FINN & LISA IN VIRGINIA [Finn and Lisa, after subduing the mad Jamaican metahuman Phoenix, have brought him to the government's secret metahuman research facility in Virginia.] [GM] The plane flight to Virginia isn't long; you land at what appears to be a private airfield in the middle of some gently rolling hills, near a large ranchhouse. Finn picks up all kinds of vibes from this place; the place reeks of The Government. Men in Black, scientists, and countless bureaucrats...just the sort of place you imagined a Top Secret Government Agency would be based in. You can also sense the presence of several more metahumans within. Finn doesn't feel any immediate danger, though. The worst of your paranoid Steven King-inspired fears of secretive government agencies don't seem about to manifest. These people are covert and probably ruthlessly efficient when need be, but nothing suggests that you're about to walk into a trap. Which doesn't mean that everything is wonderful. More than a few minds DO radiate the sort of cold-bloodedness, or fanatical patriotic fervor, or delusional self-righteousness, that could turn them into government- sanctioned murderers when necessary. And from some of the metahumans, though you can't fix on them immediately, you sense a combination of despair and submerged malice. There's also a residual aura of something...familiar. You can't quite figure out what it is, but it bothers you. Lisa, oblivious to all the extra-sensory impressions Finn is receiving, sees only a group of men driving out in a modified golf cart to meet the plane. The skies are grey and cloudy, ready to rain without her help. <><><><><> Lisa: She will follow the agents, hopefully they know where they're going. Also she will look around as she goes toward the top secret facility. [ OOC: Not snooping, just curious. ] " Lousy weather. Hmmm ... I wonder if I could fix that. " She muses aloud as they walk over to the modified golf cart. <><><><><> % Finn % [how successful was Finn at building up some shields while on the plane?] Finn tasted the mental aura of the facility with distaste, but didn't speak. She'd been unusually quiet and subdued during the whole plane trip, and her attitude didn't seem to change once they were on the ground. Once off the plane however, she dragged Slopes off a ways away from the others and spoke to him quietly. "So, you gonna tell them now, or just keep the peace and let things lie?" <><><><><> [GM] Finn began to make some progress, or so it seemed. After concentrating for a while, the babble of mental voices and the uninvited sensory impressions from everything around her began to recede somewhat, though not fade completely. Now and then a particularly strong thought (usually from Lisa, who has quite an energetic personality despite her easy-going and light-hearted manner) or vibrant impression (the plane "remembered" lightning storms quite vividly, and it didn't ease your peace of mind when the image of the wing being damaged during a flight across Tennessee last year suddenly intruded on your thoughts) would overwhelm Finn's attempts to create some peace and quiet for herself, but the attempt to instill some mental discipline seemed to show promise. Slopes blinks when Finn takes him aside. "Umm. I hadn't even thought about it that much, actually. If I do have this...cloaking power, it seems to be pretty passive. I'll bring it up eventually, since it could be useful. But frankly, I prefer working as an ordinary federal agent. You people actually get paid more than I do- or you will, if you decide to work for us. But I've always preferred investigations and undercover work. I'm not sure I want to be labelled a metahuman myself. Especially since right now, you're the *only* person who can verify that's what I am." <><><><><> % Finn % Finn lost it. Completely. Hazel eyes flared with anger up at Slopes, and she shook with terrible rage. "You would *PREFER*? YOU WOULD *PREFER*?!?! "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, you f***ing bastard!" Finn lashed out with her backpack, not wanting to risk injuring her guitar. She had at least that much sense. She swung it at him, not fully expecting it to hit him, but desperately hoping it would. "Well, I for one would *PREFER* to stay living as a goddamned folk singer! But I haven't got any bloody choice, do I? I would *PREFER* not to be labelled as a metahuman too ... who gives a fu...freak about the money! "You're not an ordinary federal agent any more, no more than I am an ordinary folk singer any more. Hell, you could have *more* of these goddamned p...powers, ones that I can't sense because I can't get past that blasted mind-shielded thick skull you have!" She half-swung at him again, sure that the other agents, if not Lisa, might be bearing down on her at this minute, but she didn't care, didn't see them, focused only on Frederick Slopes in front of her. She was crying, and she didn't know why, didn't want to know why. "You let Gemann sit there and ... and Lisa too ... you let both of them lecture to *me* about my freakin' *Responsibility* and how I have to use my pow...powers for _Good_, and how I have to have Training, and then help any more tele...telepaths you get here, and YOU, *you* sit there not saying a goddamned word!" Finn shook her head, clamping down on her anger, banking her fury once more inside of her until it warmed her as much as Jack's flames must have warmed him. She took a deep breath, and just *looked* at Slopes, her eyes glittering with more than tears. "Go to Hell, Slopes." She turned around, and began to walk toward the golf cart, controlled anger marking each pace upon the tarmac. <><><><><> [GM] Slopes holds up his arms to fend off Finn's furious assault, but makes no move to counter or restrain her. He just stares at her, in astonished confusion, as she stalks away and is intercepted by Lisa. <><><><><> Lisa: At the sound of Finn's voice she turns and watches as Finn lashes out at Agent Slopes. Deep regret shades her thoughts as Lisa realizes she is partly to blame for this. Waiting until Finn is done ripping him into small bloody strips. [ OOC: Figurativaly not literally ] She gazes at Agent Slopes, the dragon within looking out from her smoldering eyes, for a moment. Shaking her head at him she resumes walking towards the golf cart trying to catch up to Finn. " Finn, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lectured you on the plane. I'm not going to give you some lame excuse; what's done is done. All I can promise is that I'll try never to lecture you again unless you ask me for my advice. Truthfully I never meant to hurt you this way ! If your angry you have every right to be, I was wrong. Will you please forgive me? " Lisa's voice is thick with emotion and her thoughts are deeply distressed. Causing harm to someone she considers a friend is anathema to everything she believes and feels. She waits for Finn's answer embarrassed at the mess she has made of things and determined to put it right if she can. <><><><><> % Finn % Lisa's desperate attempts to apologize to Finn went ignored at first. Her words had little effect against the banked coals inside the folk singer's mind. Her thoughts however, and her deeply felt emotions, had much more of an impact. After a few more steps, just when they had reached the cart, Finn dropped her backpack on the ground, and with it went a