Question Small Mercies

Small Mercies comments
No wonder Diamondback is such a mess, assuming the devil had taken their son and left a demon in his place, tried to kill her with the help of Pastor Ferris. At least Matt knows the truth and isn't in denial. Finding data from 'leaked' MCO files on the darkweb, interesting. Dang, gets the name but doesn't know about Ryan turning into Sandra and thinks nothing on Ryan is online.

Ouch, without Joe around their group back home is falling apart, know what it is like when one friend leaves/is gone and group falls apart. Their parents are bigots, treating mutants like that will just cause them to lash out more. Dang, blames himself for screaming when he saw Ryan's changed eyes which drew their parents' attention and everything which happened afterwards.

Herowatch covering the fight against the rookie heroes and supervillains at the mall in Darwin, if Matt recognizes Jericho he might start connecting the dots. Ah, so those are the 4 idiots of Outback Fury, rookies with good intentions but no training and poor impulse control. Seeing Outcast Corner in action, yet due to the armor and codename Matt can't recognize Joe. And I wonder who the old woman is and why she chose Matt to carry a pendant to the winter solstice celebration, also why the Sidhe would be there. A lot of questions at the start of this story.

Who is this lady and who are these Sidhe, how old are they exactally, the way she talk it is like she is from the time of the Five-Fold Courts and somehow survived the Sundering. A pendant with what appeared to be a solid garnet the size of a knuckle, talk of it being all that remains of a great creature from a time long before man walked upright, fully. She wishes to finally rest and the lady believe Matt is the one who will allow it.

She has a bit of the sight, having seen Matt's face before, Matt asking what the catch is and knows there is always a catch when dealing with the Sidhe. The price will be called for by the pendant and fate itself, heavy. A gift and a burden, as Kalrys goes to leave she says to say hello to his sister and her tattooed friend. Leaving Matt in more ways than one, as Kalrys strips her clothes as she walks away, him believing he doesn't have a sister.

Going to a nearby lake, camping out there alone, he doesn't even wish to meet up with his boy scout troop like planned before. Whoa, voice from the being in the pendant, that would freak most people out. Dang, can't even remember if she had a name, that is harsh. Talk of the Five-Fold Courts and how it is long gone, and the spirit inside the pendant wishes to die and join her sisters, ouch. Has this scene with Matt and the being inside the pendant been posted before, I remember it clearly.

That is a hard thing to ask of someone, to help them to die, no matter how long they have existed. Gets home to his mom Caroline, lies about not knowing the Turners were out of town and vacationing in Australia. A cruise with just the family, talk of finding Ryan, yet this ticks off Matt and says Ryan's not coming back as he storms off.

Ugh, thinking Ryan was replacing by a mutant imposter, messed up mindset. Yikes, twins manifesting both at that high of a rate and within a year at most of each other, I would be freaking as well with the parents they have. Feeling he should go shoot the pastor who convinced their parents to sic the lynch mob on Ryan, yeah, I would have done it already if someone messed with my sibling like that.

Ah, like my brother, videos one thing, thought of ending a real person's life not sitting right.

"Accepting death as actually necessary and actually causing it are two different things for me."

Going insane over and over again while trapped in that rock, yeah, death would be a god-sent. *eyes bug out* The pendant is that kind of sick trap, that is insane.

"Mutant? Is that what you call racial progression? Such a vulgar and hateful way of finding expression for a natural process. Why is it that when something new arises from within, the ones who see themselves being replaced fail to realize that with time, their descendants will be elevated to the same level?"

To lose her very body and existence like that, these traps are one of the most evil creations I've ever heard of. Having to deal with his family, explaining it to the spirit later on. Dang, inevitability that once he shows signs of being a mutant his parents would no longer recognize him as their own, that is pain.

Leaving home like that and taking $600 from his dad's safe, dang, Matt is getting out before things turn against him. Not invulnerable and the spirit says it is a situation she plans to partially rectify if he helps her. Told the Turners why he left in a letter, and from the way the spirit is talking about Matt he is an Avatar. Ouch, she can't leave the rock and even if she could trying to gain a home in Matt's hallow would most likely kill him.

