Torchwood [IC]

[JNAProductions]

OOC Thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?667245-Torchwood-OOC&p=26007731)
You wake up in an unfamiliar room. There's a note on the bedside table.

You have been in an accident. You encountered something you should not have. And so, you are faced with a choice.

Forget about it. Wake up tomorrow and go back to your life, ordinary as the day you were born.

Or help make sure that everyone else can keep living their ordinary lives, safe and happy.

You do not have to choose immediately. You will be able to learn more before you decide.

But be prepared.

-R.L.

You look around, and see plain grey walls. The bed is simple, but comfortable. The table at the bedside is a simple wooden affair, nothing fancy. The door is on the opposite side of the room.

As you try to get your bearings, there's a knock on the door.

The door opens, and reveals a very tired-looking man. He gives you a smile, and says "Hey. I bet you've got a lot of questions-but you've probably got some answers too. My name's Zed-walk with me?"
The door opens, and reveals a young woman in a loose, sleeveless shirt and jean shorts. "Sup," she says. "I'd call you by your name, but, well... now's a good time to pick a new one, hey?"
The door opens, and reveals a one-armed man. "Miss Ashemore? My name is William. I know you're looking to ask some questions-and I can answer some of them, I'm sure. But I'd also like to ask you a few in exchange."

[Illven]

Um.....uh... Chelsea spills from her lips. Chelsea She repeats more firmly this time.

Um.... what's your name? What happened? She says a blush brightining her cheeks.

[JNAProductions]

I might have subdivided the peeps into spoilers.
However! I trust everyone to be able to keep IC and OOC knowledge separate. So, feel free to read each others' spoilers.

And, while I do appreciate Illven spoilering the response, it's not needed. The initial spoilers were just to keep things a little neat, that's all. :)

"Chelsea. That's a cool name," she replies. "I'm Natalie-and you went through what's called a... Ah, dammit, I had it memorized and everything." She cusses a bit under her breath, then remembers. "An opp-something cogitative wave. Basically, there was some supernatural whig-wham that made whatever you were thinking about just, bam. Happen. This kind of crap happens more often than you might expect-but most people don't think that strongly. Worst is when it happens at a gym-like steroids to the brain. But yeah-apparently some folk where you were had some pretty nasty thoughts at that moment, which lead to you arriving here."

Natalie looks at your feet. "You, uh, got some grass growing."

[Illven]

Chelsea looks down, before realizing that grass and soil has started to root itself into the floor. Gah! She jumps high and back. "Um.... I don't know how that happened.

[Aleph Null]

Altair takes a moment to make sure his thought-translator is working properly, which results in a bit of a dyne for about half a second before his 'voice' becomes audible.
"I reckon I should have checked this thing sooner. Not being able to communicate would be rather catastrophic..." It sounds surprisingly natural.
"It turns out that I have lots of answers. Whether they're the ones you are looking for remains to be seen, of course, mister Zed. As for walking..."
He sort-of glides over the ground toward the door. The air feels slightly heavier around him -- as though the gravity is slightly stronger there.
"Will this suffice?" He gestures to clearly indicate his...unusual mode of movement.

[Greenflame133]

Lilliana sits on her bed, reading the note again and again. Not even managing to gather her thoughts to reply before the man invites himself. As he talks she folds the note, unfolding it, rotating 90 degrees and folding again. Repeating this motion thought the entire conversion. "Of corse I have questions. Like what kind of space force non-sens are you guys?" She speaks, barely holding back 5 more questions

[JNAProductions]

Chelsea looks down, before realizing that grass and soil has started to root itself into the floor. Gah! She jumps high and back. "Um.... I don't know how that happened.

"Don't worry," Natalie says. "We could use some more green around here. Walk with me?" she offers her arm.


Altair takes a moment to make sure his thought-translator is working properly, which results in a bit of a dyne for about half a second before his 'voice' becomes audible.
"I reckon I should have checked this thing sooner. Not being able to communicate would be rather catastrophic..." It sounds surprisingly natural.
"It turns out that I have lots of answers. Whether they're the ones you are looking for remains to be seen, of course, mister Zed. As for walking..."
He sort-of glides over the ground toward the door. The air feels slightly heavier around him -- as though the gravity is slightly stronger there.
"Will this suffice?" He gestures to clearly indicate his...unusual mode of movement.

Zed chuckles. "You're ambulatory, so that's enough for me. Think you need a bite to eat? We're not entirely sure what sort of sustenance you'll need, but if you can taste it, we've got some pretty good food here."


Lilliana sits on her bed, reading the note again and again. Not even managing to gather her thoughts to reply before the man invites himself. As he talks she folds the note, unfolding it, rotating 90 degrees and folding again. Repeating this motion thought the entire conversion. "Of corse I have questions. Like what kind of space force non-sens are you guys?" She speaks, barely holding back 5 more questions

"We generally don't go to space," William replies. "But you know as well as I do that there's more to the world than most people would believe. We're the people who make sure the things that go bump in the night don't cause issues. We're the people who make sure that the myths and stories stay that way, instead of drowning the world or unleashing a thousand-year storm. We're called Torchwood. And, in exchange, a question for you. Hungry?"

