Torchwood [IC]

[JNAProductions]

OOC Thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?613257-Torchwood-OOC)


You wake up in a spartan room. As you come to and investigate, you find a note on a table.

I apologize for this, but we had little choice. You have been brought to an outpost of Torchwood. You haven't heard of us-and that's for the best.

You've seen too much. But there is potential-normally, you would be put back home, with no memory of what had happened. In this case, though...

After you awaken, you will be given some time to get your bearings. A meal will be provided, if you're hungry. And then we shall talk.

[DaOldeWolf]

Trent wakes up and decides to check the table. "So, what do we have here?" Trent replies as he reads the note on the table. He clenches the note as he recalls what had happened before he had blacked out. "Oh no. What is the meaning of this?!" he shouts outloud in demand of an answer.

[JeenLeen]

I... I'm not dead. is his first thought.

And... I can still think and move. That's good." is his second.

As he gets up, Alexander notices that he's stronger than before. Not what he expected. He gasps in response to seeing his arms, more muscular than he remembers. He feels his neck and shoulder -- also bigger -- but what he notices and cares about is that there's no gaping wound, just a little scar tissue from where the... zombies?.... bit him.

He also looses his balance as he gets up, seeing the mystery of the world around him. So many calculations, and his own responses factored in. However, he quickly assimilates the new information and makes his way to the desk.

After reading the note, he pauses and thinks. Is he hungry? Perhaps he isn't alive, really. He pinches himself, barely feeling anything. Odd.
"Hello, Torchwood?"

[DaOldeWolf]

Trent decided to start searching the room for anything else he could find. He searched for windows and doors. He then began searching under the bed and the table. He also checked the roof to see if there were anything like cameras. "I dont understand. Why would I be taken here?" Trent thinks about it. Why would there be a raid at his prestigious school. "Hello? Is somebody there? Can anybody hear me?" he tries shouting out loud hoping for an answer.

[JNAProductions]

There's a brief knocking at where a door should be, then it slides open. You see a woman, dressed casually in jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt, standing just beyond. "Sup," she says. "I'd calm down a bit, if I were you. I get it, kinda a lot to deal with, but... Well, boss-lady will explain. So come on," she gestures for you to follow. "You hungry? We can stop to grab some food before we meet the boss, if you want."

There's a brief knocking at where a door should be, then it slides open. You see a small, floating robot-a simple orb, plain white ceramic... A surprisingly clear voice comes from it, saying "Please follow me. The Director wishes to speak with you at your earliest convenience-if you require sustenance, there is a mess that can be visited before your meeting."

[Niobaran]

Nicolas Kovacs

Kovacs awakes, eyes wide open in terror. He sits up, taking in a deep and loud breath, as if he had held his air for minutes. Then, taking in his new environment, shock turns to perplexity. Where am I? A hospital? He tests his muscles and finds himself able to breathe and move normally. He pulls the bed sheets from his body, checking what clothes he is wearing. Then, his eyes find the note on the table. He gets up to pick up the note. Please don't let this be some kind of horror movie... Reading it, he sits back on the bed. Torchwood... The name did not ring any bells. But the way the note was written still raised an alarm in his head. A secret organization? Doesn't sound like a government agency... I need to- what the- why's there no door? He starts to dart through the room, looking for exits and surveillance cameras.

[JeenLeen]

Alexander

With a bit of stunned surprise at an actual robot-orb, Alexander just mumbles, "Uh, y-yeah. I think I'm ready to see the Director."
Part of him thought he should eat first, but he didn't feel hungry.

This was a mix of terrifying and cool. Like something out of a video game or comic, but-- well, hard to tell what type yet.

[JNAProductions]

After a few moments of panic, there's a knocking at the door-or, well, where a door would normally be. "I'm gonna be coming in soon," a man's voice comes through. "So, uh... You know, be ready."

You take a moment to try to calm yourself, and the wall slides open, revealing an oddly-dressed man. He's got goggles loosely draped around his neck, what seems to be magnetic orbs speckled throughout his clothes, his hair completely unkempt. "Hi. You hungry?" he asks. "Cause we can get some food, if you want, but the director also wants to see you. So... You know, that'll happen soon."

"Follow me, please," the orb says, and begins floating away at a decent pace. You follow behind, going through various halls-not cramped, but not that spacious either. Eventually, you arrive at a more open area-an anteroom of sorts. There's a potted plant in the corner. "One moment," the orb says, and moves to the large door. "Madam Director, Alexander is here, whenever you are ready."

Through the door comes a woman's voice, clear and authoritative. "Come in," she says. The robot orb opens the door, and you see a large desk, with several monitors on it. Behind the desk sits a woman, with short blonde hair, dressed in a purple suit. She has earrings with a starfield pattern on them. She shuts down a few of the monitors as you come in and take a seat in one of the three chairs in front of you.

"Alexander Faulks," she says. "Formerly employed at Umbrella Pharmaceuticals. Excellent at mathematics. I could go on about your life's details, but there's little reason to. You should, as an inquisitive man, have quite a few questions. Let me try to address the most important ones."

She clears her throat. "Torchwood was founded in England, several centuries ago, after the first alien incursion in recorded history. We are here to deal with the things that the world is not ready to know about-while we do try to drip feed technology to the world at large, we have to be careful. We have since expanded to become a global organization, with members from all over the world-ranging from ordinary office workers who have the smarts to keep quiet, to well trained, elite agents comparable to MI6 or other intelligence/military operators, to people such as yourself. The gifted, The different. The... Special. Tell me, what's the cubic root of one hundred nineteen million, ninety five thousand, four hundred eighty eight?"

You answer, almost reflexively, 492.

"See? Smarter than before. Faster. Tougher. Stronger. You were, at that... Incident, in Raccoon City, infected by the M-Phage. Normally, you'd be a gibbering monster, insane with an influx of new information. But some people are more suited to burdens than others," she says. "Your talents would be of impressive usefulness here at Torchwood. I won't force you to say yes. If you want to, we can make you forget this ever happened. You'll go home, and read in the papers about a gas leak explosion at your office. Or... You can help keep the world safe."

