Essex glanced down, recalling the words of her father.
Run.
"...He took me out to an alley."
It's too late for me.
"He seemed very frantic...and he told me I could never tell anyone my real name. He told me to go by 'Essex.'"
Run and find the Resistance.
"...He put a ward on me. So the Overmagus' wizards couldn't find me. He said that...if they found me, they would kill me...or 'harvest' me. I don't know what that means."
RUN, DAMN YOU! RUN!!
"...And then he yelled at me to run... and pointed his gun at me. He shot just past my face...but he had this look in his eyes. Like he ...he wanted to protect me from something so bad, he had to kill me. But he couldn't kill me. So...I ran away."
Essex hung her head, shifting her footing. "...Then, Papa was laughing...but he was crying, too. I could hear him."
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
Hal appeared to wince.
"Just leave her be, she probably needs time alone or whatever or something," he muttered to himself. "All this fear and misery I'm sensing in her emotions is probably just an overreaction or something." He sank to the floor again.
". . . You know, you could ASK her what is wrong," Moonscribe sighed, "if you are so very worried."
"Shut up," Hal muttered, avoiding Moonscribe's gaze.
"I could do that," Kefetasura sighed dramatically, "I could go ahead and start searching the minds every single man, woman and child across the face of the world until I find a single telepath who's thoughts reek of rebellion. Although it's possible, and, frankly, kinda fun, I can only imagine that the time involved would go against the current "evade pursuit" theme that we've got going on."
Kefetasura wriggled around in his seat to have a look behind them. Normally he'd just comandeer the rearview mirror but in Acid's 'car' it was just as likely to open up a wormhole to a dimension of scary hyper-logic as it was to actually reflect images! The purple demon wondered idley why Acid was so overly fond of complicating the simplest things. Oh well! It made him happy, and contributed to his feeling of worth! He grinned with that thought in mind and twisted back into his seat.
"But, maybe I'll just do it the lazy way and ask someone for directions. Someone I know will know exacly who we need and where to find him, no matter how stubbornly he refuses to admit it in public . . . ."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
An extremely tiny version of Kefetasura wriggled out from under a blue cloak. The miniature demon flopped himelf into the folds of the mans hood, resting in them like a hammock.
"Try not to act suprised, bird-man. You knew I'd be here, and I'm in too much of a hurry for you to feign suprise. In fact, don't bother reacting at all. You're the only one who can see me, cause you're the only one relevent to the process.
"Here's the deal; Resistance. Telepath. Who and where? This inquiry comes by request of a certain mutual acquaintence of ours."
((Can do. Everyone's bickering right now anyway, and I'm sure I can have Vern come up with several reasons not to leave yet. 
))
"Hm, that's a new one." Vern mumbled, more to himself than to Cobalt, "Wonder what it wants...?"
He looked about the room. Damn, there wasn't this much arguing at a lawyer confernce...seemed that Phillis fellow was the main root of it all - and Vern could see why.
"Would you stop calling people 'it' already?" he rolled his eyes at Midas, stepping over to him as he plucked Esex off Tam, "How would you feel if everyone who wasn't like you would refer to you like you weren't a person, huh? Especially if you were all alone among them?"
And then Essex started too, but in the complete other direction, as usual. Yeah, her pesonality sure hadn't canged any - and her story prompted investigation.
"SENECA...?" Vern said to the air, and immediately got a response of "Waaay ahead of you, darling..."
--------------------
"That oughta work." Acid replied to Kefetasura, entering the on-ramp to a highway, "Now let's see what we can find up here..."
Acid was no newcomer to being followed, and he had found that most often, the best way to shake your pursuers was to give them exactly what they wanted.
"We'll need some space." he kept mumbling as he observed the traffic, driving just a bit faster than the flow...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
((Actually, Devious, Essex wasn't announcing her story to everyone. She was just quietly telling Midas, because he asked. >_> Though I suppose Vern could have heard if his hearing was sensitive.))
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
((Yeah, he does. But considering he was near Midas at the time, he'd probably have overheard it either way. 
Of course, I could have the placement of the '2 groups' all wrong in my head, it's happened before. ))
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Anyone paying attention to the holographic representation of Cobalt would notice that she was now sitting on the floor with a small lit camp stove in front of her, holding a hotdog over it using a kabob skewer.
