"If you want to leave, leave!" Kit shouts at Vamp. "Just can the theatrics and get off the table. When I finally got a chance to get the answers I've been looking for, all I can see is your grimy boot!"
Rosa stands, looking between their hosts and Vamp, waiting to see what happens--but if anyone's about to get hurt, she wants to be ready to help.
Marcus just sits there and watches with an amused look on his face.
Kitty looks amused from Vamp to Reynold, flicking her tail once in amusement at the reactions and comments to herself, Don't worry goth loser if he doesn't give a good explanation I'll kill him, she stretches and looks around the room once alert to the reaction from the old fart legion or others just to be safe.
Jack leans forward with an amused look on his face. ”Oh yes mister….Vamp you like to be called? Yes you could leave, and you could teleport quite the distance and find a new hiding hole again I’m sure. But they will find you again. If I could do it with my limited resources, it will be that much easier to find you with my Fathers… and he doesn’t want to have the same civil discussion we are having. Also, you lose out on my offer, which I think you will find most interesting.”
Jack moves back and seems to focus, “Look around, what do you see? Each of you is a result of the meddling of Tallow Genetics, even the cat on your lap miss Reynard. Each of you is strong in his or her own right, wielding powers far above that of ordinary men and women. Each of you also almost died recently, overwhelmed by the superior force behind Tallow Genetics. “
Jack clasps both of his hands together and raises them to his chin, ”I am here to offer you something, something otherwise unachievable without me. Revenge. You see, I can offer you information on the weak points in the seemingly indestructible armor of Tallow Genetics. I can help uncover the people responsible not only for the recent attacks, but also your misfortunes over a decade ago. I also offer you shielding from the prying eyes of my Father. He may have unlimited resources at his disposal, but I know how to keep you invisible on his radar. “
Jacks hands suddenly begin shooting out with every rise of his tone, ”YOU have all been damaged by Tallow Genetics, and YOU have all attempted to do this alone, but I, I offer a chance that none of you could do individually. The complete and total destruction of my Father and his company. Where individually you have failed, together, with my help, you can succeed! So… what say you”
"Oh." Vamp dissapears from the table and reappears in his chair, mouth closed but smiling.
With the tension resolved, Rosa slowly sits back down. She considers her words.
"Mr. Tallow, I thank you for your hospitality and not to mention the rescue. But it's a shame you didn't get the intelligence on my location in time to keep them from blowing up a clinic. A lot of innocent people were killed. I hope the future information you're able to provide will be more timely." Rosa folds her hands in her lap. Yes, she was wondering whether they really couldn't rescue her in time, or considered her coworkers and patients expendable.
"I think you have to understand we have reason to be suspicious. You know what Tallow is capable of, what it did to us--we can't not be paranoid about this whole situation.
"I can't go back to my life after what happened, and having little other choice, I'll be willing to work with you--but I'll hope you'll forgive me if it takes awhile to earn my trust."
Star looks on as the man who calls himself Jack talks, Them as the others talk, wile they do in her/them some thing...
She are standing in the lab, below is the orb of the starseed she looks down through the glass that churning plasma below.
"Why did you bring us back here? there is no need to remind me of this"
++"The human called jack that is why"
Feelings of Anger and upset
"Hes just talking about what was done that's all, no need for this"
++"He talks only of what was done to you, he talks of how this human group Tallow Genetics damaged you, how individually you failed to get Revenge, that it is you that seeks to be safe from them, you that was harmed by them. No once did he talk of me."
loss of control
"I know but he dos not understand no human dos how has not joined..."
She runs out of words, with a shock she realizes she is not an 11 year old, this time she is a grown woman in the glass box.
++"That is why we are here, he is wrong, we can go and hes parent and his group will have no chance to ever find us, they have no understanding of US."
worry
"yes but do we want that, alone again, nothing, just nothing but us, I know I do not I feel you do not. Look around Humans are not all selfish and bad, hope and friendship is all we have in the darkness. Look at them around the table, they came in hope, Jake is the same, yes he has no idea what WE are, he thinks what we did was DONE to us, but we both chose to become one and join. Our Heats NEEDED it and we need them now.
trepidation,
The view changes once more to the room, the one called Vamp has just moved v N-space back to his seat, then all is frozen.
