ic Can't Change Time

[TheAbsurdist]

Errant's response was fast, and he moved towards the back, going towards the exit.  Not quite giving the Imam too much space, because if the cops did something...  "Fighting will make this worse.  I am not going to do that."  More than his friends he knew how this worked, he knew the reprisal structure of people like them.  They weren't just bullies, that was a simple label, a simple explanation for indoctrinated behaviors, for ingrained thinking.  They were cogs in a larger machine.  It was not one he was familiar with, so he was going to bow out and let the imam engage.

 

Whilst being annoyed that he hadn't gotten a costume for himself.  Then that was a concern for another time.

 

And then they hit, three voices seeking his attention.  So he started to organize it, breaking down the larger matter into smaller ones.  He had to, unfortunately, his focus split as it was meant that they were all going to bleed together, at least for their sakes.  In Errant's case he could keep it separate.  This was something he was used to, well to some degree.  But then he was the telepath.

 

'Thoughtspeed, stop.  Now.'  That mind's voice cracked like a whip against the speedster's consciousness.  'Get someplace out of sight, higher ground, breathe.'  He did not need Will freaking out.  That would not help him in the slightest.  They were on hostile ground, surrounded by enemies.  They had to operate under that assumption.  Well he had to.  So he changed his mindset  towards that.  Of course this meant he was going to be in leader role, and he was hardly the most persuasive person.

 

'I am going to assume you are the ones who have the authorities up in arms?.'  He couldn't immediately just jump at the offered help.  He needed more information.  So he tried to maneuver the mental conversation to where the other person would open up a bit more.

 

Find Cho.  Reconnect.  Travel back through time and space.  Compartmentalize and work on crises in order.  Reconnecting with Will was probably the easiest, and the one thing they had to do first.  Focusing on the end goal now would cause despair, due to it's baffling logistics.

[Avenger Assembled]

That got him a cool psychic laugh, even as he made his way through the Malay neighborhood towards the dubious safety of the mountains that stretched overhead. <I'm afraid that was you and your friends. The authorities here may be more openly brutal than they are in America, but at least they're more openly corrupt by the same measure. They'd been paid very well to mind their business as long as their betters minded theirs. But let's not worry about that - the important thing is keeping you out of the hands of the local riff-raff. My name is Paulette Psion. What's yours?> She let some of her self-image slip through the link, probably to reassure Errant - short red hair and blue eyes, a young woman in a white jumpsuit she wore with pride. 

 

-

 

"Are you a time traveler?" exclaimed Clock Queen delightedly. "That's wonderful! I'm a time traveler too; just the other day I went back and stole all the pearls off the old Spanish galleon the San Miguel. Arr!" She gave a piratical wink - a moment later, fast as could be, she was giving Cho a sympathetic look. "But it's not the time to talk about old exploits. It's 1981, dear, June 19. Come on, let's get you back to the hotel." And with that, she took Cho's hand and they zipped away - time's normal flow returning in the vacant lot she'd left behind to the sound of two distinct gunshots. They raced through the streets of Capetown at fantastic speed, the town around them standing perfectly still as they made their way down busy streets of stopped cars, past frozen pedestrians, and finally to the gates of a gorgeous hotel. As time resumed its normal speed and people began moving again, Clock Queen led the way through a crowded lobby and out by the pool, heading for a secluded cottage. From the bushy mustaches and Jheri curls on the men to the big hair and colorful frocks on the women, it was clear indeed Cho had gone very far back in time. 

 

"Hey, Psion!" she called with a wave over the fence to the cottage next door, to where a young woman with short red hair in a form-fitting white jumpsuit was sitting in a meditative posture. "Tell your dad I got the first one! And that's one for speed over brains!" She turned back to Cho, "Nice people, the Psions, but they spend way too much time thinking." She opened the door to their own cottage and, just inside the kitchenette, revealed a young man about Cho's age whose spiky hair, leather jacket, and jeans probably made him look like a real badass...to someone of Cho's dad's generation. The young man looked up from the table where he appeared to be rolling joints at super-speed. 

 

"Ma! You said you weren't gonna bother me today!" 

 

"Hey, your pants are on," said Clock Queen with a wave. "Cho, this is my boy Tempus Fugitive. Tempus, this is Cho...at least, that's what she calls herself," she added with a wink. "She's gonna make herself some lunch, and maybe use our shower, and then you and your little friends can do whatever. You behave yourself, Dickie Cline," she said with a pointed gesture her son's way. "I'll be right back." And with that, she was gone! 