The orb, which has been floating quietly in the corner, chips in now. "It's a cool job!"

The director chuckles a bit. "It is. What other questions do you need to ask?"

[DaOldeWolf]

Trent jumps in surprise when spoken to. He then looks at the woman at the door. "Of course. Lets go meet her." He wondered if the meeting would be followed by the memory wiping. He wasnt made for combat anyway so it probably wasnt worth it for him to resist. "Yes, some food would be nice." He replies accepting the offer from the woman.

[JNAProductions]

She leads you, walking casually, through the halls of the building. There are no windows, but it otherwise seems pretty normal.

Soon enough, you arrive at a larger room, with a potted plant in the corner. The door is ajar to the next room. "Huh. Rose, you ready?"

"Yes, bring him in," a woman's voice responds.

You hear someone approaching from the room behind you. "Huh. Rose, you ready?" you hear a deeper woman's voice come from behind.

"Yes, bring him in," the director (Rose, apparently) responds.

You see a woman in a purple suit, with starfield earrings and short blonde hair. She sits behind a desk with various, currently turned off, computers.

"Trent Reed. It's good to meet you. Trent, this is Alexander Faulks-I don't believe you've ever met before. I was just explaining to Alexander what exactly we do here."

[Niobaran]

After a few moments of panic, there's a knocking at the door-or, well, where a door would normally be. "I'm gonna be coming in soon," a man's voice comes through. "So, uh... You know, be ready."

You take a moment to try to calm yourself, and the wall slides open, revealing an oddly-dressed man. He's got goggles loosely draped around his neck, what seems to be magnetic orbs speckled throughout his clothes, his hair completely unkempt. "Hi. You hungry?" he asks. "Cause we can get some food, if you want, but the director also wants to see you. So... You know, that'll happen soon."


Be ready? But then, Nicolas just calms himself. The voice did not sound aggressive. Apparently he was also under surveillance. He looks down at his clothes again. A hospital gown over his running pants, shirt and shoes. They seemed intact but somehow felt slightly different. A bit stiff as iff they had been wet and dried again. A faint memory pops up in his mind, a short chat with the security guard who told him he'd rather not see him enter... A funny nearly flirty response... Then... sweating... a high pitched sound... In his mind? then the sound of bursting metal... and ...

The door opens and wipes away the memory.

"Water would be great." he answers. "And yes, I'd like to speak with the director."

[DaOldeWolf]

Trent nods as he waits to hear the details. Afterall, he couldnt remember the exact details on what happened at school or how he got thre or even where he was now. "OK. I´ll be listening carefully. Why are we here then?" Trent replies trying not to sound demanding.

[JNAProductions]

"Okay, cool," he responds. He leads you to a large mess area, that's mostly empty, save for a few people in suits off in one corner, talking over some sandwiches.

"Perhaps I should've waited for all of you before explaining. But, it is what it is. Torchwood is a global organization, created to deal with aliens, supernatural beings, and all manner of other unsavory things. You were not the only at the incident, but you were the only one we brought here. The rest will wake up with a headache and no memory of what went down," Rose says. "That is because, In Alexander's case, he has M-Phage. In your case... Well, we're not precisely sure what happened, but you have abilities beyond that of most. See if you can figure out how to use them."

"The gist of it is, you can help keep the world safe. This isn't something we're forcing you into-it is dangerous. But we believe you have what it takes to help all mankind."

[Niobaran]

"Okay, cool," he responds. He leads you to a large mess area, that's mostly empty, save for a few people in suits off in one corner, talking over some sandwiches.
Seeing the people in suits just adds to the peculiarities of the whole situation, and he instinctively runs a hand through his hair. Then, he grabs a water bottle (or glass, whatever there is), unscrews it, and turns to his guide. "Let's get to the director." he suggests before drinking half of the small bottle in one turn. "I want to understand what's going on here." His voice is not unfriendly, but he is apparently not too comfortable with the situation.

[JNAProductions]

"Yeah. She wants to talk to you too," he says. As you go, you pass a woman in a sleeveless T and raggedy jeans.

As you walk past her, she chuckles. "You got stuck with the nerd," she comments.

"Yeah, screw you too," your guide says, and before long, you're in a room with a potted plant. The door leading to the office beyond is slightly ajar.

"Director LaLonde?" the man says. "I've got Nicolas here."

"Of course," she says, a touch exasperated. "I explain it twice and then the third person arrives. Well, come in."

Nicolas walks in, with his guide waving goodbye. "I'm going to make a long story very short for you, Nicolas-we here at Torchwood are in the business of keeping the world safe from all manner of supernatural badness. Your talents can and will be quite useful. If you have any more questions, ask them-just be specific if you can."

[JeenLeen]

As a new person enters the room, the mathematical explosion of information ripples through Alexander's mind. He squints and moves his hand to his head, expecting a headache, but none comes. He's surprised at how easily it all comes to his understanding.

For the moment, he's mostly devoid of questions. Or at least of being able to verbalize them.

Waving an awkward hello to the two other... recruits?... he finally asks, "So, everyone I saw die will be alive again? And... we could be put back to normal if we wanted, or, basically, we can be secret agents helping prevent other dangers like that?"

[JNAProductions]

"Not... Everyone. We did what we could to help the innocents present, but medical technology has limits," the Director says. "Most of the people there knew what they were doing. But not everyone. We're not perfect," she continues, her voice calm, but with an undercurrent of remorse.

She continues, though, saying "But, yes-that's the gist of it. Join us, help keep the world safe. Or say no, and this never happened."

[DaOldeWolf]

"Okay, cool," he responds. He leads you to a large mess area, that's mostly empty, save for a few people in suits off in one corner, talking over some sandwiches.

