NationStates Jolt Archive

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Antarctica, Amundson-Scott Station, South Pole, 90°00’00” S, 00°00’00”:

“David, where are you?” came the call over the radio.

Inside the skylab, the raised tower situated close to the Dome, a wiry man grabbed his radio and spoke into it. “DeSalle. I’m up in the box tuning the readers. They’ve been showing abnormal fluctuations, so I’m ensuring that they’re picking up what I want them to pick up. What do you need, Greg?”

“You’re a spaz, my friend. Hey, guys are getting together for poker at about 2100. You in?”

“Where?”

“Western Lounge. Buy in is trash duty for a fellow for a week.”

“Maybe,” came DeSalle’s reply. He was busy observing the needle on his readout. It matched up with the energy levels that the static emitter was set to. His sensors were calibrated properly. He decided to go out to the ceremonial stick and see if they picked up differently. Climbing through the tunnels wasn’t a problem for him, as he was rather wiry, and he was thankful for the darkness as it didn't require the uncomfartable eyewear worn during the Southern Summer.

“David, you sure you calibrated your sensors?”

“Yeah, why?”

“About two seconds ago the needles started dancing, your recorder activated, and Joey’s telling me that the Exosphere Geiger counters are going up like crazyyy…” That was the last DeSalle heard. He felt a sudden impact, as if being thrown into the water in full snow gear, sank to the ground, then blacked out.

Later

“David, yo, Davie?” David opened his eyes to find himself in the med ward, Greg’s face hovering to the left side of his vision.

“Wh-what happened to me?”

“I was hoping that you could tell me, my friend,” came Greg’s reply.

“Let’s see, I remember adjusting the sensors up in the tower, then you came on asking me to poker. After that, I, I, uh, I went out, I was gonna check my instruments from the pole line, and then you came on.” Realization dawned on David. “The Exosphere Geigers, you said they were clicking away. I must have been caught in something. What was it?” His voice was edgy.

“We don’t know. It ended just as soon as Willie and Karen were able to suit up and get you inside. But you seem fine. Here, follow the light,” Greg said, turning on his doctor’s pen light. After watching David’s responses perform fully, he did sense tests and then a limited motor test. David was able to feel everything, and even had the strength to raise his arms. “Well, you still seem to have your brain functioning. We’ll have to do a blood work, and probably a stress test, but for now I think that you’re out of immediate danger.”

David nodded, but as Greg was leaving, he called out to him, “Greg, my tests, you said the autorecorder started up, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I want to see the printouts. Something that I can do while I’m laid up.”

“Sure,” responded Greg. “Knowing you, it’d probably be less stress on you.”

An hour later, David had the printouts laid out on his lap. He went through the charts, studying each one, taking notes as he did. Little did he realize what had happened, the potential that it had.

Seattle...

Dave was out in the woods alone. He was on a hunting trip. He needed time to set things straight. His best friend had just died in a motor accident. Dave was distraught. So he came out to the woods to hunt and get his thoughts together. He looked far away to see a group of deer. They were far away. However, Dave didn't care if he killed any. He just needed to let of steam. Suddenly the deer ran. Something must have scared them. Dave aimed his rifle. Suddenly, he had a clear shot of a deer's kill zone. It was so easy to hit. He fired. The deer went down. He then noticed how far away it was. He hit a small spot on a deer from an incredible distance. He walked over to the carcass. When he got there, he found what scared the deer. A bear. It saw Dave. It must have assumed he was a threat, because it charged. Before Dave could react, it raised it's paw to strike. Dave covered his face and prepared for the blow. But nothing happened. He looked to see the bear frozen. He looked around, everyting stopped. He grabbed his rifle and fired at the bear, point blank in the face. Nothing happened. Then, suddenly, everything started moving, and the bear collapsed. Dave slowly backed away, then ran to try and figure out what had just happened.

Deerfield, New Hampshire
2 Years Ago

Robert Taylor grabbed a lighter and looked toward a chest. He just recently made a gasoline trail from the chest to himself. The chest was doused with gasoline. Inside the chest was a couple of gallons of gasoline. A spark appeared, then a flame. He set the gasoline trail on fire and watched it come ablaze. As it trailed along the trail he started didn't try to run back. He was a born pyro and always loved fire. Even when he was younger he would set stuff on fire. Then he chest exploded all he did was stare. A fascinated, but bored looked appeared in his eyes. Something went very wrong. The fire started to spread and quickly. Within seconds the fire surrounded him. Robert knew that he had no one way to get out. The massive flame shot out and toward him. Quickly he put his hands in front of himself. The fire was stopped. It seemed like a invisible wall was there. He moved the fire out of the way and made a path. Robert couldn't believe what he was doing. Once getting out he looked at the fire. It was out of control and he needed to stop it, but how. Touching the fire he started to see that it incase his hand. It looked as though his hand was on fire. Then the fire started to disappear. Robert watched as the fire died down, then started to walk back to his home. His hand had no burn marks as he stared at them. Robert knew that he had evolved into something different and never seen before.

*She ran... it was hunting her, and she knew that should it catch her, she would die.*

*She ran... Through the trees and branches tearing at her, the leaves whipping her face, hands and arms...*

*She Ran... the heavy thuddings of it's feet are rythmic and pounding in her ears... the feel of it's breath as it neared... the caress of it's claws as it tore through her skin...*

*She Ran... as the trees parted and the vast plains stretched out infront of her, the gazelles, startled, began scattering infront of her.*

*She Ran... her heart pounding loudly, as she lept onto the back of one of the Gazelles and sank her claws into it's back, her fangs bit into it's flesh easily... her mouth filled with the warm red fluid that was it's blood...*

*the stricken animal tumbled into the lake, breaking it's neck. Starving, she savored the feel of the red, juciy meat sliding down her throat, it's blood quenching her thirst. Looking into the red waters of the lake, she stared at her striped fur, her cat-slitted eyes and the way the blood glistened off her razor sharped teeth... the refection grinned back as it's blood clawed hands reached out from the waters, encircling her throat as it's grinning face broke the water surface to stare at her from mere centimeters.*


YOU CANNOT KEEP ME CAGED FOREVER, MEAT!


