Original Impetus Project: Back/Step

Discussion in 'Role-Playing Arena' started by mindstorm787, Mar 18, 2020.

  1. cstar stay away from my waifu

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    There had been some running and shuffling on the street with not much noise at that point. But distant yells as a fight began to intensify were starting to be heard. Just before they got towards the next street a shadow quickly scurried behind them not belonging to anyone in particular. The shadow stretched out to reach theirs and pulled them to a halt as a soft voice beamed out, "Stop. Don't go that way." the shadow walked backwards and Danni & Jay mirrored and in sync also walked backwards as a yell got closer and a shot fired. A woman screamed in panic and people began to run as gunshots fired out quickly in response. A body fell not far from them and the shadow's movement quickened as it ducked down an alleyway.

    When in the alley, the shadow popped up from the ground but still fully black as it reached to grab a gate and pull it closed and shut it as more people ran from the scene. The silhouette then began to gain color starting from the head as white hair came to fruition and color returned to skin and clothes. The girl turned to look at Danni and Jay and said with a look of worry, "Sorry about that. I wanted to make sure you weren't caught in that. Give it maybe five minutes low and then go back towards North street. Okay?" Spectre pulled up her hood and ran at a trash can, jumped off of it onto a window's ledge. She pulled her weight up to grab a hanging ladder off a balcony and pulled herself onto it before jumping across onto a roof. She was still in sight and earshot, but she was parkouring her way up to assess the situation better.

     
  2. mindstorm787 Gummi Ship Junkie

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    The sound of gunshots and slander filled the air as the alley became alight with muzzle flashes. It has only taken one disagreement with two drug dealing gangs before itchy trigger fingers began to do the talking. By that logic, it would come as no surprise as to why human life was so finite. They were so eager to kill each other.

    In this case though, no party involved, not even Jay, Danni, or the mysterious girl that saved them noticed a figure that had walked in through from the opposite end from where Jay and Danni were about to enter. Any superhuman in range felt a heavy sensation, an LV spike of massive power. Not more than a moment passes, and the gunfire abruptly stops. All the thugs lay there, unconscious, either with broken limbs or joints. Almost as if the skirmish never happened, but by some unseen force that stopped it. All that was heard were heavy footfalls walking back in the direction from where they came; male figure with a right red Occuli, walking off as if nothing ever happened.
     
  3. Aelin Best Waifu

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    "I am hoping this will at least help us find one. If she falls for it of course. Which she might not, but it was better than just wandering the streets looking for a literal shadow. It would be difficult to use other methods to find her, given things like facial recognition would be difficult when she didn't particularly have a proper face at times. At least Danni asked a different question too so he could change the subject before she asked about a different plan of action, because frankly, he didn't have another idea yet. "I suppose that you could call what I do, technomancy. Mainly hacking an manipulating technology around me." Jaycob explained before he heard some sort of scuffle. Before he even had time to react, he was suddenly being pulled backwards as a voice whispered to him. He was confused as they were brought into an ally.

    As they got their movement back, the shadow suddenly started to form into a person. "Well that was not what I had planned, but it works." Jaycob mumbled as he turned to talk to Spectre only to see her starting to climb away from him. "Stay here, stay quiet, I will be right back." Jay quickly instructed Danni before he started to climb up after Spectre, not being as agile as her, but making it. At least that was until he had to jump to the next roof, that was where he stopped and finally called out for her, pulling down his hood as he did so. "Spectre, stop. I have a job offer for you. That is why I am here." He quickly explained, hoping the offer of money would be enough to get her to stop and listen.

    As he called to her there was a sudden presence that made Jaycob stop for a moment as he looked at Spectre to see if she seemed to feel it too. There was no mistaking it, the sensation that came across him, there was someone with a strong power nearby. He needed to get back to the other girl. "If you are interested, come down and talk to me. I am going to check on the other girl." He said as he started to head down back to where Danni was. "You okay kid?" He asked as he reached into the inside of his sweater just in case.
     
  4. Maka Albarn It's called love

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    Danni quirked her eyebrow at Jay's response to her question, but before she could ask more into it, there were shouts that were ringing out. Danni's head shot up to look ahead of her as she heard screaming and yelling, and then she suddenly felt herself walking backwards against her will. "What the-?!" Shots suddenly rang out, and then chaos broke out. Danni's heart was going a million miles an hour in her chest as she saw flashes of red and orange behind her eyes and felt a familiar searing pain on her left arm. She suddenly felt herself being released from what was holding on to her, seeing that she was in an alley of some kind with a gate barricading her from what was going on from out there.

