No.1466
>Date: 23rd April, 2017
>Location: Somewhere in the Dakota Badlands
>A man in modified military fatigues runs across a stretch of the badlands, his breathing ragged and exhausted. Tripping slightly, he stops to reorient himself, looking behind to see if some unseen pursuers are nearby.
>Not seeing anyone, the man takes a deep breath then carries on running again, heading into the hills.
—————————————————-
>After a few more minutes of running into the hills, the man comes across a small, abandoned shack, and breathes a sigh of relief.
>Slowing his pace down, the man stumbles towards the shack, opening the door and stepping inside, only to be met by a person sitting down on a wooden chair in the shack, their feet resting comfortably on a rickety old table, a battered old cowboy hat covering their face.
"Howdy there pardner, how can I help ya today?"
>The man looks confused for a second, trying to work out what is happening, then comes to a realisation as he recognises the voice.
"Blink? Oh thank g-"
>The man stumbles forward, nearly falling over, only being stopped by Blink appearing closer to him and steadying him.
"Woah there, you look like you've run for your life. . ."
>The man coughs and looks up at Blink, grinning.
"I did. . ."
>Blink awkwardly blinks at the man, then helps him onto the chair.
"You said they were starting to suspect, didn't realise they'd cotton on quite so soon, but don't worry, we'll have you in a nice relaxing spa in no time. . ."
"You need to tell the boss that they need to act fast, they found something the other day, I don't know what, but it can't be good. . ."
"Woah woah, start from the top, we'll work it out from there, ok?"
—————————————————-
>Date: 24th April, 2017
>Several miles away from the abandoned shack, at a ramshackle compound. . .
>Armed men move about the compound, going about their daily tasks in a casual manner. Despite this, however, there is a certain air of tension around the area as something isn't quite normal. . .
>On a hill above the compound, Valeria Di Giovanna, Meta-Human activist, watches the movement from a vantage point, her lizard-like eyes flitting about as she follows the paths of several different people below.
>After several minutes, Valeria pulls away, still keeping low, but skidding down the hill she's on slightly to put it between herself and the compound, where her companions arelocated.
"I count ten guards. . . I say I just bust in and take it by force, I could do it nice and easy."
>As she talks, Blink looks up from their previous task, drawing some random shapes in the sand with a stick.
"Maybe, but we don't want to risk that, no point you getting injured, not when you can have back up. . ."
No.1467
>>1466>Cynthia moves closer to Blink and Valeria. She stares at Blink's drawings for a moment before looking back at the pair."I can do it."
>She holds out a canteen full of water. "It doesn't take much for me to knock someone out. I can pull from particles in the air too if I really need to."
>She stops for a moment to think, putting her finger to her mouth. After a few seconds she continues."Or maybe it would just be easier for me to cause a distraction. The rest of you could sneak in without anyone having to get hurt."
No.1468
>>1467"They're
scum, they don't deserve-"
"Hey hey, she's right, it's better for us if we don't kill them, even if they're bigots. . ."
>Blink puts their stick down, having finished with the drawings, several stick figures who are all smiling."Don't worry about hurting them, Cynthia, we've had someone watching these people for a while now because they're. . . well I think one of their leaders thinks we're putting chemicals in the water to turn the frogs into metas?"
>Valeria scoffs and rolls her eyes."Anyway, I think we'll have an easier time bursting in than trying to sneak in our half-scalie friend here - I'll just need to hang back until things have cleared up a bit."
>Blink kicks at their drawings, erasing them."Bullets and me, not a good mix."
No.1469
>>1468>Cynthia furrows her brow, looking taken aback at the chemicals comment. "That's… certainly something."
>After letting the other two finish talking, she says out loud. "Alright, guess we know what we're going to do. I'll try and take out as many as I can from here first though."
>Cynthia moves closer to the peak of the hill, looking over it. She takes a few moments to take note of the position of the guards. Once ready she pulls her opens up her canteen, causing all of it's contents to begin floating into the air next to her.
>The water suddenly jettesons forward, racing over the hill and towards the compound nearly faster than the eye can see. It immediately slams into a guard, knocking them into another and then forces itself down, hitting them on their heads.
>Afterwards it zooms away from them, heading towards more guards. No.1470
>>1469>One of the guards hit by the water is still conscious when the water throws them into each other, only for the man to fall unconscious as he hits the ground, metaphorical stars flying around his head.
>Seeing the water approach them, some of the guards that weren't hit initially take out their guns and start firing at it, having little effect on the water. . .
>From their vantage point on top of the hill, Valeria let's out a quick chuckle."Idiots. . . Keep at it. . ."
>Standing up, Valeria jumps off the side of the hill, grabbing onto the side of the hill with one of her hands to somewhat slow her descent towards the compound. Once she's closer, she let's out a plume of fire, which melts through part of the outer fence just in time for her to arrive in front of it.
>Looking back at the top of the hill, Valeria gives Cynthia a thumbs up before jumping in, melting a hole into one of the makeshift container buildings and disappearing within."Well, she's nothing if not direct. . ."
No.1472
>>1471>With Cynthia gone too, Blink shuffles slightly, disappearing behind the hill again."Personally I prefer to stay where I can't get shot at, but hey, I'm not a dragon or water lady. . ."
>Down in the compound, the people in the vicinity of the hole that Valeria melted into the fence are gone, but some remain elsewhere, being easily picked off by a combination of water and enhanced Meta-Human strength.
>As the last of the people outside are being finished off, Valeria bursts through the door of one of the buildings, almost literally, as she kicks it off its hinges with guard still in her hand. Seeing Cynthia, she slams the guard against the ground, knocking out some of his teeth and dusting her hands off."Decided to come join the fun then? I've got them all cleared up inside, so I think. . ."
