[IC] Unlikely Heroes

[Rina]

Saturday 11:59 pm
"You should have answered our calls then Mike." Garret said from within the van as the man joined him and the others. "We're on the move again Mike and this time you can't stay on the fence. You need chose a side." As the van roared to life and Josiah gone to the next point, Garret turned towards Mike. "It's nice seeing you again but sadly we don't have time to talk right now. Once we make it back to Base, I can get you caught up on everything. However I have to say, I'm quite surprised to see you here." The man said before heading back to the front of the van. With the new situation that Daniel found, their plans would have to change. He only hoped that they could figure everything out soon before the TSP started to get involved with them.

~.~

“Emma, I’m not kidding.” Jenna said as got up from her bed and started to make her way towards the living room. As she reached the small hallway that connected her bedroom to the living room and kitchen, she wondered if she should turn the hallway light on. However deciding not to be blinded by the harsh lights after her becoming accustomed to the darkness, Jenna continued towards the living room. “Emma, you better not try and jump out and scare me because I am in no mood for any of that.” However as she reached the living room still without a word from her friend, she started to get very concerned.

A started yelp escaped her lips as she saw a man that looked like someone you would see on the SWAT team from movies she and seen in the past. Out panic, Jenna turned around and quickly ran back towards her room but only made it halfway before she felt a sharp pain on her back. Her vision quickly started to go out of focus as the tranq started to take effect. Luckily she was glad that she made it to her room and closed and locked the door behind her, knowing far too well that it wouldn’t hold the men after her for long. “Whaa… wha…” Jenna said trying to talk but without any success as she tried to ask the men why they were after her. It didn’t take long before the tranq started to take full effect as she could fell to the ground, losing consciousness.

Within the cell
She wasn’t sure how long she had been out but as she started to wake up, she knew that she wasn’t at home. Shaking her head as she tried to remove the groggy feeling, Jenna looked around the room around her. Others were there with her in the room, affected by a tranq as well from their appearance. “Do you guys know what’s going on?” Jenna asked looking at the others as she tried to piece what happened together.

[ML]

Tony must have gotten lucky: the tranquilizer didn't seem to be affecting him a ton. He was groggy, had a splitting headache, and wanted to pass out, but he was awake. No one else seemed to be. To make matters worse, one of the captured folks had done some weird beach magic, and now they were all sitting in an inch of sand. Terrific.

There were two guys out cold, a third guy sitting next to them, and a woman, also out cold. Of the four, Tony figured the one who was awake would have the best chance of giving answers. Or maybe one of the drivers.

He decided he'd try to wake each of them up. He moved to the woman first, prodding her shoulder lightly. "Hey, wake up." Then he tried harder. "Wake up, you're lying in a pit of sand. That's gross. Come on, up!" No response.

He tried the next guy, sitting near the one who was awake. He flicked the snoozer's forehead. "Up! Am I talking to thin air?"

Last try: the sand-freak. "Yo!" Tony shook the man as hard as he dared. "You want to fix this weird shit you've caused? Make the sand go away!" There was still no response, so, resigning himself to wait, Tony slid to the floor, pushing away as much of the sand as he could. He glanced at the awake man. "I don't suppose you have any idea what's going on, then?"

[Tenebrous Gaze]

James felt pain all over as he slowly sat up, supporting himself on the wall. He let out a small grunt, which he accidentally amplified. He felt numb and unsteady but was concious, the last thing he remembered being someone chasing him and firing things at him. It slowly dawned on him that, due to his being alive, his assailant had probably been using a tranq gun and not bullets. A painful spot on his neck also supported this hypothesis.

"Haven't a clue. One minute, someone chasing me down an alley, next minute this."

[Lady Seraphina]

Christian collapsed into bed without even taking his jeans and leather jacket off. It had been several days since his encounter with the woman that had helped him get home but he still felt foolish. It seemed as though she had bought his lie about an experimental implant to let blind people see that had broken down so his secret was safe. That however was the problem, what exactly was his secret. He seemed to be able to move objects with his mind and when the time was right his could bring up any fact about where he was just by thinking about it. This wasn't right, it wasn't natural. If Christian had been a God fearing man he would have said he was chosen for some higher purpose, alas he had not attended church since he had lost his eyesight and his family.

After awhile he slipped into darkness. Christian started to dream. In his dream he could see everything about him in the house. Every square foot. It was dark and creepy and shadows moved about the walls. There was a sound from outside that Christian could identify no other way than as stealth. Then his door creaked open.

Christian sat bolt upright in bed. He could hear the rusty hinges that he so often thought about oiling creaking in the next room over. Someone was coming into his house, a robber perhaps? He had to get out of here. With this sense of danger and urgency in the air Christian's senses were active, all of his senses and his special sixth one was telling him that there were six men surrounding his house and they were all armed. He slipped his feet into a pair of running shoes that he knew were by the foot of his bed, he bent down the ends so he would not have to waste time tying the laces.

Quietly he lifted the window of his bedroom. He was on a second story, this was going to hurt. He climbed halfway through the window. He could hear and feel the men searching for him including one just outside by the back door too close to his escape for comfort. As he was preparing to jump one of his shoes slipped off his feet and landed with a loud clatter on the ground. The man by the back door turned to look shining a flash light on Christian. Christian could feel the light rays reflecting off his skin though he could see nothing. "Captain, He's making an escape through the south window. Requesting backup." Christian heard him say into his radio. The man aimed his gun and fired three shots. In a panic Christina held up his hands hoping that the bullets would do little damage. To his surprise he felt nothing. He reached out with his sixth sense and felt the bullets which were more like darts floating in the air. The moment he realized that he`d caused them to stop in midair they fell to the ground next to his shoes.