    She saw a shadow appear in front of her only turning into fully human, but Danni only processed some of her words as her body was shuddering from the pure adrenalin that was going through her body. Soon, the girl was gone, and Jay told her to stay put, and soon he was off too. "Stay- WAIT!" Danni clenched and unclenched her fist, pacing back and forth like a caged tiger before she saw people running down the street and then suddenly felt a strong presence nearby followed by a weird sensation crash over her. A familiar sense of dread washed over the girl and she swallowed hard before she pressed herself against the wall, hiding behind a dumpster.

    She was crouched down and had her ears covered by the time Jay came back. She was taking in deep breaths of air trying to calm herself down, but it was on the verge of hyperventilating. She saw his shoes, and her head jerked up to look up at him and she stood quickly to attention. "W-What's going on out there?!" she whispered hoarsely. "Where's the other girl?"
     
  5. cstar stay away from my waifu

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    Spectre looked around with a touch of fear as the silence deafened and the feeling of the power pulsing through the air got her wondering what exactly happened there. She looked down at the boy and the girl behind the dumpster and she turned into a shadow to slither back down. Spectre reformed on top of the dumpster and looked to Jay and sat on the edge of the dumpster and said with a soft giggle and a smile, "Wait I know you. You're that cute techie from the Spades who couldn't keep his wallet in his pants." her face hardened as she asked with full seriousness and a harsher and louder speaking voice than she usually had, "Why the fuck would I want your blood money?"
     
  6. Aelin Best Waifu

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    Jaycob knelt down next to Danni to help her calm down, offering her a hand up as he went to explain. "She will be down soon. Come on, you are fine." He assured her before Spectre appeared behind them and he stood to face her once more, as she said something he would have rather her not said. "That wasn't the only thing I couldn't keep in my pants. I hope you know I let you take my wallet." He said with a bit of a wink before becoming serious again, thinking about what she said about the blood money, and how much he should say about the situation. Perhaps he should keep the cop part out of it for now at least. "Not my money, A-7. They are assembling a team of us super humans to do their dirty work for them. Understaffed, or so they claim. It is a load of bull if you ask me, but at least it would be cash, enough for a few proper meals." He tried to avoid the comments about his previous gang and just hoped that Danni wouldn't know what The Spades were and wouldn't question it.
     
  7. cstar stay away from my waifu

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    Spectre stared at Jay for an even longer time before she stood up on the dumpster and said, "I'm not interested." she stretched a bit and said, "But if it's A-7 sending you after me then I'm probably not gonna stop hearing from you even if I tell you no." she hopped down and turned back towards them and smiled, "I'll go with you if you buy me some Wicky Dees." her eyes lit up a bit as she said, "I can't remember the last time I had some good WcDonalds."
     
  8. Maka Albarn It's called love

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    Danni stood there dumbfoundedly. She had so many questions running through her head right now. These two already knew each other? Blood money? The Spades? Why were they just standing around so calmly right now? Was A-7 really going to pay them or was Jay just bluffing?

    And all they had to do to get her to come was... buy her some... WcDonalds...?


    Oh my fucking...

    She waved her hands in the air and gestured opposite of the gate area. "Okay, cool, buy her a burger. Let's just get out of here!"
     
  9. Aelin Best Waifu

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    Well that was easier than expected, well except the fact that Danni was still freaking out a bit, but at least they could get out of here now. "WcDonalds all around it is then, on me. That goes for both of you." Jaycob gave Danni a pointed apologetic look as he started to head back towards the car, keeping well away from the street that the fight and the weird power had come from. "As long as you don't go too overboard, feel free to order whatever you like. Just try and keep it to two meals. We have one more person to pick up also, so I hope that drive-threw works for everyone." He continued to talk, seeming pretty cool about everything, but was feeling a bit off kilter. When they were in the car and getting their food, Jaycob glanced back. "If you have any questions then ask them now, because soon we are going to be stopping near the police station and I need to not be disturbed when I am hacking into their systems. It is the only way I can think of to find this kid." He stated tossing Zeke's folder back to Spectre to look at if she wanted.
     
