Question The Micro-Scenes thread

Phoenix Spiritus' new Micro-Scenes thread Genesis

Chapter One: Danny Franks, younger brother to Kayda

"Oh! Now this is heavenly!" Danny started. Cautiously looking around, trying to see who it was that was speaking. "I'm so glad I listened to Wakan Tanka, this is just divine!" continued the voice.

"Hello?" Carefully Danny inquired, shocked to hear someone talking about Wakan Tanka, the Lakota Great Spirit his sister, Kayda, communed with.

"Hello yourself." The sultry voice replied back. Danny's eyes widened in disbelief as he finally 'heard' where the voice was coming from.

"You're in my head? How can you be in my head!" He demanded, more then a little desperately.

"Oh darling, you know how! After all, like your sister you are an Avatar, and with all the issues she's been having there was no way that we could leave it up to chance who got you, so Wakan Tanka asked me to come and protect you, and I just couldn't say no!"

"Like my sister? Avatar? I'm not going to turn into a girl am I?" Panicking Danny jumped up and desperately started looking all around.

"Oh, now why would I go and do a thing like that?" The sultry voice murmured. "After all, a girl has needs" Danny could all but hear the sounds of lips smacking in her voice. Confused, hyperventilating, desperately turning here and there, Danny almost welcomed the darkness as everything faded to black.

"The purring is really delightful." A girl's voice, not his mom's, but soft, comforting to listen to all the same.

Someone was stroking Danny's head, and there was a cat somewhere close, it's purring was hypnotic, strong, deep, just as comforting as the voice. Turning over Danny leaned into the hand stroking him, delighted as the purring increased in volume too.

Giggling. "I thinks he likes it" exclaimed the voice, as laughingly the hand returned to stoking his head, soothing Danny back to sleep.

"Mum! I know she's a female spirit, but she swears she's not gonna turn me into a girl!" Frustrated, Danny stared in horror as the new bag of girls panties he had thought his mum had got for Kayda was instead added to his own suitcase.

"I know dear, but we all know what happened to Kayda when she got a female spirit. We've discussed it, and everyone really thinks it would be best if while you are at Whateley you were to stay in Poe." His mum paused her packing, turning to place a hand on his shoulder. "So that you can be with your sister and the other girls who will know what you are going through, people that can help you as you change."

"But Mum! I'm not turning into a girl!" Danny almost cried out in frustration, staring in shock at the older bras of Kayda's that his mother was now adding to his case as well.

"I hope so too dear." Maddenly his mother continued calmly as though they were speaking of a summer job he hoped to get. "Now in Poe you'll get to know all the secrets of the gay children, and the other transgendered ones too. It's very important that you do not reveal those secrets to the rest of the school, you've seen how bad things have gotten for Kayda ..."

"Mum! I don't want to be in dorm with the gay boys, they'll hit on me!" desperately Danny tried to get his mother to listen to him.

"I know dear, but you'll be alright. You are turning into a very pretty girl dear, I'm sure you know how supportive your father and I will be about you and your boyfriend when you get one."

"Mum!" Danny gasped in disbelief. "I'm a boy! I'm staying a boy! I don't want to have any boyfriends!"

"Well if instead you find a nice girl like Kayda did, we'll support you in that too dear." Danny stared in dismay at his mother as she calmly continued packing his suitcase, blithely assuming he'd be a girl soon like his sister and totally ignoring everything he was saying.

"Arrgh!" crying out in frustration Danny stamped from his room, making for the stairs and the outdoors. Once again Danny wondered why he even bothered trying to talk with his parents, they just didn't seem to want to listen to anything he tried to tell them.

Danny took a seat on the train glaring at Kayda as she sat down in the seat before him.

"Look Danny, I'm sorry. It was the only hoody they had in your size, and mum said to make sure you always wore something to you could use to cover your head and your arms as you travelled today, just in case." Kayda apologised again.

"But it's pink! And it has this stupid cat thing on it ..."

"Hello Kitty." Kayda murmured, almost as red in embarrassment as her brother.

"Whatever. Why couldn't we just have gotten my suitcase and a my other hoody from that?" Danny demanded.

"Because we'd already booked our bags in. Look I really am sorry I spilt the shake on you and that the hoodie is pink, but it was the only store on the platform selling clothes, and that was all they had suitable that fitted you."

"How would you like to be turning up for your first day at school dressed in pink!" Danny demanded, red faced, scrunching down, then in horror he felt cats ears begin growing from his head as his embarrassment increased. In desperation he pulled up the hoodie and pressed himself into the corner between his seat and the window.

"Ooh kitty! You must be on the way to Whateley too!" Danny tried to scrunch further down in the seat, mortified as fur started growing on his face now too as the strange girls voice increased his embarrassment.

Feeling a bump in his seat, Danny turned in surprise to see the girl had sat next to him, hand outstretched. "Hi! I'm Mischief, I'm starting at Whateley today! Ooh, that looks so soft" she enthused reaching for his furry face.

At the sound of muffled giggling Danny turned forward, unbelievably betrayed to see Kayda break down and laugh out loud at the sight of her brother pressed deep into the corner of the seat, desperately trying to escape the attentions of a cute girl hell bent of cuddling and stroking him. In disbelief he watched Kayda finally control herself, sit back up and dig out her phone. "Mum is so going to want to see this! Smile!"

Blinking at the flash Danny glared daggers at his sister as she continued laughing at his predicament.

"Come on Danny! Quickly." Kayda panted. "We need to get you out of that hoodie."

"Why it so important now?" Danny complained, heaving his suitcase up the stairs behind his sister. "I wanted to change at the station as soon as we got the bags, but you rushed me right onto the bus!"

"I'm sorry, I packed the luggage keys right in the bottom of my bag, and then Mrs. Shugendo rushed us onto the first bus so fast! She chewed me out for not getting you to school on Friday too."

"But I thought you said mum checked, and it was alright for me to come with you today cause I already knew about Poe!" Danny demanded, stunned at the new revelation.

"Well I couldn't very well argue with Mrs. Shugendo about it there on the station could I? Poe is supposed to be a secret. Just hurry up, my rooms are closest to the stairs, we can go there and get you changed." Kayda instructed as she humped her own suitcase up the stairs. "Less chance of you being seen then" She mumbled.

Not objecting to getting out of the horrible pink hoodie as fast as possible, Danny concentrated on carrying his suitcase and keeping up with Kayda, but he did wonder why suddenly Kayda cared about him having to wear the horrible pink thing, she certainly hadn't seem to mind too much on the train when she'd taking heaps of snaps of him in it to send home to their mother.

Poking her head out the staircase door, Kayda smiled and turned back to her brother. "Hurry up, the corridor is free!"

"Give us a break, this things heavy!" Danny complained as he put down the suitcase and vigorously shook his hand to get feeling back. Popping the handle he tipped the suitcase onto its wheels and followed his sister out into corridor. "If you were in such a rush, why didn't we just wait for the lift like I suggested, rather then humping it up all these stairs?"

"I told you, we couldn't wait in the foyer, she could have come through at any moment, she's helping out with the new arrivals today!"

