ic Change is Necessary for Growth [IC]

[Avenger Assembled]

Citizen cocked his head as if listening to invisible voices for a moment, something his team-mates were getting used to by now. "He's...Doug Malick, I think," both into the commlink and to his colleagues. "He's Freedom City-born, going to school at some place called Dunwich Prep in New Hampshire," he said, pronouncing out the shire like it was an English province. "He came back to Freedom City for the parade. Unfortunate." He hmmed. "Parents seem normal enough...Dunwich is, uh, old for you guys, it dates back to the 1720s. They talk a lot about how students should learn to unlock their true selves." He hmmed. "Their website sounds a lot like Claremont's. Headmaster's name is Samantha Collins..." He drummed his fingers on his thigh for a moment, then added in a low whisper, "She used to be called Mercurielle. Active as a hero in the 1960s and 1970s. Got very rich making cosmetics, is that a thing? She's a graduate who bought the place in 2003." He frowned. "Mercurielle was a shapeshifter."

[KnightDisciple]

As Citizen spoke, his large, blue-clad team-mate frowned and started to pace, clasping his hands behind his back. He continued this motion for several moments before finally speaking up, still pacing.

"This whole thing smells of serious shenanigans. We've got a kid going to a prep school who ends up turning into a giant flesh-beast. A school in a town named Dunwich. It's not the same one that had the incident in '29, but..."

He turned to the others, giving a slight shrug.

"I'm not one to believe in coincidences. Considering Kid Cthulu thinks the Unspeakable One was somehow involved in that affair, and we've now got another town with, conveniently, the same name, with a "prep school" run by a shape-shifting former heroine, with at least one graduate turning into a giant monster, after learning how to "unlock his true self". If nothing else, this sounds very suspicious. Even dropping everything else, I'd say we should try looking into that place."

Cobalt Templar looked at his teammates, his next words spoken sincerely.

"What do you guys think?"

[Gizmo]

"Why would we think you-- wait, you mean you and Becky...? Oh. Oh! Oooooh..." Ghost Girl floated closer to the ground to be less conspicuous, tapping the tips of her index fingers together in embarrassment. "Never mind!" Bobbing through the air over to Wraith, she quietly admitted, "I totally thought Sage and CT were a thing, but that actually makes waaay more sense."

The phantom teen rose a little higher back into the air as she followed the discussion between Citizen and Cobalt Templar over when the former had turned up. "So this Dunwich Prep is like another superhero school? What 'incident' do you mean?" Pausing, she shrugged helplessly. "Hey, I'm old, but I'm not 1929 old!"

[Electra]

Koshiro looked more comfortable after having the gunshot wound bound up by the paramedics, for all he was still a bit disappointed he hadn't made it back to the parade. Maybe he'd find out when the Sierra Club was having its next meeting and hit it up. He rubbed his arm as he watched the giant kid slowly shrinking. "Summers is like connected with everyone in hero work," he pointed out. "If Summers doesn't know about it, it's because someone's specifically trying to hide it. So maybe it's a school for supervillains," he suggested with a shrug that turned into a wince. "They've got schools for heroes, obviously, so why not? Maybe Bastion was trying to rebel."

[April]

"We can discuss the next move when the Headmaster arrives," Sage said rejoining the group. The petite telepath had briefly left her teammates to have a brief word with Security, and returned with temporary access badges. Heroes or not, neither Young Freedom or Duncan Summers would have been permitted to enter the more critical areas of the facility, but at least the temporary access let them move around some.

"Bastion is in P4 containment," Sage said as she handed out the access badges. "We won't be able to see him face to face, but these badges will grant access to Observation as well as allow limited mobility here at the IRF."

[Avenger Assembled]

Citizen took the badge and twirled it in his fingers, shooting an awkward glance at his fellow figment. "Uh, I can carry yours too, if you want, Ghost Girl." It seemed rude to tell Eve they could just phase through walls anyway, especially since this was a super-science facility that probably did have the sort of facilities that could hold in a projected image like Sharl as well as a psychic impression like Kimber. "What did the doctors say?" he asked Sage, since this was her facility. "Is he any better?" He couldn't really pin the badge on and have it stick, so instead he attached it to his mobile emitter.