  10. cstar stay away from my waifu

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    Spectre was eating a Big Wac with glee slowly in the back of the car like it would be the last time in a while she would get a good meal. Anyone in the car with her would quickly learn she smelled bad. Like in an unclean sort of way over any other smell. She seemed to be noseblind to it and had all the heating vents blasting towards her. She looked at the file and asked, "So why are we going to the police station?" Spectre paused and asked, "You're not a snitch are you?" she looked upset and sighed,"If this kid Zeke's file indicates anything... yeah. You are." she put the file down and said, "I can't afford bail and whatever they accuse me of will probably be at least 5 years. And if you're a cop I wasn't Mirandized!"
     
  11. Maka Albarn It's called love

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    Danni chose to eat a Wuater Pounder with Cheese bacon with a medium Mister Pepper. She could smell the new girl, and wrinkled her nose as the heat vents were aimed at her, making the smell even worse. But then, she put two and two together. Food over money, the bad smell. Oh. This wasn't the normal kind of girl. She listened to the banter back and forth between the girl and Jay, realizing that the girl didn't know what Jay really was. How long was Jay in the police force... Danni kept her mouth shut and chowed down on her food for a bit and then chased it down with soda before she formulated a few questions. "What's The Spades...? And are we really getting paid by the A-7's?" Danni wasn't expecting an answer, but it didn't hurt to ask.
     
  12. Aelin Best Waifu

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    Oh goodness, this wasn't going to be easy. He had tried to be careful with his wording, but she was still freaking out and Danni was asking about the Spades. With a sigh, Jaycob ran his fingers through his hair, slightly stressed. "First off, the Spades are a gang, usually spending their time exploiting people through various means, rarely violence, not unless necessary. As for pay, they better be. They are pulling both of us off normal work time to do this, so if they don't pay us then I am not doing it. That being said they refused to give me details until everyone was here." He stated as he reached into the back seat and found a bag with his laptop in it. He flipped it open and set it on the middle consul as he began to hack into the police stations network, but just to get on his own computer that was inside. "I am not a cop and I am not part of the gang anymore. I am just working on my own for now. You aren't going to jail, we are here because it is infinitely easier to hack into systems when you are within wifi range." It was a lie, but he doubted that she knew that much about his life. The part about hacking was true though, not that he needed to hack in. "I just want to run some facial recognition scans to see if I can find the location of this Zeke guy..... and done. Got it." His laptop screen started to flash before it gave him the location with the last seen match. "I need you two ladies to keep an eye out for the kid in the picture, I will drive to the area that security camera's last picked him up in." It would be up to them to actually find Zeke. Hopefully he was still out in the open.
     
  13. Maka Albarn It's called love

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    Danni made an o shape with her lips when Jay explained what The Spades were to her. And how he explained he didn't know any other details was satisfying enough to her. Danni finished up the rest of her sandwich and drink, dabbing her mouth with a napkin before she switched out her shoes for her rubber boots and slipped her rubber gloves back on. She looked over at what Jay was doing and shuddered. Man, it was scary how quick he was at finding what he was looking for. Nothing was private in this day and age. She looked back at Spectre and smiled a little, having sort of settled down. "I'm Danni by the way... Nice to meet you. Can I see that file really quick?" Danni took the file from the girl and looked at it more throughly, squinting at it. "Government... experiment...? Hold up a sec. Are you sure he will want to come with us willingly?"

    She blew some air from her lips as she looked at his powers and chewed the inside of her cheeks as the gears in her head started to turn. She glanced at Jay, then back at Spectre before looking out on the road. Jay was bent on gathering them all up before taking them to the A-7, and the A-7 didn't take no for an answer... Or that's what she understood."I can try to talk to him if you would like? Once we find him anyways." It didn't take long before Danni spotted a familiar face on the streets and she sat up straighter. "Hey, that's him, stop the car."

