ic Can't Change Time

[Avenger Assembled]

"Well, I wouldn't worry about Richard Cline and his parties," said Paulette with a superior smile. She looked rather like an older sibling who knew she was better than the younger kids, not that Will knew anything about a look like that. "Some of the younger members of our race enjoy the, ah, sensual side of superiority a little more than they should. But it's just a harmless phase," she added with a little wave of her hand. "Anyway, if your tastes do run to disco music and marijuana," she said scornfully, "they'll be plenty of time for that later. I'm much more interested in the three of you," she said warmly, moving from Cho to Thoughtspeed and back again. "You're all Americans, by your accent, but where are you from exactly? And what are your gifts?" She demonstrated her own by summoning a blade to her hands out of the ether, a flaming construct of psychic energy that she tossed from hand to hand. 

[RobRX]

"Um..." Cho turned her attention to Errant and Thoughtspeed briefly, before folding her arms and giving Paulette a 'don't mess with me' kind of glare. "Well, what does it change to you, huh?" she asked. "I'm not here to show off to you like some kind of circus freak!" She spitted and scoffed, hoping that this fake 'tough' persona and act would kill Paulette's interest, presumably because she'd be bored interacting with nothing more than a dumb, angry supervillain muscle, as it was more than likely they still assumed each of them was a supervillain to some degree or another.

 

Briefly again, she glanced at the other two, hoping to get maybe some back up.

Edited July 29, 2014 by RobRX

[Avenger Assembled]

"This isn't like the outside world, Cho, was it?" said Paulette with icy politeness that soon shifted into a missionary's sincerity. "You don't have to perform to impress anyone, or risk your life for the benefit of the lesser-evolved among us. You are special, and unique, and the League is about giving you the freedom to be yourself. Now don't get me wrong," she added with a smile, "if you don't like playing cops and robbers, I'll admit it can get a little tiresome. But once you have a little seed money, you can invest in whatever project you want; whether it's supporting the birth of the new race the way my family does, or just taking care of yourself the way Clock Queen does. I have to admit," she said with a smile, "Anna and I have our differences, but she certainly knows how to live - much better than she ever could without the powers that make her better than everyone else." 

 

As she spoke, Thoughtspeed suddenly felt a knife slicing into his brain, burning hot just like the one in Paulette's hand - a knife that cut its way down to a single question: WHO ARE YOU? 

[KnightDisciple]

Will grit his teeth behind his helmet, thankful he would have at least a few moments where perhaps his aunt didn't realize he knew she was in his head.

 

Not that it mattered. His mental defenses were nothing to sneer at, but they weren't up to, say, his mother's levels.

 

And so it was that she asked, and he answered.

 

--My name...is...William...Cline.--

[RobRX]

Cho had a brief thought about Errant and what he might be doing, but that thought found itself cut short by Paulette's speech. Her eye twitched and her mouth twisted. "New race, and then what? Kill everyone that isn't like you? Allright, I've had enough lying!" She clenched her fist and an orange aura formed around her. Motes of energy, alternating red and black and some other color, spiraled around her. "You wanted to know what I do? Trust me, right now, I bet you've never seen anything like me before!" the teenager groaned out, referencing to the fact the Terminus invasion hadn't hapenned yet.

Edited July 31, 2014 by RobRX

[TheAbsurdist]

Errant took his time, it hurt, but he would endure as needed.  Eventually his throat a bit raw, and his stomach muscles sore from working hard with the retching.  He flushed the toilet, and moved to the sink his mask pulled up and splashing his face, and then taking a mouthful to rinse, before spitting it out.  Alas there was no mouthwash, and so he took another mouthful.  He didn't dislike the two he was with, but they weren't...  This wasn't their forte, Will's parents were not the monsters he was used to.  Finished he pulled his mask down and stepped out of the bathroom with his hands thrust into his pockets and the hood of his sweater was pulled up.

 

Even with his mask over his face, the air about Errant was clearly showing how happy he was, having just heaved his metaphorical guts out.  Though he did catch a bit of the interplay, at least the feel, between the smug, superior expression of Paulette, the glare of Cho, and well... Will has that mask..

