ic Racing In The Rain

[EternalPhoenix]

March 15, 2017. Freedom City. Hanover. Former Apartment of Marion Clarke. 5:30 PM.

 

 

Katharine Shade had been having strange dreams lately. Not about fire and death, but about a friend she’d never had. A best friend that, as far as her waking memory knew, had never existed. Naturally, she could have just looked said person’s name up on the internet…if she had her name. It was rather frustrating, because the dreams felt so real. Almost as if they were memories she’d lost, which was impossible. Right?

 

Right?

 

Well, a week in and it was starting to get to her. Fortunately, she finally dreamed a name. Marion. It was a start. She started rifling through her entire life. Slowly at first, but speeding up as the tone of the dreams had started to shift. They were still memories of good times with Marion, but they were beginning to carry an uneasy undertone. At the end of week two, with no answers, Kat had become convinced Marion was in trouble and the dreams were a cry for help. This was where she finally found Marion’s last name. Clarke. Marion Clarke. She had been a student at Claremont during Kat’s tenure. However, she’d dropped off the map afterwards. Simply gone, and nobody appeared to have noticed. Aside from a bare bones missing persons file, Marion had disappeared off the face of the earth.

 

Which was how Warp found herself in Hanover during this ridiculous rainstorm. The last time anyone had seen Marion Clarke, it had been right here, outside the apartment she’d rented after graduation and having to depart the Claremont dorms. HIT was nearby, and Marion had been enrolled, however briefly. It had been on the first day of classes that Marion had walked out of this apartment building and never been seen again. She might have waited until tomorrow (well, two days later the rain was supposed to finally frickin’ stop) but the last dream had been as outright a plea for help as supposedly happy memories could be.

[Curious Key]

Marion. The name meant nothing to her.

 

Or did it mean . . . Everything? Honestly, it was hard to tell. All across freedoms, there were stories about heroes having their minds subverted, fooled, made into the tools of villains by chasing thoughts and dreams. Maybe she was being fooled. Maybe she was someone else's tool, now. 

 

But . . . Could she just ignore it? No. And that's why she was here. Lost in Hanover, in the rain. "You better appreciate this," she muttered into the rain. The rain did not respond. She sniffled.

 

If she'd kept in touch better, maybe a friend would have been better at investigation than her. But all she had was herself, and the most she knew about legwork was what she learned in a few sleepy episodes of law-and-order when her roommate refused to wear headphones. Still, she had to try. She tapped her leg and considered approaches. In disguise? By stealth? 

 

Bah. She was grumpy and wet. Might as well just do what comes natural.

 

With a quick warp, she was no longer perched on the roof, but in front of the apartment complex's doors. Soaking wet in full hero garb, glowing hands and all, she pushed open the door and walked into the lobby. "Someone's been missing for a long time." she said to the air, "And this was the last place they were seen. Who can help me?" 

 

She blinked. Looked around. No one was there. "Sheesh." She put her hands on her hips. "This place is a dump." An awkward pause. She ran her hand their her hair, trying to wring out some of the water and bit down on the inside of her lip. Would they even keep records that old? Now what . . .?

Edited March 16, 2017 by Curious Key

[EternalPhoenix]

The barest whisper in Warp’s ear, and the lobby fell away from her perceptions. In its place was…a memory. But something felt…off. Like this wasn’t her memory at all. She woke up, briefly showered, got coffee, and met her roommate. Called her by name. Tiffany. African American. Kind of short. Kind eyes, but stern demeanor. A voice broke through the memory and returned her to reality. Barely any time seemed to have passed. “Hey, you all right? Do I need to call an ambulance or…whoever heroes call when they’re sick?” Behind Warp, having just entered the lobby, was the woman she’d just seen. A little older, a little tireder, but definitely Tiffany. It was the eyes. They were among the kindest Warp had ever seen.

Edited March 17, 2017 by EternalPhoenix

[Curious Key]

Warp suppressed a gasp as she came back to the universe. She flexed her fingers and ran her hands along her arm to try to push away the sensation of being trapped in a stranger's body. While a new flavor of weird, this was more familiar than she liked, and . . . "Tiffany?" Warp's voice was small, full of a desperation that was not hers. She shook her head hard and took a deep breath.