"She?" Danny demand, unfortunately to Kayda's back as she hurried down the corridor.

Turning the corner from the lift corridor to the corridor with the dorm rooms, Kayda turned fearfully to the sound of an opening door, relaxing and smiling when she saw who it was. "Lily!" She exclaimed in happiness. "I though Lanie was going to be student assistant for this wing?"

Smiling Wallflower came up and hugged Kayda. "She is, I was just visiting her. Who's this?"

Under the stare of the cheerful senior Danny found himself blushing, and then mortified, he felt his ears appear and fur start covering his face. Squinching down in his hoodie Danny blushed as his sister made the introductions.

"Lily Turner, Wallflower this is my ..."

"Oh wow finally! We've get one of the exotic cat girls!"

Eyes wide in horror Kayda tried to stop Mary Goodhope, Angel, as she reached out to gather Danny in her arms. "Mary no! Don't that's my ..." eyes wide in disbelief Kayda watched Angel engulf Danny in her arms in her typical full body hug. Eyes wide in delight Angel lent down to rub her face on Danny's silky soft fur "... brother" Kayda finished lamely.

"Brother!" Lily demanded stunned as Angel looked up at Kayda in surprise, her arms still around the cringing Danny's shoulders.

"She doesn't feel like a brother" Angel said confused, almost absently petting Danny by stroking his head with a hand.

"You told mum you weren't turning into a girl!" Kayda screamed at Danny

"I did! I'm not!" Danny yelled back, just as fiercely.

"Angel's allergic to boys! How do you explain this then?" Kayda demanded angrily, pointing to the obviously content Angel, who in addition to hugging Danny had taken the opportunity to lay her cheek on his head, smiling in delight at the feel of his fur on her cheek.

Staring in horror at his sister Danny wailed in his mind *You promised me! You said I'd stay a boy!*

*Mmmm, she's niiiice* the voice in his head purred back *lets keep this* almost crying Danny stared down, as in his chest the sonorous sounds of purring started rumbling out.

Angel smiled in delight at the sound. "Pretty little kitty with her pretty Hello Kitty!" she exclaimed, renewing her full body hug of the boy.

"Hello Kitty?" Shocked Angel jumped straight and stared at Kayda in horror, from the corner a squeal of delight rang out. "Hello Kitty pink hoodie? My soulmate!" Squealing to an almost painfully high note, a pink rocket charged Danny, the eleven year old girl in its centre taking a running jump straight for his arms, Danny scrambled desperately to catch her. "You and I are going to have such fun! I can't wait to introduce you to all my friends!" The rocket squealed from Danny's arms.

"Oh no! Jade!" Kayda moaned, wincing at her engulfed brother, so embarrassed at the two girls climbing all over him, his bright red face was almost completely covered in fur. Danny's desperate eyes pleaded with Kayda as she shrugged her helplessness. Finally unable to meet his eyes anymore, Kayda looking down, almost absently retrieving her phone form her pocket she looked up, then shrugging she raised the phone, pointed it at Danny and took a photo of her brother with an enthusiastic eleven year old girl in his arms, with an Angel leaning over him, wings outstretched to embrace, and her golden head resting upon Danny's own, after all, her mother had said to take photos of everything.

Danny wanted to cry. Mischief had started it, and it had all got out of hand so fast, and now Mrs. Horton was on the way to call his mother, and Danny just knew his mum would then call Kayda and she'd tell her everything she saw and then he'd have to try and explain how he ended up naked on the common room floor with girls laying all over him.

It just wasn't fair!

Sniffing Danny tried to remember how it had happened. It was all so innocent! Mischief had wanted to come over for some maths tutoring, and when she mentioned it at lunch Cover had gotten jealous, so that had meant it had turned into a tutoring session with both Mischief and the Three Little Witches.

Everyone had come over to Poe, and Danny had quickly taken them to a study room, and it'd had all been going fine, till Clover had got bored and started stroking him, making him purr. And then the ears had come out, and that had got Mischief also yo stroke him, and then he'd started getting fur, and Clover had started cuddling him and ...

Danny was still in shock, he hadn't even known he could do that, transform fully into a mountain lion. The girls had squealed in delight! Danny had bolted, out of the study room and into a common room before the girls had caught him. Cuddling him and petting him, they had removed his school uniform form his now cat body, their squeals of excitement had attracting others. The whole of Wondercute, in the study room next door plotting for their next sim, had come out to find him in kitty form ruling about the common room floor, and they had dived in to to pet him.

It wasn't until Kayda had walked in that the shock of seeing her had broken his embarrassment, allowing him to transform back ... naked ... with all those girls clinging to him ... and right then, while he was still in shock from the double transformation, Mrs. Horton and come in to find him with all of Wondercute draped over him!

Mum was going to kill him! And that didn't even begin to cover what was going to happen to his reputation once this story started getting repeated around the whole school!

Danny put his head down and cried, life was so unfair.

Phoenix Spiritus' new Micro-Scenes thread Genesis

Chapter Two: It's about to get a little Jaded

Sitting down at Team Kimba's usual Crystal Hall table, Ayla continued the lecture he had been giving Hank all the way from the checkouts. "Sure you can just overpower a PK shield. Eventually with the right amount of concentrated force any PK shield breaches, put enough tons of force over a vital organ, like the head, and anyone goes down, but there are more elegant options."

"What? My head over the countryside too messy for you?" Hank commented wryly.

"Well that and overpower breaching methods are inherently dangerous, not just the intended target, but anyone else around too. Even the instigator if the opponent knows what they are doing." Ayla shrugged. "There's not much use me having an anti-PK weapon if it's to dangerous to use. If my offence against a PK superman is, say, a Goodkind one-shot anti-tank RPG, even if I have the means of carrying it around, it's rather obvious when I pull it out and aim it. Any reasonably intelligent brick is going to either get so close to me the shock from the explosion will kill me as well, or grab someone else and hold them close enough I won't fire because I'll kill the hostage."

"So what weapons are you planning instead Ayla?" Chaka asked sitting down beside Hank, who had sat across the table from Ayla. Jade and Jinn arrived too, both casually sitting down opposite Toni across Hank, Jade taking her dinner plate and cutlery off her tray before sliding the now empty tray in front of Jinn.

"Well, instead of just overpowering the shield" Ayla continued, now including both Chaka and the two Sinclairs in the discussion "I was planning on using other weaknesses to get through PK shields." Turning to Toni he nodded. "Like you have been discovering with Diz, all useful PK shields have to let beneficial things through."

"What, like food? You going to throw candies at them and poison them?" Chaka asked smiling delightedly at Ayla's very brief pause of confusion on hearing her suggestion.

"Well no." Ayla continued fastidiously. "True in theory poisoned food should work, but I don't think anybody is going to eat something I throw at them during a fight" Ayla pointed out reasonably to Toni. "I was thinking more immediately necessary things, like air, water, light, sound, those sorts of things." He continued turning back to Hank.

"And food!" Jade yelled to interrupt Ayla, who manfully ignored her.

"So what, poison gases?" Hank asked also ignoring the suggestions of Toni and Jade.

"And possibly liquid aerosols, lasers, things like that." Ayla agreed.

