[IC] Return of Powers

[Jinxer]

"10:00, huh? That's a lie in for you and me then." Rhiannon said cheerily, leaning back into her chair with arms crossed behind her head. "We'll obviously do our best to ensure your safety but if you're reckless and go off on your own then we'll be prioritizing the majority and will only come and find you once everyone else is safe... needless to say we may not arrive in time if you get into trouble. You'll be working as a team so if you're going to go and do something stupid then do it together." She flashed a smile, feeling a little rejuvenated by the odd team after several centuries being on the run with only Lauren for occasional companionship.

Gaius was looking at his controller, working his way through the menus and committing it all to memory. The team had an odd assortment of abilities and he could see why each of them were chosen although he was surprised there weren't more users of... mundane abilities like his own. Only one thing concerned him and that was the presence of a non-'Super' but he understood that their powers would not always be usable, or effective, so having someone skilled in regular fighting would be an advantage.

"I don't see anyone doing anything quite so juvenile especially if we're on this thing for a week together and will be as one team for the foreseeable future; unless someone wanted to deliberately alienate themselves from everyone else." He spoke, referencing Lauren's warning about messing with each other's habitation areas. He was just glad that no one had made a big deal of his lineage; expectations were such a bothersome affair.

It then occurred to him that Rhiannon had not mentioned her own power but when he looked up she was talking to Lauren. She clearly had no interest in divulging it yet but if she was the same Rhiannon Jones mentioned in Julius' journals, which only Gaius possessed, then he knew her power and also who she really was. He resolved to speak to her about it later and instead turned to Ludonear who was sitting next to him.

"Sorry if there is a bit of personal question but how did you come to be part of this rebel group? I mean, generally speaking it's those without powers against those with powers if you take away all the politics. Don't feel you have to answer if you don't want to, of course."

[Ludonear Ferta]

Ludonear had always had a keen memory for orders. It was a necessity after all. The information wasn't complicated as well and all the other things he could probably find out about using his communicator. He was thrilled at the thought of being on the outside again. Wasn't a particularly friendly place, but he did feel like he belonged there. Ireneus seemed a bit cold, distant and defensive, but quite honestly Ludonear appreciated that. Out in the field he used to be ice cold as well, did some things he wasn't proud of but they served the survival of the group. On top of that, he quite liked the way his sister looked and talked. Overall, Ludonear felt quite content with the people in the team.

Lauren's warning stung a little, not enough to show, but annoying all the same. He felt like he was being looked down upon again, like he once was all those years ago. Made him feel like he really needed to prove himself, as soon as possible...

Then Gaius asked him a question, about how he came to be a rebel. "Well, this story has a long and a short version. The long one is full of heroism and exaggeration, so I'll keep it short for now. Lots of that kind of long stories where I came from", Ludonear replied, "It started out with an in... an accident. Sarridan caused it, he's a guy that I used to know... Anyhow, the accident was quite bad and worse of all, it attracted the wildlife. That's when stuff started to go really bad." Ludonear suddenly started laughing. "Oh, wait. I forgot to tell you something", Ludonear, "this all happened the last day I spent with the group of explorers and we were pretty far away from out base and we had already run into trouble so we were running low on supplies. They're details, but important details... Anyhow, the wildlife showed up and then everything just went to hell. Chaos everywhere, death everywhere. No one could be found any more, it was a complete mess. Me and a few other survivors ran, figuring it would be the safest thing to do. At this point, we'd run out of everything a man, or woman, needs to survive... One by one we started dying and then I shot the last one because he was trying to eat my while I was asleep. Not such a nice experience, then again... We hadn't eaten anything for a few days. Then I ended up in the storms around Stonewall for some reason, can't even remember why. Next thing I know, I wake up in that fortress and get a chance. I took it and it seems that that choice is paying of. Honestly, I only survived because of luck. Lucky that I got the chance the run, lucky that I was the last to survive. Lucky that I woke up. Lucky that I was found. We all followed every rule to survive in the book and still only I made it... So, to conclude that story and answer your question, how I came to join the rebels? Luck, that's it, nothing more, nothing less." Ludonear paused for a moment before asking Gaius about how he ended up with the rebels.

[Jinxer]

Gaius listened carefully to the other lad's story carefully, nodding thoughtfully at the end of the tale.

"You were outside in the Wild then? You're braver than most... and better than most. Very few survive out there for long, from what I've heard. Especially those without powers, that is." He was slightly taken aback by the Ludonear's question, thinking the answer would have been obvious.

