GORDON BACKGROUND I was born here in Seattle, Washington, on May 23, 1960. I was the last of four kids; my two half-sisters (Sherrie and Cindy) by Dad's first wife (who died at the age of 26), my brother Michael, and myself. My parents both tended toward religious fundamentalism. When I was 1 1/2 years old, my family moved into a house they had built out in the woods south of a small suburb named Issaquah. I attended preschool in town (the preschool is still standing and in business to this day). When I was old enough to start Kindergarten, my parents sent me to a Christian school in the larger suburb known as Bellevue. While I didn't like the religious stuff, it *was* a good school and I was allowed to go at my own pace. When I was seven-and-a-half, Dad was transfered to Houston to work on the Apollo project (he worked for Boeing). Unfortunately, I had to attend public school down there and it took as much as three years for them to catch up to where I had gotten to in some subjects (especially math) while attending my previous school. Needless to say, I was bored to death in school. Fortunately, Mother took us to the library every week and my brother and I would check out the maximum number of allowable books. I read everything I could find on World War II and football. I was also subjected to two years of piano lessons. In sixth grade I joined the band and attempted to learn to play the trumpet. Four and a half years later, the Apollo project was done, and my father was transfered back to Seattle. We moved back into our house (which we had leased while away), and found that one of the occupants had made some very strange modifications, including a secret room. Two years later we moved to a new house in town. I attended the local junior high and high school there in Issaquah. Still bored academically and not particularly successful socially, I eventually found my niche singing in the choir and, in high school, the vocal jazz group. One summer I got to go to Frankfurt, Germany for a month on a student exchange program. This was way cool! The mother of one of the families that we (Valerie and I) stayed with, drove us all over the country to see the sights. After taking the SAT's, I was deluged with college materials and ended up selecting Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri (which my brother had passed up to attend Harvard). I spent four years and a summer there as a pre-med and math major. I did well the first couple of years, and then my grades slid as I focussed on trying to have a social life. It got to the point where I had to tell my parents that I had graduated (even though I was still two classes short), and returned to Issaquah. I spent a year working odd jobs and partying with a friend. That spring, my mother died. The following year I started at the University of Washington as an undergrad biology major, and got a job as a union janitor at the local electric company, Puget Power. My father sold the house we lived in in Issaquah that spring, so I got an apartment in Seattle close to campus. The next year, I worked full time and completed my degree. For the next three years, I worked and took classes in computer programming at various local community colleges. During this time, I met a woman named Jennifer, who had a three-month old daughter named Katy. Eventually, I got a good job as an analyst / programmer in the Engineering department at the utility. About a year later, my son Taylor was born and I moved in with Jennifer and the kids. We lived together for about three years, and then Jennifer moved out. We established an informal shared- custody arrangement where the kids spent about half of their time at each house. In the meantime, I switched to a different department at work, doing a similar job. Jenn eventually remarried, and moved him in with her and the kids. [Altered history] Last winter, Jennifer hit an icy patch while hurrying to work at Microsoft (she does actually work there). The car spun out of control and hit a concrete abutment. She died on the operating table at the hospital. Fortunately, the kids were with me that day. They were decimated by the loss. It has taken months of love and understanding to help them deal with the loss and get on with their lives. As a result of Jennifer's death, I was allowed to adopt Katy and was given full custody of both children. CURRENT (with modifications) I am thirty-four years old and am living with Katy and Taylor in a two- bedroom apartment in Bellevue, a ten-minute drive from corporate headquarters. I work in the Rates department, still at Puget Power; though am becoming increasingly dissatisfied with my job. My boss is great - she treats me very well and seems to understand the value of my talents - but it is not the work that I really want to do. I am currently getting to know an older woman; both Katy and Taylor adore her; she is kind and loving and generous. Katy is eight-and-a-half and entering third grade this fall. She is a bright, artistic, and somewhat rebelious kid. Taylor will be five next month. He is the best natural athelete I have ever seen. At one, he could do pull-ups on the kitchen table. By three he could bat a pitched ball out of the air. He throws a beautiful spiral, loves basketball, and runs as fast as his sister. He is also very loving and kind. Katy and Taylor have a very close bond, though Katy likes to torment her brother. Dad is married to his third wife and living on a lake out in the boonies southeast of Seattle. He retired from Boeing at the age of sixty-two five years ago. His mother lives with them and he spends most of his time taking care of her (she's ninety-one now and has had several strokes). My brother and two sisters are all married and living in Washington. Michael is a prototypical slimey lawyer living with his geneticist wife and son in Seattle. Sherrie and her husband and two kids also live in Seattle. Cindy lives with her husband in eastern Washington near the Canadian border. She teaches elementary school and has become one of those fringe 'charismatic' Christians. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS I am 5'11" tall and weigh between 205 and 210 pounds on a stocky, athletic frame. I am somewhat out-of-shape, but have managed to avoid getting flabby. I have blue-grey eyes and wear contacts or glasses, depending on my mood. My hair is a golden light-brown (described as dark ash blonde by a cosmotologist once), which I wear short on top and the sides and long in back. I also have a full beard / moustache, which I keep neatly trimmed (usually ). As for characteristics, I am somewhat stronger than average as a result of my size and build, though not muscle-man by any stretch. I am generally fit and seem resistant to injury, though I do tend to get minor diseases frequently from the kids. I am fairly quick and my participation in sports as a kid and study of martial arts in college have helped. My IQ is supposedly somewhere in the 140-150 range, which should put me somewhere above average. I am moderately attractive, probably about one level. In addition to the knowledges mentioned above, I have some familiarity with the German and Japanese languages, but can't speak much of either any more. I collect comic books and love to read heroic fantasy literature. I am a pretty good singer (a bass) of choral quality, but not solo material (I sing in the company holiday choir). Katy is nearly off the charts at 4'7" and around 95 pounds. She has blue eyes, light skin, and beautiful blonde hair past her shoulders. According to her doctor, she will probably reach puberty within the next two years (God! I am not ready for that!). Taylor looks like a miniature clone of me, except with lighter blond hair. He is normal size for his age, standing 3'7" and weighing about half what Katy does. He melts women and girls everywhere he goes - he will definately be the ladies man that I never was. [GM] [Here we go. Go ahead and correct any factual details along the way. To start with, can you give me some more details about your job, what the site is like and what you do? I assume Puget Power is the local power company? Is there actually a power plant near where you work?] * * * * * You've just finished another long, weary day at the office, and you're putting your desk in order, and looking forward to spending some quality time with your kids. As you say good-bye to your coworkers, the building suddenly rumbles, as if from an earthquake. The rumbling persists, and several people are beginning to go from nervous to panicky. You start thinking about all the things you're supposed to do in case of an earthquake [I'm originally from California, where earthquakes are common; I assume you also have them in Seattle?] when someone points out the window facing the parking lot, and says "Oh my God!" Steadying yourself on the partitions between workspaces [I'm envisioning a typical corporate office environment; correct