"look at them, here is a home, here is a family, no more running, no more hiding what and who we are becoming, no more worrying each day 'they will come' we know its what we want, to be part of a family. They do not need to know we like being who we are, that it was a gift we got not a cruse from what was done to us.
Looking at the faces of the others talking.
++"So we join this family and help them?"
Hope
"Yes, we do, and we do what we can to help them the best we can, life is risk, it may mean our death, but I would rather live one hour in the light of the company of others, then spend a life time alone in the dark."
Joy
++"yes you are right, life has no meaning if one has no one to share it with, all things have a limit even us, time calls us back."
Feeling of joining.
"we are one, we will join"
++"we are one, We will Join"
---Shift----
Then back, no time has passed, if where they went was real she has no way of knowing, sometimes its just to Alien to know, they know what the want, once more as one she/they speak to the minds of the group (Images of joining) then
::"Well will join"::
it is simple and all that need to be said by them, it is what they feel.
ROSA
Jack raises an eyebrow at your words and smiles, " Yes as you can see, I have quite the powerful army here and can easily tip my hand to show my father I am working against him. I'm sure he would cower in fear realzing just how truly powerful his son is."
He stops and sighs, "I'm sorry, I'm told my mouth is my worst asset. I had no choice but to come and get you after. As of now I have only one man with any real power working for me, and he was busy elsewhere. I know it will take you awhile to trust me, and that is fine. All I expect right now is co-operation in the fight against my father."
He pauses again, "I'm truly sorry about the people at your clinic..."
"Does this mean I'm not a vampire? What are we? All this time I thought I was the only one. Until they came to kill me anyway."
"So you have a plan. And that means you have something you want us to do. Get to the point."
Jack nods. "No you are quite human Vamp. Granted you have been altered, given great powers, but still human."
He then shifts his focus to the group as Marcus raises his point. "Yes. I have a task that could set you on the right path. Even with my access to information in the Tallow corporations, there are some secrets that even I don't have access to. There is a building where my father keeps coded secret information on servers deep under the ground. The information stored there could give us an idea of what my Father is planning and exactly what sort of...metahumans he is employing. At the end of this week, I want you all to have broken in, and downloaded the information to bring back to me. It will be the opening shot in a long war. I want to make sure everyone here is fully committed to this, so here is your chance to walk away. If you stay, I promise we will see this through to the end. If you leave, I will allow it, but don’t expect any help from me, or those who have decided to fight this war, when My father’s men catch up to you. So, tell me now. In or out?”
Feeling the tension melt from the room, Kit relaxes. Mouthing off to Vamp like that could have resulted in a fight and having the cat in her lap would have been a handicap. "So, pretty kitty," she says while scratching the cat behind the ears. "What super powers did you get from the hell lab?"
Then she considers Jack Tallow's question. Kit leans towards the monitor with a scowl. "You even negotiate like your old man's creeps; 'Here's the offer and the dire consequences if you refuse. Take it or leave it.' On the other hand, your daddy would have put knock out gas or something in this toy." Kit slides the cellphone across the table so it stops in front of the monitor. "He'd start negotiating with me strapped into some torture device and I'd never see his face, even on a monitor. I like your much method better. I'm in."
Kitty flicks her tail irritated and swat at Kit's hand none too gently at the word Kitty (though by no means to cause serious harm beyond possibly a few scratches) but otherwise just stays attentive to what is being said.
Rosa looks curiously at Vamp. Why does he think he's a vampire? She doesn't like where that train of thought is headed.
"As I've said, I feel I've little choice, so I'm in. Although with getting into these servers... my skill set doesn't really include 'breaking and entering.' I can patch people up if things go wrong."
::"we, sorry I may be of use, I can get us close and for Braking and entering I can not help I am sorry."::
Said to all the minds in the room BUT the old man and the face on the TV.
"Breaking I can do. Stealthy, not so much."
Jack smiles, "So you are all interested then? Good. Legion will show you all to the fortress then. You will be staying there for quite some time, so please get well acquainted with your new home.
