[IC] Unlikely Heroes

[Lady Seraphina]

ArcanicNeon (ReganOs)

Ester Gardner and Josiah

Ester was hesitant to go and look for Sam. Her side was stinging like crazy, the graze hurting more than it did when she got nearly shot in the hip. Placing her hand on her hip, Ester walked over to Vida. "I'll stay with you." She said, placing her other hand on Vida's shoulder."I need a break..." She finished. Ester looked over to Josiah. Should she say that she nearly got shot with a bullet? Should she just be like oh by the way Josiah, I nearly got shot! But I'm fine. Ester needed to be calm and firm about it. Yet she couldn't tell Wilson either. He'd have a bigger freak out than Josiah would. She was stuck. Get some form of an infection from the graze or get yelled at by her superiors.

As Ester looked away from him, Josiah looked down at her hip. "Why is your hand on your hip like that?" He asked, turning and looking down at her.

"It's nothing." Ester replied, turning away from him.

"No, let me see." Josiah said, taking Ester's wrist he pulled her hand away from her hip, revealing the blood stain on her shirt and pants.

Ester looked up at Josiah, pulling her arm away. "It's only a graze." She admitted, ringing her thumb and pointer finger around her wrist from how tight Josiah held it. "I'm Fine." She said. "It just stings a little." Josiah frowned down on her.

"You and I are gonna have a little talk later." he said.

[Lady Seraphina]

Ryver et Rhine (Dear Karma)

Callie Wright

Callie let go of Vida and got down beside Pat. “Are you feeling alright?” She rested a hand on his upper arm while her other hand against his back. She didn’t care about her bloodied hands. Right now all that was important was this man. That fall looked downright nasty for someone his age too. A strange sensation, almost like a dull flu-like headache, washed over her. She gasped, gritted her teeth and tried to hold onto him again. “Can you get up at all?”

Unable to bear it though, she did eventually let go, and the pain subsided. She rubbed her temples gingerly. She stared at the fallen man totally unsure what to do next. She wanted to help, but she didn’t think she should touch him. She flopped onto the ground too as she tried to sort out the odd sensations in her body. Was it more mental or was it physical? The only thing she concluded was that she was way too tired to care. “Vida, I think… Vida?”

Cal looked up in time to see Vida talking to Josiah. Her eyes narrowed considerably. What was that man thinking? Pulling that nice guy act wasn’t going to fool anyone. He was definitely a jerk through and through. Gods! She tried to get up and go give her hooded friend some backup, but she squashed the idea rather unenthusiastically. Now that the earlier sensation subsided, her own aches and pains came back with a vengeance. She shut her eyes and rubbed her temples some more, but she kept her ears kept in tune to the on-going conversation around her.

Sam? Christian? Missing? Her eyes shot open once more. No way! They should find the two of them. There was no telling what else lurked in this town. But first things first, she wanted to make sure Pat was really alright before volunteering to help Jenna. Leaving him there was just cruel. “Hey I errr don’t know how I can help, but I can give you a hand, if you like. That is if you don’t mind me holding you.” She paused. It was a little presumptuous to grab him earlier. Very presumptuous. “Sorry about just now. I feel really bad grabbing you like that.” She added in a very subdued voice.

[Lady Seraphina]

dpickle

Patrick "Pat" Anderson

Pat was still pretty dazed from his fall so he sat there sore and silent while the others talked about the missing Sam and Christian. Half of him wanted to get up and join the conversation, but the other half wasn't done sitting and sulking over how awful the day had been. Why the heck did I follow these darn kids after that card. It was only a few hundred bucks and Sam isn't even here to spend it. Pat sighed, there wasn't anything he could do about it now.

Having felt he'd spent enough time on the ground, Pat prepared himself to get up only to feel some shooting pain go through his back. He was in worse shape than he first thought. Suddenly, Cal appeared and tried helping him up. Pat was startled by her act of compassion but was about to try and get up, with her help, when he felt her tense up and remembered his power.

“Can you get up at all?”

"Not yet, just give me a few..." Pat started before realizing that Cal seemed to zone out. It wasn't surprising, considering the effect touching him had had on everyone else. It was also surprising that she stopped to help in the first place. Pat lived alone, and when your alone you aren't used to random acts of charity.

“Hey I errr don’t know how I can help, but I can give you a hand, if you like. That is if you don’t mind me holding you.”

"No, I can get up. Just give me a second." Pat wasn't sure if Cal had put two and two together and figured out that he had caused the headache, but he wasn't about to let her get hurt again on his account. Especially since she was just trying to be nice. With this added motivation, Pat put his hands to the ground and, with some muffled groaning, managed to get himself into a standing position. His back was on fire but Pat didn't think anything was broken, just bad bruising.

"And don't worry about the grabbing thing, just give me a warning next time." And maybe wait five days so that this migraines over.

[Lady Seraphina]

Izkripp

Vida Curacio

She looked over at Callie and the scene that was going on. She was trying to figure out just what kind of power the older man had while she was waiting for Josiah to take them back. From what she saw he was able to cause pain to a person through touch, but he did not leave any physical evidence of him doing so. Her eyes narrowed for a moment staring at the man. She was so jealous of him, he was like her, but he was not. She could feel a tingle going through her body, though difference than the others. She was sure that if this was a tv show her eyes would be glowing. She stared at him as the tingle flowed through her and then abruptly stopped as her vision started to dim. She slide her foot forward slightly and put her hand up to her head. She was exhausted all of a sudden. Her body was starting to feel weak.

