[IC] The Tower Chapter 1: A New Dawn

[Lord of Evil]

"Here." The Ratman said suddenly, from a rooftop.
He dropped a sheet onto the creature, Taylor. It was less of a sheet and more of a tarp - a thick rough green affair, not that comfortable but good enough at hiding for now. At the very least, it was better than nothing.

The Ratman jumped down, joining the group as they walked.
"My net hasn't picked up anything going our way just yet, but we don't need to help them find us. He said. "I hope this clinic of yours is... discreet.

[GrizzTheMauler]

Darkspire extinguished her orbs, each of them coalescing into one then vanishing in a soft puff of air. She turned in Ratman's direction and scowled. "Of course it's discrete. There is no one there. Everyone knows this district was left to rot by the City. They'd rather it simply disappear and ignore it. That's why he came here." She motioned to the buildings around them. They were relatively intact in this area. "I spent a bit of time... Hiding out in there as well. It has everything one would need and then some, our family is quite well off."

She let out a chuckle. "There is a relative quiet among this sector of the district. No crime, no MPD, nothing. The building itself is owned in my name, and completely off most records." She stopped at a building. No one was around to observe the group, so Darkspire told them to wait as she flew up to the roof, getting in and unlocking it from inside, letting them in. She "walked" here, heeled steps never fully touching the ground. A look around showed what appeared to be a pretty normal medical clinic, far more advanced than one would guess for the slums. Darkspire told the group that her family had secured the funds for it's construction, since her brother was gifted a very generous budget after the success of his primary clinic. She closed up after everyone was inside the lobby, her orbs illuminating the surroundings. "You'll find whatever you need in here. I occasionally need the services here so I've kept everything in stock. Keep the lights on level one." She walks to an office and presses a few buttons. "Orwell, are you online?"

A robotic voice chirped in the speakers softly. It had a rather natural tenor tone. "We are. I assume the two biosigns and the... Other one, are with you. Updating security logs. They should have access to whatever they need." A green light shone on the doors as the labs and surgical rooms unlocked. The speaker light dimmed.

"If you have any other needs, Orwell can assist." Darkspire sat in a chair. "I met them through my brother, since he knew them before the Tower. They're beyond trustworthy. They probably already knows who each of us are."

"We know of you, and William." Orwell spoke up. "The other two we would need to see their faces and DNA to see who they are. If you have need of us, we will be signing off shortly. In the security office there are secured pagers. We are working on getting a... Care package of food and supplies. We will most likely need someone... discreet to pick it up from a drop. If you need information on the world outside we are able to provide intel."

[EliteCommander]

The tarp that the Ratman dropped onto Taylor was only...minorly effective. It might have prevented someone at a far distance who was not paying close attention from taking notice of it, but Taylor still had a distinctly non-human silhouette, and obviously glowing eyes. Nevertheless, Darkspire seemed to know the area well enough to help them navigate away from prying eyes.

Inside the clinic, Taylor found itself rather surprised. At first, it did not seem much out of place, perhaps somewhat nice for the district it was in, but still a clinic. It was only once they were given access to the rest of the clinic that Taylor was surprised. Lab? An operating room? This seemed like more of a small hospital than an actual clinic. Though, if it meant more equipment and supplies that Taylor could use, it certainly would not complain.

"Hmm...thank you. This place...it reminds me..." Taylor began, though its voice soon trailed off. It just stared in silence for a few moments at parts of the clinic with an impossible-to-interpret gaze. Taylor was still not sure of the nature of this "Orwell" person. But, it had chosen to trust Darkspire for now, and she had told them to trust Orwell. Although, at the moment, Taylor was less concerned about the outside and more concerned about the problems right in front of it. Taylor's attention was, once again, fixated onto William. Now that it had a clinic at its disposal, it could more effectively tend to his needs. "William, you need to lie down and rest. I see you are still weak; you were having trouble staying up when you were walking. The burns would not cause this...there is something else wrong with you. What are all the symptoms you are experiencing, William?"

[Sep]

William looked around the clinic. How this place hadn't been looted and razed yet was beyond him. He supposed it was likely one of the few buildings in the quarter with anything resembling security that gave people pause. He was learning more and more about their mysterious benefactor that was recruiting allies, however. Small victories. He sat down in a nearby chair, letting his head fall back.

"What does it remind you of Taylor?" He was putting off answering the questions, he knew the escape had caused more damage than previously expected, the bullet wound likely hadn't helped nor had the oxygen deprivation or the overuse of powers which none of them truly understood. Taylor cared for him, but what it didn't seem to understand was a simple fact.

He didn't want saving.

[EliteCommander]

Taylor gave another long, silent look around the clinic. Even though it had never been to this specific place before, it still stirred up memories that Taylor thought it had abandoned long ago. In truth, it was something that it was not sure it even wanted to return to anymore. "My humanity." It answered.

Taylor's delay did not last long. It stepped up just in front of William's chair, looking him over closely. He was not being readily forthcoming on whether or not he had other symptoms, though Taylor could, for the moment, give him the benefit of the doubt that his condition might be influencing his mental state. "I need to perform some tests on you. We don't know what your abilities did to you, what...injuries it might cause." Taylor extended a limb forward, its tendrils forming into a hand that it placed on his neck to check his pulse. "You have a very high body temperature. Is that normal for you? I want you to come with me. If you are not going to tell me your symptoms, then I'm going to take some blood tests, x-rays, and every other test this clinic has access to."

Taylor turned its head briefly towards Darkspire. "How long can we stay here?"

[GrizzTheMauler]

Darkspire shrugged. "However long you need I will try to get you. No one will investigate this place and it is very secure. I will see to getting other necessary materials such as clothing and the like. There are security droids here but they will not be needed unless you find yourself in danger." She leaned back in her chair. "In the unlikely event that you need aid, Orwell will be able to assist. I will be upfront with intentions. I am seeking the Parahuman Protection Society's aid. While the Church seems to be a Viable option, Atom has sent messengers, I do not trust him or agree with his beliefs."

She let out a sigh. "I do not wish to destroy the city I live in, merely to allow myself and those I care for to live in it, and to recover what has been taken from me. I'll be the first to admit that I'm no saint. I never have been, nor will I be one."