*With a scream, Haruka bolted upright... her nighgown soaked with sweat, her body shaking with fright... the dreams returned... my god, what's happening to me...*

"Ma'am? are you ok" a voice sounded out from the doorway.

*Haruka Kyle took in a deep, shaky breath. and somehow, knew who was out there.*

yes, Yvette, I'm fine... sorry to wake you, you don't need to watch over me anymore.

"I was awake anyway, was heading to the kitchen to prep for today."

oh really? my bedroom isn't between your quarters and the kitchen.

*Hari could hear the worry in Yvette's voice.*
"Ma'am, it's not... but you are not in your bedroom..."

*Yvette flicked on the lights and Hari could see that she was in her father's Hunting Trophy room, at Yvette's gasp, Hari turned and saw that the stuffed Gazelle that was in the corner was shreaded apart. It's stuffing was all over the room, it's head torn of and resting by the Grizzly Bear standing at the opposite corner. Turning with concern towads Yvette, Hari noticed that the mother of her best friend was not looking at the dismembered trophy... but at Haruka herself.

Looking down, Hari noticed that her silk nightgown was in tatters, shredded by some huge animal, next to her, the stripped and broken bones of a chicken that was to be tonights dinner lay scattered on the ground. Hari scrambled away from the bones and turned to look at Yvette.*

Yvette...

*Yvette closed her eyes, sighed and took of her robe, wrapping it around Haruka's sweating body. *

"Ma'am, you had a traumatic experience in those jungles... for months on end. I'm sure... I'm sure that these nightmares will vanish in time. especially if you tell someone what happened during those months."

I... I can't... not now... maybe not ever...

*Haruka stood up and looked at the ruined room.*

uhmm.... please clean this up and I'll make the arraingement to get the gazelle repaired...

*with her head bowed, Haruka stumbled out and towards her room.*

Oh... and Yvette... don't bother making me breakfast... I guess... I mean... It looks as though I just ate...

Entering the lobby of the research lab he was working at, a backpack on one shoulder and a mug of strange brew in hand, Ian waved to Mack, the nightshift secruity guard.
"Hey Ian, working late?"
"Yep, need to check on a few tests, access some of the files, normal stuff."
"Still drinking that noxious mix?" Mack asked, refering to Ian's preference for a wierd combination of teas, hot-chocolate, instant coffee and kool-aids.
"Of course." Ian replied as he slid his passcard through the reader and entered the first part of the lab.

After marking his arrival time, changing and first-stage decon, he headed up deeper into the facility and into the more hostile areas. Finally arriving at the actual labratory, and passing through another three levels of decontamination, he set to work on his post-grad research.

As Ian Willows was working, another group was getting ready outside the lab. They had a much more 'sinister' agenda, thought from thier perspective, the lab and its parent company were the evil ones. They were a radical organisation that held the beliefs that tampering with nature was evil and that was precisely what was happening in the facility.

Entering through a door a 'careless' janitor had left open, they planted thier explosives and left. When the bombs detonated, the labs sealed themselves hermatically preventing exit of any microbes, virii or other things used in the experiments. All sorts of toxic substances were released by the shockwave of the bombs.

Ian dashed to the hazmat suits as the sirens went off, only to find the last scientists to use them had forgotten to put the suits away. Feeling a wave of hopelessness, Ian passed out while the substances went to work on him.

Three Days Later

The hazmat teams broke the innermost seal, while the others were active as they began spraying the decon fluid everywhere to continue the process of cleaning up the accident. After finishing they headed out, the last one thinking he felt something brush up against him but as there was nothing there, he dismissed it as nerves.

Four Days Later

Ian's brain kicked in as he was about to take a bite of a butchered and fresh rabbit. Panicing he began running as if the hounds of hell were after him, wondering what had happened and why he was eating raw rabbit. In his blind panic Ian ran off a cliff. The shock of seeing all the emptiness jolted him back to his senses and he began trying to flap in a desperate and ultimately fruitful attempt to fly. His arms spread out and elongated into proto-wings enabling him to glide to the ground. Landing, he noticed the physiological changes and began trying to figure out what the hell had happened to him.

***********************************

"Dad, I'm going for a walk." Michelle called out as she headed out of her house. Her father was a member of the, relatively, new breed of house-husband and her mother was a lawyer.
"Alright, dinner will be at six." He called back, inwardly relieved that she seemed to be getting over losing her precious violin. She'd taken its destruction, refusing to leave her room for over a week, missing her own birthday. Had he known her true reasons, he'd have never let her out of her room.

Michelle's reasons were much more morbid, and planned fatal. The bridge she was headed to was the location for the most numerous suicides in the state. Walking down the street, she noticed a strange flickering sign that was vaguely hypnotic. Her feet seeming to take over, she entered the strange show.

It was a musty, slightly smokey shop filled with many strange pieces of bric-a-brac and oddities. She passed something that appeared to be a dessicated monkey's paw, a couple smokey bottles, any number of books with spidery text in odd languages along the spine, a bottled brain and other things. As she wandered, she spotted a violin case and made her way straight to it.

Taking the instrument from its case, she felt a strange hum seemingly coming from the violin itself. She immediately knew that she had to have it and, after returning it to the case, took them both to the counter where a wizen little man sat smoking a strange pipe.

"I must have this. How much is it?"
"For you, free."
"Free?"
"Of course, it has chosen you and that is it."
"Thank you." She replied before departing before the strange man could change his mind.

Reaching the end of the street, she looked back for a second and noticed the sign didn't seem to be there any more. Little things like an appearently disappearing store didn't hold much interest when she could play her new violin.