"Me? I have powers so if I don't fight I die and I can only fight if I'm here. Survival, for me and everyone else." He thought for a moment and shook his head. "That's not all of it, not for me anyway. My family's heritage was of trying to make a way for people with powers to live like normal people in this world and I don't want to let that heritage down, especially as I'm the last of the line." He smiled sadly, glancing towards the cargo hold where the precious journals were stored.

"Well from now on it won't all be about luck. One of my ancestors used to say that chance can be removed from the equation if you're clever enough but that it's even smarter to make chance work for you and only for you. I suppose it's a long winded way of saying you make your own luck." He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "My family has a big thing about their history."

For a reason, though.

[Ludonear Ferta]

"Hmm... Your family sounds like an interesting bunch of people. Too bad you're the last... I... know that feeling. Last of my group. Though, I guess it's time to start forging a new family. Out there, it wasn't blood that made you relatives, it was simply surviving together and I'm under the impression we're going to do just that...", Ludonear replied. Gaius' tale had sparked his interest. To be honest, Ludonear only ever had two people related to him by blood and both died. It was mostly one of the reasons Ludonear believed in choosing his own family, rather than actual blood. On top of that, a world where people with powers could live like any other. It seemed like a dream, a paradise. In the group of explorers, there had been several ability users, probably more but they had never told him. It was easy to figure out who, now that he thought of it. Probably anyone who didn't go into the cities with them but stayed behind in the closest hideouts. Those in charge had always been rather secretive about them and to think the only reason nobody suspected anything was simply because they didn't see it coming. Maybe a world were people with powers could live like any other wasn't so much a dram after all, though a world of lies seemed to be a hard one to live in to Ludonear. Maybe we should get rid of the cities then, so that the lies would lose their purpose and eventually cease to exist...? he thought.

"Getting luck on my side...", Ludonear said, "That's an interesting one. Sure, I'd like that, obviously. Yet I think luck has served me a little bit too much lately, I may end up paying the price if I rely on it any more than I already have, whether I'm in control of it or not..."

[facelessrecon]

Lauren began to speak, making a first impression by sharing nothing assaulting herself with her blade. Her wound healed miraculously, which would be an incredibly helpful power if it could be used on others. When it had first happened, Luke hadn't even noticed until he saw the blood. She must have done it multiple times, as she didn't even hesitate. The schedule sounded ridiculous, and would not doubt end with most of the members crashing within the first couple of weeks, Luke himself included. He said nothing though, as they knew what was best... or that's what he was supposed to think. He was never one for schedules, liking to do things at his own pace. He looked up at the ceiling before leaning back in his chair. Then the two boys he had first met began to have a lengthy conversation about luck and heritage, which seemed to drone on. Luck was a lie, used to give hope to those who had none. Losing interest in their conversation, what Luke he managed to take away from it was that Ludonear had been through hell and that Gaius, true to his word, seemed to like his family history. It seemed like everyone in this group had baggage, some more than others. Then again, everyone had baggage but not everyone showed it.

The siblings had some, obvious from the brother. He turned to them, with that cheeky smile on his face before he spoke, "So, you two are siblings? That's cool! ...You both have really interesting names." He ran his hand through his hair, waiting on a response. He didn't expect a lengthy one, if one at all, from the brother. The sister seemed like she was talkative, but maybe that was just an assumption.

[Major Ursa]

Irene focused up his power to create a knife in hand, but largely just let his mind wander for a moment as the others did their own thing...till the younger boy nearby spoke up. He had no interest, though his sister seemed to perk up and turn to the guy...dropping the distorted piece of metal to the ground, Ireneus got up and left to explore the other sections in the sandcrawler.

Alec grinned, and reached over to slap the back, "Uh, hey! Luke was it? Don't worry about my brother, he gets worked up and worried about everything...! Yeah, we are siblings...though most don't see the resemblance, its there, when Irene isn't so...glum?" Taking a moment to think, she gave the guy a funny look, "I though the thing with the puppet was really cute, but it'd really be neat for thing like...infiltration; spy stuff! I heard some building's security cameras are only equipped with infrared, maybe you'd be our guy for that sort of thing...?"