"So, we have a plan?" She asked as she turned the hot dog over.
"`Tchyo za ga`lima!"* Cobalt shouted. "Tammy?"
"More or less. A bit less then more." Khat rasped
Further words were aborted by Essex throwing her arms around her neck. She rumbled deeply while rubbing her chin on the girl's head in, what she hoped was reasurence.
Essex! Stay away from that thing! Who knows how dangerous it could be, its a feral metahuman!
The feral meta in question snarled at the doctors hasitlly retreating form, but said and did nothing. He was right, she was feral... she had almost clawed him when he ran toward her.
To Experiments 'suggestion', she growled softly her tongue licking her muzzle absently. "Very tempting...." Laying down, Khat kept glitering amber eyes on as many of the rooms occupants as she could.
Pinnacle
Heroes
When in danger, or in doubt; Run in circles, scream and shout.
Experiment was about to answer Hal with a 'Of COURSE I am joking." remark... But when Tam mentioned that it sounded tempting, he paused, looked to the feral metahuman, and back to Hallucinogen, grinning.
"Well, it really depends, doesn't it? I mean, if she was looking forward to it, I couldn't just let her down, right?"
Aproaching the tunnel with caution Thuel chucked a flashbang grenade down the hole, only to be greeted with a familiar voice from his childhood. The voice threw the flashbang grenade out of the tunnel, back into the room where Thuel was. Thuel instintivly rolled to the side of the tunnel to cover himself from the blast.
"Nikolai! Langfristige keine sehen. Englisch schon sprechen? Oder noch gerade Deutscher?" Thuel questioned his old buddy from happier times.
"Ja spreche ich Englisch, etwas Deutschen auch. Was erhielt dich in den Service auch? War die Versprechung von nicht durch das Overmagus für mich ausgewischt werden, " Nikolai responded in german with a chuckle, "Langfristige keine sehen, Rommel. Dieses zu Englisch oder Nr. nehmen?"
Thuel poked his head out from behind the rubble and questioned, "Bist du Widerstand oder instandhalten?" He already knew the asnwer, no. Without hesitation he stood up and rounded the corner into the passageway. "So whats going down now? Work together or go sepreate ways?"
"Work together of course!" Nikolai Kuznetsov responded. "Hier Kerle! Gefunden jemand." He yelled into the tunnel. Six thugs each of whom Thuel reconised almost instantly upon seeing them.
Why is it that Im doubtful a child should be left alone without a father to sort through a torrent of confused emotions when she doesnt even know whats truly happened to her? Midas snapped at Hal. Back the hell off, you disgusting smoke cloud. Youre hardly helping here!
And as for you, extraterrestrial. The scientist hissed. Theres a difference between racism and knowing that thing is dangerous and erratic! Did you not see it earlier in the bunker, throwing itself to die against the soldiers because of bloodlust? Its growled at al of us at least once during our little misadventure here, and I frankly dont think its safe for a helpless child to be hugging because she needs to obviously be comforted!
He turned away, putting his hands on Essexs shoulders. Im glad I found you when I did. He said. You said your father was a magibiologist, correct? Ive never agreed with combining life science with magic, but Im sure your father didnt have a choice but to attempt disgusting malpractice in the Overmaguss service.
Midas tapped his chin and a shadow fell over his face. Now, do you know whether you were born with your powers or if they were fused into you by your father?
Experiment growled once again.
"Alright, first of all, 'it' is female. Therefore, 'it' is she. Please stop talking about her as if she is an object. Second of all, by your reasoning, I am also a dangerous, erratic creature. I have my own form of 'growl' for people I don't know. Usually tipped with sarcasm. Lay off the cat, and quiet your damn voice down."
"You would tell me to shut up after you give me your own argument, it's the ignorant 'I win if I get the last word in mentality'." Midas pointed out, hardly looked over his shoulder at the man and speaking with a very condensending tone. "Though, I have to say that you must have some intelligence, you've managed to figure out that I have the same opinion of you that I do the cat, you dangerous, erratic madman. You're the one threatening me, trying to end an argument with violence against a man who obviously has no chance whatsoever against you. Coward. I can hardly take a man seriously when he threatens to skewer me instead of presenting an actual point."