[Avenger Assembled]

"Let me guess," said Paulette patiently. "You're an entropic mutant, right?" She gave Cho a sympathetic look, but notably did not draw any closer. "You're not the only one in the world, you know. My little sister Paige, she's the same way." She dropped her focus on Will and focused on Cho. "I know it looks scary and your powers may be destructive, but that doesn't mean you're worthy of death. Far from it. You carry within you the power of destruction itself, and that's something special. You are special, Cho. All of you are," she added with a look at the others. "Look, I know I may have said the wrong things," she said with a laugh. "I don't talk to many people outside my family. You know how that is, right?" she said with an ingenous smile Will's way. "Right now, why don't we-" 

 

"Are they _still_ here?" Like a sitcom neighbor from Hell, Jade Harper, a tall, muscular Eurasian woman still carrying her Kyogen mask, had thrown open the door - only her gloved hands a reminder of her poisonous touch. Errant knew the face of a thousand propaganda posters instantly; sometimes young like she was here, sometimes wizened with hate as she stood alongside her daughter, who had inherited her title as ruler of New Freedom. "What are you doing, trying to get the boys to knock you up?" she sneered at Paulette, a comment that briefly made the pretty redhead's cheeks blush before she went on, "Listen, you have five minutes to get yourselves cleaned up, then I will drag you all ass-first to see Medea! Get moving, grunts!" 

[RobRX]

Paulette's comments did very little, if any to quell Cho's anger as she stayed there, engulfed in cosmic energy, a mere few twitch of a hand away from vaporizing her and her smug, annoying, disgusting racist face. Still, despite New Freedom, those word did somewhat have an effect on her, making her hesitate in blasting Paulette off the face of existence. Slowly, the aura, the crackles and the black spots died down, leaving Cho with only glowing hands, highlighting the skeleton inside with their inner glow.

 

Interrupted by Jade Harper, the teenager scoffed and spitted on the ground, flicking her hands and wrists, her face twisted by pain. No doubt the whole thing had been physically unpleasant. She only said one thing to Paulette: "Coward."

[KnightDisciple]

--Stand down, Cho. Now.--

 

Will's voice rang in Cho and Errant's minds like a clear bell. The tone was...commanding as he stood a bit straighter and faced his female teammate for a moment.

 

--We are not picking a fight. Not here. Not now. Not with them. Stow it and stand down.--

 

Taking two steps, he put himself just slightly between Paulette and Jade, his posture the false calmness of someone ready for action.

 

"You can calm yourself. Nothing untoward was happening. My companions were just a bit frazzled by the high-speed travel method from a few minutes ago. We'll be ready when it's time."

 

In other words, she could butt out and leave. 

 

"I believe I'm the only one who really needs to freshen up still, and I'll be done before you know it."

Edited August 1, 2014 by KnightDisciple

[TheAbsurdist]

It was in that moment that Errant met the monster that had hidden under his bed.  The mask did wonders to hide his expression, the fear, before it turned to anger.  Here he was in the past, well a part, and he knew what she'd do, better than she did at this point.  He could stop a monster...

 

He might have been able to fixate on her, on everything she represented, until Will was barking in his mind like a drill sargeant.

 

Like one of her thugs.

 

Errant stiffened, his shoulders rocking back a bit, and he levelled his gaze at the Thoughtspeed for several long moments.  Then he flicked them to Cho, and he moved to her, lifting a gloved hand, not the one that had stuck fingers down his gullet minutes ago, and he set it on her shoulder.  Making certain he was view of her, and not just in her periphery.

[Avenger Assembled]

Stalking the room like a bored predator, Jade Harper gave no sign of noticing Errant's tension. All her attention was focused on the still-blushing Paulette, who had as if by magic manifested another flaming knife in her other hand - the two weapons held casually by her side. "You know, Psion, one of your brothers actually made a pass at me the other day. Funny, I thought us Oriental girls weren't what you people liked." She started tossing her own knife back and forth, and watching Errant could actually see the exact forms he'd been taught by his trainers, perfectly mirroring the combat style of New Freedom's greatest warriors. "Not that I have any interest in making babies for the New Race, or whatever it is your father is after these days." 

 

"You are a mighty warrior with great power, Ms. Harper," replied Paulette evenly, her voice now returning to normal. "Even if your politics aren't as advanced as my family's, you'd still make a fine leader of the New Race in the years to come." She slowly put her blades away and even gave Jade a winning smile at that, having judged her a greater threat than Cho. 