Christian let himself fall to the ground. Blood surged into his feet causing a moment of pain. No knowing why Christian scooped up the three darts and ran over the grass and jumped the fence into the alley behind him house. He knew the men were pursuing him. He ducked behind a car. He had to think of something.

Just then a prick of pain pierced his leg through his jeans. He started to feel dizzy but more than that his breath started to come in ragged gasps. His sixth sense started to blur giving him the randomest details. He'd felt this once before when a medical tranquilizer had been used to subdue him in the hospital during a panic attack. When he'd awakened the doctors had said he'd had a violent allergenic reactions to the drug. They'd said they'd almost lost him. As his airways contracted Christian started to panic stumbling from his hiding place and into the alley. Stuff started to fly all around him, a garden gnome, pine cones, the three tranquilizers he'd taken with him. Any small object that happened to be near started to creating a wall, he felt dizzy and depleted and he gasped to get more air into his system. The objects started to wiz and spiral attacking anything that moved in an effort to protect him, it wasn't a conscious at this point, it was a desperate attempt by his body to protect itself. Three of the objects, the darts found there marks and the men dropped to the ground but Christian could feel the darkness closing in on him and his last thought before it overtook him and his wall fell to the ground in a heap was that he hoped professional abductors had decent medical facilities.

---

[Izkripp]

Vida couldn't help but dream since she was already asleep. She dreamed of all the wonderful food she could ever hope to savor. It was a dream, she knew it was. There was no way in this world that she could be surrounded by so many delicious foods. Steaks, all different kinds of chicken, pot roast, pizza, spaghetti, everything. Even fruit. There were fruits she loved and some she had never seen, but she was going to try them all. In her dream she ran through a field of chicken wing trees and buttered toast flowers until she came across the desserts.

Vida didn't notice the guy nudging her shoulder instead she kept on dreaming. She mumbled to herself occasionally getting out random words like "Yummy", "More", "No onions" and so on. Drool dripped from her mouth and onto the sand she was laying on. As a reflex her hand went to wipe the spit away and as it did she rubbing sand onto her mouth. As soon as the tiny grains went into her mouth she shot up gagging and trying to spit them out. "Ew, Ew! If that is cat litter again I swear.."

Her eyes focused on the people in the van with her. A couple were unconscious and a couple were awake.Her eyes darted to the ones that were still out cold and then to the awake ones, it was written all over her face that she found them a threat. Instantly she slid herself back against the wall of the van trying her best to put as much distance between her and them. "Wha-wha-what do you w-w-w-want?" She stuttered completely terrified.

[BlessedWrath]

May 3, 3:14pm
In the few seconds which followed her instigation of a cafeteria riot, Sam felt as though the world slowed a bit. She felt removed from reality as the guards fell upon her intended victim, desperately attempting to sedate him. That detachment followed her through the corridors, causing a sense of distance from what was happening around her. None of it seemed real.

Adrenaline was the only thing which kept her legs moving. Her eyes slammed shut when the harsh glare of broad daylight struck them. In those few moments of weakness, she managed to stumble into the street, narrowly avoiding a jeep full of rowdy teens. All of her senses were flooded with information and the alarms of the institution were mingled hopelessly with the sirens of approaching emergency vehicles. She could not hope to tell the difference between an ambulance and a van full of hospital security personnel dispatched to apprehend her.

The air was thick with the stench of burning rubber and plastic which forced her into violent coughing fits. Barely perceptible to her, through the haze, was the haphazard arrangement of mangled cars and a broken mass transit vehicle. Everywhere there was fire, smoke and yelling. This was anywhere except where she wanted to be.
With her head pounding and her chest heaving with the effort of grasping what air she could, she threw herself at an alleyway beyond the wreckage. She felt certain that distance from this horror was the only method by which she could regain her wits. In the following moments, she could recall only momentary blurs of disjointed images, half-felt sensations and the ghosts of dead memory.

I'm going to die, was all she could think before she slumped against the cold concrete.

May 3, 11:50pm
I don't know how, but I made it. There must have been some kind of accident outside the facility. Did they deploy tear gas to knock me out? If so, they may have cost countless lives in the process. No, that doesn't make sense. Not just to get at me. Then what happened?
I have no idea where I am now. My head feels like it's going to rupture. There's fire in my veins. All I can think of is getting to someplace safe. I know I saw some warehouses around town. I'll try to find one. Maybe I can lay low for a while.

May 4, 8:23am
Sam stirred beneath a stack of cardboard. She gingerly placed her palm against her temple, her face twisted up with the intensity of her headache. If she'd ever had occasion to drink, she guessed that this might have been what the adults meant by "hangover". It took minutes to achieve, but she found her footing and took the time to get her bearings.

The empty warehouse was dirty, strewn with garbage and signs of squatters past, and as her presence could attest, had no mentionable security whatsoever. It might pass for temporary shelter, but certainly nothing she'd call safe.

First things first, she told herself. I need threads, gear, and food.

May 7, 5:58pm
People don't know what they have. They sure don't know what they're throwing away. I found some clothes out for the garbage. It's not like anything I had at home, but I like them. Extra pockets for extra stuff. You have to admire the philosophy behind that.
After some poking around, I found out that this place used to move all kinds of things. I don't know if they were recalls or what, but there's nothing wrong with a lot of the stuff they left behind. I can fix some of it, for sure. I've already figured out how to tap in to the city power grid, so at least I won't freeze. Nothing here to eat, though. I'm starting to get hungry.

May 9, 3:32pm
I have it figured out. If I sleep during the day, and don't make a show of the fact that I have electricity, I can move at night and score some food. They're always watching, though. Always. I always feel like they're just one step behind me, trying to take me back.
I...won't...go...back.

May 10, 12:23am, Holding Cell
The endless black through which Sam drifted began to fall apart. There were sensations breaking through to her conscious mind; images which she did not care to see. Slowly, the pain came back, accompanied by new symptoms; not the least of which was the war being fought in her stomach. That had started days ago and had only intensified since her escape.