>Before Valeria can finish her sentence, a large door on another building creaks open, revealing a garage where a beaten up tank is inside. As it powers up, it turns its turret to face Valeria and Cynthia.". . .that's most of them. You want to go low or high?"
No.1474
>>1473"Then I'll go 'low'."
>Valeria says before charging the tank, slightly behind the buzzsaw. When she reaches the tank, she climbs up it and hits the now exposed driver around the head, before kicking him into the turret operator, knocking both out."I don't see any more garage doors, so this was probably their ace in the hole. . ."
>One of the tank operators groans and Valeria hits him in the head to shut him up."I think that's everyone then. . ."
>Jumping down from the tank, Valeria looks up at the hill."You got any signal to get Blink down here?"
No.1476
>>1475>Blink jumps as the water splashes down next to them."Holy-"
>Blink disappears from their spot on the hill and reappears in the centre of the compound, taking in the carnage."Moly. . . You didn't need to shock me like that, you could've just called or something!"
>Taking a deep breath, Blink looks around for a second.". . .good work though, definitely earned your gold stars. . ."
>Blink sees the remains of the tank and takes a step back."Remind me to never stand either of you up on a date. . ."
>Valeria sighs."Look, it's fun beating up random bigots in the middle of nowhere, but I doubt you dragged us out here just for that."
"Oh. . . right. . . no. My guy said they'd found something the other day, looked like an old coffin or something, see anything like that?"
No.1477
>>1476"A… coffin? We're here for a coffin? I thought you said it was important."
>The water races back down the hill and into Cynthia's canteen, with her closing it again."Why are we looking for a coffin of all things?"
No.1478
>>1477"Look, my guy had to run for his life, he just knew it wasn't a normal one, and that they were kicking up a fuss about it."
>Valeria raises her hand."Yeah, I saw a weird coffin thing, this way. . ."
>Valeria heads into the building that she burst into, expecting the pair to follow her.
>The inside of the building is the remains of a makeshift command room, with several destroyed computers littering the area, the presence of weapons besides the ones found by the unconscious bodies of the former occupants indicating that the room also acted as an armoury.
>In the centre of the room is a gold rectangle, hooked up to several wires and cables. Although not appearing solid, the rectangle also doesn't have any clear cracks or breaking points to indicate how it opens.
>Walking into the room behind Valeria, Blink whistles, then looks at the rectangle."I mean, most wouldn't look like that, but I'd call that a 'coffin'. . ."
No.1479
>>1478>Having walked in the room herself, Cynthia stares at the coffin."Uh… I dunno about that. I'm pretty sure coffins don't plug into computers."
>She stares at it for a few moments, before looking at Blink."So what is Dracula in there or something? Seriously I don't understand what's so special about a fancy looking coffin-thing."
No.1480
>>1479>Valeria walks around the object, pulling out of the cables and looking where it was connected."This one doesn't too, I think they were trying to do something with it."
>Blink looks around the room, and tries to turn on one of the computers, failing."No idea who or what's in there, and I'm not sure they did too. . . not like we can check anyway."
>Blink moves to another computer, also finding that it won't turn on.". . .either way, they thought it was important
somehow."
>Valeria keeps on pulling cables and wires out of the object. No.1481
>>1480"Right…"
>Cynthia steps closer to the coffin, tilting her head to the side slightly."Should we… try to open it?"
No.1482
>>1481"I mean, that's when the mummy comes out and curses us all. . . going by horror movies anyway."
>At the coffin, Valeria moves from pulling out cables to the front, and grabs onto the sides of the thing, trying to make it budge."Doesn't even budge. . ."
>Valeria steps away from the coffin."Wanna give it a try, see if a bit of water does the trick?"
No.1483
>>1482"Sure thing."
>Cynthia opens up her canteen, causing the water to fly out of it. Like earlier it begins to compress and spin rapidly in place.
>Cynthia throws it towards the coffin, only for it to splash off harmlessly. "The hell!?"
>She tries again, this time focusing on compressing the water much more and making it spin even faster, only for the same result."Is this made out of diamonds or something!? Because it should be open!"
No.1484
>>1483"Well, I was trying to avoid damaging it if it's apparently important, but. . ."
>Valeria takes a step back from the coffin, then lets out a plume of fire from her mouth, engulfing the entire thing for a few seconds before stopping.
>Once the flames die down, the coffin itself is intact, although the surrounding objects are charred and melted, causing it to fall over backwards with a resounding bang."I've not seen anything yet that can just resist that without even a scratch, I've got nothing."
>Blink looks over the efforts of the two and thinks for a second."I think it's time to call the boss. . . I'll be right back."
>Blink takes out their phone and steps out for a second, leaving Valeria and Cynthia in the room with the coffin."So, what do you think's inside. . ?"
No.1485
>>1484>With no hesitation Cynthia replies:"A body."
>She looks at the damage behind the coffin. "Honestly though I'm more concerned about you. Is your body just constantly hot? Because that fire breath of your's is just mind boggling."
No.1486
>>1485"I meant, like, what kind of. . . it doesn't matter."
>Valeria lets out a puff of smoke."I don't think I run any hotter than most people, the fire just comes from. . ."
>Valeria holds a finger out for a second, hovering over her body as she thinks where, before settling on a spot near the top of her stomach."Here? It just feels natural to me, although I guess it feels a bit weird if I eat too much or something. I've never really thought about it much, it's just as natural to me as my arm or leg. . ."
