KIMBERLY Character: Kimberley (Kim) Brenner. Female, age 16 Summary: sports-mad tomboy Description: Caucasian; short, wavey, untidy brown hair; green eyes; freckles; wirey build. Height: 5'7", weight: 87 lb BACKGROUND: Kim is the only child of David and Susan Brenner, a well-off middle-class couple from Oakland, CA. By the time she reached school age, it was obvious to her parents that they had a genuine tomboy on their hands: even at that age, she liked to climb up high, much to her parents' horror. At school, she quickly ran into bullies - who quickly discovered that this was a girl who hadn't been told that girls weren't supposed to get into fistfights . As she moved from elementary school to high school, her parents arranged for her to take lessons in judo and karate, in the hope that she could win her fights without getting black eyes, split lips, or torn clothing. All through her school life, she was regularly on school sports teams. Sports teachers praised her determination and love of sport. Other teachers, however, despaired: whilst Kim was undoubtedly intelligent, it often didn't show through in her school work. "If only she'd apply herself more, her grades would improve dramatically" was a common comment on her reports. Kim has now started to work a bit harder, but can't decide if she wants to learn about computers or languages. Kim has never lost her early tomboyishness. She routinely comes and goes from her bedroom by climbing the tree outside her window (sometimes quietly, if she wants to sneak out without her parents noticing). She is perpetually cheerful, and quite unfazeable (not that this stops people in her own year and below from trying to break her cheerful calmness). With her wirey gymnast's body, she's more cute than sexy; she's had a number of dates, but hasn't got a steady boyfriend. <><><><><> [GM] Kim has been feeling GREAT lately. No one can touch you in any of your sports. You've always been a decent tennis player, but you've been doing fantastically well lately. Same in soccer, and martial arts. Your teacher says you finally seem to be paying attention...maybe you'll be ready to test for brown belt soon. You've also noticed that you're not sleeping as much lately. You don't feel tired, but you constantly wake up in the early morning and can't get back to sleep. So you've taken to climbing out your window and jogging around the neighborhood in the early morning hours. Oakland is not the best city in the world for a young lady to be out alone at night, but it does have some better areas, in the hills, which is where Kim lives. Plus she feels confident that anyone she runs into that would give her trouble, she could either outfight or outrun. Your parents would have fits, of course, if they knew you were running around alone in the dark. You are asleep, drifting towards wakefulness, knowing it's about time for you to get up and go for your morning run. And suddenly you feel a peculiar TUGGING sensation, like something is beckoning to you. You sense it in the back of your head, like a mental beacon. And then you are WRENCHED from your bed, though you haven't moved. You awake very quickly now, as you feel a cold breeze blowing over you and through your pajamas. Opening your eyes, you find you are lying on some kind of metal platform, which is humming. Looking around, you see the platform is sitting on the ground, on a small flat area among some hills...it looks vaguely like the hills that stretch along the eastern Bay Area, same topography and plantlife. At first you think that several hours must have passed, for it is no longer dark. But the moon is still out, and the sun isn't. Your vision seems somewhat muted, but the darkness is no impediment. What really rivets your attention, though, is the four people standing nearby. One has a foot on the platform, stepping onto it, but he's stopped as he stares down at you, obviously as surprised at your sudden appearance as you are. He is dressed in a shiny metallic outfit that you could only describe as futuristic-looking armor. He looks like he belongs on the cover of a sci-fi novel. Various gadgets, including something that resembles a gun, are attached to his belt, chest, and other spots on his suit. He and two of the others, one of whom is a woman, are all very tall black people with heavy builds. All three have heads shaved bald, except for a single braid of black hair growing from the very top of their skull and trailing down their back. The other two are wearing dark jeans and dark sweaters. The fourth person is a woman also, with dark skin, though not as dark as the others', and long black hair, wearing normal clothes (slacks and a long- sleeved shirt). The bald woman seems to be escorting her with a hand on her elbow....body language suggests that the long-haired woman is a captive, though she is not resisting; in fact her movements seem slow and sluggish, and though she is looking at