As she clawed her way through delirium, it became apparent to her that she was no longer alone. There were male and female voices here, most of which seemed to be in just as much trouble as she. The specifics of their conversation were lost; muddled by the effects of the tranquilizer.

When she finally opened her eyes, the reality of where she was -and how she'd gotten there- rushed into her mind with bitter, unrelenting clarity. She had been taken. She scrambled to her feet and threw her back against the corner of the cell, instinctively limiting direction of approach. Between gasps for breath, the wide-eyed Samantha Cole could not even formulate the thoughts behind the questions she now had to ask. Instead, all she managed was a primal moan.

---

[Rina]

TSP Headquarters
“Aaron, do you have a moment?” Annie asked as she saw her husband sitting in the lounge room of their living quarters with Ben. She knew that Carter was upstairs trying to get things situated with Pearson as the new Supers were being brought. Although she hasn’t seen Tia since Ben came back and brought the news to the others, she knew that the woman was in her room probably keeping an eye on everything that was taking place. She was glad to see the group, for the most part, back together again but she could tell that things were going to be trickier this time around.

“Sure.” Aaron said with concern as he saw Annie’s worried face before following her to their room. “Hey, I’m sorry about cutting our trip short but…”

“No, it’s fine.” Annie said trying to reassure him. “Really, it’s good that you’re back with the other Supers and I’m glad that Carter could bring me back as well. However, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.” As she gave a soft sigh a door slam from across the hall. Tia was up to something but she hoped that she and Aaron could finish talking if something serious was happening. “I’m worried that this is going to make things tricky especially on top of everything that is going on but…”

“Coming in! I hope the two of you are decent.” A voice said before the door swung open. “Good, things might have been awkward if, you know…if…” Tia said before becoming more hesitant as she noticed the direction she was moving the conversation. “You know what, never mind. Annie, they’re going to be needing you shortly.”

“How come?” Annie asked, placing her conversation on hold with Aaron.

“Someone had an allergic reaction with the tranq and Sander, Person’s right hand man, was stunned from the woman nicknamed Red Widow. He should be fine but they just want to double check. They should arrive here very soon so you better get upstairs.”

With a nod, Annie made her way to front door of the team’s living quarters. As she did so, she could hear Tia start to mumble to herself about the Reformers and a white van before making her way to her own room, a place constructed specifically for her abilities. Whatever Tia found, it didn’t sound good to her.

“Dr. Willis, did you hear what happened?” A staff member asked as Annie made her way into the med bay.

“A little bit. Tell me what happened to our Super.” Annie said as she slipped on her white coat and made her way towards the man.

“He started to have a reaction after being hit with a tranquilizer. Luckily one of them was smart enough to give him epinephrine on the way here or things might have turned out much worse but we better make sure that the epipen was enough for him.”

“Blood pressure?” Annie said as she watched the unconscious man’s breathing. It was quicker than she liked but it was even enough that he wasn’t in immediate danger thanks to the epinephrine administered earlier but still could be troubling.

“Low and his pulse is rapid.”

“Alright start him on an IV with antihistamines and cortisone. Let’s also get him on some oxygen until his breathing normalizes. The epinephrine did well on him but I rather not have him rebound once it starts to wear off.” Annie said with a sigh she looked at the man bound by straps. It bothered her seeing the man bound like that as if he was a crazed man or criminal. However with guards nearby she knew that there would be no way to persuade them to release him to make him more comfortable.

Once he was showing signs of improvement, she knew that he would be taken downstairs and placed into a holding cell with the other Supers. Although she would have preferred to keep the man here under observation in case his symptoms started to rebound, she knew that under Pearson’s orders that he was to be taken downstairs once things were under control. “Welcome to Headquarters. Hopefully your stay will be better once everything is figured out.” Annie said with sigh before giving a quick glance towards Sander who was at the other side of the room waiting impatiently for her. Shrewd both in appearance and personality, she wasn’t a big fan of him but found it mildly humorous that he was here, obviously without a complication from being stunned. “Hey, can someone help him out please?” Annie said before reverting to a sarcastic undertone. “He needs a Band-Aid after his pride was crushed out in the field.”

~.~

Within the Cell

“Yeah same. I was in my apartment and they were there waiting for me in my living room.” Jenna said in response towards the red headed man. The color drained out of her cheeks as she looked around the cell she was in. She was scared as she wished that she was back in her warm bed at home. “My name is Jenna.” The woman said as she made her way towards the door and even though she had a feeling that it would be locked, she had to try just in case as she hoped for the best. With a sigh, she turned around and looked at the others. They seemed like average people that you would see on the streets. Nothing about the others made her suspect that they were a terrorist group or a part of a gang and that she was mistakenly taken along with them. Across the room she saw that there was also a kid there with them, who now made her way towards the wall.

Was she locked up because of the incidences that have been happening the past week? Maybe the others have been through a similar situation as her and was able to affect metal. As she thought about how she would phrase her question, she decided against asking as she thought about how crazy she sounded. She didn’t want to appear to be some sort of delusional crazy person just right after meeting the others while in the situation they were in.

As the girl started to moan, Jenna tried to give her a look of reassurance as she pushed her fears aside as she hoped to comfort the girl. “Hey, don’t worry. We’ll get this figured out.” Jenna said optimistically as she made her way towards the girl and crouched in front of her with a smile.