lot of the tension that had been in her shoulders. "Okay Lisa, please, *please* stop it. God, you're practically radiating guilt so much you *glow*. It's just too much stress, and you're not to blame. Really." She finally looked around to face Lisa at this point, and a small smile attempted to make itself known on her face. "Really," she repeated, reaching out and touching Lisa on her shoulder. "None of us are used to this, and I just lost it. At least I didn't lose it when it counted, right? Just give me some time, I'll figure this out on my own. Okay?" <><><><><> Lisa: She smiles faintly at Finn her embarrassement fading being replaced by a weary self depreciating amusement. " Thank you. Sometimes I just put my foot in my mouth. " ( A really bizarre image of her in her dragon form comes to mind. ) " Okay. If you would rather figure this out for yourself go for it. It's difficult for me to just stand by and watch. But remember this if you do want help I'm here and willing to help you. That's what friends are for. And I do consider you a friend. " She says quietly to Finn. Deep concern, for Finn, continues to simmer in Lisa's mind. Her desire to help, comfort and yes even give advice is at war with her promise to Finn. She holds any thoughts of unwanted advice to herself so as to let Finn seek her own destiny. She waits to see where they're going. <><><><><> [GM] The agents lead you into the ranchhouse, with trepidatious looks at Finn. You find that although the structure looks like an ordinary, comfortable dwelling from the outside, inside it resembles a large office building, and you immediately realize that it's cleverly constructed so that it gives the impression of being much smaller than it really is. Lawrence is trundled downstairs, followed by Agent Gemann, Finn, and Lisa. Slopes brings up the rear. The lower level they take you to greatly resembles an underground prison ward...a narrow corridor lined on either side by reinforced steel doors set into concrete walls. There are signs of recent construction. Lawrence is being taken into one of these concrete-lined rooms, but Finn staggers suddenly. [to Finn] The agents lead you into the ranchhouse, with trepidatious looks at Finn. You find that although the structure looks like an ordinary, comfortable dwelling from the outside, inside it resembles a large office building, and you immediately realize that it's cleverly constructed so that it gives the impression of being much smaller than it really is. Lawrence is trundled downstairs, followed by Agent Gemann, Finn, and Lisa. Slopes brings up the rear. The lower level they take you to greatly resembles an underground prison ward...a narrow corridor lined on either side by reinforced steel doors set into concrete walls. There are signs of recent construction. Lawrence is being taken into one of these concrete-lined rooms, but Finn staggers suddenly. **Comatose minds, struggling to claw their way out of drug-induced stupor, unsuccessfully, despair, life draining away strapped to a hospital-style bed with an IV drip keeping them in a state of living death.... ...*Kill everyone kill f***ing EVERYONE let me get up and I'll f***ing waste people right and left let me OUT* from someone whose aura could be that of the Grim Reaper himself, Finn senses this man, only yards away and seperated by two feet of concrete, his room is kept in total darkness as an added precaution, even though he's as drugged as the rest- he HAS killed people right and left, his deadly power lurks within, waiting to be unleashed, a lethal black pool of death, capable of sucking the life out of anyone it touches, directed with a thought by the psychopath possessing it, a psychopath who spent his entire life being abused, beaten, raped- Finn's stomach twists at what he's been through, and the monster he's become-** With a shudder, Finn manages to shut out the images assailing her, because there are other men in other rooms, and they have equally horrific pasts- blood-drenched careers hit her, she sees murders, rapes, torture, arson, drugs and corruption- and all of them have powers, like Lawrence, willing to slaughter anyone in their way and possessing the power to do it. Somehow, the government managed to collect the worst of the worst in this place...Lawrence, simply driven mad and obsessed with vengeance by personal tragedy, seems almost an innocent by comparison.] <><><><><> % Finn % ** ohgodohgodohgodohmyGOD! ** Finn thought as she staggered, both mentally and physically. She thought of being sick, but realized she'd not eaten anything since that bagel this morning, and likely there wouldn't be anything to get up. "...no..." she mumbled, closing her eyes, her face gone white, her skin clammy with sweat. "I can't stay here..." she stated, her head shaking, whipping, from side to side. "...oh god the thoughts! Nooooooooooo..." she shouted, fading into a pitiful wail as she scrambled away from the minds she heard, dragging herself up the stairs they had just descended, away from the drugged, imprisoned metahumans below. <><><><><> Lisa: Lisa watches, for a moment, as Finn come apart under the lash of the imprisoned metahumans' thoughts. She turns to the agents and says: " Get him in the cell. I'll take Finn upstairs and wait for you. " She goes over to Finn and picks her up and carries her up the stairs. Once up above she stops and tries to calm Finn. She will set her down either once they get to the top of the stairs or as soon as Finn asks her to. She waits for the agents to join them. " Finn concentrate on my thoughts shut out everything else. They can't get at you they're drugged and locked up. " Lisa concentrates on reasuring Finn. Thinking only of the vivid powerful dreams of flight that she has had since she can remember. Letting Finn see how much fun flying is to her in her dragon form. She tries to think only of these thoughts to comfort her. <><><><><> % Finn % Finn struggled briefly against Lisa's grip, but her mind was too enfolded in the minds of those within the facility to provide much resistance. Only when they were far enough away for her to no longer immediately sense them did she return to herself, taking deep breaths, trying to relax. She shook her head at Lisa's words. "It's not that I think they'll be able to get me, Lisa. It's just ... *them*. Their minds ... God, it's worse than Lawrence, a hundred-fold worse! And that was just one ... there are others, more, filled with thoughts that would make your hair turn white." She reached out and took a strand of her own hair, as if checking to see if hers hand changed. "I know they're drugged ... but they still have thoughts, primal thoughts. Their minds are concentrated only on death, destruction, rage." Finn paused, looking down the way she had just been carried, wondering if the agents were nearby. "I can't go back down there. I can't block them out. The tiny shields I worked on on the plane aren't strong enough, even concentrating on your mind or Slopes' mind wouldn't be enough." <><><><><> Lisa: " It was worth a try. I told them we would wait here for them. So long as there are no explosions or screams for help that's exactly what I plan on doing. As for you, no one is going to make you go back down there. " She says savagely. [ OOC: Is there anyone nearby ? ] <><><><><> [GM] There are people wandering all around, though no one is right next to