THE QUANTUM CATS - LAS VEGAS [The Quantum Cats- Jackie, SFX, Steven, and George, have checked into the MGM Grand Hotel in Vegas. Jackie and SFX sacked out, while George and Steven both went out to see the sights, and Steven found himself some female companionship.] [The next morning] "WEREWOLF" KILLER STRIKES NEAR VEGAS! Four dead in bloody rampage, as federal authorities scour the Southwest (Knight-Ridder) Las Vegas, Nevada- The so-called "Werewolf" which has been terrorizing the Southwest in recent weeks has become bolder, killing four people in the Mead-Hoover Dam National Recreation Area, less than an hour's drive from Las Vegas. Early this morning, motorists pulling off Highway 93 to a rest area in the park surrounding Hoover Dam discovered a grisly sight; the dismembered bodies of four young men, literally ripped limb from limb and scattered around their car, which had also been torn apart by something possessing incredible strength. Authorities have not yet released the names of the four victims, pending notification of their families, but say they were all US Army soldiers from Fort Huachuca, AZ, who had signed out on a four-day pass from their unit Thursday night, intending to spend the weekend in Las Vegas. Apparently, they chose to stop at the rest area at some time during the night, and were attacked by the superhuman creature that has so far killed at least 30 people in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. Previous attacks have mostly been far out in rural areas, and the victims predominantly isolated desert dwellers. Most of the victims have been Native American, though a large group of Mexican nationals attempting to cross the border illegally were recently slaughtered by the creature. The FBI still has very little information about the "werewolf", and cannot confirm whether it is in fact a superhuman of some sort. Zoologists, animal behavior experts and park rangers have all studied the evidence presented, and agreed that the pattern of killings, as well as the strength, speed and viciousness involved, is completely uncharacteristic of any known animal, not just in North America, but in the world. Bears, wolves, and mountain lions have been completely ruled out, and even when presented with the theory that a more exotic predator had escaped from a private zoo, one professor at the University of California at Davis, who studies animal attacks on humans said "If someone somehow resurrected a saber-toothed tiger, it couldn't do this much damage. A great white shark with legs couldn't do this. One of Steven Spielberg's dinosaurs, maybe. But nothing that anyone has ever seen in the real world." ************************************************************************************ [GM] Steven wakes up the next morning in a hotel room considerably less fancy than the one in which he left Jackie and SFX. Blearily he tries to remember the name of the woman sleeping next to him. //Amy, you dork!// snickers Stephy. //Not bad, Stevie, but when it comes down to it, you really *don't* have much of a wild side, do you?// A blush tinges your cheeks. Having your sister as a spectator...even if she isn't REALLY your sister...but you don't know. The confusion isn't helped by the mild hangover. Strange, you could have sworn you didn't drink THAT much. * * * * * Jackie wakes up where she collapsed on the bed, still fully dressed. She feels rather stiff, but a lot better than last night. Rubbing her eyes and going to the outside room, she finds SFX sleeping on the couch. There's no sign of George or Steve (or any of his incarnations). <><><><><> Steven: "Oaaaahhh...", Steven groans as he swings his legs out of bed. **Amy... right? Thanks Stephy... Uh... er... s***. Stephy... you... s***.** Grabbing his clothes, he plods to the bathroom, looking himself over to make sure he *is* himself. **Ah s... Well, sis, at least I didn't explode or implode or whatever... did I?** He reviews his memories of the night to see if he had any surprises or blackouts as he relieves himself, then dresses. **Too stay or n... Jackie. S***.** It's way past 4 a.m. He goes out and gently wakes Amy. **Hope this isn't a mistake...** <><><><><> [GM] You don't find any holes in your memory; after some concentration, the night's events seem memorable enough, though somewhat hazy. You really must have drunk more than you thought. Amy blinks up at you, an exceptionally beautiful black woman who you really wish you could remember which pick-up line she succumbed to, because you'd like to try it again if this is the result. //Oh, she wasn't that beautiful before// comments Sid casually. A chill goes through you; you're not sure if he's joking or not. <><><><><> Jackie - Calling downstairs, she will request an iron and ironing board, as well as find out if a gift shop is running and open now. Combing her hair to look a bit presentable, she leaves the room and makes way to the RV for some clothes and odds and ends. At the RV, she will grab, a few more business/conservative attire and some casual wear. Stopping a moment, she will also take a 8 oz bar of gold to study. Upon arriving back to the room, she will change into some sweats and a sweatshirt and look for the gym. <><><><><> [GM] The gold still seems real and solid enough. SFX is still asleep when you get back. That makes you wonder for a minute, but then you notice the utter silence of his breathing. He must have turned off the sound around himself. The MGM Grand Hotel naturally has an extremely large and well- equipped gymn. You can work out to your heart's content. On the way back, you spot the story on a newsrack, about the four mutilated soldiers. <><><><><> Jackie - She stops and looks at the newspaper. Looking at it for a few moments, she buys it along with some over the counter allergy medicine, a few boxes. Going back to the room, she sees if SFX and George are there. if SFX is still sleeping, she will leave the paper on the table and then go to the gym. <><><><><> Steven: He smiles at Amy as she blinks at him, then his mind freezes at SId's words. "Wha...," he starts outloud, then continues, **What do you mean, Sid...?*** He didn't remember doing this, thought his memories were hazy. **Oh ke-rist, this is like the night before last, with G... S***... What do I do? I can't even remeberhow she looked before... She sure is beautiful... Oh, god, what *else* did I do...?** "Um. Amy, hon..." **I can't just run out on her, can I?** "I've got a... er, meeting... but... Um, just, er, relax and..." **Oh s***.** "This going to sound crazy, but... uh, where you black, er, African- American I mean, last night?" <><><><><> [GM] "Say WHAT?!" Amy sits up in bed, the sheets falling away to reveal that she's quite topless. "Did I look *white* to you last night?" She's startled and rather annoyed. "Man, you must have been more wasted than I thought, I'd lay off the booze if I were you!" She eyes you with a suspicious and somewhat disdainful look. //Bu-RILL-yent, Stevie!// Stephy chides sarcastically. //Yes, she WAS black last night, jeez, I can't believe you actually asked her that!// Pause. //But, uh, I'm really not sure if she was quite that....stacked.// Indeed, Amy is almost as endowed as Stephy. **You'd think she'd notice moving up a couple letters in the alphabet** Sid snickers. Amy rubs her eyes and seems to shift from irritation to confusion. "You *still* smell like tomato juice," she mutters. <><><><><> Steven: He can't help it. When the covers fall from Amy, he stares. "Your beautiful...," he says without thinking. Then he sighed, ducked his head and replied to both Amy and Stephy: "Um, er, yeah.. I know. I'm an a*******. I'm sorry. It... It's a long story." "Um...," he asks Amy, "Yeah, I did have too much to drink. I'm... still kinda fuzzy. About some of the stuff.. not what *we* did. That was.. wonderful," he kisses her nose. "But... um, well, did anything strange happen? I mean... unusual? Look, I know this won't make sense... But, do you... um, sure you don't notice anything, er, different? About yourself maybe?" **If she doesn't notice, maybe I can just take off without having to explain anything ...? But, *why* wouldn't she notice? And... hey! She has no idea what I really look like. So, I could show her and she'd...** "Tomatoes? Oh... yeah. Um... yeah, I need to do somehing about that..." He waits for he answers/reactions. <><><><><> [GM] Amy gets out of bed and walks over to the sink, and splashes some water on her face. "What are you talking about, man? You were all suave and charming last night, now you're babbling like an idiot. Was I an 'African-American' last night? Chssh!" She makes a disparaging sound. "I don't know about you, but I've never been to Africa. Just thought you were a cute guy, didn't thing I was going to wake up to some kind of alcoholic politically correct babble..." Her half-awake, irritated tirade fades, as she looks at herself in the mirror. Her expression is confused, as if she sees something wrong but can't quite figure out what it is. <><><><><> Steven: **Me? Suave and charming?**, he thinks as she bables on. **I guess maybe I didn't do anything? Then I can just scoot. Change somewhere to get rid of the tomatoes... ** He notices her reaction to the mirror. **Or maybe not... Damn, I *did*. Something... Do I split and hope she can't track me down? When did I get so... callous. I used to try and get to know the woman first at least... I don't even know her last name. Or what she's supposed to *look* like.** **"Course, she *really* doesn't know what I look like either. Hmmm... Maybe I could tell her *part* of it? I can't just leave her... Waltz in, rearrage her life and disappear.** He got up, walked towards Amy. **This is probably a mistake too... but, I'm just not that kind of guy. OR at least I didn't used to be... But, um... maybe I ought to try that calming thing Jackie did with George first...** He tries to send comforting, calming and accepting 'vibes' (whatever Stephy did that seemed to work) to Amy. Standing behind her, he puts a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Amy, I'm not an alcoholic. I'm actually a pretty nice guy. Or I try to be. Its why I'm sticking around and trying to explain. I don't usually drink *nearly* that much. But, weird s***'s been happening. You know, like there's that Paladin guy, and Pulsar... and others like them." He paused a moment. "There *is* something different, isn't there? It's okay. Don't worry. Its only temprorary. You know how Paladin flies? Well, sometimes I can... temporarily do... things.. to people. To their looks." "Only, like I said, I drank WAY too much last night and I guess I did something to you, but... I don't really..." **Remember what exactly**, he finished silently. <><><><><> [GM] Amy spins around and stares at you, wide-eyed. "Are you CRAZY?" she bursts out. **Quite possibly!** snickers Sid. "That is such a...a...stupid...crazy....what the HELL are you talking about?! Paladin? Powers? *Changing* me?!" She looks frightened, confused, and angry. Your attempt to soothe her obviously didn't work. "I think maybe you'd better get out of here!" **Hi, that was a great one-night stand, by the way, I'm a superhuman and I might have accidentally f***ed you up in more ways than one!** Sid roars with laughter, enjoying this scene immensely. <><><><><> Stephen: **Oh s***.** "Hey, I was just...," he starts. She drives right over his words. "Yeah, maybe I better," he finally manages to reply, turning and walking to the door. **Shut up, Sid,** he growled silently. Taking the knob he turned to look back at her. **Its not funny.** Yeah, she was gorgeous. So, what? He could make a million more. "I tried," he said quietly to her. He opened the door. "Good luck. If you need to talk... Well, leave a message for...," he smiled just barely to himself, "Chaos at the Grande." He left. Noting the room number, he walked to the elevator, rode it to the ground floor. On the way out, he stopped at the desk, noting the hotel's name and address, and asked for the name of the current guest of Amy's room. He tried to memorize it as he thanked the deskclerk and walked out of the hotel and looked around for 1) a gas station with public restrooms with the doors around back or side and 2) a way back to the Grande. <><><><><> [GM] The desk clerk won't give you information about their guests. Neither a gas station nor the MGM Grande is hard to find. <><><><><> Steven: He tried to memorize Amy's room number and the hotel's name. He goes to the gas station and uses the bathroom (door around back). Once inside, he locks the door, then concentrates hard on 1) no mental changes, 2) physically back to Steven, 3) control the splash. <><><><><> [GM] You get what Chase calls an "oops". You turn into Steven...with about fifty extra pounds added, and all your hair disappears as well. You're fat and bald, quite comical looking, except it doesn't strike you as funny. In the flash of light that accompanies the added mass, every exposed surface in the gas station restroom is covered with a layer of unidentifiable pink fuzz. Your clothes are unchanged; a long overcoat still covers you, though it's stretching at the middle, and you feel your pants and shirt ripping underneath. <><><><><> Steven: "Oh, jezuz..." After a deep breath, he tries again (or to fix the misfires to put it another way). <><><><><> [GM] **OOPS!