[facelessrecon]

"I think you two look alike, more or less!" While they had some similarities in appearance, or in his mind they did, they seemed like polar opposites. The girl, Alec, jumped right into conversation with someone she just met, while the brother either was avoiding conversation or simply didn't care about what anyone had to say. He obviously cared about his sister, but how that relationship worked, Luke had no idea. She complimented his power, a light blush on his face, as he wasn't used to compliments. "I'm guessing that that," he lowered his voice, "is the only reason they brought me along." He smirked, shrugging. "Not much good for anything else, but hey, a compliment is a compliment!" The brother had sulked off, much to Luke's disappointment. But the sister, Alec, was extremely friendly, and didn't seem to mind the conversation. "So you can manipulate time? I bet that's incredible!" He moved his legs up onto his seat, sitting on them as he looked over at Alec.

[chukklehed]

Lauren stood up from her chair, tapping a spot on the wall with her knuckles. A panel slid back from the wall revealing a full arsenal of weaponry, ranging from firearms to blades. "Since today is going to be short, we won't do a full three hours of training." She said, "Instead you're going to show me what you already know." As she spoke the floor on the far side of the vehicle started shifting, and flowed up until there were five metal combat dummies, one for each of them. "I want you to 'disable' your enemy." She said, pointing at them. "You're allowed to use anything from the rack, including the guns. Don't worry about ricochet, they're loaded with paint rounds, though the kickback and muzzle flash will be simulated to feel real. If you use a gun, you'll need to show that you can hit your target accurately, plus keep your weapon in close combat. When you're ready, take a weapon and line up near me. Close combatants will have to run forward."

[Jinxer]

Standing up and making his way to the array of weaponry, Gaius looked over them. He was not unskilled with weapons but his greatest strengths lay in his intellect and his powers. A handgun caught his eye, a simple thing but with enough bulk to feel good and weighty in his hand when he removed it from the rack. He faintly remembered from Julius' journal how he had opted to use a handgun rather than his powers if he needed to do something he was ashamed of but saw as necessary; like killing someone without implicating himself.

"I'll take this one. I'm fairly proficient with small arms." He told Lauren, showing her the handgun as he joined her near the targets.

Rhiannon had not moved from her chair, carefully watching the members of the team choose their weapons with interest; they all had entertaining characters and she needed, as well as wanted, to understand them as quickly as possible. Gaius' choice of weapon did not escape her and a memory of his forebear standing alone in a dark room surrounded by dead and bleeding bodies, empty shell cases on the floor around him, sprung to the fore.

Don't forget they're different people.

[Major Ursa]

Though Alec did get to spend some time talking to her new companion, she didn't get another chance to answer when stuff...began to happen. Some sort of test/training, a good opportunity to prove herself, show off...well...maybe. Wordlessly, her brother (who had come in to listen to the instruction) went over to examine the weapons. In turn, she tentatively went over to check out a hefty looking shotgun. Sure, Irene had given her a few lessons in handing and using a shotgun, but...this was the first time she actually held a 'real' (paintball) one. There was always something cold and impersonal about using a gun, when it made sense to her to get in and personal with fists or knives. But this wasn't street fights with other rowdy kids in the slums, anymore...

While she alternated between weapons, her brother finalised his decision. Picking up a handgun and the longest katana...the make of the katana being surprising, forged like they were meant to be (ages ago), instead of molded like demonstration ones...he wondered what 'disable' meant, for this sort of demonstration. Would he need to take off the hands, kneecap 'em...or would completely destroying the dummies be fine? With the realistic weight of the handgun, despite only having paintballs loaded up into them, it would be more than enough to bash a head open.

[facelessrecon]

Luke frowned, approaching the rack of weapons. His eyes avoided the blades and blunt objects, looking at the small handguns. He may be fit, but he didn't have brute strength. He sighed picking up the most familiar one he could find. He wasn't particularly skilled with any of the guns, but he had fired handguns enough times to hit.. maybe. He glanced at the others, most picking up weapons they acted like they were familiar with. He checked the weapon over before waiting his turn. He didn't want to be viewed as useless, but he knew that if he failed this test, it would lower other's opinions about him. He fell silent, slightly odd for Luke, but he just waited silently, praying that he would succeed.