me if I'm wrong], you make your way to the window, and see what elicited this reaction. The parking lot is a towering mountain of moving earth and asphalt, and cars. It's moving. As if the earth itself had become an ocean, a tidal wave fifty feet tall is rolling slowly towards your building, lifting cars, fences, and a few hapless people on its surface, and you hear groaning rock, dirt exploding in great showers of dust, and pipes and underground power cables breaking like tiny wires as the earthen wave disrupts everything in its path. <><><><><> Gordon: [You're right, Puget Power is the local electric (only) power company. It is an investor-owned, publically-traded utility company serving around 700,000 customers (and growing by about 20,000 customers per year) in the western Washington / Puget Sound region. I work at the corporate headquarters on the third floor in a 23-story glass-and-steel tower in downtown Bellevue (a city of roughly 150,000 people). The nearest power station is probably 25-30 miles away (and my job has absolutely 'zilch' to do with power production. Fair Warning: you asked! My job is as a Research Analyst in the Load Research group of the Rates Department. Our function is to perform studies to learn more about how our customers use their electricity. We use statistical techniques to draw representative samples from certain classes of customers. The selected customers' buildings (homes or commercial / industrial sites) are fitted with demand recording meters. These meters then measure and record onto a memory cartridge the amount of electricity used every 15 minutes. This data is collected for a two year period. At this point, I write numerous programs (primarily in SAS) implementing various mathematical and statistical techniques to analyze the collected data. I also write technical papers describing my work and the results thereof. Additionally, I conduct mail surveys of the sample participants to gain additional information about them. Frankly, all of this gets rather boring after a while...] Tired and half-way brain-dead, I switch off my computer (IBM PS/2 Mod 80, 25 Mhz 386-DX) and monitor. Having not seen Miyeon (who sits in the next cubicle) leave at 4:30, I bid her goodbye, "Later, Miyeon." "Bye," she replies in an absent-minded kind of way, and then begins mumbling about financial stuff - which might as well be a foreign language to me. I then stroll out towards the elevator lobby, passing Kathi - a short, blond, buxom young single mother, and the only remaining secretary in the neighboring Investor Services department - and waving, "Have a good one." As she looks up to reply, the building begins to shake. _Oh, s***!_ My mind flashes back to the earthquake training I received about a year earlier when I was the department Safety Coordinator. [Yes, we do have earthquakes. While we get significantly fewer than you in California, it is known that a much higher percentage will be BIG. Earthquake drills are conducted as regularly as fire drills in the building in which I work.] Ducking into a vacant secretary's cubicle [only Managers and above get real offices], I yell, "Duck, cover, and hold! NOW!" I wedge myself in under the desk and grab ahold of the cubicle wall it is connected to. As the rumbling continues, I hear panicked screaming from inside the Investor Services secure area. Kathi begins to whimper. "Hang on, Kathi, it should be over soon," I call out to her. Then Miyeon yells "Oh my God! Look out the window!" I crawl the 8 feet to the window and get up on my knees to look out. All I see is a huge tidal wave of earth and stone and concrete coming right at me. "HOLY S***!!!" I yell. "Get down, everyone!" However, mesmerized by the approaching doom, I can't get myself to move for a few agonizing seconds. Then, just as it seems about to hit the building, I finally get my legs working and scoot across the aisle to hide under the desk next to Kathi. _God, I hope the extra distance from the outside wall is going to help!_ Somehow, I have the funny feeling that it won't make a bit of difference. <><><><><> [GM] The impact comes a moment later; worse than any earthquake you've ever been in. The entire building shakes and shudders, rocking back and forth as the tidal wave of dirt and concrete hits it. As bad as it is here on the third floor, you realize it must be terrifying up on the 23rd, where the swaying of the building will be much more pronounced. Here at the level of the moving mountain, though, windows crash inwards, walls crack and collapse in places, everything everywhere is thrown about, violently in the regions immediately next to the side taking the impact, but still bad enough to make it difficult to keep your feet on the other side, where you and your coworkers are cowering. With a terrible roar, the side of your office building caves in, and eerily, you see the hood of Kathi's car surging through the far wall, apparently carried along from the parking lot to here by the earthen wave. Dirt, asphalt, pipes and car parts roll into your office space, crushing desks and partitions- you can't see if everyone was smart enough to huddle here, away from the approaching mountain; if they weren't, they're being buried alive and probably crushed, and you hate to imagine what's happening on the first and second floors. Then with a rumbling, grinding noise, the heap of debris starts sliding out of the ragged gash in the side of the building. You see the mountain rolling away from the building, back towards the parking lot, and miraculously, you're unhurt, as is Kathi, next to you, though she's in near-hysterics. <><><><><> Gordon: "Oh s***! Oh s***!" As everything starts coming down around me, I am trying to make myself as small and well covered as possible, using every bit of cover I can find. If I weren't an atheist, I would probably start praying, and I even consider it for a moment anyway. After a few moments, the tidal wave pulls back. _Oh my God, I'm still ALIVE!_ I can't believe my good fortune to still be in one piece. _Wait a minute! Did that thing just back up and go back where it came from? That's IMPOSSIBLE!_ Then I finally start to notice the moaning and sobbing next to me - Kathi. I turn and look to see if there are any obvious injuries. [If not...] "Kathi? Are you all right? Are you hurt? Je-sus, that was scary!" [If so...] I begin to inspect the injury while trying to calm Kathi. "Kathi? How are you doing? Let me take a look so I can help fix you up, OK?" (I know where the medical kit is in the kitchenette on the floor.) [OOC: Is Kathi's car still there?] Soon as I think Kathi is starting to stabilize, I will call out, "Miyeon? Are you OK over there?" <><><><><> [GM] Miyeon [interesting name, what nationality is she?] is all right, though sobbing uncontrollably. You can't see any injuries in your immediate area, and you're starting to think you'll all get away unscathed, physically at least- when you look out the window. The mountain, which rolled back out to the parking lot, tearing even more earth up in its path and leaving devastation in it wake, is slowing down, stopping....and then lurching in the opposite direction. Rolling back towards the building again. <><><><><> Gordon: Miyeon (pronounced "Mee-yon") is Korean. ] Looking out the window and seeing the mountain of earth turn to take another swipe at us, "S***!!! Oh man-o-man-o-man..." Wrenching my eyes from the horrifying veiw out the window, I try to think. _Earthquake training. Where do we go. Yes. Inside hallway. Internal stairs. Christ! Do we have time? What about Kathi and Miyeon?_ I turn to Kathi since she is next to me and seems to be starting to get ahold of herself. "Kathi. We *have* to get out of here. We need to hurry!" I help her out from under the desk and onto her feet. I then lead her over to the interior hallway and to the wall next to the stairway door. "Kathi. Stay here! Don't move until I get back. I have to go get Miyeon." I run back towards the cubicles where I last saw Miyeon. As I go I check the progress of the earthen tidal wave, trying to gauge whether I have time to find her and get her back to the interior hallway. [If so...] I run to where I hear Miyeon sobbing. I kneel down beside her and place a hand on her shoulder. "Miyeon. We have to leave. We can't stay here. Please come with me, now!" As with Kathi, I help her up and lead her over to where Kathi is. I get them to sit down with their backs to the central load- bearing wall and cover their heads with their arms. Then I do the same. [Otherwise...] I get as far as I can before the earthen wave strikes, quickly ducking behind a load-bearing wall for protection at the last moment. <><><><><> [GM] The tidal wave of earth is rolling towards the building again, fast as an express train and with several thousand times the power. You may just barely make it to the hallway- you grab Miyeon and Kathi, drag them out of the doomed office area, along with