The screens cut to black, and Legion will lead each of you to a hidden door that sits under a large painting of a peaceful river. Behind the door is a passageway that leads down into the earth, and Legion confidently heads down.
You find yourselves led into a brightly lit hallway, the wall seem to be made of steel (which reminds you eerily of the labs at Tallow Genetics).
Marcus likes security work and wanting to explore he goes out to see what the complex has to offer.
Star get the tour with most of the others and when they come to the rooms picks one that's 30 feet away from any of the others, she knows this if for there own safety. She asks Legend if she could have the clothing that was in the room she awoke in, When it comes she changes into a light gown and Slippers and heads to the training room.
Once there she slips off her clothing (not underwear) and walks into the middle of the room, taking with her a number of dummy's from the training rack, she places them from herself to the wall in an even space line. Then heads back to the center of the room.
To any one in the room or in the observation platform she says
::"when need to know where is safe for others, we have never had chance to do this before, to scarred of being found out. I need to know where my body kills and where it dos not, I will keep others safe form me knowing this."::
Standing for a moment making shore no others are close Star changes form into small, well star. A super heated ball of plasma, She pushes herself out and sees 1st one then another and a 3ed of the dummy explode, the floor heats and the walls steam, she burns hotter until she is at content Plasma temperature, any thing in the room will feel uncontrolled heat with things close in suffering the most.
::"This is to hard for me to control, if I do this around you I am sorry I will harm you":: she says sadly.
She change form again to light, this time a standing shape some 30 tall with arms and legs, head if you can call it that all made of shifting light. She moves up and down, then in a flash an arc of light spins out and slices one of the dummy's on half.
::"I was trying to pick it up"::
She reaches out her light and stops the falling half of the dummy, its flys up and then stops dead, then spins before rushes toward the wall
with the observation platform in it with some considerable force.
::"o NO! sorry we..."::
More light shoot out from her and then its vanishing before it hits moved into N-Space and lost forever.
::"I can not just throw things away when ever I am around them, we will lose what ever we get"::
this time she sounds angry
Then she moves around the rooms picking up the dummy's that are left, they move into her and become light. she then starts to fly around the room at a very fast been before Teleporting back to the center at a full stop.
::"I think I can take you all with me when I'm like this, even I think into space, I would have to try but I think I can. we should try it, It would help any one who needs to get around."::
she comes back down and placed the dummy's on the ground then Shifts out of sight into the inferred.
::"can you see me, I do not know if this works but i used it before and others could not?"::
Then once more back to human flouting some 15 feet up eyes closed.
::"I think that's all I will do today, we need to think on this and have more practice. This is all so new we have never had chance to do this before."::
Now back on the ground and nude, Star walks over to the locker she placed her cloths in, putting them on she heads to the observation room for see what the others do.
Rosa follows the others along, and catches up with Marcus first. "It is you, isn't it? From [NAME OF] Hospital. I have to say it's a relief to see a familiar face."
She looks around to anyone following nearby. "I hope of course that we might all get to know each other. This isn't exactly a fun situation but if we're all going into this, we're going to have to know how to be able to work with each other."
"It is a relief."
Cocking his head at Rosa.
"Say, do you remember that punk with the orange mohawk? The one who kept showing up every night at the hospital? Felt like he was stalking you. I took him outside and into an alley and "showed him the city". If you ever wondered why he never came back that's the reason. The police never believed him when he said that I had metal powers and could fly."
He chuckles.
Vamp, after selecting the first empty room he comes to, will spend his time exploring the area. He wants to have all the entrances and exits memorized, as well as spaces inside the walls, under the floor etc that are big enough for him to hide in if needed (should be able to manage that with wall penetrating super smell and my teleports).
Star meets Vamp in one of the spaces teleporting to the same spot by chance.
::"Mister Vamp we seem to have had the same idea."::
::"It's always good to have places to hide.":: he thinks at her.
::"Then we are of like mind, I do not like being locked in a place I can not get out of Mr Vamp, not after my time... well the less said about that the better. But I have to ask you MR Vamp do you think this is just one more elaborate lab test, with Son like Feather in this case. One seeking to replace the other, Patricide is not uncommon in the halls of evil powers"::
"It is a relief."
