Rory finds a place to set up for surveillance and hunkers down to keep an eye out. Once in position concentrates on parsing out heat signatures, usually helpful when looking for people who wish to remain hidden.
After his visit, Shin felt he needed to make it up to Kylie for making her wait. He still had his plan for what they'd do, something that they couldn't properly do on an island getaway. Hierarchs Ballpark awaited them for tonight's game against the Grimstone Giants. As much as he was enthralled with the future, he was glad that at least some things hadn't changed all that much.
Going in disguise was also preferable to going as their hero selves, which was why he'd ditched his uniform for one of the fitted T-shirts and shorts that Rory had gotten him. With a baseball jersey over that, and getting a Hierarchs ballcap from the vendor, he looked like any other fan. Perhaps with unstylish, old-fashioned glasses, but he wasn't comfortable getting an eye exam to get a better prescription just yet.
"...there are a lot of colored people playing," He stated to her as they sat down off of the first base line. It was something that he'd never thought about too much before, how ball clubs were mostly white players in his time, the most exotic of them probably Italian or Irish. It was still exciting to see, and there was even a Japanese man pitching, though sadly for the Giants. He was torn about how to root now.
He treated Kylie to some hot dogs, glad for something low key to do with her, even if she seemed distracted. In fact, she'd been quiet for a while. It concerned him, as he nudged her in the shoulder. "Sorry. I know baseball isn't for everyone. But I wanted to share the experience with you, just once. It feels like..well, eighty years since I saw a game," He joked to lighten the mood.
"So, uh...apparently I fought Commies. When I fled to Japan. Well, Dusk anyways. I find that weird. Communists are weird, but it's not like they were Nazis," He admitted. "Though it doesn't surprise me the Chinese became communists. Reaction against...what Japan did. Man, the more I learn about future events, the more frustrated I get. And relieved I didn't end up as a soldier in the Imperial army." He paused for a moment. "I was curious if maybe your family lost anyone in the big war. Ugh, sorry, not really a date topic. Forget I asked," He hastily finished, just as the crack of wood on leather sent a foul ball in their direction.
"Oh!" He leapt up, reaching out and stretched his arm, trying to grab it like the four others around them doing the same. A perfect souvenir! If he could just grab it!
"Well, we could certainly do some training. I don't think I could really match you in a head-on sparring match, but I was wondering if you might want some practice actually using your weapon. If you've mainly been training unarmed, you probably don't really know how to use a sword or a mace or such. Alternatively, I've noticed that you seem to actually be pretty weak to things that work around your invulnerability, so it might be good to train in ways to defend yourself against gases and shocks and other potential workarounds. Or if you have any ideas, I could see what I could do about them."
When the disheveled woman came up to talk to her, she actually started. Normally the attention on her would've been enough to make her at least vaguely aware of someone with a crazy warning to give, but right now...
[dice=Pierce the Mask]2d6
...right now she'd have to risk pushing her powers, just a little, to find out what was going on here.
"Who do you think I am?"
The disheveled woman leans in. "You're their favorite, now. The one they want to open the door, but you mustn't! Don't open the door, ever! They'll come through, and through, and through..."
She clutches her head, shaking it obsessively. Then suddenly she casts her eyes towards the ceiling, glancing about at shadows. She scurries off, back into the complex.
Silver Shield gives Mattie a squeeze on her shoulders. "I'll make time. Later. Whatever you need," she says.
After their mentor leaves and gives the two siblings the lead in the stakeout, a low fog begins rolling in from the water. Pretty soon, the buildings are shrouded in mist, hazy and indistinct. The thermal vision certainly helps, and allows the pair to get a sense of what's going on in the nearby warehouses.
At some point shortly after Horizon returns from the vacation, Whippoorwill calls him out to the Halcyon Megadome, the massive enclosed sports complex currently empty. Whippoorwill cracks a rare smile at the amazement on Shin's face as she led him out to the middle of the field. Several combat drones were arrayed in various positions.
"Let's get started, shall we?" Whippoorwill says, then hits the controls that activate the drones. Some take flight while others march along the ground menacingly. It's a rare moment that Horizon gets to put his powers into use with no worry that he would hurt anyone.
Whippoorwill shouts, "Look up!!" as she hits another button. Horizon's head snaps up and he sees a figure falling from the rafters high above him. An instinct screams at him to fly after the person and save him, but he had just maneuvered himself into a perfect position to blast three drones at once.
Hesitating, loath to give up the tactical advantage, Shin ultimately disengages to chase after the falling figure. He races to close the distance but the figure -- obviously a dummy once he got closer -- was falling too fast and he misses. The dummy hits the astroturf with a jarring thud.
Whippoorwill shakes her head. "Always, always, always go for the save. You'll get more chances to fight but they," she points to the broken form on the ground, "only get one to live."
"Shin, I know that isn't how you meant it, but please don't say colored people. That's a very derogatory way to refer to... anyone, really. Actually, if you're going to refer to anyone by their race or ethnicity, you might want to just think it at me first, to be safe."
The game was fun.
Well no, baseball was incredibly boring. But Kylie liked spending time with Shin, and his secondhand excitement was quite enjoyable. Also, there was surprisingly delicious food if you were willing to search it out.
The problem was that she didn't really know what was happening. She knew balls, strikes, and outs, hits and home runs, and all the basics, but the action was far from constant. She could feel the fans around her getting excited whenever certain people came up to bat, but she didn't follow it and all the statistics they put up on the screen were basically gibberish.
So she decided to steal a little expertise. Just a little.
She didn't delve deeply into any one mind, instead lightly skimming through thousands until she could enjoy the game just as much as Shin did.