[Fox]

Wraith was quiet again, and (when not following the group somewhere or turning just her head to something novel and specific) rather unnervingly still. She had, at least, gone a little more humanoid for the sake of the rest of the facility employees, her body a reasonable approximation of her human form...albeit smoothed out. And hairless. And she didn't have quite the right number of fingers, or any toes...but it was the thought that counted.

She accepted the badge gracefully, apparently not quite sure what to do with it before deciding to just hold onto it. "A villain school would make a great deal of sense," she mused, quietly, "though it seems like a thing that would be difficult to organize. I agree with Sage - it may be best to get guidance before proceeding. We cannot assume that if it was such a thing it would be any less protected or have any less impressive a staff and student population than our own school."

[trollthumper]

"What did the doctors say?" he asked Sage, since this was her facility. "Is he any better?" He couldn't really pin the badge on and have it stick, so instead he attached it to his mobile emitter.

The doctors had told Sage that Bastion was gradually - key word being "gradually" - returning to his human form. But there had been a few complications. They'd gathered a blood sample - once they'd found a vein that could sit still for two seconds - and sent it along to the toxicology lab, only for the tests to pick up an unidentifiable chemical. It seemed to have mutagenic properties, like most of the "superdrugs" on the street, but according to the report, it appeared to be a primarily organic substance. There were a few components that were confusing the hell out of the mass spectrometer, but the other outside chemicals that suffused the blood sample had more in common with alcohol or heroin than the mass of chemicals that made up zoom or max.

"A villain school would make a great deal of sense," she mused, quietly, "though it seems like a thing that would be difficult to organize. I agree with Sage - it may be best to get guidance before proceeding. We cannot assume that if it was such a thing it would be any less protected or have any less impressive a staff and student population than our own school."

"It's not a school for aspiring villains." Wraith and the others turned to find Summers standing there, leaning on his cane. Even in his dotage, the man was still experienced in making himself unnoticed until he needed to be. "Or if it is, Collins has more guile than I thought. I know about her school. She appears to be on the up-and-up - very few of her students thus far have gone the illegal path, and those that did were expelled. Her teachings are more... loose than I'd prefer. She seems to focus on mutation or inborn powers as something that sets someone above the world instead of a part of it. Much like the 'indigo children' movement among New Age circles."

Summers barely held back a look like he'd been made to swallow vinegar, then continued. "I knew Collins when she was Mercurielle. She didn't fight in Freedom City, but my business took me to New York on occasion. I only met her a few times, but she didn't seem like she was holding anything back. She did retire suddenly, though I'd assumed it was due to family or some other personal situation."

His eyes narrowed. "But there were times I let the obvious escape me back then," he said. "Sage. When your scientists think they're done with the young man, I'd like to place a call to Ms. Collins. Let her know that we're returning her charge. I've always wanted to get a closer look at the Dunwich campus." He looked to his students. "The assignment is complete... but you're welcome to come along."

[KnightDisciple]

The phantom teen rose a little higher back into the air as she followed the discussion between Citizen and Cobalt Templar over when the former had turned up. "So this Dunwich Prep is like another superhero school? What 'incident' do you mean?" Pausing, she shrugged helplessly. "Hey, I'm old, but I'm not 1929 old!"

CT turned to face Kimber, though he made sure the others could hear (if they cared about listening), and his gaze went far-off as he recited what facts he knew.

"Dunwich, Massachusetts saw somewhere around a half-century of "odd occurrences". Almost all of it was strange, still officially unexplained lights in the sky over the town. Too far south for the Northern Lights, especially over such a stretch of time.

Everything seemed to go back to "normal" in 1929...but only after the destruction of a farmhouse, the death of two families, and the loss of a fair bit of livestock. Official records indicate the families fell prey to an encroachment of coyotes. There's not much official word on why the house exploded. But, to be honest, it all seems a bit off to say it's just coyotes. Kid Cthulu has stated he suspects the Unspeakable One was somehow involved, though obviously he was not there to witness it. I haven't yet been able to ask other sources, ones that might have been around in '29. Of course, the likes of the Master Mage would probably just clam up and not talk about it anyways. So, it's just speculation and coincidence. Beyond the name connection, and the events of today, there's nothing to suggest actual connection."