[RobRX]

"Um..." Poor girl wasn't even sure just what the hell was going on anymore. That's the superhero life; things always end up, somehow, ever increasingly weirder. Still completely and utterly lost, Cho simply just stood there. Every single one of her instincts were screaming at her to get out of this whole mess right now, that she clearly had been mistaken for someone else. The whole thing was very clearly a complete and utter mess and on top of that, time-travel was involved. For a brief moment, she wondered about the risks of somehow erasing herself completely out of the timeline.

 

'Okay.' She thought to herself. 'Time travel. Cline. Damn, Thoughtspeed. That's not good at all.' Cho continued to put the pieces together, then take them apart and put them back together differently, formulating a plan. 'So, she called other Psion, so I guess that would mean, well, psychic powers. Hopefully not telepathy or I'm screwed. If it isn't telepathy then should at least be able to fool them long enough to make a quick escape.'

 

[KnightDisciple]

Will took several moments to take deep, long breaths before replying to Elias.

 

--Thanks. Needed the reality check. Seriously though, we need to keep our heads down. This whole keg's gonna go sideways ASAP.--

 

With that, the no-longer-visible psychic speedster rushed off, the only sign of his passing a breeze, and perhaps a sense of heightened nerves, in his wake.

 

He searched until he could find a building that was at least a bit taller than the others before running up the side. If the roof was empty, he'd stop there and try to get his bearings, looking for any landmarks he could use now or later.

[Avenger Assembled]

The top of 1 Thibault Square, a flat roof with vent fans and other bits of skyscraper necessities, was empty of life and high enough that Thoughtspeed could see for miles - even so, the tallest building around would have been a piker in Freedom City. Capetown was smaller and poorer than most of the many cities he'd lived in over the years; from this distance he could even just make out the slums that lay on the outskirts of the city outside the ring of suburbs. Behind him he could see the ocean, which if he ran far enough and fast enough would eventually take him to a Freedom City just a few years before the old Freedom League dissolved - and where the Centurion was still alive. Before he could process that piece of information, he heard a faint zap from behind a nearby ventilator like an electrical discharge. Checking out revealed a faint ring of dust on the side of the ventilator - and then suddenly, there was someone just above him!

 

In a bone-white Noh mask that glared down at him and wrapped in long black robes, she cut an imposing figure - especially when you saw the long, dripping-wet blades that curved out of her sleeves. "Defend yourself!" she hissed, a moment before she swiped at his midsection with wickedly curved blades! 

[Avenger Assembled]

With Anna gone, Cho was left alone with her friend's teenage dad. "Bathroom's down the hall," said 'Dickie' with a jerk of his head before he went back to packing what was, of all things, a picnic basket. "Use the girly stuff if you want, my mom gets a ton of it from...her boss." Fast as he was, zipping around in a pattern that was familiar to anyone who knew Will, he stopped dead for a moment before he went back to his packing. When he'd put in about half a dozen joints, he opened the cottage's small mini-fridge and, almost faster than Cho could see, came out with two wine coolers and slipped them into the basket. He didn't seem afraid of Cho at all - and no wonder, if this big hotel complex really was hosting a full-on Crime League convention. "So, you from around here?" he asked her. "This town is pretty bogue, but some of the locals are all right. Your hair's pretty rockin'." 

[TheAbsurdist]

Errant did not know how to take that.  A Psion...  Not that he had a whole lot of experience with them, apart from his father being a bit of a believer in their philosophies.  His expression went flat for a moment, even as he kept moving.  But he only had tangential connection to Will, as he hadn't masked his abilities properly so... 

 

'Errant.'  The mental image that was projected was grey on grey on grey.  But then his curt mental communication carried little, to no inflection.  There was no sense of smiling, or anything else.  He wasn't reassured however, that much was clear.  But given the situation he found himself it, it was no surprise.

[KnightDisciple]

By this point, unless actively kept up by Elias, Will's mental link with his friend was closed. Certainly Will's own powers weren't sufficient.

 

The *zap* was unexpected on a rooftop. Static electricity in the AC, maybe? He zipped over to find out.

 

And then a crazy not-dictator-just-yet lady was trying to slice his face off.

 

"Yowsageez! Watch it, lady!"

 

His brain was still registering who he was dealing with even as his body instinctively had him curving around the sword swipes and taking high-speed backpedals. His light-bending powers wavered for a moment before solidifying again, even as he conjured his own blades.