But she didn't need the telepathy to know that tipping the ball a little towards Shin was a good idea.
***
A dry warmth touched lightly on Kayla's mind "Things certainly didn't get less complicated. I think..." The warmth abruptly ceased "I think it really might work out though. I really hope it does, but no matter what, at least Shin and Mattie... we're all moving forward with open eyes. I think as long as we stay honest with each other, we've got a real chance.
"Us too."
***
"Yes, some of my family died then. Not in the war, but during it. If it's alright with you, I'd rather talk about Dusk and wars later. Just let me feel you enjoy the game... Maybe tell me about your favorite players?" As Kylie finished her request, she snuggled up against his shoulder, head leaned against his.
Clutching onto his prize ball, Shin smiled as she leaned against him, thinking to her. Stanley Palmer is the best player that the Hierarchs ever signed. As a shortstop, he's had a total of two errors in five years of play, and on bat he averaged last season at .330, though that was 1939...
He rattled off statistics, because numbers were something that he understood better about the game. The way the game was played could come down entirely to those numbers. They were comforting in a way, that even for a sport that was as manly as baseball, it required some complex mathematical thinking and long term strategy. He was more than a little disappointed however when he learned that despite eighty years having gone past, the Hierarchs still hadn't won a series since they traded their best player away in '36, Elroy 'Butter' Matthews.
Sorry for the slip. I get why it must be derogatory. I never liked being called that either. But it was always preferable to other names. He admitted - and then blinked, as apparently something odd was going on. The viewboard that gave them a better view of the action - apparently you could watch baseball on television! - had changed suddenly to a shot of the crowd, with a heart shaped frame. They zeroed in on couples, who then kissed when they realized they were on TV. It seemed intriguing...
...and then he saw himself and Kylie on the screen. He stared for a moment, trying to figure out what to do - and then went for it, kissing her in a quite public moment, to the cheers of others around them. It was actually kind of cool they did something like this between innings. Despite knowing he was being watched, he drank deep of her lips, enjoying himself indulgently.
He was sweating, pushing himself as he leaped to the chance to use his powers without much consequence of anyone getting hurt. The sudden need to rescue someone was an important lesson though. He had to not hesitate in rescuing someone who was in need. He'd mostly been worried about accidentally hurting someone when he caught them.
"Sensei, I understand the individual training for this. But what about if I'm working with a team? Should I trust that others will be able to save someone, if by rushing to save them myself gives the enemy an opportunity to counterattack?" He asked, wanting to cover bases.
There were other questions, some coming from his conversations with Hoshiko, others from additional research he'd been doing. While flying more drills, he asked them. "You've dealt with time travelers before, right? I'd been looking that up with the Alliance. So I'm just wondering how you've dealt with situations like that. Or how you managed to fix things."
"Now see? That's a reason to go to a baseball game."
Shin could feel her start to smile in his mind and against his lips, "The Cam is off us now though, Shin."
Sure, where are you guys.
Holly appears, as inconspicuously as she can, but still in full, chromatic regalia. She slips into the back seat. Both of them. Not ideal, but not terrible. Okay, so who are we busting?
Whippoorwill pulls out a Geiger counter and checks the radiation level of the robots, shrugs, then turns to face Shin. "I'm trying to build the instinct in you, to focus on saving people first. A team is great; but there needs to be communication between all of you -- a battle with a team is usually more spread out, which means more lives could be at risk. You'll need to practice with them about delegating roles. Who's engaging the enemy, who's watching for bystanders, who's backing each other up. A team that's not cohesive will make mistakes, and you're not cohesive yet. That will take time. So in the interim, I'd rather all of you stop the fight to save one person than everyone assume someone else will save him." She points to the broken dummy on the ground to drive home the point.
After letting that lesson digest, Whippoorwill resumes the drills where Horizon is forced to cut a fight short and go rescue a practice dummy from some sort of danger. Soon, she doesn't give him any verbal cues about the bystanders, trying to get him to work on his battlefield awareness.
At Horizon's question about time travel, Whippoorwill groans. "Skin of my teeth?" she says after a moment. "There's so many ways things can go wrong with time travel, according to the theorists and big brain thinkers. However, I also think there's a tendency for time to correct itself. Not that there's some sort of destiny and nothing we do can change anything, but things that have happened dig a channel in the time stream, so it's hard to change big events in the past. That's why you being here hasn't changed anything in too big a fashion."
She shrugs her shoulders. "That's my theory, anyway."
Scorch sat in the car's passenger seat, her feet resting on the console. She wears an old pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt and a black hoodie over her uniform to appear as casual as possible to any passers-by. When Mosaic slips in to the back seat, she smiles. "Hey Mosaic. How's it going?" looking the other girl up and down, she slips off her hoodie and offers it to her. "Maybe stick this on over your uniform? We don't want to draw too much attention. Here, maybe this too, since your face is pretty recognisable." she says, passing back a baseball cap. She turns back to face the front. "Its a stakeout, so booooooring! But apparently The Scrapper League might be holding an auction here soon, and they might be selling some of the Silver Shield's old stuff, so she wants us to shut them down. Want a chip?" she adds, passing back a half-empty bag.
Kayla blushes, ”What...what do you mean by that?”
__________
Kayla shrugs, ”I dunno, whenever I make a weapon appear, I seem to gain the know-how on how to use it too. It’s weird. Like, when I summon a sword, I feel like I could have taken the Maw one-on-one, even with his four blades. And with the batons...I doubt Uncle Mike would stand a chance despite his military and martial arts background. The armor though...that’s what I am most curious about. Tomorrow morning, before dawn...let’s meet up out over the ocean. Well away from prying eyes and plenty of room for you to go all out without collateral damage.”