you, she doesn't seem to see you. The unarmored man is speaking to the bald woman, but you can't understand what he's saying. His voice trails off as she seems not to be paying attention- as the armored man stopped to stare at you, her gaze followed his, and she too is staring at you now. The second man turns towards the platform, looking annoyed. <><><><><> Kim's eyes widen momentarily, the closest she has ever come to expressing shock . "What are you doing here?" she demands of the man in the shiny metallic outfit. She jumps to her bare feet, and watches them closely, ready to run or fight if they turn out to be hostile. Then she smiles, but coldly. "What's the matter with your friend there? Had a bit too much to drink?" -Kim- <><><><><> [GM] The two men exchange glances, and some rapid discussion in a clipped-tone foreign language you don't recognize. Then the man in the armor turns back towards you and draws his weapon..... <><><><><> Assuming she is close enough, Kim will grab the weapon before he can use it on her, and try to knock it from his grasp (she's overconfident ). If not, she will attempt to dive for cover (acrobatically, if need be). "Ahh, see the brave Tin Can, using a [gun, sword, whatever it is] on an unarmed and defenceless opponent. What unmatched courage!" she'll taunt. -Kim- <><><><><> [GM] He moves fast, but you're faster; still, you suspect you succeeded in grabbing his weapon mostly because he didn't expect an "unarmed and defenseless opponent" to go on the offensive. You hold the...whatever it is, it's shaped vaguely like a pistol and clearly is meant to be held in one hand. And there's a button conveniently under your index finger. You point it at him.... ...and it disappears from your hand and reappears in his. You dive for cover as he fires, a flash of light darting out and striking the grass behind you, with no effect that you can tell. The woman (the black woman, not the one who seems drugged) tenses as if to move, but the unarmored man says something curtly and she pauses. He says something else to the "Tin Can", who nods with a frown, without taking his eyes off you. He steps towards you and fires again. You leap aside.... ...and are standing back on the platform. Without having moved the intervening distance, so far as you can remember. This time you are overcome with dizziness; you feel as if you had just leaped on way and had a hand reach out, grab you in midair and yank you in another direction. You barely keep your feet, but there's no chance you'll be able to dodge the next shot. But it doesn't come. The armored man holds his pistol at the ready, but the other steps forward with his hand up, palm facing outward. "I was not mistaken. Our search tonight has yielded an unexpected benefit. Be at ease, Terran; we shall not harm you. Indeed, you are one of us, and we are glad to discover you! As you shall be glad that we discovered you." His speech is clipped and oddly enunciated, with perfect, though oddly constructed syntax. <><><><><> "Who *are* you?" Kim asks warily. She doesn't trust any group that appears to be holding a drugged woman captive. -Kim- <><><><><> [GM] "I am Terekpal Itkadb. I am in command of this expedition. I represent.. we represent the Sebth Nithd...." "The Sebth....Combine. Nitkadth ak Kidpetketh Niktop adth!" You're not sure if the last part was addressed to you, his companions or himself. It seemed to be a statement of frustration. "You have just demonstrated your Sebth...ness. Your Sebth identity. You are Sebth. You must come with us now. I will explain everything to you. You will be surprised and perhaps displeased initially. You will be much more pleased after everything has been clarified to you. FOR you! Akthit Madi!" He glares at the "drugged" woman with the last. All of them are now stepping onto the platform with you. <><><><><> "Now wait a minute" says Kim, backing away (but not leaving the platform), "who or what is a Sebth?" -Kim- <><><><><> [GM] Terekpal Itkadb presses a couple of buttons, and you get the brief feeling that maybe you DIDN'T want to stay on the platform. For a split-second, your vision is blanked out by a flash of light. Then... The platform is now seated in a recess in a metal floor. You seem to be in a medium-sized room, with a concave floor and a metallic ceiling above. There are a few instrument panels and electronic devices sticking out of the floor or set in the wall, and you see two short ladders that lead up to holes in the ceiling. A ship bay of some sort, is what comes to mind. Two people are waiting for your group. One is another tall black man, except while his pate is also shaved bald, his hair hangs in braids in a fringe along the side of his head. You notice something about all these black people, now that you are in full light; their skin is not brown, but literally ebony black. Aside from that, though, they don't seem to have any other typical black ethnic