[dpickle]

May 3
Day three of the migraine. Pat sat slouched in his seat at the back of the bus, head throbbing. Pat always made an effort to avoid vehicles whenever possible, the constant shaking amplifies his already intense headache while every bump sends a shot of pain through his mind. This was the last place he wanted to be, but today it was a necessary evil. He had an appointment with a new doctor about his migraines, and this appointment was all the way across the city. Pat never owned a car, anyplace he ever wanted to be was within walking distance of his apartment, so the bus was his only option. Pat lifted his head and stared out the window, hoping the gray scenery whipping by his window would be enough to distract him. All Pat remembered of the crash was the squeaking of brakes, then everything went black.

Pat wakes up in a hospital bed. His body aches all over but other than that feels fine. "When I asked you to come to the hospital today, I didn't expect you to do so in an ambulance," a familiar voice says. Pat turns his head and sees a tall, lean, middle aged man in glasses and a lab coat.
"Doctor Smith," Pat says flatly. "If its all the same to you, I think I'll walk in through the front door next time."
"You should count yourself lucky that you'll be able to walk out of it. I had you checked over and you've fared nothing worse than a few cuts and bruises. If I was a God fearing man I would call it a miracle. Now, on to the initial reason for our little visit. We studied a blood sample we took and..."

Pat tuned out like he always did when doctors began explaining their product. He was an old fashioned man and their medical mumbo jumbo didn't make a lick of since to him. At the end of the lecture he smiled, took the bottle of baby blue pills he was offered, thanked the doctor, and left. As he walked towards the bus stop, he popped a few of the new pills in his mouth. He knew that the difference between these pills and the last ones probably stopped at the color, but still he always volunteered for whatever new or experimental drug the doctors would give him. He got on the bus and once again headed for the privacy of the back, looking out the window as the rumble of the engine caused his head to throb. In the seat in front of him, he heard a lady start to complain to herself about a headache. He thought nothing of it at the time.

May 4
It was already past noon by the time Pat finally left his apartment for his daily walk to the park. He had the hardest time getting to sleep the previous night, as soon as he got home he began to feel sick to his stomach. He felt fine in the morning, however, so Pat just wrote it off as his body getting used to his new medication. His migraine was still there, strong as ever, so the pills were, again, not the miracle cure he was looking for. The sidewalk was busier today that usual, which could be accounted for by it being Sunday and it being later than he usually set out. As Pat walked along through the crowd he began to notice a strange pattern. Whenever someone got within a few paces of him, they would noticeably cringe, stop walking, or make some other sign that they were suddenly in pain. Pat knew all the signs that someone was in pain, he learned them so he could supress them in himself, and these people were screaming them. The first few Pat didn't pay much attention two, but after twenty he could no longer deny that it was more than just a coincidence. Still he needed some sort of confirmation, some way to be sure that it wasn't just the new drugs meddling with his mind. He stopped the next person he saw that was in pain, a twenty-something man who had just started cringing and walking slower. "Excuse me, but are you feeling alright? You seem to be in some distress."
"You know, its the darndest thing," the man replied. "But I just got this killer headache a few seconds ago. Just came out of nowhere."
"I see. Well I hope you get over it soon," Pat said hurriedly before walking away. Pat knew that he should feel some kind of horror at the prospect that he was giving headaches to everyone within ten feet of him, or at least some kind of alarm. However his head was still throbbing in the fourth day of his migraine, and the only thought on the situation he could get out of his pain and drug addled mind was a "Isn't this strange." before he pushed it to the back of his mind and carried on with his day.

May 7
Pat awoke to... nothing. The migraine had ended! Pat gave himself a few minutes to revel in his relief before getting up. According to the doctor, this new stuff would help increase the time between migraines if he kept taking it. Of course, the doctor also said that it would cut the pain level of his migraines drastically, which it didn't, but at this point Pat he might as well give it a try anyways. As he prepared himself a breakfast, he used his newfound clarity to look over the last two days. It was obvious that his presence was suddenly giving people headaches, he had observed the effects for the entirety of both days and had yet to find someone come near home and not be affected. Still, even with a clear head, he had no idea why. With no other option, Pat decided to place the blame on his new medication and left it at that. Pat sighed. He would have to phone doctor Smith about the problems and get his prescription changed back to his old stuff, no use causing problems for others, even if it was for only a few seconds. That call would have to wait until the weekend, however. Doctor Smith hated being called during the week and, with his migraine gone and no need to take more medication, Pat was fine with waiting.

May 10
"Seriously doc its giving other people headaches... I don't care if you think its impossible... well in any case it didn't work and it just about killed me the first day I took it... Glad to hear it... Goodbye." Pat put down his phone, concluding his conversation with Doctor Smith. "Stubborn boy," Pat grumbled to himself as he walked out the door. "What's so strange about an experimental drug causing an unusual side effect? Its experimental after all, he should expect these sort of things." Pat knew he was right, it all coincided too perfectly to be coincidence. The day after he started taking the drug, people start having headaches and the day he stopped, people stopped. Doesn't get simpler than that. Pat walked along the sidewalk, still lost in his thoughts. He see what got him, just felt a sharp pain in his neck, then everything went black.

Pat slowly woke up, vision still blurry from whatever drugs they had given him. Pat slowly sat up, but as he did a searing pain raced through his neck. "I must have been out for a while," Pat thought to himself. "Long enough to get a neck cramp anyways. Now what the heck is going on?" He gave his new surroundings a quick once over. He appeared to be in the back of a van. Several other people were strewn about in various states of consciousness and there was a layer of sand on the floor. Putting together this information, Pat realized he still had no idea what was going on. He turned his head, wincing as another shot of pain raced through his neck, and noticed a young lady sitting against the far wall and looking terrified.
"Hey miss, do you have any idea what's going on around here?"

[BlessedWrath]

“Hey, don’t worry. We’ll get this figured out.” Jenna said optimistically as she made her way towards the girl and crouched in front of her with a smile.

Sam locked up completely. Logic should have told her that they were all prisoners, especially since at least one other still had yet to regain consciousness, but the logical mind is far removed from the fight-or-flight response. It was that response that she now attempted to control. Matters were not made any better by the approach of one of the prisoners, even if her gestures seemed genuine and peaceful.