 

"Well...that's certainly true," Jade allowed with a predator's smile. "Three minutes," she added to the others, her smile dropping.

[RobRX]

While she hadn't moved, Cho was certainly boilling in place, holding back the urge to just blast the both of them in a fit of anger. Only the risk of erasing Thoughtspeed from the timeline was holding her back. A few times, she almost starting move toward Paulette but each time held back the action.

 

"Allright..." she said, grunting. "Five minutes. Yeah, sure okay we're going."

[KnightDisciple]

As Jade Harper moved about the room, Thoughtspeed made sure his back never faced the woman. Mostly by way of leaning against a wall nearby, but the principle remained.

 

"Sure, three minutes. Give me a couple seconds."

 

Suddenly he was gone from the room, the bathroom door was closed, and water could be heard running from the sink for a couple seconds. Then the door was open again, and Thoughtspeed was back almost exactly in his previous position. 

 

"Free for the next person."

 

As his vocal chords moved, so did his mind.

 

--Look I'm sorry I 'yelled' at you Cho, but we literally don't know what trying to fight here would do to the timeline. It's not just me at risk. The ripples are so large we could end up killing thousands by mistake. Besides, she's had this garbage shoved down her throat since she was born. That doesn't excuse it, not entirely, but it's not like she made it up herself. Grandad is...he is a piece of work. Just keep it cool.

 

Plus if we start a fight I don't think we can take on everyone here anyways.--

[RobRX]

'Your family is messed up.' 'said' Cho, speaking back mentally with Thoughtspeed, barely holding back quite the impressive amount or age and pent up frustration. 'I swear if she says her bullsh** again I am going to grab her and toss her into the sun or whatever the hell I can do! I swear, she piss me off so badly that if it wasn't for time travel I would do everything I can to wipe that smug expression off her face! Next time, I swear I will!'

Edited August 5, 2014 by RobRX

[KnightDisciple]

Outwardly, Will made no move toward Cho.

 

Inwardly, he spoke to her, mind to mind, on a channel only the two of them could hear.

 

--Then you'd be a cold-blooded murder, worse even than the Psion family. You would murder a young woman not out of self defense, or even in pursuit of some loft, if utterly broken and misguided, "higher cause". No, you would snuff out her life because she had the gall to make you mad.

 

If you raise your hand to her with lethal intent, I will stop you. If you do that to any of the people at this doomed "conference", I will stop you. We're heroes, Cho. Heroes don't murder. Especially not for something so petty as "they make me really, really mad".--

 

There was an icy but determined tone to his "word" to the young entropy-controller. She could tell he would back them up with action, if it came to that.

[RobRX]

While the others couldn't hear the conversation, they could certainly see Cho's reaction as she deflated, showing an expression on her face that made her look like a shell of her former self. It's not like she had wanted to end up opposing Thoughtspeed, far from it. It's just she had let herself run out of control, letting anger run completely loose, irregardless of consequences.

 

'You're right, I'd be a murderer. And the bully, here, the one who basically just decide that might makes right.' she admitted, shamefully.

Edited August 5, 2014 by RobRX

[TheAbsurdist]

Errant, was wearing five or six different masks.  But unlike Thoughtspeed he did turn his back on Harper.  But then he knew where she was.  Cho had given away a lot, and he suspected that Will done the same, to some degree.  Not that it mattered, in fact it worked as far as he was concerned.  He was able to figure that him touching her wasn't required anymore, as Cho wasn't fuming, so he pulled his hand away, and he thrust them into the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt.

 

Per normal, he seemed to be pay attention as much as normal, at best.  Of course, mostly he was feeling out through his web, in case.  He didn't trust Harper, and Paulette's intentions were clear, more than clear.  As was the tension between them.

[Avenger Assembled]

They were walking across the hotel complex's vast courtyard, surrounded on all sides by relaxing guests who were occasionally recognizable as some of the worst criminals of the 20th century, when disaster struck. And like so much else that had happened today, it came at super-speed! First it was Clock Queen, who with her great speed had managed to don her costume again on the run back from Roman's apartment to poolside, where she took Kyogen and (reluctantly) Paulette aside for a quick confab. They spoke at super-speed as Anna touched them, one after another, and then Paulette was off, pressing her fingers to her temples and concentrating as she stood by the side of what was otherwise a normal-looking, albeit crowded, pool. 