 

"You wanna play swords I'll play swords! I'm trained by the best!"

 

One of them, anyways; Anna Cline was definitely no slouch with swords, 80s or "present day".

 

Of course, the high-speed blitz was thrown off a bit by Will's rather jittery nerves, meaning none of the blows connected. But no matter, he was in "combat mode" (as he sometimes thought to himself), and he was now on the opposite side of the roof from the woman with poison swords.

[Avenger Assembled]

Kyogen slapped Thoughtspeed's blade away with her claws and went for him, but her own strike skidded across his costume, leaving a trail of oily poison behind that it would probably be better for him not to touch. But after their brief clash of blades, she stepped back, crossing her claws defensively in front of her. "Well-met, citizen. But the local race traitors'll bring you down whether you're good with a sword or not." The mask tilted backwards, and Will beheld a smirk instead of a snarl on that painted porcelain face. "I can bring you back to the League and we can get you some protection. You're fast and you're good with a blade, and I respect that. Or if you'd rather, I can leave you out here and let the Jet Patrol pick the flesh from your bones." There was a faint chuckle from behind the mask. "It'll be easy for them to find you if you're hamstrung. What's your choice?" 

[KnightDisciple]

Thoughtspeed glanced down at the poison even as he faded into sight. 

 

"I'd ask how you saw me but you wouldn't say anyways, so."

 

He glanced around.

 

"Let's say I got lost on the road of life and leave it at that. Anyways, yeah, I've heard of the Jet Patrol. Definitely not buying their t-shirts. But. I don't know you. Why should I trust you'll give me safe passage?"

 

His stance was guarded, but not hostile. Clearly he just wasn't stupid and knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.

 

"What expectations are levied at me if I accept your offer?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Kyogen laughed, and it wasn't a pretty sound. "You've got some good tricks, citizen, but this is the big leagues. I'm just glad you didn't make me teleport after you again; I might have had to get...nasty with you when I caught you." She traced her claws against a sheet metal waist-high wall nearby, enjoying the faint shriek. "If you come with me, we'll make sure the Jet Patrol doesn't hang you - or blow you to bloody little ribbons on live TV. Now, if you actually want in the League, you'll have to prove yourself to your elders - but that's not really my department. You'll just have to owe me a favor for saving your life from a fat Dutchman in a knockoff Daedalus suit. So what's it gonna be?" she asked him. 

[KnightDisciple]

Inside his helmet Will grimaced at the "fat Dutchman" comment.

 

"Well there's a mental image I'll have to scrub from my mind, thanks for that."

 

He sighed and relaxed his posture, the swords disappearing, though the green glow was still faintly around his whole (thoroughly visible again) body. He crossed his arms...and was right next to her, still guarded, but clearly not wanting to fight.

 

"Right then. I'm not in a brawling mood, I want to deal with the Jet Patrol even less, and it's getting a bit too warm up here anyways. Let's blow this popsicle stand, ma'am. I think I'll skip on the League signups for the moment, though. Just bugging out is good enough for me. Let's head out."

 

He really just wanted to be home in bed. He would settle for "home bed sick with the flu" and he had had the flu before.

[Avenger Assembled]

<Yes, I suppose you are. Now, are you going to come in?> It was a pointed question, one that came with the sight of a bottle of champagne being opened and poured into two tall, narrow glasses. <My family and I have a strong interest in protecting our fellow psychics, especially when there are so many homo sapiens and race traitors about - and even our own allies can be rather...brutish.> A painted woman in a cape, and something masked and cruel that stalked the dark, blood dripping from its claws. <So what would you prefer? You come join me out here by the pool in our luxurious accommodations and we have a pleasant conversation about ourselves, or someone more...unpleasant comes your way?> 

 

-

 

"Heyyougotimyet!?!" There was the sound of feet running impossibly fast, and suddenly they weren't alone on the roof. Thoughtspeed and Kyogen had been joined by a figure absolutely unmistakable to Will, even with over thirty years of aging between them - twenty of those spent in prison with limited use of her powers. Clock Queen, Anna Cline, his gramma, looked exactly like the glamorous villain and thief she'd always claimed to be. Of course, she showed no sign of recognizing Thoughtspeed at all. "Didn'tcutimupthough," she added, zipping around the rooftop for emphasis. For her part, Kyogen made a sound like an amused snort - it was clear, murderous assassin that she was, that she wasn't an enemy of Clock Queen. 