Kayla waits patiently for Isaiah and the Inquiry to arrive where she had designated. She hovered in the air in her Regalia she had manifested at the island. Once the ship arrived, she waved and floated over to the side hatch. ”So, I’ve been practicing with the armor, and it turns out I can make it look basically however I want...”
She emphasizes this point by shifting it through several forms...
...before shifting it back to the original one. ”What I’m wondering is, does it protect me just as good in each form. I mean, I am already invulnerable...so what does it really add that makes it special? So...try and hit me with stuff that would like, not hurt, but have an affect on me. Like...turn to stone...get stuck...knock out gas...that sort of thing,” she says as she floats backwards to a safe distance from the ship.
Kylie's eyes widened in shock, as she practically fell over herself to explain.
"I meant our friendship!"
"I meant our friendship!"
"Sorry! That's not how I feel about you any more! Just- You have to know that you were my first crush, right? Back when we were kids in school together? I'm sure I was completely obvious." The first person I ever wanted way too much to ever have.
"But that's not what I meant. I mean I'm seeing Mattie already, and Shin's my... Shin. We're seeing each other too, but I really wasn't looking for a third, and..." She stopped, her face going still and placid, "I'm sorry I was unclear. I just meant that I don't want to hurt you again. You're important to me."
”I...I didn’t know...” Kayla replies as she looks down at her bare legs. ”That...wow...that made this whole vacation even more awkward then...didn’t it...”
Then her words sank in...”I’m sorry for whatever I did to let you down...I didn’t know...”
I care less about who sees us and more about if you're enjoying yourself. As much fun as baseball is, it's better when you're having fun with others. Shin thought to her, before finally breaking the kiss. I'm almost certain you enjoyed this part of the day the most. He smiles at her, before getting up to use the restrooms.
Where do you think we should live, by the way? The Tower or the Blockbuster bunker? I feel a little weird living so high above everyone else, but if you're going...I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try silk sheets and see what the hubbub is about.
After he got back, he seemed more relaxed, enough for him to imitate some other ball club couples and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. I think next time, you can come talk with Hoshiko with me. She's a good person, just lost her way then. And...maybe I can meet your mother, in exchange?
He was good at making sure that his blasts weren't lethal to a human - mostly just energy and light, bursting out and creating a gas shockwave to knock them down. That how he'd tried to interpret it. But as he'd realized, sometimes it didn't matter if he thought about it, but rather that he just did it.
It also mattered when he wanted to show what he could do, as the next time one of those victim dummies fell, he extended his field and gained claw like extensions from his hands, reaching out and catching them while avoiding getting blasted from behind. Unfortunately, the claws didn't keep their consistency and the dummy fell through them ten feet from the ground, making him wince. At least they'd be alive, right?
When they finally took a break, with him sipping on water, he looked appreciatively at Whippoorwill. "Thanks. I mean, really...thanks a lot. This must have taken you a lot of time and effort to put together. I hope that I'm acceptable to your standards, sensei." He smiled, before another question arose in his head.
"I talked to Hoshiko recently. She told me that after I'd left America, my future self took a wife in Japan and apparently started fighting communists in China. Do you know anything about that time, and...someone called Night Devastator?"
Kylie tilted her head slightly to the side, "Kayla, you didn't let me down. You just didn't feel the same way about me. It was a long time ago anyways; I shouldn't have brought it up."
It's why I couldn't just tell you not to kiss me though, when you asked.
"Can I just?" She flicked a hand demonstratively at Kayla's temple, "Only for a second. I'm having trouble putting this into word-words."
***
A little ball of warmth flitted between their minds as she thought, "Still, if all we were going to do is makeout we didn't need to come to the game.
"It could be nice to live in the Tower. I'm not sure Mattie and I should both stay in the dorm at the Bunker either way. I would want my own room in the Tower too, sleepovers aside. I'm just worried it'll be too noisy up that high. I hope you're ready to play some psychic Mahjong if I can't sleep. I cheat when I play against myself."
A slow treacly drag tugged at her words as she responded to his invitation to talk to Hoshiko, "Sure, if that's what you both want." But the treacle boiled away in a flash when he brought up meeting her mother, "Oh! Of course you'd want to. She would too.
"She's just... She's a lot. She'd kill me for not introducing her to my boyfriend though." A sudden flare shot through the link, "Assuming that's what we are! I know we've had a lot of talks, but we haven't really..." The whirlpool stopped. "Shin, you're very dear to me. Be my boyfriend?"
Kayla nods, but looks Kylie in the eyes and says ”Okay. But...I like it when we talk. Like...talk talk. Everything doesn’t have to be telepathy.”
She looks away and adds ”Back then...back then I wasn’t even really thinking about what I wanted. Had I been thinking about this sort of stuff...” she looks sheepishly back into Kylie’s eyes, ”I probably would have. But now I’m with Rory...and you’re with...you know. So now...now we may never know...”
I'm more than happy to be your boyfriend, Shin told her. It was true, as she could feel the happiness swelling inside of him from that definition of their relationship. It wasn't something he'd expected to happen out here in a new century, but he wasn't going to look this gift horse in the mouth.
He was interested in learning how her mother dealt with her powered daughter as well. Especially having to do so on her own. One thing...when you introduce me, maybe don't mention the fact that I'm time displaced, or that there's another version of me here...just want to make nice normal conversation about normal stuff. Like...I don't know, does she like tea?