"Perhaps I should've waited for all of you before explaining. But, it is what it is. Torchwood is a global organization, created to deal with aliens, supernatural beings, and all manner of other unsavory things. You were not the only at the incident, but you were the only one we brought here. The rest will wake up with a headache and no memory of what went down," Rose says. "That is because, In Alexander's case, he has M-Phage. In your case... Well, we're not precisely sure what happened, but you have abilities beyond that of most. See if you can figure out how to use them."

"The gist of it is, you can help keep the world safe. This isn't something we're forcing you into-it is dangerous. But we believe you have what it takes to help all mankind."


"Not... Everyone. We did what we could to help the innocents present, but medical technology has limits," the Director says. "Most of the people there knew what they were doing. But not everyone. We're not perfect," she continues, her voice calm, but with an undercurrent of remorse.

She continues, though, saying "But, yes-that's the gist of it. Join us, help keep the world safe. Or say no, and this never happened."

"Abilities?" Trent speaks to himself wondering what new abilities he could have. "You have made quite an interesting proposition but I have a few inquiries. How are we supposed to work? Where does the work come from? And probably more importantly, how did you find us?"

[Niobaran]

Nicolas

Following the interaction between the two Torchwood ... handlers (?), Nicolas is not sure what to make of it. This becomes stranger by the minute. What is this? A secret organization and a high school? When he is led into the director's office, he is nearly disappointed not to find a bald man in a wheelchair, an uptight guy with a visor, a wise-looking woman, and an impatient looking guy with strange facial hair and a passion for lumberjack shirts.

He nods to the other newcomers, unsure whether their confused faces should calm or alert him. At least I'm not alone in this, he tries to tell himself. Apparently, they had been briefed already, as the explanation of LaLonde indicated. An explanation which not really answered too many of his questions.

"I... I have actually several questions. Where are we? How much time has passed since the incident? How did I actually end up here? Do you have any governmental sponsorship for your mission? Since when is mind wiping a thing? What kind of talents do you speak of? ... My apologies, but, it's kind of a lot..."

[JeenLeen]

Alexander

"Listen, this sounds... hard to believe, but here I am a muscleman compared to my old self and not dead after zombies attacked me. So I'm willing to believe stuff. And I guess part of me has always dreamed of being a hero like in comics or video games. I get we'll probably have to do some quiet stuff, maybe shady stuff, to protect and keep things like... well, zombie plagues... quiet.

"But is there anything you can tell us to confirm you're the good guys?
Like, it's not an uncommon plot twist to find out the accidents were arranged just to form people with powers to be recruited. I don't really think that's the case here, but I'd like to avoid having those doubts if you can prove something."

[JNAProductions]

"You will, if you choose to work with us, get training, of course. Both on your abilities and how to handle yourself in dangerous situations. We found you because what happened at your work, or school, is exactly the kind of think we handle," she says. "You are currently in a Torchwood outpost, in an undisclosed location. I'd offer more geography, but it's honestly not particularly relevant. It's been about twelve hours since the incidents occurred-luckily, none of you were too heavily injured. Governments, at the highest levels, offer us assistance-not so much money, as we have that in spades from technology we've created, but support, opening borders, providing military assets, things like that. Mind wiping is one of the first things we figured out-it was encoded into technology around a century ago. Formerly, it was the practice of Torchwood Mages."

When Alexander asks for proof that they're the good guys, Rose frowns. "I... I wasn't honestly prepared for that question. Sometimes you're so sure of what you do, that you don't think about what others think. I could pull up a whole host of documents showing what we've done to keep the world safe, but they could be forged, so... I'm not sure how to prove that we're on the right side of history. What can I do to ease your mind?"

[JeenLeen]

Alexander

He pauses a bit, thinking.
To his surprise, he starts to get some assessments of how different answers he could give would impact the response from the Director. Not quite sure what to make of this ability yet, he shrugs and, with a somewhat-apologetic face, says, "I... guess I hadn't really thought that through, either. You sound like the good guys. I guess... like, I reckon some people who became zombies had to be killed, some were healable... do we have to kill people sometimes, like normal people. Or does that mindwiping work to keep folk ignorant of stuff like we saw? What did you do to Umbrella to stop them from running that experiment again next week?"

[JNAProductions]

"In the past, in limited areas, we've tried to make public what we do. Or at least, parts. It's inevitably met with pushback, denial, and people refusing to accept it-or demanding that all their problems be solved. Sometimes both from the same person. So, we make the people who get wrapped up forget what happened-it's usually not more than an hour of memory gone," she says. "They wake up near the incident, and thank god they didn't die or get seriously injured. They have vague memories of something happening, that just naturally get filled in as they hear about 'what happened'. Umbrella is... One of the threats of the world. Their CEO, Albert Wesker, has been trying to find the perfect bioweapon for decades. Thankfully, we've been able to stop him from any mass deployments of them, but he's been growing bolder."

She takes a deep breath, and answers the first question. "We do our best to keep everyone safe-not just the innocent, but the enemy too. People can change. People can be redeemed. But we are not perfect. Innocent lives have been lost. Some of them we could've saved. Some of them..." she says, her voice catching a little bit. She closes her eyes a moment, then speaks again. "You will never be asked to hurt an innocent. But when you work with us, you have power. You have responsibilities. And you will make mistakes. With luck, no one will suffer too much from them. With luck, any mistakes you make will hurt only us-we know the risks. But I cannot promise that you will always be able to sleep easily. I cannot promise that you'll never have to choose between two evils, and be unsure which one is truly lesser."

[DaOldeWolf]

"I suppose I could give this a chance at the very least." Trent proclaims. He didnt mind giving the chance to such a cause since if they had bad intentions, they probably wouldnt have reacted the way they did. "Alright, where do we start? We probably could use some place to try out the powers in actions. In a safe environment of some kind if at all posible." He declares still partially wondering what his special talent could be.

[JNAProductions]

"Excellent. If you all feel the same..." she says, looking at each of you in turn.

Imma assume you say yes, because, well, that's the game. :P

She nods when you affirm. "We have training rooms. Some of them are empty right now. Orb," she says.

An orb in the corner of the room, made of white ceramics, floats up slightly. "Yes ma'am!" the orb says.