Then the Headmaster took charge of the situation. When he asked for volunteers, Cobalt Templar was the first to step forward.

"I would be more than happy to assist you on your endeavor, sir."

[Avenger Assembled]

"I'd be happy to help," said Citizen without hesitation. The idea of people being altered into monsters, possibly against their will, made grim images of Tronik's mutants dance against the back of his mind. Programming errors of a larger sort? he thought cynically. The talk of magic and mages meant nothing to him, but he understood the thought of a place so warped it bred monsters of its own just fine. No one in Tronik had ever gotten the idea of using mutants as a weapon, and between Leroj's efforts and his own, hopefully no one would. If people had had that idea out here, though, and if they were using it on kids..."I'm sure we all would."

[Fox]

"Yes," Wraith replied - a simple answer for a simple decision. She hummed for a moment, digesting Cobalt Templar's information dump (and trying awfully hard to not look startled by Summers; she was more used to doing the sneaking than being sneaked upon. "It is worth looking into, at the very least. In the worst case, there is something very wrong happening there, and we can stop or impair it. In the best case, the problems faced by Bastion are only his own, but we learn something about this other school and perhaps show them our way."

[Gizmo]

"Why would anyone want to teach kids to be villains?" Ghost Girl asked concernedly, looking rather aghast at both the idea and how unruffled everyone else seemed to be with the possibility. The idea of teachers actively attempting to corrupt their students was more that a little unsettling. "And if they're Unspeakable how come we can talk about them so much? Or is it one of those ironic names?" The whole thing was really awfully confusing, but the phantasm didn't hesitate when her friends agreed to see the strange case through. "If everyone else is going, so am I! You might need me if Dunwich turns out to be haunted or something!"

[Electra]

Koshiro frowned as he watched his teammates agree one by one to follow the headmaster out to Dunwich. It sounded like probably the least fun field trip ever, but he couldn't back out now without looking like a dweeb. He rubbed his hand once more over his injured shoulder and then forced himself to leave it alone, sticking his good hand in his pocket. "So long as nobody's going to be shooing at us at this place," he said, disguising reluctance behind simple sullenness.

[KnightDisciple]

"Why would anyone want to teach kids to be villains?" Ghost Girl asked concernedly, looking rather aghast at both the idea and how unruffled everyone else seemed to be with the possibility. The idea of teachers actively attempting to corrupt their students was more that a little unsettling. "And if they're Unspeakable how come we can talk about them so much? Or is it one of those ironic names?" The whole thing was really awfully confusing, but the phantasm didn't hesitate when her friends agreed to see the strange case through. "If everyone else is going, so am I! You might need me if Dunwich turns out to be haunted or something!"

"Not all villains are totally crazy. Those are the ones who'd run a school like that. And they're sometimes more dangerous than the crazy ones...But really, it's because they want backup. Makes sense, in a strictly pragmatic sense."

He shrugged; Headmaster Summers said it probably wasn't a villain school, so Corbin wasn't going to stress about the idea too much.

"Think of "Unspeakable One" as a nickname; its real name would probably drive us insane. Also, its nature would drive us insane; basically, it's a critter that's antithetical to mortal life, and so trying to bring its attention to us, often via speaking something, is seen as very bad.

And if it is haunted, I'll be glad to have a ghost on my side."

He gave Kimber a friendly smile, trying to support his teammate's good cheer, while hopefully not depressing and boring her with his explanations.

[trollthumper]

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

4:53 PM

The caravan had set out early from Freedom City. After a night of steady observation to ensure that he wouldn't undergo any more radical transformations, Bastion - who had started the journey at twice the size of the average teenager, but rapidly approaching something resembling humanity - was loaded into a Martel Industries-brand secure transfer truck. Half of the membership of Young Freedom had been tasked with keeping an eye on the young shapeshifter, making sure he remained stable and sedate during transit. The other half - those who could most easily go intangible or pass through metal on a moment's notice - rode along with Duncan Summers in the cabin of the truck as it made its way from New Jersey to New Hampshire. The question of whom had the more suspenseful experience was up for grabs.