He watched as the last inning finished up, his hand giving her shoulder a little squeeze. He blushed slightly, because he thought of what else his hand could squeeze on his girlfriend. Which again, caused him great happiness.
Don't hold it against me if my thoughts get a little fresh towards you, He added, grinning as he kissed her again. Now, I think that's enough baseball. You want to go out dancing tonight? You dressed down for the ballpark, I feel I should dress up for you.
"Sup, buddy. So why'd you want to team up for a mission anyway?"
"Well, she knows you're a superhero already. Or, rather she knows about Horizon, and I plan to tell her that that's who you are. I don't have to tell her everything about you and Dusk, but I would like to be able to tell her your real name. I don't want to tell her about seeing Mattie also though. Is that okay? Just... please don't bring her up. Please don't lie though.
"Mom's Rule number one: No lying."
***
"I know everything doesn't have to be telepathy, but... my mind's better. I could never say... This." She reached out to gently splay her fingers across Kayla's temple. A deep sad warmth started in the corners of her mind. Images of the two of them younger, much younger, walking along holding hands, sharing a single chaste kiss bubbled up. As the bubble expanded they grew, but their hands stayed linked together just as tightly.
But side by side with it were other bubbles, bubbles of the warmth and heat of Kayla with Rory, of Kylie with Shin and Mattie, or with Shin or Mattie. There were others that weren't as nice, jagged shards of rage that saw them cut apart from one another before shrouding over in darkness, and one, one that kept rising and sinking, as though it couldn't quite be forced down. In that one Kylie was holding Kayla's hand; Kayla was smiling, but it wasn't her smile, and the light behind her eyes didn't belong to her either.
Slowly the bubbles were pushed to the side by a last one. One where they sat right here smiling, but not touching.
"I know it could have been different, Kayla. I know. I'm happy with the way things are though. I'm just so glad you're back in my life again. That's the most important thing to me.
I really am sorry I hurt you."
***
"Dancing sounds lovely. You're right though. We'll definitely have to change."
Kayla wipes aside a tear before giving Kylie a hug.
"Alright, and remember you can always tell me to stop if things start getting bad. I'll start out weak in each category, then step it up and see how far things go. I'll stay away from anything that's outright lethal, too; don't want to discover that neurotoxins or the like work perfectly well by accidentally killing you."
Isaiah stood on Inquiry, and a good sized rack of dozens of small crystals slid up from the vessel; a huge variety of ammunition types for his Varia-bolter.
"I think I'll start with some elemental attacks. I've been wondering for a while how well you deal with non-physical assault."
And with that, Isaiah started working through lines of crystals. First heat, starting from mildly scalding and working all the way up to Dragonfire, then cold, from ordinary ice down to Grave-Frost. Electricity, from a mild taser-shock all the way to full-on lightning blasts, various corrosive substances ranging from the mundane to the impossibly terrible. Lasers, stun batons, sonic blasters, microwave beams, Aether disruptors and force-lances.
Then on to the debilitatives. Paralytic contact poisons, sleep gas, mild asphyxiatives, a liquid resin that hardened nearly-instantly into a hard restraining shell, hallucinatory vapors, cockatrice breath, a powerful fast-acting glue, a restraining hex, even a whiff of intoxicating distilled euphoria.
"Okay, after this I start getting into the stuff that is either directly lethal or just downright cruel. Pain inducers, nerve toxins, black curses, disintegrators, that kind of stuff. Things that I don't really want to try using, but I could test a few of the mildly tamer ones if you really want."
Kayla nods, but adds ”Okay. But I’ll let you know if you need to stop. I can still feel pain, so I may scream or something, but if I do, that doesn’t necessarily mean stop. So unless I like...black out or something, don’t stop unless I expressly say so.”
She braved herself for impact, and then the tests began. First up was fire. Kayla weathered the first blasts without making a sound. However, as the intensity ramped up, she couldn’t help but scream out at the onslaught. But through it all, once the flames died down, her skin and armor was unscathed. Isaiah then went the other extreme, and Kayla felt her body gradually chill to the very core. But once the most intense attacks ceased, again she had suffered no damage.
Next up was the electricity. At first it felt like a strange tickle, but as the voltage went up, Kayla’s body thrashed about in the air and she wailed in pain. At one point Isaiah stopped the attack, which drew a frustrated rebuke from a panting Kayla. Once the most powerful discharges were fired on her, and she composed herself, she seemed perfectly fine. Strangely enough, the acids seemed to not even phase her, as they were unable to dissolve any tissues to register a nervous response.
Then the tests moved on to projectile and laser weapons. While the force of the impact would sometimes send Kayla reeling, she still appeared unharmed, no matter if they were the obviously devastating laser weapons or the insidious microwave beams. Surprisingly, when the impacts were made on parts of her that showed only skin and was not directly covered by the Regalia, a brief shimmer of some imperceptible field appeared and made it clear that her whole body was protected.
Finally, the debilatives. Poisons seemed to have no effect, nor the gasses. The restraining methods like the resins and glues seemed to work briefly, but after a couple of moments of exertion, Kayla was able to break free. The restraining her seemed to work the longest, but it could only hold Praetoria as a temporary prisoner only.
The euphoria cloud, however, took Kayla to her knees. She slumped to the deck of Inquiry and became lost in a haze of relaxation and pleasing sensations. ”Oh....oh wow. That’s like...the best aroma candle ever! Wha-what is that!?”
"That was some euphoria gas. Derived from faerie tricks. It's also a very sneaky way of getting around invulnerability, by exploiting the loophole that many defenses do nothing to block something that is perceived as beneficial... and too much happy relaxation can shut someone down just as effectively as sleep or paralysis. I didn't use very much, so it should wear off pretty quickly."