** Your weight gain is now up to about a hundred pounds...you look like a whale [not literally! ], and your clothes are splitting at the seams, even the coat. And the moldy pink fuzz is now several inches thick. It gives off a sickeningly sweet odor. //Third time's the charm....or maybe the one that turns you into a human blimp// says Sid. He doesn't sound entirely amused anymore, seeing your powers misfire twice in a row. <><><><><> Steven: **Oh, f***!** He's not happy either. Not happy AT ALL. He survey's himself and the bathroom. **The same thing twice in a row... kinda ...** Looking at the pink fuzz, tenatively touching it. **Hmmm ... Ok... The last time I did this was in the desert. Why? And does it mean anything or is it just random? Seems almost random. Though, I still wonder if it has to do with trying for the same result? But, it worked on the third one... I think.** **Oh, hell. Isn't it enough that one of the others might... S***. And what about George? Jackie's already going to be pissed at me. And to top it off, I get to worry about what I did to Amy.** *And Richard...** **Though it doesn't *seem * to have hurt her. It didn't hurt George. What am I going to do about him? I don't even understand this. How am I supposed to explain it to anyone? I didn't ask for this. It's not like I intended tha weird stuff. It just happens. So, why feel guilty about any of it?...** He tried to hold his clothes together. **These are trashed. I'll have to try to fix them.** He surveyed his flabbiness while trying to hold his clothes together. **God, this is gross.** "F*** it," he kicked (or tried to) the trashcan. "I didn't make George do it... Its not my fault if he can't handle it." **Hey, Stephy? Chase? Everyone else? Yeah, even you Sid. Help me out a little, ok?** He looks again at the flab and very strained clothing. **I mean this is *really* gross.** He stands for a moment, then finally, crossing his fingers, tries a third time, concentrating really hard. <><><><><> [GM] Holding your breath, you concentrate a third time- and explode. A loud, wet *POP!* is the result of your desire to rid yourself of all that flab, and you find yourself lying in....goop. The pink fuzz is now drenched with the most disgusting green fatty gelatinous sludge you can imagine...and so are you. **EEEEEEEEEUEUUUUUUUUWWWWWWWWWW!!!!** screams Stephy, and for once, you're inclined to emulate her reaction. You are, however, physically back to normal, as far as you can tell. Your clothes are still ripped (and now slimed). And despite the thoroughly unappealing surroundings, your stomach growls hungrily. When you stand, you start at an alarming reflection in the mirror. The mirror doesn't *look* warped or anything, but it now twists and magnifies your reflection crazily, like a fun-house mirror. <><><><><> Steven: **Oh my god...!!!** He thinks then... *POP* *********** **Ke-rist... Jezuz. I just... blew... up. Again. Jezuz. What the f*** am I? What kind of person... blows up... and lives through the whole disgusting..?** He examines the mirror. **Need some new clothes, and some food. And to get clean.** He runs the water, washes off the owrse of the slime from him and his clothes. Then holding the clothes, he concentrates on no changes in himself and repairing, cleaning and drying the clothes. [If that works...] He gets dressed, ducks out of the bathroom as discretely as possible and then goes to the Grande, the restaraunt Jackie mentioned first, then- if she's not there, the room. <><><><><> [GM] Your clothes melt into sludge. You try to control your temper, while even Sid remains quiet for a moment. //Maybe you're pushing your power too much?// he finally suggests. **Well, like, we've done more than this before without totally losing it, and like, DUH! he can't just walk out of here naked!** Stephy says. <><><><><> Steven: **What? By trying to make some pants?** He kicks the transhcan half- heartedly, "Stephy's right," he says outloud, trying to rewash his hands. **But I was trying something different... This makes no sense. Nothing but misfires. Since I wokeup... And? What's different now? Amy? She *told* me to leave... What the f*** was I supposed to do?** **Sides, it didn't do that with Stephy and G... Did it? So what else was...** He rubbed his head thiking of his hangover. "No...", he said outloud. The last time he remembered screwing up like that was... the champaigne? As simple as that...? **Oh, wonderful...!** He looks at his naked self. **I'll be lucky to get 10 feet before there's a crowd of cops... Fingerprints... Then its back to the loony-bin. Should have stayed tomato-smell man.** He looks again at the fun house reflection... **It doesn't look like the mirror... which is crazy. Yeah, right, crazy. So how else can you explain it?** Looking down at himself, **I don't look like a Picasso... Well, if it isn't me and it isn't the mirror, that leaves ... what? Reflection works by... The light?** He tries to imagine light reflecting off his body at strange, random angles, like radar off a stealth plane. **No... lights not directional like radar...** He ends up just shruging. Thinks again about fingerprints. Finally deciding not matter what else, he needs some clothes. **Oh, hell, this *is* Vegas after all. Rattle the bone...** He looked in the mirror and let it go, concentrating for all he was worth on no changes in himself and being clothed. <><><><><> [GM] The air sparkles and shimmers around you, and then light, cottony garments fall into place around you. You're wearing a plain white shirt and plain white slacks, with plain white shoes. All with no trimmings, no labels, no accessories or ornamentation of any kind. Zen casual wear. You REALLY feel sorry for whatever gas station employee has to come in here and clean this place. <><><><><> Steven: Feeling pretty chagrinned, Steven makes his way to the Grande, going to the resteraunt first, looking for Jackie. He's kinda sorry for the gas station attnedant, but refuses to feel any quilt. That's why there public restroom after all, right? Besides, he's all guilted out right now, thank you. <><><><><> [GM] Steven finds Jackie's hotel room, and after waiting for a few moments after knocking, SFX opens the door. "Well," he says, looking you up and down, noting your plain white outfit. "I guess you had fun last night." <><><><><> Steven: He looks at SFX. "Yeah, good moring to you too. Fun? Yeah... I guess." **Just wish I could remember all of it. Oh well, it'll turn up sooner or later.** He moved into the room. "How can you tell?" After moement, "George ever show up? I kind of... got separated. Met a girl... You know how it is. Where's Jackie?" His stomach grumbles. "When's breakfast?" He reaches into his pocket... [Does he have any cash? If he's not clean, he'll grab another quick shower and change of clothes. If he and his present clothes are clean, he'll just wear these.] <><><><><> [GM] SFX laughs. "How can I tell? You weren't wearin' this white getup when you left, so I figger you created 'em with your powers, which means you got in another sich where your powers hosed your old outfit." "Jackie ain't here right now, she's prob'ly out doin' somethin', but I'm sure she'll be back. Ain't seen George since he left last night." The money that was in your pocket also seems to have been hosed somewhere along the way, not that that's any great surprise. Your clothes are clean, though you still feel like showering after all that...stuff. Before you can, though, SFX tosses you a newspaper. "Check out the front page, Fruit Loops." <><><><><> Steven: "Yeah, you might say that. Hosed my cash too." **George still gone...? ** "Oh well, he'll probably show up. Looked like he was gambling, last I saw." **I will not feel guilty about all this s***. Besides, if I had a girlfriend like Stephy, I'd be happy to put up with the rest.** "I think I'm going to take a shower...", he starts, then catches the newspaper SFX tosses him. "Don't call me that.", he snaps. He scans the article... [Chase was asleeep during Jackie's encounter with the four guys.] "Oh s***.", he finally says. "Guess what I think we tangled with last night?" **Or I did at least... Or Stephy... or... oh hell** "Jackie must be bubbling over. She got her publiciity stunt." **I beat it once... if it was... and nearly killed Jackie in the process... Great. NOT!** "Poor guys... If it was the same... normal folks don't stand a chance..." **Oh ke-rist... I, Stephy, or... nearly killed Jackie and that thing just walked away.** He quickly glances through the rest of the paper to see it might have news of any strange occurances during his party last night (when does it go to bed?). [At some point, he would like to take a shower and change clothes. While showering, he pursues the question of identity and his power and his fragmented self... Swinging off the possible insight earlier, that he is not any of his bodies, but the power itself. The signularity from Stephy's orgasm... The implication from S/id's name... Accidently tampering with his own personality and with Amy's memory apparently... Chase... Then again, maybe he *is* crazy...] <><><><><> [GM] "Oh yeah, you don't remember 'em," SFX says. "You- well, that kid you were- you were asleep." "We met these Army dudes. They stopped on the highway to offer Jackie some help, when the RV was toast. Then they drove on ahead of us...sans headlights, 'cause Jackie fried 'em earlier to distract the guys." <><><><><> Stephen: He orders room service/breakfast and lots of coffee. "She seen this yet?," pointing to the article. "I bet she feels like s*** if she has." He looks back through the article a minute. "Of course, its one of us. Aces, or whatever." He didn't feel all that superhuman right now. "That thing clawed through solid rock. Well, it was rock then anyway. So its gotta be somebody like us, somebody *really* crazy." He looked at SFX. "You don't think she'd tried to find this thing by herself, do you?" [He takes a *quick* shower, etc. Heck, if he has time, he could take a nap. ] <><><><><> [GM] "I'm sure she has seen it; she was the one who left it here on the table." >>>"You don't think she'd tried to find this thing by herself, do you?"<<< SFX laughs. "I seriously doubt it. Jackie blows up easy, but she ain't crazy and I ain't seen no signs of her bein' suicidal." "Yeah, it prob'ly was some kinda ace who can turn into some big-ass werewolf thing. Wonder if he *chooses* to be a psycho-slasher, or if his power turns him into that, and he's got no choice...kinda like a real werewolf. Ha, 'real' werewolf! Lissen to me!" //Don' wanna fight a werewolf again// Chase whimpers. Steven gets his shower, and lies down for a short time. Very short; Jackie finally returns from the gym about half an hour later. SFX looks up as she enters. "Hello, boss lady. The Prodigal Loony is back, but no sign of George." He nods towards the article. "F***in' bad news, huh? You think we ran into that thing by chance?" <><><><><> Steven: "Yeah," he replies at grumpily to SFX's last comment. **Maybe he's got other people in his head... S***.** "Going to put whoever faces it at a disadvantage. If they don't want to risk killing it. **I don't want to either Chase...** ******* Not even a chance to really rest. Seems like he barely closed his eyes and here was Jackie. **I *really* wish he'd stop calling me that.