"Please escort our new agents to a training room. If they need anything-new clothes, food, drink-help them with that as well," she continues.

"Of course, ma'am! Please, follow me," the orb says. It leads you out of the room, and gently closes the door behind. Once you're out of earshot, the orb starts talking. "This is exciting! New agents, with new abilities... Oh, this will be so much fun! You guys will be my friends, right?"

[Niobaran]

Nicolas Kovacs

Nicolas follows the exchange of words, perplexed by the usage of some words ("zombie") and curious about the fact that apparently the lady is dead serious about what she is saying. Either this was the most realistic dream he ever had, or he really slid into a stranger than fiction situation. When it is his turn to accept, he does so, with a "yes" that sounds firmer than he had expected. Still unsure what to make of it, taking the blue pill sounded wrong on its own. Rather find out who can wipe minds than to have your mind wiped.

As he walks along with the others and the drone, he introduces himself to the others: "By the way, hi everyone, I'm Nicolas." He smiles warmly at the others, and also gives a somewhat awkward wave at the ceramic orb. "Looks like we're stuck in this together, eh? Where're you guys from?"

[JeenLeen]

Alexander

Alexander agrees, some eagerness for training showing on his face.

---

"Oh, yeah, I guess none of us did get introduced. I'm Alexander. I was a statistician, working on medical trials. It, uh... seems the company I worked at is some evil organization and I woke up here after a zombie outbreak."

To the orb: "Yeah. And not to be rude, but what are you? I've never seen a real, well, whatever you are."
As he talks to the orb, he's trying to get a sense of his readings on verbal responses, and to see if he gets data from it like he seemed to with the Director.

[JNAProductions]

The orb responds. "I'm orb! A personal assistance device created by a former Torchwood technician. He passed a few years ago, just due to age, really," orb continues, a touch of sadness audible in its voice, "but I stuck around."

[DaOldeWolf]

Trent decides to introduce himself too. "I am Trent. A student." Trent remains silent for a moment unsure on what else to follow it with. "Its a pleasure to meet you all. Lets try to get along." Trent replies.

[Niobaran]

Nicolas Kovacs

"Nice to meet you guys, and ... you orb." He responds. "Wait, did you just say zombie outbreak?"

[JNAProductions]

"Umbrella's bioweapons are not technically zombies," Orb says, "but they're close enough for government work. And we are here!"

Orb extends an articulated limb, surprisingly deft and sturdy, to push open the door you're in front of. Within, you can see a large, mostly empty room. There are some training dummies off to one side, just sorta stacked against the wall, and looking up, you can see some framework that's likely for making the dummies move.

[DaOldeWolf]

"Well, it looks like a pretty well made to start. Which one would like to give it a try?" Trent asks giving the chance to the rest to use their powers while he tried to figure out how to channel his own. He could also get some ideas by watching the others.

[Niobaran]

Nicolas Kovacs

Nicolas just slightly shakes his head in disbelief to Orb's comment on the Zombie topic.

"I'm going to be honest with you guys, I'm not an experienced fighter or anything." He takes a short round through the room. "I guess getting out of this ridiculous gown would be a first step, eh?" he mumbles, more to himself then anybody and takes it off, revealing clothes below that look like someone was planning to go running later. As he crouches down, he looks at his running shoes. "Oh man!" He says, obviously dissatisfied with heavy, dark stains on them. "I just got those..." He says, driving his finger over the side of the show in frustration. "Yikes, and it's sticky, too, great." he comments as he pulls back the hand, and some of the stain sticks to it. "What the..." Nicolas jumps as the sticky substance on his shoes is not only pulling off in a long string, but seems to be drawn into his index finger, in a steady stream...

[JeenLeen]

"I've never been much of a fighter, either. These muscles are new to me."

He takes a step back as this comrade absorbs... ink?... into this body. He almost trips over a chair near the entrance, but grasps the probabilities and winds up contorting himself with supernal speed and grace to flip over the chair and land catching it as it falls.
"...that's new, too. Huh."

"Orb, can those dummies move around. Maybe I should try some target practice? Nicolas, do you feel anything from that, uh, goo?"

[JNAProductions]

"Right away!" Orb says, and moves over to the dummies. "Erm... I was built for fine manipulation more than strength. Can I get some help?" it asks. "I can get the framework up there set up, if you want moving targets-there's controls for that. But if you just want stationary targets, well... articulate, not strong."

[DaOldeWolf]

"That could certainly be of help. Thank you!" He replies to the orb surprised by its unusual capabilities. "Since he didnt feel stronger nor smarter, he imagined his power had to be related to some other quality or capability."

[JNAProductions]

Orb heads to a panel on the wall. It fiddles with the controls after opening it, and the framework descends.

The mechanisms aren't too complicated-you're able to figure out how to settle the dummies in without any real difficulty.

[JeenLeen]

Setting up some stationary and some moving dummy targets, Alexander looks at them. He draws one of the knives he had found and reels backwards at the rush of mathematical data in his head. To his new comrades, it looks like he drew a knife and suddenly got a piercing headache.

"I-I'm fine. Just, I can see where everything is moving and how they interact. Like, the trajectories, the geometry of it all, predictions. It's... fascinating, really. More even that I can comprehend what I'm seeing. Hmmm..."

He runs a few steps and throws one of the knives upward, then another forward a second later. The first one bounces off a metal ceiling panel and winds up hitting the second, altering both of their trajectories so that they land square in the head of two different moving dummies.

Looking dumbfounded at what he accomplished, Alexander simply stands there open-mouthed.

[JNAProductions]

Orb (somehow) nods. "M-Phage was supposed to produce, in addition to the standard suite of bioweapon upgrades in a human host, vastly increased intellect. We're not sure how effective it is on all subjects, but that would explain why you're able to calculate so effectively."

[Niobaran]

"Orb, can those dummies move around. Maybe I should try some target practice? Nicolas, do you feel anything from that, uh, goo?"