you at the moment. A few are giving you and Finn curious looks. After a few moments, Agent Slopes can be seen coming up the stairs. <><><><><> Lisa: " Agent Slopes is everything allright ? What do we do next ? " Lisa asks. <><><><><> [GM] "Are you all right, Ms. Colvin?" Slopes asks. "We didn't realize the....environment would have such an effect on you. Lawrence is being hooked up now, I think he's secure. Why don't we take you upstairs, and get you some water or tea or something?" <><><><><> % Finn % Finn looked up as Lisa addressed the Agent, then managed a bitter chuckle. "I think that's supposed to be his question, Lisa. I'm fine, just a bit shook up." She stood up and rubbed at her arms, as if suddenly cold. Her eyes wouldn't meet Slopes' as she spoke to him. "I...I can't go back down there. Whether or not they're drugged, they're still thinking. Or not thinking, but I can sense what they are, the emotions they have, and .... and it's just too much." She shuddered again, her arms rubbing more vigorously. "How many are down there, anyway?" <><><><><> [GM] message lost- Slopes offers to take them upstairs for some refreshments. <><><><><> % Finn % Standing up, Finn brushed off the dirt from her legs and rear, and nodded at Slopes. "Well, it's not like I had any idea of what to expect either," she said, a hint of challenge in her voice for the briefest of moments. "And while tea would be great, some food might be better. I've not eaten since late last night, except for a bagel this morning, and I didn't eat much of it." She smiled at Lisa, then turned back to the tall agent. "You didn't answer me ... just how many of them are down there?" <><><><><> Lisa: " Some food would be nice. My lunch was interupted partway through. It might actually be nice to sit down for a while without having my clothing torched. " She adds with a slight smile. <><><><><> [GM] "A meal, sure, no problem." Slopes looks over his shoulder at Finn as he heads upstairs. "Counting Lawrence, now we have six. Obviously, we can't keep bringing all our captured metahumans to this facility. I understand some kind of high-tech prison is being built even as we speak." He takes you to a conference room, and within minutes, a tray of sandwiches, bagels, chips, fruit, and assorted drinks is provided. <><><><><> Lisa: She takes some fruit, a sandwich, and fruitjuice for her lunch. Eating her lunch reasonably fast she finishes quickly. Then leans back for a moment and looks around. " Well, at least I got to finish this meal clothed. " She says jokingly. " Now that we've had our meal do we go to the labs ? " She inquires. " This should be interesting no matter how they have it set up. " She comments thoughtfully. <><><><><> [GM] Slopes smiles slightly at Lisa's comment. Distanced somewhat from the twisted minds of the metahuman criminals below, Finn is already perceiving the beautiful Chinese woman's effect on the men around her. Not Slopes, of course; his thoughts remain as impenetrable as always. But very few men fail to eye Lisa surreptitiously as she passes by. Lisa seems to be either unaware of how lovely she is, or else accepts it without much thought. Finn wonders if the small woman realizes how many men ARE undressing her, in their thoughts. In the conference room, though, it's just Lisa, Finn and Slopes, followed shortly by Gemann. Who has also noted Lisa's attractiveness, but the image of that twenty-foot dragon she turned into has a much greater significance in his mind. "We can go meet the scientists if you're in that much of a hurry," Slopes says. Looking at Finn with a carefully neutral expression, he asks "How are you feeling now, Ms. Colvin?" <><><><><> % Finn % Finn seemed much more relaxed as they sat in the conference room, even allowing her mind to wander slightly as she picked up a bagel first, and began to tear it into small pieces as she ate it. She asked for tea if it wasn't available, surprising herself with requesting an herbal blend she had tried once called "Constant Comment." "I don't need a lot of caffeine right now," she explained, though mostly to herself. If it was unavailable, she just shrugged and took whatever else they had to offer. After the bagel was devoured in that manner, she started on a sandwich and some chips, again surprising herself by eating two sandwiches, and then the fruit. "I don't usually eat this much," she said with surprise, "I guess it's just the stress, or maybe the ... power," she finished lamely, quieting herself by turning back to her food. She smiled at Lisa as the woman's thoughts were voiced, her anxiousness to be tested, to meet the scientists, to explore more of her new abilities. Slopes' careful expression and question caught her attention, and she glanced at him a moment before answering. "I'm better, thanks for asking," she replied with a feigned hint of bored distaste. Her face cleared up and she reached down to pick up her guitar case, and started to remove the instrument. "I'm not ready to go and meet with any of your scientists now, though. You can take Lisa if you want, but I think I'll just stay here for a bit, if it's all the same to you." She placed the case back on the floor, and began to tune the guitar, her face taking on a myriad of expressions as she did so. She appeared to tune out the others in the room as the notes changed their pitch through her attentions, but halfway through she looked up again. "I need a bit more rest, if it's allowed. I don't think I could be poked and prodded right now, or rather, *should* be. I wouldn't be held responsible for anything I might do if that happened." While her words may have sounded threatening, her tone and demeanor definitely were not. Merely a statement of facts as she knew them. Finn had sensed that she had just about reached her limits, and anything further might cause more outbursts ... whether in anger or in fear or in some other emotion she didn't want to deal with. "That okay with you?" <><><><><> [GM] "Not a problem," Gemann says. "We can give you a guest room to sleep in, if you like. Or you can stay here, whichever you prefer." **Why the hell's she keep lookin' at Fred with that sulky glare? First she was practically clinging to him, now she avoids him. Damn temperamental 'artistes'....** Gemann isn't too self-conscious about Finn picking up his thoughts anymore. The subliminal message in his thoughts is **If you look in my head, tough s*** if you don't like what you see** And, a little deeper **gotta make sure to keep Ed and Hughes and the other 'Shop' guys away from her...