Essex sighed.
The presence of herself from within seemed to sigh in unison.
"Why does this always happen?" she heard herself say with some degree of annoyance. "I like everyone; I wish everyone could just like each other too."
Surprised at her own little mini-outburst, she glanced to the side a little, blushing.
"That is to say..." she backpedaled a little, rocking on her heels, "...that I hope that everyone's arguments get worked out soon. Also, so we can help the poor girl who's trapped down there. Why can't we teleport her out again?"
To Midas' question, she hesitated. Standing on her tiptoes, she pulled the scientist farther down towards her gently, and whispered something in his ear...
((Which means - PM forthcoming. :3))
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
Cobalt was nearly as tall as Essex while sitting down and looked directly at the little girl.
"You can't telelport me out because the base won't let me exit. I can't be allowed to exit because I no longer exist in the timeline. I determine that because if I still existed in my time then I could still exist in this time because by my nature of being here then a method for me coming back to this time would have to exist."
"However, if I don't exist in my original time then I can never have come back here. That is why I am restricted to the confines of this time bubble which is keeping me in existance."
"If I did manage to get out one of three things would happen." Cobalt held up her free hand with three fingers extended.
"One, my appearance forces the timeline to revert back to its original form or at least a similar one in order to accomodate me. Not likely." One finger folded back in.
"Two, I go out into the world and am finally erased from reality completely. More likely that will happen than the world changing just for me." Another finger folded in.
"Third possibility. We get some kinda matter-antimatter reaction and the world goes to pieces. Big bada BOOM!" She shouted as her clenched fist hit the floor.
"So that's why you can't take me out of here. Any more questions and I'll have to bust out the whiteboard."
"Heh, if you wanted a fair fight, you could have just said so... Although it may hurt chopping off my legs and arms, I do try to be fair..." Experiment snickered, shrugging off the insult with about as much ease as one of his spines cutting through a paper airplane. "Although, if it is a battle of the wits you desire, we may have to hold off for a while. The big switcheroo that happened still has a bit of ol Archie-John in me. In other words, emo and not as smart."
"Hey!"
"Plus, he is a bit more aggressive than me in most things. I am usually a lot less aggressive toward living beings... Clockwork, not so much, as Hal can probably attest to, but in your case... I think I would act pretty much the same way to an ignorant 'scientist' like yourself."
His sarcastic emphasis on scientist also reeked with jealousy. This guy at least seemed to have things that worked the way intended... Last time 2.0 tried to make a computer, it turned into a giant 50-foot robot intent on destroying the world.
It confused him to no end about HOW he managed to do that, what with the fact he bought all of the materials from a hardware store, but he decided to let that go.
((Hm...now what do we do without Hal? Moonsribe's kinda important around here...))
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Midas looked a mixture of terrified and disgusted as Essex whispered to him, but he didnt pull away. As she finished her story, his eyes bulged and he gasped as though the wind had been knocked out of him, but only for a second. He rubbed his temples in irritation; something must have triggered another memory of the old earth in him.
Choosing to ignore Experiment, which was exceptionally hard considering he had just called him ignorant, the scientist rested a hand reassuringly on Essexs shoulder. He bent down and in a very hushed tone whispered back to her, making sure no one was close enough to hear.
Essex just bowed her head in response.
"Thank you sir." she said quietly, though still audibly at this point. "Um...and my stepmother's name is...Gretchen. I think she still keeps her maiden name...That's Fleischman, I think. But if not, her last name would be West."
Her eyes kept flicking to Cobalt, stuck there in the time pocket. She felt bad for the girl...
"...But...hang on a second."
The next moment, the little girl's eyes were analytical as she descended on a pile of spare parts. Carefully looking at the communications system hooked up to the monitor, Essex seemed to analyze them.
Her hands moved quickly as she began to assemble a small device. She seemed almost more analytical and precise as she did, her eyes focused on what she was doing and her small fingers moving quickly.
After a few minutes, she held a small remote-like device, assembled amazingly quickly.