[Greenflame133]

"Oh, I'm always hunger, and from the sounds of this Touchwood organization seems to be basically shadow government, so you must have some good snacks." Lilliana eyes wonder to the note, folded and unfolded a few too many times, slowly tearing from the strain. "The note mentioned it as well. What kind of forbidden arcane knowledge do I posses?"

[JNAProductions]

"At the moment? Not too much," William replies, leading you through an ordinary-looking hall. "You've got potential, but lots of people do. Normally, you would've gone on about your life, drawing your pictures, studying your books, and working your job. But, your bosses made some decisions that got them wrapped up in something they shouldn't've. You were just caught in the crossfire."

He opens a door, an reveals a cafeteria. There's a bunch of snacks, all made freshly, lined against the wall, and a few people munching and talking. "Not a meal time, so just snacks. Take your pick."

[Aleph Null]

Zed chuckles. "You're ambulatory, so that's enough for me. Think you need a bite to eat? We're not entirely sure what sort of sustenance you'll need, but if you can taste it, we've got some pretty good food here."


"I retain all of the senses of the human body — including taste — but I can derive sustenance from any form of matter, including air, and only need to do so infrequently. I would still enjoy some good food, though, as a means to take the edge off the rather stressful situation..."

The obvious question of how he would eat is pointedly ignored, but perhaps that isn't important.

"I am actually curious how much you were able to figure out without actually asking me...where I'm from, the technology was insufficient to examine much about me until the outsider tech came."

[JNAProductions]

He shrugs. "Honestly, we're not sure how accurate a lot of what we've got is. But we're used to working with incomplete information, much as the Director hates leaving things to chance. At least you're friendly."

Zed leads you through a hall, opening it to a cafeteria. You see, just coming in from another door, a one-armed man and a woman dressed much, much more casually than Zed and the other people eating snacking.

[Illven]

Chelsea takes the offered arm eager to see where she is lead.

[JNAProductions]

Natalie leads Chelsea to the cafeteria. When she enters and spies Zed and William, she gives a wave. "Hey, you guys got the other newbies?"

[Illven]

Oh is that all for us? Chelsea asks eagerly.

[Greenflame133]

Lillian is quick to make her way to one of the tables, taking three thumbprints cookies. Then she finds wall to lean against.

Here eyes wondered around the room. William and two strangers mentioned noobies. They probably don't have much either, but perhaps she can listen in of whatever conversation they are having.

[Aleph Null]

”I will concede that my appearance is unnerving, so I am glad you have the patience to allow me to prove my nonhostile intent. I’ve been told I look like what would happen if someone who knew human language but not scientific terms were asked to envision the term 'celestial body' and draw their idea.”
The voice-projector does manage to capture the dry humor in that sentence, though there’s still a bit of an unearthly echo to his voice it still sounds otherwise natural. He follows Zed into the room and, for the moment, quietly observes the others.

[JNAProductions]

"Yeah, go nuts," Natalie tells Chelsea.

William stays near Liliana, taking a single cookie for himself. "It might be easier if you take a seat-we can all do some explaining if you sit with the other new folk."

Zed looks to William, and calls over. "Heard that. No need to make her sit-we can all just meet by the wall."

Soon, you're all assembled by the spot Liliana chose-two men, one with one arm; three women (or at least femme-presenting) people, two dressed casually and one dressed in ill-fitting clothes; and the nebula humanoid. Natalie is the first one to talk again. "Damn. You got the interesting person, didn't you, Zed?"

[Illven]

So uh....what's going on? Chelsea says in-between mouthfuls of food, slowly turning the floor beneath her into grass and flowers.

[JNAProductions]

William, the one-armed man, elucidates the matter. "To keep it relatively brief, you're currently in one of Torchwood's outpost. Torchwood, as I explained to Miss Ashemore earlier, is a global organization dedicated to keeping the world safe from things that your average person would have trouble comprehending, or at least have trouble reconciling with their life. I believe the Director left you all a note, giving... Well, not much of an explanation, but an offer."

He pauses a moment to munch on his cookie, then continues. "You could, with training, become skilled and powerful agents that help us. Chelsea, you can already see your own powers manifesting. Altair... Well, you'd have trouble going back, no matter what. And Liliana, you could be trained to do magic, we suspect, quite well. Training won't be easy, and the missions you'll be going on will not be safe. We do our utmost to keep people healthy and alive, ours and others, but we don't always succeed. If you don't wish to, you'll forget all about us. Liliana, you'll wake up in a hospital with some minor burns-your company's office has, by now, been burned down by the people you saw coming in. You'll be healthy enough to be released in a day, maybe less, and you'll have to find a new job, of course."

Natalie looks to Chelsea. "If you decline, it'll take a little more work on our end. We'll suppress the more overtly supernatural abilities you have, and do some work to make sure people believe the transition's been happening for longer. Well... I mean, you want to keep your body, right? We looked into your medical history and saw a lot of visits to a gender clinic, and you seem pretty happy with the new looks."