Cocking his head at Rosa.
"Say, do you remember that punk with the orange mohawk? The one who kept showing up every night at the hospital? Felt like he was stalking you. I took him outside and into an alley and "showed him the city". If you ever wondered why he never came back that's the reason. The police never believed him when he said that I had metal powers and could fly."
He chuckles.
She smiles. "I do remember him, he called himself Zipper. That's the problem when you save someone's life, sometimes they don't really know the appropriate way to show gratitude. Thanks for looking out for me.
"Fortunately, I'm hard to hurt. Can't fly or teleport or be a vampire or anything, but my wounds don't stay open for long. I don't get sick, body just kicks out any substance that doesn't belong in there. I can help others heal too." She pauses, and adds quietly, not much beyond Marcus' earshot, "I can do the reverse as well. I try to avoid that."
"I can see why. If I had that I probably would have really hurt someone by now. Being impervious to things is probably a good thing I suppose. Had someone use a shotgun on me once. The look on his face when the security guard he thought was hapless suddenly became metal."
He smiles at the memory.
Kit wanders around the mansion with the others, but strays from the group when they find the library. This is it! Jack Tallow's library has more information about Tallow Genetics gathered in one place than Kit ever imagined. She spends the rest of the night browsing through the stacks like a kid in a toy store. When she's too tired to read any more, Legion shows her to a room in the guest quarters. It's clinically bare like the rooms back in the lab, but there aren't any restraints on the bed and the only lock is a standard push button privacy lock that can be controlled from inside. Kit crawls into bed too tired to consider what Legion meant by "taking the liberty of bringing your things here."
The next morning, she finds out what Legion was talking about. The closet and drawers hold Kit's street clothes from the safe house she abandoned last night and a safe house on the other side of town. Kit puts on a blouse and slacks and heads back to the library.
She spends another couple hours sifting through the documents, but realizes her search is pointless. There isn't a file conveniently labeled "Kit Reynard: What we did to her and why" and Kit knows she lacks the skills to ferret out the answers from random searching. Frustrated, Kit goes down to the simulation room and runs through combat scenarios until she's exhausted. The physical exertion gives Kit time to clear her mind a reach a solution to the library problem.
Kit wanders through the base until she finds Rosa. "Hey, Rosa," she says. "Earlier you said you don't have the skills for breaking and entering. Don't worry, I've got that down pat. I think you may have skills other than patching people up that could help us. We need to find out more about Tallow, and not just what Jacky wants to tell us. I tried digging around in the library, but I'm not much good with that kind of work. After a few minutes, I want to climb up on the bookshelves and play obstacle course. Would you mind helping me find what I'm looking for?"
Kitty spends most of her time wandering the facility, though when bored with that she seeks out Kit Reynolds and lounges around watching with iknterest Kit's frustrations with the research or lack of progress in the combat simulator.
In between the walls somewhere:
::"Are you made of light or something? You smell like a photon. I am unsure what to make of this situation. However if Jack betrays us, I will suck him dry."::
"I see Mr vamp you have trepidation as I do then, thank you for you frank views. Good luck with your searching"
"his in the mans top secret base, surrounded by his men or man what ever and, and hes threatening the guy, this Vamp is a real hot head. I worry he may be rash in the ex-stream"
Star Light having seen what she wanted moves on, she go's looking for Kit Reynard who she thinks nicer and far more cool headed, after some looking she finds Kit in the library climbing the book shelf's.
::"Hello, we did not say much a dinner, I'm Star but you can call me Lilly, could I ask what you doing?"::
Kit is scanning the books in the library. Every so often, she grabs a book off the shelf, checks the table of contents and index, then puts it back on the shelf. It's really frustrating, there has to be a mention of Jack Tallow someplace in here. She looks down and sees the cat sitting at her feet. Kit has no idea why the cat has chosen to follow her around, but she likes the animal's company.
Kit notices a book with an intriguing title, but it's out of Kit's reach on the bookcase's top shelf. "Yo, Fuzzbutt," Kit says to her feline companion. "Make yourself useful and get that book with the green cover for me. Never mind, I'll get it myself." Kit nimbly climbs the shelves.
