ic World Tour: Way to Go, Wendigo! (IC)

[Avenger Assembled]

Sharl returned from his trip to True North's servers with a lot to chew on, though of course none of it was food. He tried to assemble the evidence he'd put together, though of course at this point it was less evidence than conjecture. If Kimber Storm was the daughter of Daniel Storm, that explained all the secrecy about who she was and what she was doing in a house that, as far as Sharl could tell, had no access to the local computer or electrical networks. That's just...crazy. No one could live like that in a civilized society! She must be there temporarily...or maybe she's a hideous monster who can't show her face around people. Awesome! He felt a little guilty at that thought, knowing people who had their own reasons for keeping to themselves. Maybe she's just really shy. There had to be a reason she hadn't been there to greet them at the airport.

Sitting alone in his room, he took the opportunity to write a letter to Miss Americana.

Dear Miss Americana,

Our team is in the Canadian wilderness looking for one of our prospective members. This is an alien place of trees and empty sky, where there's hardly anyone around. I have trouble imagining how this belongs in the same world as Freedom City, much less a really built-up place. It's like something out of a history book. I don't really understand it, or how people can live here. But they seem to be happy so I guess I should try and understand it. I hope everything is well in Freedom City and that you're happy. This place makes me feel very far from home. I look forward to seeing you again.

Your biggest fan,

Sharl Tulink

[April]

-I know you're the one who said this needed to be a group thing, but...we're not cramping your style, are we? If you want, we can stay an extra day here. Don't think Summers would be ticked about it.-

Eve's reply to Corbin came quickly. -No. Do not misunderstand, I like Becky, she's cute and entertaining, but we have a task to perform. Though I can always arrange a return visit.-

Eve placed her hand over top of the one Becky had on her wrist and smiled at the brunette. "It is, as Indira says, an "or something" situation. We were asked by our Headmaster to collect some of our new international students, and one of them is this Kimber Storm."

The telepath chuckled, "The Headmaster does love his tests."

[Gizmo]

While Becky didn't seem entirely convinced that 'the Headmaster' wasn't the codename of the United Nation handler who gave the diverse group their missions, the evening wore on in pleasant conversation and a prodigious amount of food until it was finally time to retire to the hotel for the evening. Those inclined to sleep had the opportunity to do so, and the next morning, properly rested and equipped, they were finally ready to set out.

Their new local friend arrived with Eve as the teenagers convened over a continental breakfast in the hotel's dining room, and offered to accompany them despite her lingering nervousness about their destination, given that the Claremont bound students were all, to varying degrees, out of their element. After a fairly lengthy ride and a short trek, they arrived at the far edge of one of the area's many camping parks, facing the entrance to a series of trails winding though the birch and cedar trees.

[Avenger Assembled]

Having primarily adventured alongside Miss Americana, who didn't bother with maintaining a secret identity as such, Sharl wasn't really thrilled about having Becky along and the subsequent need for all the superheroes to stay in their civilian identities. As exotic as the spooky alien forest was with its gigantic plants run riot, being grounded meant he couldn't even fly up there and investigate those tremendous trees and the explosion of fungi, insects, and other alien creatures that covered them. Still, he wasn't going to try and make a scene out of it. He was a lone program in a very alien world, and turning away someone who knew how to get by in these freakish conditions would be just stupid. Besides, she'd been nothing but nice to them. So he kept a polite smile on his face while he pretended to eat, and a polite smile on his face as he pretended to walk.

[KnightDisciple]

-Fair enough. And yeah, that's the advantage of extra pocket cash, isn't it? Course, we get free flights anyways...-

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Corbin had taken much of the trip in silence, answering questions from his companions, but otherwise just contemplating the area around them. He seemed a bit more energetic, though. As if being in "the outdoors" like this was invigorating for him. He stopped now to consider his copy of the map. Finally, after looking at the map, the campgrounds, and all the signs around them a half-dozen times, he leaned over to Eve and Becky and asked in a quiet voice.

"Am I right in thinking we want that path?"

He pointed to the trail in question, before gesturing at his map.