everyone else who had the same idea, then brace yourselves against the strongest wall you can find. An instant later, a sound like the world coming to an end heralds the impact of several thousand tons of concrete, asphalt, dirt and metal slamming into the side of the building. You're literally bounced into the air, and lights shatter and explode, pictures fall from the walls- then the wall behind you explodes inwards, engulfing you as the mountain continues through the building, and you are covered in darkness and hard, grinding rubble. It IS very much like being carried by a wave, except you can't see because it's not water, it's solid matter, and the crushing pressure is- somehow not hurting you! In a corner of your mind, this seems strange, but nonetheless, you're being carried helplessly in the moving mountain of rubble, dimly sensing the destruction it's wreaking in its path. Riding the wave, you seem to be helplessly imprisoned forever, imbedded in what, half an hour ago, was the Puget Power parking lot. Eventually, the mad ride comes to an end, after you've been flipped and turned upside down and spun about and had rocks and pipes and desks and cars slam into you repeatedly....the motion stops, and you're lying under who knows how many feet of rubble, buried alive. <><><><><> Gordon: As my body gets flung into the air, I can't think of anything to do but scream, "AAAAAEEEEEEIIIII!!!!!" Kathi and Miyeon flicker through my mind, but before I can even begin to look around, the wall behind me explodes as tons of earth and rock and concrete and steel rip through it as though it were made of paper. _This is it! I'M DEAD!_ A last thought of Katy & Taylor as the world turns upside down. "S***-" my scream is cut off as I am engulfed in flowing solid matter. _I'm still ALIVE!?! How can this be?! This is *impossible*! I don't feel any pain! Am I already dead and just not know it? Yet I am still being moved with the mass. I DON'T *UNDERSTAND*!!!_ I have to wonder whether I am going crazy. This is all impossible. I am being crushed by tons of metal and stone, and yet I don't feel a thing. Am I even breathing? Finally I come to a stop as the earthen tidal wave loses its momentum. The gentle tug of gravity tells me that I am upside-down, suspended in a fetal position, head down. I *still* don't know how I can be alive, or even whether I really *am* still alive. Not knowing what else to do in such a bizarre circumstance, I try to move, pushing outwards with my arms and legs. <><><><><> [GM] You begin struggling, and although strength surges through your limbs- surprising strength, you somehow feel power that you've never had before- it's not enough, not with the tons of rubble burying you. And you're starting to panic, you'll suffocate, you'll be crushed! you struggle wildly... You feel your entire body...crackle. Pulse, somehow. Energy surges through you, and then something detonates all around you, a blast that roars in your ears, and suddenly blows a huge chunk of earth and office building away from you. You're at the bottom of a conical pit almost ten feet deep, and the sides are smoking...in places, earth and metal is fused in a smooth, glassy surface, as if exposed to great heat. You see blue sky above. And ominously, you feel the ground rumbling again. <><><><><> Gordon: As energy channels upward, blowing a large hole above me, I let out an astonished gasp. "Holy s***!" I have been reading comic books far too long to not recognise the effect, but I have never even *considered* the possiblity that it could happen in real life. _This is f***in' *inpossible*! This only happens in comic books! I must be dreaming._ I reach around and pinch myself, as surprised that I am able to move as I am that it really hurts. [ < You're at the bottom of a conical pit almost ten feet deep, and the sides are smoking...in places, earth and metal is fused in a smooth, glassy surface, as if exposed to great heat. You see blue sky above. > I'm confused here. I'm in roughly the center (horizontally) of a large office building and on the 3rd of 23 floors; and I look up and see blue sky? Have the top 20 floors of the building been sheared off? Or is there a tunnel- shaped (energy blast-shaped) hole running up through 20 floors? I don't mean to be a pain-in-the-*** continuity cop , but this isn't clear to me...] I'm not sure what just happened, but I know enough to get the heck out of a hole. I begin to try climbing out. Suddenly, I hear that ominous rumbling again. "D*****! I've got to get *out* of here!" _Wait a minute! There are a lot of other people in here. [Kathi and Miyeon flicker across my mind's eye.] I have to try to help them._ Obviously, the first thing to do is to get out of this hole. Next I have to see how much close the next wave is to hitting. Then I have to start finding the others. <><><><><> [GM] You begin climbing the smoking pit you've somehow created...it's easy; your arms and legs surge with strength you've never known before. When you get to the top, you see why you were confused. The solid tidal wave of earth carried you *through* your office building and all the way out to the other side, plowing through Puget Power's glass and steel corporate headquarters like a multi-megaton battering ram. You were dragged much further than you thought, during the time that you were tumbling end over end. Now you can see the building, with a newly-created tunnel driven through the center, about five stories tall. Metal and glass and plastic, interior foundation, all the debris of dozens of offices, and (ohgod!) people are falling from the sagging, collapsing floors, The entire building is still vibrating slightly. This is all about a hundred yards away. You're now standing at the top of a small mountain (perhaps half its original height, when it was moving) of rubble. The earth and asphalt and bits and pieces of office building it tore up and dragged with it are strewn in your wake, a devastating trail of debris leading all the way back to the ragged hole in the building. It seems that the tidal wave simply kept rolling, and then gradually ran out of momentum, its substance settling down and finally falling to the earth, inert. Of course, there was almost an entire block of other buildings between here and there, which the wave smashed through. You shudder to think of how many people are now buried alive. And while you're contemplating just how bad it can be, it gets worse; you can see right through Puget Power, through the gap that "your" wave made, and far back at the edge of the parking lot from whence came the first one, it looks like another wave of earth is rising. <><><><><> Gordon: "Oh my God! This is *crazy*!" I can't believe that I could have come so far and survived. Looking back at the building I was recently in, I am astonished and frightened by the horrendous damage done. _How many people are dead already? How many more injured or buried alive? It is almost too much to contemplate... I wonder how many people I can dig out of the rubble with this strength I suddenly seem to possess._ Then I see it; another wave of earth and debris forming to strike at the building. _OH NOOO!!! Let's see: I'm far enough away, I can run for it and I will probably get away. But what about everyone else? There are probably *hundreds* of people still in the building. How many more of them will be hurt or killed? How many more blows like that can the bulding take before the whole thing comes down? I don't know what's happened to me, but it seems like suddenly I am living in a comic book. Only *this* is REAL! Any way you look at it, I may be those people's only hope. I *have* to do *something*!_ I figure I have a few seconds before the next wave reaches the building, so I take off sprinting towards the hole. I will get as close as I can, giving myself about a second before the next wave strikes. _I did *something* before. I HAVE to make it happen again. In the comic books, how do they describe activating a power? 'Find the psychic switch'._ Having pretended to have superpowers many times before, I raise both arms and point them toward the approaching earthen tidal wave, fists clenched. I concentrate and try duplicate the feel in my body and brain from the previous time when the power activated. I visualize the power leaping out and striking the approaching mass. <><><><><> [GM] Power ignites, seeming to consume your entire body for a moment, before it courses along your arms and flares outwards in a blast as bright as the sun. Pure, raw power, sizzling through the gap torn in Puget Power and striking the second earthen wave with a flash of light that's blindingly hot. The bolt of energy nearly tears the wave in half, blasting chunks of debris the size of cars away from it. There's still an awful lot of mass and inertia behind it, though. Tons of uprooted earth hits the building and smashes its way into the lower levels. Your blast took much of its momentum away, and the onrushing wave falters and collapses halfway through, a small landslide of dirt and torn up asphalt pouring down towards you, stopping several yards short. The entire building was shaken by this second impact, but it remains standing. <><><><><> Gordon: " Jee-zus!" I don't know whether to feel relieved that I managed to save the building, or astonished at what *I* just did. _This is *still* too weird!