 

"He was playing it smart," she said, snapping her claws back into place and deadly serious as she gazed right at Thoughtspeed's face for a thoughtful moment. "He's still mine, though." 

 

"Fine, fine, so if the Psions get the third one, we're all even stevens...but who's gonna buy me that beer?" With a wink, Clock Queen took her grandson's hand. "Come on, let's get you back and out of sight. I've got a little friend of yours back at my place who's probably getting herself cleaned up by now. You kids took quite a little tumble." 

[RobRX]

With Anna gone, Cho was left alone with her friend's teenage dad. "Bathroom's down the hall," said 'Dickie' with a jerk of his head before he went back to packing what was, of all things, a picnic basket. "Use the girly stuff if you want, my mom gets a ton of it from...her boss." Fast as he was, zipping around in a pattern that was familiar to anyone who knew Will, he stopped dead for a moment before he went back to his packing. When he'd put in about half a dozen joints, he opened the cottage's small mini-fridge and, almost faster than Cho could see, came out with two wine coolers and slipped them into the basket. He didn't seem afraid of Cho at all - and no wonder, if this big hotel complex really was hosting a full-on Crime League convention. "So, you from around here?" he asked her. "This town is pretty bogue, but some of the locals are all right. Your hair's pretty rockin'." 

"It's, uh, um more of an accident..." One born of just about anything short of diamond scissors breaking even on something as thin as Cho's hair. First the hair was a mess desperate cutting methods, then it become a mess due to some not-so-carefully applied disintegration. Either way, the end result was always a bit of a mess. "It's not a choice of haircut."

 

"Right, well I'm not really sure if I should shower right now." Even if she had been covered in toxic or radioactive goo, lowering her guard while in the presence of these people would seem like a truly suicidal move. Then again, they did seem to at least think or consider she could be one of them. Further complicating the matter, she was dealing with a speedster meaning she couldn't, in any way, try to escape. Assuming that she moved in slow-motion compared to him, trying to quietly step away from the building would probably not work. 'Unless...' thought Cho. "Hey, can I get one?" She asked the speedster. Not that she intended to smoke it, but at least she'd pretend as part of her plan. "Thing is, I hate smoking inside, so I was thinking going back outside, hope it doesn't really bother your mom."

Edited July 15, 2014 by RobRX

[KnightDisciple]

"Uh...What's this about belonging to-Wait, no, you know what?"

 

He shook his helmeted head and made some vague waving motion with his hands.

 

"Never mind. Less talking, more running."

 

He took Gramma Cline's hand with practiced ease. So much ease she might notice; not everyone's comfortable getting speed granted to them. Not only did he take her hand, he himself seemed poised to run, almost eager. The green lines on his suit seemed to glow brighter as he cast his gaze about the roof one more time.

 

"Yeah, we took a tumble...Come on, let's get running!"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Heh, who do you think gave me this," said Tempus Fugitive with a wink, handing a nice fat blunt off to Cho. "My mom's totally cool, she went out and got primo ganja specially for me and my girl. She doesn't even mind I do coke sometimes." He rubbed his nose, then leaned in with a cocky grin and a look in his eye that suggested he was definitely checking her out. "Hey, if you're cool, you know, I'm on my way to this really rad party with some friends of mine. We're gonna hang out, listen to some music, raise a little Hell...it'll be totally bitchin', man." He reached over and opened the door - and suddenly Clock Queen was back, with Thoughtspeed in tow. 

 

"I'mback! Kyogenwasonthecase!" Clock Queen zipped out of the way to let Thoughtspeed enter. "See, toljdawe'd find your friend, Cho. Watch this one, Dickie, he's super-fast but he seems all right. I have to warn you kids, though, if you've been jerking us around when I could be winning a bet with Professor Psion, I'm going to clean your clocks." 

 

"Aw, Ma!" complained Richard Cline. "I'm trying to get to the party!" 

 

"Fine, fine, bring everybody! Gotta go if I'm gonna beat the Psions to the last one!" And with that, she was off again. 

[TheAbsurdist]

Errant did not appreciate or enjoy the implication.  Having never directly interacted with a Psion he now hated them.  Callous thugs with powers.  His feelings didn't touch his thoughts, but then he always strove to not feel strongly over that concern.  She threatened him, despite not saying it, the language conveyed in telepathy was less words, and more ideas, concepts. For someone who had been steeped in such since before he was able to walk, it was more than crystal clear than him.  Just like her sense of superiority, her willingness to classify people so as to isolate them.  To separate from them.  It afforded her moral flexibility, because she and her ilk was not of the rest of humanity.  To him, however she viewed or presented herself, she was just another bloodsoaked fist.