** He sat up, rubbed his eyes and waited for her to explode... <><><><><> Jackie - She comes into the room, very sweaty and the knuckles on her hand a bit scraped and bloody. She gives a slight smile to SFX's greeting. Going over to the bathroom she gets a glass of water and sits down on the couch near the fruit platter, now a bit limp. Gulping the water, she drops two small boxes of allergy medicine on the table and sighs. She is very quiet for a moment. Gold metal pulses from high on her arm and flows down to the table and forms into a small 8 oz ingot of gold. "The gold is still good so far." She picks a piece of honeydew melon off the tray and eats it. "I think we are going to stay here a while, dependin on a few thin's." "One, if the gold is good, we can start up everythin here. It's not a bad place to do it, we are off central to the rest of the US and might be easier to get places from here than the coast. It also is the glitziest, tackiest place around, a good place to outshine it a bit, for a debut. "Two, Steven it is up to you what you want. But, we need a bit more of an equalizer with what you do. No offense, but promises on your end do not make much difference, the power works if it is goin to, plain and simple, we found that out. As I see it, at least concernin me, you had a negative effect balanced by a positive. You almost killed me, wrecked the RV, though that was not completely your fault, it was this thin's. We know alcohol affects us, it is all in our mind. I ain't sayin that we should make you a drunk or dope you up, we don't have the skills to do it right or the right to do it. But, when I was a kid, I had hayfever a bit fierce. These pills made me a little tired, make me think a smidgen more about what I was doin. Maybe you could use a bit more of that, an extra push on your part to set thins goin, or at least a small damp on what you can do to others. "Three, we need to kill this wolf. Plain and simple. This is our PR stunt and our bit of payback. "Four, if we are goin to go through with this, we need out public person, someone to take control of affairs, if only on the outside. As crazy as this sounds, I'd say Stephanie might do the best job, she's control oriented. But, if any of your incarnations are goin to tackle the job, I say now, they cannot alter anyone, for games or whatever. if we are goin to make this a reality, we don't need lawsuits, bad press or whatever. She will be the figurehead to schmooze, solicit clients, be public. i'm still workin on my people skills. Another thin, she/you will have a stake, a lot of responsibility to live up to, not a good time out everytime. "She'you can pretend to be anyone with almost any power, if we keep it simple. I'd do it, but we should keep somethin in reserve, you are the unknown quantity, people think they got you figgered you show them different, you are the one with the most invulnerabilty, the Kid and I can be neutralized some how. "Now, it will give me and the Kid a way to gather more and actually do jobs while you drum up business, etc. We stay in the shadows and get the work done in our way and you do your work." She finishes her water, 'that is Kid if you would rather do somethin else?" <><><><><> Steven: He listens. Almost interrupts a few times, decides against it, listens some more. Eats a little. When Jackie is done: "Ok? My turn now? Jeez... I don't know where to begin. Ok, you want to stay here. That's cool. Set up shop here. Cool too. As long as its understood, I'm going to want to take off for home for a little while when things cool down for me, to visit if nothing else." He frowns, thinking, then, "I don't know about taking any drugs. At least over the counter. Starting its not the problem. Or keeping it from starting. Or it hasn't been for a while. What I *get* when I do start it... That's another matter. Stephy was trying to fix the RV, which *was* already, well, crashing. Then when it attacked it... I... It was my fault, I mean I did it on purpose, well, not it, but using the power...," he stumbles to a halt. "Well, when I was the black girl." "Besides," he goes on rapidly, trying to cover his embarassment, "the way alcohol affects it when I do try to use it... well, I'm not really in a hurry to find out what other drugs do. You know? We know there seems to be a range limit. So, we get a place where I'm in like inside the compound, but separate. And then, in... um... er... Well, I guess, you call it combat... I can just stay out of range of you two? Its not perfect, but I prefer it to experimenting with drugs right now." "If the gold lasts, we get a place, find a doctor or 12... Maybe we can experiment then. Maybe. And I'm still open to shrinks and stuff. But, on my terms. I'm not crazy. Or a cripple or a kid. I *am* dangerous. But so's a gun or a bomb. Course, you *do* find a drug that'll help my control once it starts, that's something else entirely." "Now, come on, here me out. I'm just trying to think this through. You are right that I can't hang around as Steven. The minute we get TV coverage, I'm on America's Most Wanted. But... Well, I mean, *I* can make some promises but I don't know if they'll keep them...always, anyway. If you think it should be a, er, woman..." He sighed. "Well ... Ok. I can try that. Maybe I can even do something to make myself comfortable with it. Hell, maybe I can make her, or me, or whatever, a genius at publicity." He obviously doesn't like these ideas. "But, um, really, am I predictable enough to be a figurehead? What if we need someone and get a different me, instead? Gonna be kind of tough to hide wouldn't you say? Sides, I'm not really thrilled about turning my head into someone else, or bringing them out or whatever I do, on purpose. They'll show up soon enough." He put his chin in one hand. "Why not just say my appearance changes uncontrollably, or that Stephy and the others are different, freelance Aces? I mean, if you ask me the only person for the job of being the public person is... well, its you Jackie. Maybe dressed up in a metal suit? That way no one see's its you. And we just don't tell them what our powers are." "Although I don't see why we can't just let the lawyer be the figurehead. Let the public see him. We wear masks or something at press conferences and that way keep a *little* freedom." "Or...," he stretches, "I could just leave. I mean... I wouldn't be surprised if you thought I was too dangerous to have around. But, if I do leave... well, you have to promise you won't fight that werewolf- thing just the two of you. That thing WALKED AWAY from what almost killed you Jackie and left SFX a... well. Stephy s*** all over it and it still walked away. And, I am NOT happy about the idea of facing that thing again, even if we find some other folks to help." "But... Well, Jackie, you really shouldn't ride yourself for those guys. How could have known? I've got responsibility there too. And, I do still owe you for my freedom. So, if we have to... One, thing, though. SFX and I were just talking how this thing *had* to be someone like us. Maybe crazy. Maybe a really nasty split personality. Maybe just bad. But, if its really a person, we, well, it wouldn't be right not to try to capture it alive first." <><><><><> Jackie - Jackie listens to Steven until he's done, she mops at the sweat on her brow and absent mindedly rubs the scar that intersects her eyebrow. "Ok, I understand how you feel about drugs. I liked the idea about the lawyer, that way we can hide behind a company instead of one person. As for you going back to Louisianna, a few thins before you do that. I'd like you to wait until we get this in gear, maybe a week, let thins cool down a tad. And you don't go until we have another Ace with us for security. We can't do it alone and if you get grabbed or murdered, I'd feel better if you had a new Quantum cat watchin your butt as their first job. Also, as we talked about before, every day you can have a new face to wear whether it's due to a screwup or no, it will make these people think we have a whole stable of Aces. Ok, so if it sounds ok, then why don't we do this? Steven you get some rest then find a lawyer to take care of the business set up, license and stuff. We'll need to hire some reporters and office space. See if you can find a broker or somethin to sell the gold through the lawyer. That's your job. Buy a cellular phone too and call me with your number, I'd use a phone on these lawyers or go as someone else. We'll meet back here for dinner, you get some sleep first then go out. Kid, you an me, how bout we get a new computer rig and some new digs out in the desert, maybe some kind of old warehouse, somethin. You can get a whole new computer rig and set up. We want to hit the whole deal nice and sweet. Print, TV, radio, etc. What do BBs' do, could you set one up with the whole magazine idea thin? Like they call and it's like some cop computer or Fed, like they call and we got ads, news, etc? Can they do that? Then we'd have all the bases covered, charge people for the phone calls and usin the computer thin? What else can you do with a computer? I'll be goin with the Kid, we need some new wheels and I need some high grade metals, what do they call that junk, titanium steel? Osmium steel? Better than this crap, especially if wolfy can rip right through it. As for that thin, it may be a person, may not be anymore. it locked onto us as easy as pie and has killed what 60 people already? We find it and you can try to make it human if you like, but those people didn't have a choice before they were unzipped now did they. it wouldn't have given us a choice neither. I know this is different, we're doin the huntin and plan to kill it, that sounds like murder. One thin, I don't recall anyone arrestin that flame guy who geeked Death whatever in Israel or whatever it was, or anyone doin Paladin the same. How do we capture somethin that rips through people and metal? The same could be said of us...how would they capture us? Drug us forever? I mean SFX can blast through stuff, and me well you know, you can turn people into raspberry fluff let alone walls, prisons. You know how that felt, drugged and waitin, and waitin. What if the guys who were after you grab this wolf thin and turn intoi their boy? it will be worse than it was before, except they would have a surgical strike monster for real." Jackie eats a few strawberries and looks around, 'So where's George?" <><><><><> [Amadan- does he feel like he needs the sleep?] Steven: He nodded at the first two, and mumbled, "California, or Texas," when she mentioned Louisana as home, a slight smile on his face since she was agreeing with him. He was real happy she seemed to have dropped the whole drug and Stephenie things. After Jackie finished, Steven looked at SFX, clears his throat and, (unless SFX jumped in) replied: "Ooookay. One thing at a time: Let's worry about what we do with, um," he smiled, "'Wolfie'- I like that, sounds like a toy- later." "I don't expect things to cool down for me for a while. It's been what? (A week?)? My face's going to have be scarce a lot longer if I know the Texas Rangers. 'Course that means...," he thought a moment, but it made the most sense, "you all are going to have to get used to seeing me as different guys... and gals... I might as well get used to it. And then there's always the fun and games of misfires." "Try thinking of it this way. Don't know if it holds anymore water than all the others I've come up with but... Don't think of me... um, Steven,... me, as this body. Think of me as... well, my power itself. Whatever form that has, is like my real one." **And, maybe it kind of works the same way for my head.** He sighs. **Which is probably why its so hard to control once it starts... There's always going to be some probability I didn't or wouldn't think of whatever I try, or would do it poorly.** "So what I look like at any particular time ...," he chewed on his lip a moment, "well, its just a *really* good set of clothes." He got up, grabbed the yellow pages and flipped it open to the lawyers section before Jackie and him. **Why the hell not?,** he thought. **Makes as much sense as any other... I'll be doing it for the rest of my life, so I might as well get used to the idea. Sides, I can't even keep my *mind* together. And... if I stop worrying about it and just accept that its going to happen... I've got to admit, I like it. There's no reason anybody else really has to know its *me* right? 'Cept, SFX and Jackie... Hell, I could even get into the sex thing. Sure could get one hell of a book out of it.** The image *that* evoked made him smile a little. "We probably all ought to get new phone numbers under new names, or something," he continued outloud. "And what the heck do I call you two? It sounds silly, I know, comic book stuff. But you know... seems that it actually makes sense. Lawyer asks for my name, he doesn't need to know anything but 'Chaos'. You know what I mean?" "Um, ok... there was one more before... Oh, yeah. Why a warehouse? Why not splurge? If where going to live there, even for a while, we might as well, right? Don't worry about paying all the money today. We can always make or dig up more, right? Something defensible too. With plenty of acreage for camera's and stuff, so we can see s*** coming? Maybe, not a mansion, but... Make sure its furnished too. Less work for us." **Which leaves...**, he thought a moment, **oh, yeah...** "George. Well... he didn't come back. He went out, went across the street to that other casino and was gambling last I saw." He doesn't explicitly mention having spied on him. "Jackie... I hope you meant what you said to him when he and Stephy... before they... um. 