"I won't go back!" she managed, between gasps. She was hyperventilating. There was again the sensation of vibration in her teeth. She felt the dizziness returning, along with a desperate need to retreat from these unknowns. As if she were not aware of it already, her hands probed the wall around her, searching for any minute breach through which she could escape. No such respite was found.

"You can't," she whispered. "I won't go."

And that was all she had to offer. It was clear there was no reasoning with her in this state. She was a caged creature; worse yet, a cornered creature. Visions of violence forced their way to the front of her mind. To her understanding, this was the only outcome. In her world, there was only her and the enemy.

---

[lydyn]

Unknown Date
Inside TSP Holding Cell

She had been awake for some time before the others, but sat against the corner she had been placed in and had not dared to move. She only thought of nothingness until the others started to stir and speak to one another, the shadows making it hard to see either Ranae’s attire or expression. A pretty young woman, a younger man that had glasses, and a teenage girl that seemed scared out of her mind were among the other capturees.

With a purse of her lips, she silently accounted for the situation; none of them seemed to have anything apparently in common, but the fact that the attackers were trained and had put her under - and now sitting in this strange prison. She could easily tell (anyone really could) that this was no normal holding cell. The bars were missing and replaced with a strangely textured metal wall and a door that seemed air-tight with the only hint of vents being holes that even a mouse couldn’t get into.

Now her theory had included the only conclusion that made any sense, being that bus crash. A sudden develop in martial skills that was an inhuman leap from where she had been and the only out of place thing being the one thing she had never experienced in her life before - a vehicle accident. This was all too much to throw up to chance. No, something had happened, she was sure of it.

Finally, she slide up against the wall and walked forward, the light of the room easily illuminating her red, skin-tight costume that was covered in various leather pads to give the illusion of a superheroine look, though her mask had been pulled down and her gadgets had been taken (she was just glad that had not taken her highly-developed suit). She gave a moment to look at each of them, though she only did so briefly with the teenager given her state.

”Let me guess...” she started gently, but projecting her voice. ”You two were near or on a bus crash last week - on Saturday?” Ranae was going to be surprised if they answered no.

[Lady Seraphina]

Christian felt groggy and sleepy. He'd eaten too much at dinner but it had been so good and Mom and Dad didn't get the chance to take them out that often. Christian felt like his stomach was about to explode. He needed to lie down for several hours. He could hear his siblings arguing about something. His sister, Alicia had called shotgun and for whatever reason there father had let her have it. He was sitting on the opposite side of the car behind the driver's seat while Christian's brother Marcus was sitting in the middle. "I'm telling you Mark." Alicia said from the front before she was interrupted. "No way, Battlestar Galactica is way better than Babylon 5." They continued on for several minutes before there mother intervened. "Kids, we have two televisions at home, you can both watch whatever it is you want." She said patiently from behind the steering wheel. "But..." They both said at the same time. "No arguments you either watch something together or you don't now stop arguing." Both sighed and resigned themselves to looking out the window.

Christian was on the verge of falling asleep when he was jolted away as the car was sent flying in one direction. He looked ans saw the other half of the car crumpled like a tin can. His mother was bleeding from the forehead and he couldn't see his father. There was another impact on the other side moth likely another car that couldn't stop. The door bend inward trapping his arm and cutting into it. The front seat bent backwards pinning his knees. The roof collapsed around him sealing him inside a metal coffin.

He jerked away with a yell and he heard several glass something or others shatter [he shattered those with his powers FYI] but he couldn't tell what they were because his second sight was gone. He desperately tried to sit up but restraints tied him down to the table. He couldn't go anywhere. He was trapped in a hospital in darkness. He need to go now. He pulled and wrenched on the cuffs and if they had not been padded he would have bloodied his arms. "SOMEBODY GET ME OUTTA!" he cried desperately hoping there was some compassionate soul left in this place.

---

[Lugubrious]

The sand awoke before Adam did. Stray particulates, masked by the darkness on the inside of the van, levitated into the still, stuffy air and began to coalesce. By the time that Vida was sufficiently awake to begin panicking, enough of the sand had accumulated a few inches above the floor near Adam's feet to form a little shape. Though anyone squinting closely enough through the invasive darkness would be able to see it was a four-legged creature of some sort, its identifiable characteristics stopped there. This animal shared the characteristics of a number of others, having a doglike body, very angular years, a forked tail, and a curved snout--a Typhonic beast. Once fully formed, measuring about a foot long and eight inches tall, the sand creature padded its way toward Adam's head to nuzzle it, grating its coarse surface against the middle-aged man's stone-gray stubble. Even when Pat's low voice broke the smothering silence present in the van's interior, the animal pursued its task.

Finally, Adam awoke. He emerged from a dreamless, thoughtless void of darkness to a crowded, overwarm, confined darkness lined with his own sand. With a grumble he raised both palms to his forehead, kneading the skin there to chase away the sluggish, early-morning feeling. His mouth was bone-dry, probably from sleeping with his mouth open yet again. Adam quickly realized that the chances of there being coffee in this place were slim to none, so he slowly sat up against a smooth wall to rub the forced sleep away. A nudge in his side distracted him from this task, and when he blearily looked down he found the little sand animal rubbing up against him like a pet that wanted attention. Ignoring the other people in the van -or perhaps simply not aware of there existence yet-, he tentatively stroked its long head with a forefinger and middle finger. In response, the creature stretched lazily, much the same as a dog. Just as Adam was beginning to enjoy the construct, however, the van hit a slight bump and whatever force held the animal in cohesion was broken, scattering the sand on the floor again.