I promise not to lie to your mother. I wouldn't want to be rude. But there are things I think we have to say we can't tell her for her safety. Would that be acceptable to her?
He was pretty delighted how things were going with him and Psyche. Even the minor interruption of small time crooks trying to make off with the park's gate receipts didn't cause them too much trouble, as it was a trifle for Kylie to deal with them.
He dressed in the same suit he'd worn on the first dance they'd had with the team, only because it was the only suit he had. He hoped that it would be satisfactory for her.
Of course, seeing her dressed up threw all of those thoughts out of his head. He couldn't help but stare at her all the way to the dance hall...or dance club, as they called it. Pulsing beats, light shows, a man in a booth playing records rather than a band. It was still a little surreal for him. But he pressed on, taking Kylie to the floor and enjoying himself.
He buried his fear that his happiness wouldn't last. Tonight he was with someone he cared deeply for, and he wouldn't let the future mar the present. Or the near present, as he couldn't help but wonder where things would go tonight. His previous shyness seemed gone, replaced by desire...or need.
Which is where his mental state was when they returned to the Tower, as he paused in front of where Kylie was sleeping tonight. He knew better than to ask. He was still too much of a gentleman to try and convince her to let him inside. She would, or she wouldn't. Either way, he'd feel content with their night.
He figured that he needed to test his powers more strenuously. Which was why he was seeking out Isaiah, dressed in his hero costume.
"Isaiah. I want to run some tests. But I'm concerned about collateral damage or radiation. First, can Inquiry fly me high enough to prevent possible damage to the city? Second, can it equip itself to create a sort of energy bombardment chamber that can emit radiation of all kind...even ones humans don't know about?"
Kayla laid back on the deck of Inquiry, basking in the glow of the sun and the affects of the Euphoria toxin. She knew deep down this stuff could end up being a threat, but right now, she just felt too good. After several minutes, the affect faded, leaving the world feeling a little less bright in the immediate after effects. She propped herself up with her hands behind her, and let out a long sigh. ”Well...thanks for the tests. I got a few questions answered, like my body is protected even if the armor isn’t visibly covering it. And that I’m able to shrug off just about everything so far. Can you tell how I’m progressing? You had said before I was back to stronger than before.”
She pauses and then asks ”Do you...need a recharge after all that? Some of those weapons were pretty stout and likely took a lot of energy. A deal is a deal after all.”
"She's very persistent... I'd say just don't bring up any topics you don't want dissected at length. That should be easier. Or if there's no-go areas, I can try to mark those out with her in advance. It should at least spare you the first dozen back-and-forths over why we can't tell her."
***
Dancing had been wonderful too, but a part of Kylie, a very small part, was worried by that knot of desire in his mind.
Did I do that? I mean, I know I did that one way or another. But... was he like that before the Dreams? I don't think I changed anything while I was in there. Him and Mattie both though... I should take a closer look.
Later.
Still despite her concerns, she couldn't help but feel more than a little flattered as they danced. She was wearing a new dress, well, new to him at least, and clearly he thought blue was her color. Or maybe he just liked the neckline.
Their kiss at her door that night nearly changed her mind, but sleeping in a new place could be fraught enough for her, even before all the things that made the Tower a psychic beacon. She didn't want anyone next to her tonight.
"...But I don't want to just send you back to your room alone. You should come in. For a little while."
Holly puts on the sweatshirt and cap, and takes a seat in the back. Okay, arms dealers. unpopular, but not played out.
When rory ask her why she wanted a team up, she cues up the interview on her phone, and hands it to him. That.
Mattie peers over as Rory clicks the link and plays the interview. "Wow," she says, once the clip is finished. "That's pretty harsh and total b&+%*@@+ too! Your powers have been really useful! So I guess you're looking to prove that you're the 'real thing' then?" she pauses for a moment. "I'm not sure how good this'll be - its not likely that they'll be many cameras around or anything. We could ask The Shield about more, um, public opportunities after we're done with this if you want?"
"Sure, neither of those is a problem. Inquiry is a starship; getting to a safe distance is no trouble at all. And a wide variety of radiation emission is included as ammunition options for my bolters. Hmmm, I'd want to put together a spacesuit for you in case of emergencies, unless your powers include not needing to breathe and immunity to decompression. I had some tests planned with Praetoria tomorrow morning, we could try running out after wrapping those up, maybe even take her along if you don't mind extra company."
Inquiry had been running scans during the whole testing thing, so Isaiah didn't need to do anything to give an answer.
"You're definately back to where you were before getting drained. Maybe even just a little bit stronger, but not really noticably so. Whatever happened with the ghost pirates really seems to have put a big boost in your recovery. Probably all the energy floating around."
Isaiah shrugs slightly.
"Yeah, that ate a bit into my fuel. I brought full tanks along for it though, so its not too big of an issue... and I've put the fuel distillery back at base. Still, I've told Shin I was going to help him with some simliar testing with his powers, so I'd be headed back there anyway, if you don't mind coming along. Seeing as you know what's going on, I could even give you a look at the Distillery. Hey, and you could come along with me and Shin if you want to spend some time watching me irradiate him in low orbit."
”Okay...guess that’s both good and bad news. And yeah, I would like to see it sometime. But just remember what you promised me. And when you need a recharge, let me know. I wanna be awake so I know what it feels like. I wanna see if it feels like...well...you know,” Kayla replies.
She ponders the offer to join Shin and Isaiah, giggling at Isaiah’s description. ”That’s up to him I suppose. If he wants me there to help, I’ll go. If not I will respect that.”