"I... I can kinda suck it in." he says, changing the distance between his hand and the shoe back and forth, accelerating and decelerating the stream of ink that goes from the shoe into his hand. Simultaneously, a tattoo starts to form around his forearm, whirling around a bit, until it becomes a somewhat artistic pattern of dots of different size.

"Nice throw!" He says. "My turn, I guess."

Waiting for one of the dummies to come near, he flicks his wrist, swiftly forming a small gooey sphere in his right, while a few of the smaller dots in the tattoo vanish. Once he has a point-blank range dummy, he throws the ink bullet towards it. As it leaves his hand, the apparently solid substance turns more and more liquid, leaving a splash on the dummy's torso. "Hmm." He sounds only half-impressed. "That could turn out useful! ... If I hit the eyes, that is." adds with a slight chuckle.

[JNAProductions]

Orb says "Even the weakest power is useful to one who knows how to use it. Which is, um, not you yet. But you'll get there!"

[DaOldeWolf]

Trent concentrates as he breaths in deeply in and out. Hopefully, his power would be related to releasing some form of energy then. He tries to concentrate his power on his hands as he slowly creates a blue sphere of light around his hands. "Yes! Its working." Trent then tries to launch the energy but to the surprise of everyone, the energy took shape of a wolf and fell down to the floor. "Ouch, that hurt." the two replied together. "How can I be...? If I am..... Its like I am here and there at the same time. Weird." Trent and the wolf reply at the same time.

[JNAProductions]

Orb observes. "May I?" it asks, as one of its limbs extends with a sensor.

[Niobaran]

Orb says "Even the weakest power is useful to one who knows how to use it. Which is, um, not you yet. But you'll get there!"

"Thanks, Orb." he says it, and he means it. Everything is super weird right now, but for whatever reason, this clearly futuristic flying ball of artificial intelligence instils a certain calmness in Nicolas.

Seeing the manifested wolf, Nicolas takes a few steps back, baffled. "That's..." But then he has no idea what to say exactly.

[DaOldeWolf]

Trent keeps analyizing and processing what was happening. "It seems like I am in control of both bodies at the same time.". Trent makes the wolf body move on its own while trying to not move himself. The two end up approaching one another. "It suddenly feels cold. I wonder...." both reply.

[JeenLeen]

As he shakes off the surprise at his body actually doing what he had wanted with the knives, and some of the surprise at seeing what his comrades can do, he starts to say something--but then catches that same odd sense he got around the Director near the end.

He tries to start to analyze this part of his new perceptions, to see the probabilities of how people will react to things he might say.

[Niobaran]

Nicolas addresses Alexander:

"So, you can... split yourself? Or is it more like you exist twice? Orb, have you seen something like this before?"

[JNAProductions]

"Erm, yes. Cassandra-not the mythological figure. She was... An empath duplicator? I don't think we ever settled on a name," it says. "But she would, at times, disperse into multiples of herself, with different colors being heavily influenced with different emotions. Her red self was prone to anger, for instance. She never became a wolf, though!"

[DaOldeWolf]

"That is an interesting point. Maybe there are as many options as there are colours." He replies interested in the idea. He concentrates as he reverts the processs and the wolf disappears as light back inside of him. "Lets try to feel a different emotion. Which emotion might be less chaotic for that woman?". He decides to ask Orb.

[Niobaran]

Nicolas Kovacs
Nicolas listens to the discussion, while trying his luck to shoot further ink bolts at the dummies, and harvesting it again.

[JNAProductions]

"That is an interesting point. Maybe there are as many options as there are colours." He replies interested in the idea. He concentrates as he reverts the processs and the wolf disappears as light back inside of him. "Lets try to feel a different emotion. Which emotion might be less chaotic for that woman?". He decides to ask Orb.

"She had yellow, for happiness," Orb replies.

[DaOldeWolf]

Trent tried remembering some happy memories of his past. The first time he tried cotton candy ice cream, his first kiss, the year he got A on all subjects. The light, this time was yellow. "Its working....". Just like last time, he tries releasing the energy. This time it took shape as a lion. "It worked! Thanks Orb!" He jumps excitedly in both bodies at the same time.

[JNAProductions]

"High five!" Orb says, holding out its handiest limb yet. "But we should probably," it continues after the high five, "figure out how to make these projections combat-worthy. Can you maul a target dummy?"

[DaOldeWolf]

Trent agrees. Trent moves at the same time to make the lion attack a dummy. The damage seems to be there. "I suppose its a start. I wonder if there is more to this. I remember seeing the wolf having some kind of efefct around its body. Maybe, its the same for others?"

[JeenLeen]

"Orb, can the dummies attack me? I'd like to see how dodging might work."

[Niobaran]

Nicolas Kovacs

"Or, you could dodge this!" Nicolas calls, throwing a rather small and harmless ink blot towards Alexander.

[JeenLeen]

Fascinating.

Alexander sees the trajectory of the orb, where it will land, even how the mild air currents from the air conditioning are impacting its flow. And how his movements are likely to impact its movements, if at all (which is fairly minimal as it's just mild disruptions to air flow that cause changes.)
He sidesteps, easily done with his augmented speed.
"Heh, cool. I could see the trigonometry and geometry behind its movements." He blinks a couple times. "Ballistics. That's a better word. I could see the underlying ballistics of the math."

[JNAProductions]

"Neat!" Orb says.

First off, general note-do we all know what (dis)advantage means, when it comes to die rolling?

Second off...

Roll me a d20.

[JeenLeen]

Disadvantage as in roll twice, take the worst result. At least that's how I know it from 5e D&D.

Just 1 d20 here, though, right? Feel free to roll the second one for me if I'm supposed to be disadvantage.
[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

And Advantage is the opposite-roll twice, take the better.

None applies here, but I'll be using it in the future.

You see a faint crackling coming from one of Orb's sockets, and you can tell pretty quickly that the only way to dodge is to be further away. With your newfound speed and skill, you can make it, but the lightning that will be coming your way is too unerring-you cannot dodge without just plain being out of range. If you had something grounding to block with, that might also work, but with nothing but your clothes, you're down to only one option: Away.