Wait, when released she will temporarily subsume the host, unless things are done to allow the host to subsume her. Does that mean Matt is going to become a female, sure sounds like it. She would become a part of him, dang. Succeeds her, carries her power, it is starting to sound like she is one of the 9 Sidhe queens and Matt is going to become like Fey.

Swears by her power, her soul, and the wrath of her mother [wonder how that is], not control, subsume, or take away his life or free will.

"Whatever gave you that foolish idea? Of course you are still human. You always will likely BE human unless you become more of your own accord. As it stands child, you are simply a different type of human, one with altered potential. The sooner your people stop trying to kill each other because they're afraid of their own children growing beyond them the better for you."

Pentacles of Wiccan there but with addition of Wood to the closing of a circle, replacing sprit with earth, interesting. Ritual like that to free her, that is a lot more and yet less than expected. Whoa, that is a vivid description of what he is experiencing. That much intensity experienced, I would have worried more if he didn't blackout from it all.

Extra hands patting down his body, feeling like they were his. And the silver-haired Sidhe who gave him the pendant is there. Six arms and hands now, it was an Earthen court spirit, not a Sidhe like I suspected, dang. Body feels female except from some places giving him mixed signals, wonder how much he has changed. Dang, that is cold, only out there on a mission of mercy due to either being forced or paid to do so.

She definitely takes the aloof, uncaring, capricious Faerie part and plays it to the hilt. Dang, Matt sends 3 trees crashing to ground without realizing it. Talking about how Sidhe have rules, even when dealing with mortals. Ask to fulfill the debt incurred by the Sidhe woman, gets her to agree and wants to see his brother again. Oh boy, bad choice of words there, riddle involving Jericho from the sounds of it with 5 paths.

Carries pig-iron, smart kid, but the Sidhe says if she sees her...brother again to give her best to the Queen to Come. Succession ritual which her friends need to know how to do, soon. Reddish-brown hair with curls didn't change, but longer and down low on her back, torso of girl early in puberty, breasts, hips normal for a teen her age, slender legs and delicate feet. 6 arms, strange yet normal, each with their own shoulders and shoulder blades. Fine level of control of each of them as if she had them all her life, dang.

Wondering why she isn't freaking out, wondering what else the odd creature had done to her mind while she was out. Her clothes even altered to fit her, even adding sleeves for her new arms. And Matt is a hermaphrodite, thought something was up with the sensations earlier. And finally realizes she needs to leave the area, otherwise Pastor Ferris will have a lynch mob kill him/her.

What the what!?! The Sidhe woman was nothing but dead plant matter given life and a form by the dream of Kalrys. Wasn't expecting that, removed all traces of Matt in the area and then crumbled apart as it walked. Does this mean Matt has some power over plant life, both living and dead? Especially with how the trees fell earlier.

Uh oh, Officer Thomas Knight bought into the lie about Ryan, what will he think upon seeing Matt. Great, think the person on Matt's dirtbike is a thief or somehow connected to Matt's 'disappearance'. Oh great, Matt just pulled over without complaint, this is bad. Great, eyes like Sandra's and idiot officer thinks it is the same mutant who 'kidnapped' Ryan. What the!?! Crushes the officer's bike with some invisible force or intense gravity, while Matt keeps saying he/she is sorry. Gun on her as she is face down on the ground, surrendering and forces her to take her jacket off, not enough cuffs to take her in as he sees her 4 other arms. She is crying, yet he thinks she could be a killer, idiot.

MCO van with her in cuffs, he breaks all 3 pairs in 4 minutes just from shaking in fear. Officer Knight actually wants to calm her down, fearing she might end up killing them all, knowing enough about mutants to fill a thimble, oh brother. At least the female MCO officer realizes she isn't going to kill them and is more afraid of doing them harm than anything. Seems at least 4 other mutants in the Dallas area who have never been near Kilgore with similar eyes.