For a little while, then. He said, stepping inside with Kylie and shutting the door behind them.
When he came out twenty minutes later, he was quite content that this had been a successful date. Whistling all the way back to his room. Thinking about getting her mother some Japanese sweets as a present.
Still wanting more.
"Yeah, I...don't think I'm comfortable trying to survive the vacuum of space," Shin tells him. "But sure, I'll check in with you tomorrow on that."
A knock came on Inquiry's hull from the outside. Shin was there, again in his full uniform, visor fitted neatly over his eyes. He didn't want to intrude before whatever Isaiah and Kayla were doing was finished.
...were they...
He suppressed a laugh at his own expense. He was obviously being foolish. Nothing could happen there that would be untoward, he expected.
When it opened up, he waved to Kayla as he stepped in. "Here to help if things go horribly wrong as I attempt to test the limits of my powers?" He asked her.
”Ha!” Kayla says as she sits on the floor of Isaiah’s ship, still leaning back on her r recovering from the toxin moments before. She was glowing with sweat from the exertion and strain she had been put through. ”That’s exactly what I was letting Isaiah take a crack at. So far I’ve learned he’s good at dishing it out and I am good at taking it. So I figure you’re in for a surprise, Horizon,” she says with a playful wink. ”But I’m sure you can handle it. Let’s see what you got!”
"Hey Shin. Was just about ready to go looking for you, actually."
Isaiah turned to one of the ship's walls, before reaching into the wall and pulling out a couple items.
"Here. I can split off a room for you to change, as you may want to put this on."
He held out what was almost a copy of Horizon's uniform, except with full body coverage and airtight seals. A small square of paper contained instructions on how to properly put it on, which was actually a surprisingly simple task, thanks to semi-smart fasteners.
"And for you... well, I don't think you need to worry about decompression after all you just went through without a scratch, but it might be nice to have air."
Isaiah tossed Praetoria a lightweight, clear two-piece helmet, with a couple small air tanks affixed to the back.
"Ideally, we won't need either of those, but it always pays to be prepared for the worst."
Kayla looks up to the morning sky. ”Actually, I wanna go without for a bit. I’ve always been curious what it would be like, and the original Praetorian could fly through space. Maybe since I have the armor too...” she says, an excited and hopeful look on her face.
"Yeah...okay, definitely a smart move," Shin said, trying not to show his nervousness. It was outer space after all, something he'd never imagined he would visit in his lifetime. It was scarier than deep sea diving in his opinion.
The suit was rather comfortable around his body as he checked the fasteners, then double-checked to make sure it was completely sealed. He didn't think his future would come if he was reckless at any rate. After ensuring that he wasn't going to die because of a fault in this suit, he climbed into the ship, shivering and looking up at the sky.
"...Maybe later, when we have time, we should visit the moon. I'm interested to see if there's really rabbits living on it." He half-joked to them. "So, what types of radiation do you plan on using on me? I'm familiar enough with the electromagnetic spectrum, but I feel like...there's something beyond that which I know. That I can contain more than just radiant particles and release them as rays."
Rory chuckles at the video, "What a b$&&%," he pauses before clearing his throat, "but are you really that surprised by it? I mean the supporting actor wants the limelight and the press just wants whatever scandals and dirt the can find. F@~@ing jackals."
As the fog rolls in he let's out an annoyed grunt, "anyone wana bet whether his is convenient natural fog or b~+#@!#+ villain fog?"
Shin found that the suit fasteners were actually pretty easy to use; once closed, they finished the process of forming a tight seal on their own. It almost felt slightly fluid; he suspected it would quickly and automatically seal any tears or rips that might form.
"Well, the electromagnetic spectrum is the main one, but I'll also try out a few other things. A few varieties of magical emissions, directed particle beams, neutrinos, gravitons... and some stuff that would be rather difficult to try to explain. Hyper-dimensional stuff and such. I'll be keeping it all pretty mild, and pointing away from the planet... really, going into low orbit is mostly because I have no idea how your powers will react, and if you do that singularity thing again I would like to be able to toss it out into vacuum where there isn't anything to absorb. And we could do a lunar trip someday, but that would be slightly more involved. Also would take longer than we really want to be away right now. Pretty sure there's no rabbits, but you never know; weirder things have happened."
"Alright Praetoria. But we should definitely do some controlled tests before just tossing you out an airlock. Better to find out you actually do need air when there's still some right within reach, after all."
Shin waited as the ship ascended up into the atmosphere, far beyond the city below them. Amusing to his thoughts, this would be the first time they'd all be out of Kylie's effective range. Not that he enjoyed that, but it was an opportunity to discuss certain things. There was another more pressing matter on his mind, staring at Isaiah.
"So, being honest here, I've always felt there was something off about our conversations," He said, crossing his arms. "Think I just realized what it is. You're not very good at body language. At least in giving it off. It's like I'm talking on the phone with you. Right, Kayla?" He turns to look at her, his eyebrow raised.
"I'm just pointing it out to you. Don't mean any disrespect. It's something you might want to practice I'd you want to try and blend in with other humans," He reassured him, hands up peacefully in front of him. He smiled at Isaiah, figuring out that there were definitely gaps in the drone's encyclopedic knowledge.
When they got to the required height, Shin concentrated and created that field around him, a vantablack figure that could blend easily into the void of space outside. "All right," He said, his voice distorted and quieter in this state, as he approached the airlock with a slight bit of hesitation. He turned his head to look at Isaiah again, his field naturally mimicking his motions. "You're sure my suit will protect me, right? I'm just...really nervous. I don't want to accidentally die to exposure. Or the lack of pressure. Or some stray meteoroid hurtling hundreds of miles an hour and pinching through me like a bullet."