Zed looks to Altair. "And you... Well, Altair, I don't think you can leave and go back to your old life. If you don't want to be an agent, would you be willing to work with some of our research teams? You don't need to answer now, of course, but your situation is quite unique."

[Greenflame133]

Lillian goes to take a seat, but not without swapping a few more snacks on her way. She sits in the chair. More specific she sits cross legged feat dangling from the sides.

She waits for William to finish speaking. Listing altho she might appear more distracted frigging with and nibbling on the snacks. When he finishes l, she waits a half a second and the speaks. "In other words, I can either go thought the recurrent hell with a tight deadline or become a wizard for the shadow government. Sounds like a bad deal either way."

[Aleph Null]

Altair shakes his head.

"If you know my situation, then you might know why I would want to help protect people from supernatural threats. This world...it does not appear to have anything like the Worldly Veil that was present in mine originally. That means this organization is probably the only thing standing between this world and the Sundering that shattered my own...and I know very well the consequences should such a defense mechanism fail. We tried to contain the Tipping, and we actually succeeded for a while...but the statistics speak for themselves. The vast majority of worlds that Tip eventually are Sundered."

He takes a drink of water, lifting the glass and tipping it toward the spot you'd normally expect to see a mouth and letting it flow into seemingly nothing. The eye-pips under his hood briefly phase from the off-white color they normally have to a vivid shade of sky blue before returning to normal.

"I may be new to this world, but I'm used to danger. Perhaps a little too used to it, if my friends back home had anything to say about it."

The celestial being pauses for a moment, as though lost in thought.

"I guess losing one's parents in a plane crash would preclude becoming a pilot, let alone an astronaut, unless one had at least a couple of screws loose in the 'ability to feel fear' department," he adds nonchalantly, not seeming to pay much mind to the skipped context.

[Illven]

I....I want to help....but um... maybe you could not out me in the future? Chelsea offers hopefully.

[JNAProductions]

I....I want to help....but um... maybe you could not out me in the future? Chelsea offers hopefully.

Natalie looks away a moment. "Sorry... Given the kind of stuff we work with, something as mundane as just being trans isn't really a big deal. I mean, even among you three, you've got the guy literally made of space. But, uh... Yeah, still shouldn't've done that. Sorry again."

[Greenflame133]

"That reminds me, you keep saying a saw something I shouldn't have. But really, I can't recall anything close to nebula man over there. Care to elaborate on what exactly did I see?" Lillians voice shows a hint of importance. Surely it was not the complaint forms or any other document she was handling at work.

[Aleph Null]

"If you want to be technical, because the majority of atoms heavier than Helium have large gaps between electron energy levels, we are all mostly made of space. But I suppose my body is rather unique in its appearance. If I were to turn off the photon capture field that is the reason the surface of my body is so dark, you'd all be dead in less than a second, so with the assumption that being alive is more important than seeing the true appearance of my body, I leave it on," he clarifies, a bit of a matter-of-fact tone masking the seriousness of his statement.

"My body is also bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, for the exact same purpose of being able to walk around among people without instantly incinerating them. All the energy that is required for upkeep of these mechanisms would be radiated out into space anyway, and that isn't very useful. Incidentally, I was not always one body or being. I was initially two, one a human and the other a star, much like the one this planet orbits...though a lot bigger and a lot bluer. I became what I am in a sort of random-chance anomaly not unlike the one that miss Chelsea here experienced according to the record you gave."

If his body really is that of a star, it might explain the slight gravity increase near him, but there is probably more going on under the hood that is allowing him to be here in a way that isn't as disruptive as just putting the sun in the middle of your dining hall.

"I did mention that I came from another world, and that perspective may affect my interpretations of what you describe. Though the superhuman existed there as well, nothing says any of it followed the same rules, and it's already clear — from the lack of a Worldly Veil here, at a minimum — that there must be differences."

The tone at the end of that sentence shifts in the direction of intellectual curiosity, almost as though he hopes someone will jump in and begin explaining things.

[JNAProductions]

"That reminds me, you keep saying a saw something I shouldn't have. But really, I can't recall anything close to nebula man over there. Care to elaborate on what exactly did I see?" Lillians voice shows a hint of importance. Surely it was not the complaint forms or any other document she was handling at work.

"Well, the organization that came to shut your company down wasn't us-not sure if that was made clear," William says. "Chances are, if we hadn't intervened, you'd be dead by now."

Zed answers Altair's open question. "We actually don't have much information on your reality. One of our research teams spotted some anomalies, went to investigate, and found a spatial distortion. While they were trying to set up their gear, whole thing collapsed leaving you behind."

[Greenflame133]

"Second organization? The plot thickens, but would kill you to give a full answer. I might be knowlagble on thier wibbly wobbly, timey wimey physicks, but Altair's explanation sounded rather indepth. Really, for people controlling global flow of information, you don't seem super organized. Just gather new people in a room and hope they join without poking too deep. Well, I don't make habbit of signing a contract I didn't read, so I want to know what I'm getting myself into." Lillian's starts ranting, for a moment forgetting the snacks, as her gaze wonders from the table to just above William's heads.