She arrived in the park and opened the case, a few sheets of paper falling out. Looking at them, she realized it appeared to be a variation on Tartini's Violin Sonata in G minor, otherwise known as the Devil's Trill. Propping the pages up on a branch that was decently illuminated, she began to play.

As the notes flew from the bow in a hauntingly beautiful melody, a man seemed to appear before her. The man was garbed in a black, perfectly tailored suit, with two faint horns jutting out of his head while a faint odor of brimstone filled the air. Lifting a bow and violin to his own shoulder, he joined in the melody and she realized that the legend about the birth of the Sonata was not just a legend.

She was playing the true Devil's Trill with entity of the same name, and beyond that felt the power she'd felt in the violin entering her.

Champlain, New York
Two Years Ago

Allen Jackson looked up toward the sky. It was blue, but he could see the clouds off in the distance. Just a couple of days ago his family had buried his mom. Just had been killed by random thugs back in New York City. He wanted revenge so badly, but had no idea where to start. Plus the cops were of no help, but atleast they had a rough camera picture of the two petty criminals following his mom, then forcing her into a alley. Allen slowly got up from a chair on the front porch. They had buried his mother in his childhood home of Champlain. As he started to get his baggage he looked at a picture of his mother. Allen started cry, but knew that his mother needed for him to be strong.

Once getting back to New York he started to look and find the criminals who did this to his mother. After looking one rainy day for his mother's murderers he saw taught two men walk behind him. Allen turned a corner quickly and heard the men do the same thing. They both grabbed him and lead him into an abandoned alley. The men threw him down to the ground.

"Give your money, kid!"

Allen said nothing and looked at the men. Above the men was a lighted that moved back and forward. The light made their faces hard to see.

"How about you let me go?"

The men looked at each other and laughed. One produced a knife and the other punched Allen in the gut. Allen felt the pain move threw his body. Falling down to the ground he coughed out blood. One of the men kicked him and he rolled. The men didn't stop beating up Allen. As the pair stopped Allen looked horrible. He had a black eye and cuts everywhere.

"So are you going to give use that money?"

Allen got up and tried to throw a punch, but the man dodged it and threw Allen back to the wet ground. Allen got up again and saw the man with the knife was going to stab him. He put out a hand and electricity came out. It looked like lighting, but in a smaller form. The man flew back into a wall. The other man charged him, but Allen shot another bolt at him. He saw that the light bulb was out, but had light again. He concentrated again and saw a small bit of electricity come out of his hand. The light bulb was out again. Stopping he looked at the two men and laughed. Now that he got a better picture of them he saw that they were his mother's murderers. He was about to kill them with another bolt, but knew that he shouldn't go down to there level. Allen didn't want to kill people, but save others. He grabbed the two men and left them both in front of a police station. As he walked away from the police station he noticed that he felt tired, but knew that this new ability was going to be used to help people, not to kill.

Georgia....

The day had been long and overall uneventful. Waking up early that morning, they four teens had loaded into the truck and finally took their long-awaited camping trip. The ride to Lake Oconee had been a sleep-fest a dreary teenagers. Tomas struggled to keep his truck on the road as the sun peeped over the Georgia pines.

Nestled in the mountains on the Georgia end of the Applachains, Lake Oconee is a popular getaway for suburbanites with no better plans. Hence it's popularity among the Fab Four.

The Fab Four was the name given to the four teenagers packed into that truck that morning by their classmates. The four were had been virtually inseberable since their first day of high school three years ago, despite their obvious differences.

This trip was more about getting away from their tiny worlds, but they were unaware that this trip just might make their world a bit bigger. But then, the ripples of water flying in the air behind them as they crossed the bridge should have given them some idea.

By the second day after his accident, Dave was already up and moving. He had gone so far as to request his release so that he might get back to work when Greg finally decided that he had had enough of his most irritable patient to date. "David, I'm sick of you by now. Will you at least agree to take the physical stress test? So far, your CAT scans came up normal, you've got normal bloddwork no sign of tumors, and your hormone levels are normal. Just take the damn test and we can be done with it."

"Greg, I don't need to waste another three hours on the treadmill, the elliptical, the bike, and the weight racks. I'm checking out."

"Will you at least exert yourself for an hour just so I can sign off on the red-tape hastles?"

"No. I've got work to do. Plus you're going to think of another test."

"Look," said Greg, now at the end of his tether, "why don't you play Troy in hoops. I'll attach three of my new sensors to measure you. You only need to spend a half hour on the court, I get to try these suckers out, and troy gets to deal with you. Fair?"

"Fine."

Half an hour later, David couldn't have been happier with his decision. He finally giving that stuck up Troy a bit of his own medicine. Last couple of times hadn't ended well for Troy when they were on the court, but David had never done this good. ten minutes in, and he was leading by twelve shots. Troy charged him with the ball, and David heard an odd buzzing in his head for about the millionth time since the jump. This time though, he could here words under it. Feint right, drive left. That foots weaker, he won't make it. David moved right, slightly, but then moved left. Half a second before Troy's momentum shifted. He was hurled right into Dave. "Foul. You hit me."

"Greg?" asked David. "What did you see?"

"Uh, Troy, you're right, it's a foul, but, you did it. Both of his feet were planted. He called you on that."

"Fine, whatever. Take your shot, Dave." DeSalle obliged him, staring straight at the net, then letting it go in a perfect throw. It came down right at the bottom of the net.

"Swish," said David. Play continued. The voice came back sporadically. It didn't lie. Interestingly enough, each time it came back, it sounded more and more like Troy's voice. And what was more, during the remaining twenty minutes, David's scores gained form, till in the last five minutes, he got three in in perfect form. To make matters even more frustrating for Troy, two shots that looked like they could have rimmed around before falling in bounced out. David visualized both of those next to images of Troy scoring.

"Well," said greg, looking at the printout, "I have to admit, you've got a clean bill of health, Davie. Troy, thanks for coming down."