"It's the best match I've got, but honestly, I was only in the Boy Scouts for a year, and I missed all the map-following exercises."

He straightened with a chuckle.

"I tie a mean knot, though."

[Fox]

Indira hmmmed, peering around the forest with...it wasn't caution, exactly, but there was the distinct impression that she was constantly wary of something that just wasn't happening. Every once in a while (when she wasn't facing Becky, of course) she'd blink twice in rapid succession, those brown eyes going pitch, white-less black for no more than a half a second.

"Boy Scouts?" she asked, but then shook her head. "I have spent time in the...wilds, but not these. I do not think my experiences would apply as well as even your 'Boy Scouts'."

[April]

From the end of dinner to this point, Eve was practically joined at Becky's hip, and the young Frenchwoman was grateful for the brunette's company. The young Martel wasn't completely besotted with the local girl, and though she was seriously considering a return visit (especially if things didn't work out in Freedom City), so she was mindful of the effect having a civilian around would do for the others.

So Eve provided what she hoped was a pleasant distraction; she and her friends got assistance of a local, said local was given something to occupy her time, and Eve didn't have to particularly worry about being cold at night. A winning scenario for everyone, I would say, she thought to herself.

"Am I right in thinking we want that path?"

He pointed to the trail in question, before gesturing at his map.

"Honestly, Corbin, I have no idea." She shrugged. "I never really had the time for the outdoors; I was always too busy training. I should see about remedying that though."

[Avenger Assembled]

Sharl frowned as they stepped out of the car, pulling his jacket close around him. He pulled out his cellphone as Corbin studied the map, tapping buttons with a look of concentration on his narrow face. "It's this way." He peered up at the sun overhead, his eyes narrowing automatically as he studied the alien yellow sun and the freakish blue sky in which it sat. "The sun is very bright here...anyway, I'm connected to an orbiting global positioning satellite." He peered around Corbin's arm. "With your...wow, that IS a paper map. Hmm. Anyway, with your map and this, we should have no problems," said Sharl confidently before he strode off into the woods, twigs snapping beneath his feet. "Your forest is huge!" he called to Becky. "You must have very strong environmental regulations here."

[KnightDisciple]

"Like I said, it was just a year. I'm not exactly Bear Grylls or anything. Hence the asking about the map."

He went back to glancing back and forth at the map, at least until Sharl spoke up. He gave a furtive look towards Becky before speaking.

"Oh, nice. Sounds like a handy phone feature, Sharl. And yeah, it's paper. I picked it up when we parked; there was a whole bunch of them at a little informational stand thing."

He folded the map up and tucked it away, then gestured for Sharl to lead them.

"You've got the electronic map, you lead the way, bud. And yeah, Canada's got some big forests. Nice clear air up this way, too."

He took a deep breath and smiled when the morning air flowed through his lungs.

[Fox]

Indira blinked, slowly, realizing too late that she'd been doing the 'unnaturally still' thing again while people pondered paths; Corbin's deep breath broke her out of her reverie by way of reminding her that she'd been forgetting to breathe. The breathing motion was habit by now, of course, but habits weren't perfect and she inwardly winced at what she knew her parents would have said if they'd been there to notice her lapse.

"Bear grills?" she asked, following as the group set off, trying to distract herself from the ongoing conflict between her instincts and her sure knowledge that vines here didn't reach out to strangle passing animals. "I do admit that I prefer electronic maps, but there is something to be said for...you would say 'old school'? They are often less useful, but very reliable."

[Gizmo]

Between the directions on the map and the wealth of information Sharl was able to access remotely, the small group had no difficulty navigating their way through the forest, although to foliage became increasingly dense as they went, and the trail less and less well defined. By about an hour into their trek they were forced to go no more than two at a time, or in Corbin's case, single file. Becky evidently had some experience with long hikes, not appearing at all tired by the long walk, but her expression was becoming subtly distracted and nervous the closer they got to their destination.