'Cause, well, I shouldn't have to feel guilty about that. You told him, Stephy told him. It's tough enough *being* these folks part-time, let alone I'm supposed to feel guilty about everything that happens when they're around?" <><><><><> [GM] [A little fatigued, but not terribly so.] <><><><><> Jackie - 'Okay, let's stick with the basics first, office space and a lawyer. Computer junk for the Kid and maybe some new wheels for us to travel around in. We can worry about where we live in a day or two, the hotel seems to be just fine for now. Just keep callin me Jeanette, I'd rather we keep even more mysterious especially under the public eye, the less we do the less they can pinpoint our abilities, we need codenames or somethin over the phone, fine, call me Iron Maiden, that'll work. Ok, so we know what to do, Steven you get a lawyer to handle PR, business license, office space and takin care of ads and hiring some journalists or somethin. Let's stick to that then. Get some rest, we'll meet for dinner at say 6 00 pm? Plenty of time to do what we need to do. I'm takin a shower, gettin dressed, hittin the tables a bit and goin to try to scare up George, Kid you want to meet me for breakfast in a few hours downstairs? Then we can hunt up some wheels and junk?" Jackie eats a few more pieces of fruit and looks at the two of them to see if there is anything else. <><><><><> [Amadan- its my understanding it is morning, say round 8, 9 -ish. Is that right?] Steven: He listenedd as he flipped through the yellow pages, looking for a large lawfirm which looked like it might have both the experience and the resources to do what they needed and do it quickly and without questions. As he listened, he smiled nodding, "Jeanette, right." He smiled again at Iron Madien. It was so appropriate... "Ok. I'll do the lawyer... Actually, I don't feel that tired and that's likely to take most of the day." He gets up pours himself a second cup of coffee, starts sipping it as he gets the bag with his, Stephy's and Stephenie's clothing returns to his seat again, and looks into the bag drinking coffee and thinking. He'd probably need to buy some clothes... unless he did it as a girl... That didn't digust nearly as much as it used to. Stephy's little fun and games with George had seen to that. Besides, it might help with the lawyers, based on experience most men fell all over themselves to do the bidding of a beautiful woman... And he might as well start *trying* to get used to it since he'd have to sooner or later. He was willing to bet gender was something like a 50/50 proposition if he remained unable to really control his power... a distinct possibility from all he could figure. "I'll need some cash, probably a lot of it. The kind of lawyer's we need aren't cheap. Why don't I take some of that gold too? In these little ingots? Just enough to impress them. I don't have to tell them how we got it... and that invisible disk drive? Yeah, that ought to be convincing. If it still is. Invisible." Steven will grab a few magazines, glance through the pictures of people in them, then lie down for a while while Jackie and SFX shower and dress, try to catch 30 winks or at least rest a little. <><><><><> Jackie - "Okay, fine then, I can sign over some CDs for you, a bit for a retainer, 10 or 20k. if you think you need it." Jackie showers and dresses in another conservative business suit from the RV and does her hair, now that it isn't slept in or messed up like before. <><><><><> [GM] [About 9:30 am] Jackie is dressed up, and gets an appreciative grin from SFX, which he quickly hides. Steven gets a short snooze. "OK boss," SFX says. "What's the plan of action?" <><><><><> Steven: He shruggs. "20. I guess. But, not just now. Let me try to put on a new face," weak smile, "before you leave just in case. I'll wait until you've taken your showers and what not. Then you can wait out in the hall while I used the bathroom. That should be far enough. Then, if I get a misfire, you can stop whoever comes out of the room. I'm going to lie down until them." *** Once Jackie and SFX are done, Steven gets up, changes into a bathrobe and underwear and starts for the bathroom, reminding Jackie and SFX they might want to stand out in the hall. Once inside, he closes the door, removes the robe and his underwear and puts them both as far away from the mirror as possible, and then flips through the magazine to a photo of a beautiful blackhaired model with a figure like Stephy's and Stephenie's who *looked* dressed, coifed and made-up professionally anyway. He looked up into the mirror... Once he worked himself past the whole gender thing, there seemed to be a lot of reasons to try it this way. Heck, it should at least help hide his identity. If they first saw him as a woman, maybe they'd just assume I was? Then, if the media picked it up that way, the odds of anyone making a connection to him would that much lower... After relaxing himself as much as possible, he fixed his eyes on the woman in the photo and then concentrated on no mental changes, body, clothes, hair, make-up like the woman in the photo and control the splash. <><><><><> [GM] The smoothest transformation you can remember...just a brief flicker, and suddenly you're an exact duplicate of the woman in the picture. Except as far as you can tell, you're still Steven, mentally. You notice that on the magazine page, there is now a photo of an empty chair in an empty studio. The image of the woman didn't just disappear and leave a blank spot behind; it's as if there was never a woman in the photograph at all. You get an eerie feeling, looking at it. <><><><><> Steven: [Now, you got me worried. I assume he got the clothes and make-up and such too?] Shivering at the empty photo, Steven quickly looks around the bathroom for other changes, then looks herself over and feels around in his mind to double check for unintended changes. She tries her voice to see how it sounds, and takes a few steps to get the hang of walking. [shoes? and if so what kind and can he walk in them?] She then unbottons her blouse, lifts her skirt, etc., and examines herself to make sure everything is as it should be and everything in its place. [Assuming it is and he got the clothes etc. too...] After botton, etc., and feeling pretty chipper about his apparent luck, she rejoins Jackie and SFX, commenting on how maybe she's finally getting the habit of this a little. <><><><><> Jackie - "Guess we go shoppin for computer junk right? Try to find George, get some new wheels, new bikes sound good, somethin cool." She grins. <><><><><> Steven: She starts to walk over to where the bags with Stephy's and Stephenie's stuff is, watching herself in the mirror and making notes, but pauses at Jackie's comments. "Sounds good. You know, maybe it worked so well cause I used the picture... but I don't understand why the model disappeared.. unless cause all it really was *was* a model- the picture I mean, just a pattern..." she trails off and shrugs. Seeing Jackie's grin, she asks her "What's so funny?" As Jackie answers, she finishes walking to the stuff and takes the biggest purse she has and puts some gold ignots and a couple of the magazines in it, glances at herself in the mirror off and on trying to judge and adjust her movements, etc., trying to look sexy but as natural as possible. <><><><><> Jackie - > "Don't get all uppity, um, Stevey. Just smilin to the Kid here. Let's get down to the brass tacks and get ourselves in gear. Make sure to buy a cell phone, meet back for dinner at 600 in the hotel, I'll make some rezzes." <><><><><> [GM] [The clothes came out identical to the picture...as far as you can tell.] "Great," SFX rolls his eyes. "Another one of Steven's animated blow-up dolls. Is that Steven in there, or another sex-hungry caricature of a female? You know, for someone who totally freaked out over bein' a chick, you sure have a fondness for chick bodies, and a frat-boy's imagination of what a chick should act like to inhabit them. Fine, s'long as you can function, let's get the show on the road." <><><><><> Steven: "You're right," she replied with a sigh to Jackie, "I'm sorry... its just..." She nods. "Cell phone, back at 6. Ok. And I should get the invisible disk drive from the RV along with some ingots." Then she grimaces as SFX remarks. "No.. its me. Steven..." **Stevey? Yuk.** "I guess...." **Little...* "Look...," she continues- a little testily as she picks up the bigges purse she has and puts a couple of the magazines and the cash in it, "its a disguise, OK? Whatever I think, they'll never even think to look for me in... well," gesturing to herself, "here." **I hope,** she adds silently. "Not to mention that if its all just probabilities, since over half all people are women, I'm going to have to get used to it sooner or later. And after what Stephy and George did..., well, no use in freaking out over just having teats and a** after that, is there?" Steven is obviously still a little unsettled about being female, and pretty self-conscious as his reaction to SFXs remarks revealed. **Stevey... oh hell...** She let out an exasperated sigh. "You don't like my taste in women...," she shrugged. **A little while as one would probably knock that damn smirk off your face.** "But what do you mean 'a frat-boy's imagination of what a chick should act like'?" She watched herself in the mirror, trying to just act normal. "I mean, I'm really just trying to move and act like a normal... a... well, a normal woman. I expected man in a dress jokes, but not that..." **In fact, these heels aren't even giving me a problem ... weird.** "Oh hell... I'm just... this change was so smooth, guess I'm just jumpy waiting for the other shoe to drop. I mean," she opens the magazine to the picture of the studio-now sans model. "This is the one I used. She, I mean, this body and clothes and all was in the, it was. But when I copied her... well, see for yourself, its like she was never even in it. So, what the heck does that mean?" "And oh, Jackie, if its ok, I thought I might see if the lawyers could also see if they can find anything out about what happened in New Orleans and to Richard. With the luck I've been having," thinking of Amy's failure to notice any changes. <><><><><> [GM] (You can choose what the model you selected looks like.) You move the same way you do as Steven...which means it looks a little unnatural, in a woman's body. SFX looks at you disdainfully. "Actually, I was talkin' 'bout Stephy and Stephanie an' all your other blow-up doll creations. I guess now you're just cool enough with 'teats and ass' that you don't need the pretense of creatin' another personality to animate 'em. Knock yourself out." Stephy's reaction is an indignant fume. Stephanie seems more distant, but you sense her outrage as well. SFX turns to Jackie. "Cool, let's go get our computers and try an' find your boy George, while girl Steven goes and does....PR." <><><><><> Jackie - She rolls her eyes at this new explosion, since it will merely be a matter of time before she joins in, " Kids...this is not helpin. Let's just chalk it up to guys and gals have diffrent taste in thin's. Ok? I mean why argue about all this junk? the whole thin is moot. If Steven can get used to this and even start to feel comfortable with it why make it more difficult for him, uh, her...you know what I mean. I know we all aren't the picture of a perfect family, but c'mon, let's at least pretend. If we are goin to work together we have to be a bit more supportive, at least in public, just don't make us look stupid by expectin too much. I don't think gettin one lawyer to handle our business and find out more about your situation. They will have privilege, but why complicate the whole thin, let's focus a bit more. I plan on hirin a few investigators to find out more about Napes', so I can just patch them into your situation, Ok?" Jackie half mumbles under her breath, "My Boy George..." She starts to laugh to herself. <><><><><> Steven: [Ok- Black shoulder-length hair, 5'6", 115 lbs, 36D-23-36, blue eyes, full lips, caucasian, beautiful, wearing cream silk blouse and black skirt-and- jacket combination, 3 inch heels, hose and whatever langerie] Sighing at the mannishness of his mannerisms, Steven tries hard to control his temper at SFX's remarks but there's still plenty of bite in her voice when she snaps, "Don't talk about them like that!" She grinds her teeth a moment, calming a bit more, then continues, "No, I'm not 'cool' with it. That's one of the points, in case you weren't listening." **Smart a** little... Ok, Stephy, Stephenie, we figure a way to do it, he gets to be Miss November... as extreme and h**** as we can make her. Maybe tonight... once we get things settled. We just need to make it look like an accident.** "Just a sec, I want to try something else, should be minor... but I need to do something about my mannerisms..." She gets up walks a 'safe distance' away from them (keeping SFX closer than Jackie) and after asking Stephy and Stephenie for a little help and taking a little time to relax and try to calm herself, concentrates on no other changes at all except naturally more feminine and womanly walk, mannerisms, etc., and controlling the splash- though she won't object if the splash happens to turn SFX into a Playboy centerfold... <><><><><> [GM] Steven shimmers, and then stops shimmering. S/he doesn't seem to have changed....outwardly. -but in fact, Stephy is now inhabiting the model's body. **Aaagh! Dammit!** Steven exclaims. <><><><><> Stephy: **Oh, don't freak bro,** she thought, giggling silently, **you wanted to be feminine and move naturally as a woman...,** she walked to the mirror, critically examining her new body, walking a bit in it, etc., **well, *I* certainly do. This is way cool Stevey! I didn't even think about trying other bodies. Course, she's not as pretty as me... but... Well, this can be fun! I just know it! And, you're probably right about hiding... for now. Especially since those creeps know me. But, soon as can, I'm going to be myself again... though I'm sure going to try some different things now that I know we can.** Her eye catches SFX's reflection. **And...**, her anger came back *sharp*, **it'll certainly surprise SFX...** She grabbed the Playboy in her purse, opened it to the pictures of the centerfold before the fold-out, looked at Miss June and smiled. **Why wait? The little smart-a** deserves it, just like you said. Georgie too, freaking out when you were trying to help him understand. If we ever find him... But right now, its SFX's turn. And, I *think* I can keep his computer and other knowledge intact...