>As Valeria finishes her sentence, a polit cough comes from the door, and the voice of the pair's "employer" follows it.""While it's lovely to see you two discussing these things, I'm told that you've found an unbreakable coffin?"
No.1487
>>1486"That's… very strange. Although I have no idea how or why most Meta-Humans work the way they do so who am I to judge?"
>Suddenly taking note of their "employer's" presence, Cynthia turns around. "Oh. Hey. Yeah it won't open."
>She gestures to it."You can tell that we tried, I'm sure."
No.1488
>>1487>Madeleine looks at the melted remains of what was holding the coffin up."I see. . ."
>Madeleine takes a few steps around, the usual feeling of her non-intrusive brushing of the pair's minds being ever-present, then stops for a moment, counting the number of bodies in the room."There's too many minds in here. . ."
>Closing her eyes, Madeleine feels around more thoroughly, her presence retreating from Cynthia and Valeria's minds completely as she focusses, taking a step up to the coffin and tracing a line down it."There's one inside, and something like one. . ."
>Madeleine stops, pointing at the centre light on the coffin."
Here. But I can't push through to either, I think it's blocking me. . ."
>Madeleine takes a step back from the coffin, then calls out to Blink."Blink, I think we need our American friend, could you go fetch him? He's a bit more versatile with these things."
>Popping their head into the room, Blink narrows their eyes at Madeleine."This better not just be a weird booty call or something. . ."
"It's not, just go fetch him."
". . .fine."
>Blink disappears from the doorway. No.1491
>>1490>Orion looks annoyed as the remnants of his drink and the rest of his food hover in the air in front of him, inches from hitting him in the face."Come on…! That was my dinner! And I just got home to watch the new season of Maki-Chan!"
>Orion lets out a groan, causing what remains of his food to be remotely placed back on the table. He takes a bite of his thankfully still in tact tacos, before asking:"What the hell do you need me in Dakota for?"
No.1492
>>1491>Blink blinks and looks at the remnants of what they landed on."Oh. . .uh. . . sorry? I can pay you back? The directions you gave weren't great."
>Pulling themselve back up, Blink dusts themselves off."Found a weird thing, wouldn't open, but Madeleine said it had a thing like a mind?"
>Blink scratches the back of their head."To be honest I'm not an expert on these things, I was just told to fetch you because you have more freaky mind powers than Madeleine has."
No.1493
>>1492"Er… right. That's real helpful."
>He lets out a sigh. "I guess I can come help. I can just keep watching when I get back."
>Orion takes one last bite of his remaining food then places it on the table, before standing up. He swallows his food, and then says:"Alright I'm ready whenever you are."
No.1494
>>1493"Look, she can explain when we get there, ok?"
>Blink puts their hand on Orion's shoulder, having to reach up to touch it, and the pair disappear from his home, reappearing in the ruined command room, where Valeria has taken one of the chairs and is spinning around it.
>Madeleine, meanwhile, is still looking over the coffin, trying to see if there's any points in it that can be pried open.
>With Blink and Orion now in the room, Valeria stops spinning."Oh, Blink's back."
>Madeleine looks up from the coffin."Perfect, with just the person I need."
No.1495
>>1494>Sitting in a chair of her own, Cynthia raises her eyebrow as Blink and Orion appear. "Who the hell is this?"
>She watches as he walks over to Madeleine."Hey. So what's going on?"
No.1496
>>1495>Madeleine waves Cynthia's comment away."He's harmless, don't worry."
>Madeleine takes a step back from the coffin, presenting it to Orion."Our unconscious friends here found this thing. It doesn't have any signs of being able to open, and doesn't even take a scratch when hit by compressed water or fire that usually melts metal in seconds, and. . ."
>Madeleine points at the centre of the front of the coffin."I can sense someone inside it, as well as some kind of psionic presence around what I think is the lock."
No.1497
>>1496"Huh. Weird."
>Orion turns to look at the coffin. "Why do you guys have this… rectangle… thing anyway? I mean what's so special about it that these military guys had it locked up here like this?"
No.1498
>>1497>Valeria chimes in from her chair."That's what we'd like to know too."
"Hey, I told you, we didn't get any info on that, just that these guys thought it was important for some reason, and, I mean. . ."
>Blink points at the melted mess beneath the coffin.". . .it didn't take a scratch from you or Cynthia, could be they were thinking of using it to plate up that tank that you two wrecked or something."
>Madeleine picks up the remains of one the melted supports and shows it to Orion."While we don't have precise values of how hot Valeria's flame breath is, I believe the melting point of steel like this is around 1500 degrees celsius. . ."
>Madeleine thinks for a second.". . .which is around 2600 fahrenheit, I think, and this coffin was left unscathed from that, let alone a water pressure that can slice through the armour of a Sherman battle tank like a hot knife through butter. Also, it has a noticeable psionic signature embedded within the coffin itself, as well as one within it, both of which you can confirm yourself. That means that not only is there something
alive in there, but the coffin itself is locked psionically, somehow. Which is something
I have never come across. . ."
No.1499
>>1498>Orion stares at the melted chunk of metal."Damn. Your friend can breathe fire that hot? Wow."
>After a moment he turns to look at the coffin. "Anyway. Yeah there's definitely somebody inside. And the… coffin is definitely some kind of psychic tech. It kind of reminds me of that psychic blocking tech I told you about before, but different and more advanced."
>He turns to look at Madeleine again."Want me to open it?"
No.1500
>>1499"One moment. . ."
>Madeleine looks at Valeria and Cynthia."It's best you two make sure you're prepared, just in case whatever's in there isn't friendly."
>Madeleine turns back to Orion."If you will. . ."