features. Their noses are angular and narrow, their lips are rather thin, and their faces are basically round in appearance. The other person standing next to the first is very tall, and skinny, and pale. His eyes are small and deep-set, his face is angular. His hair is long and white, hanging loosely to his shoulders. Both are wearing jumpsuits, with patches on them displaying symbols of some sort, and writing you have not seen before. Terekpal tells you "Be calm for a few moments. I will explain everything to you. First I must explain certain matters to my...subordinates." He proceeds to address his "subordinates" in that jarring, consonant- clustering language. [Going to do something, or go along with him for now?] <><><><><> > you get the brief feeling that maybe you DIDN'T want to stay on the platform. [I suspected as much ] Kim looks around the room curiously. Having watch Star Trek several times, suddenly finding herself aboard a vessel of some kind is about the least surprising thing that's happened this morning. "Where are we?" she asks Terekpal, not showing any signs of being anything other than calm. If there's a control panel anywhere near, she will wander over to it and examine it. And maybe push a few interesting-looking buttons to see what happens... -Kim- <><><><> [GM] You press a button, which causes a blue light above it to wink on. Terekpal hurries over and turns it off. "Do not press buttons, young girl!" he snaps. "Come with us. You are in our ship, Nakedk Prikopkol." They take you, and their prisoner, to another medium sized room. From her they remove a small white disk from the back of her neck. She blinks her eyes rapidly and seems to regain awareness. The tall white man presses buttons on a control panel, and a translucent wall appears, dividing the room in half. The prisoner is sealed in her half. You notice that her skin is olive brown, and she has long wavy black hair. Her face is Asian in appearance, but her build is heavier than you've seen in many Asians; she has quite a voluptuous figure. She is extraordinarily beautiful. She stares at you, then glares at Terekpal, snapping at him in a melodious, flowing language unlike the one he was using. He looks smug as he answers her in the same tongue. Then she switches to his harsh, consonant-clipping language. He answers her, then seems to dismiss her with a wave of his hand. She continues talking, but suddenly no sound comes from behind her shimmering wall. Terekpal turns to you. "Rejoice, Terran! You are a Sebth, mentally awakened from the mind-dead status of your fellow barbarians. That element which makes you a full human being and heir to a proud civilization is now active. You will no longer be trapped on this primitive world of the mind-dead. You will receive an education, and training, and full citizenship in the Sebth Combine." He grins at you. "Your aggressiveness suggests that you may fit well in the warrior class. But the choice will be yours." <><><><> >You press a button, which causes a blue light above it to wink on. [Saying "Please do not press that button again"? ] "I'll thank you not to call my friends barbarians" replies Kim, "And I like it on my world. Who or what is a Sebth? And what if I don't wish to become one?" -Kim- <><><><><> [GM] Terekpal frowns. "Of course your...friends... are barbarians. Is it not obvious? You can see where you are. We are civilized, technologically advanced. Your birth-world is one of depravity and ignorance. But you will more fully understand what it is you are being given once you see our worlds. You like your world because you have nothing else to compare it with. When you see our civilization, you will know how fortunate you are to be a Sebth. You ARE a Sebth, because you were born Sebth. Your genetic matrix makes you a Sebth. I wish I could speak with you at length right now. But I have pressing matters I must deal with. Do not worry. All will be explained to you as soon as possible. Normally it would be immediate, but we did not expect to find a Sebth on this expedition. This world very rarely produces Sebth. Mostly Tua, occasionally Shabaali and Wineye'i, sometimes others. Sebth, very rarely. You were obviously drawn by our beacon. An unexpected benefit. But I am sorry, I must go now. The Shabaali garrison sent a distress signal we were unable to block, so we must leave this system soon. Do not worry about anything. You will be provided for beyond your greatest hopes on this primitive world." With that, he leaves the room through a portal that opens and closes behind him. Leaving you alone with the prisoner, separated by that sound-proof force field. You realize that you are in effect a prisoner as well, though Terekpal obviously doesn't think of you that way. The mysterious, exotic-looking woman is sitting in lotus position on the floor of her cell. She regards you calmly, with a sad expression. <><><><> Kim looks unimpressed at the