And, since it seems to me you're currently the most powerful PC, JeenLeen, building in a bit of a weakness. Or at least, a vulnerability.

Now, of course, Orb's stun-gun ain't that powerful. You can make it out of range without any real difficulty, especially with that roll. But, if someone is shooting a full-fledged tesla coil at your face, be prepared for bad times.

[JeenLeen]

"Whoa... that was good practice, Orb. Thanks."

That all makes sense.

To clarify the weakness: is it electrical attacks themselves, or area attacks? Guessing the former. (E.g., a room erupting in flame would be just as bad, but he might be able to dodge a spray of bullets by seeing where they all go. But for area attacks that effectively fill a thing with damaging force (electricity, maybe fire or other sources), just gotta escape.)

And kinda makes sense, if you assume a certain randomness to how electrons flow (which is what my high school physics brings to memory).
And makes sense some stuff isn't dodgeable. His power in that case would just let him know that.

[JNAProductions]

Pretty much, if it covers too wide and dense an area, is too random, or similar, you'll have great difficulty/impossible to dodge. I don't have an exact list, but if you feel I'm being unfair, you should just let me know and we'll hash it out.

Orb manages to look sheepish. "I'm glad that didn't really hit," it says. "And I'm glad I can help!"

The door opens, and you see the Director there. "Gentlemen. Orb," she says, "I know you've not had much time, but there is something somewhat urgent that must be addressed. Your home lives."

[DaOldeWolf]

"Something happening at the academy?" asks Trent with concern. Since he couldnt remember anything about the incident, he didnt know what kind of danger could have happened there. "Orb, please tell us."

[Niobaran]

Kovacs

Seeing his companion tumble backwards from Orb's attack, Kovacs makes a mental note of the (to him at least) apparent weakness, and thinks about how to duplicate such an assault from his own powers to practice with him. But before he comes too far with that, the doors open and the director addresses them.

Sharing the Trent's concern, as generally everything was very weird right now, he also looks at the director, awaiting an answer to the same question. Or has she just meant the one to come? While the memory of the incident at the Printing Company was not much more than a blot of dark, he has this strange feeling to never being able to return there.

[JNAProductions]

"Your friends and family are safe," Rose says. "But to make sure they stay safe, we need you to return for now. If you're gone for a day, and pop up, there will be a few questions, but not many. If you're gone for a week, assumed dead and gone, and then suddenly return... It's nothing we couldn't handle, but we're trying to keep questions to a minimum."

[Niobaran]

Nicolas Kovacs

Nicolas nods. "So... how do we get home?" He hesitates for a moment, then also admits "I don't recall much of what happened at the Company before you found me. Could I get some info on that? Maybe to read on the way or so?"

[JNAProductions]

"For your company," Rose says, "it's being reported as a gas leak. I'll make sure you get your phone back-well, a new phone, since the old one is busted-so you can read the news on the way back."

[Niobaran]

"Thank you! Will we be able to contact you via the phone?"

[JNAProductions]

Rose shakes her head. "We don't exactly have normal telephone numbers in our bases, or for our ranking operatives and staff. But..."

We have this, you hear her voice in your heads. She then switches back to speaking, saying "You won't be able to contact me unless I've created a link. But it won't be hard to keep an eye on you all and let you know how to help."

[JeenLeen]

"Um, yeah, sounds good. I--" He had kinda figured he'd be living as a super hero (spy? vigilante? whatever) at the base. He looked at his new comrades, especially the younger one. Just a kid, really, but old enough to be a grownup in the right circumstances.

"I don't have much of a family life. I mean, no wife or kids, and my parents live in another state. What's the cover story for Umbrella? And--like, should I still be working there? Or any data I could steal?

OH! They told me to stay home the day of the incident! Do you think it was something they planned?" He looks to his comrades. "Did either of you get something similar, like told to stay away from whatever happened to you?"

[JNAProductions]

"Yes, you're not especially problematic, Alexander," Rose says. "We'll want you to make an appearance by your neighbors-you 'just got out of the hospital,' as it were. After that, it'd be simple to just say that that experience spooked you, and you're moving to find another job."

[DaOldeWolf]

"So, are we going there as a group to deal with the situation? Or are we being divided to deal with each situation?" Trent decides to ask wondering about how they were going to deal with the issues at hand.

[JNAProductions]

"None of you are especially near each other-but each of you will need to make excuses and find reasons to not be around your old comrades," Rose replies. "A new job is usually the cover we give."

[JeenLeen]

Alexander shrugs. "I'm definitely fine with moving. Be too creepy to keep working there anyway." He remembers seeing one of his co-workers with their face half-chewed-off and shudders. If that guy somehow was healed, well, that's good, but it's not like he could be chummy like before with someone he saw die or saw as a zombie.

[JNAProductions]

Orb and Rose lead you up quite a few flights of stairs, to a small hangar. As they lead you, Rose tells Orb to contact some pilots. There's mostly ordinary vehicles there, though they seem a little sleeker, a little better designed than anything you've seen before. Also there are three pilots-two women and a man-chatting to one another by the helicopters.

Rose clears her throat, and they stop their small talk, standing at attention. "Thank you," Rose says. "Orb should have given you your destinations."

"Yes ma'am," one of the women replies.

"Excellent. Drop off our new agents at the nearest hospital to their 'accident', and they'll be able to get home from there," she continues, before turning to face you. "You will receive mail shortly, offering a new job away from your old one, or a new scholarship opportunity. I'll see you again soon."

[DaOldeWolf]

Trent nods in agreement. All while thinking about his own excuse. He imagined that if he said he was offered a job for gaining experience, he would get the less amount of suspicion. He can only hope that everything moves smoothly especially since he wasnt that good of a liar.

[JNAProductions]

You each board your own helicopter, get buckled in (with a little help from your pilot, if you've not been in one before) and the choppers start off. Rose is gone by this point, but Orb is at the edge of the hangar, waving goodbye.