"And food!" Jade happily yelled again, throwing her arms up in the air and ... Ayla blinked. Was that spaghetti? Dancing in the air above Jade? Looking down Ayla winced. Jade's plate was a wasteland of red sauce like substance, almost just a reddish water, weak, wobbly, over boiled noodle imitations, and ... no, Ayla refused to even contemplate identifying the 'meat' portion of what was on Jade's plate.

Ducking, Ayla went light and sighed as the dancing spaghetti above Jade exploded. Once the raining food had stop, Ayla resumed normal weight, looking around, pleasantly surprised to see that the spaghetti rain had been confined to a narrow area on the table around where Jade was sitting.

Resolutely Ayla turned back to Hank. "So I was investigating tear gas, possibly an aerosol sleeping agent or knockout gas of some sort as well. I was also thinking of maybe some blinding / distracting weapons, such as flash bangs. The sonic and light portions should go through nearly any PK shield, unlike conclusion grenades, were the pressure waves are almost certainly going to be blocked by most shields."

"And poisoned pasties!" Interrupted Jade as soon as she saw Ayla pause to invite Hank's opinion.

Involuntarily Hank smiled, casing Toni to get into the act too. "Vomitus Vo-Vos" she called.

"Sleeping Snickers!" Jade replied excitedly.

"Noodle noose!" Exclaimed Toni, standing, arm raised in salute.

Turning to give Toni a look of amazement, Hank incredulously repeated "Noodle noose?"

"Yeah, like if I Ki charged a noodle and garrotted you!" Toni answered happily sitting back down.

Pickling up a limp, overcooked specimen of spaghetti from the table between him and Jde, Hank waved it at Toni. "You're going to garrotte me? With this?" He replied with extreme scepticism, shaking the spaghetti in emphasis. "You couldn't garrotte a suicidal chicken with this!" Hank continued derisively. "Let alone take out a PK superman!" He chuckled.

Dropping his demonstration piece of spaghetti back to his table, Hank stared in disbelief when instead of falling down, it stopped, wiggling in the air in front of him. Mouth open stunned, Hank's eyes bulged as wiggling joyfully the piece of spaghettini dove through the air and straight down his open mouth.

Pushing himself up and away from the table, Hank's hands darted to his mouth, as weaving, stumbling and red faced he tried to swallow, tried to cough, tried to breath!

Desperately Hank's searching hand clasped a glass of water. Forcing himself upright Hank frantically tried to drink, but the water just poured back out of his mouth. Just arriving at the table Billie and Nikki rushed up, quickly sliding their trays onto the table they turned to help Hank. As Billie started pounding on Hank's back, Nikki frantically started reciting spell after spell, all the time trying to look down Hank's mouth and see what the problem was.

Seeing that pounding Hank's wasn't working, Billie stepped behind Hank, wrapped her arms around him low down and quickly pulled up and back, hoping to force air out of Hank's lungs to expel the obstruction.

Turning redder, but otherwise unaffected by Billie's actions, Hank collapsed to his knees. Redder and redder, one hand desperately clawing at his throat, Hank fell forward, holding himself barely off the ground on one arm, Billie and Nikki also on their knees still trying to help, as now Ayla and Toni stood looking stricken towards their distressed friend. With eyes bulging out, eyelids starting to flutter, Hank desperately tried to breath, collapsing onto his side, hands still clawing his throat.

Suddenly!

A great gulping breath.

Rolling to his back, Hank breathed deep, panicked breaths, tears streaming from his eyes. Hank gasped up at the staring Nikki, mid spell cast, relief and amazement all through her expression.

"Wow, the insides of someone's lungs are just weird. And icky!" Jade innocently commented reaching for her milk and swallowing a mouthful.

“Jade!" practically the entire populous of that side of Crystal Hall yelled at her in fury and disbelief.

Even though it was only just five am, Jade was outside Bunny's door bouncing excitedly.

Bunny opened the door and scowled crossly at Jade. ”Double-oh one there sent sniffer into hysterics" she growled repressively at the hyper excited girl.

"I was only checking you where awake" Jade replied petulantly. Then in a confused voice she asked "Double-oh one?"

"I'm assuming it was 'Jamie Anne, Super Spy. 001 On Her Majesties Secret Service, Licensed to Annoy' who crawled under my door at five ah em?” Bunny drawled, emphasising the time unhappily.

"You're awake and do you have it? Do you? Is it ready?" Jade started bouncing excitedly again, unleashing her deadly puppy dog eyes on the scowling older girl.

"She is still asleep and you are not waking her up." Bunny replied, again failing to fend of Jade's most deadly weapon, but determined to hold onto some semblance of her righteous indignation.

"It's OK, Ayla wants it kept secret anyway." Jade dismissed Bunny's concern. "Can we take it to Nikki's room? Ayla asked her to find somewhere we can test it." Bouncing excitedly Jade grabbed Bunny's arm, attempting to led the older girl back into her room.

"It's still five AM!" Bunny refused to budge.

"You're awake, and its Nikki's room. And we get to test it!" Jade pleaded, obviously readying her greatest weapon again.

Bunny sighed and handed Jade the backpack in her hand, then carefully reopening the door to her room, she reached through, carefully, pulling out another backup as quietly as she could. This backpack was not quite zipped up, and Jade could see it was full of electronics. Slowly and silently Bunny closed the door again, before standing straight she shouldered the backpack. Turning she followed the dancing Jade down the hall to Nikki's room. Entering Bunny wasn't surprised to see that in addition to Nikki and Chaka, who's room it was also, Billie was there too, along with Ayla who was all business.

"It is ready? The extra safeties have been tested?" Ayla asked Bunny concerned.

"Its ready." Bunny confirmed. "We have a thirty minute supply of oxygen, and I modified your old mask for Jade, since you now have that new one."

Ayla nodded and turned to Nikki "And we have somewhere we can test it?"

"We'll use the Grove." Nikki replied. "Even security can't get in there, so they can't monitor what we are doing. As long as Billie and Jade don't go too high and exceed Whateley's flight ceiling there shouldn't be any problems." Ayla looked a little unsure about the use of the Grove, but trusted Nikki to see to their safety.

Crouching down besides Bunny, Jade cast Jinn into the backpack she had been given. Seeing this Bunny started explaining the contents.

"OK, first we have the suit. I modelled it on a WingSuit, but modified so it gives the 'condor' profile your wanted." Bunny explained.

"What's with the funny shaped pole?" Jade enquired frowning down at the still closed backpack.

"Well, that's to give you the 'neck' of your condor. We are hiding you in the 'wings' and the body. It also gives us a little extra length for the antennas."

"Where is the battery for the radio? I can only find a tiny one in Ayla's headpiece, surely that's not enough?" Jade looked up concerned to Bunny.

