ic The Young Woman and the Sea [IC]

[Heritage]

The blonde heroine shrugged and waved her hand dismissively. "Ah, I had a lot of help."  Then she grinned and playfully punched the scaly behemoth's arm. "You don't have to stick around if you're camera shy; I can take care of it."

 

However once the the black SUVs showed up, her posture changed slightly, becoming more erect and less casual. Casey knew many people felt uncomfortable around AEGIS agents; feds are feds, and even if you didn't have a guilty conscience, being around federal agents made you feel like you must have done something. But Miracle Girl had a bit of insight into the group; not only was her father Col. Steve Blankenship, aka Vigilant and therefore a prime AEGIS asset, but she'd actually met a few agents. Some had even come over for barbecue back home in Colorado Springs. They were men and women with wives and kids and boyfriends, and all the other relationships that normal people had; they just did a very specific and important job. But out in the field, they were all business, and needed to be treated with respect; the black suit and tie and the golden badge represented their authority, and it was best to acknowledge that.

 

"That is correct, agent," she began as she unconsciously went into parade rest, feet slightly spread and arms behind her back. "I happened to be in the area when I spotted the SUV approaching the facility; three women came out, all wearing ballistic vests and armed with shotguns. A man teleported out of the SUV and made to swing a baseball bat at one of the guards; when I flew down to block the blow, the women opened fire. I attempted to subdue them on my own, but eventually their slugs began to take a toll."

 

She indicated the reptilian hero at her side with a tilt of her head.

 

"Luckily for me, Leviathan was swimming nearby and came to my assistance, but even with his help, they were eventually able to fight their way into their vehicle. I was too groggy from the impacts to fly, so Leviathan suggested I climb on his back, and we leaped into pursuit. After following the suspects for a few miles, I was finally able to get a clean shot with my heatvision, which I used to take out the right rear tire, bringing the chase to a close."

 

She paused and looked thoughtful.

 

"Um, I think that's everything? Oh wait, in the course of the fight, they indicated they were looking to kidnap Dr. Delacroix, the founder of OCEAN-Freedom; he was apparently their target, but they were unable to find locate him before being forced to flee." Casey nodded with confidence. "And I think that's everything."

Edited March 25, 2017 by Heritage

[Blarghy]

GM

 

Thornton silently tilted her head.  "That is...quite thorough.  Thank you."  She seemed mildly impressed, and began copying down Miracle Girl's story on a pad of paper.  Nearby, Ramirez ran a hand through his hair; clearly the heroine hadn't included all the details, for which his superiors would be grateful.  The initial misunderstanding would eventually come out, but now they could discuss that matter privately between departments, rather than on the evening news.  He gave her a small smile before turning away.

 

Leviathan had begun to shuffle his feet during the briefing.  Miracle Girl's early offer might've seemed casual, but it got him thinking. 

 

They're going to contact me soon.  The real me, and I'm not there.  That's probably already caused a panic back at the OCEAN facility, and the longer I take to show up, the worse it'll get.

 

"I think I'm done here," he interrupted gruffly.

 

Agent Thornton tilted her head back to fix him with an unreadable stare.  "Perhaps," she granted vaguely.  "But we may have more questions.  How can we reach you?"

 

"Do I look like I own a phone?"

 

Her lips narrowed.  "Invest in a P.O. box.  You don't want us to have to track you down.  In the mean time, fine, you may go.  And what about you?" she asked Miracle Girl.  "AEGIS does, of course, respect Freedom City's longstanding laws about private identities, but do you have a way that we can contact you in your official capacity?"

 

For his part, Leviathan nodded to the other hero.  He hesitated, then simply said, "Next time."  In spite of his inhumanly deep voice, the farewell sounded friendly enough.  With that, he bent his knees and made a powerful leap right over the nearby house, hit the opposite road running, and was soon gone, back in the direction of the Great Bay. 

[Heritage]

Miracle Girl laughed. "You can reach me through Vigilant, America's First Line of Defense; he knows my work." She casually wiped a bit of debris off her uniform. "Now, if you don't know how to reach him, then I'm a little worried!" She turned to go, but then paused and turned back around. "Actually, agent, if you need to reach me quickly, broadcast a message at 121.5 megaHertz; that's the International Air Distress frequency, and I always monitor that." She pointed at one ear and smiled.

 

And with that, she rose up into the air, waved at the AEGIS agents like the teenage girl she was, and then arced across the sky back toward the facility where all this craziness started. Landing in the OCEAN-Freedom parking lot, she looked for one of the security guards. "Excuse me, but has Dr. Delacroix been located? I was hoping to speak with him."