It's a decently long flight for all of you, during which you alternate between napping and talking with your pilot. They're professional, but still able to talk to you.

You come down on the top of the nearest hospital to Hope's Peak. The pilot tells you "Your family has just arrived, and are waiting in the lobby. Good luck, kid!"

Tell me about Trent's family.
You come down on top of a hospital near The Printing Company. The pilot gives you directions to the room you'll be in-an ordinary, non-emergency hospital room. "We've messed with the records a bit, so you'll be able to just go right in. I'd recommend making some calls to friends and family, 'explaining' the situation."

Talk to me about Nicolas' friends and family-whoever he'd contact.
You land on the top of a hospital, not the NEAREST to Umbrella, but a near one-the nearest one, your pilot informs you, is full. "You should probably see about calling your friends and family-anyone who'd be worried about you," your pilot says.

Talk to me about your friends and family.

[JeenLeen]

Based on the hospital choice, Alexander wonders if the closest hospital is too occupied with survivors of the incident.

He calls his parents. Both are in their 60s. His mom retired from an administrative job at an office recently, and his father does contract work as a programmer; both live in Florida by the beach. They had heard about something on the news, but are relieved he's fine.

He pauses thinking about friends. Most of his friends here are those he has met at work. He's hesitant to speak to any of them, but winds up calling a buddy he's gone to the movies with and bars with a few times. That guy was also told to stay home that day, so it's likely he's in a similar boat, without the superpowers or dying.
It's a rather awkward conversation. Alexander hears the names of some people who made it and some who didn't. To his surprise (sorta), some people he was sure were dead are on the "made it" list. Frightening.

[JNAProductions]

Based on the hospital choice, Alexander wonders if the closest hospital is too occupied with survivors of the incident.

He calls his parents. Both are in their 60s. His mom retired from an administrative job at an office recently, and his father does contract work as a programmer; both live in Florida by the beach. They had heard about something on the news, but are relieved he's fine.

He pauses thinking about friends. Most of his friends here are those he has met at work. He's hesitant to speak to any of them, but winds up calling a buddy he's gone to the movies with and bars with a few times. That guy was also told to stay home that day, so it's likely he's in a similar boat, without the superpowers or dying.
It's a rather awkward conversation. Alexander hears the names of some people who made it and some who didn't. To his surprise (sorta), some people he was sure were dead are on the "made it" list. Frightening.

You head down through the hospital, making your calls. You're a bit surprised to see your car parked the lot of the hospital, but it does allow you to easily head back home. When you check your mail, you see a job offer in a letter. Something about a traveling QA position-going from company to company and double checking their math, making sure there's no embezzlement or even just basic mistakes.

During all this, you do get the occasional text from your parents-more your mom than your dad, but they're both still worried about you.

[DaOldeWolf]

You each board your own helicopter, get buckled in (with a little help from your pilot, if you've not been in one before) and the choppers start off. Rose is gone by this point, but Orb is at the edge of the hangar, waving goodbye.

It's a decently long flight for all of you, during which you alternate between napping and talking with your pilot. They're professional, but still able to talk to you.

You come down on the top of the nearest hospital to Hope's Peak. The pilot tells you "Your family has just arrived, and are waiting in the lobby. Good luck, kid!"

Tell me about Trent's family.
You come down on top of a hospital near The Printing Company. The pilot gives you directions to the room you'll be in-an ordinary, non-emergency hospital room. "We've messed with the records a bit, so you'll be able to just go right in. I'd recommend making some calls to friends and family, 'explaining' the situation."

Talk to me about Nicolas' friends and family-whoever he'd contact.
You land on the top of a hospital, not the NEAREST to Umbrella, but a near one-the nearest one, your pilot informs you, is full. "You should probably see about calling your friends and family-anyone who'd be worried about you," your pilot says.

Talk to me about your friends and family.

Trent is the eldest son of the family. He has a younger brother named Lee (14 years old) and a younger sister named Sam (9 years old). His father Richard (40 years old) is a single parent since their mother Rina died not much after Sam was born.

Since he was young, he had always put a lot of effort into his studies to one day help the family out in their situation. AT the hospital, he tries to reassure his family that he is fine and that there should be no lasting issues on his health. He also speaks about how he has been given a special chance that might prove fruitful economical wise for the family in the future.

[JNAProductions]

They were all quite worried before they saw you, but now that they can see you and you seem fine, Lee and Sam seem more interested in if you got any scars than anything else.

Your dad, though, is still a little worried. "I'm glad you're doing okay... But I still want you to call when you can, though. You're my favorite oldest son," he jokes, "and don't think for a moment I won't drive up here to pull you if I need to. But, what's this opportunity you mentioned?"

You were briefed and told that the cover would be an internship with Gecorin. Some googling reveals plenty of detailed, financial information on it, most of it too dense to be worth reading further in, but more than enough to show it to be either a real company or a very convincing fake.

[JeenLeen]

To set his parents at ease, he tells them how he got a great job offer -- better travel, benefits, etc. -- and away from the area. Just feels safer, after everything. At least, he hopes it will set their minds at ease.

To be paranoid and safe, he decides to wait until the next day to actually accept the job. Well, respond to the email. He assumes Umbrella isn't watching his personal e-mail or phone, and that Torchwood woulda warned him if they were, but, well, who knows.

[JNAProductions]

There's some online forms to fill out, just the usual kind of things you'd expect from a job. WA few hours after all is said and done, you get a telepathic ping from Rose.

Is everything in order? Anything more you need to handle with friends or family? If all is well, we'll get you a flight to New York. There's something there that needs addressing-nothing terribly urgent or especially dangerous, which makes it excellent for training.

[JeenLeen]

Not quite sure how the telepathy works, he thinks strongly, Yes, all in order. Well, I should pack, but could get my important stuff quickly, in a suitcase or two. I'm fine leaving my furniture and junk behind.

[JNAProductions]

You don't have to be so loud, you know, she sends, and you can almost hear her chuckle. Just think at me. But yes, that should be fine.