alien's rhetoric. "This `we are the master race' bit sounds a bit like a nutter on my own world. He ended up committing suicide in a hovel, amidst the ruins of his capital city. You may have better technology, but you've a lot to learn about being civilized." After she has been imprisoned, Kim will immediately examine the cell for any sign of an exit, or something that will help (but not really expecting to find anything - it's only in Hollywood that cells have convenient air ducts ). Having failed to find any exit, she will talk to the exotic-looking woman. "I'm Kim. Who are these people? What do they want with you." And, glancing down at her clothing, she'll grin. "I got called away rather urgently. I still don't know what happened." [assuming she's still in her night attire after the jaunts at the platform ] -Kim- <><><><><> [GM] The tall alien frowns at your statements. "I do not think you understand. Don't worry. You will understand. Again, I am sorry I have not the time now to explain this to you." After he leaves, you're right, there aren't any convenient air ducts or vents into the sewage system. There are a few buttons in the room, including the one that created the energy barrier. And one by the door. But nothing happens when you press either of them. Not surprising; you figure Terekpal probably turned off the controls so no lowly Earth barbarians could mess with their advanced, civilized Sebth machinery. Hmmph! The woman looks at you while you speak, without answering. She shakes her head, pointing at the translucent barrier. Then claps her hands to emphasize the point...you can't hear the clapping. You strained to hear something, but no sound passed through the barrier. ***nashiyaa alii Sebth sabaanoaya*** **alishu** nishi** **ha.*** she thinks. THINKS? You heard her thinking. At least, you feel sure it was her speaking, but her lips definitely weren't moving. And the "voice" faded in and out. From her casual posture, you don't think it was an attempt at communication. You seem to have inadvertently "eavesdropped" on her thoughts. Well why not? you think. Teleportation, why not telepathy? <><><><><> Kim slumps to the floor, and hugs her boney legs to her torso. Then she makes a concentrated effort to reach the woman's mind, whether she can understand the thoughts or not. She will also try the reverse, sending her thoughts to the woman. If any of this works, she will see if she can pick up any more thoughts within range. Otherwise, it looks as though escape will have to wait until their captors let them out. -Kim- <><><><><> [GM] You concentrate, and are rewarded with more thoughts from the woman. She is no longer thinking "verbally". She seems to be trying to calm herself; from your posture you'd say she's meditating. But she's not too successful at it; she is obviously under a great deal of stress, though she appears calm on the surface. And you sense a deeper sadness in her. The "static" continues to interfere with your ability to "hear" her thoughts. Experimentally, you think at her: **Hello, my name is Kim** Her eyes snap open and she stares at you. **Can you understand me?** you think. **Seeyashu niHa*** lu**isaf!** she thinks in alarm. Then her thoughts come in English: **You ar* **abaali! But how i* thi* ***sible? I saw you tele***t!** You sense rapid thoughts, zooming by too fast to get more than a glimmer. Then, in a rush, she thinks, **Liste* to me Kim! I kno* you don** underst*** the situation and have no wa* to know which of us to tr*** but you must get off **** ship! The Sebth will not le* you return to Ea*** soon if ever, and when they fin* ou* what you are it m** well bring catastro*** on your en**re planet! Tell me quick** do you kno* how to us* **ur powers well? Or did they just mani***t? And wi** you trust me? You MUST get **ay!** <><><><> **I don't know what I am** Kim thinks to her, **Until this morning, I was perfectly normal. Or, at least, as normal as everyone else** She pauses for a moment. **I will trust you. I do not trust these self- proclaimed `civilised' creatures. But how do we get away? I don't see any way out of this cell. Even if we could overpower a guard, I don't know how to get off this ship.