Making a Splash (IC)

[Supercape]

Supercape was drying of his cape with waves of carefully positioned microwaves. Bursts of steam wafted from his costume wherever he gazed.

"It was indeed a short battle. So much for its proclamation that it had evolved to a higher state of being. It seems we do need those carbon atoms after all."

His cape dry, he answered Gabriel more directly.

"Quite the shout you have their, sir! And yes, I am a scientist. A member of the Lab, that large glass and steel skyscraper in Hanover. I have actually found that being a superhero and a scientist at the Lab often go hand in hand. "

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel gave Supercape an odd sidelong look, since he hadn't been shouting a moment ago.

"Uh...thanks? I mean, I guess my longer-range communication is sorta like shouting. But I usually save shouting for when I'm fighting demons."

He said such a thing casually, as if it was a somewhat common occurrence for him these days.

"Hm. I've actually been to the Lab. Went in to have Miss Americana give me a super-physical. As it were. She did the whole nine yards on analyzing my powers."

He gives Supercape a grin.

"The lucky gal got to see me in spandex, or something close to it. Anyways, in an interesting turn of fate, she found out my powers were actually genetic. I figure it's just another subtle part of the reason I was given them."

[Supercape]

"Well, you wont get a more thorough working over, that's for sure" replied Supercape, hovering next to Gabriel.

"Some kind of mutation I guess, allowing psychokinetic manipulation of molecules? Making them vibrate as sound waves? All speculation, pardon me. I can't keep my nose out of these things..."

He smiled apologetically.

"Whatever it is, its very strong".

He floated down to the wreckage of the machine in the Lake. "I wonder what this was all about anyway? I guess I am going to have to get this back to the Lab, see what the others and me can make of it. Dragonfly is normally pretty good at pulling things apart and putting them back together".

He tapped the machine gently, and with a clang, a piece of metal fell off.

"Might have her work cut out for her in this case, mind. "

[KnightDisciple]

"Yeah, she was really thorough. She was good with the discretion, as well. I had to have my mask off for a good chunk of the testing, but she assured me it would be a non-issue. And it was. You guys seem to run a good ship over there. Not quite sure what all your projects will end up doing, but I'm not a scientist myself."

He glanced down at his hands as he continued to speak.

"Hm. The gist of it is, my body in general works kind of like an amplifier for sound waves, or more generally, vibration. Then I've got these nodes scattered all over, but with extra helpings in a few places, to help generate the high-powered sound waves. I can't make walls out of them or anything, but I've got a decent amount of control. My brain seems to find it easier to stick to a certain set of 'tricks', which I work out through practice and field work, as it were.

And it's strong enough to do the job. Which is what Gavriel intended, I imagine."

It was odd; the name sounded very nearly like the white-clad hero's own, and the way he made that statement sounded like this "Gavriel" was the one he saw as responsible for his powers!

"Who knows what the goal was; that fog storm didn't' seem like it was going to turn us all into water. Can you teleport something this big yourself? Or will you just have to have others come out and help haul it away? If so, I can't really help. I'm not much of a power lifter."

[Supercape]

Supercape examined the wreckage for a moment, hand on chin.

"No, its too big..." he concluded "or rather, to massive, if you are getting technical..."

He strummed his fingers on the casing for a while. "I'll guess I'll have to call in a favour or too, get it hauled over to the Lab by boat and by truck, unless you know of any convenient super strong hero who could do it. "

"As for its intentions, well the fog storm may have been just the beginning. And was it just fog? what were we - and all the people on the beach exposed too? I hope it was just fog. But I'm going for a check up at the Lab just to make sure..."

[KnightDisciple]

"Big, massive, whatever term. It's no big deal; each of us are given talents according to our needs and purpose. That's the way things are. Sadly, I don't have any fellow heroes with enough strength on speed-dial. I've networked pretty well since I got here, but I'm not on any teams or anything."

He showed mild concern as Supercape pondered the possible consequences of the fog.

"Hm. It was obviously blowing a lot of steam out; perhaps we should both get checked out, and then if necessary, we can roll out some sort of treatment for the civilians who were hit. I'll head over to the Lab with you."

When they took off, Gabriel struck up idle conversation again.

"So, how did you come across your powers? Which seem to be...energy manipulation?"

[Supercape]

"In a sense" replied Supercape en route. "Its more matter manipulation, but only on a tiny scale. You are familiar with the famous equation E=MC2, yes? well, I only have to nudge a few atoms out of existence, and a lot of energy is released..."