[JeenLeen]

Sorry. Telepathy is definitely new t me.

---

After checking out of the hospital, he goes home and starts to pack. His home is a small apartment not too far from the Umbrella company he worked at. Good 1-bedroom place for a single guy. Figuring he can get new clothes -- and more comfortable clothes than his work ones -- he decides not to pack most of those. He does bundle them up in case he gets movers later, but mostly packs personal effects, the DVDs he likes most, and his video games. Between a traveling luggage case, a big suitcase, and a carry-on bag with his laptop, he manages to get everything he really needs.

As he checks into his flight, he realizes that he forgot to pack any toiletries. Feeling a bit bemused at his priorities, he nevertheless grins realizing those could easily be bought as well.

[Niobaran]

You each board your own helicopter, get buckled in (with a little help from your pilot, if you've not been in one before) and the choppers start off. Rose is gone by this point, but Orb is at the edge of the hangar, waving goodbye.

It's a decently long flight for all of you, during which you alternate between napping and talking with your pilot. They're professional, but still able to talk to you.

You come down on the top of the nearest hospital to Hope's Peak. The pilot tells you "Your family has just arrived, and are waiting in the lobby. Good luck, kid!"

Tell me about Trent's family.
You come down on top of a hospital near The Printing Company. The pilot gives you directions to the room you'll be in-an ordinary, non-emergency hospital room. "We've messed with the records a bit, so you'll be able to just go right in. I'd recommend making some calls to friends and family, 'explaining' the situation."

Talk to me about Nicolas' friends and family-whoever he'd contact.
You land on the top of a hospital, not the NEAREST to Umbrella, but a near one-the nearest one, your pilot informs you, is full. "You should probably see about calling your friends and family-anyone who'd be worried about you," your pilot says.

Talk to me about your friends and family.

Right before Rose leaves, Nicolas remembers something. "Erm, excuse me, before you go... I forgot something... Thank you. It's a lot to process right now, but I guess without your help, I'd be dead."

...

Nicolas is somewhat torn apart between excitement and a slight worry as he enters the helicopter. He had been a frequent flier his life, with his family coming from Britain, living in the US and having been on quite some holidays in south east asia and middle america. But yet, there is presumably quite a different feeling between flying in a big plane and a comparably small helicopter. He starts out with not making too much small talk with the pilot, as he prefers them to have their eyes "on the road", but after a little nap, he awakes with newfound energy and a calm mind, and starts to talk with the pilot, more over this and that, and less about either of the two's lives or occupations.

...

When the pilot leaves, he wants to answer, but seeing that he had to half-scream it due to the noise of the helicopter, he just thinks it. Maybe I'll just tell them the truth, that I don't know jack about
what happened there. After a short stroll to the toilet, he gets rid of abundant clothing and settles into the hospital bed. He brings forth his mobile and starts a message, cancels, starts a call, aborts. It suddenly all felt a lot more difficult than he thought. He starts to read over the news articles about the event at the Printing Company to familiarize himself with some of the results. As he had no missed calls from his parents, it appears as if the news about the incident did not reach overseas to his parents. Fortunately, in a way, he had not signed in that day properly, and as such the emergency contact he had given to the company had not been called either. Torn between calling one of his friends, colleagues or family, he scrolls through the news articles again and again, trying to see whether he finds any background information.

[JNAProductions]

The news reports are all about a water main bursting violently in the Printing Company, followed by the architecturally unstable building having a partial collapse. The head of the Printing Company, Joey Drew, is missing and presumed to be somewhere in the wreckage, but outside that, most everyone made it out okay. There are plenty of injuries, but no one else is missing or dead.

You get a flight without too much difficulty. Nothing particularly interesting happens on it-you get served some overpriced snacks, there's a bad in-flight movie, and a little turbulence.

Eventually, you touch down. When you head out to the parking lot, you see someone waiting with a sign reading "Alexander Faulks and friends." The man holding the sign is big-built like a refrigerator crossed with a megalodon, but smiles as you approach. "Your friends are a little behind, so mind waiting here? I'm Roger-I'll be your chauffeur for the moment."

We're gonna wait for the others to catch up here.

[DaOldeWolf]

They were all quite worried before they saw you, but now that they can see you and you seem fine, Lee and Sam seem more interested in if you got any scars than anything else.

Your dad, though, is still a little worried. "I'm glad you're doing okay... But I still want you to call when you can, though. You're my favorite oldest son," he jokes, "and don't think for a moment I won't drive up here to pull you if I need to. But, what's this opportunity you mentioned?"

You were briefed and told that the cover would be an internship with Gecorin. Some googling reveals plenty of detailed, financial information on it, most of it too dense to be worth reading further in, but more than enough to show it to be either a real company or a very convincing fake.

"I am just glad to see you all here. I will try to be more mindful. I am sorry for taking so long to call. I didnt want to worry any of you." Trent replies knowing how it was important to keep details away from his family.

[JNAProductions]

"Alright," your dad says. "Your Gecorin thing-you said you needed to get to New York?" he continues. "They're paying for it, which is great, but New York is a big city. I know you think you've been to big places, but that's one of the biggest. You don't have to leave now."

[DaOldeWolf]

Trent nods but insists. "I will be fine. I am sure I am old enough to handle myself. You will see? And I can call you every few days to let you all know that we are doing just fine. What do you think about it?" Trent replies with a confident and serious face.

[JNAProductions]

"I think you'll be okay," your dad says. "Good luck on this new opportunity! We love you."

Your siblings echo your dad, both for good luck and the familial love.

[DaOldeWolf]

Trent nods in agreement. He was glad that things seemed to be moving pretty smoothly. "Thank you very much for being this considerate. I promise not to let you down." he adds.

Sorry for not replying before. We didnt have internet for a few days.

[JNAProductions]

Trent, after the more goodbyes and packing, gets a flight to New York. You head to the parking lot, not 100% sure what to do, but you see Alexander there, talking to a man who's built like the lovechild of a refrigerator and a megalodon.