"We're not using batteries for the radio signals." Bunny explained to Jade's shocked look. "We don't need a 'clean' signal for this, in fact the dirtier the signal the better, a dirty signal will jam more frequencies for us. What I did was calculate carefully the size of the antennas built into the suit, then I made you a hand cranked generator and used multiple differently sized coils in it, one for each frequency we are going to jam. When Jann cranks the generator as fast as she can the different coils spinning inside the generator's magnetic field will produce currents with multiple different oscillating frequencies, one for each coil. I then just put that raw current into the specially designed antennas that are pre-calculated to be certain lengths and you get 'white noise' at the required frequencies for as long as Jann keeps cranking the generator, no batteries or special circuitry required." Bunny finished smiling at Jade who started up at her with an amazed 'O' of understanding, before laughing she reached up and hugged the blond bombshell tightly in her little girl arms.

Smiling down at the happy Jade, Bunny turned to Ayla. "Even better there is nothing 'special' to tip off security or the Sim Technicians. It's just a WingSuit with metal sewn into it, almost like decoration. The generator is also nothing special, you can find similar things in all sorts of 'survival' equipment like those windup radios or lamps people get in hurricane and tornado prone areas. Even better you could get the suit entered into the sim for Generator and the wind-up generator entered in for Shroud, and no one would be the wiser until you combine them in the sim."

Ayla thoughtfully considered this. "Will a hand cranked generator give us enough power to jam the signal from one mile up? That's how high up Jade needs to be flying to be out of sniper range for anyone on the ground with a gun."

"Easily." Bunny assured him. "We don't have to overpower the ground based system, we just need to be generating a signal that is louder then the satellite, so the ground station stops hearing the satellite." Bunny smiled happily. "The satellite will be in orbit and is getting its signal power from solar panels, and they also need to be running the whole satellite. The signal from a satellite isn't actually that large, the smarts are all in the ground based receivers with their parabolic and directional antennas, signal filtering and boosting circuits." Bunny smiled. "Jade will only be a mile up, the satellite is in orbit. Radio signals degrade inversely squared to the distance from the source, meaning that since Jade is going to be a lot closer to the ground station then the satellite, she doesn't have to be that loud at all to drown out its signal to the ground stations." Bunny stood there bouncing, an ear to ear grin on her face and her trade mark pig-tails flapping around almost excitedly as Jade.

"What about nuclear powered satellites? Can we beat them?" Billie asked curiously.

"They don't use nuclear powered satellites in orbit." Ayla explained to Billie. "Orbiting satellites have to come back down to earth after they've exceeded their design life, and not even Australia's gonna be happy at a nuclear satellite breaking up and crashing into their backyard. Besides all the commercial satellites are solar powered, a nuclear one would stick out and be easy for enemies to track, cause its different. You want your spy satellites to be stealthy, not orbiting around screaming 'I'm something unusual, track me!'"

Turning to Bunny again Ayla asked. "Why are we sending Jade up in a WingSuit? Why not just have a proper condor model being controlled by Jinn?"

"Two reasons. First you needed it fast and I didn't have the feathers to make a proper condor suit. Second this is a really quick and nasty jerry rigged suit. There is nothing dangerous about it, but we need to hand crank a generator, micro-manage the aiming of the suits antennas, fly the suit, dodge any missiles or bullets coming at them and also manage air position, monitor the satellite's signal, and flying all at the same time. Jade and I thought it would all be too much for one person to do." Bunny shrugged. "With Jade in the suit she can be as many people as she needs to be to pull it all off."

Ayla still looked concerned but had to concede that Jade knew her limitations best, if she had decided she was needed then that was that. "What do we need to test today?" He instead asked Bunny.

"Well not test, more practice." Bunny said bending down, opening the backpack she was holding. "I designed the wings so that Jinn can lock them and then make minute movements to 'focus' the signal." Pulling an item out of the backpack shed held it out for Ayla to see. "This is a receiver and a meter so we can monitor the signal from the suit. We'll set this up and get Jinn to practice taking Jade a mile up and focusing her signal onto it. Then I want to see how 'off-beam' we can be to the receiver and still drown out the satellite. If we can get this to work sufficiently "off beam" Billie can take Jade a mile up at the start of the sim and she can jam the signal from there, that would be a major tactical advantage for you."

"You're right." Ayla agreed. Turning to Nikki Ayla enquired "Are we ready to go?"

Nikki nodded so they all trooped out, with Jade carrying her backpack and skipping along in front singing the theme song from the "Condorman" movie as soon as they where outside and unlikely to disturb anyone else.


****


Jade had been looking forward to this sim ever since Bunny had delivered her suit. Now that Billie had dropped her off one mile up, Jade spread her arms and legs wide like they had practiced, and Jann locked her limbs so that she would not involuntary twitch and spoil the signal. Then while Jinn started winding the generator, Jann concentrated on focusing the parabolic antennas to keep them aligned on the base's satellite dish. Jade concentrated on monitoring the satellite's transmission, scrolling for her across the displays Bunny had built into Ayla's old headpiece. Bunny had explained that they didn't need to crack the encryption on the satellites communications to do this, once the Satellite lost its earthlink signal it would start trying to handshake again ... a repeating signal across multiple bands that should be easy to identify … there!. Over and over the satellite was transmitting the same signal sequentially on each of the control channels Ayla had told them the satellite would use. The satellite was trying to handshake again, it had lost command control!

"Satellite uplink is down. Satellite uplink is down! Go Go Go!" Jade happily called over the spots.


****


Just as the final targeting information was about to be loaded into the missiles, the computer's lost contact with their satellite data. Instead of loading tracking and targeting data from the satellites into the missiles, the base computers instead switched the missiles to use onboard IR targeting and the inbuilt control circuits. Circuits and sensors designed to look for and target the thousands of degrees hot engine exhausts of jets were now instead trying to find mere dozens of degrees hot flying children, predictably it didn't go well.

Billie heard " ... Go Go Go!" and quickly fired plasma bolts across the noses of all the incoming missiles she could see targeting her and her friends. The plasma blast across the noses of all the missiles caused them to veer and attempt to follow the much 'hotter' IR trails of the plasma blasts, completely ignoring the Team Kimba members continuing on through the now useless missile barrage an onwards towards the base they had been fired from.

Billie grabbed Ayla and threw him directly at the ground station, aiming for the communications sheds visible around the large radio antennas sticking up out of the hill the base was dug into. Ayla went light and streaked across the distance at nearly a thousand miles an hour. While Billie threw Ayla, Fey conjured her spherical force field around the remaining Team Kimba members, and following after Phase Billie dragged the rest of Team Kimba in Fey's Magical Bubble Ride.


****


Sam watched the missiles uselessly explode nowhere near the targets, before she turned around and demanded "What happened to the missiles?!"

"Satellite uplink went down, they fell back to onboard IR guidance." A desperately bust tech answered as he attempted to regain communications with the satellite.

"Well what happened to my satellite!" Sam demanded of the busy tech.

"Interference, if it wasn't impossible I'd say from the bird!" he replied back, reaching forward to flick switches and wiggle dials without effect.

"Shoot it down! Shoot down the bird!" Sam snapped, turning back to her screens and urging another subordinate to action.

"Its out of range of guns." He snapped. "And with the satellite uplink down we can't target the missiles like that. AIM missiles aren't able to be targeted at biologicals with on-board electronics" he whined.

"Take out the lock!" Sam snapped back, turning to glare at him.