** When she fell on SFX, the hand with the magazine came up and around as if she was flailing though she was really bringing it where she could see it and concentrate as she fell onto and was touching SFX. She concentrated on no changes at all in herself, change SFX physically into a double of the centerfold, no mental changes to him except make him constantly horny and love his new body and sex and having sex in his new body and control the splash. She walked over the mirror and examined herself critically. Her movements are a great deal more feminine and womanly, appearing quite natural, though at least a bit like the 'frat-boy's imagination' SFX criticized. As she examined herself, she pulled the purse around in front of her and pulled a magazin out of it, opening it and folding it back. Her body blocked the others from seeing which magazine... She turned, sliding the magazine around behind her back, and started walking towards SFX, making sure to wobble a little. "Well," she asked as she walked to him, "how'd it work? Do I still move like a blow-up doOOLLL!" Her arms flailed a bit, the one with the magazine coming up behind SFX... <><><><><> [GM] Steven collapses onto SFX, and the air explodes in neon hues around them. The carpet thrashes wildly and giggles, and SFX's skin turns white, and then baby-pink, then returns to its normal shade, as silk streamers rain down on them. Steven's clothing has shrunk two sizes, so it now clings to her curvaceous female body like a second skin. The effect is more silly than sexy, since the blouse is pulled out of shape, the skirt is ripping, and the shoes feel like they're cutting off all circulation to her feet. She somehow contrived to land on the teenager with her bosom pressed against his face. And in a muffled voice, he says "Get. Offa. Me. NOW!" Without waiting for Steven to comply, he shoves her roughly, rolling her onto the still snickering plush carpet. SFX stands, with an ugly expression on his face. "You just tried to do something to me! I felt it!" he snarls. His hand opens and closes, clutching the air like a claw, and both Jackie and Steven can feel subsonic vibrations rumbling up and down their spines as he speaks. //He's mad// Chase mutters. <><><><><> Stephy: Scrambling back from SFX, trying to get behind *something* she's not faking the panic rising in her voice and on her face. "NO!," she shouts, "It was an accident! Don't do anything I can control! Remember the RV! Please..." Tears are rolling down her cheeks as she pleads. "Please SFX. I was just trying to keep from falling... You pissed Stephy and Stephenie off... What you said... When I fell... they must have..." As she's scrambling away from SFX, she tries the long-distance 'vibes' trick like she did with George, trying to calm him and make him attracted to her... <><><><><> [GM] Steven begins glowing, her skin becoming radiant and golden. It's quite an attractive effect. SFX scowls suspiciously. "NOW what the f*** you tryin' ta do?" The subsonic vibrations become more intense, causing Steven and Jackie to become quite uneasy. "What the hell you mean THEY, I pissed THEM off? You sayin' now your other personalities can use your powers even when you're the one controllin' the body?" He bends down, and picks up the magazine Steven was holding, a Playboy, fallen face down opened to Miss June. "Why exactly were you holdin' onto this when you walked over and fell all over me?" he asks in an ominously mild voice. <><><><><> Stephy: "Nothing!," she yells back through her tears. "I'm not *trying* to do anything. SFX... You're scaring me... Please..." She scrambles behind some furniture, ducking down. "I don't know... I guess they can... Or I got something else." She peeks up at him over the sofa. Its obvious her blouse is opening, the buttons torn, revealing her bra-clad breasts. "You got them real mad... I thought... you didn't like this... I thought you'd like her better..." She ducks back down, kicking her shoes off as she does. "Least I think I did... I..." "Please SFX, I'm sorry. But... Damnit! You shouldn't call them names like that! Or make fun of me. I'm just trying... Get out here before something else happens! Please! SFX... please... just don't hurt me." She appears to break down completely, bawling. **Damn!**, she thinks as she scrambles and lies to SFX. **Have to try when he's asleep.** Stephy stops sending vibes at SFX and wishes real hard she just had a sound or chemical (pheromone) which would just make him fall in love with her. Just for right now at least. Of course, the bawling is, mostly, an act. And while hidden, she rips her blouse open. <><><><><> [GM] SFX rolls his eyes and looks at Jackie. "Can we go?" <><><><><> Stephy: Hearing that, she breaths a quiet sigh of relief, her sobs just as heavy for a few moments, then trailing off as she recomposes herself. [After Jackie and SFX leave...] She goes into the bathroomm, dries her eyes, sighs at her ruined make up and clothes and generally composes herself. She removes the now too tight clothing and looks her body over with a critical eye. Grabbing the magazines, she returns them to the purse walking back into the room in her langerie, trying to judge how fatigued she is. She eats a little and drinks a little more coffee as she looks through the lawyers in the yellow pages until she finds a likely prospect. She then calls for an appointment, say in about an hour or two. Leaving the purse with the money and all but one magazine in it, she then goes back into the bathroom and after removing her bra, relaxes, tries to visualize the changes she wants. When she feels calm and centered, she concentrates on no changes in herself at all, except making her breasts 38D's and the perfect shape (to her mind), control the splash. [Assuming that works...] She looks through the magazines for an appropriate 'professional' outfit. She settles on a low cut, thin, light, red leather mini skirted dress with a zipper running all the way up from hem to hem and red 4-inch high- heeled open toed shoes. After calming, centering, etc., herself, she visualizes some scandolously sexy langerie to go with it [a very sheer, light, black, underwire demi-bra'd merry widow, with black panties] and then concentrates on no changes in herself at all, change the model's langerie and outfit to that visualed and shown in the picture respectively. [If that works, she gets dress, fixes her makes up and goes downstairs, keeping an eye out for 'Georgie' and gets some ingots and the invisible drive from the RV.] While looking her naked body over in the bathroom: **Not bad... Not exactly what *I'd* choose... Though it'll do I guess... with a few minor changes.** She debates changing herself back to own boyd, but finally decides Steven was right about needing a disguise, and shivers as she remembers Ms. Smoke and Dom. <><><><><> Jackie - 'Umm yeah, let's do that," She shakes her head, no matter how hard you try...Everythin seems ok, the whammo the guy starts foolin around and we have another hysterical girl. Shaking her head again, she gently pushes SFX ahead. *I've never met a women who's acted like he does in our out of a personality shift, count yourself lucky girl.* <><><><><> [GM] SFX walks with Jackie out of the room. As soon as the door is shut behind them, he turns and says "He was tryin' to f*** with me! Didju see that phony way he walked up an' 'fell' on me, an' he's holdin' that Playboy behind his back an' s***?" He smacks a fist into his palm. "Punk motherf***** is crazy as hell, now he wants to turn me into his own little bunny for some kinda lesbo thing? I'm gonna f***in' kill him if he ever tries that again! An' I think he got his personality messed up too, even if he says he didn't. You see all that cryin' he was doin'? *Steven* whines a lot, but I ain't seen him bust inta tears like that before. He prob'ly turned himself into a chick who THINKS she's Steven, or somethin'. F***! I sure hope he can actually do this biz with the lawyer, without turnin' the dude's office into a chocolate-covered tap dancin' jacuzzi or somethin'." He shakes his head. [to Chaos] Your quantum boob job works fine, and your outfit change goes pretty well too. The color and style isn't *quite* what you had in mind, but it's close enough you don't feel like pushing your like by trying for an even closer match. //That was risky, sis// says Steven. //With SFX, I mean. He isn't stupid, he could tell you were up to something. I told you we should wait until tonight when he's asleep. I don't really feel like finding out if he was bluffing about what he threatened Stephanie with earlier.// In the RV, you get some ingots, but find that the disk drive is no longer invisible. <><><><><> Stephy: Smiling she surveys the results of her 'boob job', thinking **Oh wow! Like way cool. Alway's wondered what it feel like to have really big... well, not *really* big... But there's always later... Wonder if I could improve her legs...? Nah, best leave well enough alone for now,** as she gets dressed and fixes her make-up. **Oh pooh, Stevie. If I'd waited for tonight, there's no telling if I'd be here or if you'd still have the guts. And that'd be like skanky! He *really* has it coming. And Georgie too. And, *I* think *your* being a girl's like a 100% improvement. I know you think you don't like it, but, you know, the *least* SFX could do was *try* to understand why you did it. Like, if he gets discovered he only gets sent home. If they find us...** As she headed out of the hotel: **And another thing, Stevie. What are we going to tell him? Later. I mean, I'm sorry to dump it all in your laps like that, but I couldn't let him think it was *me*, could I? I think, we should just tell him you got a misfire when you tried to fix it so you'd move like a girl.** Seeing the drive is now visible, Stephy stamps her foot and says "Pooh!" to the world in general. She leaves the RV, making sure to lock it up again and then goes back to the Grande and ask if anyone left any messages for Chaos. While there, she also negotiates the CDs at the bank there, keeping $1000 cash and puts the rest into some kind of cashier's check made out to the lawyers. [Assuming no message...] She goes across to the hotel Steven last saw George in, and looks for him for a while. While doing so, she asks Steven, **Stevie... you know what you were thinking earlier, about me maybe not being, well, *me* but, you know, like a different you? I mean, I feel like I'm *me*, but do you really think that, well, you know, I *you*? Maybe the you you really want to be?** [If she doesn't find him...] Having some time before the lawyer's appointment, she decides to walk a bit and window shop. She buys a hat with a big brim (this is desert central after all) and some more sexy clothes. [How much time is left before the appointment? She'll take a cab to the lawyer's when its getting close.] <><><><><> Jackie: Jackie nods, "I'm definitely goin to get an ulcer at a ripe young age with all this s***. I've worked out a few thin's in my head about him, he can keep playin all he wants, but he f**** with us he knows what is goin to happen. I really don't want to hurt him, but he's been warned enough times to to get the picture. He wants to have fun, hey let him, but no way in hell is it goin to be on our time. I was just waitin to see if he was done with his circus act, just now, you have to mellow out a bit, I bet he does it just to get you goin, he knows your button and pushes it for kicks. I got all kinds of buttons...but just this silly horse **** he does isn't goin to do it no more, uh uh. Once we get workin on the Cats, he can do all the stunts he wants. Who knows why he does it, maybe it's some sort of attention problem, he needs it bad. now I can say I met people like that before, people who been so messed up they constantly need to be the center of attention, others, they well... clam up and play their cards close to the chest. Let him play Mr. Roger's on crack if he wants, he'll get to do it all he wants in a few days. Okay, just drop it, we'll be free from him for a few hours. Now, how about some b****** his and her bikes? C'mon.' <><><><><> [GM] [to Chaos] //I don't think it matters what we tell SFX// says Steven. //He's gonna think whatever he wants about us anyways.// There are no messages for 'Chaos', though the desk clerk gives you an odd look when you ask. //I don't know, Sis// sighs Steven. //About whether you're you, or me, or...well, you know what I mean. If you *really* wanted to find out, well, we'd probably have to deal with, well, um...// **With the fact that the REAL Stephy Moore got scraped off the highway with a spatula a few years ago!