She turned her attention to Ester as she put her hand on her shoulder. Vida flinched away out of a reflex, but it was only for a moment. She realized that she still had the jacket between the two of them. "Sorry." She said back to her sheepish self. She watched the interaction between Josiah and Ester curiously of why he was acting so familiar with her. It was kind of like a drama she had watched, but there wasn't a skip button to get to the back story and she did not want to ask. Her eyes wandered down to the blood that was on Ester. It was not so bad, she had seen worse in the last day. She was sure that this wouldn't kill the girl, probably give her a scar.

She finally looked up at the two of them again. "Can... we go now?"

[Lady Seraphina]

Kirra

Josiah, Daniel, Jenna Baxter

"Yes, we can go." Josiah said as he rested a hand on each of the two Charlies. "You all better keep each other safe. I rather not bring anyone else injured or worse back to Wilson. He's already going to be upset with what happened so I don't want to see this becoming worse or you won't hear the end of this. That includes you too Daniel. If anything happens, let me know immediately." Josiah said in his normally harsh tone before the three of them vanished.

"Sheesh, always the worrywart."Daniel said with a slight sigh. "He might be a prick but believe it or not, he is always looking for what's best for the others on the team even if he does come off as harsh."

"Really? He seems nothing but a jerk to us this whole time." Jenna said watching the spot where the trio teleported from. It still was an unsettling sight when powers with such visibility was used as she wondered when the initial shock of such things happening would start to fade away.

"He is, don't get me wrong. However out of the group I trust him the most. Even more than Wilson." Daniel said before taking a few steps towards the way back to the van. "If you all are ready, we should get going. One of you will have to drive since tracking down the Charlies is going to take a bit more work." He said as he held out the key for any of the three remaining Charlies to grab the keys before heading back towards the van at a brisk walking pace. Off in the distance, the sound of a police car could be heard approaching in their general vicinity which could be assumed to respond to the gun shots. "We can make it back to the main street before they arrive with no trouble. Just make sure you all act naturally and we should be fine."

Dr. Wilson - Reformers Base

It took less than a few seconds before Vida and Ester appeared in the infirmary with Josiah. Teleportation isn't as seamless as it is seen on TV and a rocky, turbulence type of feel is very evident to a person not accustomed to this sort of travel and motion sickness is a common occurrence. However Josiah didn't stop to check if either faced what to him was a minor inconvenience.

"Both of you go sit down on and wait on the beds." Josiah said motioning towards the beds after seeing that Wilson nor Garret wasn't in the room before leaving to search for them. He didn't have to think twice about where Wilson would be and found him nestled on a couch reading one of his books.

"I didn't think you would be returning this early." Dr. Wilson said with slight concern when he saw that Josiah was there. "Did something happen while you were in town? Was it the TSP?" He said closing his book and without waiting for a response started to head towards the infirmary.

"No, it was a gang that the Charlies thought they could take on. Vida is hurt like Garret but in a worse state and Ester was shot but..."

"There was a firearm involved with untrained civilians that barely even know what they are capable of with their powers? What were you and Daniel doing during this ordeal?" Dr. Wilson said before suddenly stopping and turning towards Josiah. "Actually, I rather not hear what happened. I don't want to know what sort of trouble the two of you started due to your negligence. The others best be on their way back here now if you know what is best."

"Let's just say they are taking the long way back." Josiah said avoid the answer as the two entered the infirmary.

"If something happens it will be on both of your heads." Wilson said before turning his attention towards the two injured Charlies to assess the injuries.

Tia - TSP

"Gotcha!"

Jumping to her feet, Tia quickly rushed with excitement towards a holographic map she had up and zoomed it into a twenty-five mile radius.

"You can't hide from me for long. It's only been a day since the chase started and you are already slipping." Closing her eyes, Tia focused on the police scanner as she tried to tune out the rest of the white noise coming in from other frequencies. A new police report was coming in about a group of crazed individuals and although the information given by the group wasn't exactly clear, she had a feeling she knew who was involved.

"It's only a matter of time."

[Lady Seraphina]

BlessedWrath (Weaver)

Samantha Cole

The man in the suit flashed a wry grin which failed to mask his half-sigh of frustration. He took a moment to just look at them, shaking his head. Then he gave his wrist a shake, to reveal his watch again, and observed the time.

"Well," he said, puffing air from between his lips. "I want you two to know that this is the longest a captive has held my attention, but I do have another engagement."

He finished the sentence with a 'what are you gonna do' shrug, then clicked one of the buttons on the side of the watch. Immediately, Sam and Christian could feel something pop on the backs of their necks. The sensation was oddly similar to stepping on a ketchup packet, followed by a warm, wet sensation. It didn't take long for the sedatives released by the skin patches to work their magic. As he walked away, the man in the suit again regarded his confederates.

"Cut the blind one loose; he wouldn't cooperate even if we started cutting things off him. I think he might be a pathological liar."

"Of course I want you to track him. If he does have any friends, he'll lead us straight to them. Use the subdermal; I don't want him ditching the transmitter."