** He looks at Lisa. "If you want to begin testing immediately, I'm sure the eggheads can't wait to start, uh, poking and prodding. Figuratively speaking, of course." Though the image that enters Gemann's mind is not at all figurative. <><><><><> Lisa: " I wouldn't say I was in a hurry to meet your scientists but I see no reason to delay the inevitable. We can begin at any time. " She replies to Agent Slopes. " Finn. I'll be around if you need someone to talk to. " She says quietly. " Let's go meet your mad scientists Agent Gemann. I'm ready. " " I don't see any reason to delay. The sooner I get started the sooner I finish. " " Besides I'm really interested in their rational explanation of how my powers work. I mean I realize they're not supernatural. But fitting them into an orderly view of the universe is going to take some doing. " She says with a smile. <><><><><> % Finn % "I'll stay here for now. If I get tired, I can crash in one of the chairs. It won't be the first time I've slept sitting up," she half-smiled, and went back to tuning her guitar. Gemann's thoughts still reached her though, and she had only one comment back at him. **> Slopes knows why ... all you have to do is ask him ... <** She wondered who Ed and Hughes were, but let that lie without further probing, concentrating instead on the beginning notes of the song she was trying to play. % "I'm riding on a wave in the ocean, I'm riding on a wave of emotion, I'm riding on a wave to see what I can see. I'm holding on to you for comfort, I'm holding on to you for comfort, If I let you go, oh will I swim or sink?" % Her voice began as strong as always, finding the right tune, pitch, and vigor with a combination of natural ability and long, hard practice. It did take a few notes before the guitar became as strong an accompaniment as was needed for Finn's voice. % "You said you'd always be here for me, So I never had to be here for myself. Security sometimes can be so believable, You never know that you're in Hell. You never know that you're in Hell. I'm riding on a wave in the ocean, I'm riding on a wave of emotion, I'm riding on a wave and I am far from land. I'm reaching out for you to save me, I'm reaching out for you to save me, I'm reaching out, won't you hold out your hands?" % Her eyes closed, she began to rock slightly in the chair she had pushed away from the table, feeling the music, not noticing if the others had left or stayed. % "I thought we'd always be safe from the storm, And now the rain has come again. I'm looking for a haven safe and warm, I find it inside the lion's den. I find it inside the lion's den. I'm riding on a wave in the ocean, I'm riding on a wave of emotion, I'm riding on a wave to see what I can see." % * She repeated the last three lines over three times, ending on a long note, drawing out the song for a moment as the chord from the guitar faded, then opened her eyes to see if anyone remained in the room. Finn was decidedly more relaxed now, though not completely at ease. More songs would cure that right up, she hoped, and with or without an audience, went into her next one. [which will be written up tomorrow. :)] * - copyright Cynthia Kerr/Strings Attached Publishing. The duo is called Open Mind, and they're from Canada. <><><><><> [GM] [to Lisa] Agent Gemann leads you to a suite of offices, where he introduces you to an elderly doctoral-looking fellow named Dr. Culbrand. "We're very pleased you've agreed to let us examine you, Ms. Chang," Dr. Culbrand says. "Given what I've heard of your powers, I'm sure the field agents such as Mr. Gemann are extremely eager to recruit you for your combat abilities." He looks mildly amused, possibly at the thought of Agent Gemann and his macho field team being accompanied into battle by a diminutive aerobics instructor. "We're fascinated at the possibilities of what your powers might indicate about metahumans, though. We know of several metahumans with superhuman strength and invulnerability, and we've seen some shapechanging abilities before, but nothing like yours. Can you really turn into a Chinese dragon?" "Umm, the first thing we want to do, standard procedure, is a complete physical examination, including blood tests. Then we'll want to go through a series of standard testing and evaluation procedures to establish a baseline measurement of your physical and mental abilities. We generally don't conduct any physically exerting tests on the first day. Ah, you were planning to stay overnight, weren't you?" <><><><><> Lisa: " Learning anything I can about my powers is the first thing and I have no objection if that research benefits the government as well. About combat, well, I really don't like violence. I'm not certain I'd make all that good an agent. But if I can enter combat with a fair chance that I will survive then I'd be interested in at least trying to help out. If that means fighting these psychos then I'll try my best. Otherwise I'll do what I can to help with your studies of metahuman powers. " She answers in a serious tone of voice. > "We know of several metahumans with superhuman strength and invulnerability, and we've seen some shapechanging abilities before, but nothing like yours. Can you really turn into a Chinese dragon?" < " Yes. If you like I'll demonstrate for you when your ready. I've only changed into a dragon once so far. But changing back took only a thought; so changing into my dragon form shouldn't be too hard. When I looked in the mirror my dragon form was clearly a classical chinese dragon straight from mythology. I was definitely in that form. It felt very different from my human form. But in a weird sort of way it was very familiar, almost comfortable. Just tell me when you want me to change to my dragon form. " > "Ah, you were planning to stay overnight, weren't you?" < " Yes I was. If you want me around I can spend several days here while you do your tests. Or if I reach some sort of agreement with the government I might be around even longer than that. " She replies. " We can start with the physical whenever you want. I'm in pretty good physical condition from my job as an aerobics instructor. I have to admit I'm very curious about what you might turn up. " Lisa says with barely restained enthusiasm. <><><><><> % Finn % Seeing that she was finally, truly alone ... at least physically, and for the moment, mentally ... Finn got up and began to pace the small conference room, picking out a few chords as she retuned the guitar, trying to figure out which song to play next. She stopped when she had it, and the chords began, and moved only a few more steps back and forth as it continued, letting her emotions out to vent this time through song. % "I got a chrome-plated heart I got wings on these fingers trying to tear it apart I got angels crying from up above And they got rust in their eyes They got rust on their love But I have learned to leave no stone unturned And keep the wall against my back And the love is real as the day is long And the night is black As black as night I got a two dollar stare Midas in my touch and Delilah in my hair I got bad intentions on the soles of my shoes With this red hot fever and these chromium blues And I will feel another lovers wheel And drive for miles and not look back And the love is real as the day is long And the night is black As black as night And I'll chance in time and the times are rough And I'll pay the price and I'll pray that it's enough And just outside the door where it always rains I'll take the time to polish these scratches and these stains On my chrome plated heart Wings on these fingers trying to tear it apart I got angels crying from up above And they got rust in their eyes And rust on their love And the only way I know where the train will go Is when I'm sleeping on the tracks And the love is real as the day is long And the night is black As black as night And the night is black As black as night." * Finn felt relaxed finally, if not really happy. Melissa Etheridge always did that to her ... cleansed her soul, especially the early stuff. She smiled, and fingers a few notes on the strings, playing. After playing Melissa, she always felt like playing one of her more amusing songs, one of