** finishes Sid tactfully. Steven chokes in response. You do some window shopping until your appointment. The lawyer's secretary looks at you in surprise, and not a little disdain (though you're sure it's just jealousy), before ushering you into Mr. Lee's office. You're a little surprised that Mr. Lee turns out to be a middle-aged Chinese man, but aside from that, he fits your stereotypical image of a lawyer; expensive suit, big desk, and shelves full of law books. Though it's all crammed into an office not quite big enough for all the furnishings, suggesting he's trying to present an image perhaps a little more ostentatious than he can really afford. He holds out his hand and smiles. "I'm Ralph Lee," he says, with a hint of a Midwestern drawl. "Why don't you have a seat and tell me what I can do for you, Ms. --" [what name did you give when you made the appointment?] [to Jackie] "Cool," SFX says. The two of you go on a shopping spree- the kid wants to spend a LOT more money than you do. He keeps asking "What's the problem with splurgin' a little, we got all that gold, and s'possedly Captain Crazy can make more anytime he, she or it feels like it. Only problem being he's likely to turn US into gold as anything else." He frowns. "Y'know, you think maybe he really IS crazy? I mean, I gotta tell you, I bet ALL those incarnations are from his own mind, not 'alternate universe' personalities or anything like that. You see how he acts whenever he turns into a chick? I ain't NEVER met a woman who acts like Stephy or Stephanie or whoever the hell he is now. All his female personalities are like....like not real. Like living cartoon characters. Y'know, you ever see "Cool World"? Or maybe "Fritz the Cat" is more like it. Anyways, there are nymphos, and there are dumb blondes and chicks who have hellacious bodies an' don't mind usin' 'em....but NOBODY but NOBODY acts like Stephy, 'least no one *I* ever met. She's like some adolescent male fantasy brought to life." SFX says this, apparently momentarily oblivious to his own adolescent maleness. "That's why I think it's all Steven, makin' stuff up in his head. Though I hate to think what it means, that he turned his memory of his own sister into a sex machine like that." He looks at you. "Speakin' of which, I ain't got any info on his buddy Richard yet, but I'm *also* checkin' up on Stephy Moore. And Steven Moore. I'm hopin' to get some info tonight." "Meantime, now what we gonna do while we waitin' for Super-T**s to come back from the shark's office?" <><><><><> Stephy: [Name given to lawyer= Chaos] **Well, like, duh. Of course he is. But right now, SFX thinks it was *you* tried to turn him into a bunny. If we blame a misfire, he might, like, cut you some slack.** Stephy is quiet for a moment when Sid turns her attempt to undermine Steven's maleness against her. **Like go gag on a spoon, Sidi-poo. At least I'm REAL. You're just all of Steven's worst macho b/s wrapped up and stamped 'ugly'.** [At the lawyer's:] Stephy gives the snooty secretary a million dollar smile, then whisks into Mr. Lee's office. Noting the office layout, she thinks **Maybe we can save some money here.** "Chaos," she replies as she extends her hand and lets it remain in his just a moment longer than necessary, "just Chaos, Mr. Lee. Or may I call you 'Ralph'?" She plants herself a little forward on the chair, sitting with back arched and 'assets' forward, giving him a billion-dollar (and oh so sexy) smile. {...} She looks a little uincertain for a moment, then decides to bull ahead. "This is confidential, like, right? I mean, you can't tell even if they put bamboo shoots under your fingernails?" {...} [Assuming he says its confidential (the privilege covers people seeking to employ a lawyer as well as when one is hired, btw)] "Well, then like, let's get right down to it, 'kay? I'm with a group that wishes to set up a company for... troubleshooting. Well, I guess the easiest way is to tell you what we are..." She fishes a gold ignot out of her purse, stands, sashies over to and plants on Lee's desk, then resumes her perch. "You've heard of Paladin? We're like him. Well, not *just* like him, you know," she smiles as it is quite obvious she at least is nothing like Paladain, "but with... um, powers. Like one of us made that gold. Out of thin air." She paused to let that sink in. "So, like, we thought about what we can do with these powers and decided to try the good-old American Way. You know, make a *lot* of money selling our.. um, special services to people who need them." She smiled. "And, we're looking for a lawyer who can help us put the company together, handle the paperwork, be the public spokesman... Stuff like that. We'd rather not have anyone to know our names and all, though... I mean, like our real names. You know? If we find the right man," she smiled again and uncrossed her legs, then slow recrossed them and put a hand on her knee, "we're prepared to be very generous, within like reason." <><><><><> [GM] [to Stephy] "Well, I've never had my resolve tested with bamboo under the fingernails," says Mr. Lee with a slight smile, "but everything you tell me is priveleged, yes, unless I decline to represent you, and then only anything you say *after* that is unprotected." He listens to your story, and though his eyes wander where you expect them to while you preen, his expression becomes unmistakeably skeptical as you finish. "Well," he says, "Ms....Chaos. That's very interesting." He picks up the gold ingot and hefts it idly. "I need to know several things, though. First, keeping your real names from being public isn't that difficult. It's certainly not without precedent. But if you want to conceal them from me as well, umm, that present some problems." "Second, just what kind of 'special services' did you have in mind providing? If you have in mind anything that's illegal, it would be completely illegal and unethical for me to help you." "Finally, what powers do you possess? Besides, ah, conjuring gold out of thin air? You realize that this is a rather remarkable story, and I'd need to have some...verification." He's being polite enough, but when he's finished, you can't help but realize how ridiculous your story sounds, on the surface. Especially in Las Vegas, it sounds exactly like what someone trying to pull a hoax would attempt. <><><><><> Stephy: "Well, like, I *know* it sounds bogus. But... well, before I say anything more, I have to know this won't go any further. If you, like, decide to take a dive, you know? I mean, we're not planning on doing any crimes. More like preventing them. Its hard to say, you know, cause like there aren't any want ads in the paper for folks like us. But, well, saving people. Getting rid of nuclear waste. Healing. Um, capturing that were-wolf thing. We already met it. Trashed our transport, but like, well, we're the one's that walked away. Those are some of the things we talked about, you know." "Only... well, I can't say anymore unless you promise not to tell anyone without our permission. We're prepared to start you with, um, $10,000. You can keep that ignot just for listening." [Assuming he agrees to confidentiality...] "'kay. Names. Um, well, like my name stays secret for reasons I won't say. Maybe the others will tell you there's but I can't speak for them. Part of what we need a lawyer for is to be a spokesman. That means your up front. If you know who we are, then you can tell others. One of the Ace's, that's what we call them, cause there was a book like that... Anyway, one of them is a telepath. He can read minds. If you knew, he could just pluck it right out of your head without you even knowing. That not only puts us in danger, it means we get like *no* private life at all." "We'll pay you *real* well, and like I said there can be other rewards. Some will be obvious if we get to where I tell you something about my powers. If that's not good enough, then I guess you keep the ignot and we look for another lawyer." [Assuming he hasn't bailed yet...] "I'll show you my powers if you insist. I have to warn you though, they can be pretty... um, well, chaotic. Um... like, uh, I guess the best way to say it is I can, like, change things. People, clothes, anything really, into like anything else. Iron Madien, yeah I know, it like *totally* gross, but hey that's what *she* chose can, like, do things with metal. Other's can do other things. If we hire you, we'll tell you more." "Now... like, if you have to see my powers... well, exactly what would you like to see changed into what? Like, I could give you or your secretary a *really* cool make-over. Hell, I can you into her sister, if that float's your boat, or vice-versa. Or, whatever. You name it. But, like, you know, sometimes things can get...," she looks around, then at Lee and smiles, "interesting." <><><><><> Jackie - Jackie smiles at SFX, "yeah, I'd like to blow the farm on all kinds of goods too, but doin that for no reason but to blow it is not in the game plan. I mean if you really want all kinds of junk, I CAN steal some for you." Jackie lets SFX think she's kidding if it makes him feel better. "Stress can do a lot to someone. If he really is a split personality, which I think he is. That's easier to relate to than all this science fiction crap, it all does come from his head. No use in tryin to come up with all kinds of reasons, we'll drive ourselves nuts. if he's in, we have to try to accept him, if he's out we don't worry about him. The only reason I think we should put up and shut up is he's got a real wild card ability and that is an ace in the hole for us. Besides, he's all we got in way of these powers, until we get thin's rollin and have more idiots join up. Right? And he did come up with some cash, money it would take me a few good jobs to grab, but I could have done it. I still plan on giving the games a try, low brow enough to get some extra spendin money, but not enough to set bells and whistles. Pace myself." Jackie shrugs at the whole psych spiel, "Say, you give any thought to what you want to look like in public? We will be in the eye sooner or later. I can make my little outfit, clothes out of metal that would protect and be there for me, cover myself if need be. You plan on some Super Fly type or something nerdy?" Jackie laughs. "Say, those books you were talkin about ever since we hooked up, I want to grab a few, see if they help. Maybe some comic books too? My mind isn't tuned for this crap, I been dealin angles since I was a kid, I need an angle on this stuff. How about some Ninja bikes, I need a quick bike." <><><><><> [GM] [to Chaos] Mr. Lee cocks an eyebrow when you offer him the ingot. "If you really are serious about this endeavor, the first thing you're going to need to do is set up a business banking account, which I can certainly help you with. I wouldn't recommend you go around handing out gold ingots. I can recommend some places where you can convert precious metals to cash, legitimately." He places a slight emphasis on the last word. "I'm still listening," he says, and allows you to continue after nodding at the confidentiality stipulation. "Before you proceed with your demonstration, I still have a couple of questions, though." He folds his hands on his desk when you're done. "First, you're concerned about telling me your real name because there's a....telepath, after you. If this person can pick the information out of my mind, can't he do the same thing to you? Or are you planning never to appear in public?" "Secondly, perhaps this is the most obvious question that comes to MY mind; if you can really conjure gold out of thin air...why do you want to engage in this venture at all, particularly since you seem to feel there's some risk involved? There isn't any law against creating gold, per se, though I'm sure if such an ability exists, there soon will be, since that power threatens to destabilize a number of currency markets. But until then, there's nothing preventing you from conjuring up as much as the market will bear." <><><><><> Stephy: "Well...," she replies and thinks at the same time, "I have some, um, protection I guess you'd call it from that because of my powers." **I hope. Stevie, I think you better start thinking about that. I mean, maybe one couldn't read you when I or one of the others is up, but... I think you better think about it.** "But, like, normal people like you, I mean people without powers, don't." **And what Jack... Oh gag! What if this guy is really a... nah.. just being paranoid.** "You don't, um, do you? You know, like have any, uh, powers?" "Why... Well, it was like, kinda a group decision. The others have their own reasons, you know. But, me.... Like, duh-uh! What else am I going to do? I mean, I can just have fun..." **Which sounds *way* cool.** "But, just doing that'd probably get bogus after a while, you know. Way un- cool. So, I'd have to do *something* rad, you know. So, I could be like, a super-model or something. And I might. But, like, how long would that be cool? Like, its not *that* much of challenge for me, you know." **Hey, Stevie, that almost makes sense!