After a few more hours of waiting, the combination of thermal senses and the surveillance equipment in the restored Rhino locate the particular warehouse that seems to be the site of the auction. Following protocols outlined by Silver Shield, the trio approach stealthily, taking advantage of the fog and eventually slip into a location where they can observe the attendees of the auction.
Obviously, members of the Scrapper League are there. About ten of them are present, tricked out in a hodgepodge of technology full of wires and coils. They almost look like they're cosplaying as members of an alien race of cyborgs from an old TV show.
The heroes can also spot a handful of members of the Busted Flush Mob, a low-level group that employs a playing card theme in all of its members. The higher ranking gang members model themselves after face cards, while the rank and file are just numbers of the various suits. From the looks of it, there are a pair of sevens, a nine, and the jack of spades.
Two of the Tiger Eyes are also there. They're a small band of mercenaries that only takes females as its members.
A trio of Duskguard are there, though thankfully none of the powered members.
Lastly, there are four individuals in expensive designer business suits, clearly there representing anonymous clients.
The auction soon gets started once the attendees are all present and settled in. The first piece of equipment on the block is an anti-grav hoverboard that looks like it would be a close approximation to what Half-Pipe can generate on his own. The starting bid is $10,000.
What do you do??
He was good at making sure that his blasts weren't lethal to a human - mostly just energy and light, bursting out and creating a gas shockwave to knock them down. That how he'd tried to interpret it. But as he'd realized, sometimes it didn't matter if he thought about it, but rather that he just did it.
[dice=Unleash Your Powers]2d6-1
It also mattered when he wanted to show what he could do, as the next time one of those victim dummies fell, he extended his field and gained claw like extensions from his hands, reaching out and catching them while avoiding getting blasted from behind. Unfortunately, the claws didn't keep their consistency and the dummy fell through them ten feet from the ground, making him wince. At least they'd be alive, right?
When they finally took a break, with him sipping on water, he looked appreciatively at Whippoorwill. "Thanks. I mean, really...thanks a lot. This must have taken you a lot of time and effort to put together. I hope that I'm acceptable to your standards, sensei." He smiled, before another question arose in his head.
"I talked to Hoshiko recently. She told me that after I'd left America, my future self took a wife in Japan and apparently started fighting communists in China. Do you know anything about that time, and...someone called Night Devastator?"
Whippoorwill grows thoughtful, then mutters under her breath, "Yè huǐmiè zhě..." Eventually, she looks back at Shin gravely and shakes her head. "Before my time. I'd never met Night Devastator, even after he went mercenary. Though he laid the groundwork for the Mercs Unltd., which eventually formed the CADRE. My old team."
She studies Shin's reaction at the revelation. "I wasn't always on the side of the angels. I hope you knew that," she says solemnly.
Scorch watches the auction from her position in the shadows. "This thing is small-fry. We should wait to see what else they've got."
The trio watch as the hoverboard is purchased after moderate bidding; it's final price is $23,000 bought by the Busted Flush Mob.
Scorch doesn't see anything beyond what was already observed. There hasn't been any new buyers arrive, and none present appear to be misbehaving.
The next item up for bid is a device that can generate a nullification field -- something that can knock out mundanes and cause those with stronger constitutions extreme pain while they're in the area. The sale includes protection that will keep allies from succumbing.
Opening bid is $15,000.
What do you do??
He choked and sputtered around the mouthful of water he'd been taking when his mentor informed him of how she'd once been a mercenary. "That...actually, that makes a lot of sense to me. For why you'd take me on as someone to train...while I think the rest of the Alliance looks at me as someone to pity, or even fear," He tells her, looking down at the floor.
"But if you could change your ways, then at least there's hope for Hoshiko. I want her to get her chance and make something good out of it." He nods, standing straighter and looking at Whippoorwill with no small measure of admiration. He did have another thought, and he supposed there wasn't a good time to ever bring this up. So he might as well bring it up now.
"If you worked with the CADRE and are now with the Alliance, you must have crossed paths with my future self before," He mentions, finishing his water. "I mean, I hope I'm different from him. I really do, but I wanted to know, what your opinion of Dusk is, about who he is and what he's trying to accomplish."
Frostbite shoots off a message to Silver Shield - It looks like they are selling some pretty heavy stuff down here, they just busted out some sort of nullification field generator, should we engage, wait for your suit to come up or keep this strictly observe and report.
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”Okay, you boys have fun. I’ll keep up as well as my powers allow. Speed won’t be a problem, but here’s hoping I can actually head into space...”
She steps to the exit hatch and takes a deep breath to settle her racing nerves, then dives out into the Halcyon skies. She lets Inquiry get going before joining in behind and to the side. As they climb higher and higher, her anxious excitement grows.
So far so good...
She can feel the air grow thinner, and the ground grow smaller and smaller as she climbs higher than her mother ever let her. But that was also before the Regalia, too. She could tell she could still breath fine, and wasn’t feeling light headed or anything at all. Then...the sky started changing hues from blue to milky grey to black, and even still she didn’t feel off in the least!
”This...THIS IS AMAZING!” she cries out as she puts even more into her speed, no longer afraid at all. She jets past Inquiry in a gold and silver blur, and begins bobbing and weaving through various satellites as she laughed like a little kid on a playground. She stopped and turned to look back at the Earth, her hair and loose fabric of her conjured armor floating unmovingly in the zero gravity. She remained there as Isaiah put Horizon through his own tests, a goofy smile on her face as she basked in the splendor of space.
