Alpha/Omega: Rejects

[herodofcows]

It's a slow morning at the Raiders headquarters/residence. Granted, they're mostly slow mornings these days. Internet searches upon fruitless internet searches, tinkering with the RDR 1, always preparing, preparing, PREPARING for the coming moment in which the next metahuman rears their head . . . though nobody will admit it, the wait is starting to get to them.

There had been a span of time (a brief, glorious span of time) where they;d been validated. Metahumans had shown up after they'd taken down the pyro that had attacked Alice. Granted, there had been a few close calls and some injuries, but at last they'd been caught up in it! They had been the thin blue line separating humanity from the meta threat, with all the validation and affirmation that that had entailed.

And then, just as soon as it had picked up, it had stopped. No more metas. No more attacks. No more incidents. It was like they'd all just packed up and chosen to ignore the Raiders. And, deep in their souls, that rankled.

So it is with an odd sense of jubilation that they get the call. It's a bit garbled by static, but the voice on the end is fearful.

"Help! There's this guy, he- <STATIC> -library! At the library! He's wrecking - <STATIC> - can't stop him! HELP!!!"

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

It's an unusually exciting morning for "Michael" today. Sitting at the dull wooden table in the Vineland library, he's clutching an old back issue of the Vineland Daily Journal as though it's the Holy Grail. Which, for him, it is. He'd been rummaging fruitlessly through the internet when an anonymous message had told him of a certain newspaper article in a certain town that might show him something . . .

It's a page 3 story about a semi-serious triple car crash, serious enough to manage some ink but not bloody enough to make the first page. Lucky for Michael, a photographer had apparently managed to get a shot. The cars are the focus, but Michael can see him in the background:

A tall brown-haired man in a bomber jacket and slacks, almost unnoticed amongst the gaggle of photographed rubberneckers. The photo quality isn't great, but it matches up EXACTLY with the only other glimpse he'd been able to catch of Sorin Markov. Heck, he's even wearing the same outfit, 30 years later!

Sorin Markov. Creator? Bugbear? Whoever he is, Michael now knows another thing about him: in some way, somehow, Sorin Markov is like him.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

It can't be a coincidence. He hasn't aged a day. And if the notes I saw were correct, this guy's been around since 1944...

Photocopying the article and picture, Michael checks the date of the story and the photo credit. It was a shot in the dark, but finally it was something.

[The_Admiral]

Lucas grins from ear to ear as he hangs up the phone, he shouts, "WE HAVE A META!" Alice glared at Lucas as he sheepishly pulled his hand from the big red button next to his computer.

She sighed, saying,"Takahashi is at work, I'll handle this.." grabbing the belt as she walked out, hailing a taxi as she did so.

[herodofcows]

A taxi eventually shows up, and Alice is whisked over to the library. Nerves give way to puzzlement as she arrives a few minutes later. It doesn't LOOK like anyone's attacking . . .

* * * *

As he walks back from the photocopier, Michael suddenly realizes that the librarian isn't at her desk anymore. Neither was the receptionist. As near as he can tell, he's suddenly alone in the library. He hadn't seen anybody leave . . .

Hairs begin to stand up on the back of his neck.

* * * *

Suddenly, a scream rings out from the library. Alice's insides turn to ice, and then heat right up as the adrenaline takes over. It. Is. ON.

* * *

Michael blinks, and the world suddenly changes.

The receptionist is back at her desk. Or, parts of her are. The rest appears to be scattered all over the lobby. There's so much blood . . .

The reading room is strewn with bodies. Some have been torn to bits. Some have been smashed to paste. Some look as though every bone in their body has been broken.

The librarian is crouched in front of her desk, screaming in horror at him.

"NO! NO! PLEASE, DON'T!"

Michael almost instinctively raises his hands in a calming gesture, and sees that he's covered in blood.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael Stern knew a dead body when he saw one.

Two lifetimes ago a young Czech (then-Czechoslovakian) medical student was required to do a tour of duty in Afghanistan, aiding the Russians in "liberating" the country from pro-Capitalism terrorists. Working in a battalion aid station, he got to see first-hand what technology could do to soft human tissue.

Then in the bowels of a KGB detention centre in Leningrad (St. Petersburg he reflexively corrected himself) he himself died a hundred minor deaths as the doctors tested the limits of his "gifts."

After fleeing west he had worked many a night in ERs and trauma centres, and accidental civilian deaths were no cleaner.

This was the worst he'd ever seen.

This all flickered through his mind as fast as a sigh. He had to act. Assess.

What happened? A brutal attack.
Did he do it? Unclear. Blame later, save lives now.
Is anyone alive? Yes, this terrified woman.