And she figures out the girl might be the Carter boy, saying it is rare as hell but gender changes happen, which got Matt's attention enough to calm down to listen. Twisting up the metal her fingers were pressed against, just how strong is she now. Ah, the Knight in the cryptic message was Officer Knight, obvious yet not somehow unless you think about it. At least Officer Knight and the MCO agents who came for her are reasonable sorts, she got lucky there. And Knight actually listens to her fears, might be able to reveal what Pastor Ferris and her parents, along with the lynch mob, tried to do and prosecute them.

Starting wonder if Matt is stronger than Sandra now or not. Agent Cassandra Tyler and her partner Will Howes, the two who brought Matt in, and Agent Colin Davis from FBI missing persons division. Smart to admit who he/she really is, yet FBI idiot thinks she was involved and dumped Ryan and Matt's bodies somewhere. Stopped at the door as a psychic named Boost confirmed Matt is legit, yet Davis is being an ass.

Yeah, I agree with Howes, hate Davis already with this short encounter. Ah, Dallas MCO is one of the good branch offices, no disappearing of kids and nice to scared kids who have just manifested. Slightly-heavier-than-normal gravity in the room returns to normal, gravity warper for one of her powers, dang, potent. Darn, not even promising not to tell anyone about Boost can they get her in the room due to safety reasons.

Brunette woman with short-cropped hair in a bob comes in, saying if Matt promises not to tell anyone outside of the MCO of Dallas and Forth Worth about her. Dang, handshake to an agreement is like a Sorcerer's Contract, now she can't reveal who Boost is even upon torture. Matt is a rare type of mutant, making that promise wrote that deal onto her soul, that is serious. Matt has to be careful about who he/she makes promises with and how they are worded from now on.

And Boost even figures out Matt is an assimilated Avatar, talking about how Matt changed quite a bit. Howe explains Avatars in a rather blunt but simple way which Matt gets, saying it fits with what seems to have happened. Talk of helping out Matt, getting an MID made, and then mention of sending Matt home. Ouch, poor Boost feels the terror that Matt just started having at the thought of going back to his parents. Gah! Matt's terror trigger him/her creating something akin to a black hole, just how powerful of a gravity warper is Matt!

Powers classified fast and someplace where she can train not to accidently hurt someone. Matt telling the tale of how Ryan manifested and what their parents, Pastor Ferris and a lynch mob tried to do, ouch. Having to relive that nightmare, talk about more pain piling up.

Dang, having to tell it over and over because even though Boost confirmed Matt was telling the truth, the agents are following procedure. Mutants who work for the MCO, Shepherds, targeted by others as traitors and sellouts. Definitely a different kind of MCO office than we are used to seeing. Still shocked to have some control over her new arms, MCO agents there giving off the "I've seen weirder" vibe.

Main Branch send down procedural edicts and policy changes, but nothing legal under US law, so the Japanese boss lady says to round file'em then, meaning paper shredder. I like her. Director Kuni Sommers, person in charge of this departmental district for the MCO. Japanese woman who is a well-maintained and attractive fifty. When Matt says this isn't like he would expect an MCO office to be, she says he won't likely another like it north of the bible belt.

Ooo, Texas, Georgia, Kansas, and the Carolinas all passed laws forbidding foreign-controlled Law enforcement agencies from appointing non-residents of the states as directors for their offices, as well as Locking out hiring people from known hate groups, and restricting actual agent-enforcement personnel to state residents hired locally. Also a mandate that all management personnel be drawn from local and federal Law enforcement. If only more states had done that.

And Director Sommers says what Matt is describing is attempted murder, child abuse, neglect and a few other things. Child-Protective Services and Texas Rangers involved since a couple deputies were involved, dang. All this has to go to State Law though, giving Matt some relief. Ooo, reveals Ryan is alive and not in jail, which is all she can do for now for Matt. Much more reasonable, if only we could see more MCO offices and agents like this. Exemplar or PK brick and gravity warper, wonder if that is the extent of her powers.