"Take the girl to Site B. I'm not finished with her yet."

[Lady Seraphina]

ArcanicNeon (ReganOs)

Ester Gardner and Josiah

As Dr Wilson made his way towards Ester, she contemplated what to say. "Start with the obvious." Ester started in her head. "It's just a graze!" Ester said. "It only stings." She admitted.

"Yes, also not that deep." Dr wilson said, staring at the bloody stain on Ester's right hip. "But it's susceptible to infection." He added.

"Vida's injury is more important." Ester replied.

"She's right, and besides I need to have a little talk with Ester..." Josiah added. Walking over to the door frame, Josiah stopped and motioned for Ester to follow him. She quickly looked at Wilson and rolled her eyes, following him out the door and into the frame, closing the door behind her.
---

Josiah stopped and propped himself up against a wall, Ester stopping in front of him and looking up. 'Before you get angry at me-'

Josiah quickly cut her off "You decided to go and play hero?" He finished for her.

"What? no!" Ester said "He had a gun, I didn't notice, I barely made it out without a bullet in my thigh." She explained.

"And what could've happened if you got shot?" Josiah pointed out. "The worst thing that could've happened is that we couldn't get you here in time and we'd have a dead Charlie on our hands... and Wilson, will kill me, and Garrett, and Daniel if one of you dies"

"Give the girl who, by the way had no clue her assailant had a gun, a break!" Ester said rather angrily. "Sometimes you've gotta let up a little bit."

Josiah sighed, pushing his hair back he looked down at Ester. "Wanna know why I'm giving you this talk?" He asked, less sternly. "Because we have to look out for each other, we've all got something in common and we have to care for each other."

"Really?' Ester said "Because you sure as hell don't sound like you care all that much..."

"We care.' Josiah said "I've always kind of seen you, the Charlies, Garrett, Daniel, and Dr wilson as a little family. A weird-ass family with superpowers. You know what it's like to loose someone?" He asked.

"No..." Ester said, slumping on the wall next. "Not really. My mom and dad are still around, so's my little brother... But, I can get it."

"Elaborate, Snow Princess." Josiah said, turning on his side to Ester.

"I've dealt with kids who've lost... Everything..." She looked up at Josiah. "Kids who've lost family, friends, pets... themselves. And it's always my job to find a way to help them. I never fully experienced grief and loss before... But being with the Charlies, I realized I'd be so devastated if something were to happen to them." Ester pushed her hair back and crossed her arms, looking at the ground. "I uh... Take care of this little kid named Zach..." She began, "Only 11. And... he lost everything. His family died in a fire, only one out alive and he was so traumatised by it. Kid can't make friends, because he's scared they'd make fun of him... And he's like the child I never got..."

"You can't get pregnant?" Josiah asked.

"No... no no not at all... I just... Don't like guys..."

"You're gay?" Josiah asked.

"Pansexual." Ester corrected "With a fling for girls."

"Ahhh." Josiah said, looking down at her.

"Anyways," Ester lifted herself off the wall. "This talk went better than I thought it would..."

"yeah.." Josiah said, smirking slightly.

"Also... Don't call me snow princess..." Ester said, smiling and shaking her head.

"Done. Anyways, time to get you checked up..." Josiah said. Ester nodded and walked off back to the infirmary, Josiah smiling after her.

[Lady Seraphina]

Izkripp

Vida Curacio

The trip was sudden, way too sudden. When the room came into focus she stumbled and caught herself on one of the beds. She was already feeling dizzy and weak before the jump, but she was feeling even worse. Her stomach turned as her mind struggled to keep up with what just happened. She wanted to vomit. She reached up and put her hand over her mouth just in case something was going to come out. Josiah left them in the room. What they were saying was true she figured he was not the nicest of people. She did not bother to see how Ester was doing; she seemed to be handling herself much better than she was. Vida gave up on the struggle and let herself fall onto the bed to rest. She was sure she would feel better if she could just lay there for a minute and let everything settle.

Too much had happened already. They ran off, got into a gang fight, she had a hole in her memory, and then they were teleported. She heard Josiah return with the man from earlier, what was his name again? She lay on the bed letting him assess Ester, then she heard her name. She continued to lay there. Maybe if she pretended to sleep then he would leave her alone. Not possible she decided. She sat up in time to see Ester and Josiah leave. Her eyes hovered at the door wondering just what was between them.

Suddenly she remembered that the attention of the older man fully on her now. She nervously turned her attention to him, their eyes met for a moment then she dropped hers to the floor.

She heard some movement and then heard him speak. “Take off your jacket.”

She reached up and gripped the jacket with white knuckles for a moment before she slowly unzipped it and pulled it off. She still did not look up at she sat there with her wounds showing. The wound on her face and neck still looked bad with black dead cells towards the middle, but on the edges light pink lined the would showing that there had been worse and it had already started to heal. As she was looking down she noticed her hands, parts of her fingers were still missing, but they didn’t look as bad as before. Over all she looked awful and she had started to get thinner again. Most of the morning’s breakfast had gone to recovering from the night before, which left her with little nutrients to get her through this mess.