"Its more complicated than that, of course. Matter... energy... its all one and the same to me. Quantum strings. I just have to nudge a few this way and that way... carefully, and I can shift around a lot of energy. "

He nodded to the wrecked machine "that dosen't include actually moving things, unfortunately. At least not in the conventional sense. For me, all time space events in the multiverse are linked, or rather, I can causally link them. In essence, its teleportation. Any where in this universe, or others. "

He chuckled.

"It makes for some interesting vacations!"

[KnightDisciple]

"I get the gist of what you're saying, even if the specifics elude me. But yeah, I bet that gives you fun vacation options. The most dimension traveling I've done is a few trips to Fleur's planet. And for one of those trips, I was unconscious, bleeding out, and practically disemboweled. So, yeah."

He shrugged casually, apparently not wanting to dwell on the matter.

"So...you just kind of woke up and had your powers one day? Maybe I'm the only one with a more dramatic method of power acquisition around this place."

He lapsed into silence for the moment.

[Supercape]

"Took me years" replied Supercape. "Decades even. I slowly found out, the more I studied physics, causality, and observer entanglement, that I could nudge things - tiny things - just by observing them. I was probably suspicious about these things twenty years ago, was onto something ten years ago, and now..."

"...I dress up in a huge cape and act the Superhero!"

It was surprisingly honest. Gabriel was a very easy fellow to talk to. The truth was, he mused to himself, he was a scientist first and a superhero second. Why did he have the biggest shiniest cape in Freedom City? Overcompensation. And he knew it. Plus, he could hide behind it.

Later...

Gabriel and Supercape entered the high-tech infirmary of the Lab. It was just as much designed for bio-medical research as treatment, and would suit their needs perfectly. It was normally staffed by a nurse for monitoring purposes - even though the Lab rarely used its treatment facilities for long term illness (maybe it had a patient half the time), they had decided it was worth investing in a full time nurse. A cushy job, but they made sure the nursing staff (there were four of them who rotated hours) had excellent credentials. Nurse Rose Critchley, who was on today, was no exception, a tall red haired woman with an astute eye into human nature.

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel gave a thoughtful nod.

"So more of a long, gradual process, even if some steps were a bit larger than others. I guess everybody's cut from a different mold. Me, I got my powers from an angel."

He flashed a smile at the Brit in blue and white.

"Specifically the Archangel Gavriel. Hence the hero name "Gabriel", and the whole "controlling sound" bit. I'd wager if Michael had done it, I'd be zipping around in an outfit more like Freedom Angel's. Not that that's bad, really. But I don't think it would have fit, well, me. It's one of those things where God knew what I needed, and what worked for me. I'd say it's working out pretty well so far."

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

Later, at the Lab

Gabriel walked a bit behind Supercape, taking in the sights despite having been there before. When he saw the nurse, he gave her a friendly smile and wave.

"Ma'am."

He then turned to face Supercape again.

"So...how are we doing this?"

[Supercape]

"Beats me" laughed Supercape "I don't know an awful lot of medicine. "

He lay down in one of the beds, and a scanner started moving down his body, from head to toe.

"But fortunately, this is parted is pretty automated. And I know a lot about matter re-arrangement. If its anything to do with that, I should be able to give a pretty good guess. "

He relaxed and closed his eyes.

"Just take a bed and lie down. There is some pipe music if you really fancy it, but I won't say I recommend it. Huh, a sonic marvel like you would find it offensive I guess. For all I know you can recreate the sound of a full orchestra, pitch perfect. "

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel blinked a bit at that revelation, then shrugged as he lowered himself onto one of the examination beds.

"I suppose if something's amiss, the machines will make all sorts of important-sounding beeps, won't they. Good to know you can provide expertise on at least some potential consequences. Let's hope that it was just normal fog though, hm?"

He laughed at Supercape's comments regarding recreating an orchestra.

"While the powers I was blessed with are incredible, I can't recreate an orchestra. I have found an increased talent for certain instruments, but I have to actually play them like anyone else. I tend to prefer the arts that rely solely on the voice.

How long is this going to take, though?"

[Supercape]

Beep Beep!

"There we go, done in a Jiffy!" said Supercape as he stood up and walked over to the computer. As he did so, his costume reformed in a shower of sparkles. His cape disappeared, replaced by a pristine white lab coat. The rest of his costume, mask, and colour theme remained quite the same.