[Illven]

Chelsea actually nods outloud. Yeah....like how much money do we get. We have bills to pay.

[JNAProductions]

Natalie laughs at Liliana's rant. "Yeah, trust me-much as the brass likes to pretend they've got everything down to a t, holy hell can things get messy!"

Zed and William glare at her, and she just stares right back. "Tell me I'm wrong, huh?" she says. "But... Ultimately things are gonna come down to what the Director wants. Might as well just take you to her now."

The two men look at one another, nod, and William says "Point taken. I've a few other things I need to address, and I believe you are late," he tells Natalie. "Zed, take them to see her?"

"Sounds like a plan," he replies, and stands up. "Follow me, please."

You depart the cafeteria, and are lead to a stairwell. It goes down for what feels like much too long, and then you reach a small hall, with a single door at the end. Zed approaches it and knocks. "Madame Director? The potential new recruits are here."

"Door is unlocked," a woman's strong alto comes from behind it. "Enter."

Zed, a gentleman, opens the door and holds it for you all. Inside, you see a large and well-appointed office-there's a desk, many filing cabinets and drawers, and three chairs against the wall. "Take a seat, please," the Director tells you. She's a woman of a little above average height, with a short cut of blonde hair. On her ears are simple emerald studs, and she's in a practical deep-purple suit. She is writing with a feather quill.

[Illven]

Chelsea takes a seat. Um.....hello.

[Aleph Null]

Altair sort of hovers near the chair for a moment, almost like he is trying to figure out how to use the thing, before finally finding a seat in it after a little bit of maneuvering and retracting the wing-like stabilizers from his back. Despite the lack of most facial features, something in his demeanor shows a clear appreciation for the fact that he is no longer the only person in the room wearing purple.

"I'd say good morning, but it occurred to me that I am not actually sure what time of day it is here."

[JNAProductions]

"The sun is setting, so good evening would be most appropriate," she says, setting her quill in an inkwell. "I hope the past bit of time has not been too rough. I do understand that you are dealing with some sudden changes."

She consolidates the papers she's writing on, and moves them to one side before raising her gaze directly to you three. She starts with Altair. "You, I feel, have already made your mind up. You cannot go home, but you have the mind of someone who is willing to go beyond to help those who need it."

Then, Chelsea. "You are still thinking. But you are also the kind of person who wishes to help the helpless. I would imagine there is only a few more details to settle."

And finally, Liliana. "And you are the least sure. Understandable-while you have potential, you have not had any overtly supernatural experiences yet. Nothing like the other two."

For Greenflame: I do know that Liliana had her tea party and that was supernatural. The Director does not-like was said, she likes to think she's got it all in her head, and while she is a smart cookie, she ain't perfect.

[Greenflame133]

Not very organized. Perhaps Torchwood that far from

Lilliana follows the group. Into the room. Climbing onto the chair and sitting on it. A bit more normal than before, but still far from straight. Legs crossed and pushing on the floor and sawing just a bit.

"Of course I'm hesitant. Your organization dosn't answer to the public, and given what you do, I would assume you don't answer to governments either. So then, who watches the watcher?" With the question up in the air, she put one of the cookies in her mouth.

and Lilliana doesn't know either, since that's accident from childhood, so she is confused

[Aleph Null]

Altair's response comes after a bit of a delay.

"You know more about me than I expected...just how much of my memories have you examined? I won't hold it against you, but I am rather curious as it will give me a better idea of this world's technological level and...other sorts of advancements you might have available."

[Illven]

I keep having to actively concentrate to not make plants. Chelsea admits.

[JNAProductions]

She answers each in turn. "Liliana, I understand your hesitancy. But would you rather see the world protected by humans, flawed as we might be; or conquered by beings with no humanity at all?" To Altair, she says "We've not delved into your mind-we simply pay attention to what you've said. Your words reveal plenty about yourself, especially since you have the feel of an honest person. This world, as a whole, is behind what we have here at Torchwood-we try to leak technology, mostly medical and logistical advances, as best we can though. And Chelsea, much as I would like you working with us, we do have ways to suppress your powers should you wish to return to your old life."

[Greenflame133]

"Humans, more like a single human. And I'm a terrible judge of character, so I would rather not swear allegiance to your shadow government on that. That said, I have to make my mind either way. Heck, for all I know, the offer to go back to regular life is a travel to Zalem kind of deal." Lilliana replies, pay no attention to how increasingly obscure her pop culture references get.

[Illven]

I.....I want to help. Chelsea says more firmly this time.

[JNAProductions]

"I'm not the only person who has authority here. I might be Director, but I am not without checks and balances. If you wish, though," she tells Liliana, "feel free to talk to anyone here. I won't choose who, as I'm sure you'd have a distrust of anyone I hand-picked to be spokesperson. As for you two..." she turns slightly to face Altair and Chelsea. "Welcome aboard."