_ I turn back and start to look around at the devastation, trying to figure out how to go about saving the most number of people. _Hold on! There could be more of those!_ I spin around and run the rest of the way through the building and out the other side. I look around in the general direction the other earthen wave's came from. If I see another wave start to build, I will try to use my power on it while it is still fairly small. I also look around for a place I can climb up and get a better view of the area, perhaps the decorative concrete wall in front of the building, if it is still standing. When I have a few seconds, either before or after blasting the probable next wave, I will try to fly by concentrating on moving up in the air. _A lot of the energy-blaster characters in comics can fly, so maybe I can too, and I *really* need to get a better look around to see where these things are coming from and what is causing them._ I don't really expect it will work, but I've got to try *something*. <><><><><> [GM] You don't see another wave growing at this time. As you concentrate on lifting off, your body glows, and you feel that surge of power again. Energy erupts from your feet and hands, and you blast off into the sky. You're almost a hundred feet up before you can start trying to slow down, and you send yourself into stomach-wrenching mid-air somersaults when you try maneuvering yourself into a stable position. They never covered flight lessons in comic books. <><><><><> Gordon: A small smile creeps onto my face as I start to rise from the ground. _That wasn't so hard. In fact, I think I'm starting to like this..._ A sudden wobble, and my newfound confidence vanishes faster than than Katy's dinner. The wobble grows, and soon I find myself flying in fits and starts in seeming random directions. "WHOOOOOOOOOOooooooooah...!!!" Every time I react to a movement, I go spinning off in some other direction. Fear begins to gnaw at my gut. Suddenly, I am heading directly at the side of a building! I bring my hands up and the thrust from them turns me off in a different direction. I begin to get the idea that the position in which I hold my limbs determines the direction in which I fly, I paste my arms to my sides to try to achieve a level flight. Fortunately, I am currently heading generally upwards and southeast at about a 30 degree angle. _I have to get some control here! Slow down! Slow down..._ I concentrate on trying to reduce the propulsion energy to a mere trickle. If I seem to be having any luck, I will try to gradually return myself to an upright position by slight movements of my hands / arms. <><><><><> [GM] It's difficult at first, but soon it becomes kind of like riding a bike; easy once you get the hang of it. People down below are looking up at you, and you realize it's only a matter of time before someone grabs a camera. The glow emitting from your body makes you extremely visible in the late afternoon sky. As you stabilize in a hovering position, you see the ruined parking lot, with cars scattered all over the place, begin shaking. Then a mound of earth appears in the center, and begins growing, swelling up like a sudden boil on the earth's surface. <><><><><> Gordon: A feeling of relief floods my body as I finally begin to get some control over this 'flying'-thing. I start to feel that it is within my grasp to master this, with a *lot* of practice. Now if I can just get my stomach to stop doing flip-flops... I suddenly notice all of the people watching me. _Oh, NO! If this thing becomes public, I'm *screwed*! I need to get out of here and return to normal without being seen._ Just as I prepare to fly off, I spot the swelling ground in the parking lot below. "S***!!! This has *got* to end." I try to hold onto the hovering flight propulsion while I point my arms and try to activate another blast at the center of the growing earthen bulge. _This had *better* work!_ If the blast seems to negate the current threat, I will look around and try to identify what is causing these tidal waves. It dons on me that they *can't* be 'natural', not with the way that they seem to be 'aimed'. This *is* the main reason I flew up here, after all... <><><><><> [GM] The glow around you is yellowish white, and the air crackles, as your power seems to consume it, but it doesn't look like electricity; there are no sparks. Nor are there flames, per se. You fire a bolt of energy down at an angle, towards the rising mound of earth, and find you can direct it by moving your arms, "drawing" a line of destruction across it. The growing mountain rips apart where your crackling, brilliant beam of energy hits it. Oddly, you feel a small amount of recoil, but not enough to knock you off balance, since you were braced for more. Either the reverse force is somehow dispelled in the air around you (which violates what you understand of physics) or else your power is automatically providing a compensating "thrust" behind you- in which case, you wonder what happens if you fire a bolt of energy while someone is *standing* behind you. For that matter, it looks like you might have a little problem with your natural "exhaust jets" when flying... The mountain crumbles and collapses. Success. Then the earth swells again, only a few yards from the last swelling you blasted. <><><><><> Gordon: I watch in growing amazement as the beam seems to move as I intend. A small thrill runs through my body as the latest mountain shudders and crumbles under the onslaught of the raging energy I focus into it. "YES! Hot *Damn*!" _Hey, this is almost as easy as they make it seem in the comics. Focussing this blast through my arms seems to work really well!_ Then I notice the weird physics that seem to be going on here. _Looks like this is going to be fairly complicated... I will have to watch what happens to the ground when I land - when I get the chance._ I know that these earthen attacks can't be natural. _I have to find what's causing these things, or it will just keep happening._ I use the momentary pause to take a good look around (from my vantage point in the air), trying to identify the source of the waves. Just then, I spot the new growing wave of soil. "Damn! This is starting to get on my *nerves*." Using my flight - at a slow rate; I'm not very sure of my ability to control it - I move a little closer. As the ground swells, I trigger the switch in my head to lay another burst of energy across it while maintaining my position in the air. <><><><><> [GM] Hovering closer, you blow apart the next rising swell of earth. The parking lot, already torn to bits by the first and second waves, now looks like a war zone; there isn't a single car that looks intact, and most of them are ripped to shreds, or buried under debris. The dust settles from your latest energy barrage. Watching carefully, you can't see any more signs of a disturbance in the earth. <><><><><> Gordon: _S***! The damage that's been done here is incredible. I *know* something strange is going on here. *No way* is this natural!_ I spend the next ten or fifteen seconds taking another *good* look around. I am looking for anyone who might possibly be connected with this devastation. If I do see someone suspicious, I will go after them. If I find nothing, I will look to make sure another wave isn't starting. Then I will turn and fly back through the building to where I had been buried. I will try to land (without hurting myself) and search for Miyeon and Kathi. If I don't see them, I will attempt to dig through the rubble, looking for any sign of anyone buried therein. <><><><><> [GM] There are people running all over the place, many of them pointing at you (and you're seeing a few cameras now- amazing how fast the damn video cameras can materialize when something tragic is occurring), and many trying to dig people out of the rubble. No one is standing on top of a hill and screaming dire threats, glowing brightly (except you), or otherwise conveniently marking themselves as a comic-book supervillain. Whoever is responsible either isn't visible, or is behaving just like everyone else, i.e. running around and screaming. You turn back towards the devastation of your work place, descending towards the ground, where the largest pile of debris marks the most likely place where people may be trapped beneath the wreckage- A column of earth jets straight out of the ground beneath you, rising so fast you barely have time to see it before it hits you, slamming into you from beneath and tossing you skyward. Although momentarily