"Now to have a look at the readings..." he started, engrossed in the data.

"Help yourself to tea" he said helpfully, pointing to an automatic dispenser in the infirmary. "This won't take to long. COmputer just doing a bit of number crunching whilst I give it a few directions. Feel free to have a look around, or sing a song - which I imagine you are fairly able at too. "

[KnightDisciple]

"Tea, hm? Suppose that's not shocking. Don't suppose you have any cider, red lemonade, or some such around, do you? Not that I don't appreciate the offer of tea. But it's worth asking, way I see it."

While waiting for his answer, Gabriel walked around the lab space, glancing at monitors and gauges without really understanding what was what.

"Hm. Don't suppose you have any requests? Nothing too raunchy, mind you. Bit of an image to keep up, after all. Especially with the kids.

So, do you head back over to England much, or does your work keep you here, despite the teleporting?"

[Supercape]

" Don't suppose you have any cider, red lemonade, or some such around, do you? Not that I don't appreciate the offer of tea. But it's worth asking, way I see it."

"Now that you mention it..." replied Supercape with a broad grin. "I may just happen to have a few bottles of scrumpy stored away in my quarters..."

He gave a glance to nurse Critchley. "For, er, strictly medicinal purposes, of course..." he added.

"Well, the teleportation comes in handy for travel, of course. Yes, I do pop over to England a fair bit, but to be honest its not often. I get my supplies of tea and cider from there, of course. These days, I tend to travel a little further afield..."

He glanced at the machine in front of him.

"Well, as far as I can tell, we are clear..." he murmured.

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel gave a mock-depressed sigh.

"I suppose scrumpy will have to do in lieu of real drinks. And careful moderation is the key with such things, Supercape. Careful moderation is the key. Sort of applicable to most all of life, really."

He accepts the drink when offered, taking a few sips.

"This stuff is light enough my metabolism ought to burn it off in no time. When your body has to generate all this extra energy, it takes a bit of extra food. I've made poor Fleur de Joie jealous of how much I can eat while retaining my same level of fitness. Call it a miniature blessing, I suppose.

Yeah, I fly fast enough I might as well be able to teleport back home once in a while.

We're clear? Excellent."

[Supercape]

Gabriel gave a mock-depressed sigh.

"I suppose scrumpy will have to do in lieu of real drinks."

"

"Cheers!" toasted Supercape as he swigged the scrumpy. "Its real enough for me" he grinned. It was actually pretty strong, as well as delicious.

"Everything in moderation, including moderation" he added, taking another swig. He wasn't a heavy drinker, by any means, maybe drinking 3 nights a week. But he was something of a wine-lover, and enjoyed occasional other tipples. Scrumpy always reminded him of hot summers in England. It was a rare treat.

And he was feeling good today. An enemy of humanity defeated, and he didn't even have a bruise to show for it this time!

"And what about yourself?" he asked his guest. "You seem to have a strong code, or sense of morals. Where did they come from? certainly glad to have you on our side, so to speak..."

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel shakes his head in the negative.

"Didn't so much mean alcohol, at least not exclusively. Even the soft drinks over here are different, you know? Not entirely bad, but one misses home."

He raised an eyebrow at the "moderation of moderation" comment.

"Seems like a bit of an endless loop, saying you should take moderation in moderation. Never did get the saying myself, not really.

Morals? Yes, rather. I'd think the reasoning would be somewhat obvious, between the symbols on the coat and the being who gave me my powers, hm?"

He grinned a bit wider as he took another sip.

"I mean, a good portion was my family; that sort of thing, done right, gets passed down to each generation. But I've taken that faith and made it my own. After all, not every member of the Church is flying about fighting super-villains, eh?"

[Supercape]

Supercape scratched his head. Gabriel sounded like a fervent Irish catholic to him. He never quite understood religion - he was sure that something had visited Gabriel, but damned if he knew what. But then, he was a scientist and had a skeptical (yet open) mind.

However, all the Irish he knew (and he had known several back home) were more of the jolly, drinking, dancing, and romancing types rather than grim monastery material. He wasn't entirely sure how Gabriel fitted into these stereotypes. He mentally shrugged to himself.

So much for stereotypes!

"And, as for your Irishness..." inquired Supercape "were you born there? when did you or your family come over?"