** -Kim- <><><><><><> [GM] The woman closes her eyes, and you sense she is thinking, considering possibilities. Finally she opens them and gazes at you. **Ther* is not enou** time to *each you to men**ll* influen** the Seb** But you may be able ** **leport out. Not fr*m here; I'm sure **ey have safe** devic** that prevent any**e **om telepo**in* out of the shi* We must ge* you to their jump plat***m. If I can be fr*** from here, I can perh**s contr** the mind of on* *f the cr**** She shudders at the last statement; you sense it is something abhorent to her. Meanwhile, you have to concentrate to "hear" her thoughts through whatever mental static is blocking them, and you're starting to get a headache. **They ha** a psi***reen in thi* cell to block ** **lepathy. I can do noth*** unl**s I can get out. I don** think you can es**pe withou* my help** More thinking. **I don** know your pow** level...but if **u lin* in a **esta** with me, I **ght be able to ***ter enough po**er to **cus through your mind and influence a Sebth, long **ough to make her **ee me. Fir** *ou w***d hav* to ***e a commotion, to bri** someone in. **en you w*uld **ve to al**w me to ente* your mind, **eply, and use you *o "s**ike" at the crew**rson. Then we wo*ld have to **ckly overpow** ***. And then som**o* get to the **mp platf**m. Su*ce**ing at ANY of these t**ks is highl* qu**tion*bl*. She regards you calmly, for another short time, then thinks again: You wou** be taki** many risk*, Kim. And I mu** be hon**t, if you le* the Seb** take y**, you wi** not be in an* dange*. They will not **streat you. You are trus***g me a very gr**t deal if we att*mp* this. Are you sure? <><><><><> [I don't think Kim would have recognised the word `gestalt' even if it had come through ungarbled . However, she gets the general idea] > Are you sure? **Yes** thinks Kim, **I do not trust the others, these Sebth you speak of. Are you ready?** Assuming she is, Kim will appear to have a fit, writhing and screaming. As soon as someone enters, she will let the woman into her mind (or, more accurately, she won't oppose her - she has no idea *how* to let someone into her mind!). As soon as the crewman appears to be affected by whatever is done to him, Kim will kick him hard in the stomach (not in the groin, in case he isn't human or male enough for that. Hmm, reminds me of "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered country" ). Once he is subdued, she will help the woman out and they will try to get to the platform. -Kim- <><><><><><> [GM] [Yup, well, the woman obviously didn't consider that. ] You thrash and scream, rolling on the ground, and kick the door for good measure. Nothing happens at first, and you think maybe they aren't monitoring you at all and you're wasting your time. But after a few minutes, the tall, pale man you saw when you arrived enters the room, looking at you with a bit of irritation. He reaches for you, and you wait for the woman behind the force screen to do something. She does: she doesn't exactly enter your mind, but formulates...something...in hers. You can't envision it or describe it, the process is totally alien to you, but she wordlessly expresses the concept that she cannot use the power herself, can only focus it and allow you to pull it from her and wield it. A clumsy analogy, but your mind seems to be adjusting to the situation, even if you can't completely understand what's going on in real terms. It's as if she is creating a weapon that you have to take from her and use, as she guides your arm. You reach out and take the telepathic construct...as you reach into her mind again, you sense something else; even for the effort she is putting forth in her own mind, without trying to push it beyond the barrier herself, she is enduring a hideous amount of pain. Whatever is causing the static that obscures communication is retaliating viciously against her efforts to focus her own power. Following her mental directions, blindly, you "push" the construct at the other alien, even as you notice that his hand is on your arm now, and you feel an odd tingling sensation where he touches you. Not unpleasant; the reverse, in fact. But strange. The thought that was formed in her mind and transmitted through yours is **FREE ME** Formulated without words, but as a compulsion. The tall, slender man hesitates. Frowns. Looks down at you. Looks at her. And slowly walks over to the energy screen. Still hesitating. **Push har**r!** the woman urges you. You try your best. He reaches out and presses the button that you pressed earlier without effect. The energy field disappears, and the woman leaps forward. He immediately yells and draws something from his belt, as you lunge at him. An adrenalin rush like none you've ever felt before surges through you. You move towards him so quickly, he seems to be moving in slow motion. Your foot slams into his midsection, and he doubles over, falls to hands and knees, then curls up in a ball, retching. The woman stands, sweat covering her face. She looks down at the gasping, heaving man with genuine pity. "So violent," she says, looking at you reproachfully. <><><><><> "He'll recover", says Kim non-commitally, "He should be thankful I wasn't in track shoes. Can you mentally knock him out so we can escape?" [Assuming that, between them, they can render the guard immobile and incommunicado] With that, she will cautiously look out of the cell to see if the coast is clear. If it is, Kim will follow the woman's lead to the platform. -Kim- <><><><><><><> [GM] The woman looks at you, seemingly a bit shaken, but rapidly gets a hold of herself. She reaches down and touches the twitching alien, and