stunned, however, you don't feel seriously hurt by the impact...even though it *should* have smashed you to a pulp. But there is no longer any doubt in your mind that someone is directing these earth manifestations...and that someone has obviously identified you as a threat. <><><><><> Gordon: _Christ! Where is the little b******! It could be *anybody*. Too many damn people to pick them out. So how the hell am I supposed to stop this? I guess I just have to try to help as many people as possible, and deal with the instigator when the opportunity arises._ I fly down to the pile of earth, and promptly get smashed by a stream of rocks. I use a small trickle of energy to try to catch myself in the air before I fall to the ground. "DAMMIT! This really is starting to p*** me off..." A quick glance around and I still don't see any obvious attacker, so I re-land. _What am I supposed to *do* here. I can't seem to find whoever is doing this, but I *also* can't just sit here and get pasted over and over again. This is *really* frustrating! I guess there's nothing left right now but to dig and try to avoid getting smashed._ I bend down and try to use my strength to best advantage digging into the debris from one edge. I try to keep an eye open for any more rocky blasts. <><><><><> [GM] As soon as you descend again, another uprising of earth swells towards you. This time, instead of smashing against you, it engulfs you, and you feel yourself suddenly being dragged down, down into the roiling, crushing earth. <><><><><> Gordon: "Noooo!!!" As the ground graps me and starts to pull me down, I immediately fire another bolt straight up. I switch instantly to igniting full power thrust upwards, trying to fly out behind the blast. _Well, that idea sucked. It appears that as soon as I touch ground, I become a target. Looks like I am going to have to stay in the air. Damn! My face is going to be all over the evening news. *That* I don't need! I do have another idea for digging however. Let's see how this works._ Once I get up in the air a little bit, I look around and give a good listen. I am still trying to identify the source of these attacks, perhaps someone who just looks or acts suspiciously (I am getting desperate here!) I am also trying to determine if there is anyone I can get to who needs immediate help, either inside the building or out. If I see and hear nothing that I can act on, I will fly into the building and around in what's left of the first five floors, looking for anyone needing assistance. I will try to do this quickly so as to not give 'whomever' time to build another wave to throw against the building. <><><><><> [GM] You ignite, blasting energy in all directions. The earth melts and bubbles away from you, and with a gasp for breath, you explode out of the mound of dirt seeking to entomb you, climbing rapidly into the sky, trailing bits of debris behind you. The rolling wave of earth stirs beneath you, then subsides. You look around, seeking the source of all this destruction. You still see no one that you can identify as the person responsible. You can see several people pressed against upper-story windows, looking fearfully down at the parking lot, and the base of the building which has taken such a battering. It occurs to you that both elevators and stairwells may be obstructed now, preventing them from getting down. Meanwhile, there are still the great mountains of uprooted earth, one pushed against the building, another at the edge of what was once the parking lot, and still more terrain strewn in a path of devestation almost a block beyond Puget Power's offices. And people are surely buried alive down there. A feeling of near-helplessness comes over you, ironic considering the vast power you've suddenly found yourself imbued with. But somewhere down there is a lunatic who can control the very earth itself, bringing down buildings around your ears, smashing you with rocky fists that rise out of the ground, and then trying to drag you under and suffocate you. So far, your power has proven sufficient to defend yourself, despite the fact that you're very much learning under fire. But you can't see your opponent, so there's no way to counterattack. He or she may be able to keep this up forever, for all you know. And people are dying. With such depressing thoughts going through your head, as you desperately scan the area for some solution, you notice that some of the bystanders, in the building and on the ground (idiots! why the hell aren't they running away?) are pointing skyward...but not at you. Turning slightly in midair, then applying a slight counter-thrust as you realize you used too much power and were spinning too far, you see a radiant sphere of light descending out of the sky towards you. <><><><><> Gordon: I pant as the fresh air pours into my lungs. It takes a second before I am aware of the speed with which I am rocketing up into the sky. As I regain my orientation, I cut the thrust to a trickle and look around. I take in the people trapped in the building. _I have to find a way to get them out of there! Maybe I can fly over and carry them out through a window... Wait, I haven't even stopped to notice if I am coated in energy when I fly. I don't want to toast anyone just by picking them up!_ I look down at myself, trying to get a feel for whether there is likely to be any problem... As my head comes up from looking at myself, I see again (!) the large piles of debris and other assorted destruction. This seems almost helpless. _I can't fight and I can't seem to turn my attentions to helping out. I *have* to do *something*! PEOPLE ARE DYING HERE!!!_ Just then, I notice the strange behavior of the people below me. For a second, I am stumped, but then I follow their gazes upwards and spy the hurtling sphere of light. "Oh S***! It's coming right at me!" The icy grip of fear wraps its fingers around my brain, causing me to hesitate for vital seconds as the radiant sphere closes the distance. Suddenly, I get a grip and fire a pulse of thrust, trying to get out of it's path. If I think I have time, I will fire a power burst into the oncoming energy sphere. If the light changes direction to follow me, I will pump up to full thrust and head for the lake, about 6 - 8 blocks southwest. <><><><><> [GM] You begin thrusting away, while raising one hand to launch a bolt of energy at the descending sphere. You miss badly. The sphere immediately jinks to the left as your beam lances out, but it didn't have to; your shot went a good ten yards in the wrong direction. You're starting to feel like you would seriously benefit from a few sessions in the Danger Room. As you head towards the lake, the sphere indeed begins following you, and at a slightly closer range, you think you can make out a humanoid figure at its center; the "sphere" is merely a bright glow radiated by the person inside. You see movement from the figure, and suddenly a brilliant beam of energy lances out, radiating colors in every hue, connecting with you instantly and generating a blinding flash of light, as well as knocking you for a loop. You don't feel injured, but strangely, you do suddenly feel enervated, as if the bolt of energy drained some of your strength. And you're half-blind; sparks and whorls of color are eating chunks of your vision. <><><><><> Gordon: "Damn, I'm a lousy shot!" _This is *definately* more difficult than in the comics. I need some *serious* practice!_ I race out over the lake as fast as I can manage. In a look over my shoulder, I make out the being inside the sphere. _Oh great! There's a person inside that thing... and I just attacked them. I need to deal with this and get back to the building! Maybe this person can be of some help if I can persuade them not to toast me..._ Just at that moment, the sparkling energy from the sphere slams into me. _Oh man, this is *not* going well!_ As I regather my wits, I stop as fast as I can, turning to face the oncoming entity. I raise my right hand and point at him/her, yelling, "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU? AND WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING ME?" I wait for a response of some kind. If the entity seems willing to talk, I will hold my fire and try to sort this out. If it attacks, I will unleash another blast right down it's throat. I will also try to stay out of it's way. <><><><><> [GM] The other glowing flyer slows down, that stops in midair. The blinding radiance around the figure increases, so that you can barely look at it. A ringing, feminine voice speaks out loud and clear, clearly audible from twenty yards away though she doesn't seem to be shouting, "You foul creature, you wreak this devastation and slaughter innocent people, and then dare to ask why I am attacking you? Let the the wrath of God strike thee down, let me be an instrument of His just vengeance! Pay for your atrocities, oh sinful man!" Despite the obvious threat in her words, and the tone of religious fanaticism, her voice is melodious and strangely soothing, even as she seems prepared to attack again. You feel an odd tingling throughout your body, and a strong desire to submit to her righteous anger.... Then another blast of light lashes out and sends you spinning once more, now completely blinded. You're able to remain in the air, but you're totally disoriented. You hear the voice of your opponent calling to you from a different direction than you thought she was a moment ago; "Surrender and let the laws of Man have hold on thee, else I must dispense the laws of God now. I do not wish to hurt you, though you most assuredly deserve it!" <><><><><> Gordon: Mumbling, "Huh? What? Oh yeah..." _Wait a minute! This isn't right! She's accusing *me* of attacking the building? She is obviously confused in a *big* way. Meanwhile, she's going to kill me in her ignorance. Damn!