** "So, like sooner or later, I'm going to be using these powers sometimes to do things. When the other things get boring, you know? The other's want to form this company, and I say, like, cool, it'll give me something to do when I want. And as long as I'm going to *something*, why *not* help people and make some cash along the way, you know?" <><><><><> [GM] [to Chaos] Mr. Lee seems both amused and a little puzzled as you go through your exposition on being a superhuman. He raises an eyebrow and answers your first question; "No, no superpowers that I know of." That seems to amuse him more. "All right, your...outlook, is...interesting. I'm certainly intrigued. I would like to see that demonstration, though. I'm not too keen on seeing my office torn apart, though. Is there something you could do that would be safe and small scale?" [to Jackie] SFX is considerably enthused about buying a couple of Kawasaki Ninjas. "Man!" he says. "Think about what we could do with our powers...I could cloak us so we can roar into anyplace totally silent, you can probably do some fancy tricks to control or modify the bikes...personally, I like the idea better than goin' around in a great big RV." While perusing the bikes at a dealership, SFX comments, "You think Miss Double-D Nympho-brain is doin' OK with the lawyer? I dunno about lettin' her do any kind of real negotiatin'....my bet is, her idea of signing any contract is screwin' the poor fool on the floor of his office." Which may be a valid point, but something else is distracting you from contemplation of what Stephy is up to at this moment. You can't help but notice a couple of men, one in a neatly tailored blue suit, the other in a colorful print shirt and jeans, who are standing not far apart, but distanced just far enough so as not to appear to be together. You notice them because you noticed them at the fast food place where you and SFX stopped to grab some lunch a few blocks away. <><><><><> Jackie - Jackie smiles to SFX and laughs, "Yeah you right, the poor fool will never know what hit him." Taking off her Gargoyles, she looks at the mirrored surface to keep track of the two men, also sensing any metal objects they may, have. Mostly, for possible electronics or firearms. Subvocally, to SFX, "We got two hounds on our tails, Magnum PI and Jackoff business sleaze." Jackie gestures to a salesperson and asks to have two set aside for a pickup later, she'll sign over a few travellers cheques if she needs to for a deposit. She will glance around the show room for some heavy metals to use if she has to. <><><><><> Stephy: She breathed a slight sigh of relief at Mr. Lee's denial of having powers. she wasn't terribly happy that he found her so amusing, but she guessed that was better than suspicion. And at least he'd stopped asking her name. She glanced down at her red pumps as she thought about what she could do for a 'little' demonstration. She unnecessarily smoothed her hose at one knee. "Weeelll...," she began, "I told you that, you know, sometimes its, um, like chaotic. So, I don't know if I can, like, guarantee it won't... um, you know, get out hand like. I could try and change something, like, oh, like one of your books?" She doesn't sound too certain. "Though, I'm really getting pretty good with bodies, you know." She digs out one of the magazines. "Or I could try changing something to gold." <><><><><> [GM] [to Jackie] SFX frowns. Your metal sense tells you that both men are carrying an electronic device whose mass and general configuration would correspond pretty well with a walkie-talkie. And both are armed with rather large pistols. "You're right," SFX says, using his super-ventriloquism to speak in your ear without appearing to even move his lips. "Dude in the print shirt is talkin' to someone with a radio or something'...." Then you hear a male voice speaking in a low mutter, apparently SFX "replaying" what he hears for you: "...motorcycle dealership. Looks like they're pricing bikes. Do the switch once they leave here. Achers out." "F***" the teenager's voice comes back. "Figger they cops or somethin'? How the hell they track us? Or maybe they from that same group we hadda fight back at the loony-bin? S***, we better find out what's up with the Amazing Nymphette!" [to Chaos] Lee frowns and says "Umm, how about this?" He holds up an ashtray. "My books I have more use for. Sure, turn it into gold if you can. I'll have to decline the 'bodies' offer...no offense, but I'm not extremely eager to be a guinea pig." After considering a moment, he adds, "Perhaps we should go somewhere outside to do this?" <><><><><> Steven: She giggled. "Oh, grody to the max! I think I could like guarantee something *much* more interesting than a pig." **Though your snooty secretary...** She looked at the ashtray in Lee's hand and shrugs. "Ok," she said as she stood, smoothing her red leather dress down around her curves. "But I don't know about outside... were anyone could see it. Is there like a basement...?" She pit her lip fetchingly. "Um, maybe not, you know. How about the roof?" [Once on the roof...] She told Mr. Lee to stand away from her what she assumes should be a good distance. She then relaxed, centered herself, took a deep breath, held it, slowly released it... and concentrated on changing the ashtray into gold, no changes at all to herself and controlling the splash. <><><><><> Jackie - Subvocalizing, "Switch? What they mean by that? Did you catch what they are switchin?" Jackie has some very disturbing thoughts about old sci fi movies and Pod People. She focuses on the pistols and tries to form a thicker film of metal over the first bullet, hopefully enough for the first shots to misfire, but not cause so much a raw show of power. Subvocalizing again, "Let's worry about us first Kid, if he/she did what he was supposed to, he should have a phone and be givin us a call soon with his number, right? Keep a sound fix on them and I'll track their metals, they got guns and radios, just FYI. Let's get out of here, to somewhere public. Maybe some where with lots of metal." Jackie winks to SFX. <><><><><> [GM] [to Chaos] "Uh, no, I meant as a guinea..." Lee stops. "Err, never mind." He seems unenthusiastic about going to the roof. "Why don't we just go into the alley behind this office?" he says. "There shouldn't be anyone there." **Maybe he thinks you'll blast him off the roof or something** snickers Sid. In the alley, you hold the ashtray and concentrate. It ripples in your hand like a piece of animated clay, emits foul-smelling clouds of green smoke that cause you and Lee both to cover your mouth, choking. You drop the ashtray, and it hits the pavement with a metallic "kling!" As the green smoke clears, you see the round ashtray spinning brightly on the ground, light reflecting off its polished gold surface. "Hmm." Lee picks it up. "Very impressive." He hefts it. "It feels like gold." But you can't mistake a skeptical look in his eye. He points at several bags of trash sitting next to the door. "Can you do something to those?" [to Jackie] "No clue," SFX says, but nods and follows you outside, while you mentally alter the consistency of the bullets in their guns. You're both tense as you leave and walk onto the street, but to your slight surprise, the suit stays behind, appearing to price bikes himself, and the man in the print shirt walks away down the street in the opposite direction. <><><><><> Jackie - Jackie puts her sunglasses back on and looks over at SFX, "Kid, I got a slight problem. My eyes are shot good. I think I lost my contacts back when I became a blood popsicle, courtesy of jiggle boy. How about we take a Ninja now, I don't like this switch business and it'll beat takin a cab around. You can drive, get me to an eye doctor for a quickie set of new contacts or two. We have a lot of work to do if we are goin to face some weirdos. Man, a bad week we havin huh? Nazi/Klan whackos, werewolf from the late night show and now these fruits. I need some heavy duty metals to do us some good, all I been able to work with is substandard materials each time. I mean granted, most every joe ain't going to rip their way through even some gold handcuffs, but why not do better. I feel naked without some good stuff, I been readin up on my metallurgy book, Let's take a crack at a few places after I can see right. I have a lot to try out an practice like, but I need some sort of privacy to play around. Kind of hard to work a ton of metal in a hotel room. I read some interstin stuff, I never knew metal had so many uses! Aside from all that, I think we should get some sort of place out of the way of people, for their protection an ours, like an old ranch, gas station like that. What do you say?" Jackie grabs a phone book and rips several pages from it, mainly pages with Metal Distributors, Industrial Supply, Contracting Supply and Commercial Real Estate. She starts to look over the list of names and numbers. <><><><><> Stephy: "Well, duh-uh," she says then smiles at Mr. Lee, "like I *know* what you said." **Major bogus sense of humor.** She sighs at the suugestion of the alley, then shrugs. "Whatever." [outside...] She coughs and, after dropping the ashtray, waves the smoke away a little as Lee picks up the ashtray. After he asks about the garbage she cocks a hip and looks down her nose at his skeptical expression. "What, you think I switched the ashtray or something? Whether its gold or not, its, well, like changed, you know. Or are you just like greedy?" She looks at the garbage bag. "Like, yuck!" Who did he hink he was? "Like anything special you want me to do to it?", she asks as she opens her purse and looks inside for inspiration of something to impress this clod. She spies the cell phone. Pulls it out. "Excuse me a sec, I have to make a call." She dial's Jackie's number. [When Jackie (or answering machine?) answers...] "Iron," **silly name...** "Madien? This is Chaos. Our man is Mr. Lee at . I'm here now trying to like prove I'm not lying." She had the phone crocked between her chin and shoulder and was giving Mr. Lee a skeptical glare back. <><><><><> Jackie: "Who is this geek? How much proof does he need? Give him an example or two and that's it, you ain't no dog and pony show. He doesn't want the business try someone else. We'll meet you as agreed for lunch ok?" If Chaos agrees, hang up. <><><><><> Steven: She giggles at the schismatic picture Jackie's words and Mr. Lee's appearance, and that of his office, creates. It goes a long ways to distracting her from worrying about what Jackie meant by 'a problem like yesterday', to simply worrying. "Ok. I'll do one more and if like if he's still bogus, I'm thrashing. Um... at the hotel?" Obviously, she [and I] has forgotten where they agreed to meet for lunch. [actually, I thought the agreement was to meet a 6p for dinner. But this is a good way to change plans without being *too* obvious.] [if Jackie says yes, she hangs up.] After hanging up and replacing the phone in her purse, she takes the magazine and looks at the fur coat again. **If I *have* to touch that stuff, least I can get something nice out of it, right?** "Ok," she said to Mr. Lee, "one more trick. If your not like satisfied, well you're not the only lawyer you know." **Or, maybe I'll give you a *real* demonstration and just make *you* like my Pretty Pony?** She walks over to the trash, touches them, **Yuck**, then looking at the picture of the coat concentrates on no changes in herself at all, change the trash to a copy of the mink coat in the picture and control the splash. <><><><><> Jackie: ..Jackie sighs, 'Okay, we got time, but keep your eyes peeled." She hangs up. <><><><><> [GM] [to Chaos] "Pardon me for the skepticism," Mr. Lee says, "but this IS Las Vegas. I've seen all kinds of strange scams, and I wouldn't be much of a lawyer if I took everything at face value. A lot of what you've told me still doesn't quite make sense, and as for what you just did...turning an ashtray into gold with a puff of smoke is a neat trick, but there are a couple hundred amateur magicians in this city that could do what you just showed me, without using any kind of superhuman powers. I assure you, any GOOD lawyer is going to insist on making absolutely certain he isn't being set up to play a part in some kind of con game before he agrees to represent you." **I'll bet being turned into a guinea pig would be pretty convincing** Sid suggests helpfully. When you touch the pile of trash, it sizzles and glows red hot, emitting the smell of roasting pork...delectable, if you didn't know what it really was. Then it begins morphing, as the pavement under you roils and shivers like jello, causing you to fall backwards into Mr. Lee. He catches you with a startled "whuff!" The trash compresses, alters in density and consistency, then spreads out again on the ground...a large, plush fur coat...but not mink. Minks don't have fearsome inch-long talons, and two massive paws on either side of the coat are bristling with them. [to Jackie] "Hope he knows what he's doin'" SFX says. "He's still in bimbolina's bod, right?" You buy a Ninja, and SFX says "OK, get on back, I'll take us to a Lenscrafters or somethin'." The kid rides pretty good, though he's enjoying the powerful bike a little too much. You can tell by the vibrations beneath you that he's opening up on the throttle a LOT more than the sound of the engine would indicate. Once you reach a place where you can get some contact lenses, while waiting for them to be finished, he says "I didn't see no signs of anyone else followin' us, but those two guys definitely were keepin' an eye on us. We better find out who's on our ass now!" <><><><><> Jackie - "Yeah, how we goin to do that Kid?" Jackie waits for that hour guarantee to get those two pair of contacts. She dials the number to the hotel suite to see if George is still with them. <><><><><> Stephy: She gave Mr. Lee an annoyed look as he prattled on, and giggled inwardly at Sid's comment, replying **Or his secretary's twin sister.** She wrinkles her nose at the smell the sizzling garbage makes, muttering "Ga-ross!", but tries to keep her mind on the task at hand... until the pavement turns into a jello-jiggler tossing her into Mr. Lee's arms. Her first reaction is **Grody, not this skank...**, followed almost immediately by **well, he's not *that* bad... with a few improvements... maybe** and finally settling on, **ooo, that *really* doesn't feel half bad...