    The car came to a stop and Danni grabbed her file as well as Zeke's file."Okay. If it all works out, I should get him to come with us." She flashed the duo a smile and a thumbs up."Be right back!" With that, she hopped out of the car and shut the door behind her, jogging a little to catch up to Zeke. "Zeke? Hey! Um... You don't know me. My name is Danni.... I'm like you. I use electricity." She held up her LV bracelet for him to see and realized she had her gloves and boots on. "Oh, shoot, hold on, um..." She pulled off her glove and hopped up and down as she took off her boot. When it flipped off her feet, she quickly stood up and snapped her finger, showing a snap of blue electricity from her fingertips. "A-anyways... I know it seems weird, I was weirded out too. But uh, the A-7 is gathering a team of us for some reason. They contacted me today after my shift at the coffee shop. Here, this is my file." She handed Zeke her file, only forgetting she didn't put her glove back on and gave him a tiny static shock. "Oh! I'm really, really sorry. Um. Lemme put my glove back on, and my boot..." She awkwardly put her things back on, blushing in embarrassment as she held on to Zeke's file under her arm. "But uh, they have everything about me. They have everything of you, too. See?" She gave him his file with her gloved hand. "They have everything on the other two people they have in mind as well. So, uh, I think it would be a bad idea to say no. And it would be a good idea to come with me and go see what A-7 wants with us... So, what do you say, Zeke? Come with me, and let's head to A-7? ...Please?"
     
  14. CrownMoksha Decimo

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    Zeke's walk was pretty uneventful as both ones would expect and much to his enjoyment. His hands were placed into his pockets and he just kept walking, soon feeling like that he's gotta enough of the fresh air and that it was time to head back home. He started walking off in that direction and hearing someone call out his name. His real name at that and not one the random ones that he gave to people that asked. This brought about some concern which turned to confusion upon seeing who it was who called out to him. A girl, a couple of years younger than him by the looks of it.

    This struck him as odd as he's never seen her before in his, very confined, life (which she even confirmed) but he was willing to hear her out. Until she gave him a reason to flee. Zeke found himself raising a brow at her explaining what her powers were among other things.
    "It's fine." The shock barely fazed him so it didn't think much of it. He gave her 'file' a look through in what he thought at first was humoring her. Instead, this set off the first warning flag in his mind. It looked official, government official and handing him his own file had done little to make him feel better.

    Zeke stood there holding his own file, not opening it as his mental war on what to do waged. His instincts told him to run, pack up his few things and leave to a new city. At the same time, this girl was a barista at coffee shop. Not some secret government agent and especially now one from the facility that he managed to escape from. She was in the same boat as he was more or less. Eventually, all he could do was to just sigh.
    "Alright, I'll follow you." But if I came down to it, he find a way out if needed.
     
  15. mindstorm787 Gummi Ship Junkie

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    ☉ Chapter 2 - Sinner

    - - -
    Date - April 12th, 2021, 17:14
    Location - Corps Row District, A-7 Council Sector 1, North Gate

    Current Track - Black Mesa OST - Office Complex (Mesa Remix)

    With Zeke on the same page as the rest, Jaycob drove the group back to Corps Row to meet back with Nicholas and to finally figure out what was going on. Little would any of them know that they would get more than what they’ve bargained for.

    Upon arriving at the North Gate, the heavy vault doors opened as they approached, with Nicholas stepping out, accompanied by two other guards from the rear.
    “Jaycob.” Nicholas stated, his usual leer replaced by a satisfied look. “Glad you were able to make it.” He leaned over to look at the entourage. “And with everyone in tow. Daniella, Lily, and even Zeke. I assumed you would have trouble, but I think now it’s safe to say that I can put my faith in a fellow officer, hm?” He smirked, but it wasn’t a cocky one. Seemed like the speaker was beginning to loosen up a bit. He motioned to the group.
    “I’m sure that you all have questions.” He said. “But I ask that for now you keep them on your mind for now. In the meantime, please follow me.”
    They all began to head past the North Gate, the doors noisily shutting behind them. They entered into the hallways lined with office doors and entered into the one labeled Office 5.

    Office might’ve been a bit of a stretch. The room was larger than any office pretty much known, not even a conference room. It didn’t even seem to agree with the proportions of the barracks, seemingly bigger then the door containing it. At the opposite end of where everyone entered, a huge screen hung from the walls that stretched to the ceiling. A conference table reaching both ends of the room sat, with nearly 28 office chairs surrounding it. Aside from that, the room was blank aside from a water and coffee dispenser in the left corner. Nicholas went and sat nearest to the screen, putting an arm under the table and pulling out a remote of sorts.