_ I'm obviously in big trouble here, but I'm *almost* starting to get used to the feeling. I yell back at this wacko. "What?! Are you *crazy*?! What the hell makes you think *I* caused all of that? I was *inside* the building when those tidal waves of dirt and stuff hit the building, you *idiot*! Just-" I sputter as the second beam hits me. As I get my bearings (mentally anyways), her latest diatribe is almost more than I can take. I turn to face whatever direction her voice seems to be coming from, and yell in that direction. [Diplomatic, ain't I? ] "Just because I can fly and shoot energy doesn't mean I can move thousands of tons of dirt and rock! If you're so stupid as to think *I* did all of that, then why don't you just f***in' *kill* me now. I sure as hell can't defend myself. Then you can take my broken body back and lay it across the alter to your twisted god, while dozens of people die buried in the rubble back there. Otherwise, get the hell out of my way and let me help those people! Perhaps you can even manage to do something useful for a change." I hang there suspended in the air, waiting to either die or get my vision back. <><><><><> [GM] There is a pause, and then, much closer, you hear that penetrating, strangely soothing voice say "You are telling the truth!" She seems surprised. Your vision slowly clears, and you see, hovering about ten feet away, an angel. That's your first impression, anyways. As you blink and try to focus, you see that she doesn't have wings or a halo, but she IS glowing with a golden white light that makes it difficult to look directly at her, and she is wearing a long, flowing gown. She's also the most beautiful woman you've ever laid eyes on. Long golden hair and fair golden skin...well, *everything* about her is golden, with that glow around her. But she could be a female angel right out of your mother's Eurocentric illustrated Bible that depicted Jesus as a blue-eyed blond. But despite her incredible loveliness, her face and form don't inspire lust in you- in fact, the thought of feeling such a base thing as sexual desire for this woman suddenly fills you with guilt. Her lovely features wrinkle into a frown. "Thou art a blasphemer and thou uses foul language!" she says accusingly. "And what else should I have assumed about you, when you attacked me on sight? You *did* shoot at me first!" <><><><><> Gordon: "Of course I was telling the truth," I mutter to myself. Then my vision begins to clear. "Oh... my... God..." _I don't believe what I'm seeing. Damn. I may have to start believing in angels after all... I don't know who this woman is, but she is *amazing*. How can a woman be so *beautiful*, and yet so asexual? Too bad she really is a lunatic._ Then she begins to speak again, thus shaking me from my reverie. "Yeah, I do. So what? As for *me* attacking *you* first, I interpreted a large ball of energy streaking at me as an attack. I had *no way* of knowing that there was anyone inside. I was attempting to defend myself by dispersing the energy before it hit me. Regardless, there are people dying back there while we argue etiquette. I'm going back to try and save some lives. If you care anything about *people*, I suggest you come along and help." I turn and begin to fly back toward my (former?) office, not even looking back to see if she is coming. If nothing happens to stop me from returning, I will try my new idea for digging out the victims buried in the debris. The idea is to fly low back and forth over the top of the piles, using my arms to scrape off a thin layer at each pass. Hopefully, if I keep moving, I will be a harder target for the creep that started all this. <><><><><> [GM] The beautiful woman's face screws up in dismay as you tell her off, and as you turn away and fly back towards the wreckage surrounding Puget Power, you can sense her disapproval as an almost palpable force. Strangely, it actually makes you feel guilty that you offended her. Something about this woman makes you feel like a little boy facing a disapproving schoolteacher. The destruction around your office building is horrendous, but you note with some a relief and a lot of paranoia that no more earth waves seem to have manifested while you were engaging in a dogfight with the "angel". From the air, you can see emergency vehicles converging on the scene from all directions. As well as news vans. Flying over piles of debris and scooping chunks off with each pass proves to be rather ineffective; after miscalculating your ability to lift one huge chunk of wreckage, and hitting it hard enough that, without your newfound invulnerability, you're sure you would have ripped an arm off, it becomes apparent that your increased strength is NOT such that you can handle tons of mass. On the other hand, you probably *could* dig pretty effectively, when concentrating on one spot at a time...but that would require landing, and being a target if whoever is controlling the earth tries to grab you or squash you again. You suddenly notice that the glowing golden woman is hovering behind and slightly above you. "Since you spoke of being useful" she says, rather huffily, "there are three people trapped beneath that sheet of concrete there-" she points, where a mostly-intact section of wall lies across a collapsed corner of the building "and I sense one of them is in great pain. I do not think my radiance will penetrate concrete, as the Lord has not seen fit to grant me the destructive power He gave you." She frowns at you disapprovingly, as if to say 'The Lord works in mysterious ways and who am I to question, but *I* sure wouldn't have given you such power...' <><><><><> Gordon: "Uh-oh. I think I just messed up, bad." Looking down on the scene of destruction, I still feel amazement at the carnage. _At least the emergency crews are arriving... Oh, NO! Media hounds. Just what we need now. NOT!_ "OW! *Damn*!" _It feels like I almost broke my *arm* on that chunk! I'd better be more careful._ I notice the 'angel' woman, and turn to speak, but she starts first. I listen to her, ignoring the tone in her voice 'cause, frankly, I don't care *what* she thinks of me. _Well, it's good to hear she's willing to be helpful._ "Thank you." I fly over and land by the concrete slab. _I hate being an easy target for that freak, whoever he or she is, but I think I'm just going to have to risk it._ I'm pretty certain that I can't lift the slab, so I'm going to try to reduce the size of it. I step over next to the edge of the slab. I will aim and fire a burst along the plane of the slab trying to carve it into sections (kind of like an axe splitting a wide piece of wood edge-wise). I will try to control the spread of the energy so that none of it goes down into the debris under the slab where the people are trapped. I will do this repeatedly until the slab is in small enough chunks that I think I can move them. Once they are removed, I will begin digging through the rubble underneath, trying to find the people. <><><><><> [GM] Your energy beam slices through the concrete with frightening efficiency. In moments, you've dissected the slab, and are lifting smaller pieces of debris away. You find two men and a woman huddled under the shelter provided by a large office table. One of the men is unharmed, while the woman seems to have been thrown around a bit and has a bloody gash on her arm. The second man, though, is gritting his teeth in pain and moaning, as his right leg from the knee down looks like a bloody mess, where something hit it hard enough to splinter bone lengthwise. The woman and other man were doing what little they could to tie his shirt around the leg, but in their trapped location, even first aid was virtually impossible. <><><><><> Gordon: _God! That looks bad. He must be in terrible pain. Maybe the angel can help out here._ I look up at the 'angel' lady and speak in a very calm and serious voice. "We have a serious injury over here. Could you help direct the emergency crews over here?" I then proceed to help bandage the wound temporarily. Suddenly, a