 

"Yeah, seen worse." She rolled back her shoulders and took a deep breath. "I know the script is to beat around the bush and ask 'how is that possible,' 'it's been such a long time' or 'how do you know?' But I don't know either and I'd rather we just skip to the end." She met Tiffany's eyes. "Did you ever know Marion Clarke? Because I think she's in danger, and I could use any clues you can give me to help find out how."

[EternalPhoenix]

It took a few seconds for Tiffany to get it together. Confusion flickered across her features, then understanding, and finally annoyance. “Congratulations. You’re the first person to give a crap in a year and a half.” She rudely pushed past Warp and climbed the first set of stairs. Her apartment was at the top, the door facing the stairwell. She opened it, and turned back. “What are you just standing there for? Come in and dry off. It’s a long, sad story and I’m not telling it without something warm to drink.” The apartment, what could be seen from Warp’s perspective, was very…Green. She could see two plants from where she was, and the glow inside promised more. The place had changed a bit since that not-memory of it, but then again the two of them had moved in at the same time. It made sense that it was different.

[Curious Key]

Ah, how straightforward. Warp figured she was was going to like this girl.

 

She followed Tiffany up the stairs without complaint, wishing absently she was precise enough to teleport water off her skin without flaying herself in the process. Ouch. Bad mental image. Warp tried to find a new subject.

 

Marion Clarke. She was real. A kindle of something lit up in her chest. Lines, old articles, bare wisps of memory were all that Kat had managed to scrounge up. She hadn't found anyone else who could personally attest to the fact that Marion Clarke was a person who existed in this world. And now she was talking to one of them. Warp felt vindicated to know that at the very least, she hadn't lost her mind. (Unless Tiffany was lying. Another bad thought.)

 

It registered as odd to her, even through the weird deja-vu, that there were so many green things in a run-down Hanover apartment. But it might have just spoke to Tiffany as a person, that she'd take the time to collect and nurture so many of these plants for herself. Kat could justify suspicion about a lot of things, but not this, she thought. Everything she touched died. "It's messed up," Warp said as she marched into the room. "It's like the world's been trying its best to forget she existed at all."

[EternalPhoenix]

There was the telltale click-click foo-woosh of a stovetop burner turning on. Tiffany was heating water in her kitchen. She stepped out. “No, some people don’t make much of a mark in the world. Mari was an orphan. No family. Timid, soft-spoken, and shy. But I’m guessing you already knew that.” Her gaze seemed to pierce right through Warp. “Huh. T-baby. Ironic.” She stepped back into the kitchen and busied herself with cabinets and silverware. “We were at Claremont together. I’m somewhere between druid and shaman. Mari was a mind reader. Had some TK, too.” She returned, carrying a tray. It had two cups on saucers, two spoons, a box of herbal tea bags, and a bowl of sugar cubes on it. “We were never strong. Not like the heroes. I’m still not. Sit.” She indicated her couch (which was more of a bench and appeared to be growing out of the floor) and claimed a spot on it. The tray went on the coffee table, which also appeared to be growing out of the floor. The teapot started whistling. Tiffany got right back up. She was back shortly and pouring herself a cup of tea. “You want milk or cream, go buy it yourself and take it when you leave. I’m vegan.” She sighed. “I told Detective Carmichael all of this already. A year and a half ago. Never saw him again. Doubt you’ll be any different, but what the hell.” She plopped a sugar cube into her cup and stirred. Even the tea set seemed somehow…organic. The sugar dissolved, she took a sip and finally looked at Warp again. “What, you don’t want any tea?” The gruffness failed entirely to disguise the fact that Tiffany’s hands had been shaking ever since she’d entered her apartment.

[Curious Key]

Warp bristled at a little at Tiffany's accurate analysis before she caught sight of her own hands and remembered that most of her body was either glowing red-black or checkered with lines of entropic powers. "Good Guess," she said, desert dry, and let Tiffany keep on talking. It turned out she'd been to Claremont too, along with Marion. Kat was a little surprised they'd never crossed paths, but it was a big school, wasn't it?