"Whatever." He left, looking both mad and undignified.

"Get the hell out of my sight, DeSalle. I've officially grown sick of you," said Greg, as David left. David made a detour to the incinerator, where he dropped in a blood sample. Unbeknownst to Greg, he had switched the fresh sample with some taken from the day before. It was his blood, but after reading his printouts from the radiation block that hit him, he wanted to see what happened to him without anybody's prying eyes knowing. He had a number of similar machines in his lab, and would be able to see if there was anything different. At least, different since his birth, which had given him an odd genome that he knew was probably the first of the kind.

Normal karyotyping, the process of identifying bandwidths to map genes, showed him as a normal male. What his more in depth karyotyping had shown him was that he had an extra chromosome, analogous to the X found in both female and males. What didn't match up was that it had replaced his Y, found only in males. He was a virile male, but a mid-depth karyotype would make him look female. What he had discovered was that the shallow karyotype showed the important thing: a chromosome with the base numbers of an XX individual, as in a female, but the second of each had the exact copy of his father's SDR of his father's Y. In essence, David an XX structure, but one was encoded to act as a Y, the dominant gene in mammalian sex determination. The result was an activated X chromosome, and what he thought of as a "Super-Y," one that made him male, but encoded for genetic information that had exhibited dormancy. His sensors had shown that methyl bonding was uniquely affected during the storm. If so, then his "Super-Y" gene could have been activated due to its unique nature.

Come on Hari, this will do you some good.

*Emily pulled on Haruka's hand, forcing her to step into the private dojo built in her home.*

I dunno, Yoga? common Emily... like that's going to help...

"you've been having those nightmares for weeks now... you've tried everything to stop them and let's be reasonable, Mom's getting rather tired of changing your shredded bedding or cleaning up after you trashed a room."
Emily put her hands on her hips.

*Haruka stared at the floor.*

You can't know what it's like Em...

"I know Hari... but as long as you are unwilling to talk about it, you are forcing yourself to deal with it alone. Yoga can help with that..."

*Hari sighed... The nightmares are getting more violent, and thus so is the destruction that has been found around the house. *

Please Hari... you can tell me...

*Hari stared at her friend... after a moment of silence...*

what do I need to do for this yoga thing...

Trill, as Michelle had taken to calling herself during the utilization of her powers, chuckled as she watched a rich buisnessman gyrate and bounce in the middle of an alleyway. It appeared her final self-test was successful. Unsuspecting people were highly susceptible to her illusions and mental suggestioning. She could now begin to milk it by bilking people with too much money out of it, and making them think it was thier idea.

She'd discovered that all she needed to alter the perceptions of reality, or in some cases reality itself was to play music and that the works of different composers seemed to lend themselves more easily to certain alterations. Of the common composers, Wagnerian music lended itself to destructive effects, Beethoven's work seemed to most easily implant suggestion, Tchaikovsky aided in the creation of illusions and with Tartini's music, she could occasionally create things.

Trill knew that it would be a slow process to figure out how best to utilize the full specturm of her abilities, but for now was confident and pleased with how they were developing.

*****************************************

Ian sat on the ground and concentrated, his body slowly rippling as it became fully human in appearence rather than its default condition. It was becoming easier to remain in this form than it had been at the beginning. In his time since he'd regained consiousness and some understanding of the situation, he'd been experimenting with what his new body was capable.

Some of what he'd discovered had been interesting, but a good portion was also quite creepy. He could run down a rabbit or deer and lift a boulder bigger than he. He'd also put on a great deal of muscle-mass. A few distrubing abilities were that he could form things out of his flesh and then remove them.

It was becoming easier to tell how to effect various changed and keep them changed, but it was a struggle.

*Hari sat alone in her private dojo. The candle, the only illumination in the room, sat burning in it’s dish. She stared at the dancing flame, willing her emotions to the silent corner of her mind.*

*after she started meditation and yoga, the nightly destructions of the rooms seem to lessen. Sure they still happened, but now the destruction took upon a pattern of frustration and not malice. And during recent sessions with Emily, Hari could almost sense a presence just outside her conscienceness… a movement that watched and waited with a frustration that was palatable. But always just beyond her conscience reach. *

*Hence this private session… Hari had to know what is happening to her… was she going crazy? *

Clear my mind…
I am at peace with the world around me.
Clear my thoughts…
Let all be calm.

*Seconds dragged into minutes, Minutes to Hours…*

I guess I did imagine it after all

yep… that’s all that this calm is… your boring imagination.

:eek:

who are you

*She felt the presence chuckle…*

I DEMAND TO KNOW WHO ARE YOU

’who are you’? the answer is a simple as looking in the mirror… MEAT!

no.. you are not me…

then you are… what is that word… crazy.

what do you want

what everyone wants… Freedom.

I am not imprisoning you…

no… I just ENJOY sitting back and watching you do what you want.

If I free you, will you leave me alone

...

How do I free you?

Trust me on this… you just did.

*as she sat alone in the Dojo… Hari felt something dry and raspy scrape along the back of her neck. With a short scream, she dove forwards twisting around, knocking over the candle. She stared into the empty dojo as the candle flickered out. *

*the nightly destructions have stopped since that incident, however, the mystery of what was happening only got deeper. The next day, she went out for her daily run with Emily, and when they completed their circuit, Emily was winded, but Hari continued to do another lap… once she was alone, she upped her speed to a full run, the feeling of exhilaration, of being able to push herself and really stretch her muscles had her grinning as she turned the last corner, she saw Emily still catching her breath.

“Wow… first time I’ve seen you do an extra lap… you’ve been working out behind my back?” Emily panted as Hari drew near, “and you are barely winded!”

“oh I’m winded alright.” Hari gasped out… “but for some reason… that felt good.”