 

'You are not offering a choice.  I don't have options.  So yes.'  His tone was as neutral and frank as ever, given that it was clear what would happen if he resisted, he would be labelled a 'race traitor' and then he would be considered an other.

[KnightDisciple]

"Ma'am, I can speak with absolute conviction of the truth when I say that our presence here today was in no way meant to cause you undue stress or hardship."

 

He's more respectful than Anna's own son (right now)! Other than maybe the whole "featureless helmet" thing. 

 

"So, what's this about a party?"

 

Thoughtspeed's voice was calm, and his mannerisms were, for the most part, calm (and Richard was probably drugged-up enough he didn't notice). But at the same time he was talking out loud, he was sending a "tight-beam" mental transmission to Cho (and only Cho). 

 

--Cho we have to lay low. This whole thing is gonna go south and it's gonna go south bad. Like, "multiple people dead" bad. We are back in the 80's in South Africa. And...crud, okay, the dude rolling joints and prepping wine coolers? That's my dad. The one who hauled me in? His mother, my grandmother. We are in straight-up Back to the Future world now and it is a bad thing. So we need to play it cool, link up with Elias, and try to, I dunno, just ditch this place. Or get back to our time. Hell I would settle for getting Clock Queen to yank us back to present day give or take a day or two. It's quick and dirty but it's what works.--

 

Cho could practically feel how his nerves were actually wound tighter than a steel spring. 

Edited July 20, 2014 by KnightDisciple

[RobRX]

Cho wasted no time in responding. Her mind was certainly a very tense, if somewhat hyperactive mess, constantly darting to things and always itching to do something. 'Damn, I wish I was a telepath like you it's really so so handy. Anyway! Yeah, I had the 'pleasure' of meeting your dad. And yes, I know it's your dad, I um...pieced the parts together. Yes, it's creepy, it's awkward and weirding me out. Look, you think I like this situation? I'm in South Africa during the Apartheid. I don't think I need a lesson on how that's a bad place, especially for me. If it wasn't for the fact I'm bullet and knife proof I'd be running the hell away from the country, if not aiming for the nearest ocean to swim away! So what do we do now? I'm guessing we need to be careful and not alter history, correct? Because I don't want to accidentally erase you from history.'

Edited July 21, 2014 by RobRX

[KnightDisciple]

Thoughtspeed continued to stand there nonchalantly, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the kitchen counter. His close-range, tight-beam mental conversation continued.

 

--Okay, I should have been clearer. The problem isn't being in South Africa during apartheid, though that's bad. The problem isn't being back in time with my dad before he was really with my mom, and not only is that still bad it's a path I am not letting my brain go down.

 

No, see, the real problem is that sometime in the next couple of days, the Crime League, the Psions, and the Jet Patrol are going to throw down. It's gonna be bad. It's gonna kill people. It's gonna wreck this place. We. Are. Not. Ready. You, me, Errant, this is above our weight class. We gotta hook up and head out. Maybe it makes me a coward, but I don't want a part of this fight, and as much as it sucks, it already happened, and I like still existing, so we're gonna keep our hands off and noses clean.--

 

He hadn't worked out how they would get home yet, but it would come to him.

 

Somehow.

[RobRX]

Cho took a brief moment to think. Or rather, perhaps let emotions run a bit more loose. 'Well, I know we can't change time but you said innocent people are in danger, aren't they? You're just going to let them die because history says they die? Running away isn't very heroic! Come on, we can find some middle path; we can find a way to save as much people as we can without altering the timeline!'

 

Her logic says 'no' but instinct and sense of justice says 'yes'. The question however is; which one is right?

Edited July 23, 2014 by RobRX

[Avenger Assembled]

<Stand by for pickup,> said Paulette with a cool professionalism. An instant later, a gorgeous blonde woman in a white cape and wearing a timepiece-bedecked crown appeared as if out of nowhere right next to Errant. "Youkidsare hard to find," said Clock Queen as she slowed down enough to talk to Errant. "Uh, Paulette Psion sent me. Geez, is that really what supers wear where you're from? Oh well." She reached down and took the boy's hand. "C'mon, let's get you back to yourfriends..." And then the city was an almost impossibly fast blur, and then...