[Lady Seraphina]

Cerulean

Adam Cooper

"I got the magic in me
Every time I touch that track in turns into Gold
Every body knows I got the magic in me
When I hear hit the floor the girls come snapping at me
Now everybody wants to press the magic"

Adam was trying out something different. Not busking. That he has done plenty of times before, with about as much success as you can expect from such an endeavor. This was his first attempt at mixing songs to tell a different story. His voice matched the transposed note and it filled him with warmth because this story was about his own expression of self. Perhaps he wasn't actually swarmed by girls, but it was nice to think of what that would be like. It was him coming out of his own shell and that feeling never ceased to amaze.

Pressing fingers to keys, on his little keyboard, he hummed a little bit. The composition was treated with a methodical grace and now the performance was starting to warm Adam. He was really getting into it now, adjusting in the comfy chair that was never left at home. The voice had a deep, gruff tone to it. It was the voice of a future star. At least, that was the goal.

"I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that place.
Even your emotions had an echo
In so much space

And when you're out there
Without care,
Yeah, I was out of touch
But it wasn't because I didn't know enough
I just knew too much

Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Possibly"

Adam can frequently find his mind is different places, but this was the one thing that could hold together long enough to get something wonderful out. It helped him battle back his demons and at the same time make other people happy. This in turn made him happy...er.

"Ha La La La La
Now listen closer to the verse I lay
(Ha La La La La)
It's all about the wordplay
(Ha La La La Love)
The wonderful thing it does
Because, because
I am the wizard of ooh's and ah's and fa-la-la's
Yeah the Mister A to Z
They say I'm all about the wordplay

I built a bridge across the stream my consciousness
It always seems to be a flowing
But I don't know which way my brain is going
Oh the rhyming and the timing
Keeps the melodies inside me
And they're coming
Till I'm running out of air
Are you prepared to take a dive into the deep end of my head
Are you listening to a single word I've said"

He had finally opened his eyes, as the last phrase fell out. The last sound that was made come from the chord on the piano.

[Lady Seraphina]

BlessedWrath (Weaver)

Dr. Wilson and Josiah

It didn't take long for Wilson to diagnose Vida's injuries. The necrosis was identical to Garret's injuries, if more severe. He still had no idea how to treat the condition, but first aid was a clear starting point. Wordlessly, he worked to wrap up her hands, but not before taking a skin sample.

He avoided her eyes. He didn't want her to see what was in his. Without realizing it, Wilson had been a little rough with his attentions. He was angry. No...not angry; angry wasn't the right word. He was offended. He had risked all to save this group of people, to establish a better life and a secure future for them, and they had -on their first outing tangled with a common street gang. Was there any thought to their own safety at all? And what had been the reason? He'd have to remember to ask that when everyone else arrived at the base.

Hopefully, without New York's entire criminal population in tow. He thought bitterly.

Vida needed a drip, just in case her body's fluids had been depleted by her ability. It was standard medical practice to prevent dehydration, but in Wilson's case, it was all the more important. They still hadn't fully explored the effects of the Charlies' abilities on their own physiology. For all he knew, the use of Vida's powers could have far-reaching and lasting side effects, which could be dangerous or even fatal.

"Lie back and stay here," Wilson said quietly. There wasn't enough force in his words to come across as gruff. His tone was hollow, subdued. It almost sounded like the voice of a man who'd given up.

"Ester, your turn."

It had been a while since Wilson had to sew up a wound. On examination, it appeared as though the bullet had made just enough contact to produce a nasty gash in her side, but it had thankfully done no more damage than that. He spent a few minutes to stop the bleeding, then administered a local anesthetic to numb the area while he worked to close the wound.

"Keep still and don't touch it," He told Ester. "We'll start you on antibiotics if there are any signs of infection."

With that, he turned to face Josiah, who had seen this expression on his face precious few times. Wilson did not need to indicate that he wanted Josiah to follow; it was understood. The door clicked gently closed behind Josiah.

"I don't care," Wilson started, with a forced calm in his voice. "I don't care how this started, I don't care who's responsible, and I don't care how much you want to get back at them. It stops, here and now."

"They still have Sam and Christian."

There was dead space in Wilson's grand speech. Those few words knocked the air out of his lungs. They crippled his ability to speak. He took off his glasses and absently worked to clean the lenses while he struggled to come up with a response.

"Who?" He managed weakly.

"Don't know," Josiah replied. "But, from what Daniel said, it seems like they took them to a separate facility. We don't even know if it's the same people the Charlies tangled with. It doesn't really seem like their style, if you ask me."

"Daniel could sense them?" Wilson inquired, waving off the rest of Josiah's opinions.

"Well...yeah, but he said it was at the edge of his range. We can't really be sure it even is them. He hasn't spent enough time with them to tell them apart from other supers."

"We obviously don't have the skills to take on a street gang. We need more information, more training, more... more time."

Wilson paced while he talked, his brow furrowed to the point where it more closely resembled a freshly tilled field than skin. He stopped abruptly and, without turning to face Josiah, simply uttered the words: "Can you still find Masaru?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Do it."

[Lady Seraphina]

Ryver et Rhine (Dear Karma)

Daniel, Jenna, Callie Wright and Pat (+ unconscious Tom) - Alley

"And don't worry about the grabbing thing, just give me a warning next time."