[Ludonear Ferta]

Ludonear wanted to use his own gun since he was used to it, but he didn't think they'd appreciate him using real bullets. After Gaius and Luke had picked their weapons Ludonear went to look for one that suited him. There was a wide variety of weapons available, and a large amount of them even suited his tastes but that was mostly because they were guns and rifles. Ludonear found something similar to his own weapon. A rifle that seemed to be quite accurate. Just like his own, the weapon seemed to be semi-automatic but unlike his own, it seemed to lack the ability to be converted into a sniper on the go. He picked it up to check the weight and feel the weapon in his arms. Everything seemed fine but he worried about the recoil. He hadn't ever fired the gun before and while he thought it to be similar to his own weapon, this rifle could just as easily be entirely different. He lined up besides the others and focussed on the targets. Ludonear stance was a simple one but mostly an effective one. It looked like his gun was lowered, but with a single swing he could instantly bring it into place and fire. By adjusting his knees and the direction he faced even a shot like that could hit it's mark. 'It's all in the preparation', his previous instructor had thought him. When you're got everything covered, all you have to do is actually pull the trigger. No time lost in aiming means more time to run away or fire another shot. Ironically, the instructor had died after missing his opponent and not having the time to shoot again...

[Jinxer]

Stepping forwards, Gaius went first. He raised the handgun so that it was held in his right hand while being braced across his left forearm as if it were a sandbag or wall top to provide extra stability. He knew that more skilled fighters would not need to provide the bracing and could shoot true without even aiming down the sights at all, more by reflex than anything else, but he had not that practice or the time to learn so.

He cocked the weapon and shot at every target before the clip ran out and he lowered the weapon. Every shot had hit but not always at a vital spot and he knew that his time between shots had been too long as he had taken care to aim.

"Like I said, this kind of battle is not my forte."

[Ludonear Ferta]

After Gaius was done shooting, Ludonear stepped forward. He brought up his gun and fired without using the bracing Gaius had. His stance gave him an advantage with the first shot, which hit its mark even though he barely took the time to aim. Ludonear had made up his mind about what he was going to show. Obviously, the weapon he held had the ability to fire at a higher pace than recommended when trying to properly aim, but Ludonear decided not to because of just that. Today he was going for hits, not for speed. In battle he used to fire faster and aim less, more bullets fired meant more hits. Yet these targets didn't feel pain, to disable meant to hit them properly, not barely. Basically the same principle when fighting against an armoured enemy, aim and hit the weak spots. Besides, those hits relied purely on instinct, anticipation (if the targets were moving) and luck. With the lack of real battle or proper training Ludonear didn't feel too confident about the first two just yet. He knew he would soon enough, a few days of real training rather than the simple practice he had back at the fortress and it would all come back to him. Just need to go back to the basics, he thought, aim before you shoot. And so Ludonear took his time to aim, not too long, well, for him it felt long, but in reality it took just a second, maybe two, to aim while only missing a few. Overall Ludonear felt content with the lack of decline in his abilities, maybe he could have shot on instinct... Yet, he was glad he didn't, the results would be worse, no matter how good his shape.

[Major Ursa]

Holding the hefty rifle in her arms, and feeling the weight of it...Alec watched her brother take shots at one of the dummies. First two shots...knee, knee, kneecapped...by paintballs. The next two shots...right hand, left wrist. They were pretty darned accurate, but she couldn't exactly tell what her brother was thinking when he stepped down, seemingly done with his part in things. Four shots of the handgun, and not even using the katana, at all...and he looked a little ticked off, too, for whatever reason. Well, this was Alec's turn to shine. The rifle was...well, it was a rifle. Heavy.

Holding it in a proper position, like she'd seen a diagram or so of a while back, the stock to her shoulder...she fired two rounds, then dropped the rifle, and holding her shoulder while leaning down and hissing in pain, "OWWWWW! FUC--sssssss, ow. I'm good! I'm...good..." Looking down at the offending rifle in disdain, then up at her bro to see if he would snicker at her...he did look vaguely amused, but she was also surprised when he tossed her his handgun, though Alec just barely caught it with her one hand while her other was still rubbing her bruised shoulder. Taking aim, and a little sore...two shots, one grazed the side of the dummy, while the other just barely hit the upper leg of it. A long, disappointed-at-self sigh followed.

[facelessrecon]

Luke expected to do about as well as Alec. He made sure everyone was complete before raising his gun. His mind quickly tried to recall all the training he had done. He aimed down the sight, taking a few deep breaths before pulling the trigger three times. POP, POP, POP He glanced up at his target, ready to see his results. Two shots hit the dummy, square in the chest. The third, having just grazed the left side of the dummies head. He turned around, placing the weapon down. He gave a shrug and stated jokingly, "Can I say I meant to do that?" He gave them that same cheesy smirk, before looking towards Lauren. The group appeared to be split, some being extremely talented and the others... well, not so much.