For the first time, Adam realized he wasn't alone. He stared at the other humans with a look of worry etched upon his features; he wasn't sure whether to feel afraid, guilty, or just embarrassed for so shamefacedly exposing his secret. None of them seemed particularly malicious, particularly not the young woman who seemed to regard him as a danger, recoiling in horror. Still, Adam couldn't shake the feelings of confusion and helplessness that were really starting to upset him. The others were asking the same questions he thought to, however, so he remained quiet.

[BlessedWrath]

”Let me guess...” Ranae started gently, but projecting her voice. ”You two were near or on a bus crash last week - on Saturday?” Ranae was going to be surprised if they answered no.

Sam's field of vision bobbed slowly, accompanied by the distant sensation of her neck muscles contracting and extending. Vague awareness of her answer to Ranae's question followed shortly after. Bit by bit, she caught up with herself. Sound came back into her grasp of reality, first with the rush of blood through her ears and her pounding heart. She swallowed hard and forced herself to look at both of them.

Perhaps they didn't know yet. They were certainly clothed differently from the doctors, which pointed her toward a different conclusion. Most people do not go to great lengths to interrogate the insane. They ask their questions, then give the injections. These people asked each other questions, examined their surroundings...these were not the acts of abductors, but the abducted.

That knowledge went a long way toward assuaging her fear, but fear was not replaced with foolishness; her eyes shifted through a range of emotional states, finally settling on suspicion and mistrust. Sam could not decide whether this was better than cardiac arrest brought on by acute emotional stress, but she knew it was safer and more productive. She had her own questions, but they would wait until she knew who to ask them of.

"Yeah," she finally whispered. "Bus crash. Nobody knows how to drive anymore."

---

[Rina]

TSP Med Bay
With Sanders gone and things settled down in the med bay, Annie turned to ever growing paperwork on her desk. With things starting up again and many new people, there was a lot that she had to update. However she didn’t get far before chaos returned. A yell was heard followed the sound of glass shattering. Looking up from her desk she could see that the man was awake. The guards posted at the door looked at the man apprehensively as she waved at them to stand down.

“Find a mild sedation that won’t bring an allergic reaction in case we need it.” Annie said whispered to one of her assistants before making her way towards the man. “If you calm down and take control of your ability we might be able to work something out.” Annie said looking at the man with compassion, knowing how hard it could be waking up in the position he was in. “Listen,” She said with a soft sigh. “I know how things seem right now but we’re not the enemies here. I know that our methods seemed a little harsh but sadly it was necessary”

“Is he doing okay now?” One of the guards asked looking at Annie.

“Yes much better but I’d like to keep him here and…”

“Okay, we need to move him downstairs.” The man said interrupting Annie as he made his way towards the man lying on the bed.

“He is not fit to leave yet. I still have a few precautionary tests to…” Annie said in objection making her way towards the man

“You said that he’s doing better right? We have orders to take him down once he is showing improvement. We can’t let his power go unchecked up here. He’s already causing havoc here.” The man said motioning towards the broken containers and other glass objects that were being cleaned up by the nurses and other assistants in the med bay. “Besides, its Pearson’s orders so if you have something to say about it, you’ll have to bring it to him.” The guard said before making his way to Christian and placed him in anti-super handcuffs and escorted him down to the cell.

In the Van

With the news Daniel found about the potential of having more Supers than he originally thought there were, Daniel and Josiah made their way to Cameron who was waiting at the Base for everyone to plan out what they should do while Dr.Wilson and Garret stayed at the van and transported the Supers. Looking out the window, Garret wondered how the other three were doing and what was going to happen.

“Do you think those at the TSP got them.” Garret asked, mentioning the other Gen Charlie Supers that their team missed.

“Truthfully, I’m not sure. But seeing how long it has been since we’ve heard from Cameron and the others, I’m guessing that is what happened because it’s taking quite a while for them to plan what they are going to do.” Dr. Wilson said giving noting more than a quick glance towards Garret. He was glad to see that the further they moved from New York, the clearer the road was becoming. In case something happened, there wouldn’t be too many witnesses or people getting in the way especially since he was sticking to back roads instead of the freeway now that he was far enough away from the city.

“I wonder what they are doing with them. Pearson probably isn’t in the best mood seeing all that is happening after the long break.” Garret said with a slight chuckle. “I wonder if he’s shoved the Gen Charlies into the cell or something. It wouldn’t surprise me with him bring the prick he normally is.” Glancing back Garret wondered how the Supers that they had were doing. There wasn’t much noise coming from the back, which he was glad since that meant there wasn’t any trouble happening back there but the near silence concerned him with what they could be doing back there since they should have been awake by now. “Do you think I should check on them? They’ve been very quiet and who knows what they are doing, maybe they are planning an escape or something back there. Anyways, it’ll be a good time to stretch my legs since we’re going to be on the road for a while.”

Opening the door the connected the front of the van to the midsection that carried supplies. Unlike the front, there was enough room to stand up and stretch, which Garret did so, glad to be on his feet again. Closing the door behind him, Garret moved to the other door and unlocked it and walked through it, closing the door behind him which locked behind him as a safety precaution. Looking around the room, he was surprised how much sand accumulated in the room.

“Seriously?” He mumbled knowing that he would be the one given the job to clean the van later on. “Hey sandman, do you think you can make all of this go away or something? I’m going to be on cleaning duty and do you know how much time cleaning all this sand is going to take?” Garret said before turning his attention towards the rest of them in case someone decided to act uncivilized, which he hoped wouldn’t happen.

In the Cell
“Hey don’t worry kid, I won’t let them take you back.” Jenna said looking at the girl, unsure how to react as she wondered who was after the girl and who did she just promise to protect the girl from. Were the people after the girl the same people that attacked them or were two different groups after the girl. As another voice entered the conversation Jenna stood back up and looked towards the other woman as she asked about the bus crash.