[Blarghy]

GM

 

Her name-dropping immediately caught everyone's attention; even the local police had heard of Vigilant, and the agent lifted her eyebrows in surprise, quickly taking more notes.  No one, however, moved to stop Miracle Girl when she flew away.  She seemed to have earned her rest.

 

A nap could be further away than she thought, though; upon returning to the OCEAN headquarters--now swarming with more police, as well as the original crowds that attended the grand opening--Casey was told that the good doctor was not, in fact, available.

 

"We've got people scouring the building, and we're thinking about putting together search parties," the security guard told here.  "If you can help, we sure could use it."

 

But fortunately for the tired hero, she didn't have to wait too long.  Casey was actually the first to spot Dr. Delacroix: just by looking through the walls of concrete, glass, and steel, she was eventually able to see the thin, young man at a rear exit door at the back of the building.  Judging by his vital signs, he was somewhat out of breath and flush with heat.  Maybe he ran out with the rest of the civilians when she ordered an evacuation, and only now summoned up the courage to return.  Most scientists didn't deal with these kinds of situations every day, so fear was probably to be expected. 

[Heritage]

"Oh wait, I see him; it looks like he's okay." There was a sudden rush of air as Miracle Girl sped over to check up on the good doctor, moving like a golden blur. She came to an abrupt stop right in front of him, her long blonde hair swirling around her head as she offered him a breathless smile.  "There you are, Doctor! You had us all worried!" She scanned the area as she shook her head, hands on her hips. "I don't know what they wanted exactly, but the two super criminals who came here were looking for you; I think they were hoping you could find some sort of cure for their condition."  Casey looked back to Delacroix and shrugged. "I don't know if you'd want to, given they were planning to kidnap you, but I said I'd ask you about their case. Or, 'cases' I guess; their powers are very different."

[Blarghy]

Tristan was in the middle of catching his breath and adjusting his tie when Miracle Girl appeared suddenly in front of him.  He reacted about how most people would.

 

"Whhagghu?!" 

 

The doctor flung himself back, tripped over his own feet, and fell sitting on the tile floor.  Foolish as he felt, after some thought he considered that this probably helped support his public identity.  Real heroes would keep their cool, or...launch into some reflexive jujitsu or something.  So, while nobly maintaining his cover, Tristan looked up at the young woman for a moment; earlier as Leviathan, she seemed so--obviously--tiny.  Now Tristan suspected that she could toss him around even without her powers.  Miracle Girl's athletic figure stuck in his mind, and by the time he stood up, the red in his cheeks wasn't entirely from embarrassment. 

 

"Well, that is, ahh, very interesting," he said as he rose and brushed down his tuxedo jacket.  "Two super-villains."

 

Ok, so now I know that, but she hasn't told me what they could actually do yet, so I don't know that.  Don't mention their abilities.  What else don't I know yet? 

 

...Why does she glow?  No, no, focus.

 

"Super-villains looking for cures," he repeated; the doctor sounded a little strange, even if he had reason to be, after today's events.  "I ammm...definitely willing to see what I can do for them.  I can't make any promises, but I will certainly meet with these individuals, under safer arrangements, and, uhh, look into the matter.  It is, ahh...well, it's important to help people when you can.  Even when it isn't easy or comfortable." 

 

He remembered Miracle Girl's look of horror when the SUV hit that tree, and the way she hurried to save their enemies.  And the way he didn't.

[Heritage]

"Great, that's awesome," Casey said with considerable enthusiasm, but then noting the doctor's somewhat frazzled state, she cleared her throat. "Look, I know all this can be a little overwhelming; you know, supervillains, threats on your life...me." She shook her head and chuckled self-consciously before growing more serious. "But no one should make you do something you don't want to do, even so-called 'good guys'. If you don't feel comfortable visiting Blackgate, or if you'd like an escort-" She indicated herself. "That's all cool and totally understandable; I don't want to guilt trip you into doing something you don't want to do, okay?" The blonde heroine gently laid a hand on his shoulder, and you could practically feel the power rolling off her in waves as she looked very sincerely into his eyes. "I just think...sometimes we give up on people too quickly, you know? We forget that everyone had a mom and a dad and grew up somewhere; no one was born a 'bad guy'...or at least I don't think so."