Isaiah... flinched? Then shrugged slightly stiffly. "Yeah, Subtle stuff like body language is harder to handle than simple speech. It may take me a while to get the hang of it. The real hard part is that if you get it almost right, but not quite, it ends up looking really creepy. Not the best way to avoid notice." He shifted slightly, as if nervous or sheepish. "Don't worry about the suit failing you, though. That's a tried-and-true design, won't break easily. And I'm watching for meteoroids, I'll swat any that head your way."
Over the comms, Praetoria heard Isaiah's voice, somewhat amused by her exuberance. "Well, looks like space doesn't bother you. Be careful around those satellites; I doubt you'd get hurt from hitting one, but it could make a real mess for other people. Come down a little bit, I'm hanging out in a clear band."
Carefully cycling Horizon out, Inquiry kept a thin tendril nearby to catch him in case he started drifting away. Isaiah, at home in the vacuum of space, slid out through the hull, keeping his feet planted as he readied anouther set of crystals. He'd keep the intensities low, and pointed away from Earth; no detector below would catch sight of them, and they wouldn't cause lethal exposure even if they did work on Shin.
These tests were much less dramatic than Praetoria's; most of the ammunition types Isaiah cycled through were invisible to human eyes, and there was no atmosphere to conduct sound or emit light from being excited by the beams. Isaiah went through the usual electromagnetic spectrum first, before moving on to more esoteric emissions. Aetheric, Astral, gravitational, neutrinos, and a few exotic magical or hyperdimensional beams. Only three or four were actually visible, and those were merely thin beams of colored light, given off as a side effect of certain magics. And Inquiry kept a close watch the whole time, having run a detector out on a thin spar behind Shin to see what got through, and also keeping an eye on him for any changes or effects.
Whippoorwill looks at Shin, her eyes haunted. "I had been deceived. I thought I was fighting against like-minded enemies; those who'd used the same brutal tactics as we had. That's not to say I'm blameless, though."
She looks away for a moment, then pushes the painful memories aside. "I'm hopeful for Hoshiko. You may have been the push she needed to realize that her direction would only lead to destruction. If there's a path to redemption, I do hope she finds it."
Whippoorwill studies Horizon, meeting his eyes with a harsh glare. "I hope you understand that what I'm doing with you is not exactly popular. But yes, I've met your older self, Dusk. I think he's... he's ultimately a nihilist. No matter how legitimate his gripes are, he's going about it through destruction and chaos. I'm going to trust that you'll find a better way to deal with your frustrations."
Holy $*!%, I'm in outer space.
That was what he couldn't help but think as he stepped out of Inquiry, trying hard to keep himself calm. Despite all of Isaiah reassurances, it did little to stop the excitement and anxiety of stepping out into hard vacuum. But there was a bonus to it, as he peered into the black that wasn't, and was greeted with something a city boy like himself rarely saw on the surface, and never as clear as now.
Stars. Brilliant, bright and shining across the sky, turning what should have been a black canvas into a gleaming panorama that made him forget briefly what he'd come up here to do. It was that amazing as he looked out at it all with joy. He'd have to show Kylie the view when he got back. Maybe Gallowglass would like to see it too.
"Okay...let's get to it," Shin said to Isaiah as he prepared himself for his emissions. For the most part, he found that it was relatively easy to capture the radiation that Isaiah was throwing at him. It was all a standard package for the EM spectrum waves. He'd gotten used to it on earth, though the solar radiation was definitely stronger up here. Made it that much easier for him to maneuver in flight.
The more exotic particles that Isaiah threw at him were strange, but he was able to capture and trap them in his field as well. It built up underneath the envelope around him, and none of the energy was escaping his gravity at all, though he had no idea what to do with it all except to toss it back out into deep space, a great ball of multicolored lights and energy all compacted together in an energy amalgam. Something was bugging him about that.
"All right, new test," Shin said as he dissolved his vantablack field around himself, standing out in his purple suit. "Isaiah, during the pirate attack, I was absorbing energy without the field...I think it acts as a buffer or filter between my body and what might damage it. It really hurt then, but...I'm gonna try and absorb what you send out at me without the field in place. Try and see how that works on your end."
"I just can't understand that thinking. That there's no other option than violence to try and achieve what's a noble goal," Shin admits to Whippoorwill, setting the water bottle down and thinking. "I saved Hoshiko through my words, not through violence or intimidation. You can't solve every problem you come across with a bigger club than your enemy," He spoke. "Things should be better now, shouldn't they? I mean, if he's still crusading, then racism can't be dead. But it should still be better than back in my time."
He sighed, bowing his head forward. "I wish I knew more about what changed me so much. But maybe I should be thinking about figuring out something I can do with my powers that Dusk can't do instead. Something that will catch him by surprise if I'm forced to face him. I definitely don't want to do that without the team though. Or you. And Captain Stalwart. I think even I'd think twice before causing trouble with the Captain around."
Shin gets himself ready for another round of training. "Maybe next time we train, I could bring one of the team? Like Gallowglass, pit her against me? She's...well, inventive. And loyal and heartening. I want to see if I could actually beat her one on one. Even without powers, she's formidable."
As the three of you (and whoever else has decided to join you) float in the upper atmosphere testing the limits of your abilities, Isaiah receives a broad-beam transmission.
The message is in Revised Standard Basic v. 3.2. ::Attention IF Craft designation unknown. Be advised that this planet is under temporal quarantine. Any attempt to leave this system in violation of this quarantine will be met with deadly force. Thank you for your cooperation::
Revised Standard Basic is currently at version 5.1