Shakey Jake, homeless mutant who vibrates at such high intensity he damages things around him, more afraid of hurting others than what it is doing to him, ouch indeed. And from what Director Sommers says it sounds like Puppet is the one who came through their office, toxins her own blood generates sure sounds like her. Boost startles Matt by walking up behind him/her and stating Matt is a ward of the state now.

Drea, seems to be the name or nickname of Boost, who Matt is placed in the care of for now as they go for powers testing and get Matt some more clothes that fit. Boost is cryptic about whether Matt will get to see Ryan, saying his brother's circumstances are as unique as his own.

"And here I was thinking that the stupid Sidhe was the last one who'd play 'riddle me this, Batman' with me." Director Sommers gave Matt a horrified look. "And let you walk away thinking the MCO was reasonable and friendly? Are you mad?"

Bwahaha, nice to see an MCO director with a sense of humor.

Anomaly as Matt's codename, Exemplar 2, Warper 4g, PK 4, ESP 1. That is a terrifying potential, able to lift about four tons and manipulate gravity with incredibly fine control, plus fly. Ah, Esper because Matt is sensitive to certain phenomena involving gravity, was wondering about that. Warper with space, gravity, time even if at an immeasurable level, and drawing off of another dimensional aspect they don't see often, but G means Matt is a gravity-focused warper.

Usually warpers affect multiple planes of reality simultaneously, so the rating is more of a scientific tag than a power-level, though the two usually correlate."

Interesting, new detail about warpers.

Whoa, thoughts aren't at all patterned to human norm anymore, have to decipher them, that is a big change. They mom would have named them Monica and Sandra if they had been born girls, pretty name. And Boost meet Ryan, says he caught the GSD bug much, much worse than Matt did. Monica, names take time to get used to, Boost reveals she can use auto-hypnosis on herself to associate the name with Monica's face.

"Maybe if I could figure out how to casually navigate that M.C. Escher space you call a mind I could." "Hey! I'm not impossible! I'm festively warped." Monica grinned.

Those arms are going to cause her trouble one way other another, love the funny banter between them about it. Fabricator's Lab, good name for a clothing store that caters to mutants.

Talk about how Crazy Joe from back home would have loved this place, a lot of tech there for use with clothing or as armor. Drea knows about Jericho as well, based on that smirk. Big, horns, claws, scales all over his body and a sinuous reptilian tail, draconic describes him well. Ah, boost full name is Andrea, big guy is Daryl. Talk of Mom having good taste with her and not him, getting the vibe they are brother and sister.

Calling Daryl a humanoid dragon makes the spirit inside him, Ol Steamer, a draconic spirit, happy. Darly is Drea's brother and the draconic spirit and him talk, it is from the Earth Court which Daryl doesn't know what he means. Ol Steamer knows Monica has an Earth Court spirit, recognizing her as he was a Herald in the Earth Court, dang. *eyes bug out and nearly fall out of head* Terra-Kashaly, Thirdborn, the spirit inside Monica is one of Gaea's daughters, this is huge!

Rings a bell for Matt but doesn't know why. And Ol Steamer yammered about courts and Atlantis, confusing Daryl. Heir to one of Gaea's daughters, no wonder the old grump is distraught, losing a being like that is an epic event. Hehehe, getting him to help 'disappear' Monica for her safety until they can get her to Whateley Academy. Dang, a decade ago Mrs. Carson was the English teacher when these two went to Whateley.

Daryl can lift heavy objects, breathe fire, and focus to transform into a thirty-foot-long dragon for a while. Good thing he has gadgeteering talents, fabricating things for the Mutant Community, keyboards that can survive an EX-7 clicking away on them, dang. A place to stay and more clothes that fit, Daryl and Drea are good people.