Just when Kit's about to grab her target, a presence penetrates her consciousness. ::"Hello, we did not say much a dinner, I'm Star but you can call me Lilly, could I ask what you doing?"::
Kit climbs to the top of the bookcase, grabbing the green book on the way, and looks to see where Star is standing. "Oh, hi Lilly. I'm finally trying to get a higher education. Bad-dum-ba!" Kit smiles at the blonde lady and does a small curtsy. She then sits down on the bookshelf. "Actually, I'm trying to find out about Jack Tallow, but I'm not having any luck."
Kitty watches in amusement as kit asks, "Yo, Fuzzbutt, make yourself useful and get that book with the green cover for me. Never mind, I'll get it myself." and yawns at her in response, You will have to get that one for yourself Sis, I'm the cat and that sounded too much like work. she thinks to herself amused and swat at a small piece of paper slowly tumbling down nearby, then continues to leap at it when it flickers away finding great amusement in the simple joys of the form.
Meanwhile Star Light turns up and Kit thinks to herself, Not going to happen, that takes time and patience something neither of us got at the moment, as Kit respond to Star Light, "Oh, hi Lilly. I'm finally trying to get a higher education. Bad-dum-ba!" Kitty yawns again a bit bored then sniffs to see if any book smells like Jack Tallow reasoning it must connected since it had that man interested
and takes the most likely candidate for that pulling it carefully out of the shelf it is placed on and drags it over to Kit while she talks to Lily, "Actually, I'm trying to find out about Jack Tallow, but I'm not having any luck,", Kitty puts the book down and stretches self satisfied at that thinking, I am so awesome to predict what is needed. and lays down watching the weird girl and Kit.
Lilly takes a seat and looks smiles At Kit.
"Im a bit lost here, I spent some time in the training room but I think I was alone the whole time."
She looks at the bookshelf's
"I was a teacher before all this, but only junior school sorry, I think you all ready know your ABCs, and you do not look like the telly-Tubby age range hehe"
She looks for the cat
"could I ask, what do you think Jake meant when he said, even the cat is part of this?, just looks like a cat to me. I just meet the man Vamp in a side room... hes a very odd man"
"Well, to become a teacher you had to get a license or permit or something, right?" Kit looks down from her perch and asks Star. "I'm fuzzy on the details cause I never really went to school myself. I can't remember how the Labcoats taught me my ABCs and I'm not sure I'd like to remember. Anyhow, you went to school enough to learn to use a library. Like how the books are sorted and that sort of thing. You might have a better chance of finding what you want than I do."
"As far as the cat's concerned," Kit thinks for a minute. "Yeah, she looks like a cat, but if Jack says she's modified, I'm willing to believe him. Just by looking at me you'd never guess half the stuff I can do. After all, you can't judge a book by its cover. Speaking of which."
Kit notices the book the cat dragged off the shelves and jumps to the floor. "Aren't you a smart kit-kat? Papa said he had a cat that could bring him dead birds, you bring me books." Kit picks the book up and looks at the cover.
"I can see why. If I had that I probably would have really hurt someone by now. Being impervious to things is probably a good thing I suppose. Had someone use a shotgun on me once. The look on his face when the security guard he thought was hapless suddenly became metal."
Speaking of surprising powers, how many of us do you think there are? I mean not just here. Are there others Tallow--or Jack--are still looking for, do you think?"
Kit wanders through the base until she finds Rosa. "Hey, Rosa," she says. "Earlier you said you don't have the skills for breaking and entering. Don't worry, I've got that down pat. I think you may have skills other than patching people up that could help us. We need to find out more about Tallow, and not just what Jacky wants to tell us. I tried digging around in the library, but I'm not much good with that kind of work. After a few minutes, I want to climb up on the bookshelves and play obstacle course. Would you mind helping me find what I'm looking for?"
Rosa nods. "Research? Sure, I wouldn't mind exploring the library a little. All that snoozing in the stacks in college had to get me somewhere, right?"
She rubs the back of her head. ""And maybe you can give me some pointers in the fitness training room later. Being able to climb through an obstacle course, library or otherwise, might be a good idea." Well, ERs and clinics were their own obstacle courses, but not in the same way.