“S-sure. I’m glad you aren’t upset,” Cal looked visibly relieved. She was a little upset that she seemed to have annoyed Christian earlier today, so no offending a second person so soon would be great. Even though the old man managed to get back on his feet, Pat’s expression showed that he was in a lot more pain than he let on. She had to find a way to help without actually touching him, she concluded. Her eyes fell on a nearby a nearby dumpster.

She ran over. Seeing the lid was closed, she wiped the drying blood onto her shirt and threw the lid up. A quick rummage unearthed a long metal rod, possibly an old curtain rod, which could be used as a temporary cane. “I – you look like your back’s hurting.” She paused as she offered him the rod. “I can’t carry you, so maybe a cane will help? It’s just a short distance to the start of the alley …”

“Oh...” She remembered the van. Josiah, that arrogant jerk, mentioned they had to get back to it. Wait! Since he was with Daniel, it meant that this other person was in-charge. She sighed and took a deep breath in an attempt to clear the fog building inside her head. The burst of oxygen provided a small relief. She was just so goddamn tired now that the adrenaline ebbed. Still there was work to do and now one else asked the obvious. “Oh Daniel! Do you think we can back the van closer towards alley?”

She walked over to him. “Maybe we can decide on the more important things once we are all comfortably seated.” She looked discreetly in Pat’s direction, trying to see if he was alright. She fished around for an excuse that didn’t put the man in the spotlight. “I still aching from earlier and you don’t want to deal with me when I’m grumpy.” She pouted.

“Not that I’m not worried about Sam and Christian,” Cal added quickly. “I think it’s more private and comfortable discussing the matter in the van … and yeah hanging out here any long is a baaad idea. There were several shots earlier.” She paused to catch her breath. She didn't realize how fast she had been talking. "And we appear to have a body." She pointed to the unconscious Tom.

Daniel, Jenna, Cal and Pat (+ unconscious Tom) - The Van

The last bit, while an odd addition, seemed to galvanize them into action. Callie was the last to board the van. She shut the rear door and made her way to the driver's seat. Pat was currently sitting shot gun, while Jenna was directly behind and Daniel sitting opposite Jenna. Cal adjusted herself in such a manner she could see most them. “Now back to all important question. Are we feeling confident about rescuing Sam and Christian or do we want to head back and regroup?”

She composed herself and did a brief headcount. “I mean there’s only Daniel, Patrick, you – Jenna – and me. The Fed doesn't count since he's still out cold at the back. And oh, Vida and Ester went back with – ” She stopped herself from saying Jerk-siah. “Josiah. No offense, Dan. I’m sure you’re a great guy and all, but yeah. We lack the numbers.”

She deliberately avoided mentioning the fight earlier. Killing the morale wasn't going to help their missing friends. Callie watched Jenna closely. “I prefer going back, but I’ll follow if the rest of you want to do this.” She smiled warmly at the brunette. “Trust me, I want Sam and Christian back safe too.”

[Lady Seraphina]

Perry

Maxim "Max" Emillianov

Max had no fucking clue of how late or soon in the day it was and he could not care any less. The only concern he had with the time was how long he had until the painkiller's effect faded enough for him to need the next bunch and how long until Viktor was back from the job interview and took him to a fucking doctor who could finally fix this whole shit. Viktor had left him on a park bench with a bottle of ice tea, a blindfold, and the promise of seeing a doctor who was not a complete retard in less than two hours. Juicy Russian swearwords kept mixing in his mind with whatever it was the retarded street musician was singing in the park. The guy was at least honest enough to admit that he even remembered losing his mind, which he might as well have not found yet, for all Max could tell.

»Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Possibly«

"Fuck yeah!", Max muttered somewhat loudly when the guy kept singing if something made him crazy. Max was sure he had already heard whatever it was that should have made or not made this lunatic crazy, but keeping track of the text was tougher a task than he had known before all this. The drowsiness from the painkillers he had swallowed after lunch – and the past days – and the growing impatience about not knowing what the hell was wrong with him – which he shared with at least two doctors – made him wonder if maybe he himself was going to share the insanity with this guy in the park who had smoked whatever had made him think he was a fucking wizard. Maybe that was what could help him with the blindness and the headaches. Why not? Modern medicine seemed to be as clueless as any other person on the streets, so maybe he needed a wizard instead of doctors and hospitals. And for what Max knew whatever this dude had smoked could be much more effective than regular painkillers.

"You said too many fucking words." Max said loud and clear this time, right after he sang if people were listening to a word he was saying. "Not a single, too many singles."​

[Lady Seraphina]

Cerulean

Adam Cooper

This wasn't the first time someone shouted during a performance and, it sadly would not be the last. At least the song was over before the heckler did anything more. He looked over to the park bench to find that the asshat was blindfolded. Of course the guy had a blindfold, because why not? Debating whether or not to bite his tongue, instead of the man's, someone came over and dropped a few dollars in his case. It simmered him down enough to not say anything and just hope that maybe Stevie Wonder would wander off or a meteor would hit him. Just stick with it a little longer and then break time.

Deciding to give his voice a rest, Adam took a deep breath and began to just play a little instrumental music. It was classical, in composition, and baritone in Db. Overall, the day have been pretty good so far. The sun was shining when clouds didn't cockblock it. In his head, there were ideas swirling around as to what he should do if the heckler goes off again. A stinging one liner should do the trick.

Or something.