"Ah...I did something." Essex said rather nonspecifically, a hint of fearfulness in her voice. "I hope it doesn't explode."
She turned it on, and for a moment a dual image of Cobalt flickered to life as a hologram, projected above it. Cobalt would receive a small picture-in-picture of the view from the small remote quietly blipped into view.
Then, a thin plume of smoke rose from the device as the images on both sides faded. Essex backpedaled from the remote, leaving it on the floor and scurrying around behind Midas.
"....I made something but it doesn't work." she said quietly, muffled by the tail of Midas' labcoat.
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
"The making part is what I'm amazed at, you're a little girl!" Midas balked as he stepped forward and grabbed the remote, examining it carefully. It was a bit hot to the touch, but it didn't look like Essex had put anything in it that would explode. Not with too much force, anyway. "I've never seen a child build a hologram projector so quickly! And you'd have to be able to target her from so far away! Did your father teach you how to do this?"
Cobalt took a bit out of her hotdog as she watched. "Not bad, munchkin. Looks like a circuit overload from here but I'm not getting an infared feed through this thing so my view is limited."
"A hologram isn't all that useful unless you just want to see me. What I could use is a telefactor. You got any robots around I could remote operate, lizardman?" She said to Vern.
Essex flushed a little, looking down at her bare feet.
"...My papa taught me how to make them. I used to work quite extensively with remote communications systems as the navigator and communications tech for the laboratory. It was important to implement them onto my brothers so I could keep in close contact with them in the field - and Genki would always break his - so I had to build them over and over and over again. I had to build one with one hand one time because I was installing it into myself and..."
She paused at this, quite abruptly. Her vision hardened a bit.
"...But I don't have any brothers...And...what?"
Essex looked quite confused at herself for a moment, just mulling over things.
"...I don't really KNOW how to build them...and...umh..."
Cobalt's words shook her out of her reverie.
"I'm sure there's one around here somewhere." she piped up. "And if not, there are a lot of scientists here - I'm sure we can come up with something."
Trotting up to the image of Cobalt, she peeked over at her in concern.
"Are you okay down there?" she fretted. "You don't need anything, do you?"
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
Experiment would have shouted in joy if he hadn't wanted to not seem crazy. Essex was returning to her old self... Not right away, obviously, but slowly... Surely... Soon enough, she would probably remember everything, maybe even start becoming robotic again! That would be awesome!
...But she had said she didn't want that to happen... She said she wanted to feel these emotions...
Well, it isn't like she will care as a robot!
...But that is probably the point... She probably WANTS to care...
"Ugh... Damn dilemmas..."
Thuel nodded at the six men who walked around the makeshift tunnel, they all looked just like he remember them, "Hullu, Rommal," the slightly insane one with an AK-47 and more ammo than any one man -- maltan, troll, or just trigger happy -- needed for anything strapped to his hips in his bag, around his chest in bandoleers, some in his hat, and a few mines in his backpack! "Whare you been?"
Thuel was about to start speaking to his long lost firends and then, just as usal Yosef Ivanov pulled out his flask of vodkia and began to drink from it. Yosef was a man of avarage height, weight, and had an almost too healthy apititate for women. Yosef carried two lugers, his hat, backpack, and belt full of amunition. "Romy, still drink like -- *hick -- you did?"
Thuel looked at Yosef and pulled out his knife, "Donna ever call me dat 'gain? Clear or do I have to make it clear." He turned to face his insane friend Vanaya Tupikov, "Vanaya! Hows it going, got enough ammo still to wrage a war?" Thuel laughed for the frist time in a while.
He noticed an old friend of his, one who was always quiet probaly one of the most psycotic of the bunch, Joseph Kalmakoff. Joseph Kalmakoff was one of those kids who always was quiet, played with his guns while the others were out drinking. Jospeh was much like the frist one, except more insane.
". . . Experimeeeeeeent," Hal sighed, facepalming. "That better be a joke."
"Besides," he muttered under his breath, "it would be much more humane just to incinerate him completely." His hands glowed a little without his noticing.
Moonscribe appeared to wince for a moment, but the next second he was so calm that surely it had been a trick of the light. He folded his hands, clearly prepared to wait for some time.