[Aleph Null]

He nods slightly.

"Hope to be of use. There isn't anything I can do for my old home...but I will do my best to protect this new one."

[Greenflame133]

Liliana relaxes her feel, letting the chain fall, and leans forward. "That sounds fair."

[JNAProductions]

The Director smiles. "I am glad you feel that way. Go ahead and take a walk, find some folk to talk to, and we will speak again. Chelsea, you will need to do some work on getting your abilities better controlled. Altair, we are hoping you can offer some assistance with finding a way for you to be able to exist in society without causing a ruckus. You might only stick out a little here, but among ordinary folk, it will be much more problematic. And you will be wanting one of these," she continues, retrieving what looks like two smartwatches from a drawer in her desk. "These will help you navigate the facilities, contact other agents, and all manner of other things."

When you affix the watches, the screen brightens up. It seems they've been preloaded with directions-Chelsea can see her destination as Training Room Gamma, while Altair can see his directions are for Stellar Research Bay.

Loot, get! Torchwood Smartwatches! :P

[Illven]

Chelsea will start to head towards Training room Gamma nervously.

[Aleph Null]

"It...definitely would be jarring to see someone like me in a world where most people live unaware, yes. I had the benefit of never having to worry about that back home, but given the nature of my powers, I assume we can come up with something."

Altair nods respectfully and follows the directions to the lab.

[Greenflame133]

Lilliana heads out. Stallings thought corridors, really following her heart more than any direction, as this whole facility looks about the same amount of unfamiliar to her. Eventually pick a door to swing open, and without even looking who is in the room and what they might be doing, yells. "What's up suckers"

[JNAProductions]

Chelsea goes up some stairs and enters a lobby area. There's two people, a man and a woman, sitting on chairs. They look tired, like they've been exercising hard. "Afternoon," the woman says.
Her watch beeps, and looking at it shows instructions. Training Room Gamma is operated automatically. The wall panel will grant you access-select "Magical Resistance".
She does so, and the panel chimes, with text appearing. Please wait for more trainees. ETA: Four Minutes.

The man looks over. "Hey, you know you've got grass at your feet?"


The Stellar Research bay is up, up, and up. Even with his new form, Altair can the stairclimbing wearing on him a bit. But surmounting the summit unveils a large laboratory, with a telescope at the center. There's a couple of folk about, tending to instruments and observing monitors. As you the door shuts behind him, he sees a rather large man approaching. "Hello there, chum!" he says, climbing small set of steps to the entrance landing. "Name's Davis Rucker. You're the reason we've got our new project, aren'tcha?"
Davis is tall, easily seven feet, and his hand and arms look well-muscled as he holds one out for a shake.


Liliana wanders for a bit, and opens the door to yell at the occupants. Her voice echoes considerably, as when she pays attention, the room within is a hangar bay. "What?" someone nearby asks, taking off their earmuffs. "Sorry, repeat that?" he asks, his voice a little louder than he probably thinks it is.

[Aleph Null]

"Good to have someone friendly about. There is something rather...stifling about highly-formal organizational tendencies."

Altair takes the handshake with a glove -- it's unclear whether there is anything substantial underneath it, of course, but it looks about as rigid as a normal hand would be.

[Illven]

Yeah um.....I'm new at this.... Chelsea admits.

[JNAProductions]

"Eh, some of us keep it relaxed. Natalie's pretty chill-but the director's got a stick up her rear when it comes to just about anything," he says. "Damn good at her job, at least. So, let's talk tech! How does your body work?"

He leads you as you explain to the best of your abilities towards some of the instruments.

[JNAProductions]

"You're one of the new ones?" the man asks. "We haven't had anyone this overtly supernatural since Natalie came here."

Chelsea's look of curiosity is obvious, and the woman steps in to explain. "She's stronger than she should be-not so much 'bodybuilder' as 'Spiderman'. She could bench press all three of us with one hand, easy."

[Illven]

"You're one of the new ones?" the man asks. "We haven't had anyone this overtly supernatural since Natalie came here."

Chelsea's look of curiosity is obvious, and the woman steps in to explain. "She's stronger than she should be-not so much 'bodybuilder' as 'Spiderman'. She could bench press all three of us with one hand, easy."

Ohhhh. I think I have.....choloromancy? Chelsea tries to think of the proper name for plant magic.

[Greenflame133]

"A dude, that's a lot ... anyway, I'm just checking up on ya. What are you breaking in here?" She leans to the side to see what's behind the person she is currently talking to.

[JNAProductions]

"Plant magic," the man says. "That's pretty nifty. Hey, maybe you can help me grow some flowers for the wife!"

The door to the lobby opens again, and two women walk in. The first women is tall, but not graceful. Gangly might be the best way to describe her. She carries a few implements-wands, rods, an orb... The second woman is much shorter, barely breaking 5', and has no visible tools.

With their entrance, the panel chimes. Enter appears on the screen and the door to the training room itself opens.

"Best of luck!" the average-looking woman tells Chelsea. The man tips his head, and the two leave.