 

As Kyogen suited up, Anna turned to the three timelost heroes and said, "Listen, we don't have time to round anyone up without starting a panic that'll set this place on fire, so I need to know if you are in. The Jet Patrol just showed up in downtown Capetown and announced they were hunting American supervillains, and we are going to go out there and knock them on their fat Dutch asses. They don't actually know where we're meeting, so if we hit them hard and disengage, they won't come down on this place. If Voortrekker thinks he can just waltz all over the Crime League, he can think again." 

[KnightDisciple]

For several moments after Clock Queen said that the Jet Patrol had showed up downtown with an inent to fight, almost all Thoughtspeed could hear was the pounding of his own heart. This was it. The moment of chaos he'd been trying to avoid. The terrible brawl that would claim lives, the one he'd been trying to run away from...

 

And here it was, right in his face. Suddenly, he remembered that the woman in front of him was his beloved grandmother. Eccentric she might be, amoral perhaps at times, but she was family, and for all her flaws, she loved her son and her grandchildren and even her daughter-in-law. At least she'd had the guts to take a fall for her son's sake. 

 

And she was about to face off against a group of murdering racist jackbooted thugs who dared call themselves "heroes". Thugs who wouldn't hesitate to kill Anna Cline. 

 

He took a single deep breath in.

 

He let that breath out. And in that moment, all his fear disappeared. His body language shifted a bit and before he used his vocal chords, he used his mind to send a message to Elias and Cho.

 

--Looks like there's no running from this fight, guys. Might as well meet it head on.--

 

"A chance to put those jackbooted facist racist scum-sucking sons of ******* in their place? Yeah, I'm in for that. I won't speak for my friends, but I'm in. Don't take it as me signing up for the League, though. Just this rumble with the Jet Patrol. In short, Clock Queen..."

 

A small flash of light, and he flourished a glowing green rapier before giving Anna something that sort of resembled a formal salute, but mostly resembled something you'd see in a cheesy high-seas action movie.

 

"You have my sword."

[TheAbsurdist]

Perhaps Errant was a bit more philosophical about all of this than Thoughtspeed was, but then his connect to these events was solely Harper.  And as much hate as he held for her, he could keep things separate, he had to.

 

'Everyone is going insane.'  Came the terse response.  What could he do?  Remind will that somehow his family pulled through this without him there to begin with.  Or...  No.  Stop, he was not going to work out the implications of time travel and all of that.  Just like he couldn't ponder doing something to stop Jade Harper.  Not when he had two people who couldn't understand his need to end that issue, and wouldn't take kindly to him going into business for himself like that.

 

His verbal response?  There wasn't one, he shrugged, his eyes fixated on the wall, and he waited for them to go.  He couldn't leave, even if he wasn't obligated, Harper wouldn't let him go.  Never leave a potential enemy or unknown at your back, and that would be her view.  He read her book.

[RobRX]

Cho gave Thoughtspeed and Errant a gaze. A confused gaze, to be more precise, as Will had basically came back entirely on his descision, it seems. 'Geez, so much for chewing me about it.' she thought. This whole thing was turning into an even bigger and bigger mess by the moment.

 

The whole situation has left her torn between doing what's right and the risk of altering time. Then there was the issue that she had absolutely no idea what was, in fact, the right and just choice in this precarious situation. In fact, Cho was mere moments away from leaping into action but having been previously put back in her place by Thoughtspeed made her hesitate, as she was about to expect the same from Errant by now.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Done!" 

 

It's a beautiful day along the Krakeelwater River in Wynberg Park, one of the loveliest spots in Capetown. There are families picnicking (well, white families, anyway), policemen chatting by a hot dog cart, and someone's transistor radio is blasting "Jessie's Girl" at top volume. This is the place that the Crime League has chosen to make their stand - this is the place where, with a flash of light and roar of super-speed brought to a sudden and memorable spot, the heroes make their arrival in the company of villains. 

 

Kyogen moved first, Clock Queen momentarily delayed by the need to check on her three passengers, at least one of whom didn't take kindly to subjectively superluminal travel brought about by powerful time manipulation. Being who she was, she approached the nearest authority figure, a policeman by his startled partner, and simply knocked him down, blades in her hand. An instant later, Clock Queen was at her side, hand on her arm. "Don't." And there was steel in that motherly voice, and her hand was on her own sword. 