No.1502
>>1501>With the coffin fully opened, the light from within dies down, revealing the sleeping form of a human within, looking no older than the people in the room, they nonetheless are wearing clothing that doesn't look like it fits in an era of human history.
>With the burst of light, most of the others in the room have covered their eyes, and as the intensity reduces, they remove their hands to look at what was contained within the coffin.
>Out of all of them, Valeria is the first to react."Oh hey, it's a body, looks like you win the bet Cynthia."
>Carefully making her way up to the coffin, Madeleine, puts two fingers on the neck of the person."There's a pulse there, it's very slow though. . ."
>Madeleine pulls away and closes her eyes, focussing on the person."Mind's a bit too foggy to read without a proper deep dive at the minute, and I don't want to do that. . ."
>Madeleine looks around the room."Well,
here, and without making sure that the strain of a deep dive will kill them. . ."
>Despite the result being expected, Madeleine seems somewhat disappointed at the fact that the coffin was containing something as "mundane" as a person. No.1503
>>1502"Well at least they're alive."
>Cynthia remains in her seat.
>Orion walks closer to the coffin to examine the person. "So… should we get them a doctor…? Because I know a doctor, and someone else who's just as good as one."
No.1504
>>1503"We should, for all we know this coffin could have been keeping them alive and we just knocked them into a coma. . ."
>Madeleine thinks for a second."Best to keep this unofficial though, so if either of the ones you know are willing to do a checkup off the books, it'd be best to go with them. I know some myself, but pulling strings can raise attention, so I'd like to keep that as a last resort."
>Finished with her musings, Madeleine moves away from the coffin and addresses Cynthia and Valeria."Cynthia, Valeria, seeing as you two made the mess we're currently standing in here, I'll let you two decide what you want to do with it. Either way, don't worry about bringing in the former occupants of this place, I've already taken anything useful I could find from them."
>Madeleine taps her head."I'll likely need Blink for a moment. But once I don't, I'll send them back to you, ok?"
>In their corner, Blink groans."What am I, a taxi service?"
"Do this and I'll give you extra this month."
"Guess I'm a taxi service."
No.1506
>>1505"Probably a good idea, I don't think this place is very good for a medical checkup. . ."
>Madeleine reaches into the coffin and carefully half lifts up the person within, indicating to Orion that she needs a hand.
>Once the two have the person secured, Blink comes over and offers out their hands for the pair to take."Right right, once taxi to your place coming up, now let's all hold hands like a happy family and. . ."
>The surroundings of base disappear, with them being replaced with the details of Orion's house, the coffee table still in disarray from Blink's earlier arrival.". . .one taxi service done, now if you'll excuse me, I've got two lovely ladies to get back to."
>Blink disappears, leaving Orion, Madeleine, and the unconscious person from the coffin in the room."They get a bit grouchy when they have to teleport a lot in one day. . ."
No.1507
>>1506"Yeah…"
>Orion suddenly looks embarrassed. "Er… sorry about the mess. Blink landed on my table earlier and made everything fly all over the place."
>His eyes dart around quickly before he again notices the unconscious person. "Oh. Right. Let me call Aiden."
>Orion quickly pulls out his phone and dials Aiden's number. He waits for a response. No.1508
>>1507>Location: Sanctuary City - Archeon Complex
>Arranging a series of books on his office shelf, Aiden feels a vibrating sensation in his pocket.{"Who's calling at this moment?"}
>Taking the phone out of his pocket, Aiden then looks at the caller ID number for a moment. Sighing, he then answers the phone."What do you need, Orion? I can tell this is important because you rarely ever call me at this time."
>From the open door to another room, Aiden looks out of the periphery of his vision to see Stella sitting at her desk. She's talking on the phone with an Archeon business client, as she notices him on the phone. She then mouths to him:["Are you busy? I can cover for you if you are."]
>Nodding, Aiden then gets back to the phone call as he states:"Is it urgent?"
No.1509
>>1508"I mean yeah, I would say an unconscious person laying in the middle of my living room is pretty urgent."
>Orion looks at Madeleine for a moment while talking. "You're a doctor so I figured you were the best person to call. I can fill you in on more details when you get here."
>He turns his attention away from Madeleine."Oh and… er… Madeleine is here too."
No.1510
>>1509>Blinking for a moment, Aiden then says nonchalantly:"…..Alright then? I'll be there in a bit."
>Ending the call, Aiden puts his phone back in his pocket and walks over to the other room. As he waits for Stella to finish speaking, he then says:"Something came up with our Chief Operations Officer."
>Stella raises an eyebrow for a moment as she thinks. She then replies:"….Mister Thompson? Is he alright?"
>Nodding Aiden responds:"He needs my help for something. Nothing
too problematic. I'll be back in a few minutes."
>Stella nods and goes back to her work, examining the schedule for executive staff at the company.
>Aiden turns around and walks out of the room before taking a look at the office.{"….The messes he gets himself into at times."}
>Aiden then gives his forehead a light tap with two fingers - before he disappears in an instant.——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
>As he instantly appears inside of Orion's living room, he looks around for a moment, before fixating his eyes on the unconscious person. "….Is this the person you were referring to?"
>Aiden says, motioning his head in their direction. No.1511
>>1510"Yeah."
>Orion gestures to them."Madeleine found them in some kind of… psychic coffin thing. And asked me to open it. They were what was inside."
No.1512
>>1507>Madeleine responds to Orion's comment with a sarcastic tone."Sure they did, also they just happened to put a terrible anime on while they were here too."
>>1510>>1511"He's very to the point, isn't he?"