As the three women walk for the entrance, the shortest of them looks to Chelsea. "You're training too, that's good. Clarissa needs someone besides me to practice with."


Behind the mechanic are a few small planes and a helicopter. They don't look unusual. "Hopefully nothing!" he replies. "We finally managed to get everything in working order. It's a hell of a job, keeping the planes and crap running with the paces the pilots put 'em through. Who're you?"

Liliana offers her name, and he nods. "James," he puts his hand out to shake.

Another man appears from the cockpit of a plane, where he's been working on something. "James! Help me get the tools out of this."

[Aleph Null]

"My body is...well, it's almost closer to a pocket dimension than to a non-Euclidean container, simply due to the number of orders of magnitude by which the size of the inside differs from that of the outside. That said, it isn't separate from the rest of the Universe the way a pocket dimension would be. In a material sense, the stellar material is shifted in certain places to replicate the function of the sensory parts of a human body — otherwise, the structures I created that provide the stabilization in-atmosphere, gravity suppression, and radiation capture were created using matter that was present in my surroundings after the human part of me merged with the star part. Because the star is, in a sense, still there, the amount of energy I have at my disposal is...well, a lot. Using it all at once is not practical, of course, but if you need high-power devices to generate some sort of disguise, then that is definitely in the realm of possibility."

Altair describes how he is able to harness the ridiculous amount of energy present in the core of a type 0a+ blue-violet hypergiant in what quantities are necessary and then stores the rest of it in the form of matter using an energy-mass synthesis technique he perfected via the combined ideas of the human's and star's minds.

"It isn't some form of magical creation — just as the amount of energy that can be gained by mass conversion is immense, so too is the amount required to synthesize matter. This, however, means that I can effectively store energy I generate via fusion in the form of light elements. If I 'save up' so to speak, that does allow me to synthesize enough matter to create an object at human-level scale, but I won't be popping buildings into existence or anything like that."

As he continues to explain, he uses gestures that appear intended to demonstrate or give visual association, though it's more helpful when he conjures little light-shows at certain points almost as though animating it.

"I also don't really need to eat or breathe, though the occasional intake of water ensures I maintain a high concentration of hydrogen for peak efficiency. Humans release carbon dioxide when they exhale; I release helium, since that is the result of hydrogen fusion. As I already demonstrated, I am capable of feats many would consider magic, but they are firmly rooted in the laws of physics and won't do anything strictly impossible, like create something out of nothing or cause an object with nonzero mass to move faster than light," he admits, dubious as the notion is when the energy-to-mass synthesis would resemble creating something out of nothing to any normal person.

[JNAProductions]

Davis nods as he listens attentively. "Sounds like your reality may, in fact, be better tethered to the physical norm than ours. Director LaLonde can, as best we can tell, legitimately do things that should be impossible according to physics-teleport, make something from nothing, all that that you can't do. Hrm..." he lets out. "Well, my main task for the moment involving you is figuring out how to get this form into one palatable to ordinary society. We can stretch it a bit-Torchwood has some damn good SEP fields-but not THAT good."

When you voice your question as to what a SEP field is, he explains. "Someone Else's Problem field. Not invisibility-just inattentiveness. They can see you just fine, but they don't register you as anything important. Works best on things that aren't that remarkable to start. So, ordinary person? SEP renders them basically invisible. Me? I'd be a little less covered because I'm so damn big. You? Hoo boy, nope."

[Greenflame133]

Lillian follows James, looking over thier machines. "This is quite a bit of heavy machinery. How do you even use them without getting attention of air trafic authorities?"

[Illven]

"Plant magic," the man says. "That's pretty nifty. Hey, maybe you can help me grow some flowers for the wife!"

The door to the lobby opens again, and two women walk in. The first women is tall, but not graceful. Gangly might be the best way to describe her. She carries a few implements-wands, rods, an orb... The second woman is much shorter, barely breaking 5', and has no visible tools.

With their entrance, the panel chimes. Enter appears on the screen and the door to the training room itself opens.

"Best of luck!" the average-looking woman tells Chelsea. The man tips his head, and the two leave.

As the three women walk for the entrance, the shortest of them looks to Chelsea. "You're training too, that's good. Clarissa needs someone besides me to practice with."

What....uh...what can Clarissa do? Chelsea asks.

[JNAProductions]

Lillian follows James, looking over thier machines. "This is quite a bit of heavy machinery. How do you even use them without getting attention of air trafic authorities?"

"Well, sometimes we slip them into the normal flight of things. Other times we just make sure no one notices the vehicles or what-have-you. Not really my department, you know, but you pick up on things," James replies. He grabs a ladder, tilting it against the plane. "Steady that for me, will ya?" he asks, and climbs it to help his coworker with the tools.

Once the cockpit is free from the unneeded implements, the other man looks over to her. "James, who is this?"

"Liliana," James tells him.

"And what is she doing here?"

James pauses a moment. "Hey, uh, what are you doing here?"


What....uh...what can Clarissa do? Chelsea asks.