"It's not a lock, it's a hardware limitation." He turned right back to snap at her. "The IR sensors are designed to see hundreds of degrees hot aircraft exhausts! They can't differentiate 98 degrees fahrenheit body heat from ambient air temperature, it's the satellites that do that. And that 'bird' is flying too high to be shot with a gun anyway!"

Growling Sam turned back to the original tech. "Well block the birds signal! Get me my satellites and my missiles!"

"It's not a signal, its just white noise at the right frequencies, its just yelling so loud into our antennas we can't hear the signal from the satellite anymore. Anything we do to block the yelling is going to block the signal from the satellite too!" the tech complained.

"Well swap frequencies!" Sam snapped, increasingly sharply.

"We're trying!" The tech cried. "It requires two way communication to do that and we don't have it! There is jamming on all our frequencies, we can't hear which frequency the Satellite is trying so we can respond to it, the bird is yelling on all our control frequencies at once!"

Just then the outside video feeds stated snowing out. Turning quickly, looking to one of the surviving feeds Sam saw Phase briefly come out of the end of the communications shed before turning around and walking back into it, obviously using his phasing ability to destroy all sensitive electronics racked inside.

Sam swore, even without the bird jamming the signal it was now too late. Phase had destroyed her communications array and she no longer had the ability to communicate with the satellite, without the satellite she lost most of her abilities to target small 'biological' fliers and, more importantly, the ability to command the nuclear strike!

Sitting down calmly again Sam concentrated fiercely on the tactics of Team Kimba. All the base's automatics where designed around engine heat seeking IR and large object tracking, it was the satellite overrides that were allowing the automatics to target single "human" sized and heated objects, without the satellite the automatics where effectively "blind" to Team Kimba and unable to engage them, except by direct action of the base personnel. Sam sighed as she watched Team Kimba, already resigned to the defeat. Without the satellite uplink she couldn't launch a nuclear strike, she couldn't fulfil the 'win' conditions of the scenario. Team Kimba had beaten her "unwinnable" scenario with a single high tech trick. Absently she wondered how they had managed to smuggled a radio jammer past the techs and into her Sim.

Impotently Sam watched Team Kimba systematically dismantle both the automatic and human defences of the base. She stared up at one of the few displays left to her, showing the upwardly pointed external camera as it focused on the slowly circling 'bird' getting closer and closer. Finally seeing it for what it was, Sam swore. Generator in a bird suit, just the silhouette of a condor to fool them from a distance. Swearing sulphurously she ground out "That is so banned!"

"Harry, do you mind if I borrow some of your tools?" Looking up Techwolf smiled, Jade was at the door of his lab giving him big puppy dog eyes again.

"Sure Generator, use whatever you like, just not the stuff on this bench here" he assured her pointing to the bench he was currently using.

Smiling Jade danced in, making her way to Harry's meticulously laid out tool wall, reaching up carefully she took down a few tools, before turning back to Harry. "Ah, Harry. Is there somewhere I can work here?" she begged.

Pointing to a bench Techwolf smiled. "Sure, I wasn't planning to use that bench until tomorrow, if you can have it free by then I don't mind you using it."

"Really?" Smile as big as her face, Jade rushed over to Harry and hugged him. "Thank you!" She exclaimed almost dancingly happy.

"Your welcome." Harry smiled hugging her back. "What are you working on?" Harry inquired politely when Jade let him go again.

"This!" Jade exclaimed holding out an object that first caused Techwolf to stare, and then start blushing brightest red.

"Do you know what that is?" He gasped

"Uh huh. It's a Hello Kitty vibrator, Fey called vibrators 'magic wands' and I found a Hello Kitty one and ordered it, isn't it great?" Jade happily waved it back and forth between them.

Voice strained, almost horse, Techwolf croaked out. "Jade! What are you going to do with it?"

"Upgrade it!" Jade cried out, as Harry just goggled at her, eyes and mouth gapped wide in disbelief. "I'm gonna add a glitter canon to it, and a laser pointer, and some LEDs and everything, even a missile silo, and all sorts of armaments. Oh Harry? Do you have any spare steel I could use?" Jade asked innocently as Techwolf desperately tried to reboot his brain from the casual insanity Jade was talking.

"Steel? What for?" He asked, latching onto the least disconcerting thing she'd said.

"I want to make a blade for it, with a release button on the handle here, and when I press it schwick! Instant knife!" Jade declared triumphantly.

Pale, slightly green, with his legs crossing, Harry stared at Jade in astonishment. "What about the vibrating motors?" Harry finally managed to gasp.

Jade gave him a puzzled look. "You know? I still haven't worked out why it has them. When I hold it in my hand and wave it like a wand, all they do is make it jump all over the place and so that I drop it, what are they for Harry?"

Turning even paler Harry stammered. "You'll have to ask one of your girl friends that Jade. I ahh, just need to leave for a bit. I, um, need to check something in another lab." Almost running Techwolf raced from the room, face bright red and eyes watering.

---

Excitedly Jade ran into the Poe common room. "Look everyone! My Magic Wand!"

Triumphantly she stood, holding it up for all to see, smiling around at the absently pleasant faces looking at her, till one by one the girls closest to Jade did comic double takes and stared, mouths dropping open in shock at what it was Jade was proudly holding aloft.

"Jade, is that a ..."

"Yeppers!" Jade cried excitedly. "Its a Hello Kitty Virator magic wand, and look at this!" Jade pressed the button and three inches of razor sharp blade shlicked out of the bottom of the wand.

Cries of horror from every girl in the room greeted her. Accompanied by anguished cries of "Jade! How could you!", girls started streaming from the room, simultaneously trying to contain their gore and run, knees locked together, hands protectively in front of their groins. Puzzled Jade watch girls fleeing from the room, stooped over like boys who had just seen another collect a hit to the gonads. Almost crying Jade turned to the helplessly laughing Bunny collapsed on a lounge at the rear of the room. Forlornly she trailed up to Bugs and waited for her to stop laughing.

Tears streaming from her eyes Bunny sat up and reached out to gather the upset girl her arms. "Fey told you that was a Magic Wand did't she?" Bunny asked soothingly.

Jade nodded crying silently. Sniffing she held it out to Bunny. "I made it myself too. I thought it was awesome" she cried.

Standing Bunny closed Jade's hand protectively back around the wand. "It is awesome Jade. Look! I bet you could make nearly any girl almost feint by just screaming out what it is and releasing that blade like you just did." She said smiling to the confused girl. "Lets just go see Fey and you can show her and your friends on Team Kimba how awesome it is, alright?

Smiling happily again Jade nodded, and hand in hand went off to look for Fey, completely missing the manic grin covering Bunny's face as she contemplated the upcoming fun.

Ms. Carson looked at the girl trembling before her, and looked at her compassionately.

As gently as she could, she said, "I'm sorry Anna, but I need you to tell me what happened down there."