Bastion had not waken, no matter how many sudden turn-offs, stops for lunch, or bathroom breaks the group made. During the trip, he shrank to normal size and mass, though there was still something decidedly off about his musculature and appearance. There were a few tense moments where his flesh seemed to rebel against the bone, rising and swelling suddenly - but the growth had recessed just as suddenly, as if he was just inhaling and exhaling.

The truck pulled up on the grounds of Dunwich Prep just as the sun was beginning to set. The grounds were sprawling and wild, not unlike Claremont but with just slightly less grooming. The woods of New England surrounded the school on three sides, with a well-manicured drive serving as the strongest vestige of civilization before one got to the school. The main classroom building stood at the center of grounds, ringed on the sides by the academic buildings and dorms. On the steps of the main building stood a woman in a black skirt suit who looked weathered enough to have seen the world over decades, but preserved enough to have prevented it from chipping away at her. She descended the steps as Summers exited the truck cab, her hand already extended.

"Duncan," she said with the warmth of a fireplace. "How long has it been? That academic conference in Boston?"

"i suppose so." He accepted the hand. "How have you been, Samantha?"

"Slightly more distraught, as of late." Samantha Collins approached the truck bed, taking a look in the back. She cringed as she looked as Bastion, who still looked like he needed some time to settle. "How did he come to be like this?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"He transformed after being shot, ma'am," said Citizen respectfully, Sharl casting an uneasy look around the campus of the sinister-looking school. There was something unsettling about the way those trees came right up to the edge of the school's property line, the unnatural merger of civilization and primeval forest a suggestion that the school had grown right out of the forest itself. He tried to tell himself that it was just his urban instincts talking, and that there were no monsters waiting in that forest. After all, as he'd seen again and again in his science classes and on his trips to Wharton Forest with Miss Americana, despite what they'd seen in the Canadian woods, not every forest harbored savage monsters. He kept a firm grip on his projector case anyway, walking over to talk politely to the two adults as he kept an eye out for any students about. With Mr. Summers' permission, he went on. "He seemed to lose control of his body and mind in the same moment. We had injuries, and we were lucky no bystanders were hurt."

[Fox]

"He seemed to be in a great deal of pain - and very unstable," Wraith added. She'd also been awfully distracted by the trees, though for different reasons - it wasn't unnatural, exactly, but even after being on Earth for a while she couldn't shake the feeling that having wild growth this close to the edge of a school was sheer bad planning, like they were begging for a vine to snatch somebody or a beast to sneak right up in the bushes, unseen. "We were required to force him unconscious, which seemed to help, somewhat. The bullet did not seem to be the cause, however - at least, not the direct one. As far as we know, it was a normal bullet."

[Gizmo]

Of the groups notably less human members, Ghost Girl was unsurprisingly by far the most comfortable with the surrounding woods, slipping thought her vehicle's walls before it had come to a stop to flit cheerfully about the edge of the campus, passing through a few trunks before floating over to rejoin the group. She didn't feel like she had much to add to the explanation of Bastion's transformation, still not being entirely clear on what had happened herself, though she did observe that the woman in black seemed much too nice to be like any of the supervillains the phantom had met so far.

Hanging towards the back, she glided over to Papercut, cutting a semicircle path around the origami artisan. "So, how's your... y'know..." she whispered inquisitively before poking a finger harmlessly a few centimeters into her teammate's shoulder then withdrawing it, "your bullet hole feeling?"

[Electra]

Koshiro flinched when Kimber poked at his shoulder, then just looked uncomfortable when her hand passed harmlessly through. He'd been watching the conversation unfold from the back of the group, totally all right with letting the others explain exactly what the hell had happened. They had no more idea than he did, but at least they had more superhero technical terms to dress it up with. "Doesn't hurt," he told Kimber in an undertone. "Sage said she blocked the pain in my brain so I wouldn't feel it.That's screwed up itself, but least it doesn't hurt like hell anymore. Some kind of fancy school they've got here, huh?"

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar had, on the ride over, taken the time to "soften" his appearance. Instead of massive armor plating, he was wearing a deceptively simple outfit that was mostly blue, with his typical maroon highlights in various places, and a solid maroon cape. Still impressive, but less...combative.