[Three Days later]

“Ugh… “

“Oh, common, it wasn’t that bad Em…” Hari looked over as Matsumoto Sensei grabbed his bags and left.

“you passed tho. I think even Sensei Matsumoto didn’t see that move coming.” Emily smiled as she looked at the folded strip of black cloth with the ribbons on it. 3rd degree Dan Black belt. “Will you take up his offer to continue to train for Self Defense purposes?”

“Only if you pass and join me. After all, I’d still need a sparring partner.” Hari grinned at her friend. Yet as she thought back to that sparring test. The way she threw Sensi Matsumoto almost across the room surprised even her.

“Ha!... I’m not trying to become Commando Woman like you… I’m happy with what I know doing Judo, but you… Karate, Kung Fu… and I know you are watching wrestling on TV… what’s going on with you. You quit Gymnastics in your sophomore year when everyone starts talking about you going to the Olympics, and then you seem so keen to learn how to kill people now…”

“I dunno, I just wanted to get active I guess… I mean… what other sport can I really cut loose and still be the prim and proper daughter, mom and dad wanted me to be?

*Emily looked over at her friend.*

“They would be proud of you… at least my folks are.”

“Thanks Emily… and speaking of your folks… we better get cleaned up before we’re late for Dinner… I maybe a "Commando Woman", but your mom can still make me cower with that look of hers!”

*Hari opened the door and walking towards the living room.*

Man Prof Jackson is such a pain... three papers due this semester...

*She stopped as strange sents assaulted her. she peeked into the living room and she noticed Micheal and Yvette were not alone in the living room, two well dressed people were there. Yvette with tears in her eyes ran and embraced Hari. Micheal looked relieved but still worried.

"Hari... where were you? We thought you were with Emily..."

"I was, but I told her that I had to stay to do some lab work at the University... she's not back yet? what happened?" The scent of fear and sorrow was driving Hari insane. one of the well dressed men stood up and came over, showing her his badge.

"I'm Special Agent Toles, this is Special Agent Giles. were from the FBI. did you notice anyone paying particular attention to either you or your friend.?"

"No sir... what's going on?"

Yvette sobbed out the words that sent a chill down her spine. "We got a phone call... Emily's been kidnapped, they're holding her somewhere and they want money for her return."

"H...how much..."

"twenty million..."

"I... we can afford that... can't we?"

Special agent Toles spoke "we shouldn't pay. we can find them and bring her home safely." He looked at Hari. "I know you want your friend back, but trust us, we know what we're doing."

Hari stared at the agent. "she will be brought home agent, your way or someone else's way.. .she will be brought home safely."

Hari went up to her room, closed the door and lay on her bed, afraid for the person that she would be happy to call "sister".

+++

hours passed, then the phone rang.

after three rings, she heard someone pick up the phone from down stairs. quietly picking up the line on her end, she listened in.

"well, 20 million, in unmarked unsequential bills. what is your answer?"
Micheal:"it will take us some time to gather the money... we need more time"
"you have 24 hours, we'll call you at a later date, if you don't have the money... " a muffled shriek in the back could be heard. "we'll have our fun with your very pretty daughter."
Micheal: "Please.. don't...

the rest of the conversation was lost to Hari... she seemed to focus on other things beside the voice of Emily's father and the speaker... in the background, she could hear the heavy breathing of 5 others, one panicky, the others excited and tense... one was emily, the others were part of the kidnapping group. she could hear Emily, gagged, mummbling "help me"... "please don't"... and other muffled protests...

one by one, she catagorized the sounds, then tuned them out, listening for more clues, more indications as to where they are...

in the background, she could barely hear the clack of a freight train. as it moved in the distance... then one of the speakers spoke up just before the line went dead.

"so who's up for some Pizza Hut..."
Pizza hut, near some railway tracks...

*going on line, she looked for all pizza Hut restraunts near the Union Pacfic line.*

Clark County... Dad's construction company is building some low cost homes in that area... the perfect hidaway...

*there was a knock on the door and Hari quickly turned off the computer.*

"Yes?"

*Yvette opened the door.* "The Kidnappers called, Emily is ok... for now. they will give us one day, then... "

"Is the agent still against us paying the ransom?"

*Yvette nods, tears streaming down her eyes.*

"Don't worry Yvette, Emily will be saved and she will come home."

"I hope so Hari... the FBI took the tape with them, they said they will try to find some clues as to where they are."

they don't know yet... Yvette, I... I need to be alone for a moment...

*Yvette nodded.* "Come downstairs when you're ready."

*Hari locked the door and stared at her reflection in the mirror. They don't know where she is... but I do. her reflection looked back and cocked her head.* You want to go after them... don't you.
can we?
yes...
but...
I will need more than the freedom you gave me... I need control.
what are you going to do?
What needs to be done.
... don't kill them.
why?
if you kill them, *smile* they won't learn fear...
*her reflection smiled back*
I like the way I think.
what do I need to do...
accept me, accept that you and I are one and the same. that I am the beast as you are the beauty. that I am the part of you that you always denied exsisted. your imaginary friend, half of your true self. and we will be one.
*Hari's memories of her pretend tiger friend, her first pet and confidant... the imaginary tiger that made her climb trees, run in the yard barefoot, and even roughhoused with Emily while they grew up together. a friend she was convinced that should be set aside as she grew up... a friend she never knew she would miss so much.*

I accept you.. I've also missed you...
Brace yourself... this might hurt a little.