Act.

Michael stepped aside and let Resolute take over.

"Calm down! You need to get help! Call your 9-11! GO!"

He hoped the authoritative tone would move the poor woman to action. In times of overwhelming shock, simple commands were best. Resolute hoped the woman's survival instinct would make he obey the terrifying man shouting orders at her.

Assess.

He apparently just committed a horrible murderous attack on innocents. Despite not knowing or remembering, all evidence pointed toward his guilt. But if law enforcement tried to apprehend him, he might slip into the same rage and kill more people. No, he could not stay here.

He pulled the fire alarms and rushed out the north fire exit.

I am alone and running north! Tell them!"

[The_Admiral]

Hearing the scream, Alice acted, wrapping the belt around her waist, it looped round with a satisfying click, she ran into the direction of the sound, coming upon a bloody scene, the lone survivor a woman and a fleeing figure, accompanied by the sounds of fire alarms.

She glanced at the terrified woman as she pointed in the direction of the fleeing figure. Nodding, Alice took chase, pumping the handle of the belt, A bright flash of blue light enveloping her, revealing an armored figure as it dissipated.


PC Fight?

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Not looking back, Resolute charges northward, past the parking lot and heading further north. It may come to pass that the police may confront him, but he wanted to minimize any civilians that could be caught in the crossfire.

Small-town American police forces often had surprisingly large arsenals...

Catch me if you can... I am slightly faster than average!

[herodofcows]

The woman continues to scream, a blaring monotone as she points outside. As the two go running off into the street her scream fades gradually away with distance.

Horns honk and cars swerve as Michael takes off, dodging between the odd pedestrian and barely missing being run over by the odd car or two. Not that he can't shrug off a car to the face, but it'd slow him down.

Behind him, Alice's Raider armor starts picking up steam, humming with life and power. A small smile tugs quietly at her lips. There we go. This is what it's all about.

Michael continues to flee, pounding pavement as best he can (which is significantly faster than the average person). Man, this can't look good. An Olympic-level sprinter, running through the small town streets covered in . . . in . . .

Reflexively, he checks his hands. What happened to all the blood?

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael skids to a halt, the missing blood bewildering him. If the blood was fake... no, it couldn't be some psychosis still could it?

The sounds of horns blaring jars him from his reverie and he walks onto a sidewalk. He is suddenly aware of all the people who saw him, and more importantly his what would be a record-breaking sprint.

Collecting himself, he doubles over, feigning exhausted gulps for air.

What the hell happened? He thought.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

He knew he would have to face whatever happened at the library, there were bound to be several people with his description, and in a small town like Vineland, he would be found quickly.

Better to face it head-on, he decides, and heads back in the direction of the library.

Okay, now you can kick my slightly enhanced arse as you see fit.

[The_Admiral]

As he turns around, Resolute sees a large blue armoured figure charging at him and with grace belying its size, it leaps over him, performing a midair twist and lands facing his back. A decidedly feminine voice says, "So, out of courtesy, why did you do it?" the figure taking a fighting stance.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

"No! You're not real! This blood isn't real!"

Michael looks at his hands again to assure himself.

"You are just a delusion. Maybe long-delayed PTSD," he says in a definite Eastern European accent.

He tries to run through the blue delusion. He better go back to the library and face the music.

I might just get off with a fine... this is a very solid delusion.

He bumps into the armour. It gives not at all.

[The_Admiral]

".....I think he's crazy not malicious...." Alice says, to Lucas, audible to Michael.

"........I concur.." Lucas replies, sighing in disappointment.

"I'll knock him out first, could still be dangerous, work on containment." she finished up, watching Micheal for any movement.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

"...delusions do not usually conspire," Michael says, overhearing the conversation.

Unless it was psionic, otherwise I figure peak human carries of to hearing stuff.

"It was you! What have you done to me?!"

[The_Admiral]

"nothing, what did you do in there?" Alice replied, arms still raised in a standard hand to hand stance.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

"No! No more questions! If this blood is not real, maybe none of it is!

With all of his considerable strength, Michael tries to push this blue possible-delusion aside.

Probably about the same amount of force as a horse nudging you aside, gently but firmly.

[The_Admiral]

"...He's not trying to hurt me, I'm deactivating the armour."

"Wait don...." Lucas shouts, as he is cut off by the armour deactivating in a flash of blue light. The armoured figure vanishes and is replaced with a red headed female. She extends an arm saying, "Hey there, name's Alice...."

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael looks at his hand one more time to ensure no blood is there. Warily he offers it to the lady Alice.