the funny ones that were only requested by the fans who knew her, knew her lighter side. Most of the depressives always sat in the front row, and they would always ask for the depressing songs. She switched the tuning once more, and then pulled out her songbook out of her backpack. She had just finished that song Walt had inspired - little did he know! -- and she felt like playing it now. She sat down on the couch that was on one wall, setting the sheets on the low table in front of her, and began to play. % "I sold my old Camaro I sold my fishing boat A friend said he would co-sign On a small commercial loan So I shopped around until I found A rig within my means And I put fifteen-thousand dollars down On the Kenworth of my dreams My sister's husband helped me out When we took the thing apart And every bolt and piston I knew them all by heart We cleaned her out and painted her And brought her up to speed And I proudly put my name Upon the Kenworth of my dreams Now sometimes late out on some interstate I hear those sad country songs True love found, true love gone Lately I just turn the damn thing off A lof of folks shook their heads Convinced that I'd lost mine They said living in a god-damned truck Is just a waste of time That to spend your life behind the wheel Ain't as great as it might seem I just thanked them all and left one night In the Kenworth of my dreams But sometimes late out on some interstate I hear those sad country songs True love found, true love gone Lately I just turn the damn thing off But business it's been pretty good And I've no cause to complain I haul bourbon up to Buffalo And frozen foods to Maine Toxic waste or Quaker State It's all the same to me I'll go anywhere for anything In the Kenworth of my dreams I'll go anywhere for anything In the Kenworth of my dreams I'll go anywhere for anything In the Kenworth of my dreams." ** Finn let the final notes just play out, and set the guitar aside for a moment. She had a dream about Walt recently ... the song brought it back. Was it one of those precognitive ones? It was just a vague memory really, but since so much had happened since then, she wondered. She sighed and leaned back. There wasn't any way to get in touch with him now anyway, even if she wanted to see if he was okay. He didn't drive for any company, just for himself, like the song said. There wouldn't be any way to check with a dispatcher, or anyone. Closing her eyes, Finn leaned back and rested ... something she was sorely in need of. [* - "Chrome Plated Heart" copyright 1988 MLE Music, written by Melissa Etheridge ** - "Kenworth of My Dreams" copyright 1992 Shanachie Music Works, written by Richard Shindell] <><><><><> [GM] [to Lisa] "We'll wait on the dragon," Dr. Culbrand says. "Let's examine your human form first. We'll want to have as many instruments recording the event as possible when we have you transform." First comes the physical exam, which as thorough as any you've ever had. Your body doesn't seem to have changed in any recognizeable manner at first...until they try to take a blood sample. The needle won't penetrate your skin. They try a few more tests, culminating in a *very* cautious attempt to cut your finger with a razor, the doctor starting gently and finally putting all his strength into the attempt. You feel the pressure of the blade against your skin, but it won't cut. "Invulnerability," says one of the other scientists, a Dr. Miller. "We had this problem with Abraham. Get the vibro-needle," he tells another lab coated assistant. The name sounds rather ominous, and you're not reassured by the sight of the apparatus, a gleaming device with a long silvery needle connected to a tube held in place by flexible mechanical arms and with several power cords wrapping through it. "Don't worry," says Dr. Miller. "It's really no worse than a regular needle. It's something we designed for metahumans with 'invulnerability'. The first needle is diamond-tipped, and vibrates at a very high frequency; it will penetrate a sheet of metal, but doesn't make a hole larger than a normal needle. Then it withdraws, and the actual syringe tip, contained in the same tube, slips in to replace it instantly, and we can draw your blood." The audible hum of the needle descending towards your arm still makes you nervous. In fact, it inserts into a vein so quickly, you barely feel it. Dr. Miller quickly and efficiently fills several vials with your blood, and withdraws the machine. They're fascinated by your invulnerability, though. "We were told you seemed to be immune to heat; did you know your invulnerability extended to physical penetration as well? What about impacts?" They apply some innocuous-looking pressure gauges and some sort of air- gun to your skin, as well as doing a spectroscopic analysis and who knows what else (mostly you just stick your hand under various lenses and lights and things). They can't find anything unusual about your skin, though; it seems to be completely normal...except that it's needle and razor-proof. "The needle registered greater difficulty in penetrating Mr. Abraham's skin," says Dr. Miller. "But his flesh had actually been transformed...it was still organic, and recognizeably human cell tissue, but somehow its composition had been changed, in such a way that it was as dense as steel. Yours doesn't seem to have been changed like that. You're just...invulnerable. Well, of course that's really a relative term, the way we're using it. You're not *truly* invulnerable, or even the vibro-needle wouldn't have worked. We were hoping we'd get a chance to see if it would break Paladin's skin, someday." He sighs. "At any rate, tomorrow we'll test the limits of your invulnerability; we have a new device that shoots spring-loaded steel cylinders into the subject. We start at a very low power, of course...low enough that even a normal person wouldn't be hurt. Then gradually increase the power, until the subject begins to feel pain. Also we monitor your pulse and respiration and the like at all times, and stop if there's any sign of injury. At full power, it can inflict...umm, well, let's just see how far we get with you." He seems to have thought better of describing just how much damage his machine can potentially deal out. All this leaves you quite eager to explore the limits of your known powers (you haven't even gotten to measuring your strength, yet) but next they run you through a lengthy (and mostly boring) series of IQ and aptitude tests. Several hours later, you feel like you're back in school. Fortunately, they give you a break, and then begin a new series of tests; measuring your senses. Vision, hearing, even taste, smell and tactile sensitivity. You're pleased that your skin doesn't seem to have lost any sensitivity, despite its ability to deflect flames and razor blades. The rest of your senses also seem quite normal...you don't have super-hearing, or super-smell, or telescopic, microscopic or X-ray vision. Until they begin experimenting with light, and that's when you get your next surprise. You hadn't noticed it yet, because, as long ago as it seemed, this is still the same day that you were eating a sandwich in Boston when Jack came flaming down the street. And while it's probably dark outside by now, you've been in well-lighted rooms since you came inside. Until now. When the lights go down, you don't even notice. You don't