Ouch, watching the news of Dr. Reaper's attack on Darwin, Australia, the death toll and devastation. Whoa, Dr. Diabolik actually got credit for the defeat of Reaper, didn't see that coming. Seeing Outcast Corner in that fight, wonder what Monica will think Sandra when they meet again. Dang, they got all that with news cameras, anyone who thinks of messing with Outcast Corner at Whateley now are full blown morons.

Agent Miles Wylann from the Seattle branch of the MCO, here to assisting her in making a decision about whether Matt wants to get into Whateley Academy under one of their scholarship, then get Matt to the school. Whoa, ask to come in, another MCO agent to like. Wylann the agent who issued Daryl's MID at Whateley, nice. Wait, Daryl's old cottage, wasn't expect him to be a Poe alumni.

Ouch, mostly joke about KoP idiot shooting her up for jaywalking. Cellphone for emergencies, first to Wylann, second to Boost, third to Mrs. Carson's office at Whateley, more students should be issued similar cellphones. Quiet car ride now, first quiet moment in a while.

Stop at a truck stop in Zanesville, Ohio, car hurled through the air and stopped by Monica with her gravity warping power, then placed on the ground where the driver is told to move as they hauled out of there. Knights of Purity chasing a mutant, who is throwing cars to try and keep the 4 power armored agents off of them. Having to save lives so soon after manifesting, she is doing great for a complete rookie. Trying to keep the bystanders alive just like Outcast Corner which she saw, can't wait till she meets them.

KoP shooting everywhere, not caring for bystanders as they try to take down the mutant who looks like an old man. A rager who tossed a school bus almost full of teens like a lawn dart. *eyes bug out* Okay, terrifying potential is an understatement, rocketing like a bullet to catch the bus and slow it using gravity warping and PK to hold it safely in the air. Idiot KoP, saying to let them go now, not realizing the drop would kill or severely hurt the kids, bunch of morons.

Dang, she told them to get the kids out now and they actually listened. Everyone extracted and Monica is able to lower the bus to the ground, barely, talk about a heroic effort. Totally drained by the effort, some of the teens even thank her, while Agent Wylnn has to keep police and MCO hands off of her. 4 hours later and what felt like a small metric ton of food, she calmed enough to give a statement. Many of the MCO suits didn't like Agent Wylann, if not for him they probably would have disappeared Monica by now.

"Couldn't just let people die."

Good attitude to have, great power, great responsibility. Job in Search and Rescue after graduating, nice job, with more experience with her powers and training under her belt she would be even more amazing at such a job. Thunder Mountain for trial and strong evidence the KoP provoked an known rager deliberately so they could take him down for the good press, what scum, endangering others lives just for the chance at good press. Late to school on the first day, hehe, bound to happen.

Showing up at Whateley and Beltane there to greet her, expecting something more like X-Mansion, a lot of kids expect that at first. Basement room in Poe cottage, never seen a student given one of those before. And she sees Outcast Corner going into Crystal Hall, in awe of all the different types of individuals there. To the point Toni has to snap her out of her gawking, then when she heads to the more sheltered area overhears Outcast Corner chatting about what happened in Darwin. Monica froze she recognized Crazy Joe Turner and seeing Diamondback has eyes like her. Razorback sniffed her and says Monica smells like Diamondback, Joe goes over and ask if it is him.

Ayla wondering if Outcast Corner is doing something for Fey, finds out about Diamondback's sister. Ah, keeping a low profile while the sisters sort stuff out, understandable. Just give them some space for now, good. Ooo, Monica upset at Jericho for not telling that her twin was alive, yeah, that is going to take a while to get over. They have been hunting the Voodoowolves and other things in Medawihla grounds. And Fey knows what Monica is, telling Ayla to warn any of big-spirit avatars to give her a lot of space.

I definitely wasn't expecting this kind of change for Diamondback's twin, becoming the heir to one of Gaea's daughters is huge. It is also nice to find more MCO agents out there who are professional and don't see mutants as the enemy. Can't wait to read more tales involving Monica and the rest of the Outcast Corner, I pity the idiot who tries to flirt with Monica before she is ready to handle such a thing.