"Clarissa can-" the shorter woman starts.

"Speak for herself, thank you very much! I know I've got a lot of work to do, but come on," she says. "I'm currently an evoker-specializing in the kind of magic that you can use on short notice, directly, and with often kinda explody impact. I'm trying to work on other things, but... Well, magic isn't easy."

As the three talk, the door closes behind them. They're in a large, mostly open room. There are some punching bags against the wall, some training dummies, and some cutouts like you'd see at a shooting range. But, something else Chelsea notices as soon as the door closes, she feels just a touch less lively. If she looks down, she can see that her feet are no longer causing grass to sprout.

Clarissa continues, asking "What can you do?"

Chelsea tells her as much as she knows-which isn't much. The short woman nods. "New to this. Well, let's see if you can push it through the dampening field of the training room. Clarissa can, though she lacks control when she does."

[Aleph Null]

"In fairness, I can do something that might seem like teleportation to one who is not paying attention. It's actually an effect of the high amount of mass I have present inside my body that lets me exert gravity on the fabric of space. But it still takes a nominal amount of time, since I have to bend space into the right shape so that I can connect the tunnel to the right location, then actually walk through it...I can't break the speed of light, but I can move space so as to make my destination closer to me than it normally would be, and thereby cover distances that would normally require faster-than-light travel. If you have ever watched or read any space opera, that tends to be a good starting point if you want to figure out what my limits are. If something is possible in theory to you, there's a solid chance it is, in fact, possible."

He gives a moment of thought about the SEP field.

"That sounds like the effect of the Worldly Veil my world had originally...but at non-global scale. I had been imagining some sort of light-distortion effect that could produce a false image, or divert light around me?"

[Illven]

Chelsea starts with stomping her foot, then with a shonen power yell to end all power yells starts shooting vines from her fingers.

[Greenflame133]

"Right, you won't remember. " Lillian decides to bluff. Surely those people are used to deal with all sorts of weirdness." I'm most here to check on things. Make sure you don't start world war three but flying that jet in the wrong airspace. Insecure politicians are a nightmare to deal with."

[JNAProductions]

"Well, depends-you want to exist in society, or are you happy just being here with us?" Davis asks. "Going ghost is all well and good for sneaking around, and there's plenty of folk here... But there's a lot more to the world than just work."


The vines that Chelsea fires flop to the ground, like a real vine that had no support would. The short woman gives a small whistle. "That's a decent chunk of power right there. Not well controlled," she adds with a glance to Clarissa, "but it's got oomph. Here-if you're willing, I can try to help guide you," she holds her hand out for Chelsea to take.


James and his coworker look at you. You get the strong feeling they aren't buying it.

[Illven]

Chelsea grabs Natalie's hand nervously.

[Aleph Null]

"Nothing says we have to come up with one solution and then stick with it. The ability to make a false image might take longer to develop than simple invisibility, and I don't mind waiting on the former if the latter can be finished more quickly and enable me to begin helping people sooner," he points out.

"It might be possible to add an extra containment layer that can be shifted in appearance to seem human, but that might become cumbersome. In fact, it might make sense to have multiple, modular options for different circumstances, now that I think about it."

[JNAProductions]

Chelsea grabs Natalie's hand nervously.

The short woman is not Natalie. You don't know her name yet.

"Alright. Breathe," she says, and you feel something connect you two. You can't hear her thoughts, but you can feel what she's feeling, and she can do the same to you. "Focus on the vines... They're already there, you just need to control them."

With her guidance and some more power from you, the vines animate-sluggishly at first, but then faster, wriggling on the ground and obeying your commands.


"Nothing says we have to come up with one solution and then stick with it. The ability to make a false image might take longer to develop than simple invisibility, and I don't mind waiting on the former if the latter can be finished more quickly and enable me to begin helping people sooner," he points out.

"It might be possible to add an extra containment layer that can be shifted in appearance to seem human, but that might become cumbersome. In fact, it might make sense to have multiple, modular options for different circumstances, now that I think about it."

"Hey, I like the way you're thinking. Practical," Davis comments. "We'll need some of the engineers' takes on it, but you've got a plan. Now, stand still, gotta get a few readings..."

Right-if there's no objections, I wouldn't mind moving forward a bit of time.

Say, a week or so, moving us past the initial onboarding. This will let us give your PCs the basics of their skills down, without having to go through every meticulous detail.

[Aleph Null]

Good by me.

[Greenflame133]

Works for me. Perhaps some summery on what happeneds during that time. I wonder if Lillian eve lerns what she saw

[Illven]

I am also good to move on.

[JNAProductions]

Time moves on. A week passes.

Liliana spends her first day or two asking around-what she finds puts her, mostly, at ease. No one she talks to thinks that Torchwood is perfect-but they all think it's better than nothing. And the fact that dissent is allowed, and from what she heard, people are encouraged to step forward and try to get improvements made, that seals it. She gets some help finding the Director and agrees to sign on.