Anna sobbed a little harder. "W-Well... Lindsey, me, and M-Molly had gone down into the labs to see the project that Jade and Bunny were working on. A-and while Jade and Bunny were - while they - while we - " Anna took a deep breath. Ms Caron waited patiently. "While we were down there, Lindsey spotted the p-p-pit, and the l-little orange fuzzy things inside. They - They looked like tribbles. She called us over, and - and the other girls all immediately jumped down to play with them. My - My spirit stopped me..." Anna started sobbing harder, but valiantly tried to continue. "A-a-and - and th-then..." Ms. Carson stopped her gently. "That's enough for now." Anna gave a relived shudder.


Then Ms. Carson looked over at the other student in the room, the biodevisor who had made the things in the pit. She glanced down at the file in front of her, then back at the boy. Being a mother, a teacher, a hero, and a principal had given her a number of excellent voices that she could use to trigger guilt, fear, and remorse in this student, but at the moment she could summon nothing but a little bit of incredulity.

"You were breeding wig-wigs?"

Re-posted from the Crystal Hall Forums
Sun, 21 April 2013 11:10

Jadis stormed through Melville, her beast skin up which made the pissed off look on her face all the scarier. She slammed through her brother's door and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Mal standing in the middle of his dorm room.

"Jadis, it's not what you think..." The divisor, decked out in a skimpy little black dress that showed way more cleavage then his sister possessed and some scarily sexy legs, sputtered as "Thank God, I only have one brother, and he's not a cross-dresser." came back to haunt She-Beast.

~~~***~~~

Sun, 11 August 2013 21:57

As she walked into the arena Val paused just outside of camera range, and turned her focus inward. Her school uniform rippled and sank back into her skin as it went from Irish pale to a transparent soft purple. She stood there a moment considering what 'mask' to wear for her finals. With a soft laugh she closed her eyes and willed herself into a new form.

"Let's rumble." Val said with a grin as the starting bell sounded.

~~

Bardue bit the inside of his cheek trying to keep his laughter under controls as he looked over at Ito. The combat instructor shook his head slowly as his doppelganger sprinted out into the street.

"I have to say that's a better approximation then some of them manage." The Little Old Sadist said after a moment. "Still, the highest she can get now is a B+ as she failed to wear a mask."

"Look again, she remembered it." Gunny said as he tapped a few keys and zoomed in on the Faux Ito's face. A pair of Gracho glasses with huge gray eyebrows floated over a honker that would have looked better on a clown.

"B-"

~~~***~~~

Mon, 21 October 2013 00:48

Ayla was twitching visibly as he stalked over to Kimba Korner where most of the team was lounging about in the hammocks or in the air. Niki lounging in the highest hammock looking very regale, as Hank in mid air playing some Brick proofed hand held game. Billie was drifting upside down as she munched on a hoagie that was nearly the size of Jade. Toni was hanging from her ropes "sitting" as still as she could.

The Goodkind Growl was in full force as the Death glare swept over the assembly. "Ok, which one of you introduced Jade to "What does the Fox say?"

"What does the what say?" Lilly asked looking confused.

"it's some God Awful promotional Yotube trash. Half tempted to try for a take over of Fox... no, no that means I'd have to deal with that network. Ick, no." Ayla replied as he struck a contemplative pose.

"Wow, it must be bad if Bass Monkey's number one fan can't stand it." Toni quipped, earning a Go to Hell look from Ayla.

From the lowest hammock a tail crept out followed by Diamondback's head. "Um... I think that might have been the boys and Cait..."

~~~***~~~

Wed, 26 February 2014 08:44
Phase looked over the gathering of the newest TGs to join Poe. Mentally she shook her head, glad he'd managed to talk the headmistress into letting him expand Poe and Hawthorn two years ago. This was the largest crop of TGs yet and he was thinking maybe he should split them into two groups to manage them better.

>Anyone on?<  he sub-vocalized into the Spot 20.7

He got a chorus from the rest of the team as well as several of the fringe players. >Hank, you mind pulling yourself away from Lilly? I need a hand. Group is larger then I can manage.<

>Sure, be right there.  Stall.<

>We're doing intros, you know my usual place.<

"Ok, so where where we? How about you? What is your name and powers?" Phase said pointing to one of the Poe girls who looked very Elfy.

"Um... well I don't have a code name yet, but my name's Jessie Collins. I've got several powers, my primary one is a size warpering, though I can only shrink and return to my normal size." She did so, shrinking out of her clothing. A small nimbus of blush pink light rose out of the pile of cloth. "As you see, I... kind of have a few issues. Luckily I can manifest clothing when I'm this size." came a surprisingly loud voice from the light.

Phase squinted and saw that Jessie was wearing a knock off Tinkerbelle outfit, the Fox version, not the Disney one, and also had fairy wings. "That's very interesting. Is it magical or..."

"Not sure, tester i went to didn't have any magical abilities. He did find out that when I'm this size I'm a PK supergirl, and I can do this.." she flew over to one of the less endowed girls and landed on her shoulder. Instantly the girl's chest began to swell until her breasts where threatening to rip through her shirt. Jessie grimaced and lifted off. "Sorry, didn't mean to make them that big..."

"No, this is..." the endowed girl said absently as she fondled herself. "I want them this big. How long does this last?"

"A few weeks. they'll go down gradually unless I boost them."

"So you're the boobie fairy that passed me over." one of the guys grumped. "You know how hard it is to be the flat as a board sister, called a boy to the point you become one?"

Phase grimaced at that and made a mental note to get the Nu-boy to talk to Dr. Bellows asap.


~~~***~~~

Wed, 09 April 2014 23:43
Englund stifled a yawn as he stepped outside the door of the parsonage, which was tucked in close to the school's chapel. As he bent to pick up his paper, he saw the church lawn was covered in a white substance.

"What in the name of..." the Reverend muttered as he knelt to put his fingers in the substance, wondering which of the school's heathen hooligan packs was choosing to mess with him and his church. The substance flaked off at his touch coating fingers. Bringing his hand to his nose he gave a sniff.

Then a cautious taste.

"Communion wafers?" he muttered as he stood, looking at his lawn again. For the first time he realized that the 'wafers' where where there was still shade. Where the sun had already hit, there was no trace of the substance. Standing on his stoop he could see the light driving back the shadows, and when the light touched the flaky paper thin food stuff it seemed to evaporate.

"Well, seems some one has been reading the Bible, trying to make me think Manna had come from Heaven." he said shaking his head as he went back inside.

~~

Later that day, after he'd finished teaching his Comparative Religions class (Also know as the You'll Burn in Hell for not Worshiping My God You Heathen! class), the Reverend was walking along the Ring Road doing his usual patrol. One could not let much time go by least those who consorted with the Forces of Darkness gain a foot hold making it all the harder to drive them back...

A flicker of light ahead drew his attention, and the old man picked up his pace. Rounding the bend he came to a skidding stop at the sight of a tree ablaze, surrounded by that squirrel girl and the tree trimming crew.

"... I don't know what happened." the girl was saying softly, fiddling with her harness. "I was up there when it just... WOOSH! But... but I wasn't burned!"

The team's point man nodded "Seen some odd things, but this is a ..."

The nimbus of fire flared and seemed to point at Reverend Englund. "You have lost your way!" a voice thundered. "Turn from the path you walk, least you willingly condemn your soul."