    “So.” He said. “For those of you whom don’t know, my name is Nicholas Jafreet. I am the senior officer and Speaker to the Council of 7 here. Thus, their word is my enforcement.” He sat more comfortably. “Now, I am going to be blunt. To some degree, you all already know that the Council has kept their eyes on you. We do this for everyone, of course. Matter of national security. Even if you haven’t registered for one reason or another. But if you have powers, and have been seen by the public eye, we know about you. We know everything about what makes you and your powers tick. We know about your flaws. Your deficits, pasts, sins, transgressions, blah-d blah blah.”

    He blows his cheeks. “In short, if you step out of line, my superiors aren’t afraid to take their own measures. And I won’t be able to do anything to stop them.” He tilted his head. “On the other hand, should you perform this task, and you will all be compensated individually based on the information we know.” He looked to Dani. “Whether it be answers,” Then to Zeke, “To true freedom,” Then further still to Spectre. “To a real proper life.” He breathed in. “From this point forward, whether you choose to take this task or not, you are to be sworn to secrecy on the count of a Level 5 offense. Should you break this agreement, you are subject to detainment of up to 20 years. I kid you not, you do not want to do that. Especially with whom you’ll be dealing with. And we can find you, assuming the compiled profiles aren’t proof enough.” He placed a hand to his chest. “I am your liaison on this, and I want nothing but your own good. So after this agreement, should you choose to not take this assignment, I nor the Council of 7 hold you in contempt. You will be allowed to go back to the lives you’ve been having at your own discretion.” He leaned towards the group. “I will need to hear you all agree.”
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2020
  16. Maka Albarn It's called love

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    Danni listened very carefully to what was being said to her. She didn't like this one bit. To be watched and pushed under someone's thumb like this. Well, that's what you got when you weren't exactly... normal. Even if you tried to act normal it seemed. When the speaker seemed to be reading them their terms and conditions to the job, Danni pressed her lips in a thin line and pressed a hand to her lips in deep thought. "So, you're telling us even if we say no, we have to keep this meeting a secret...? Does that mean we can really say no then?" Danni looked up at Nicolas lowered her hand. "If you really kept an eye on us like you said, you know I hadn't really used my powers. I wear these gloves and these boots for a reason," she said as she showed her hands and kicked one foot up in view before standing normally. "I don't know how useful I'm going to be to you all. I feel like I'm just going to get in the way. I don't know anything about combat either." She shook her head stepping back a little. "I think you got the wrong girl for this... assignment you're putting together."
     
  17. Aelin Best Waifu

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    Jaycob stood there with his arms crossed listening to Nick. For the most part it was better than his day job, so he had nor reason to say no, even if they couldn't seem to come up with a reasonable offer for him. It didn't matter as long as it kept him somewhat occupied with something other than paperwork. Danni on the other hand, didn't seem as convinced however as she spoke of her concerns. "Don't you worry your little mind about any of that. You see, I can handle most things, but you know a gun only gets me so far, I could use backup while I did my real work. I trust you enough not to electrocute us if something dangerous comes around and that is all that matters. You can learn as you go, it is easy really. Besides, if your use comes to just being talking in a way that keeps Zeke here calm, then I say that is a win for us. Besides, are you really going to turn down a chance to work with this hansom face?" Jaycob gave Danni a smoldering look to try to convince her to join. It was clear that he was on board already, it was just a matter of the others, and he was doing everything he could to not have to work so closely with the stuffy A-7 guys and instead have a couple of couple, albeit, young girls with him. The other boy wasn't half bad either, but he needed choices, like come on.
     
  18. CrownMoksha Decimo

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    Zeke wasn't all too pleased to know that these guys held all that information on him. Even if most of the information that they could've gotten on him was nothing special, the ease of access was much more concerning. Naturally, this was used as a means to incitive him into going along with whatever it was that they had planned for this hastily made group. Even with the options given to them, he still felt as if he was in a box that happened to be in the palm of their hands. One way or another they would have to be secretive about this as well as be on some form of surveillance. "Me being calm is to keep anyone I don't trust from learning too much about me, not that it really matters right now." He said looking towards Nicholas. "How long will this task take?"
     