From there, Chelsea and Liliana spend a good chunk of time together. The two both have magic in them, so they work with one another to develop their skills. Chelsea's plant magic and Liliana's more fey magic blend well together, and they both feel like they've got a decent grasp by the week's end. At the very least, Chelsea isn't leaving grass everywhere she goes now.

Altair, meanwhile, spends much of his time with Davis and Davis' crew. One of the folk working under Davis also works with the machinery labs, and she helps provide a body suitable for public usage. It's not perfect, but combined with some tricks from Altair and a wrist-worn SEP field, it should allow for him to operate and exist outside Torchwood without causing any big issues.

The three of you are, once again, brought before the Director. She's got a small, professional smile on her face. "The mages among you have made great strides," she nods towards the two ladies. "And your input, Altair, has been invaluable to some of our research. There is a matter that needs addressing, however-Liliana and Chelsea, your families."
The smile wanes a little. "We have plenty of resources to help provide explanations for what has and will happen, but I don't want to isolate you from the people you care about. Chelsea, you're closest with your family, and they've been quite worried about you."

[Greenflame133]

Lilliana can't help but fight. Now with an arsenal of magic tools to fiddle. It she is still getting used to how magic is real, and how much they look like folk magic. A carved stick rotates in her hand, and she studies it's flow. "Right. Family, I don't exacly mind diappering. Been away for a while, and I'm not that distrood. However, I do hate the idea of just letting them think I'm dead. They would be heart broken." Her flow break and stick drops to the ground. "Generally speaking... we been here ever since we got here. I mean noinclut, but I won't like to havre friends that aren't my coworkders"

[Aleph Null]

Altair nods with a smile.

"Happy to help how I can. Please let me know if there is anything else...otherwise, I am here for whenever we need to start moving."

[Illven]

"what are your ideas to tell them?" Chelsea muses out loud. "I mean I guess the basic is to tell them I got a job that involves travel."

[JNAProductions]

"For you, Liliana," the director says, "there are currently records of you recovering in a local hospital. We can drop you off there without any fuss, you will be released, and that should be that. Your family is only in contact with you infrequently, correct?" And as for you, Chelsea," she continues, "there is the matter of your changed appearance. That is why I wanted to ask you what you think would be best."

She shuffles a few papers on her desk, taking one of the ones that is typed out rather than written. "Once the family matters are settled, there is something awaiting you. We have a displaced dinosaur, currently in the Amazon. We have been monitoring the situation, and do have a team on hand in case it wanders too close to civilization. But, before they handle it, I thought it might be best to leave a simple matter like this to the new folk. Nothing complicated, just a simple pacification of a large, dangerous animal."

[Aleph Null]

"Dinosaur, you say? Did it trip and fall into the wrong era somehow? I suppose the more important question is what kind of dinosaur, as there are many types and they are all very different," Altair says with a bit of a bemused tone to his voice. It's as though he is surprised, but at the nature of what sort of unusual the situation is rather than at how unusual it is.
"I'm not afraid of any terrestrial creature, but I am curious as to how such a...distant temporal displacement could occur. Perhaps the continuity laws here are more different than I thought..."

[Illven]

I don't actually know what to tell them....It's a bit of a sudden change. Chelsea admits.

[Greenflame133]

"So I either leave the Torchwood or become legally dead? Contact is infrequently, but there is a great deal of difference between that and disappearing completely. Not to mention I still don't know the cause for my magic so it might very well hount me." Despite normally repressed emotsions, Lilliana a hint of anger shows in Lillianas voice as she dosn't wanto leave. "Surely, there is some inbettwen optsion."

[JNAProductions]

"You misunderstand, Liliana-you are not listed as being dead at the hospital," the director reassures her. "You are, as far as anyone else is aware, comatose. Whenever you are ready, we can bring you there and have you 'wake up'. I apologize for the confusion."

[Greenflame133]

"No I understood this much. But what is your plan if I remain here? Am just reported comatose until forgotten?"

[JNAProductions]

"I feel like I did not make my point clear. Let me try again," she tells Liliana. "When you wish to, we will take you to the hospital you are recorded as being at. You can take your time, contact family and friends as you wish-although the longer you wait, the more likely it will be that another team will have to handle the current situation. We can help you come up with a reason why you will start traveling, and there will be times where you will not be able to contact others-but that will be when you are on specific missions. In generally, there will be nothing stopping you from talking to family and friends."

[Aleph Null]

Altair will just wait until everyone's logistics have been sorted out — to a star that's eleven billion years old, a few minutes is the blink of an eye, and that cosmic-scale patience remained intact even after being "averaged" with the minuscule human lifespan.


I figured it might be my "turn" in terms of post-cadence but it's not really that way in-story soooo....ye

[Greenflame133]

"I don't need much time. Just show my face, let them know I'm alive. Maybe show up for christmas." Lilliana calms down as misundertanding is cleared. "With that setteled. My magic is less dangerous then a handgun, but I might be able to devine for it."

[JNAProductions]

"Alright. I am glad that that is cleared up," the director says.

I think we just need to figure out how Chelsea is gonna handle matters, and then we can move on. Lemme poke her.