"Haha, very funny Beltane, or Thorn, or who ever. Like I am going to believe the old Burning Bush bit at this school." the Reverend laughed as he turned his back on the tree. "I've seen better FX at the school play."

~~

The Reverend picked up the shot gun he kept beside his bed and slowly crept to his bedroom door. A sound had woke him from a sound sleep, and he had to wonder, again, which of the Heathen was messing with him. Breaking and Entering was a step up, and ...

a freight train slammed into the old man. The shot gun dropped to the floor, sending a gout of flame and buck shot into the air. Drawing on his Power Englund wrapped his arms around the intruder and began to wrestle him. Who ever he was, he was strong, and was putting up a fight. They crashed into Englund's weapons cabinet, and his table was reduced to splinters. Then glass shattered and the pair where tussling in the grass.

>Fubar, security to the parsonage!<  the old man mentally shouted to the abomination teacher under Hawthown.

>On their way.<  came the drowsy reply, and the Reverend got a brief flash of very sexual dream he had interrupted.

Finding a rock under his hand, Englung struggled to get a firm grip on it, and putting everything he had he slammed the rock into the intruder's hip. The man let out a grunt of pain and ...

"Reverend? Reverend, are you all right?"

"Get that light out of my eyes." the Warrior for God growled as he sat up, shielding his eyes against the lances of pain that bore through to the back of his skull. "Where is he? Did you get him?"

"No sir, we haven't found anyone. And... there's no evidence anyone was even here." the young security officer said with a gulp.

Englund shot him a disgusted look as he levered himself to his feet and turned to point to the parsonage window "Bull shit we came out..." he trailed off at the sight of the unbroken pane of glass. Sputtering he rushed into the building to find everything restored to as it had been when he'd gone to bed. "This is... Blasted students! When i find out who's messing with me, I am going to have them Expelled!"

~~

Paige shivered as she dropped to the ground. God she hated the smell of brimstone, especially after...

"Back already? Oh, wait... you're the other two. haven't seen you since the separation." The Devil purred as he picked the were up by the scruff of her neck. "What brings you here?"

"Message from above that Petra couldn't deliver." she choked. "He tried, but He was denied thrice...."

"Well well, this is news." the Devil said as he began to stroke Paige like she was a house cat. "Seems I get to play My Advocate with the good Reverend..."

~~~***~~~

Fri, 25 July 2014 08:28
Dickerson
first day of the 2008-2009 school year:

"So, who's next?" Aquerna chirped, so thoroughly thrilled the house mother had asked her to show the new students around, even if it was a little scary. They where gathered in the Dickerson library, sitting on every available surface, which as there where a few size warpers in the group included on the mantle piece. All of them had snacks and drinks and the atmosphere was very relaxed.

The girls looked at each other then one of Asian decent stood up. "I guess I can." she said chewing her lips and fidgeting. "My name is Marilyn Seong, no code name yet. I... can do this." she stretched her hands out and seemed to pull. There was a crash followed by a lot of cursing before several glass marbles came zipping in along with a naked and sudsy semi transparent girl.

"Darlene?" Anna gasped as both the naked girl and the marbles dropped to the floor as Marilyn let out an embarrassed squeak.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know why my powers effected you! I have some kind of psychic control over glass..."

Anna let out a little giggle as she slipped off her uniform coat and handed it to Darlene. "Well that explains things. Everyone, let me introduce you to Darlene, aka Glass."

~~~***~~~

Wed, 30 July 2014 00:03
Peeper smiled as he focused on Fey's chest, letting his vision move through her outer layer of clothing. Oh this was a real treat, she was coming right at him and... Peeper frowned a little as his sight passed through Fey's bra and settled on the magic markered words "This isn't Fey. This is a Spoofed copy. The real Fey prepared Explosive..."

Toni shook her head as the Spoof-Nikki's chest detonated in Pepper's face. "Alya, you really shouldn't have gotten Nikki hooked on Order of the Stick."

~~~***~~~

Tue, 12 August 2014 22:30
Welcome back to Antiques Roadshow, this week in Erie Pennsylvania.

-scene opens on the expert and a little old lady standing with a bizarre contraption that looks like a bag pipe making rough love to an accordion and a small pipe organ. it had a flaking pink paint job.-

The dapper expert, natty in his suit beamed at the camera. "Now when you brought this in, I thought this was some sort of weapon, and after a brief conference with my colleges, it turns out I was half right."

"Oh?" the little old lady was clearly perplexed.

"It turns out that this is the Lost Pink Note of the Piper, a device thought to have been a myth up until now."

"Who's the Piper?"

"You don't know about the Piper? Well, he was a German theme agent back during World War 2, one of their Terror crew. Prior to the war he was an instrument maker and besides the usual ones he experimented with making his own. Some compare him to Stradivarius when it comes to sound technology. The problem was one of his infernal instruments drove him mad and when the war broke out he was recruited. Before and during the war he produced dozens of these marvelous hand crafted instruments, all of them color coded, with each color producing a different effect. No one is quite sure what the Pink note did how ever, as it was never reported as ever being played. Let me see if i can turn this on so we can see..."

-The camera cuts out as a sound came from the machine and spiked up into the painful range. When the broadcast returns a woman wearing an ill fitting man's suit is standing looking confused while a withered old man wearing a skirt is grinning like a fool. The people in the background all are also gender swapped.-

"HA!! after all these years i am finally myself again!" the old man crowed as he pulled a small overly kibbled recorder from under his skirt. "The Piper has returned! Now, bring me all your lovely expensive goods..."

~~~***~~~

Fri, 19 September 2014 00:11

Jade looked up from the stove in Hawthorn's kitchen, trays of Christmas cookies covering every surface. The little girl smiled sweetly up at the scowling Psi Arts teacher and resident Basement beast. "hey Fubs, can I help you?"

"Ms. Sinclair, could you please reset the ventilation system so the whole cottage doesn't smell like your holiday baking? Do you know what it is like to smell your favorite cookies and not be able to have any without risking making yourself sick?"

"Actually, I was about to put this batch through the grinder to sprinkle over your tank..." she giggled as Fubar's scowl deepened.

"I. am. not. a. goldfish."

"So no cookie crumbs then?"

The scowl slipped and Louis let out a sigh. "No, go ahead and sprinkle them in. It's been ages since anyone has made me cookies."