 

Low-level metas. Kat tended to ride with the more potent crowd . . . She was one of them, after all. But there was no doubting they existed. Kat worried constantly at being outed as a T-baby, the simple fact was she was pretty well equipped to deal with any hardship someone tried to throw her way. Barring power-limiters, there wasn't much anyone could do to make her stick around. But lower-level metas didn't have that same protection; they couldn't always protect themselves. Most of the true tragedies that came up in the news were among children with just enough power to be not be normal but not enough to protect themselves.

 

Marion might not have been in that narrow subgroup, but there were not shortage of monsters willing to take advantage of people who couldn't fight back, even when they weren't gifted. But . . . Tiffany would know that better than Kat would. Perhaps that was he reason that her hands were shaking so much. How close was she to becoming another Marion someday?

 

The greatest kindness Warp could imagine was taking Marion's front of gruff strength at face value. "Detective, huh." Warp said. There was a whole bunch of things a Detective could do far better than she could. But, unless he had some really potent tricks of his own . . . Well. "I'm not the kind who vanishes quiet, or easy." Warp grabbed a cup with a thin, mirthless smile. "I'm a teleporter. Whatever happened, it'll have a hard time catching me." Her perpetually glowing eyes narrowed. "And even if they do, they'll regret it."

 

Warp's hands were steady as she held the cup, but it took effort to keep Warp's toes from curling. Tiffany wasn't the only one who hid fear behind bluster.

[EternalPhoenix]

Tiffany put her teacup down. “I’m stalling. Let’s just get this over with. A year and a half and still…nevermind.” She took a deep breath and started speaking. As she did, there was a repeat of what happened in the lobby. The world fell away from Warp’s senses, and instead she was viewing a memory that couldn’t be her own, yet felt so much like it was.

 

**************

 

She was scared. She was always scared. Then again, she had reason to be scared. People were scary. Always thinking thoughts, and most of them not happy or shiny. Claremont was a nightmare. So many people, all thinking thoughts. Always loud. Never quiet. She was glad to graduate. And Tiffany…wasn’t a friend, not really. But she mostly thought happy thoughts. Nice thoughts. Fluffy, like clouds and sheep. And she was…quiet inside. There was a word for it. Serenity. Most people didn’t have that inside, with their thoughts whirling around and around and around. But she was stalling. They’d promised to show her around campus. The three of them. Well, Aiko probably wouldn’t make it. She was always depressed. But Bruce and Lucy, they would come. She just had to go meet them. They were trying to be helpful, even if Bruce was always angry and Lucy seemed to love making people afraid of her. And so, she said goodbye to Tiffany (who didn’t trust any of them, but who was the mind reader here?) and ventured in the world where everyone was thinking thoughts. And so very unserene.

 

**************

 

“You sure you’re all right?” Tiffany brought Warp back to reality once again, with a profound regret filling her mind. There was genuine concern in Tiffany’s voice. “I started telling you about these people Marion had met up with on the day she disappeared and you seemed to blank right out.” She picked up her teacup again and drank it straight. “That Lucy…I’ve never met anyone scarier. Even Headmaster Summers couldn’t hold a candle to her.” She poured another cup and added a fresh teabag. “I do have a phone, as green as this place is. I can call someone.”

[Curious Key]

Warp waved Tiffany tiredly down. She held her head in her hands and sighed. She couldn't imagine how Marion could have bared to be around her. Kat's thoughts had always been a muddled bundle of anxiety, rage and self-loathing. "I don't know if I'm fine," Warp said again, with real honesty this time. "I'll just out and say," She said. "I've been having weird dreams, and then when it wasn't dreams, something like . . ." She made a vague gesture beyond articulating. "Visions? Like I'm seeing out of her eyes, somehow. In the past? It's fuzzy." 