 

Giving his shoulder a friendly squeeze, Casey nodded to herself and turned to go, suddenly feeling a bit melancholy, as she often did when her natural optimism seemed at odds with the rest of the world. But before she took off into the air, she stopped, sighed and pulled a notecard and a pen out of her utility belt. "You know, I probably shouldn't do this, but..." She scribbled down two initials ('MG') and a phone number with an out of state area code as she shook her head. "If it's an emergency and you need help, or if you decide you want some company at Blackgate...give me a call." She pointed at the card with her pen. "Do not give that out, or I will fly back here and drop you in the ocean. Like, five miles out to sea!" The youthful powerhouse scowled and shook her fist comically, then waved and smiled before rising up into the sky dramatically.

 

 

 

Great, now I have to fly back later and grab my clothes off the roof; reaaaaaal smart, Case!

Edited April 10, 2017 by Heritage

[Blarghy]

Tristan watched the shining hero fly away, still feeling, as she suggested, overwhelmed.  Miracle Girl wasn't one of his childhood idols, turning him easily into a giggling idiot, but their interactions definitely had a different feeling when he was so small and squishy.  On the bright side, she didn't seem suspicious and hadn't caught him in a lie, which were Tristan's primary fears.  Today hardly went as he expected, and he had plenty to think about, but it ended well enough.

 

He looked at the slip of paper in his hand and smiled.  No, not so bad, after all.

 

A security guard brought him out of his thoughts.  "Doctor, the police want to speak with you.  They have some government types with them, too."

 

"That would be AEGIS," Tristan nodded to himself, grimacing slightly.  This conversation was bound to be longer and probably more difficult.  With a sigh, he squared his shoulders, repeated his cover story in his head, and went to tell a lot of half-truths. 

[Blarghy]

GM

 

"You can call me Mr. Teal," the old man told Dr. Graves.  Not "My name is Mr. Teal," which Graves couldn't help but notice.  He also noticed how the man's bodyguards, scary ex-Special Forces types, were subtly frightened of their short, dumpy ward.  They never met his eyes, stiffened when he looked at them, and when they thought no one was watching, gave 'Mr. Teal' some very telling expressions.  Graves learned a lot about fear during his work at this facility, and the only thing that gave him more pause than this underlying current of anxiety was the cause of Teal's presence at all.  After the four superhuman prisoners wrecked his labs and escaped, Graves had reported to Peter Hanks, who he--incorrectly--believed ran this monstrous operation.  Dr. Hanks curtly told him that someone would arrive soon to help, ordered Graves not to call again, and hung up the phone. 

 

A little investigation showed that the number was disconnected, and so, Dr. Graves began to consider his escape options.  Smart rats know when to jump ship.

 

Regardless.  Mr. Teal: he might have been in his fifties, Caucasian, of decent but unimpressive health, nearly bald, perhaps five-and-a-half feet with a small paunch.  With his blue-green namesake buttoned shirt, dress pants, darker blue vest, and tweed jacket, he could've been a college professor, or maybe an accountant.  Except for the crowd of looming bodyguards, of course. 

 

"You seem tense, doctor," Teal told the other man, smiling pleasantly.  "I hope you aren't too concerned about this nasty little setback.  We will turn it right around, have no fear."

 

Graves chose his words carefully, although not carefully enough.  "Hrmm.  I appreciate the help, Mr. Teal, but I am not sure I appreciate the interference.  I called Dr. Hanks--not you."

 

"Oh, Peter is an old friend of mine," Teal lied easily; he knew more about the Labyrinth than Graves did, that much was certain, but no one learned more than they needed, and never a moment earlier than the Inner Circle demanded.  They--or rather, a heavily-altered voice over the phone--only briefed him on Hanks' involvement this morning.  "He's a busy man, so he asked me to step in.  You understand, don't you?  Please don't be offended; we're all on the same side.  I just want to help you, Oliver.  May I call you Oliver?"

 

Ignoring the question, Graves barreled on: "My point is, I am still unsure what, exactly, you think you can do for me." 

 

"Oh, my good doctor."  Teal smiled, a serene expression on the surface, but Graves saw the man's protectors tense behind him.  "I intend to fix your problem.  That is what I do, you see.  Fix problems.  You appear to have quite the big one; two of your test subjects are now in federal custody, and the other pair remains unaccounted for."

 

"AEGIS cannot be allowed to keep Copy Error or Temporal Displacement!" Graves snapped, losing his composure.  "I worked too long to lose those developments!  And the things the government could learn..."