 

"Why the hell not?" asked Kyogen curiously, casually kicking the other policeman across the parking lot to land in a boneless heap amid a suddenly screaming crowd of picnicers. The island of asphalt where they stood was the the only source of calm in the whole park thanks to the sudden violence of their arrival. 

 

"Eh. Seems unseemly," admitted Anna with a shrug as she kicked the downed policeman in the ribs. "Here, you can do the speech." 

 

"Fine." Kyogen took what looked like a small camcorder from Clock Queen, much smaller than anything that should have been on the market in 1981, and set it up. 

 

"Attention, Jet Patrol!" And suddenly Errant remembered this speech because in his training in New Freedom he had _seen_ it, seen it as something the future dictator was very, very proud of. "I am Jade LeFleur Harper, and I am Kyogen!" She was ranting into the camera now, practically stabbing it with a gloved finger. "I am the deadliest woman who has ever lived and I am that way thanks to the powers given me by Charles Darwin, powers that make me better than each and every one of you fat, bigoted Dutch bastards and your city full of the wretched genetic scum of the planet! And the same goes for my friends here!" 

 

"Put this on, honey," opined Clock Queen, slipping a domino mask on Cho before the camera in Kyogen's hand panned her way. 

 

"IIf you think you can cause trouble for me, and the rest of the future of humanity here, then you come here and you face it! I don't start trouble! I END IT!" 

[RobRX]

Seeing both sides, equally repugnant in their own way, Cho decided to toss caution (or perhaps even the space time continuum aside). Despite how utterly terrified she was of the whole thing and despite of the clear and very high risks to herself, others and history she knew it, Cho decided to step forward, shaking, with the mask on.

 

"ENOUGH!" she yelled, stepping right in front of Jade Harper. "Y-you're not going a-anywhere. You're not doing anything. You're going to stand down and stop spouting your hateful bullsh**!" she shouted, her voice cracking halfway. "You too, Jet P-patrol or whatever you bastards are called. All of you, stand down! N-no has...has...has to, um..." So much for a concise speech, it seemed. Oh well it's not like she had scripted or planned this. Hopefully, the Jet Patrol would hear her too. "No one is harming any innocents in the crossfire, just because they're both bigots itching for a fight." Shaking and grating her teeth, she finished.

 

"If anyone wants to start wrecking everything, you'll have to go through me first. Either side. A-all of you. Come at me! I'll stand here and take you all on!"

Edited August 21, 2014 by RobRX

[TheAbsurdist]

His hands went to his head at the change, taking a slight stagger, but keeping it.  They still had to see him as weak, that had to happen.  His hands raised and pressed to the side of the hood of his sweatshirt, eyes closing a moment.  But it wasn't because of his senses getting twisted about from the sudden shift.

 

As upsetting as that was to him, it was less than a memory, a ghost playing out before him.  It was disorientating.  Dizzying.  That turned to rage.  So much rage.  And he had to keep it pent up.  He had to remain clinical, centered.  Grounded.

[KnightDisciple]

Almost as soon as they arrived, Thoughtspeed was a blur of motion around the park, his mental voice urging people to get up and run away. Where civilians stumbled and fell, he actually stopped to help them stand and get running again. Many shied from his presence. He tried not to let it get to him.

 

He almost didn't notice Kyogen preparing to murder a policeman, but he did manage to go check on the half-conscious one. He couldn't really move the man very easily. So he blurred over to the other man. Said policeman felt Thoughtspeed trying to help him stand and get moving, before he spoke into the officer's mind.

 

--Dude you need to move. Your partner's pretty out of it; I'll get you to him and you guys need to bug out if you're not gonna help the civvies bail. This place is gonna go bad and it's gonna happen quick, and you need to get. Out!--

 

There was steel in those mental words as he guided the rattled officer of the peace away from the looming fight.

 

And then Cho started yelling at Kyogen and Clock Queen and the Jet Patrol and everyone, daring them all to take her on, and he could only look on in growing horror. He hadn't thought this would happen.

 

'Damn it I should have just told her to focus on helping evac and damage control! We aren't trained for this ************.'

 

The last word he thought was one that he'd learned from his mother by staying up a bit later than normal when the editing for a show had had basically everything go wrong that could. She still didn't know he knew it. Which was actually an accomplishment, living in a house with a psychic like that.