** And then she sees the coat. "Opps...," she says in a small voice, then looks closer at it, without moving towards it. Actually, on second look, its kind of cool. She turns in Mr. Lee's arms, then removes them from her, making a point to look him in the eye and unable to resist a sensuous lick of her lips. "Well, are you like satisfied yet?" <><><><><> [GM] [to Chaos] Lee looks a bit flustered, and cautiously helps you stand back up. Swallowing, he says "That's...quite bizarre. All right; you really CAN transform objects. I'm intrigued enough to help with your project. The next step, though, is for me to meet your other partners. If we're actually going to enter into a business arrangement, they ALL have to be present to sign any agreements." "It doesn't have to be immediate, though," he adds. "I can get started on licensing you as a legal corporation. It can't become official until all the parties involved have signed the necessary documents, but I can do some work while I wait." [to Jackie] SFX shrugs. "I dunno." There's no answer at the suite; George's whereabouts are still unknown. You do get your contacts in an hour, though. <><><><><> Jackie - Jackie smiles and pops the contacts into her eyes, squinting about, she adjusts to much better sight. Picking up and dialing her phone again, she goes through a few likely numbers from the phone book, mainly industrial suppliers and contractors. Upon getting several she will ask if they have in stock and high grade steel, osmium or titanium steel, as well as any other grades in quantity. The main excuse is she sculpts and welds odd metals. If that goes well, she will phone a commercial real estate company or two and ask about any possible out of the way locations, set a time for later today to look over some property. Turning to SFX, "Kid soon we'll have a place for a sweet computer set up and some nice digs as well, hopefully without no one blowin it sky high. Hmm we might have to rent a truck to load all this metal. Maybe we should pick up some extra beepers and phones, just in case." <><><><><> Stephy: She leans on him a bit more and longer than necessary as he helps her up. Not that she'd actually take this dweeb to bed... well, not without some significant improvements... but she does like the way all these big, smart men just get all gooshy and dumb whenever a pretty girl flashes a bit of thigh or brushes against them. Smiling, she replied, "Ok. It'll have to be later though." She walks over to the coat and knees down and picks it up. [Assuming nothing weird happens...] "You know," she continues, running her hand in the coat's fur to one of the clawed 'paws', "this is really pretty tubular." She makes a playful raking gesture at Lee with the 'paw', then giggles. "Gives like a whole new meaning to 'cat-fight'." Slipping the coat over her arm, she she continues, "So, I guess we should, you know, go back in? I need to call a cab, and I guess I should like take some of your cards and all? I'll talk to the others later and we'll give you, you know, a buzz." [If that's ok...] After gathering the necessary items, she waits for the cab. Once it arrives, she goes to say goodbye to Mr. Lee, extending her hand for a shake, then- when he graps it to shake- leaning in and giving him a quick peck on the cheek, then leaving. She waits to tell the cabbie the destination- the hotel [the Grand, right?], then sits back during the ride, quiet and worrying about what Jackie meant. Once back at the hotel, she checks for messages, calls the room to see if George is back and, if not, goes to the hotel resteraunt to wait for the others. <><><><><> [GM] Lee agrees, and you make your way back to the hotel. After checking for messages, and George (negative on both), you head for the restaurant- And bump into a tall, handsome, muscular man who's standing in your way, just outside the lobby entrance. "Well, hello there," says Dom, grinning down at you. "Fancy meeting YOU again!" His grin shows entirely too many teeth. <><><><><> Stephy: **Gulp!** She starts backing away from Dom, the beginnings of panic visible on her face, as she glances at a nearby relective surface to see if she is still disguised as the model or unknowingly made herself look like Stephy. "D... do... I...", she starts to reply... [Assuming she is still the model...] "Do I know you?" **How could he tell?! Or maybe he knows *her*? What are the odds?!** <><><><><> [GM] Your reflection is still that of the model from the magazine. >>>"Do I know you?"<<< "Why, I'd swear I did!" he says, in a purring tone with a trace of a foreign accent. "I don't suppose you've been to New Orleans recently?" <><><><><> Stephy: Seeing herself prompts the thought, **Then how...?**, before she tries to clamp down on her thoughts as she suddenly remembers her talk of telepaths earlier. But not before thinking, **God, he *is* cute...** She can't remember if he had the same accent before, but doesn't worry about it too much, as she continues backing away. "Um... I don't think so," she replies to the New Orleans remark. **Stop spazing or he'll like know for sure!** she chides herself. "Um..., I'm sorry, you startled me," she says as she stops backing away and straightens up. She glancing around to make sure there are *lots* of people around, then looks at Dom and continues, "What do you want, or is this just a pick up line?" <><><><><> [GM] "Hmm. Perhaps I mistook you for someone else. My apologies." His look is a little too smug to believe that he's been diverted this easily, but he backs away, with a slight (almost mocking) bow. "I suppose you don't know a poor fellow named George, either? Ah well." He turns away. <><><><><> Stephy: She can't believe that she bluffed him out. "Apology accepted," she replied. Oh no, not bluffed him out... he seems to smug, sarcastic even... And then he lays his bombshell... **George!** She fights to keep the surprise out here voice and face. **They've got Georgie! Jackie'll *kill* me!** "Um... George?" She makes like she's consdiering the question to cover her surprise. **Were the hell is she anyway! Stay chilly, girl.** "Well, I know a lot of Georges" she starts... And then he's turning away. She tries to keep the panic from resurfacing, doesn't succeed well. Probably doesn't even do well in keeping it from her face and voice. "THAT... um, that depends. I mean, like, I *might* have some friends... who know... you know, a George." **OH great job, girl...**, she tells herself sarcastically. "But... uh, a girl can't be like too careful. A lot of... um, dangerous people around, you know?" **Like me if you try anything...** "What, what does this 'George' look like? And exactly what do you, er, what would you like want me to do about it?" <><><><><> [GM] He looks a bit amused at first, while you begin blustering, then he begins looking a little confused, trying to follow your stream of dialogue. "Oh, he looks like he's not very happy, and probably misses his three friends right now," the blond hunk says. "If that doesn't mean anything to you, then I guess you're not the girl I was looking for. Which is really a shame." He winks at you. <><><><><> Stephy: **Yeah... I bet he is.** She glances around. Still no Jackie or SFX. So, maybe he doesn't know it her. Or maybe he's just playing with her. And God, he *is* cute. She sighs. "Oh ok. This is *bogus*. I don't know how you like did it. But, I can't let you hurt George. I'm warning you, though, if you or your nazi friends try anything, or if you even *think* of that disappearing trick, I'll make you wish you had the wrong girl." **Maybe I can zap him like George?** Trying not to use her quantum powers, see tries sending him 'you want me so bad you'll do anything I say' vibes. She striaghtened up, thrust her breasts out and looked him straight in the eye. "I mean, it *really* is bogus you have to be a like nazi. We could have a *lot* of fun otherwise." <><><><><> [GM] "What makes you think I'm a Nazi?" he retorts. "You really shouldn't have run away, back in Louisiana. We *could* have had a great deal of fun..." He frowns as you try to project your desires at him. Then bares his teeth in a grimace. You aren't sure what effect you may be having on him....but it's definitely affecting YOU as well! You're becoming mad with desire for him! It doesn't erase your wariness of him, but trying to stay calm and rational has become even more difficult- you now have lust added to fear. "Whatever you are trying to do, stop it," he growls, stepping towards you quickly. Two paces away, in a quiet voice he mutters "I don't know about you, but *I* do not wish to engage in a battle of superpowers here in public. If you provoke such a confrontation, I will end it- quickly." He clenches a fist in a threatening gesture, and you remember how he pushed you against a wall, back in the loony bin, as if you weighed nothing. You also notice he's walking with a limp. <><><><><> Stephy: "Look, I know your bosses are like into white, uh, supremacy, so don't try to lie...", she replies as a Dom grimaces and a sudden wave of lust sweeps over her sending her body tingling and making her knees suddenly weak. Her eyes grow large and her nostril's flare and though she tries to remind herself this is aBAD guy, she can't help her eyes running down his hard body to his crotch, as she licks her lips and then lifts her eyes to look directly in his... **Oh God!...**, she groans to herself, and stops vibing him before he finishes asking. "Ok...," she manages after a moment, as her hands seem to reach for him with minds of their own, until she manages to pull them back. She's trying desperately to think clearly, but not doing it that well. It really doesn't help that he's right there... And that one of her hands has gone of its own accord to the top of her leather dress, brushing against a breast as it walked slowly along the hem to the zipper, which it pulled down a inch to show a bit more cleavage. "No... you don't..., have to," her voice is a purring moan. **He's the enemy!... But he's *gorgeous*... I *have* to have him... Oh... he's injured... Weakened? Maybe Jackie's like wrong about him?** "Oh God," she groans, "truce..., her voice was breathy. "Truce." She was trying to keep from believing that little voice that said if she and he... well, he just *couldn't* betray her after they... and anyway her powers seemed to work better on George after they... so it was really a good move tactics-wise. She swilved the two paces to him, pressing herself against him. She couldn't keep the images of how he would look naked out of her mind. She stop on her tiptoes and niped at his earlobe, whispering, "Your hurt," her voice is throaty, filled with desire. "Promise no funny stuff... We can go somewhere, you know, more like private? I've got a room..." If he agrees, she leads him to her hotel room, locking the door behind him. <><><><><> [GM] % All She Wants Is- All She Wants Is- % % Spend your money on the corner now, you know you've gotta save some for the shoeshine boy You've been pulling him by the hand inside Letting ALL your toys... % The tall Aryan wets his lips, and smiles lasciviously. He's not unaffected by your preening, and his eyes go where your body movements direct him. "Hmmm," he murmurs, "truce, yes. Certainly, let us...discuss things, in your room." One hand slips around your waist, his fingers resting just above your buttocks. "Yes, your little colored friend...ah, excuse me, that's not the politically correct term, is it? Your young African-American friend certainly left his mark. I was not able to walk for several days. But I'm getting better...perhaps you can make me feel MUCH better, hmmm?" % If you need a lead to heaven, just stick around You're gonna be there What do you care? What do you dare? What does your heart say now? % *Sis, I *really* don't think this is a good idea!* says Steven, worriedly, as you make your way back to the hotel room, and fumble the door closed and lock it. Dom is staring at you appreciatively. "You are very beautiful," he says, "and you look so much better when not confined in an asylum." % (All she wants is... All she wants is... All she wants is... All she wants is...) % He moves towards you aggressively, and seizes your shoulders tightly enough to leave bruises. He presses his lips to yours demandingly, then lifts you like a doll and takes two steps towards the bed, and all but tosses you down onto the sheets. He's all over you in an instant, incredibly domineering, but for a "bad guy", he certainly seems to know what he's doing! His hands roam all over you possessively, and without pause, he pulls open your blouse, all the way down to your waist. % Divine intervention Couldn't keep the word from leaking out With your pleasure in suspension Not to mention What you hang it around % Your own hands are moving along his tightly muscled body, finding buttons to unbutton and zippers to unzip, while he continues kissing and fondling you, when a sharp odor makes you gasp. % If you need a lead to heaven, yeah, a place to share In every position What do you care? What do you dare? What does your heart say now? % Which is a big mistake, because you inhale more of the pungent gas that seems to have suddenly coalesced around your head. The last thing you hear, as you rapidly go from light-headed to oblivious, is Dom exclaiming "Verdammt, Tatiana! Couldn't you have waited just five more minutes?" % (All she wants is... All she wants is... All she wants is... All she wants is...) % -"All She Wants Is", Duran Duran, (c) 1989