 

"I quite agree.  However, for the moment those two poor souls are contained.  Perhaps we can retrieve them.  Perhaps we will have to settle for, ahh, strategic disposal.  I assure you, I will set my efforts toward them shortly, but my dear friend, we must prioritize.  First, we must find the Coles."

Edited April 18, 2017 by Blarghy

[Blarghy]

GM

 

Julia Cole stared through the little frost-covered window in the door, watched the TV sitting on a table in the next room over--where it wouldn't be rapidly damaged by the intense cold around her--and fumed.

 

Thanks to her condition, even following the local news was a complicated and agonizingly-slow task.  From her perspective, weeks had passed since Holly and Owen left their new base to collect the doctor, and simply figuring out the barest details of their capture took days.  Time, of course, had very little meaning to Julia now.  She couldn't rely on clocks except as a way to depress herself, and her problems didn't end there.  Even sound was denied to her; she now lived at such high speeds that vocal communication was impossible.  Thanks to those demonic scientists, months--real months, which to her were lifetimes stacked atop one another, an endless hell with only a thin thread of hope at the end to keep her going--passed since she last heard another human voice.

 

By all rights, she should've been catatonicly insane, trapped in a perspective tens of thousands of times faster than the world around her.  Isolation--and the sheer injustice of it all--drove her to frequent explosive rages, or tearful breakdowns.  She had learned to kill--and why not, when everyone around her was basically a frozen mannequin?--which allowed Julia and her companions to escape their tormentors.  She often considered suicide, or trying to run back to the lab where she was torn down and rebuilt, to see how much more blood she could spill before the heat of her own body cooked her in her skin.  Julia didn't know Oliver Graves' name, but she remembered his face, and often thought about all the creative ways she could alter it with her burning fingers. 

 

Love stopped her, and love kept her sane.

 

"I don't know what to do," she told her husband helplessly.  Caleb Cole sat on the floor with his legs folded, an ice-skinned corpse of a man, dense as old oak, sharply contrasted with his wife, whose flesh had turned to dry leather, hair scorched away.  Julia communicated with Holly and Owen via notes, and according to the pair, Caleb didn't seem to understand their predicament.  The experiments slowed him--although not to the extent that they drastically sped Julia's life, or else he would have the time-view of a star--and apparently addled his mind as well. 

 

Not to say the man was useless; he couldn't help them plan their salvation, but his mere presence made Julia's life much simpler.  The frosty aura around him gave her relief from her scorching affliction.  However, that heat burned him even worse than her; their first reunion back at the labs resulted in serious blisters across both of his hands. 

 

They even took touch away from us, Julia thought bitterly. 

 

She went back to the door and checked the TV.  Its image remained frozen where she last saw it, depicting the wrecked SUV wrapped around a tree, and next to that, images of an ugly toad-man and a young, blond girl.  Julia had all the time in the world to memorize both faces of the people who took away her most reliable allies and left her stranded to figure out a cure on her own. 

 

For a while, Julia screamed in rage, then cried, then slept, then came to a decision.  She already had a lab here; they were well-stocked in this bunker--except for food, which she could never get enough of, even with making mad dashes around the neighborhood to steal what she could carry and return to eat before she melted.  Holly, the most lucid of their group, acquired it.  Julia was fuzzy on the details, but she had followed the other woman as best she could in her condition, watching while the mercenary visited a few seedy bars, then finally broke into someone's home, took him captive, and did awful things with common cutlery until he brought them here, to a West End row-house and its secret abandoned facility.  Holly's note said it once belonged to some supervillain or other; what mattered was its equipment, which hopefully, hopefully, was good enough to undo what was done to them. 

 

None of that mattered without the doctor.  Julia looked at the stack of charred papers that set her on this path; she didn't dare touch them again, deteriorated as they already were.  Little remained anyway, aside from some incomprehensible formulas...and a name. 

 

Julia picked up her small, handheld whiteboard and marker--both covered around the edges with her fingerprints, burned into the hard plastic--and wrote a note, which she placed gently on the floor in front of Caleb. 

 

Don't worry.  I'll take

care of everything.

Be back soon.

I love you.

 

She pulled on her yellow flame-retardant coat--stolen from a nearby fire station, along with the rest of her too-large outfit--and steeled her courage to leave the safety of the cold-room.  It had to be done.  Without Holly and Owen, Julia desperately needed support from someone who could act in the glacier speeds of real time.  She had some ideas on that front, and acting on them would give her the chance to formulate a larger plan for Delacroix. 

 

And God help anyone who stood in her way. 

 

~ Fin ~