[chukklehed]

As each person chose their weapon and took their shots, Lauren shook her head slowly. Walking over the the weapon wall, she chose a long knife and two hand axes with curved handles. Holding them easily between her fingers, she walked over to the group and handed Alec the knife and passing the axes to Luke. "You two should be training with these." Turning to the rest of the group, she said "When fighting in a group, the best way to lose is to do your own thing. If all of you use guns, all it takes to kill you is someone quick enough to get close. A good team has talents that complement each other, meaning some of you should focus on close combat, and some of you should focus on ranged. Alec, Luke, I want you to try those weapon out. Irene, I want to see how you handle that sword. The rest of you put your weapons back and talk to Rhia, she wants to give you a test or something to see how much education you've been through."

[Jinxer]

Does this mean I've been relegated to ranged combat? Sounds good to me

Gaius followed orders and joined Rhiannon who was sitting effortlessly in the yoga lotus position, her eyes not looking at anything in particular but also not missing anything that went on. She nodded as Gaius sat down in a seat nearby and waited for the others not selected by Lauren to also take a seat. They were so young, at least to her.

Does that make me old, I wonder

Suppressing a mirthless smile, Rhiannon gazed at them for a moment, weighing how to start before rolling her shoulders and relaxing a little more.

"Okay, simply put we're going to go over what you know about the world, its politics and the history which are relevant to this mission and our very existence. A lot of what you'll know may be wrong due to propaganda and lost knowledge but I'll correct you and by the end hopefully you'll understand why what we're doing is so important." She turned her head towards Gaius who had leaned forwards, indicating he had something to ask. "Go ahead." She said.

"I understand the purpose of this but how can we be sure that the information you're giving us is not propaganda from this side? I'm already willing to lay my life down for this cause and always have been but I would rather not have my mind filled with falsehoods by my own side. It would be somewhat of a betrayal." There was an odd twinkle in his eye and Rhiannon knew from her long life, and mainly from her experience with Gaius' forebear, that he was fishing for something specific.

"Because this information is coming directly from me and is firsthand." She stopped short of revealing her age but the thoughtful look on the boy's face told her he had already suspected such.

How could he possibly know about that?

"Anyway, before we start I want to hear everything you know. It could be something you've seen or learned from your past and interaction with either our organisation or the established government. This is partly so that you all know a little more about one another as well as educating you on current affairs. Who's going first then?"

[Ludonear Ferta]

Ludonear was glad to be in the ranged group, it was what he was trained in all his life after all. Ludonear followed Gaius to Rhiannon, who was sitting in a position that didn't seem comfortable at all. Well, it seemed comfortable to Rhiannon... Rhiannon told them the first thing they were going to do is discuss politics and history, not two of Ludonear's best subjects... Before they could start, Gaius was already arguing with the teacher about how true the information was. Rhiannon said something about the information being firsthand. Ludonear looked up surprised. Firsthand...? That's not even possible.... Right...? Just who are these two woman...?

When Rhiannon asked who wanted to go first, Ludonear thought it best to just reveal his lack of knowledge by going first. It would surely make people feel more comfortale since they probably know more than he did. "I'll go first", he said while standing up. "Too be honest, I know next to nothing. I know a lot about the history of the group I travelled with. And there are some area's we discovered that I know stories of, though most of it was simply the best guess we could make. About the current political situation I know next to none. The only times we came across cities, most of us stayed behind in hideouts. The few times I actually entered a city we only stayed there for a very short time."

[facelessrecon]

Luke frowned, taking the axes cautiously. "May I axe you a question?" He chuckled at his pun, turning to see if anyone else laughed. Seeing no one finding humour in the joke, he turned back to Lauren, looking a little disappointed. "Are you sure you want me to have these? If I lose these or something happens, my powers can't protect me. I'll be a sitting duck and if I try to use my powers, I collapse, which would not only leave me exposed but I could hurt myself doing so." To be honest, he really didn't want to have to use these weapons. Not only were they brutal, but they added a personal feel to the killing, where as with a gun he could distance himself from any lives he would have to take. 'Maybe I can control these?' He thought to himself before looking back up at Lauren. Who even decided axes should be used as weapons? What psychopath thought 'Hmm, that thing takes down a tree pretty good, how about a person?'