>Madeleine says to Orion, before nodding."That's definitely them, unless someone switched them out while we weren't looking just."
"I've already checked them for a pulse, it's there, if a little slow."
No.1513
>>1512>Aiden walks over to the unconscious body, but keeps a distance of a few feet still. As he looks over the body for a few seconds. "……."
>He then says:"They're alive, and as far as I can tell, they're still in a stable condition."
>Before either of them can respond, Aiden looks at Orion specifically and elaborates:"I don't need tools to assess the condition of a patient. Give them a bit and they should wake up just fine."
>Putting one hand on his hip and letting his other hand rest at his side, Aiden then looks at Madeleine carefully - narrowing his eyes as he does so."…….."
>After a few more seconds, he then relaxes his expression before turning to Orion."…..Your friend seems polite and reasonable enough."
No.1514
>>1513"Er… yup."
>Orion looks between the pair."Well, thanks for the help Aiden. Sorry to bother you about this. Madeleine just wanted to be careful."
No.1515
>>1513"Well that's good, I was a little worried they might have been injured."
>Madeleine calmly smiles at Aiden, her face revealing nothing besides a neutral mask of passivity.>>1514"Indeed, you can never be too careful. In dealing with unconscious people or manners."
No.1516
>>1514>Aiden sighs and scratches the side of his right cheek with his gloved hand."….It's not a bother Orion. I've said before, if you need my help with something - just
ask."
>Feeling his face darkening somewhat as his gaze moves off to the side, he then says:"I know what happens when you don't let people help you out."
>Still feeling his face darken at the resurgence of unpleasant memories, Aiden then relaxes his expression again.>>1515>Aiden gives a glance at Madeleine once more - a look of skepticism forming for a moment. Turning his attention back to Orion, he then asks:"What did you get yourself into, that lead to you bringing the unconscious body of a person to your own home? A person who, I might add, doesn't dress like a contemporary American."
>Gesturing at the unconscious person with his hand, he continues speaking."And I really hope you weren't involved in anything geopolitical, Orion. You're a public face of Archeon, and you can't be getting directly involved in large scale conflicts."
>Aiden says, an expression of genuine concern on his face - his voice demonstrating the same level of concern over Orion's actions. No.1517
>>1516"Hey. All I did was open a box and call you. I think most people would call that the right thing to do, considering there was somebody trapped."
>Orion lowers his hands from a shrugging position. "So I don't really see what the problem is here. Besides, I didn't reveal my identity to anyone."
No.1518
>>1517>Sighing, Aiden then thinks for a moment before saying:"Psychic field then I assume? To make sure nobody could remember your face? Smart."
>After considering another possible angle to resolve, he then asks further:"Any psionics present who could see through the effect?"
>Nudging his head towards Madeleine, Aiden states:"…..Besides her I mean."
No.1519
>>1518"Besides Blink, who knows Orion anyway, I doubt anyone there would be able to tell who Orion was even if he didn't do anything - most people don't pay attention to corporate executives unless they do something newsworthy."
>Madeleine finds a chair and takes a seat in it."And Orion didn't do anything besides open the coffin, besides which, I trust everyone who was present in that room more than I trust you."
No.1521
>>1519>Aiden looks at Madeleine from the periphery of his vision."The feeling is mutual."
>Looking back at Orion, Aiden then says:"Do you trust her? Because if so, then that's fine. Just remember though."
>Aiden raises a finger out just in front of his own face - pointing upwards, then tilting towards Orion."If anything negatively impacts the company because of your association with her, that's on you. I can't vouch for you in that situation, and even the board would want to sack you to save face."
>>1520>Aiden then turns to Madeleine and states:"So I'm supposed to believe that you don't have the COO of my company directly involved in any illicit activity? With all due respect, and a heavy emphasis on
due - you'd have a better chance of selling me the Brooklyn Bridge."
No.1522
>>1521"So very serious. . . of course, I have a reptuation of inviting my friends to get involved in my drug empire, Orion is simply another lieutenant of mine who is expanding my operations in the US East Coast, so it can hardly be blamed. . ."
>Madeleine doesn't look at Aiden as she says this, instead checking her nails the entire time."Alternatively, I don't drag Orion around, he's his own person, and instead our relationship is strictly personal, any illicit actions he performs are his own."
>Madeleine looks up at Aiden and gives him an obviously fake smile."Your choice, although I'm sure Orion has his own contributions."
No.1523
>>1522>Aiden rolls his eyes and says to Madeleine."Sarcasm is
definitely the best way to gain trust. Not suspicious at all…."
>Turning back to Orion, he then says:"I mean it, Orion. You're a good guy. If there's anything even
remotely off about her group - take the exit."
>Looking at Madeleine from the periphery of his vision again, he then states:"I have no reason to trust her, but she seems innocent enough. At least as far as I can tell. You can at least understand
why I'm so cautious."
>Aiden finishes his statement as he looks back at Orion, both hands on his hips now as his expression grows serious. No.1524
>>1523>Sounding more annoyed in tone, he says:"It's fine, Aiden. I trust Madeleine, and while you don't you should at least trust me. I think I've earned that after all this time."
>Orion crosses his arms. "Besides. Omnius and Mosaic constantly break laws without revealing who they are. So I don't see why you suddenly have a problem with me, when all I did was help open a fucking box. That's it."
"I didn't speak to anyone. I didn't even give so much as a glance to anyone. I didn't say my name out loud. Or talk about you. Nothing."
No.1525
>>1524>Aiden thinks for a moment before he closes his eyes. Putting his fingers to his eyelids, he then says:"…I apologize, Orion. It's just….You remembered what happened with Faust. He knew who I was from the very beginning, and then…."