 

"Are you guys talking with your brains?" asked Tempus Fugitive, his fingers to his temples mockingly. "Ooh! Man, my girlfriend's jerk dad does that all the time and he's a jerk. Listen, honey, if you wanna ditch the mama's boy here," he said with a scornful look Will's way, "we're gonna get totally radical up in the honeymoon suite with some of the raddest people in...GEEZ, MA!" No sooner had he opened the door to step outside than Clock Queen had appeared, this time with Errant in tow. "You're ruining my bit!" And with that, he was off like lightning - leaving the trio from the future to reconstitute themselves.

 

"Ah, kids," said Clock Queen, not sounding at all worried about her son's outburst as he zipped away. "Listen, I gotta go do a...thing." For the first time, her face clouded before she added, "But Paulette Psion's on her way, and she'll keep an eye on you. Oh, hey, Paulette!" The short redhead with the sparkling brown eyes had been coming up the walk; from the feel of her mind, the same one Errant had been talking to. "Just don't let your dad in here, all right?" 

 

"My father is one of the wisest men the world has ever known," said Paulette seriously, and she really did look just like her daughter Frances as she broke into a wide, wicked smile. "But he's not much for parties, no." 

 

<You see?> she asked of Errant with a little laugh. <Infinite diversity, in thought, dress, and deed, - that's the way of homo superior.> 

[RobRX]

"Are you guys talking with your brains?" asked Tempus Fugitive, his fingers to his temples mockingly. "Ooh! Man, my girlfriend's jerk dad does that all the time and he's a jerk. Listen, honey, if you wanna ditch the mama's boy here," he said with a scornful look Will's way, "we're gonna get totally radical up in the honeymoon suite with some of the raddest people in...GEEZ, MA!" No sooner had he opened the door to step outside than Clock Queen had appeared, this time with Errant in tow. "You're ruining my bit!" And with that, he was off like lightning - leaving the trio from the future to reconstitute themselves.

 

Normally, Cho is a rather expressive person, not very prone to a stoic or flat reaction. But this time, a lack of facial expression was the best reaction she could muster, her lips and throat barely twitching as she swallowed some saliva, eyes just staring ahead as the girl tried to just not think about anything as she sweated bullets. Briefly, her facial muscles twitched and her nostrils moved as she breathed in. Internally, she was screaming.

 

She remained in that frozen expression for a moment after Tempus left. Then, and only then, did she finally react, her face twisted with disgust. "Eugh...agh...eeew!" Those garbled noises came out of her mouth as she shook in disgust.

Edited July 26, 2014 by RobRX

[TheAbsurdist]

He didn't respond to her comment about his clothes, given her state of attire, and frankly he agreed with her, but then Errant barely had any time to respond as they moving.  His telehaptic sense attempted to map and remap as a speed that he simply was not used to contending with.  It was dizzying.  And then they were elsewhere.  He staggered a bit, that was not a show, his hand going to his masked face.  Closing his eyes then, before he rushed away aware of Cho and Will being nearby, he charged towards the bathroom, shutting out Paulette, politely as he did so.

 

Once in the bathroom, he lifted his mask enough, and stuck his fingers down his throat, willing himself to throw up.  Fortunately he had closed to doors behind him, but that didn't stop the sound of violent retching from reaching other people there.  He needed the space to think.  And he hoped that the threat of feed back of him getting sick would be enough to prevent anyone from poking too much in his mind.

[KnightDisciple]

--Because if we get in the middle of that brawl we will probably die. Look, let's just lay low and play this by ear, so that we can...aw, crud.--

 

Cho felt the connection close off at that point.

 

Will shrugged, his helmet obscuring his grimace at seeing his dad in this condition.

 

"Maybe, maybe not, Dickie."

 

'I am so grounded for that one.' he thought to himself.

 

Then his dad zoomed out in a huff, his grandmother zoomed out in a worried huff, Paulette Psion showed up in person, Cho acted like she was gagging, and Elias went and threw up in the bathroom.

 

Leaving him to turn and look at Paulette with his featureless black helm leaning forward, one hand planted on it.

 

"Yeah sorry about that. I guess the high-speed travel Clock Queen put us through didn't settle as well with them. So. A party. Is it going to be in here, or somewhere else? Name's Bill, by the way."

 

Cho knew he never went by Bill, but some people did shorten "William" to "Bill", and considering the situation it's understandable he would use a slightly different name anyways.