...
"Not even sure how many that are like us. Judging by that werewolf like thing that nearly took my head off earlier today it seems like there are more than we might think."
"The men who came for me had a man with them who I could not get away from, he touched me and there was so much pain. he just would not stop, I just wanted to die, I have never felt any think like it before"
Star shudders.
...** spoiler omitted **
"Not even sure how many that are like us. Judging by that werewolf like thing that nearly took my head off earlier today it seems like there are more than we might think."
"The men who came for me had a man with them who I could not get away from, he touched me and there was so much pain. he just would not stop, I just wanted to die, I have never felt any think like it before"
Star shudders.
Rosa takes a deep breath. "Among the group who came for me, there was a man who could summon massive amounts of energy -- he caused the whole clinic to explode."
She sighed. "That means Tallow has somehow found obedient subjects, but I'm more wondering if there are people like us, escaped test subjects. Potential allies. Or if they can't control themselves, threats to us or others."
Rosa nods. "Research? Sure, I wouldn't mind exploring the library a little. All that snoozing in the stacks in college had to get me somewhere, right?"
She rubs the back of her head. "And maybe you can give me some pointers in the fitness training room later. Being able to climb through an obstacle course, library or otherwise, might be a good idea." Well, ERs and clinics were their own obstacle courses, but not in the same way.
"It's a deal," Kit responds enthusiastically. "Workouts are always more fun with a buddy. If you want to work on agility, I think we can set up a better training course in the simulator room than the library. Better yet, we should head out to the mansion grounds some time. The funky old tower is just begging to be climbed."
***
Kit joins the general conversation. "What, Tallow had test subjects chase you guys, too? One of the goons they sent for me was freakin' huge. Don't know if he could really do much more than be a hulking ominous presence cause I didn't stick around long enough to find out."
"There have to be more like us. I ran into other kids during my training in the lab. I helped one get out when the explosions and stuff happened," Kit is speaking softly and looks at the floor. "I... I think I gave him back to them. There have to be more of us and I want to help them get away from Tallow. Especially the ones that are still in their labs."
Kitty gently pushes her head against kit's side, Cheer up sis you have us, she thinks to herself.
"Rosa, I am interested in getting more info on Tallow. I want to know what kinds of altered people are working for them. If you are interested, I will be in the library tomorrow morning at 7am. I want to be fully rested before I go digging. Clear mind and all."
Marcus lovingly pets the cat.
It see this talk of lab seems to really upset Lilly.
::"we became what we became, in that lab, we where just kids, 28 I was just known as Subject 27, the other... Just me an 28 survived, I left him there, we left him there..."::
She starts to glow slightly.
They still in the rooms as he other talk but she is also standing by herself twice each echo looking at each other over the real form.
"Some thing is wrong, I ... its hard for me"
"nothing is wrong, we are not in danger, its just memory's are hard some times, pain can lurk in them"
"But we remember every thing, always"
"No YOU remember every thing, always, it what you gave me when we joined, but humans they have a greater power, they can forget, forget the pain and the bad things."
They shift again now they are standing over the body of a woman a Little girl is laying on top of her crying.
::[i]"Pain in memory's like this?"[i]::
"STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, not this, not this, make it go away please"
They are back in the room.
Lilly real and Echo starts to cry,
"yes like that"
---Shift---
Lilly silently starts to cry.
She wipes away the tears
::Sorry just bad memory's::
Kit feels reassured when she feels the cat rub against her legs. "Yeah, we're not alone anymore, Fuzzbutt. I think we've actually got a chance since Jack brought us all together." Kit goes to pet the cat, but Marcus has beaten her to the punch. Then she notices Star's shared thought. "Don't worry, Lilly. I think our inheritance has given us all more than our fair share of bad memories. Part of our job now is figuring out how we're going to make some good ones."
Enough is enough, I am out of here, time to see what this place has to offer. Kitty stretches luxuriously and then jumps down heading out the library to explore the facility.
lilly looks up
::"i asked vamp this, is tjis just another lab one more complex set up by who ever to entrap us again i do not thinki could face that that not after last time"::