"Michael... I am not normally so rude, but I believe something odd happened at the library. If nothing else I must see if anyone can be saved..."

[herodofcows]

"Um, WOAH! Woah hohohoho NO! Nononono! Excuse me! Ex-CUSE ME!"

Unnoticed by you all, a small crowd has been gathering around the vague periphery of you two. Phones are out, and people are muttering to each other.

No sooner do you notice this than the crowd is broken. Striding forward through them is an imposing Puerto Rican woman (so announced by a red-white-and-blue shirt that proclaims "Kiss Me, Soy Boricua") in her mid 40's. She comes to a halt not ten feet away from you, fuming. Though she is less than five feet tall, she somehow seems to tower over you both as she speaks.

"Now what the f*** is this? Y'all are acting all p*ssy as f*** with this shake-hands bulls***! Uh-UH! Not happening here!"

She turns and gestures at the crowd. A blink, and where the loose gathering of citizens of all descriptions now lies in a heap, gasping and choking for air.

The woman turns back to you with a fierce look on her face.

"Now, y'all had better start beating the s*** out of each other, or these b****es choke out. Got it?"

[redzimmer]

Resolute

"I just witnessed my perceptions altered, Miss, and am beginning to suspect you are responsible," Michael says to the short woman.

"Ms. Alice, I have misgivings regarding violence against women. I am however a very fast and capable paramedic. If you wish to fight me, please allow me to try saving these lives before we trying 'kicking asses'?"

He quickly rushed to the closest fallen person, hoping this again is an induced delusion.

[The_Admiral]

"....We could do that, but I do have a better idea..." as she says this, she again pumps the handle on the oversized belt around her waist, delivering a roundhouse kick to the woman's chest as the armour materializes around her.

[herodofcows]

It was just as Resolute suspected! As he moved in to help one of the apparently-suffocating civilians, his hands passed right through them. Mirages!

Upon receiving a roundhouse kick from Alice, the woman goes flying backwards, hitting the ground with a wet slap. The second she does so, she seems to blast off into four different chunks. After a moment, each chunk splits out into a separate clone of the woman. They all stand up, brush themselves off, and smirk at you before taking off running, one in each cardinal direction. They aren't particularly fast . . .

[redzimmer]

Resolute

"I can easily overtake whichever one is real, er, Alice. However there is a chance all of them are illusory. Does this interesting suit of yours have extrasensory equipment?"

Hoping the armoured woman understands his meaning, he sets off the runs down each of the multiple people, starting with the one further away from him.

[The_Admiral]

"Yeah, thermal sensors, I took down a Human Torch knockoff." she replied, activating them.

[herodofcows]

Michael quickly runs down one of the dopplegangers. She vanishes with a weak cackle the second he lays hands on her. Michael stumbles briefly, but maintains momentum.

Alice's thermal sensors tell an interesting story. There's still a clump of onlookers milling around precisely where they were to begin with, but none of them seem to be looking precisely at anyone in specific (of course, it's hard to tell through thermal sensors). The four mirages are ghosts, as expected, but there's a fifth heat signature crawling very slowly away from where you'd kicked the illusionist. They're leaving a small warm trail that cools gradually as it drips out of them. Somebody's bleeding . . .

[The_Admiral]

Taking a quick jog after the signature, she keeps up with it, casually saying, "This illusion isn't very impressive you know?"

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael jogs along and catches up to Alice. He is beginning to be annoyed with this illusionist.

[herodofcows]

As Alice reaches the illusionist, the running women vanish away. In fact, the whole world seems to ripple slightly, and what remains is . . . very nearly normal.

The crowd of bystanders is still there, still untouched. Most seem to be looking at each other confused, as though unsure of what to make of their sudden togetherness. A few are beginning to walk away, ostensibly as though everything is normal. Several notice and look at you two, standing over a severely-bleeding woman . . . and don't react at all. If anything, their eyes seem to slide away from the whole spectacle.

Meanwhile, the illusionist is looking grim. Alice's kick has clearly done a number on her chest. She coughs up blood and lays on her back.

"F . . . f*** . . . don't . . . matter . . . got . . . what . . ."

Suddenly, her phone rings. She smiles, hearing the ringtone.

"Bet . . . that's . . . for . . . you . . ." she sniggers haltingly, still coughing blood.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

"If you cease with your childish illusions, I may be able to save you life," Michael says impatiently. He was tired of this woman's games. Let this "call" go to voicemail for all he card.

Alice could get it. What evs, as your kids says.

[The_Admiral]

"...Just save her life..." Alice says, horrified at the effect of the armoured kick.