the flow', so she did just that. She did, however, share Lexi's curiosity. Hopefully they didn't expect too much from her, as she would rather not spend her time involved in some intergalactic conflict.

"Well," said Shirley to Winston, "we're going to need you to not just keep the kids safe, but to conduct actions that the children, as children, would find hard to do," like kill in cold blood, she thought; thankfully, she was protecting her mind with powerful imaginary barriers. "Basically, you and Agent Cartwright are going to be on missions with the kids as adult guidance."

A look at Conner, who asked a very reasonable question, before Shirley said:

"You are in a room with a lot of people with powers, everyone whom you can fuse with. One of them," she gestured to Stefan, the 16-year old redhead who had escorted him and Kimberly into the chamber, "has Pyrokinesis." Stefan then began juggling fireballs once Shirley finished her sentence, as if to emphasize the point.

"The other three Children in the front row," Shirley gestured to Emma, Lexi, and Cedric, "all have skills that are very dangerous when fused with. There are also more children in the back row* with their own powers. Why would we do the equivalent of 'locking MacGuyver in the broom closet', if we weren't trying to gain your trust?"

Then, to Lexi:

"Good question, Ms. Kingsley," Shirley said. "First up, you will all have to be trained, of course, and it will be hard; you will be taught how to use your powers, how to fight with weapons, and how to survive in general. However, there are compensations, such as one million in cash to your accounts up-front, insurance, a Government Car for when you are old enough to drive, and the chance to return to a normal life after this is over, provided that you agree to undergo genetic screening in order to make sure that any children you have do not inherit the Star Child DNA."

That was also to Emma; if she expected to be lazy, then she had another thing coming.

((*NPCs))

@Scarifar@Diggerton@TaliPaendrag@Mass City@Simple Unicycle