[Lady Seraphina]

dpickle

Patrick "Pat" Anderson

Pat got to his feet just as Josiah disappeared with the two seriously injured members of the party. It was a bit disorientating to suddenly be looking at empty space where three people had been a moment before. Why couldn't he just teleport us all back? It's not like there's anyone left back here to notice. Pat knew that he could sure use a teleport right about then. A soft bed and about a million pain killers wouldn't hurt either. Pat's back had mildly improved from when he had first stood up, but he still wanted to get out of his current standing position as soon as possible. As if reading his mind, Callie suddenly appeared with a makeshift cane.

Upon being offered the cane, Pat quickly accepted with a short thanks. Under ordinary circumstances Pat may have protested, but he was far to sore and exhausted to consider refusing some help. The added support significantly reduced the pain of walking around, a big boon considering the van was a fair ways away. The trip back to the van gave Pat just enough time to be embarrassed about the previous events. Pat considered himself very proficient at masking pain Callie seemed to see through it right away. Granted there's a drastic difference between migraine pain and "Just been in a gang fight" pain, but it still stung the ego none the less.

Once they were all back in the van, Pat got a bit of relief and they had to decide on what to do about the missing members.

"I also say that we should also go back to base. If Sam and Christian aren't in any danger they can wait for a while and if they are in danger we're not in a position to do anything about it."

[Lady Seraphina]

Izkripp

Vida Curacio

Vida was extremely uncomfortable with the doctor. She could tell that he was angry, but she could not tell who he was angry with. With no one specified she just assumed that he was angry with her. She avoided looking at him a little too obviously as she kept her head turned away from him as he dressed her wounds. She did not even notice him take a piece of her skin; even if she had the day had been too long for her to care anymore.

When he spoke she jumped a little. She knew that he would say something eventually, but she was not excepting it to be so… distant? She turned over if that was the right word that she should be using. Without protest she did what was told of her, but not before picking up her jacket. As she lay down she pulled the jacket over her head so that her face was covered. Honestly she was still in a lot of pain from her wounds, but she had never been one to voice out her discomfort to others.

Why are you crying again?

She was not crying.

You know what will happen if they catch you crying.

The familiar voice that played in her mind was one that she had not heard in a few years now. She was not crying, but she did feel like she could start at any moment. Laying there under her jacket she felt her eyes getting heavy. She was tired again and she was hungry. Since she was told to stay where she was there was no way that she could go get food and even if she could go she did not remember where the food was. Left with only one option she ended up closing her eyes so that she could drift to sleep.

[Lady Seraphina]

BlessedWrath (Weaver)

Josiah and Masaru - Kurosawa Dojo, Corner of Ninth and Pine

Josiah paused outside, mentally rehearsing what he was going to say. Masaru had been there for the previous run of supers, and it hadn't gone well. Part of why the program had been discontinued had been the unpredictability of some supers' behavior; both before and after the change. Masaru had been no exception.

Before the end, Masaru had shown a deep contempt for the program's administration and policies. He had disobeyed orders, had interfered with investigations and pursuit of targets... Ironically, this was precisely what the Reformers needed. It was not fear that kept him beneath the decorative awnings outside his dojo; it was worry.

"Ok," he told himself. "Let's not screw this up."

He got as far as the front counter before he noticed the kneeling form of a man in the center of the practice mats, facing away from him. As Josiah had already had his fill of surprises this week, he decided that discretion was the better part of valor and resolved to sneak up on the man. After all, TSP forces had already blackbagged an entire generation of supers; what was to stop them laying a trap here?

"We agreed you would not come back."

Josiah immediately recognized the voice as belonging to his old colleague. It was not a hostile tone, but there was still a little ice hanging from his words. He wondered if that meant Masaru would be unwilling to help.

"How'd you know it was me?" he inquired, instantly regretting the commission of a movie cliché.

The kneeling man rose, bowed to the room, and calmly returned to the counter. Here, he indicated several recent newspaper clippings relating to the bus crash.

-Bus Crash Kills Twelve
-Several Still Missing from Downtown Bus Crash
-Mysterious Incidents Plague New York. Police Baffled.

"Let me think," Masaru said quietly, leaning on the wall next to the counter. He put a finger to his lips, parroting Wilson's favorite musing. "There is a large accident, several people go missing from the scene, and a week of abnormal incidents later, I get a visitor too nervous to enter my dojo."

"Yeah, I get it." Josiah grumbled. "Fine, Sherlock. If you're so smart, then you tell me why I'm here."

"If I had to guess, I would say Wilson has finally run into an enemy who will not settle for words and promises."

"You're half right. We've got two missing, and we're not sure who's got 'em. Could be TSP, could be street thugs. We've got an idea of where they might be, but things could get..."

Josiah trailed off. He didn't like the look in Masaru's eye.

"...messy?" Masaru finished the thought for him. Josiah nodded.

Without a word, Masaru took the keys to the front door and locked it. He emptied the till into the drop safe and shut down the main power to his dojo. When he returned to Josiah's side, he simply held out his arm.

"We're wasting time."

[Lady Seraphina]

Kirra

Jenna Baxter and Daniel

"Either way it looks like we are too late now." Daniel said with a small sigh as he continued to try and focus on finding Sam and Christian. "They are too far now."