he gently subsides into an inert posture. Rising, she looks at you with eyes that are slanted, Oriental-fashion, but very wide. She really is exceptionally beautiful, you notice. You wonder just what these "civilized" Sebth planned to do with her; you wouldn't like to think of what her fate would be as a captured prisoner of most Terran armies. Or what yours would be, for that matter. "I must admit", she says calmly, "I have no brilliant plan of escape. I think this is only a small raider- if so, we may be able to reach their jump platform before the entire crew is alerted. Then we may be able to operate it so you can teleport away. Many uncertainties. If I am wrong and we are aboard a large battleship, we will never find an egress in time. Should we be prevented from escaping, deal with me as you did the Atla, as violently as possible. Tell them you felt me overwhelm your mind." You're not sure you remember exactly how you came to this room from the one in which you arrived, but you know it wasn't far. Up a ladder, down a hallway and turn to the...right? <><><><><> Kim leads the woman back the way they came, at least as well as she remembers. She will try to keep them out of the way of other people. If they make it to the pad, she'll hope the woman knows how to operate it! -Kim- <><><><><> [GM] She follows you, as the two of you move stealthily towards where you hope the exit platform is located. You hear an increase in the humming that permeates the walls of the corridor. You arrive at a ladder leading down to what you think is the room you started in. Just as two Sebth come running up, one from each end of the corridor. "Yatkb! Nekrip ilk!" one of them yells, drawing one of those rayguns. <><><><><> "Quick! Hurry" Kim will urge, dropping down the ladder rather than climbing it (assuming the floor isn't far away). A fight will only lead to their quick recapture. -Kim- <><><><><> [GM] The woman follows you, with admirable agility. This seems to be the same room you arrived in. Your friend peers about the room, looking at the various control panels that exist, and puts a hand to her forehead. "I don't know....they must have some sort of emergency mechanism, but I've never been on a Sebth ship before..." The two Sebth warriors from the hallway blink into the room, not ten feet from you. They rapidly shift into an alert posture, taking in their immediate surroundings. You have about half a second to react... <><><><><> Kim immediately tries to take out at least one of the Sebth warriors, by judo-throwing him into his companion. She hopes that the woman will find the emergency control before reinforcements arrive. -Kim- <><><><><> [GM] Your judo throw doesn't work as well as you'd hoped...he obviously has some experience with hand-to- hand combat, and counters your hold. But not your punch, which smashes into his jaw. He staggers back, bloodied but not beaten...until you grab him and throw him, successfully this time. He crashes into a wall and slumps, not quite unconscious, but with the fight taken out of him for the moment. You turn, and see your friend similarly employing some kind of martial arts throw on the other man. She executes her technique more fluently than you, pinning an armored arm and throwing her attacker back against the wall. She raises her hand as if to slam the edge of it across the bridge of his nose...and hesitates. This man is also a trained fighter, and takes advantage of her moment of indecision. His foot lashes out and catches her between the legs, causing her to cry out and fall to her knees. As he prepares to bring a fist down on the back of her skull, you leap forward and deck him with a right cross. As he blinks and looks dazed, you grab his ears and slam his mostly- bald head against the wall. He collapses. The woman gasps with pain as you help her up. "How...how could you defeat...two Sebth warriors?" she asks. "You can't be...so strong, or so skilled..." At another time, you'd probably be celebrating yourself...you know you're stronger and faster than you look, but a blue belt in judo certainly doesn't account for being able to beat up two huge men who are both trained fighters themselves. However, the way these people move, you suspect later would be a better time to discuss your unexpected victory. Before another dozen teleport in. "How about the jump platform?" you ask her, with as much urgency as your voice ever betrays. "The platform...is not what teleports people out. It only facilitates those who have that power themselves. You." She takes a deep breath, and closes her eyes for a moment. Concentrating. "I have it. I think." She moves to a panel on the wall (not a control console, like in Star Trek), and pushes it up, revealing buttons underneath. She presses a sequence of three. "Emergency manual controls...I hope they have not set them to respond only to crew, as they did in our room." She gestures for you to stand on the