believe the scientists at first, when they tell you that you're still reading small-print text in a totally darkened room. But when you watch the lights again, you can actually see them dimming, and now that you're paying attention, you CAN see a slight change in the lighting. But what that change is would be hard to say, because in fact there IS no lighting! None whatsoever. The scientists are baffled, because they say that the room has been *completely* sealed off. You see everything perfectly normally, with perfect clarity; even colors seem normal. You know vaguely what an infrared image looks like, and this isn't it. And the scientists say that even a cat couldn't see in the darkness that they've created around you. A cat, like all nocturnal creatures, has to have SOME ambient light in the environment in order to see; their eyes are capable of taking in the tiniest amount of light, but they can't see in utter darkness. You can, though. They have various sensors in the room, and verify that you aren't *emitting* any light, on any frequency. They can't explain your darkness vision. Following an extended period of darkness, the lights are turned back on, and they're interested to note that you aren't blinded, as one would expect. A little further investigation (shining lights directly into your eyes, watching the reaction of your irises and following your eye movements as they rapidly alter how much light you have) is both revealing and creates more questions; your irises don't expand or contract faster than normal; in fact, only under the brightest light do they contract at all, and only in complete darkness do they expand. It's as if your eyes don't even notice changing light levels, thanks to whatever superhuman vision you now have. They go so far as to have you look directly at a spotlight, and increase the intensity gradually, until you seem to be staring at the sun...without blinking. You hear someone suggest something about lasers as they turn off the spotlight. Next you try some experiments that could have been dreamed up by a team of quacks, or college students doing ESP research. Having you guess what shape is on the other side of cards they hold up, try to read their minds, sense their emotions, stare at a blank wall and report anything you sense, and even flip a coin and roll some dice, several dozen times. Nothing unusual results from any of these experiments. You suspect Finn would have a more interesting time with this test series. By the time this is done, it's getting late. But even though it's getting towards when you'd normally go to bed, you don't feel at all tired. This is especially surprising considering everything you've been through today. [to Finn] You nod off, sitting in the conference room, with your guitar still in hand. Even in sleep, you can't escape the sights and sounds, the voices, the thoughts spoken and unspoken... Lisa is prodded and poked, with the promise of more to come. You're not at all sure you want to let these people come anywhere near you, but she endures their intrusive examinations and multiple series of tests with calm patience, even eagerness to find out what they'll learn. The dragon, still coiled around the beautiful young woman, purrs, dormant for the time being and apparently satisfied with its brief emergence...for the moment. You can tell it's quite ready to spring into action again, though. It laughs as needles and razors are blunted against its scales, looks mildly annoyed when a "vibro-needle" succeeds in penetrating them. ("I'd love to test her invulnerability to 'physical penetration'" smirks one of the lab assistants in a low whisper to another, across the room. Images suitable for any low-grade porn movie flit through their minds. This is really starting to bug you- do most men REALLY think about sex that much? You're starting to suspect yes...even Dr. Culbrand isn't immune to the occasional indecent notion inserting itself into his professional assessments of the lovely aerobics instructor.) The dragon's eyes glow brightly when the scientists turn off the lights on Lisa, and heavy lids lower like shutters when they shine a spotlight in her face. It looks vaguely bored as she runs through their ESP tests. (Heads, heads, tails, heads, tails, heads, you predict- correctly- as she flips her coin.) The dragon is as much a mystery to you now as before. Although it certainly shows quirks of its own, as if it's a seperate being from the woman it seems to "possess", you don't sense another mind there at all. Just Lisa. There's no alien presence inhabiting the Chinese girl's mind, and her thoughts are as open and innocuous to you as always. **Let me OUT!** screams someone from below. **F***ing kill EVERYBODY!** snarls another. **Freaks....DIE!** hisses a third, a faint ripple in the fetid pool of subconscious psychotic brainwaves oozing out of drugged and comatose minds. Shuddering, you involuntarily send your mind up and away from the tortured, twisted souls below. You aren't sure if you're dreaming, or astrally projecting, or both. The world is laid out below you....mostly dark, a few bright lights marking major population centers, sunlight shining beyond the curvature of the greenish-black globe you orbit. Now and then, brighter lights flare. You're not sure what that means, but they make you uneasy. Something drifts near, an ever-watching eye that peers down at the planet, just as you are. You sense neither malevolence nor goodwill, just eternal vigilance and something that isn't quite thought, yet is more than the mechanical electron-juggling activity of a computer. Or maybe not...perhaps it's simply that its circuits are so amazingly complex, and operate in so many sophisticated processing modes that it begins to approach true thought. "Please leave that alone!" says a gentle but anxious voice, as you try to spot the eye. Looking around, you see a beautiful dark-skinned woman with Asian features. You're not sure she's talking to you (what is she doing up here in orbit, anyways?), but she seems to be lecturing someone, patiently and stubbornly: "Your people are not ready for this technology; look how much pain you inflict with the technology you have!" She recedes from your vision, and the last glimpse you have of her, she's stretched naked across what looks very much like a medieval torture rack. "Please don't hurt me!" she sobs. "I only wanted to help!" A dark hand reaches up to grasp the eye, and fails. It clenches into a fist, and you hear an anguished wail from below as it descends. "Poor child, but so typical of the well-meaning yet bumbling Shabaali" says another observer, this one much closer. A tall, pale man who could almost be a vampire, his skin is so white, and the ankle-length hair that falls loosely around him is equally colorless. He wears some sort of gauzy tunic, and his age is impossible to determine. He looks at you dreamily, and smiles slightly. "Ah....finally, one of us. I told L'yea'hanya'ki- that means Possibility-of-Examiners-Beyond- Mechanisms-" he frowns, "Oh, I think that isn't quite right, is it? Well, nonetheless, we do thank you for your assistancing, Finn'Shawn'Col'Vin. Ah, don't be so confusable this really does make sense, look at the world through MY eyes. Wait, you're still Before, my apologies, one must deal with Win'yi'Ai't according to their relative paradigm- oh, never mind. Just remember this vision/dream/foreshadowing, however you choose to perceive it, Finn'Shawn'Col'Vin, and if you do save that poor Shabaali child, she will tell you, the Wineye'i ARE odd, though she will not add that unlike HER people, we do not expect others to make sense of OUR reality..." he smiles and disappears. The dark hand had strings tied to its fingers...strings that fell to all the corners of the globe....and there are people dancing at the ends of those strings. Ice runs up your spine. People you know are connected to those strings. People with vast power are connected to those strings. People who are helpless, innocent victims are connected to those strings. When he pulls strings, people suffer and die. Most recently- you don't know how you know it, but suddenly you do, almost as if you could see the string reaching from North America, across the Atlantic to Germany- he pulled a string, and a nuclear blast almost eradicated a city. **What are YOU going to do about it?