Just as those at the front of the group could make out the edge of a clearing through the remaining trees, however, the Tronik teen's connection began to sputter with bouts of increasingly severe static. His more solid companions likewise noticed an abrupt drop in temperature, plummeting from the balmy summer heat to a distinct chill that dropped to an uncomfortable cold the further they walked. By the time they reached the small opening in the forest and spotted a log cabin in obvious disrepair, it was clear that something most unnatural was afoot.

[Avenger Assembled]

Sharl had started muttering under his breath and jabbing at his 'phone' when the signal began to go bad, so he was making something of a spectacle himself even before he flickered and vanished for a half-second. His backpack fell, the teen himself gone, for an instant before he abruptly reappeared, catching it fast before it hit the ground. Though he felt the cold, it was no concern to his electronic body: the crisis was inside. He concentrated, gritting his teeth, and his shaky signal stabilized.

"..all right, there's something technological going on in there," said Sharl with an angry frown as he put away his phone. "Nothing short of an EMP burst is supposed to be able to stop my signal." Drumming his fingers on his pants, Sharl seemed to come to a decision. "" Sharl whipped on his sunglasses as a flash of brilliant blue cascaded across his chest, forming a brilliant wi-fi symbol over his heart. "I'm tired of hiding. I am Citizen!" And with that, he took off into the air and flew right for the cabin's front door, leaving his souped-up projector where it could display him anywhere in the clearing.

[Gizmo]

As the holographic youth stuttered out of existence for a moment, Becky yelped, moving the arms that had been wrapped around her torso for warmth to clutch her chest. The local girl had become increasingly nervous as the inexplicable weather got worse and now her eyes were wide and vibrating as small clouds of vapour signaled her heavy breathing. Even apart from the sudden shock, something seemed very wrong with the information desk attendant.

The disruptions the Citizen's signal stopped almost immediately when he slid through the cabin's wooden walls. The timbers were spotted with mold and even a cursory glance revealed that multiple animals had taken refuge inside, despite the preternatural cold. A few chairs and other pieces of furniture stood here and there, most of them in desperate need of repair. It was clear that no one had lived there for a very long time.

Which was when a translucent blue figure seeped through the brick of the fireplace's chimney and sped right up to Sharl's face, a beaming smile sitting under slightly darker beryl freckles and framed by long cerulean hair that floated as though lifted by an unfelt wind. "Oh, rad!" the surprisingly cheerful apparition enthused, bobbing up and down excitedly. "Are you dead too?!"

[April]

Eve winced when Sharl--Citizen--broke cover and flew into the cabin but she fought down her urge to issue a sharp reprimand. I have more important things to worry about, she thought to herself as she whirled about to face Becky squarely, than a boy with poor impulse control.

"Corbin, Indira, check on Sharl," Eve said, not taking her eyes off of the desk attendant, deep concern etched onto her face. Orange ribbons of ethereal fire sprouted from the petite telepaths shoulder blades, wrapping around both her and the local girl. -I'll keep in telepathic contact, but I'm flying Becky out of here, something is distressing her.- she thought to the other two heroes, Sharl's mind maddeningly closed.

"Hey," Eve murmured, hugging the shivering brunette in the hope that some warmth would transfer, "Hold tight, I'm getting you out of here."

[KnightDisciple]

Corbin shook his head and smiled at Indira's question.

"Well, it's spelled with a "y", not an "i"; Bear's a guy who hosts a television-"

And then a wave of intense cold struck the group, just as Sharl's signal apparently cut out. Corbin frowned as frosts formed on the ground around him as he tucked away the map. He nodded as Eve handed out orders. His eyes began to glow with bright blue light, before they seemed to actually leak fire. Wisps of steam rose from his body in the intense cold, though no other flame was seen upon him. He opted against changing into his "work clothes" just yet. An ounce of subtlety might yet be handy today. Instead, he stomped forward, each step melting the frost that had been forming on the grass and dirt.

"Indira. Watch my back. Try not to go full-bore metal form unless we end up in a fight. If this isn't an entirely hostile act, I don't want to set something off."