 

"It happened again. Just now." Warp shook her head and squinted. at the ceiling, trying to pick out details. "Someone called Lucy, like you said. And . . . Bruce? And someone called Aiko who was supposed to go but . . . probably never showed up." She hand her hands through her hair and fought back the panic at her brain forcing itself off track again. How would she manage if . . . Bad thoughts again. Stop it.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Curious Key

[EternalPhoenix]

Tiffany wasn’t thrown for a moment. She set her teacup down and stood up, taking Warp’s hands in her own. She peered into Warp’s eyes with her own. She spoke almost absentmindedly. “Yes, Lucy the scary, Bruce the angry, and Aiko the despairing. That was the three.” She was searching for something, and her eyes changed, just for a instant. In that instant, the entropic energy that fueled Warp’s powers and ran through ever fiber of her being…flinched, for lack of a better word. “…Marion?” There was no sound, no answering voice. Tiffany let Warp’s hands go, and sat back down, defeated. “Well, you’re not possessed by her ghost. So there’s that. But somehow your spirit and hers are connected.” She waved off any possible questions. “Don’t ask me, I don’t know. I’m just a mid level druidic shaman. Whatever did this is way out of my league.” She sighed. “Anyway. Lucy, Bruce, and Aiko. They weren’t students or faculty at FCU. It was as if they didn’t exist, except Marion and I saw them. Talked to them. Me, a lot more briefly, but still. I remember.”

[Curious Key]

Front aside, Warp squirmed as her powers reacted. Whatever Tiffany was, it didn't play nice with her powers. Which made sense, really. She seemed to be all about life and growth. It was hard for Warp to imagine something more distant from her nature. "Just my luck, huh." It was better if she was dragged into it than anyone else, Warp supposed. If anyone was gonna be mystically connected to a missing person, might as well be someone who had a lot of power. "At least she's not dead, then." Warp said, relaxing. After all this time, she was still alive. 

 

. . . But what were they doing with her? Warp rubbed her hands over her eyes. If only she could see any of these people face-to-face, she might be able to learn something. Solve this. And get a good night's sleep. "There's gotta be a way to use this." She was connected to the person she was trying to find. Surely she could find some solution there?

[EternalPhoenix]

Tiffany shook her head. “I don’t even know that for sure. Your connection is…weird.” She finished making her second cup of tea, and took a sip. “I might be able to do something so you can use it. Maybe.” Her brow was heavily furrowed in deep thought. “Look, as best I can tell, right now your connection is like a string telephone. Doesn’t work very well, heaven only knows where it’s coming from, and it’s as irregular as it gets.” She sipped her tea again absentmindedly, still thinking hard. “If what I’m thinking about works, I’ll turn it into a regular two way line. Everything she’s thinking, feeling, and sensing will come to you.” She paused for a moment. “The problem with that is neither of us knows what that will do to you. Not just the connection, but the magic itself. The entropy laced in your entire being won’t like it one bit. That’ll hurt. A lot.” She slugged back the rest of her cup. “But what the hell. If you’re up to do something ridiculously dangerous, I’ll do my part. Just…don’t blow up my place.”

[Curious Key]

Warp sat there quietly, taking it in all. She didn't quite understand what Tiffany was talking about with the magic, and it already seemed like she was dumbing it down a lot so Warp could understand. But it seemed to biol down to a few salient points. She could try something. It might not work. And it was almost certain to hurt, bad. But Warp hated failure more than she feared pain.

 

She took a deep breath, closer her hands and gave a weak smile. "I'll try not to blow up on you. But if it's gonna hurt . . . You sure you wanna do it here?" Part of being in-control, Kat had learned, was knowing your limits. Pain made that fuzzy. 

[EternalPhoenix]

Tiffany looked at Warp as if she was an idiot. “Sure, if you’re willing to wait a week.” She blew out air from her mouth. “Look, I’m not the Master Mage, with doctorates in Spellology, Leyline Tapping, and probably a dozen other things I’ve never heard of. Outside of my place of power, I’ve got less power at my fingers than your average cop. Here, with everything arranged to match my energy, I can manage something a little bigger.” She added a little under her breath. “And maybe not kill either of us while I’m at it.” She stood up abruptly, not liking that train of thought. “Give me a little while to get myself ready. First step is washing off the dirt of the city. Then there’s a few minor cleansing rituals, and then I can channel the energy I need.”