** the Pupper Master laughs. His voice sneers contempt, and his image radiates malice. **You, a pathetic, self-absorbed American...and a WOMAN? You are to be my next great opponent? Oh, I think not. I think not. The universe is playing a great joke on me! You are lucky this is only a future vision, you ridiculous child...if I knew about you when first you learned of me, I'd have eradicated you immediately, simply for daring to inconvenience me with your delusions of significance. Run and hide, little girl, in your prattling nonsensical folk-tunes...let your future self warn your past- you are not fit to play this game, and being too obstreperous to make a good puppet, well...** Your future self is not only silent, but downright nonexistent. Once again, your mind locks onto an airplane, but for some reason, it's not a psychotic metahuman that you spot aboard, but Walt. He seems tired and depressed, and you feel sorry for him, he seems to have been through something awful lately. Not that you've exactly had a great time today. What *really* bothers you, though, as the sight of Walt slumped in his seat fades and you begin drifting into true sleep, is that the shadow of the dread Puppet Master loomed over his plane. His hand stretched overhead, innumerable strings hanging down from his outstretched fingers. And aboard Walt's plane is the end of one of those strings. You're not sure how long you sleep, though you're pretty sure you spent quite a while in blessed, dreamless slumber, when someone gently shakes you awake. It's Agent Slopes, thus explaining why you didn't sense his approach. "Umm, it's almost 11 pm," he says. "Ms. Chang is done with her tests for tonight, and I figured you might prefer to sleep the rest of the night in a bed, rather than slumped here in a chair?" <><><><><> Lisa: Watching the doctors perform their tests fascinates Lisa almost to the point of distraction. But even her fascination and their reassurances aren't enough to totally quell her fears as they bring forth the vibro- needle. She carefully watches the needle descend to her arm and draw her blood. Relieved at the relatively painless blood extraction; she goes along with the other tests without objection. > "We were told you seemed to be immune to heat; did you know your invulnerability extended to physical penetration as well? What about impacts?" < " I knew that I might have some kind of protection. But I had no idea as to its extent in my human form. I was battered pretty thoroughly by Lawerence while in my dragon form and when I changed back to my human form there wasn't a mark on me. At the time I thought it might be my scales protecting me from harm. " " There seems to be a kind of power increase when I'm in my dragon form. I noticed it with my strength and weather control abilities. I wonder if it might apply to my invulnerability as well. Testing my dragon form for an increase in resilience might be a good idea. " The IQ and aptitude testing is a real bore after the physical but Lisa tries her best on the tests. When they move on to the sensory testing she perks up and participates with considerable enthusiasm. She goes through the tests with negative results until they test her ability to see in the dark. " I can see in the dark in full color and I seem to have some kind of brightness filter. I wonder how that fits in with being a part time weather manipulating dragon and full time aerobics instructor. There must be some kind of pattern here. I just don't have enough of the pieces yet to figure out what it is. " She muses aloud but mostly to herself. She's not amused about the laser comment and hopes they were joking for their sake. The extrasensory perception testing amuses her to no end. But like all the testing so far she gives it her best shot. She's not all that surprised by her lack of abilities in this area. Some of the things she tried before suggested that this might be the case. This is the sort of test they should give to Finn. She'd probably find it just as amusing while she aces it. When the doctors mention that it's getting late Lisa's very surprised and not the least tired. She'll mention this to Doctor Culbrand before they quit for the night. Assuming they want to end the testing for the evening here she will go to the room they have provided for her to get some rest. Once she's in her room she'll get ready for bed and then try to get some rest. If for some reason she can't go to sleep she will try and assume her dragon form. In her dragon form she will practice moving around for a while then try to get some rest in dragon form. <><><><><> Finn: % "Can't blame it on the moon no more, no Can't blame it on the radar weather Can't blame it on my lucky stars Or my mother or my father..." % Finn resisted waking for a time, wanting to stay content in dreamless slumber, without any precognitive visions to haunt her. But such was not to be, the arm shaking her too insistent. She sat up slowly, blinking owlishly a few times, her hazel eyes bleary. It took a few moments for Slopes' words to sink in, and when they did she was suddenly very awake. "No, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not sleep again ... ever." She shuddered, but not due to the coldness of the air, and buried her head in her hands. "Jesus, Mary and Joseph ... will this never stop?" Finn looked up at Slopes, her face bleak with the knowledge she wished she had never learned. % "Well I'm holed up in the bell tower Looking for four walls to bounce off Looking for a donkey I could Maybe pin a tail on..." % "It happened again, but this time it was worse. I had another vision, but not a premonition of disaster. This time, I saw the future, and the present, and it's scared the heck out of me, Slopes. There's someone out there, and he's more powerful than me, more powerful than anything you've got, I think, and he's not afraid to use that power. "Jesus Christ ..." Finn ran her hands through her short hair, rubbing her temples as the memory was brought back to her in full force. "He's got like, strings, attached to people, and when he pulls them, people die. It's a type of control, of mental control, he can make people do things, and he doesn't even have to be there to do it. I saw it, his power like a dark hand over the world, and strings attached to each finger. "He pulled one of those strings, and I saw a nuclear bomb explode in *Germany* ... one of his