He continued to stomp his way to the cabin in the middle of the clearing. Steam rolled off of his body, blue flame licked from his eyes, and his mouth was set in a grim line. As he walked, he thought in Eve's direction.

-I see a cabin. I think that's the eye of this storm, and where Sharl went. By the by, do you think that, when this is over, Summers will care if I kick his keester up between his ears for charging off like that?-

Despite his casual tone, it was clear Corbin was annoyed. He continued to be annoyed as he walked up to the door of the cabin and threw it open, attempting to take stock of the situation inside.

[Avenger Assembled]

Though Sharl was an experienced superhero, at least by the standards of his own people, he had no experience in working in teams and had no idea everyone behind him was annoyed at his rash actions. He was too busy with this new face! Citizen stared at the spectral presence without comprehension. The supernatural was something he associated with a long-dead past from a world his people had left behind; magic was a story people told when they didn't understand how the universe functioned. He had no chance of understanding Kimber, or guessing what she was. "I'm not dead. Where's your power source?" he asked her curiously, walking around and sticking his hand in the fireplace as if to see if there were electronics there he couldn't see. "My name is Citizen. What's yours?"

[Fox]

Indira clearly noticed the unkind temperature drop, but whether or not she really felt it the way a human should was anybody's guess. Her reaction was more caution and curiosity than 'ohmigosh, cold', and she didn't move to hunch up or warm herself, even in her light clothing.

The teenage alien looked on rather blankly as Corbin insisted on subtlety and then threw open the cabin door while steaming and flame-eyed. Still, she supposed she could always go 'full-bore metal' later, and she couldn't hear any fighting yet. For now she crouched, just a little, eyes filling with a solid black as she silently made her way after Corbin to the door.

[Gizmo]

While Indira stalked after Corbin towards the cabin, Becky let out a small sound and nearly doubled over, leaning heavily against the much shorter white-haired girl. Especially obvious in the biting cold of the clearing, Eve could feel that their local guide was burning up with what felt like a fever. "Don't... don't feel so well..."

Inside the wooden domicile, the translucent specter floated about behind Sharl as he inspected the chimney. "Power source?" she asked, her expression perplexed but interested. "D'you mean like a robot? I'm not a robot, duh!" Her bright laughter echoed oddly as though coming from further away than she appeared to be, her nose wrinkling slightly. "Or... are you a robot? Oh! Are you a robot ghost?!" The azure apparition brought both hands to her mouth in delight over the sudden idea.

Before Citizen could respond to the bewildering torrent of chatter, the door burst open to reveal his understandably irritated companions. The cabin's occupant yelped in excitable surprise, diving through the floorboards of the cabin before shooting back up into the open air behind Sharl, peering over his shoulder at the newcomers. "Oh jams, you scared me!" she chided ruefully once she got a better look at the pair, hovering toward them for a better look as if she were swimming through the air itself. "Rad! Your eyes are all like 'fwoosh'! And your eyes are all 'grr!' Do you guys all have for real super powers?" Once again failing to actually wait for an answer, she flew right out the door, passing disconcertingly through the pair standing there as easily as if it had been empty space.

With a sudden, louder groan, Becky shoved Eve unceremoniously away and dropped to her knees. The pained sound deepened even as the telepath looked on while the brunette's hair lost its colour to become as white as her own, lengthening with alarming speed. With a sickening cracking, Becky's muscles expanded exponentially, ripping apart her hiking equipment. In the span of stunned moments, a creature more than twice Cobalt Templar's height hunched in her place, covered in grey fur and long white tufts, massive arms with impossibly long, clawed finger sitting over a second, smaller set of arms. A feral howl emerged from the beast's lupine muzzle, ringing throughout the forest.

"Oh, wow," the ghost murmured with sober appreciation in the stunned silence that followed. "That's a good one..."

[Avenger Assembled]

Sharl spared a brief, panicked glance for his projector before Citizen flew up to meet the huge, imposing monster that had once been a pretty young lady face-to-face. "I don't know how you did that to Becky, but I'm going to smack you around till you stop!" Despite Citizen's tough talk, the claw-monster was as mobile as it was ugly, and easily evaded his punch. Faster than it looks... He flew backwards, trying to stay out of range of the monster's potential attacks. "Shoot through me!" he called to the others. "Unless you're trying, you can't hurt me!"