*there was a bone cracking snap as pain shot through her legs. she almost screamed out loud as she stumbled from the dresser to her bed. the pain stretched from her feet to her head, fire blossomed in every nerve and muscle. the blood pounding in her ears and the sound of her bones breaking and mending deafened her to all else as she felt her whole body stretch and fold beyond her imagination. finally, the pain was just too much to contain... *

*downstairs, Yvette poured some coffee for Micheal, her husband, and the police officers sent to safeguard the family. they sat in silence, as they worried over their daughter when a soul chilling scream eminated from Hari's room. Panicking that something terrible was happening, they ran towards Hari's room with the two officers following. Pounding on the locked door and shouting Hari's name, the two who were Hari's second parents tried to get into the locked room. suddenly, the screaming stopped and there was a loud growl followed by the sound of her window crashing open was heard and silence. pushing the two servants aside, the two officers kicked in the door and stared at the carnage inside.*

*the walls and furniture was torn appart, claw marks everywhere, and her wide screen television was no where to be seen. It was found when they looked out the hole that was once her window... there it lay on the lawn, and there was no sign of Hari.*

http://usera.imagecave.com/Kormanthor/winged-angel.jpg

The sun was already sinking into the deep green of the hills to the west of the valley, the red and gray-pink of it’s shadows touching the corners of the land, when Tiffany Farrar aka Matergy finished her research, removed her bath robe and stepped out onto the highest section of Shady Vales roof where she loved to look at the night sky and dream of taking flight when she was a little girl. Walking over to the railing she studied the northern slope trail which stretched out winding unevenly down through huge boulders which studded the rugged terrain in massive clumps, disappearing into the thick forest of the lowlands and the city. As she looked down at the trail she smiled because that small girl that had dreamed of flight, no longer needed of to dream now. Though there was a slight chill in the evening air she forced herself to think of the transformation she wanted to obtain. Then with a picture placed squarely in her minds eye she triggered the change and took to the sky.


OCC: Sorry about the short post , I will post more as soon as possible.

FREEDOM!

*Hari lept across the street, from one rooftop to another. She marveled at the power her muscles had as the ground flew by. Leaping down from the third floor of one apartment, she landed softly on the ground and sped off... leaving only the sounds of dogs barking at this sudden intruder in their territory.*

Keep to the shadows, we must be spotted.... yet.

*The dark felinoid shape flew, from one shadowed alleyway to another, Leaping across busy streets, moving from tree to tree, utility pole to utility pole, always keeping to the shadows and always on the move. when moving across open areas is inevitable, she would take to all fours, running like a cheetah, quick short bursts of speed that kept most people watching wondering what they saw... most.*

*Tom and Faye were on their way home from the Statosphere Restruant when the music over their radio was interrupted...*
"We interrupt this broadcast for an important message. Police are getting several reports of a wild tiger loose in the city... the reports puts the loose animal near Henderson. please be cautious and if you see the animal, call the police at once, do not try to approach it."

"A wild Tiger? probably a stunt to get Sigmund and Roy back on the strip."
"I dunno dear, I've always said the state of our zoo was poor, maybe the poor thing escaped due to poor living conditions there."
"Well, I hope they catch it. we're far from Henderson so we've got nothing to worr.."
"LOOK OUT!"
*Tom slammed on the breaks as a striped tiger flew across the road and into the bushes lining the nearby park next.... where a new set of homes are being built.*

LVPD
"Ok, the latest sighting has the wild animal in Clark county... all available units are to head there and try to corrall it. Animal control has their people alerted so they will join you there. if possible, let animal control tranq it, but if it's attacking someone or it cannot be tranqed... shoot it dead."

Kidnappers
"hey man, you heard the latest?"
"what?"
"Some sort of animal is running loose out there."
"that'a out there, as long as our endangered girl is tied up in here, that's the important thing."
*the door opens and a forth man walks in.* "Shit.. that fucking animal was spotted in this area. get the van, we're moving"
"Why?"
"Listen dumb fuck. the Police will be in the area looking for that cat. so they will be looking into all these empty homes... "
"Fuck!"
"Get Harry on the cell, tell him to bring the van now!"

*Outside, just under the boarded up window, Hari lay and listened. it wasn't hard to pick up Emily's sent as well as the scent of a double pepperoni and sausage pizza.*

Not much time... I need to get inside now...
*Shifting wasn't so painful now... infact, she hardly noticed when she went from Full tiger to Hybrid form. Looking around, she spotted her way in. an unfinished vent in the second floor. dingbats probably didn't notice it. Leaping up unto the second floor was easy and quiet. however she needed to climb up onto the vent without...

CRASH!

Shit... the brackets holding the vent up wasn't secured, and now she and the section of the vent were laying on the floor of an unfinished bedroom

"What the fuck was that? Charlie, head upstairs and check it out."
"Fuck no! what if it's that tiger."
"You got the fucking shotgun, if it's the tiger, shoot it dumb fuck!"

*moving quietly across the hall, Hari entered the room across the one she fell into. Charlie came up the stairs, shotgun at the ready."
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty,"
*The metal vent creaked as it came to rest on the hard wood floor.
Charlie spun into the room and looked at the vent on the ground.*
"SHIT GUYS, JUST PART OF THE ROOF CAME DOWN, NO FUCKING TIGER ANYWHERE!"
"THEN HAUL ASS BACK DOWN HERE. HARRY'S ON HIS WAY IN."
fucking piece of shit... Charlie turned and the last thing he saw was a clawed hand closing in around his head as the shotgun was yanked from his grip...

"HURRY THE FUCK UP CHARLIE!"
"dammit, go see what's keeping charlie."
Kidnapper #3 jogged to the stairs and looked up into the darkness.
"Charlie comon, let's haul ass ma... what the fuck."
at the top of the stairs, two gold disks seem to shine in the darkness. thug #3 turned on his flashlight just in time to see a shapely furred figure launch itself towards him.

the Gunshots and scream rang out through out the house and beyond.

"this is patrol car 15, we heard gunshots, did anyone encounter the tiger... over?"

"This is dispatch... all units, report in, gunshots heard in the Kyle Co. Construction site... Negative Patrol 15, no one reports encountering the Tiger."

"This is Patrol 15, we're going to investigate.... sorry sir, you'll have to turn around, no one is allowed inside this area until that animal is secured."

"Ok officer" Harry replied as he made to turn his van around. "Shit" he dialed his cell phone as he drove away.