  19. cstar stay away from my waifu

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    "Well... I can agree to the terms of confidentiality. But I can't agree to take a task I know nothing about. So, you've got my interest. But you don't have my full interest." There was a stretch of silence after her response where she kicked her legs a bit and kept stretching a little before adding, "Also if you know about us you would know that I don't use my birth name and you know exactly why I don't use it. So I'll sign anything with it for whatever legal stuff you need but from this point on I would ask you use my preferred name." Spectre looked to Danni and said, "Also: with all those with powers out there they could have easily chosen someone else. There's some unstable people out there on the streets desperate for work. If they picked you, you must have a good reason. Or they'd just go blackmail someone else."

    Spectre cracked her knuckles and asked, "Also, it'd give you a chance to practice your powers to get a hand on it. Trust me, practice makes all the difference. My first year with my powers was basically me being stuck to walls."

     
  20. mindstorm787 Gummi Ship Junkie

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    Nicholas looked around to see hear each of the individual’s responses. He wasn’t surprised that Danni seemed to be the only one that was unsure about all of this, as she was as normal as they come. Having suppressed her powers for so long to appease her parents, living a quiet life on her own. That’s what made her a viable candidate. What he was surprised or was both Spectre and Zeke were on board, albeit tentatively. They were the most unlikely people to accept such a task, especially if asked by A-7. Then again, if they were detained, there would be no chance that they would agree anyway. He nodded to the group in turn at their responses. He then ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Explaining the task in turn was not going to be easy.

    Current Track - Black Mesa OST - Inbound Part 2

    AEGIS, lock this room down. Level 5 clearance on override 32712.” Nicholas said to no one in particular. Immediately, a garage-like door closed the entrance to the room and the lights dimmed slightly. Even the cameras in the room, one on each corner, closed inward and up into the ceiling.
    “AEGIS, the AI system of the barracks.” Nicholas stated to anyone who’d be worried. “Had to install it about a month ago due to recent events. Recent events that particularly relate to your assignment.”
    He tapped a button on a remote, causing the screen to turn on. It turned on to reveal a male, with messy, raven-black hair, deep brown eyes and glasses, and a slightly pale complexion grace the screen. He looked almost tired, but behind those eyes almost appeared like guilt.
    “About 4 years ago, an anomaly occurred in the Teslar District. You probably wouldn’t have felt it or even realized it happened. But it did. It was what A-7, and then the press, ultimately called the Chrinistar Timestop. At 13:24, this man,” He pointed the remote, which revealed to have a laser pointer, circling around the boy’s face, “Unleashed a devastating power that nearly bordered on a Mavericking event, stopping the entire US for 30 minutes and 22 seconds.”

    • Mavericking is a phenomena unique to superhumans that acts as a power boost, and can heal any Occuli-related injury instantaneously. Activated usually on command when a superhuman has reached a Base or Threshold LV of 50, this phenomena occurs when a superhuman gives into their raw emotions or inhibitions. Thus most superhuman Maverick cases involving anger are commonplace, but it’s not unheard of when a superhuman Mavericks as a result of extreme sadness or even happiness, either.
      When a superhuman Mavericks, the whites of their eyes instead become a black color when their Occuli manifests. They also receive a permanent boost in raw prowess of their powers and a boost in Base LV, allowing for possible reclassification to Gaian.

      There are 3 manifestations to Maverick superhumans, each presenting their own unique cases;
      Unstable Mavercism, being the most common, causes the individual to lose control of both their powers and their mind, reducing them to an almost feral state, and can be recognized by the superhuman’s Occuli not being visible. Prolonged exposure can lead to cardiac arrest or even the subject becoming comatose should they burn out their energy. Longest documented case was two weeks of prolonged exposure. The only possible way to bring the individual out of the state is to detain them well enough to calm down, or allow them catharsis of what caused them to Maverick in the first place.

      Stable Mavercism, the second and a bit more uncommon case is when the individual in question is conscious, but still unable to control their powers, recognized when the subject’s Occuli are considered a “glassy” look to their color. What makes this state unique is that Stable Mavericism typically occurs as a result of unique cases, and has the lowest reclassification rate. Lack of power control in a Stable Mavericks typically involve either as ability output, function, or even simply when certain conditions are met for the ability to activate or be utilized.