>Opening his eyes, he then looks up at Orion and states:"….You're right. Being paranoid isn't going to change anything, and it's not helping matters either. You did the right thing helping your friend out."
>Taking another sigh, Aiden walks over to Madeleine and then says:"….Sorry. I think we got off on the wrong foot. I have
some trust issues because of a prior situation - but I can tell that you're good natured. Just a hunch."
>Holding out his hand for her to shake, Aiden then states:"Aiden Grayson. Though you probably already knew that."
>Aiden then keeps his hand stretched out for Madeleine to shake briefly. No.1526
>>1525"Paranoia and trust issues aren't healthy, and it's rude to only judge someone based on the word of another."
>Madeleine looks up at Aiden from where she's sitting."So I won't be accepting that hand, Mr Grayson, not until you can accept me as me, rather than on the word of Orion."
"That doesn't mean we have to be antagonistic, of course, just simply that I prefer my actions stand for themselves, rather than through others."
>Madeleine gives Aiden another smile."A fact Orion is familiar with, but I figured you ought to know too."
No.1527
>>1526>Aiden is silent for a moment before he takes his phone out of his pocket. He then dials a number.
>Looking at Madeleine the entire time, he then begins speaking to the person on the other side of the phone."Yeah? It's me. You can shuffle the remaining meetings to next week. They're not urgent anyways. Yeah I know. Yeah. I'll talk to you later. Bye."
>Hanging up the phone, Aiden continues staring down Madeleine with a neutral expression before he places it back in his jeans pocket."Alright then. 'Accept you as you are', as you just said. I'll make you a deal."
>Pointing at the person still unconscious in the room, Aiden begins to speak:"I'll help you out with this situation - since I just cleared my schedule for the rest of the week. In return, you tell me more about this operation of yours. If you do, I'll probably start to understand why Orion's so trusting of you - and if I can be as well."
>Looking at Orion, Aiden then gives him a stern expression."I'm helping you with this one. No ifs, ands or buts. She wants me to trust her by her actions - so I'll need to
see them firsthand."
>Turning back to Madeleine, Aiden then says:"You don't really seem like the type to turn down additional manpower when it appears. Luck is the intersection of opportunity and preparedness, as they say. So do we have a deal?"
>Aiden states, while now staring at Madeleine with a more relaxed expression on his face. No.1528
>>1527>Madeleine lets out a snort."Oh you don't know me
at all. If he wants, Orion can tell you how long it took for us to even
get along, let alone be
friends. It's an emphatic no."
>Madeleine stands up, walking past Aiden and to the unconscious person."
But, I don't have exclusive rights to this person, nor would I want that, so you're perfectly free to help me with trying to see who they are and sorting a place for them - so long as the help is not conditional."
"Because it isn't on my part, why would it be?"
>Madeleine looks at Orion briefly."The same goes to you, Orion, there's no shame in either of you backing out now if you don't wish to help them with no gain. It's only human, after all."
No.1530
>>1528>Aiden scoffs as he then says:"You really know how to pick 'em, Orion. I can tell you that much."
>Crossing his arms, he then states:"Either way, I can help. I don't have much else to do right now - so I'll stick by my statements. I want to see
just what kind of a person you actually
are."
>Aiden looks at the unconscious person and says:"So where'd you find them, exactly? How many people did you put six feet under to retrieve them as well?"
No.1531
>>1529"Oh you've been paying attention to Maki-Chan outside of the fanservice moments then."
>>1530"Dakota, if you must know, and I personally didn't kill anyone nor did I order anyone killed for this."
>Madeleine moves the person slightly so that they're lying on a spot of the floor with a lot of room around them, and sits by their head, resting it on her lap."If they're really just asleep, it's best we get them up. Which could be as simple as a jolt here, or we might have to dive a bit deeper, so. . ."
>Madeleine indicates to the floor."Take a seat if you want to help with that."
No.1532
>>1531>Orion shakes his head at Madeleine's playful jab. "Like you're in any position to judge my viewing habits."
>After listening to her speak more, Orion gets ready to take a seated position as well - only to stop himself."Wait."
>Slowly he begins to turn his attention back towards Aiden. "Aiden… you… are you bullshitting? Your power. You're either bullshitting or you figured out how to keep it from activating. Because if you haven't, that means you know everything she does."
No.1533
>>1531>Aiden places his hand on his chest, feigning shock."Why, I could never refuse such an offer from the illustrious and innovative Madeleine!"
>>1532>Aiden looks at Orion and then crosses his arms again, stating:"Potentially. That doesn't mean I've accessed it. If you remember, that part takes conscious effort - and out of respect for our esteemed mistress, I won't do that."
>Aiden then assumes a seated position beside Orion, saying:"Besides. I'm more interested in seeing how she works. Actions speak louder than words, after all."
No.1534
>>1532"On the contrary, Orion, I'm the perfect person to, because I have much better viewing habits."
>>1533>Madeleine stops when Orion asks the question, her more neutral expression dropping for the first time."You
what?"
No.1535
>>1534>Aiden looks at Madeleine for a moment before looking back at Orion."….You didn't tell her that was a possibility, did you?"
>Sighing, Aiden then says:"Look, it's a long story. I don't know why or how, but I can mimic the powers, skills and memories of everyone in proximity - permanently."
>Looking at Orion again, he has a more annoyed expression on his face. "….As I was saying….I probably do have your memories - deep somewhere in my brain. But I
am telling the truth when I say that I haven't accessed them yet."
>Now looking back at Madeleine, Aiden continues."I
do have a good feeling about you though. But if that's not enough, you're welcome to pry into
my mind. I'll open the door."