thought crosses my mind. _Wait! There are probably more people buried out here._ I turn again to the lady floating behind me. If she is still there, I ask, "You were able to find these people. Can you find others who might be buried out here? I am especially looking for two friends of mine named Kathi and Miyeon." <><><><><> [GM] The glowing woman looks concerned as you uncover the trapped individuals, and an almost tearful expression appears on her face at the sight of the man's injuries. "Oh you poor man!" she exclaims, and descends to kneel beside him. All three people stare at her (and at you, but mostly at her), stunned. She lays a hand on his knee and says "Alas, the Lord has not granted me the power to truly lay on lands yet....my spiritual purity must not be great enough, though I try, Lord, I try! But I can at least take away thy pain until the paramedics arrive. Have faith in the Lord, for He grants succor to those in need, and cares for all His children, whether thou believest in Him-" she glances over her shoulder at you, "or not." A glow spreads from her palm where it touches the maimed, bloody knee, and the man's agonized expression immediately turns to one of relief. "Thy injury is still as severe as before," she warns him, as she rises back into the air, "so do not fail to seek treatment immediately. The pain will also return eventually, but pray to God, who loves all His children, and all Thy pains shall be lessened, by the grace of God." She turns to you. "I sense many more people hurt and dying," she says rather sharply. "Would you have me look specifically for your two friends, or will you save those that need saving, according to their need? Another person gasps for air almost directly beneath us!" <><><><><> Gordon: "Wow! That is amazing!" I whisper in awe as this 'angel' provides relief to the injured man. _I really don't like this woman and I *really* don't need her crap, but for now I think I have to work with her so I better get on with it._ Turning to the woman to reply to her questions, "Of course I will help them all as best I can. You just point me in the right direction. However, I must admit that, like most human beings, I am especially concerned about my friends. I'm sorry if that offends you." I look over at the people we just rescued and address the one that seems the least injured. _I think I recognise these three. I believe I have seen them getting off and on the elevator at the second floor._ "It looks like she and I are going to be pretty busy. Perhaps you could find a paramedic and lead him over here to help your friend." I then turn back to the glowing woman. "Look, it looks like we are going to be working together for a while, whether we like it or not. Personally, I have never found 'hey you' to be a very effective way of addressing someone. My name is Gordon. What should I call you?" I then turn and busy myself digging in the direction towards those she said were beneath us. I will use my strength as best I can, and use my power to whittle down any debris that I cannot lift. I will be very careful to try to control the spread of my power so as not to endanger those around or below us. <><><><><> [GM] The lovely woman blinks for a moment when you ask her name, as if surprised by the question. "Oh yes, I suppose I should give you my name. It is Rosaline." She frowns at you and says "You do not like me. Are you one of those who is afraid of the Gospel?" Following her directions, you bore into the mound of debris below you, and find that there was indeed a janitor trapped in what had been a supply closet, with probably broken ribs. He was on the verge of suffocation when you found him. Rosaline continues giving you directions to trapped and injured people, and with your energy powers, and your strength (you're definitely superhuman, but your strength isn't Spider Man level...you figure you could probably toss a person across the street, but from the weight of objects you can lift, even a small car would be out of your league) you're able to rescue the trapped employees of Puget Power far faster than the frantic emergency personnel who are now arriving and trying to do the same thing. You also realize, with growing concern, that this is becoming a major media event. The police are keeping news cameras at a reasonable distance, but with zoom lenses, you're sure some of them will be able to get a good shot of your face. There's also a news chopper flying overhead. Rosaline seems to be able to sense people by their emotions; the more frightened or pained a person is, the better she can home in on them. She continues to relieve the pain of those who are injured. Several times she moans in anguish herself, and you soon discover that the body count at this scene is going to be high. You uncover as many corpses as you do live bodies in need of rescue, and Rosaline's cries of distress coincide with the subsequent discovery of someone you uncovered just too late to save. She begins crossing herself and muttering prayers, and you suspect that she must be sensing the expiration of those that can't be reached in time. For an empath, it's probably not a pleasant sensation. Nonetheless, she continues grimly on, praying for guidance and strength, and urging you to go faster. The paramedics soon realize that the two of you are uncovering people faster than they can, and a team begins following you about, ready to leap into action as soon as you pull someone out who can still be helped. You also notice a blissful/grateful look on many of those whom Rosaline administers her soothing power. The angelic woman never fails to offer some praise to almighty God, or a prayer for the injured and for their friends and family, and considering what an impact she's having on *you*, even though you're strongly resistant to religion, you can't help wondering how many people she's going to end up "saving" in more ways than one today. She's an evangelist's dream come true. <><><><><> Gordon: I look up momentarily from my digging. "Rosaline... Lovely name. You are right that I don't particularly like you. Then again, you've made it pretty clear that the feeling is mutual. I can live with that. No, I am not 'afraid' of the Gospel, I just don't have any interest in, or use for, it. What I find offensive is people who try to push their beliefs off onto others." As I finish digging the janitor out, I take a quick breather as Rosaline eases his pain. "WHEW! This sure is tiring work. Boy, am I going to sleep well to-*night*." I chuckle (deep bass rumble). As soon as she is ready to direct me again, I return to my digging. The media presense is really starting to grow. It is obvious what this is going to mean as for any hope of anonymity. _Great! This is *really* going to make my life difficult. How am I going to keep this from having a disastrous effect on Katy and Taylor's lives? How do I protect them from the media circus that this is going to bring about? How are they going to react to having their dad suddenly gain 'comic book' powers? Christ! They're still both at camp and school and it's after 5. I have to find some way to make sure they are taken care of. If I could get to a phone, I could call Lori and ask her to pick them up for me. Damn! I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I can't leave with all these lives on the line, but my kid's need me and I *really* hate the idea of becoming any more *famous*! Have to keep digging. Maybe I can spot someone who can help me with the 'kid problem'._ As I continue working, I keep an eye out for anyone I know reasonably well in the crowd of onlookers. I will also ask any paramedic or other emergency personnel near me if they can send a cop over when they get a chance. I see the pain on Rosaline's face and begin to get an idea of what this must be like for her. I am struggling to maintain a certain level of dispassion in order to keep going. As she urges me to greater speed, I respond softly, "I know this is really hard on you, seeing all these people suffer. I don't much like it myself. I would love to be able to do more, but I am just about tapped out. If I push myself any harder, I will just become useless that much faster. I'm sorry; I can't take that risk. There are just too many in need here. Please know that I am doing the very best that I can, just as you are." I really can't fault her for the effect that she is having on people. I doubt she has much control over much of it. As long as she continues helping, I don't care if she expresses her beliefs, just so long as she doesn't stop working to preach. <><><><><> [GM] Rosaline frowns at you. "I never said I do not like you," she says, rather haughtily. "I don't approve of your behavior." She seems inclined to continue the argument, but then sighs and adopts an expression that clearly says "Not worth it", and turns away to help another injured office worker. Your "secret identity" seems pretty much