[April]

Sage noted the shock and outright terror etched on Becky's face before the local girl pushed her out of the way. The telepath drifted back in her flight a few feet and the orange glow of her ethereal wings shifted to a vivid blue at the sound of pain from Becky, and her subsequent transformation.

Her peripheral vision took in Sharl's quick assault and the presence of a ghostly blue girl but her attention was focused on Becky. "Don't hurt her," the telepath implored, "Subdue if you must but... It's Becky." There was a pained expression on Sage's face and a concerned look in her green eyes as she added in a small voice, "Something is wrong with her."

[Gizmo]

The massive, hairy beast charged after Sharl as the holographic youth flew backward, raking one of her large, talon tipped arms through the air. The blow went wide of the evasive hero and the wendigo roared in anger, a canine sound of rage that was just human enough around the edges to be truly disturbing as the monster threw all four of her upper limbs back from her chest in a menacing display.

The chipper phantasm from the cabin watched the display with rapt attention, looking rapidly back and forth between the scene's players. After a beat, she raised on hand into the air. "Um. You are the guys from Claremont Academy, right?"

[KnightDisciple]

"Sharl, why did you-"

And then the ghost of a teenage girl was right in his face, and Coribn blinked in surprise, the energy in his eyes fading as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"Um, yes we-"

Then Kimber flew through him after hearing a terrible howl, and he couldn't help but jerk at the action and cry out in shock.

"JIMINY CHRISTMAS!"

Then he turned around and saw the thing standing next to Eve. Sharl was already on the move, but Eve was just standing there; he heard her say something about not hurting it, but as it attacked Sharl (uselessly, but still), he became less concerned about that. This thing was attacking his friends! This would not stand.

"Indira, follow and work to subdue it."

As he flew, Corbin was suddenly clad in his gleaming armor. In his hands, a three-section-staff whirled to life, the sections about 3/4 of an inch thick in the teen hero's large hands. He put everything he had into building up the momentum for his hit, likely leaving himself open to attack. Finally, he was next to the creature, and the weapon in his hands flashed forward.

"Get away from them!"

[Gizmo]

The translucent young woman floated abruptly higher as Cobalt Templar rushed forward, reflexively getting out of the armored youth's way despite her ethereal nature. "Oh, oh jams..." she fretted, wringing her hands in concentration, doing her best to deduce what was going on as the wendigo weathered Corbin's blows with a frustrated howl. Finally, the phantasm dove downward, circling around to the creature's other side and waving her arms. "Hello, Miss Monster! Look at the glowy, blue ghost! That's right!"

[Fox]

Indira was the last to respond to the sudden and threatening presence of the wendigo in their midst, and it was largely due to her rapt interest in the creature's transformation.

Eve's request, too, gave her pause, but eventually she had to do something. Her features melted away, mouth and nose and hair and clothes alike disappearing and smoothing out even as her forehead opened into a third, vertical eye. All at once she was moving, rushing in to meet the wendigo head-on as one arm formed a long, club-tipped tendril that swung sideways toward her enemy's ribs. "I am sorry," she said, voice even and sincere. "I am not very good at fighting gently. I will try to avoid more permanent damage?"

[April]

Eve was reluctant to raise a hand against Becky--the look of terror on the other girl's face before it started to shift flickered across Eve's vision--but that didn't mean she couldn't protect the others. Indira seemed to have landed a solid hit and it was likely the strange girl would suffer a reprisal.

The ribbons of ethereal flame that sprouted from Sage's shoulder blades shifted from their blue hue, gaining an orange color along the edges. Where before they seemed to lash about of their own volition, the telepath's telekinetic wing constructs seemed to shift toward the opaque and gain substance as they moved with a sense of purpose.

The ribbons of energy brushed past the combatants and stabbed into the ground between Wraith and the wendigo.