Looking at the woman with confusion as the girl responded to the woman’s question, Jenna wondered if the crash had to do something with what was happening now. Did they think she was the reason the bus crash happened. Was she being condemned as a terrorist? Worry crossed Jenna’s face as she wondered what would happen if the government thought she was a terrorist. Would she go to jail, Guantanamo Bay or would something worse happen to her? Sure, weird things had been happening to her afterwards with her phone and other technology but it wasn’t like she was trying to hack something as she wondered if it could look like that.

“Oh God, oh God.” Jenna mumbled as she sat back down, on the verge of panicking. “Do they think I’m a terrorist or something? I wasn’t the one that caused the crash or anything. I was on my phone the whole time.”

[dpickle]

This was an outrage! How could this man act so natural when he had just kidnapped several innocent, seemingly random people off the street? The fact that the man thought the sand was more interesting than the predicament he had put them in made Pat's blood boil more than the fact that he was his captor.

"Listen kid, I don't care about your fricken cleaning duties! You've got bigger things to worry about than some sand on the floor, I'm sure any second now we'll be hearing sirens and seeing blue and white lights. Or are you so crazy you think you can drug and snatch people without anyone noticing?"

Pat felt a bit better after his outburst, though in hindsight it probably wasn't the smartest move to yell at your captor. The insanity of the situation must be getting to him. Head clear, Pat was able to analyze the mans words a bit more closely. The man clearly believed that one of them was responsible for the sand in the room, but how was that possible? It wasn't like someone could take a gallon of sand with them while unconscious. When the police finally catch up with us I'll make sure to recommend they send these guys straight to the insane asylum, They're a whole new kind of crazy.

[Izkripp]

Vida had finally stopped staking and pushed herself into a corner after a few moments of the people not really doing much. She pulled her knees to her chest and tried her best to hide her underwear from them with the ends of her shirt. It was bad enough that she had been kidnapped, but they had to drag her here in nothing but her shirt. She wrapped her arms around her legs pulling them even closer wanting to just disappear. If only she could squeeze herself so tight that her body would just fold into itself and vanish. As much she would like to do that she knew that it was impossible.

She stole glances of the people in the van with her, it looked like she was the only female that was kidnapped, or so one of the men was saying. Maybe they were trying to trick her. Were they all working together? She listened to them, but did not say a word. Every now and then she would grip her arm or elbow hard to make sure that she was really awake. It hurt for a moment when she did. She was awake. Rubbing her finger against her forearm as she held it she couldn't shaking the tingling sensation. It wasn't like someone was tickling her or lightly brushing her skin, it felt like her skin was moving. Her watched her arm as she brushed it, a light trace of grey followed her finger then turned back pink. Vida was surprised, she hadn't done that before.

She heard the door open. Instantly she tucked her head into her arms and pulled herself even tighter together almost in a little ball. She tried to shut out the world around her. The man that entered spoke about cleaning duties as if this situation was normal. Another started to argue with him about the police coming to find them. Would the police really come looking for them? No.. they wouldn't be looking for her. No one would come looking for Vida Curacio. Not for a long time. She heard the people move around. Was it time to leave the van? Where they going to kill them soon? Tears started to form in her eyes thinking that this could be the end of her short worthless life.

Please no. Don't take me. Don't touch me. I don't want to die. Don't touch me.

She kept repeating to herself her skin starting to tingle more as her body tried to fight off the threat around it. Instead of reconstructing cells to a healthy state her body was ready to break down the cells of anyone that dared to touch her skin.

[Lugubrious]

If Adam hadn't been staring straight at the door to the midsection of the van in a vain attempt to avoid frightening Vida -who by now he was beginning to think of as a lost cause, poor girl-, he wouldn't have seen Garret enter. As it was, even though the door opened silently, Adam jumped in surprise. There he was, in a dark, claustrophobic space with a few other freaked-out people, and suddenly an intruder garbed in black enters through some unseen passage. Even if Garret sported the face of a cherub, the darkness would have still made him seem sinister. The sudden onset of fear caused Adam's muscles to seize up; he had absolutely no idea how to handle this dreadful person.

The person, however, seemed more interested in the hygiene of whatever compartment Adam and the others were shut in. Sandman? Oh Lord, he meant him. How did he know that the harmless-looking old man had carpeted the van in sand? Adam's lips fell open halfway and then froze, a whispered "uhhhh..." escaping from between them in a very insipid way. Before he could conjure up a coherent response, another prisoner unleashed a wrathful storm of words. For a moment, Adam was relieved; hopefully, his captor, as he guessed the man in black was, would blame the other old man if he decided to get upset about his 'cleaning duties'. Personally, Adam didn't think that Patrick's enraged outburst had any merit to it, as these people were clearly professionals and Adam felt pretty sure that no cop had been watching the little Tunkhannock library for kidnappers.

He felt more concerned for the solitary woman in the van. She truly looked like a basketcase, and evoked in Adam a powerful urge to comfort her as he would have his own child. The instinct never took hold, however. Adam's sense of propriety, as well as the current situation he found himself in, kept him from trying to make her feel better. Plus, in all likelihood, he was part of what terrified her so. Instead, Adam carefully watched Garret, trying to seem inconspicuous.

[BlessedWrath]

“Hey don’t worry kid, I won’t let them take you back.” Jenna said looking at the girl, unsure how to react as she wondered who was after the girl and who did she just promise to protect the girl from.

It was admirable, given the circumstances, that Sam had been able to put up this much of a fight against her emotions. Her control faltered, however, when Jenna pledged to fend off their assailants. She made a face, almost instantly, which betrayed her true feelings about such a promise; especially from a bird just as caged as she.