blown, since more than a few of the people you rescue recognize you. You also recognize more than a few of the dead. The two of you continue working, using her powers to locate those most in need of rescuing, and your powers to get them out. Thankfully, the police are still keeping the media at bay, and even more thankfully, there has been no further sign of the strange disruptions in the earth. It's long past sundown when Rosaline declares that she can't sense any more *living* souls buried beneath the rubble. The emergency personnel are a little discouraged at her words, but despite her clear ability to locate people, aren't willing to give up the search efforts just yet. You're extremely tired, and feeling awful....a lot of death and destruction, not to mention the hardest workout you've had in a looong while. Though in a more light-hearted mood, you'd be eager to go to a gym now...you suspect that now you could out- press all those musclemen who live in the weight room. Any light-heartedness fades when you learn that Kathi was one of the casualties removed from the wreckage by the rescue workers...and Miyeon hasn't been found yet. Rosaline approaches you from behind. "Gordon," she says softly. "I am truly sorry. Many people lost friends and loved ones here today. The Lord has a purpose in everything...but sometimes it is hard for us to comprehend that." Almost against your will, you feel her presence muting your grief and bringing a sense of calm acceptance. Her power, or aura, or whatever, doesn't seem to work on herself, though, because tears are running down her face, as they have been through most of the evening. <><><><><> Gordon: [Was I able to find anyone, either a friend or a police officer, to make a call to Lori for me? There is no way I would have let it get past about 5:15 without making arrangements for the kids, even if it required taking a few minutes off from the rescue efforts to make the call myself. BTW, I normally leave work about 4:45, so I assume the first wave hit around then. - gwf] "You don't have to *say* it Rosaline, your attitude spells it out quite clearly. I can accept that. I don't expect to like or be liked by everyone. Just doesn't happen. C'est la vie." [I hope I spelled that right. ] I shrug half-heartedly as I continue my work. I have already identified Steven, Michael, Sarah, and the secretary from the real estate company on the second floor among the bodies I have seen pulled from the wreckage. _Damn! The cost of this nightmare just keeps *rising*. These were good people, and so were many of the others. None of them deserved to die like this._ "" I am seriously sucking wind after all this effort. _I was out of shape to begin with, and I think I really over-stepped my limits this time. I'm going to *have* to start getting some regular excercise!_ "Kathi?! DAMMIT!!! And no sign of Miyeon either, huh? S***." _What is little *Taylor* going to *do*? *Who's* going to take *care* of him? *Certainly* not that worthless scumbag 'ex' of hers. Oh god._ I can't help but think about how much amusement we got out of the fact that her son had the same name, and was the same age, as my son. Just one of those little coincidences in life that just seem to pop up when you least expect it. _And Miyeon. I *know* she never got along with her family, but they *did* care about her in their own somewhat-warped kind of way. They are going to be distraught over this. She had *such* a bright future. What a waste. This is all so damn *senseless*! S***._ I turn to Rosaline. "Thank you. I appreciate your sympathy, even though I know my loss and grief here are far less than that of many. We may not see eye-to-eye, but we both care about people in our own ways. Perhaps we are not so different after all. I think we both need a rest and a chance to deal with our feelings about what has happened here today. I know that the way in which I have changed here today is going to have lasting effects, not only on own life, but on those of my children, my friends, and many others that I am not even aware of yet. I do appreciate your efforts here to help save many people whom you didn't even know. That bespeaks a good heart, and I thank you, as do many others here. I think I will see if the emergency crews have everything under control, and if they do, I plan to go spend the rest of the evening with my kids. Take care. I suspect we will meet again." I turn and head over to check in with the emergency personnel. If they don't seem to need my help anymore, I will head home. If my car is OK, I will drive. If it was destroyed, then I will fly. I haven't the time or energy to try to be discrete, and it wouldn't do any good at this point anyway. <><><><><> [GM] [One of the policemen called Lori, and reported that she's taking care of the kids.] There's no sign of your car; like most of the vehicles that were in Puget Power's parking lot, it seems to have been buried and/or smashed to bits. Rosaline says nothing as you take off, heading for home. <><><><><> Gordon: I wander through the parking lot, surveying the destruction, hoping against hope to find my car in useable condition. After a few minutes, I give up, accepting that there is nothing left to find. _Oh damn. Maybe the construction crews will eventually find what's left when they rebuild the lot... Oh well, better head home._ I lift off into the sky, heading for home at a comfortable speed, trying to make good time without tiring myself any more than necessary. I fly high to try to decrease my visibility over the over downtown areas. As I reach the more wooded areas near where I live, I come down and fly low over the treetops in an effort to use them as 'cover'. I'm *really* looking forward to getting home and talking with the kids. I'm also feeling some trepidation, not knowing how they are going to react to the news of how I have changed. _Perhaps the role-playing I have done with them and the constant presence of comic books in the house will help them understand and accept what has happened. I hope._ I land in the wooded part of the park which is across the street from my apartment complex. [The park was a major factor in my choosing this complex to live in, because it is so easy to take the kids there to play.] I then walk out to the main street through the complex on the other side of the park and then follow the streets around to where I live. _Hopefully, this way I won't draw a crowd of onlookers as I make my way to the apartment. Yeah, *good luck*, Gordon._ I feel very nervous as I approach the apartment. I feel as though there is a lot on the line right now. I know that Katy and Taylor love me, but this is going to create *very* big changes in our lives. I don't dare try to fool myself about this. Too many people are going to know who I am and what I can do. I am not going to be able to hide from the media circus, or entirely protect the kids from it. I will just have to do my best to help them through it all. I see Lori's car in the parking lot, and walk up to the door. As usual, it is open, and I stroll in. I can smell dinner cooking as I step in through the door. "Hey, everyone! I'm home!" I wanted to give you a better idea of the layout of the building I work in so as to reduce confusion. Below is a general area map showing the relative, arrangement of buildings, streets, and parking lots. Note that the top of the map is South and the bottom North, as indicated by the arrow (?). My office is along the south wall of the OBC building. | | Packing 10-story | | Bank | 1 | Store low bank bldg | 1 | | 0 | & lot building & lot | 0 | -------- | 8 |-----------------------------------------| 6 |-- NE 4th t t -------- | h |-----------------------------------------| h |-- Bank l | | OBC bldg old Puget | | bldg o | N | (I'm here) Power bldg | N | t | E | | E | | | l Furn. | | | | o Store Puget Power | | Koll | | t : parking lot | | Center | | : | | Tower | | other : | | | | shops v N | | Here is a map of the 3rd floor of the OBC building. 'G' indicates my desk, 'K' indicates Kathi's, and 'M' indicates Miyeon's. Also, 'B' is my boss's office, 'St' are the emergency stairs, and 'L' is the lunchroom / kitchen. Other enclosed areas are offices, conference rooms, storage, etc. Note: the top is still South, and the bottom is still North. Kathi, Miyeon, and I would have been just outside the bathrooms when the second earthen tidal wave hit. Each character position is (very) roughly 3' wide and 6' high. |\ | \______________________ | : : Investor \______________________ |__: :______ Svc : G M /\ | : : : ________ / /\ |____ : Stor : : : \ \/B/\ | : :______:______:_ _K___: \ \/ /\ |___: ______________ ____ :_____ : \/ /\ | : : S : B : E E : : : : \/ \ |___: :_t_: a : l l : :_____:___: \_/ | | : : t : e e : : :___: | \ _ :___:__h__:_v_ _v_: :_St__:_L_: | \ / \ ____________________ | \/ \ | \ / \ | \/ : | \___:____________________________________________| \ : : : : : \ \______:___:___:___:___:___\