More shots rang out and Patrol 15 turned on their lights and headed towards the shots. they stopped at one of the nearly completed homes. outside, on the lawn, lay one man, an uzi lay several feet away, another lay on the lawn, not moving, apparently he was thrown through the boarded up window. Inside they heard muffled sobbing. drawing their weapons, the two officers cautiously approached the house. in the middle of the living room, they found a young woman tied up on a chair, another assailant laying at the foot of the stairs and the back door burst open.

Shitshitshitshitshit.. i thought we're supposed to be bullet proof.
what the fuck gave you that idea
isn't were-wolves only supposed to be hurt by silver?
hurt... u-uh... they can be killed by silver, but nothing says lead won't hurt.
fuck fuck fuck did you have to kill him?
I didn't realise his neck would snap so easliy... I took it easly with the others... and we got shot for it.
Damn... this hurts...

Back at the mansion, Hari climed into the second story bathroom and caught her image in the mirror.

MY GOD... I Look... well... not bad.. really... *she primpped and posed infront of the mirror.*
not bad at all...
*shifting back to human, she examined her naked self in the mirror... the bullet wounds were closing and she gasped in pain as her mucles slowly ejected the three bullets that were embedded inside her. wiping herself clean with some bathroom tissue, she flushed them down the toilet, pocketed the slugs and stepped out into the hall wearing a clean robe.*

*she walked downstairs and was greeted by hugs and kisses from both Micheal and Yvette who had just gotten word that Emily was found safe, all but two of her kidnappers were in custody babbling something about tigers and werewolves, one was dead of a broken neck, while the other seems to have gotten away. They were getting ready to go to the hospital, but they were also worried about her dissappearance.
The two officers came over and while they were relieved that she was ok, they wondered where she was,*

"me? sorry... I've been having some... sleeping problems lately that really... well, lets just say, when I'm asleep, I'm really not myself."

Georgia---

"Let's take a walk, Nate." Angelina said to Nathan.

"Where?"

Angelina 's face screwed up and she lifted up her hands, "Look where we're at! Anywhere we want!" She giggled at him.

"Hmmph. Let's go." Nate stood up and started walking toward the lake.

"Let's take the trail the goes near the lake!" Angelina peppily said as she intertwined her two arms around his one.

She obviously showed more interest in him than him in her.

"Your're so cold." she said.

Walking toward the edge of the laket, the two separted their togetherness. Angelina made her way toward the lake, while Nate stood staring out accross the water.

"Do you beleive in magic?" asked Nate.

"Of course not. That's silly." answered Angelina.

"But how do you explain somethings? Weird things."

"Like what kind of things?"

"I don't know. Just 'things'."

"I think things happen, but can usually be expained away by science."

"What about things that can't?"

"Everyting has an answer, maybe we just haven't found it yet."

Quiet swept over the couple. Angelina kneeled down to the water line and stuck her hand into the water. She began to sway it around, feeling the fluency of the structured chemical bonds. The water began to take shape in her hand. The could feel the bonds and knew how to change them. She stared at her hand. Lifting it out of the lake, a trail of water followed and swept over her arm. But left in her palm was a small amount of the water. It was hovering over her hand as if she was controling it.

"Something wrong?" asked Nate.

The water dropped at the break of concentration and Angelina gasped for air.

"Oh my freaking God!" yelled Angelina.

"What? What's wrong?!" responded Nate.

"The water, I was, um, this sounds crazy, I was.....controlling it." stumbled Angelina.

"Yeah, like I said, the unexplainable."

"Are you not totally freaked out by this!"

"Not really. Yesterday morning I was playing my guitar and I got mad because I couldn't get this chord right. Next thing I knew their was a mini- tornado in my room. The more I concentrated on it, I could control it. I eventually made it disappear. I don't know how I did it, but I can make this happen."

Nate closed his eyes and suddenly a gust if wind blew in from the east. The wind felt soothing in the hot Georgia sun.

"Try harder with the water." Nate said.

Angelina was still freaked out, yet intrigued by what was happening. She stared at the water. Ripples started forming as if the water were vibrating. She imagined a wave of water splashing the shore, then a wave splashed around her feet. Angelina fell back, and smiled.

Tiffany felt free with the wind blowing through her hair and under her wings. Starting her trip to the city below, she power dived into the valley north of Shady Vale pulling out of it just a few feet above the rocky fast flowing river beneath her. Looking down she could see the trout fighting to swim upstream to their spawning grounds and the bears that meant some would never make it. To her side, using her peripheral vision she could see the mountains rise into the evening sky as she rushed on. As she passed over the first of many small waterfalls she saw a bear fishing in the river below the falls. She then edged upward then began flapping her wings harder to gain the needed lift to soar high above to case the city below. As she settled into a lazy gliding maneuver she suddenly realized that the city below was alive with activity. Using her eagle like vision she watched with amazement as a dark feline like humanoid shape moving across town raising a big ruckus with citizens and police alike.

New York...

A young man ran thorugh the streets of New York. He looked like one of the Ramones, and loved it when people told him that. However, he was to busy. The police wear after him. He didn't even know what yhe did. It could have been nothing, but judging by their faces it was something. He had a habit of running from the police. This time they were catching up. He criss crossed through the alleys and streets. He could hear the police shouting at him to stop. Suddenly, everything was a blur. He could see things in front of him, but he turned and went passed them. He stopped. He looked around. When he realized he was incredibly far away from were he ogirinally was. He smiled. Getting away from the police now was going to be a snap.

A small suburb outside of Los Angeles...