      Finally, Conscious Mavericism, the last and most rare scenario, recognized by no change in Occuli other than the whites of their eyes, is when the subject has both control of their mind and powers, and function well synchronously with both. This state allows the individual to be able to slip into and out of the state, and anyone who enters it is immediately reclassified as a Gaian. People who have achieved this state are considered one of the strongest superhumans to date, and only 1/12 people of the 8% actually reach this stage.


    Nicholas looked back to the group. “This person you see before you, is Rex Argus Valin. He’s the youngest of 4 siblings, brother to the retired vigilante White Impulse, and son of the wealthy textile tycoon, Robert Valin.” He said matter-of-factly. “He was originally assumed to be an Enhancer; speedster class, like the rest of his siblings, and he was one of the 42 hand-picked students that went to Ermand Teslar’s experimental Academy for Superhumans, like I was.” His look became more narrow, serious even. “In reality, he was misclassified.” He tapped a button on his remote, changing the slide. This time, Rex’s eyes changed. His left eye became black, voided, meaning he had Occuli trauma. His right eye, however, became a heavy crimson that glared to anyone who looked.

    “Rex, in reality, is a True Gaian class superhuman, who can stop time for up to a few seconds.” Nicholas said quietly. “Even I didn’t know that he was at the time. When arrested and questioned, he claimed to have been able to stop time for up to 5 seconds from his perspective with little effort. But when he caused the Chrinistar Timestop, he had failed to Maverick, ultimately hurting himself and losing control of his left Occuli. A lot of power emitted on that particular scale needs a lot of energy to maintain. It was also another reason why his time stop was... incomplete to some extents. Some clocks still functioned, machines still ran. That’s why there was a bit of panic relating to possible meltdowns of the reactors in the US after the event - some of them were still running. After that, Rex claimed he had difficulty stopping time for any reason, maximally for 3 seconds at most. But that’s only scratching the surface.”

    • A special feature of superhumans are their eyes. Whenever a superhuman sends message signals from the brain throughout the body to designate activation of their abilities, regardless of type, their eyes will change to a different color, be it complementary or opposite of their natural birth color (blue eyes > iridescent turquoise OR green > yellow). This change of the eyes is referred to as Occuli. Every superhuman, even at a young age and can manifest their powers, can manifest their Occuli, consciously or not with little effort. It should be noted, however, that the Occuli also link back to the individual’s powers. As a result, overuse can cause “flickering” of the Occuli, in which the color erratically transitions between the natural-born color and when power is used. Permanent outages aren’t unheard of either. Through emotional or physical trauma, superhumans can lose the ability to transmit said body signals to activate their powers. From this, one or both Occuli may not manifest at all.


    He tapped the remote again to reveal a new photograph. There, with a younger and seemingly happier Rex in the middle, was a girl about Rex’s age with golden blonde hair stuck into ponytail, with green eyes to his right and a Brazilian looking boy to his left with black eyes and glasses somewhat larger than Rex’s and some strange goggles sitting on top of his dark brown hair. They seemed happy.
    “To Rex’s left is Ronaldo Maxwell, current owner of Maxwell Prosthetics in the Kings district, and to Rex’s right...” He hesitated a second before recomposing himself. “Is Lucina Everdeen. She was supposedly killed during the timestop by Rex. But details were muddled. All in all, all three of them were particularly close and A-7 had probably cause to arrest Rex. Him standing over the body of one of his closest friends and having stopped time for over half an hour.” He looked back to everyone. “As for what Rex did in those 30 minutes lost, no one knows. And when we questioned him about it, he resorted to silence. We found 3 storehouses belonging to the Church that were utterly destroyed after the fiasco and have reason to believe he caused the mess.”

    Nicholas looked back, tapping the remote again listlessly. “About a month ago, 3 years into his prison sentence here, Rex escaped during a huge power outage at A-7. We’re still trying to figure out if it was related or coincidental.” The next slide traversed to what looked like camera footage. It showed a camera looking from one corner of the North Gate. It was the day Rex had escaped confinement, speaking to Staff Sergeant Terrence at the time. There was no audio, but it had looked like Rex had said something the to soldier that shook him. Then, the feed suddenly cut out, showing no signal. All that was left in the room was silence and white noise emanating from the feed as Nicholas put down the remote, holding and rubbing his forehead, as if he’d regretted what he’d seen.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2020