"Yeah," she scowled, sliding down the wall with a thump. A thin, black book fell out from inside her hoodie, making a loud 'smack' on the smooth flooring. For an instant, Sam wondered at the odds of such an occurrence -an object like this, tumbling through the air, only to land perfectly flat- before she realized what had happened. She scooped it up immediately, but dropped it in her efforts to hide it from the others. It landed on its binding and splayed open for all to see. Displayed on its current page were not the private thoughts of a young woman, but some rather intricate -if abstract- artwork almost too reminiscent of a printed circuit board.

---

[Rina]

Within the Sandy Van

“Whoa there, why don’t you calm yourself buddy before you give yourself a heart attack or something.” Garret said with a slight chuckle towards the man, obviously without worry. “First of all, do you really think they’d send the men in blue after us? Because if you think so, I would have to call you the crazy ones and not us because I hate to break it to you buddy, we are far above their pay grades for them to even think about coming after us. Hell, there’s an organization called the TSP made up of mostly military and other governmental personnel solely for people like me and you buddy. Those are the people we should be looking out for because there is a possibility of them coming after us. But I’ll warn you, they shouldn’t be trusted. That why we left years ago, granted there was a few other things that wouldn’t be much of a concern to yo-“ Garret said, pausing in the middle of a word as the van made a turn, causing the man to lose his balance. Luckily for him, he was quick enough to catch himself by extending his arms to an abnormally long length and pressing his hands on the walls of the van on either side of him.

“Whoa Wilson!” Garret yelled as his arms resumed to a normal length as gave a single pound to the door behind him. “Learn to drive! You’re lucky I was able to react quickly enough with my powers.” With a sigh, the man mumbled to himself as he sat down in an open seat closest to the door, completely unaware of the reaction he might get by saying that he had powers or how his arms suddenly stretched out in front of them. As he sat down and looked at the woman who was crying, the man took his jacket off and tossed it towards the woman. “Here, once we get to the base, we can probably find something that will work better but this should be better than a shirt.”

TSP

With the final Super being taken down to the cell, Carter knew that he needed to find a way to talk to the new Supers and hopefully straighten things out. “Pearson.” Carter called out as he caught up to the man as he entered the elevator. Following him in there, the two were along besides the two guards that were always stationed inside for security reasons.

“What is it now Lee, I have things to attend to.” Pearson said, knowing that Carter was waiting to talk to him and the elevator was a good place since he was stuck there with Carter.

“It the Gen Charlies Pearson. They have been in the cell for quite a while with no explanation of what is going on. I know it’s late but I don’t think this can wait until morning. Spending a night in the cell wouldn’t be a good way to form a relationship with TSP. All I’m asking is that you let me and Ben talk to them and moved to a sleeping quarter, a locked one if you would feel more comfortable that way”

“Team Bravo is decommissioned Lee, we can’t have Ben in there. You’re on the verge of losing your job too so don’t step over the line Lee.”

“What are you going to do with the Charlies then Pearson? You don’t have to form a team with them as we did with Gen Bravo but we can’t leave them as they are. They’ll need someone to train them on how to control and use powers and explain what is going on. If we don’t do it I’m quite sure that the Reformers would gladly take them in.” Pausing to take a breath, Carter pressed the emergency stop button before the elevator reached the designated floor. He could see that Pearson was about to say something but raising his hand to motion Pearson to wait, Carter continued. “If we don’t do this, we are making potential enemies Pearson. The Reformers are going to expand and who knows what else with the two remaining vials. The Gen Charlies are either going to join them or us and you’re going to need much more than your military men if conflict arises. You’ll need the Charlies to expand our numbers and you’ll need Team Bravo to direct them and teach them as well a force that is on even grounds with the Reformers with their powers. You don’t send a military man after Supers. You send a Super after a Super. I know we helped you out the past few days but you’re going to need Team Bravo still. It’s time to take them out of commission and back into the game.” Carter could tell that Pearson thinking about what he said and a worried glance crossed Carter’s face as Pearson turned the elevator back on.

“I’ll let you and only you see them tonight Carter. Tomorrow I’ll look into reinstating Team Bravo, but there are no guarantees.” Pearson said before walking out of the elevator.

Within the Cell of Solitude

Although still panicked, Jenna was still under enough control to give a curious glance towards the book the girl dropped. “Wow, did you draw that?” Jenna asked, a bit amazed at the detailed that was shown. “I’ve never seen someone draw something like that before.”

A noise was heard from the door of the cell and a black man in a suit entered the cell. “Hello, I’m sorry about the events that has been happening but we had to take precautions. My name is Lee Carter and I am one of the men that is in charge of things here at the TSP. I’m guessing that you have many questions about what is going on and in due time they will be answered. Currently we have a few rooms that are being prepared for you for tonight but until then I can answer some of your lingering questions that you have.”

Jenna looked at the man with suspicion. The way they have been treated she wondered what exactly the man meant by taking precautions. However as the conversation started to talk about sleeping arrangements she was glad to hear that she would be able to go to bed soon, ready to finally to go bed but with everything that was taking place, she wondered if she would actually be able to sleep.

[BlessedWrath]

Sam took full advantage of the man's entry. With Jenna's focus on him, she quietly retrieved the small notebook and slipped it back into her hoodie. With her journal back under wraps, she allowed herself to turn her attention toward their new 'friend'.

Great, she thought bitterly. A suit. Place is probably full of them. She took in every detail she could perceive, while trying to preserve an air of innocence and subservience. Folks like this, she knew, loved it when their property misbehaved. They used any excuse to pull on the leash. As long as she kept quiet, they might lose interest in her.

The hospital had security too. That thought percolated during their conversation. She had used her wits to escape one prison already; would this one really be much different? Sam resolved to leave this place in as much a shambles as her previous 'home'. She forced herself not to smile at the thought of the men in suits strangling each other over who to blame for her escape.

Patience, she reminded herself. First things first.

---