platform, which you do. She quickly joins you, and puts her arms around you. "You are not an experienced teleporter," she explains hastily. "IF you can bring me along at all....which is not at all certain, close physical proximity will make it easier." Her eyes meet yours, with that calm gaze of hers. "I don't know where we are, though I believe their safety systems will not let you teleport naked into a vacuum, or a solid object. If you get out, and cannot bring me with you, you...I don't know what you can do. I have not enough time to explain much to you. Stay hidden, do not use your powers, for at least a few days. They are leaving soon, I think. But someone will be back to look for you...hopefully it will be my people. I'm sorry, Kimberly, you are facing things you can't understand. Good luck." All this came to you in far less time than it would take to speak it aloud, and you realize she is speaking telepathically. This also carries the sincerity of her wishes, and genuine concern for your well-being. She gives you a kiss, to your surprise. The telepathic connection makes her feelings very open to you, and you sense that there is nothing sexual implied by the act. Apparently she is used to casual displays of affection, on a level that would make most Terrans very uncomfortable. Saving such speculations for a less hazardous time and place, you concentrate, not sure exactly how you go about teleporting deliberately...but you try to summon whatever mental energies let you read your friend's mind, and strike out at the...Atla, she called him...and visualize disappearing from this room. A wrenching sensation rips your body in half, or so it seems. The world goes black and red around you, and you feel an unbearable pain deep in your skull. Every cell in your body seems to rip in half, as your brain seems to be dragging a thousand-ton weight attached to its cortex while you sprint uphill. Wind or space or something roars past you as you are whipped along a tunnel. All that lasts for less than an instant, though it seemed to go on forever. And suddenly you can't breathe. You are gasping for breath, before you realize you're underwater. Without thinking you kick for the surface, and burst into air with a gasp, choking and sputtering as salty water vacates your mouth and nose. Still only semi-coherent, and wincing from the memory of that awful jump (?), which has left all your extremities tingling and numb (or is that from the cold water you are now floating in?), you see a dark shape in the water near you, sinking rapidly. <><><><><> Kim will dive for the dark shape, attempting to bring it to the surface. Assuming it's the woman, she will attempt to get her breathing - although artificial respiration is difficult when floating in water! When back on the surface, she will try to work out where she is. Is there any land nearby? -Kim- <><><><><> [GM] Yes, it's your friend. With difficulty, you apply pressure below her ribcage to force most of the water out of her, and are relieved to hear her gasp and choke roughly. At least you won't have to try to give mouth-to-mouth while in the water. Holding her up, as she is still semi-conscious, you tread water and look around. The scene is familiar after only a moment- especially since you can still see unusually well for nighttime. Perhaps two miles from you are the tall buildings of San Francisco, glittering and lovely. On the opposite shore is Oakland. You're in the middle of the Bay! As you ponder this (and whether you can make it to either shore...it's pretty cold, though fortunately nothing like the Atlantic!), you sense a vast disturbance in the water beneath you. A wave front pushes against you, sending you bobbing several yards towards Oakland. (You also notice the Bay Bridge, as you regain your orientation...it's a lot closer and you could perhaps get to one of its support struts, though you don't know if there would be a ladder or something that would let you get up onto the bridge itself.) The surface of the water suddenly bulges hugely. As you watch, the water parts to reveal gleaming metal. A large metallic sphere, reflective and perfectly featureless as far as you can tell, rises into the air without a sound. It looks to be perhaps twenty yards in diameter. It reaches a height of about fifty feet, and pauses, hanging silently in the air. The water around you suddenly boils...literally! You feel a "whoosh" of hot air rush past you, followed by a cloud of steam that will probably raise blisters in places. The water roils and sizzles around you, though remarkably little heat is getting to you directly. You are tossed and dunked up and down repeatedly, as large volumes of water are vaporized, only to be replaced by the surrounding mass rushing to fill the void. Barely, you hang onto your friend, hoping neither of you will end up as impromptu lobsters. When the cloud of steam finally dissipates, the metal sphere is gone.