>Aiden says, sighing once more."There
are a few exceptions though - like Orion. For whatever reason, my power just doesn't work on him, at all. Neither of us know why either."
>Aiden then stops talking, waiting for Madeleine's response. No.1536
>>1535"
That. . . That. . ."
>Madeleine takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down."That doesn't make it any better.
At all. My memories. . .
anyone's memories are. . . They're
private and. . . a-and. . ."
>Madeleine takes another breath, struggling to keep herself focussed in the moment."
God, Blink was nearly in the same room as you, I. . . I. . .
saying I can just read your mind doesn't make it better."
>Madeleine stands up, making sure not to drop the person's head, and goes to the door."I. . . I can't. . ."
>Not waiting for a response, Madeleine leaves through the door. No.1537
>>1536"Wait! Madeleine!"
>Orion straightens out and glares at Aiden."I think you've done enough today. Leave."
>Orion then turns and hurries after Madeleine. No.1538
>>1537>Aiden narrows his eyes at Orion, stating:"….
You're the one who even called me here to
begin with. I thought you told her that this was a potential problem-"
>Stopping himself from talking, Aiden then stands up slowly and dusts himself off. Walking to a nearby chair and sitting down, Aiden then sighs and rubs his eyelids, thinking to himself:{"Idiot. Do you think anything through, Orion? Christ."}
>Thinking to himself for a moment, Aiden then has a realization.{"Wait a minute. Control
. Orion's right. I should be able to do that if I focus….."}
>Aiden then closes his eyes and breathes in deep - focusing inward on his mind.————————————————————————————————————————————-
{"I just have to find what was recently added and…….there."}
>Looking through the mental mindscape of his memories, Aiden hones in on a series of memories that seem to involve Madeleine.
>As his "mental self" continues to dive through the mind scape, he then finds the cluster of memories together and begins to work.{"Well, here goes nothing. Hopefully it works."}
>Aiden then presses his hands together in their astral form and pushes against the memory constructs. After a few seconds, large ripples of psionic energy appear - as the memory constructs rapidly begin to fade away.{"There. Now to see if I can actually get a hold of my power."}————————————————————————————————————————————-
>Opening his eyes, Aiden then sits and waits for Orion and Madeleine to return, if ever. No.1540
>>1539>Orion hurries out the front door, letting it close itself behind him."Hey. Hey Madeleine. Maddie."
>He quickly sits himself down next to her, and attempts to calm her down."It's alright. I'm right here. Just breathe steady."
No.1541
>>1540>Madeleine keeps her head buried, not turning it to face Orion."I can't lose control. . . I'm
better than that. . ."
>Madeleine hits the sides of her head once, with enough force for it to be audible."I. . . I. . . I'm ok. . ."
>Madeleine pulls her head up, an obviously forced smile on her face."Y-you don't need to worry about me."
No.1542
>>1541"Maddie you aren't okay. You don't have to lie about that."
>Orion hesitates for a moment, before reaching over and putting his arm around her shoulder. He pulls her closer to him."I'm here. And if you need to let it go, then focus it on me. I can take it."
No.1543
>>1542"I-I'm fine, really. . . see?"
>Madeleine holds out one of her hands, which is shaking, then grabs it with other hand to stop it."I-I won't fall apart, too many rely on me."
No.1544
>>1543"Maddie. Look at me."
>Orion gently turns Madeleine's head to face him. He looks her in the eyes."It's okay.
You don't always have to be strong. Nobody will think less of you if you aren't. Now focus on me. Let it out."
No.1545
>>1544"R-right. . ."
>Madeleine says, looking away from Orion's eyes."Say if it hurts you, right?"
>With a deep breath, Madeleine closes her eyes, withdrawing from the world as a whole and into her own mind.
>Within her own space, Madeleine "opens" her eyes, a flurry of "lights" appearing around her, each one indicating a different person, with the lights going on for miles and miles around her carrying on into the "horizon". One light in particular, shining brighter than the others, whether by proximity or by its own power, sits right in front of her.
>Taking another "breath" internally, Madeleine puts her "hand" forward, a flood of energy travelling from it to the light, at first starting as a small stream, but eventually growing into a full torrent which batters against the light, drowing it out in her "vision" of the light.
>After a few moments, the energy starts to die down, much slower than it grew, going from a torrent to a stream and then eventually to a trickle, which then dies down completely.
>With the process complete, Madeleine opens her eyes again. No.1546
>>1545>Orion remains seated in front of Madeleine, looking no worse for wear outside of appearing slightly winded. "Okay. I'll admit you're actually caught me off guard a bit with how strong you are."
>Orion smiles sheepishly. "Well, either way. Are you feeling any better Maddie?"
No.1547
>>1546"Well, I don't feel like I'm going to make everyone in a hundred mile radius have a nervous breakdown anymore. . ."
>Madeleine lets out an awkward chuckle."I still don't feel
good though, I understand that your friend couldn't control it, but having someone take my memories is just. . ."
>Madeleine sighs."Violating."
No.1548
>>1547"I understand. At least you don't feel like you're going to explode anymore."
>Orion looks awkward for a moment."Er. You want to go back inside? I know it won't immediately make you feel better, but I can put something you like on if it at least helps distract you from it."
No.1549
>>1548"Yeah, it's weird sitting out here. . ."
>Madeleine picks herself up from the ground, looking down at Orion for a second."Sorry you had to deal with that."
No.1550
>>1549>Orion stands up from his seat."I don't mind."
>He smiles in a more relaxed manner."It was easier than listening to you talk about how you think Maki-Chan is bad."