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel's smile fell just a touch at the "Irishness" comment.

"i was born in the sovereign country of Ireland, yes. I'm afraid I won't say anything more specific in that regard. I wear the mask for a reason, after all. My family is still living in Ireland. I myself came over...well, I'll be vague and just say "more than a year ago". Again, that whole "secret identity" thing."

He'd noticed the head-scratching a moment ago.

"You seem a bit confused. Something wrong?"

[Supercape]

"You seem a bit confused. Something wrong?"

"Not precisely wrong" answered Supercape. He took a long swig of cider, and noted he was becoming slightly intoxicated. He put his drink down. No danger of getting drunk yet, but he felt he should slow down a little.

He smiled, a little sheepishly. "I just can't make head or tail of you, to be honest. I guess you are a true man of mystery... Irish, able to make a lot of sound. Bible in one hand, cider in the other... "

He shrugged. "And keeping cards close to your chest. Not that I am prying, I just guess you come at the world from a different angle to me. Although the end of the path is the same, namely, serving the city, and serving our world. "

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel shrugged and sipped at the cider in his hand. He was perhaps halfway through the bottle at this point, with no visible ill effects.

"Doesn't seem like a list of contradictions to me. Nothing in the Good Book against alcohol necessarily. Just drunkenness. Goes back to that idea of moderation.

As for coming from a different angle...Well, that's why they coined the term "worldview", I suppose. Not that I see any inherent conflict in faith and science; each is simply part of a greater whole, a way to view the totality of existence. One answers "Why", the other answers "What", you might say. But you're correct. That we both protect those who need it, and keep the world safe, that's the important thing. Philosophical differences are just a sign we're human.

Maybe I'm aberration in some ways; after all, I've never used my considerable social skills to forcibly sway someone's worldview long-term. It doesn't seem right, you know? Forcing someone to believe what you do, no matter the belief, is wrong. Free will is key in the decision. And that's another reason I fight against the dark agents of the world. So people have the chance to choose."

[Supercape]

"Maybe I'm aberration in some ways; after all, I've never used my considerable social skills to forcibly sway someone's worldview long-term. It doesn't seem right, you know? Forcing someone to believe what you do, no matter the belief, is wrong. Free will is key in the decision. And that's another reason I fight against the dark agents of the world. So people have the chance to choose."

"Quite right to!" agreed Supercape, reaching back for his drink and taking another swig. He could almost taste carefree summer afternoons in the English countryside, with green grass and shining sunshine.

But unfortunately, in many ways, he grew up. Different pleasures, different tortures.

He stood up and stretched, rubbing his eyes. "Well, it's been a pleasure Gabriel. But I think I am going to sleep this off, and return to my normal life. Well, as normal as it gets I guess. I'm too old for all this excitement" he jested, with a warm grin.

Plus, he noted, the bottle of Cider was empty.

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel had finished his as well, though he experienced no noticeable symptoms. And as he was about to fly, he'd burn off what little effect he had within a minute or so. He gave Supercape an offhand salute as he straightened up from where he'd been leaning against the counter.

"It has indeed been a pleasure. Good to meet another "friend of a friend", you know? Hope you feel better after your nap. And I hope you get to enjoy a couple of excitement-free days. Beyond the excitement of your science labs, that is!"

He gave the other man a conspiratorial wink before he headed for the exit; it had been a pretty straightforward path, and he ought to be able to handle getting out on his own.

"Have a good day, and God bless!"

With a final wink at Nurse Critchley, he entered the elevator to go to the ground floor. From there, he'd exit through the lobby and quickly rocket straight into the air. He figured a couple high-speed high-altitude laps along the coast should get him in perfect patrolling shape again.

[Supercape]

Supercape waved the master of sound goodbye as he sped of into the sky.

His head was a little fuzzy, and it took him much longer than normal to reach out to the bedroom of Quentin Quill, university professor - his "normal" home. When he did so, the time-space distortion around him looked like it was wobbling even worse than normal.

He arrived and stumbled slightly. His clothes once again transformed into sleepwear, and he crawled into bed for a late afternoon snooze. It had been a good day.

Later, at the Lake...

A few boats had strapped roped and hooks around the wrecked machines, and pulled it across the lake. The surface of the water seemed unnaturally calm today.

Perhaps the perceptive might have noticed a strange ripple, right where the device had been. They might even have heard the sound of faint laughter...