"What do you mean they are too far? We can't just loose them just like that." Jenna said, the tone of her voice slightly rising as worry and panic settled in. "We have to go. We have to find them again. We have to..."

"We can't." Shaking his head sympathetically, Daniel turned towards Jenna. "My powers can only go so far and without Josiah here with me to help rapidly catch up and find them, we're S.O.L. Once we get back to the base we can regroup and Josiah and I can go out and search for them but there isn't..." Confusion was written on the man's face as he paused and closed his eyes to block out any unneeded stimui.

"What's going on?"

"It can't be them but I think I found another pair of Charlies. I was too focued on the other source that I didn't notice them and from what it looks like, they are not too far away. Let's go investigate."

It didn't take too long before the van pulled up in front of a park. It took Daniel a few seconds to look around from the parked vehicle and identify where exactly the two Charlies were. "It looks like the street preformer and the angry foreigner is our winners." The man said pointing out the two.

"We're going to ruin their lives now aren't we? Everything changed when you and the TSP got involved and now here we are doing the same exact thing." Jenna said looking at the two.

"You got it wrong Jen. Everything changed before we were involved. Your life was different ever since the crash whether or not we got involved. Even if they refuse to join us, the least they deserve is answers." Daniel said before exiting the van. "I'll hop in if I needed but I'm going to leave this conversation up to you three."

Garrett and Dr. Wilson

"Guys! Guess who's here!" Garret said with excitement as he opened the door to the infirmary. Although his hands were wrapped up from the accident that happened earlier, it didn't dampen his mood in the slightest.

"Masaru." Wilson said looking up from his desk in the corner of the room.

"How did you know?" Garret said a bit surprised.

"I asked Josiah to get him earlier. Now will you please settle down. This is an infirmary and Vida was trying to sleep before you came in."

"Sheesh, you can be such a party pooper sometimes." Garret said, this time in a calmer voice although the excitement on his face stayed the same. "They wanted me to notify you of their arrival so that you can catch up. But I also thought since the two of you haven't had the chance to meet Masaru yet, you might like to. That is, if you're feeling well enough to do so."

[Lady Seraphina]

BlessedWrath (Weaver)

Masaru

Masaru simply bowed, though the gesture was far from the deep flourish of his ancestry. It gave him the flavor of a man trying to chase after his heritage, and never quite catching up to it. Ordinarily, he'd have smiled at the two young ladies in the infirmary, but it had been grim news that had brought him here.

"Josiah tells me," Masaru said, turning to Wilson. "That your new team is already missing some vital pieces. Are we no longer doing the caution and stealth thing?"

Wilson's lips were not quick enough to stifle an exasperated sigh. He looked up at Masaru from his desk and willed him to feel bad for what he just said. When that did not have the intended effect, he frowned and elaborated on the situation.

"I can help to prepare these people for the changes in their lives. I can help them to stay safe, to develop and use their gifts, but I can not prevent every change in the wind which might get them into trouble. I had labored under the insane notion that going shopping was still safe in this world."

Masaru simply folded his hands behind his back and waited for the rest of Wilson's tirade. It was difficult to say which bothered Wilson more: Being interrupted, or being so expected to rant that his audience held their questions until the end of the tour.

"I'm sorry," Wilson abruptly changed course. He laid down his clipboard and folded his hands in front of him. "You couldn't have known what happened. I only just found out myself, and only the bare bones of the situation."

"Samantha and Christian apparently pursued a pickpocket for several blocks. They were separated from the group, who obviously felt it was necessary to rehearse a remake of The A-Team in response to the theft of Samantha's card. Josiah can fill you in on the details."

"Let it suffice to say that, not only did our new team not find its two missing members, but those two members are now in the hands of an unknown party -perhaps even associates of the thieves they were trying to fight- and, as far as we know, completely off our radar."

"Now," Wilson allowed himself a breath, while carefully selecting his next words. "I know you don't agree with what happened during your participation in The Sierra Project. I know you left to go find yourself. I understood and respected that choice enough that I didn't send my team to go get you back."

He leaned forward, wearing his most serious face. "But this is not The Sierra Project. These are not soldiers. They are civilians. Poorly-prepared, ill-equipped, and almost totally defenseless civilians. They did not sign up for this, nor were they recruited by a military selection board. They were forced into it by a cruel amalgamation of chance, fate, bad luck and bad timing. It's our fault, Masaru, and I aim to see they're made ready for what's going to happen to them as a result."

Masaru said nothing during Wilson's explanation. He simply stood there, waiting for his turn to speak. His face wasn't altogether whimsical either.

"I will help you," he replied quietly. "I need some supplies, some information, and a place to start looking. After that, as you well know, there are no guarantees."

Wilson cast his eyes at Garret, then made the "get him what he wants" gesture toward the supply room. On their way out, Wilson called for Masaru's attention one last time.

"I know this doesn't mean you're rejoining our team, Masaru. I know you're only doing this because you want to help. I won't try to make you stay. Just...please...find those two and find them in one piece. We're responsible for them. They deserve to live."

Masaru nodded curtly and followed Garret through the door.

[Lady Seraphina]

ArcanicNeon (ReganOs)

Ester Gardner and Garrett

The whole time Dr Wilson tended to Ester's side wound Ester was less nervous than she thought she would be. Heck, she even looked at the wound on her side. Once the anesthetic kicked in on her side it was like nothing happened.