>Afterwards he helps lead Madeleine back towards the front door and into the house. No.1551
>>1550>Location: Orion's House - Living Room
>Aiden rubs his eyelids in annoyance, with his eyes closed - as he continues speaking."….I think I have a handle on it now - but I'm tired of everyone feeling like they're walking on ice around me."
>Groaning, he then looks up at the person he's talking to, saying:"I'm serious, Stephanie. This is the reason why my father
never told anyone about his powers. Not even my uncle Eli."
>Leaning forward in his chair, Aiden stares at the ground again. "If you can, look through my mind one more time, just to verify that every trace is gone. When Orion and Madeleine return, I'd request the same mental scan in real time - just so they know that I have this under control now."
>Aiden looks away from the floor, and back up at Stephanie - directly at her. He has a somewhat pained and downtrodden expression on his face. "……."
>Now looking off to the side, he mutters to himself:"….I never asked for this anyways."
No.1552
>>1551"To be honest Aiden I don't think that's going to matter too much. But we'll see what she says."
>The sound of the front door opening can be heard, as Orion and Madeleine enter the room. Orion spots Aiden, and begins to shout at him:"Hey! I thought I told you to get ou-"
>Orion stops, as he suddenly notices the presence of his sister. "Stephanie? What're you doing here?"
"Aiden got a hold of Isaac and asked me to come. I wasn't busy and I figured it'd be a good idea to check on you anyway."
>Stephanie gets up out of her seat and walks towards Orion and Madeleine. Her tone shifts slightly higher as she introduces herself to Madeleine."Hello. I'm Orion's sister Stephanie. It's good to meet you, I've heard a lot of nice things from Orion."
>Stephanie holds her hand out for Madeleine."I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances, I was hoping for something more ideal."
No.1553
>>1552"Oh. . ."
>Madeleine looks down at the hand, cautiously taking it."Hello Stephanie, my name is Madeleine, Orion's mentioned you before. . ."
>After a few seconds Madeleine pulls back her hand."I'm sorry you have to see me like this, I'm not as I should be."
No.1554
>>1553"No, no I understand."
>Stephanie gestures towards the sitting area. "Aiden would like to formally apologize, and explain himself - if you'll let him. If you'd rather not, I understand completely. We'll get him out of here."
>Stephanie glances at Orion, indicating he should stay silent. Orion furrows his brow and turns his head, crossing his arms in annoyance. No.1556
>>1554>Aiden looks at Orion as he starts speaking."I removed the memories from my head. There's not much else to say there."
>Slowly rising from his seat, he then continues:"I also think I got a hold of it - finally. My power that is. So that shouldn't be a problem."
>Looking at Madeleine, Aiden then says:"I'm sorry for that, it's something I've never really gotten a hold of, until now. Stephanie can vouch for me that your memories are gone - and aren't coming back."
>Looking away from either of them, Aiden then states:"…..But if that's not enough? I'll keep my distance. This wasn't my situation to be involved in."
>Turning his attention towards Stephanie, Aiden then concludes:"Orion knows what you can do, so if there's anyone he'd trust with those statements - it's you."
>Aiden then crosses his arms again as he looks away again, ruminating in his mind. No.1557
>>1556"Right then."
>Stephanie looks in Aiden's direction. "You've had your say. Now I think it would be best for you to leave. I can read the room, and I think it's for the best for now that you and Orion have some space - at least for the rest of the day. You two can hash it out later."
>Stephanie looks at Orion, noticing that he's still got his head turned the other direction. She looks back at Aiden again, waiting for his response. No.1558
>>1557>Aiden looks at Stephanie for a moment, before looking at Orion. Finally speaking on instinct, he says:"I don't have anything to say to
him, just Madeleine."
>Looking at Stephanie again, Aiden then says:"If Isaac's available, I'm going to go talk to him."
>Giving Orion one final glance, Aiden then narrows his eyes, stating:"What Orion does is his business now. I'm done."
>Aiden then places two fingers on his forehead - still staring at Orion. After a moment, he then disappears instantly. No.1559
>>1558>Once Aiden has left, Stephanie lets out a sigh. She turns to face Orion and Madeleine."Glad he left. No offense to him, but it's good he's gone. I didn't want you two to get into a fist fight. Anyway."
"Would you like anything Madeleine? A drink? Or even something to eat? I can make something for you two while you relax. I moved the stranger to the other room for now, so you can figure out what you want to do with them later."
>Orion suddenly looks at Stephanie."Stephanie you don't have to-"
"Shush Orion. I want to. Now, what would you two like?"
No.1560
>>1559"No. . . no. . . you really don't have to. . ."
>Madeleine walks across the room, taking the same chair as before."I couldn't ask that of someone I've met for the first time, especially not when I'm making such an embarassment of myself. God I must look like such a mess."
>Some of Madeleine's usual demeanor is starting to return."Oh, and thank you for moving them into the other room, I guess they didn't show any signs of waking up then?"
No.1561
>>1560"No! No! You look great! And I don't mind! I want to treat you both! It's not a problem at all!"
>Stephanie adjusts her glasses for a moment, following Madeleine with her eyes. "The stranger is still asleep. I don't think that will be changing any time soon, unless someone wakes them up."
No.1582
>>1561"No, it's really fine, I mean it. . ."
>Madeleine looks away for a second, at the door to the next room."I think I'll let them sleep a little longer, whoever they are, they've probably earnt their rest. . ."
>In the other room, the mysterious person sleeps, lying flat on top of the covers of the bed that they've been placed on. For a brief second, their finger twitches. . .[To be continued]