For a change he let the others talk, especially with the Headmaster present, and instead took in the scenery. The choice to let the campus run a bit less "trimmed" was odd, but it didn't totally detract from the look. Seemed a bit more tightly packed than Claremont, though.

'Wonder if they try to run a stricter operation here, or if it's just a space-saving thing.'

The artist in him appreciated the vague symmetry of the design, and the contrast of "developed world" and "untamed forest", though.

[Gizmo]

"I think Sage's powers seem super useful!" Kimber chirped enthusiastically, remembering to keep her voice down and only stopping short of probing Koshiro's shoulder again when she noticed the expression on his face. "I just mean, you're being super tough about it and all, but living people are really, y'know, fragile! Believe me, one second your fine, then: kkkt!" Making a death rattle noise, Ghost Girl stuck out her tongue and tilted her head further to one side than a physical spine would have even allowed before snapping it back into place with both hands. "I worry about you guys, is all."

[April]

It felt strange to Sage to use family resources in such an overt manner; she like the other Martel's preferred to use their wealth and assets in a more subtle fashion. She hoped that the presence of Duncan Summers would distract her teammates as she hoped the presence of heroes distracted the lay employee, the one thing she truly wanted to avoid was the association of Eve Martel with the teen hero Sage.

Such were the thoughts that accompanied the teen telepath on the trip north to Dunwich, though she engaged in a measure of small talk with her fellow students if only to help pass the time. As she stepped from the transport and took in the sights of the sister school (in spirit if not fact) she was glad she had the presence of mind to grab her long coat. Bit too chilly for bare shoulders, she thought.

[trollthumper]

Samantha shook her head. "Damn," she said. "I knew Doug's talents were biokinetic, and I tried to convince him to show some restraint - wait until he knew the ropes before he climbed the course. But no matter how hard we try, some children are riddled with the overwhelming bravado of youth."

"Everyone has their limits," Summers said. "They just don't usually push them as hard."

"If that's a dig at my philosophy, Duncan, I'll pretend I didn't hear it. And I teach my children to know their limits, inside and out, before they try to surpass them. Otherwise..." She shook her head. "May I see him?"

The truck was opened. Samantha entered, and found Bastion in his confines. He was back to normal - for the most part. His musculature had a strange, half-formed quality to it, like someone had made the best human sculpture they could out of modeling clay. She pulled out her cell phone and placed a call. "Our student's back," she said. "He's in no condition to wake, however. Bring a stretcher."

A few minutes later, two nurses emerged from the building, wheeling a stretcher down the handicapped access ramp. Soon after, Bastion was secured and wheeled back into the building.

"We'll be able to take care of him from here," she said. "Dunwich has had a few eruptions over the years, much like his case. We have facilities specially designed for such instances, and therapists who can help him deal with the changes to his body."

"Do you mind if we tour the facilities?" Summers asked. "I've been having a few incidents along those lines myself. It would be interesting to see another approach to sudden metamorphic growth."

Samantha smiled. "Why, Duncan," she said. "I might bring you around to my style after all."

[Fox]

Wraith came awfully close to asking what in the world 'knew the ropes before he climbed the course' meant, but she ultimately thought better of it (and made am mental note to ask Kimber later). Instead she passively watched as Bastion was taken away by what were hopefully well-trained medical professionals. Or healing-empowered metahumans. It was always hard to tell.

"I find this somewhat discouraging," Wraith admitted, half addressing Summers and her teammates and half just musing out loud. "No, that is not the word. Frustrating, perhaps? I find it somewhat frustrating that so many people gifted with the ability to reshape themselves cannot control themselves, and became dangerous. Is that truly so common?"

[Avenger Assembled]

As was his natural inclination, Sharl tried to access the school's computer as they walked, since opening up that connection was at least as natural as this talking and walking thing. He was using his little projector for today, one that let him keep his hands free as he pulled out what looked like an iTablet and began tapping away with the little stylus: unfortunately, the school's computers turned out to be made of sterner stuff than he'd realized. If they're made by the same people who made Claremont's computers, I guess that's not too surprising... He put the pad away and tried to look attentive during the tour, sticking close to his wounded roomate along the way.