He instructed her not to touch it, and that if infection were to occur then he'll start her on antibiotics. Ester nodded and carefully lifted herself up. "Thank you." She said, "I'll be careful."

Ester left the infirmary and made her way to her quarters. She might as well have her free time to herself, collect her thoughts on what the everlasting hell is going on. How her life as taken such a sudden change and her having superpowers of all things. She needed to collect and think.

Resting herself on her bed, Ester stared at the ceiling, hands on her stomach as she began to recall what has happened to her.

"I should be home. I should be taking care of my clients. I was going to go see my mom. I was normal. I was happy. I am still happy- No. No. No, I can't lie to myself..." Ester stopped and covered her face with her hands, sighing.

"I'm not happy. I'm not. I'm not happy anymore." Ester repeated in her head. "I might not be happy again."

All these thoughts and emotions started to make Ester feel conflicted about herself. She's not happy, she's angry and scared. The fact that she became this, got dragged into this fiasco between two factions. Over time Ester began to think of ways to get herself out of this. She could run away. She could go back to her own life. But she also has to stay. She needs to be a hero. She needs to learn how to control herself and these powers.

Suddenly, Ester remembered.

"The phone call." She realized. Sitting up Ester needed to find a phone. Hurrying out Ester needed to find a phone. She noticed Garrett and another man walking somewhere and hurried towards them. "Garrett!" Ester said "I need a phone!"

Garrett turned around to her. "Oh uh." He said "What for?" He asked

"I need to make a call to the school I work at." Ester explained.

"Oh god um-" Garrett turned to Masaru then back to Ester. "There's a phone in the command center but it's locked." He explained. "I can unlock it but you have to lie. We can't have anyone else knowing you're here."

"What should I say?" Ester asked

"I don't know, tell them you're in rehab!" he suggested.

Ester sighed. "Alright." She said.

Garrett turned to Masaru "I can't let her go down to where the phone is by herself." He admitted.

Masaru nodded "I understand." He said.

Garrett sighed in relief "Thanks." Garrett said. He turned to Ester. "Follow me."

Garrett then walked off, Ester following him to a locked door with a key card lock. "We got a phone line that's protected in this room. So nobody that's on our side can find us through phone calls."

"Smart." Ester admired.

Walking down the small hall behind Garrett the two entered the command centre. Ester never really got a full chance to soak the room in.

"Phone's over there." Garrett pointed out to a small phone on a desk, next to a computer with a screen fit to the wall.

"I'll be quick." Ester said hurrying over. Picking up the phone she pressed the buttons and had waited, until she heard a familiar voice.

"Welcome to Sundale elementary school this is Kerry speaking."

"Kerry. Hi it's Ester."

The woman gasped "Oh my god Ester." She said. "Where are you? You haven't called the school in weeks! All of Zach's appointments have been cancelled."

Ester sighed "I'm sorry. I just... There's something that i need to tell you."

Ester took a breath in "Here goes nothing." She thought

"I'm in Rehab... I... got caught doing drugs and was sent in for rehab." She lied.

"Oh..." Kerry said. "I'm afraid if a teacher or counselor is caught doing dangerous activities, they have to be replaced."

"I'm aware." Ester sighed, her other hand on her non-medicated hip. "Tell Zach I'm sorry." She requested.

"I will inform Mr. Nevogan.' Kerry promised. 'It was nice working with you Est.'

"You too Kerry." Ester smiled. "Goodbye."

Hanging up the phone Ester sighed and groaned. "I'm never lying again." She said. "I just lost my job..."

"Damn." Garrett sighed, arms crossed.

"Well. Means I can start a new life after this." Ester admitted. Garrett turned and walked out the door, waiting for Ester to follow him. Ester exited the command center, Josiah shutting the door behind him.

"Thanks." She said, walking next to him down the hallway.

[Lady Seraphina]

dpickle

Patrick "Pat" Anderson

Pat gave a small sigh of relief as the Van came to a stop. He could now add "multiple car rides" to the list of annoying things that had happened this day. At least the pain in his back had died down to manageable levels.

"It looks like the street preformer and the angry foreigner is our winners."

Pat stole a glance out the window to see the two new victims for himself. They sure didn't look like much. Just another two ordinary people who got punched in the gut by Lady Luck. And now it was their job to break the bad news to them. With a small groan, Pat managed to haul himself out of the van. Standing up seemed to rekindle the pain in his back a bit, and now Pat was regretting leaving the cane behind.

"Even if they refuse to join us, the least they deserve is answers." Daniel said before exiting the van. "I'll hop in if I needed but I'm going to leave this conversation up to you three."

"So we're just going to talk to them? No stabbing them with a needle before throwing them in the back of the van?" Pat muttered loud enough to hear. "That method seemed to work so well last time."

Pat knew he was being a bit harsh, but he wasn't about to let the Reformers live that one down just yet. If Pat was being honest, he would probably have preferred they use the knock out method in this situation, talking with people wasn't his strong suit. Let's get this over with, Pat thought to himself before walking over to where the two new Charlies were.

"Hey, you on the bench. And Mr. Mozart on the keyboard. Random question, were either of you involved in a bus crash about a week ago?"