Late at night, a man walked out of a radio station. He had just finished his program on the station. He was a blatant anit-cpaitalist, and used his show to try and spread the word about the evils of it. He got into his car and started drving. He was tired, and his eyes often closed for a few seconds. When he opened them, he saw he had wound up in the other lane, and a truck was right in front of him. He closed his eyes, ready to die. He heard the impact. He felt nothing. He opened his eyes. There was blood and wreckage everywhere, but he did not have a scath on him. He was under the debris of the truck. He put his hand up, an without any effort, he lifted the massive hunk of metal and tossed it away. He was amazed. He smiled. He had been given some sort of gift. Now he had to use it.

Tiffany watched from above as the feline humanoid left the construction site and disappeared into the darkness. ' Hmm thats interesting, apparantly I am no longer the only metamorph in this area. Well I'll have to remember to thank her for providing me with a perfect opportunity to aquire the needed item during this made to order distraction for the police. '
Changing direction she flew silently off towards her destination across town.

"But officer, I know what I saw... It was a Giant Tiger---man---like thing."
"and as you said, it attacked your kidnappers but left you alone.."
"... yeah... it did..."
"then it ran out, after being shot, with no blood to show anywhere..."
"... I'm not crazy!"
"Miss... I never said you were. In fact, the three kidnappers all say the same thing, we're looking for the tiger but it hasn't been sighted yet. now your family is here to pick you up, go home and becareful. we have your statement, and we'll call you when to testify. ok?"

*Emily turned around and saw her Parents and her best friend waiting at the entrance to the emergency room. Relieved, the four of them headed home.*

"Hiya Em, how you doing?"

*Em looked at her friend and started crying*

--[Three Days Later]--

"Maybe I should learn Kung Fu as well" Emily told Haruka as they entered the Dojo.

"What... want to become a "Commando Woman" like me?" Hari teased her friend.

"Hey! I had a very traumatic experience, I need to turn my focus on something else."

"Em! They didn't... I mean, did they..." Hari's eyes widened as she searched for some sign in her friend's face.

"NO! they were... well they weren't gentlemen, but they didn't do THAT!"

AHEM!

Both women turned to face Hari's Kung Fu Sensei and this time, he was not alone. standing behind him were four men,

"in light as to what happened to your friend, I thought we should go over fending off an attack by multiple attackers...."

you're about three days too late, but whatevers... Haruka thought to herself as her lession started.

The theartre. It was itself, a world of its own. Such a world of beauty, drama, and intrigue. Theatres housed the homes of thousands of plays, musicals, and Operas, with actors strutting about in and out of costume, stagehands quickly hopping around doing their duties like busy little bees. The orchestra tuned and practiced as the remaining audience members were shuffling in.

The opera house was magnificent, a beautiful work of art. It was styled after the Paris Opera house.

"What else could such a marvelous world be modeled after?" came a whisper from the highest room, a secret entrance to the dome corridors and the catwalks above the stage.

A man clad in black clothin spun around to face an ornate clock, matching it up with his own watch.

"Christine...the moment of your life will begin in an hour...That is when my proposal shall arrive...that is when we shall be united..." he whispered.

If only that wretched boy, Charlie, doesn't ruin it first...

Christine Jacobson was the rising star of Operatic Sopranos, unmatched in beauty of voice and being. But she owed that to him, the Angel of Music, or to others, known as the Phantom.

Yet her relationship is not one of love to the Phantom...more of a friendly one. But we can be so much more... he thought sadly, clencing his gloved fists. He silently opened the door leading out to the dome, where he looked down at the city's richest and moderately rich families.

Thats where Charlie comes in, like a knight in shining armor, 'rescuing' Christine from Phantom's grasp. Stealing her love from him for the boy's own use.

"But this shall finalize our union. This will make us complete," Phantom growled as he spun around, back into the room, his cape flourishing behind him. There are many police officers...I shall need to make myself quick...

Erik paced around slowly, before glancing again at the time. He sighed and picked up an bone white mask, covering half of his face, while leaving his other half open, revealing handsome features, and long hair gelled back.

"Almost time..."

Three...

Two...

One... and stop...

*Hari sat up from the press bench and wiped the sweat from her brow.

not bad... let's increase that to 50 lbs.

*She moved the locking pin from 45 Lbs to the 50 Lbs hole and waited as to buffed up weightlifters moved to the machine next to hers. She sat back down, and as it has become habit, she put her IPOD earphones on to block out all other sounds and lay back to begin another series of reps. *

"Hey Mike, set me up to 200 lbs... ok?"
"Sure thing Ron."
*not paying attention... or in his defense, paying attention to the woman sitting at the machine next to them, and not at the machine itself, Mike moved Hari's pin from the 50 lb mark to the 200lb mark.*
"Ok, go ahead"
*Hari began her reps.*
wow... this seems waaaayy heavier... but I can do this... maybe (oof) I should only do ten reps...
"Hey Mike, I thought you set this up for 200... it feels like 10."
"Huh? Lemme che..." Mike stared at the column of weights sliding up and down, he then turned to the shapely woman who was pushing 200 lbs with ease. tapping Ron on the shoulder, he motioned him to check it out.*

Four...

Five...

Six...

Seven...

Eight...

*Sweat poured off of her brow as she continued to push the bar up and away from her. her speed slowly incresing till it hit her normal rhythm.*

Twenty...

*She let the bars slowly drop down and slowly extracted herself from the machine, checking her watch, realized she's gonna be late for her afternoon class. Grabbing her things she ran off to the showers... and back to class.*

"Who was that Mike..."

Dunno... someone using a guest account... damn, I hope she signs up...

A man was walking through the city. He had no idea where he was. He was cold as well. He was looking fro some food that he could get his hands on. Hwever, his search was fruitless. He saw an old trash can. Although he didn't look like it, he was a bum. He walked over to the trash can and saw plenty of combustable things in therw. He grabbed a match he had and treid to satrt a fire. But the match blew out. He cursed angrily, and grabbed a newspaper angrily, thrashing around. Then, the paper caught on fire. He threw it into the can, which became a fire. He was amazed. Morover, he wasn'y hurt from the encounter.

See OOC thread for important post.