puppets..." % "Well I've taken to staying up late I've taken up bowling I take a couple aspirin And I call my lover in the morning Well I've taken to talking to myself And I don't even get Gotta get out of my head It'll drive me crazy if I let it..." % Her eyes welled up with tears that hadn't yet spread down her cheeks. "I don't know what the rest of it meant ... there was stuff about a woman, or a child, who was being tortured, and she was a Shabaali, whatever that means. There was something floating out in space too, and the dark hand wanted to get it, but couldn't. Something intelligent, or very near to it, like an AI." % "Who holds your hand When you're alone Who holds your hand When you're alone..." % Finn stood up and went over to the window. Looking out into the dark night, she stared up at the sky, searching. "That's not the worst of it, though. He controlled someone on a plane that a friend of mine was on. I could see him, and saw the dark thread, going right in there. I don't know *who* ... hell, it could have been him, for all I know. But I don't think so. "Jesus, Walt, what the freak are you doing on a plane, anyway? You're supposed to be driving your truck, out cruising the highways, just like in the song." She shook her head, rubbing her temples once more. "Maybe that's why I saw you in that other dream, at an airport. Oh God, just please be safe ... I don't want to have to bring another plane down safely." % "Some people believe in Jesus And I guess that works real good Some people believe in God Like they believe in knocking on wood Religion is a picture window Life is not a pretty picture Rattles when the wind blows And it never knew what hit her..." % She turned to look at Slopes once more, the familiar mocking, cynical look upon her face. "So, should I like report this to someone? Be debriefed? It was a future dream, but not really a premonition, like the other one, so it's not like I can immediately save anyone. "Except myself. Maybe." She walked over to the agent, but still kept her distance, both physically and emotionally. Glad for the unreadable mind once more, but unwilling to lean on him. "He said he could wipe me out with a thought, this bastard. But he wouldn't for a variety of reasons, one of them being that I was a woman. He didn't seem to think a woman was a worthy adversary, and didn't much care for me otherwise. I was too ... obstreperous to be a good puppet, he said. Or thought. Whatever. I don't much care for his attitude, but I'm not stupid. He doesn't know about me yet, it was future versions of ourselves that were there ... oh God, this is not making any sense. I don't know what to do, but it seems like I'm the only one who might be able to get the jump on him, because he doesn't know about me." She looked down at the floor, very distressed, but remaining strong, stubborn, until the end. "So, what can I do?" % "Who holds your hand When you're alone Who holds your hand When you're alone." % * ["Who Holds Your Hand" by Patty Larkin, copyright 1993, Lamartine Music] <><><><><> [GM] Slopes raises an eyebrow, and does so several more times while you describe your dream to him, listening silently until you're done. You don't need to be able to read his mind to see that some of what you said meant more to him than it did to you... "Are your dreams literal or figurative?" he asks. Then, "Sorry, I know, you don't know yet." He seems somewhat distracted...or perhaps, thinking intently. "You need sleep, whether you want to sleep or not. It may be your exhaustion that's causing your powers to dump all this stuff on you without your willing it. Or maybe not. Why don't you let me check on a few items that might pertain to what you told me, while you try to get some real rest?" <><><><><> Finn: Finn began to glare at Slopes, then contained herself and then simply stared at him. "What do you know about it." It was a statement, a demand, not a question. "Don't tell me you don't, you may be able to keep your thoughts from me behind that walled mind of yours, but it's obvious that some of the things I've said meant something to you. "God damn it, tell me! My friend's *life* is at stake here, don't give me the run-around and say you'll check on things!" She felt like stomping her foot, but that would be a display of childish anger, and she managed to keep enough control for that, at least. "I don't know if my dreams are literal, figurative, or even blessed by God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit himself. But I do know that they can mean something, because they have. This wasn't a dream, just like my vision of the plane wasn't. It wasn't exactly like that though, but it wasn't a dream." Finn's anger gave way to confusion and frustration, though of course the latter had fueled most of her anger to begin with. "But if you want to take me to a 'comfortable room' while you tell me what the ... heck is going on around here, that's fine. I'll even wait while you go check some things out, if you want." She stalked over and picked up her guitar, shoving her sheet music into her backpack and slinging that on her shoulder. "But I'm not going to sleep." <><><><><> [GM] "I can't answer all your questions right now," Slopes said, "because there's another team of agents that probably knows more about some of the things you mentioned. I've just heard fragments, from what's been called in. They're on their way back to Virginia right now, and I'll let you know as soon as I get a chance to listen to their debriefing." He takes you to a room that looks much like a hotel suite, and suggests again that you get some sleep. However, he complies with your request for tea, and provides you enough to keep you awake all night. Some hours later, you're frazzled, exhausted, and still on edge due to the lingering effects of your vision...it won't let you go, and you can't shake the feeling of some dire relevance to yourself. You finally glance at the clock when someone knocks gently on your door. It's 3 am. It's Agent Slopes again. He looks at you and says "You didn't sleep at all, did you?" He sighs. "The team from Chicago is back, and I just got done listening to their report. Then I told the agents in charge about your dream. I think they'll want to talk to you some more. But THEY are getting some sleep right now," he adds pointedly. <><><><><> % Finn % "No," Finn responded sharply to Slopes' question, the tiredness obviously taking its toll on her manners. But she sighed to relieve some of the tension, and took a long sip of tea while he spoke. She glared silently at him over the rim of the teacup, then responded in a mostly civil manner. "Bully for them. I'll talk to them when they wake up. Now, if you're not going to stop bugging me about sleeping, you can just march yourself out and get some yourself. Sleep tight." She turned back to her tea and her pages of song notes. <><><><><> [GM] You imbibe tea, and play your guitar, until finally hunger induces you to leave your room. From the activity in the halls, it seems it must be morning, and the regular staff is coming in. Highly fatigued, you get directions to the cafeteria from someone who's vacuuming the carpet (even in these top-secret government research facilities, they need janitors), and walk in. There you see Lisa, looking perky as ever, talking to two somewhat less perky men at a table. And you recognize one of them.