[yeah, it's random, I need to go to bed, and I needed to get the image of Jade feeding Fubar like a goldfish that out of my head]


~~~***~~~

Sun, 19 October 2014 17:35

Evvie eyed Kayda as she dropped into her usual seat at the lunch table. "Hey, thought you where doing better since you got those spike thingies cleansed. What's got you down now?"

Kayda shrugged. "this is my 'WTF?' face. Had the weirdest morning...."

~~

Kayda was waiting for the elevator to get out of the tunnels, having been driven underground by a massive Rose/Beltan prank-plosion that had escalated when Bunny and Jade had joined in when she sensed someone hovering just at her elbow. Turning slowly, her hand straying to her dagger, hr shielding spell already formed in her mind. But the person standing there was hardly a threat. The boy look like he should be in Inera's grade, and he was decked out in a badly made cowl and 'winged' cloak outfit.

"Can i help you?" kayda asked slowly.

"I"m Cowbird! I'm the white buffalo's sidekick!"

"Huhz? You're my side kick?"

Cowpie gave her a look of disgust. "Not your side kick, the buffalo's! I've the spirit of the Cowbird in me!"

"There something you want to tell me?" Kayda asked as she dropped into her dreams space. The white bison was lounging by the camp fire chewing his cud.

"Pardon?"

"Why do you have a sidekick? I thought you where my sidekick."

"I am your partner not a side kick."

"What ever, there's a Cowpie... Cowbird kid who thinks he's to follow you around."

the Bison sighed and rubbed the side of his head into the ground. "Sorry, they follow the herds..."

~~

"... it took me an hour to make him go away." Kayday finished as she stabbed her salad. "And then just before I came here there was another one who wanted to do Lone ranger/Tanto pairing."

~~~***~~~

Mon, 29 December 2014 21:13

Jericho looked up from his project as Razor stuck his head in the door way. "Hey buddy, what's up?"

"chirp, fuuuuoot cheap crrrr gra!" the raptor like transgender hooted as he used a claw to pick his teeth.

Jericho blinked. "They had you and Sara chasing what?"

"Cheap crrr." Razor repeated as he reached into his back pack and pulled out a yellow rat with a zig zaggy tail, which he promptly popped into his mouth like it was a piece of popcorn.

Jericho winced at the helpless squeak the creature made as Razor bit down, "Ok, so you did say Pokemon. I assumed you where joking. Which Bio-divisor made them?"

~~~***~~~

Wed, 07 January 2015 12:47
This one I'm really proud of as it was Canonized by E.E. Nalley as part of North to Atlantis crystalhall.org/North2Atlantis…

It was a solemn gathering that drifted into the Grove, every Sidhe student that went to Whateley was in attendance, as well as more then a few forest spirits and beings like Koehnes. Outcast Corner stood with the Weres, Razorback clutching a large handkerchief which he was worrying to shreds while Jericho leaned against Diamondback. Eldrich and the Grunts who'd been recruited into the Wild Bunch where standing at attention, all armed with rifles and looking sharp in dress versions of the team uniform. In the shadows behind them stood Sara and her father.

The procession formed a circle around a woven briar that had grown in the center of the clearing. Once everyone was in place, the lights seemed to dim, leaving only the living lights of pixies and spirits to light the clearing as Team Kimba made their way in. Jade and Jin where at the fore carrying black swathed banners depicting a burning oak tree. Those who could see Jade's eyes shivered at the anger and sadness that festered there, while Jinn looked as unemotional as ever.

Behind the standard bearers came Phase and Hank, and Tonie and Billie, each supporting a corner of a woven platform. Nikkie and Koehnes brought up the rears, the pair clinging to each other. The platform was place on the briar and the bearers stepped back, each doing their best to hide their own emotions.

The platform was empty save for a shield, bearing the burning oak, as well as a sword and crown.

Sniffing loudly Nikkie whispered, yet somehow everyone heard. "Thank you for coming. I... We... She..." the read head gulped and shook her head unable to continue.

A strong hand landed on her shoulder and Nikkie looked up into Charlie Lodgeman's eyes. Behind him where her parents who she quickly moved to hug.

"Fey has suffered a trauma few will ever experience." Totem said. "Perhaps I am one of the few who know what she feels, as once my wife held a little part of the one we came to honor. Through Cirque I knew Aunghadhail, as well as through my own spirit. Her history goes back to before man, her deeds many and varied. She was a creator," he nodded to the Weres, "a Queen," this time to the Sidhe and their lesser kin, "A teacher," he gave Nikkie a sad smile "and a war leader." a final nod to The Wild Bunch.

"But most of all, she was a hero. She gave her life to help heal two people she knew had been used unkindly. And isn't that the greatest gift a Queen can give her people? the willingness to give her life to protect them?"

Totem let the silence gather before flicking his hand at the briar. a spark of magic kindled a flame that rose up hungrily.

The Weres let out howls, or bellows or roars, what ever suited their linage as the Grunts fired off a salute.

~~~***~~~

Sun, 25 January 2015 10:46

Setting by Mythos over on Twisting the Hellmouth in his Tales of the Barman open story.

~~

Xander looked up from the ledger book as the wards twanged loudly in his mind, causing a slight frown crossing his features. It was a Sunday morning, and only beings in the bar besides him was Illyria who was upstairs doing Gods knew what. Denis was takeing the day off off to visit with Hrothbert of Bainbridge and his associate Harry. He knew the door, both the front one and the broom closet's, had been locked.And yet... the door was open and he could see a waif of a woman standing in there.

"Excuse me miss, but I'm afai...." Xander trailed off as he got a good look at the woman with her scarlet hair, pointed ears, and red and puffy violet eyes. She was also emitting a 'poor me, help me!" aura that was more then just how pathetic she looked; it had a taste of magic to it.

If Xander hadn't been around literal Goddesses, Devils, and all other manner of beings he likely wouldn't have been able to resist. But resist he could in his domain. Mostly, part of his body was reminding him how long it had been since he'd had a date.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ... I needed some time away from my friends, and ..."

"Take a seat Miss..."

"Reilly. Nikkie Reilly." she said as she hopped up onto a bar stool.

it was only when she was a few feet from him that Xander realized how young the woman was; for her mature figure she was little more then a girl.

"Xander Harris. Welcome to Nights. It's Sunday so I can't give you any thing alcoholic even if you where of age. But I can get you some tea or coffee..."

"Coffee please." she said eyes flowing over the wall behind the bar. Xander nodded and pored her a cup, setting a thing of creamer and sugar next to the mug.

"I think you have a bigger collection of hero and villain artifacts then the Homer gallery." Nikkie mused as she absently fixed her drink the way she liked it.

"And some little guys as well." Xander observed. "people like to tell me their stories and leave something behind as a remembrance. You kind of look like you have one you want to tell."

Nikkie took a deep breath and let it out in a gust. "It started two years ago with some strange dreams..."

~~

Xander shook his head as Nikkie's tale of gender flipping, and ancient elves, of a school out of the comics, and a band of friends as tight as the Scoobies had been back in the day wound down with the death of a part of her.

"And I thought me and my friends had been cursed to live in interesting times." he said softly. "I wish I could say the hurt will go away, but it never fully does. I still miss my best friend Jessie. I just don't let the hurt take over. Lean on your friend, and try not to get to mad at them when they don't quite understand what you're feeling."

Nikki looked into Xander's eye and nodded slightly as she squared her shoulders, a royal bearing settling into place as she reached for her purse.

"it's on the house." Xander said quickly.

"All right... well then take these for your wall." Nikkie said pulling a poster out of the much to small to hold it purse. "One for me and one for Aunghadhail."

"Hey Nikkie you in here?" the door banged open and a blue haired girl who either could have been one of his previous patrons or the girl Nikkie called Billie floated in just as Illyria came down the stairs.

The two blue haired beings eyes locked and for a moment time seemed to freeze.

Xander's jaw dropped as Illyria actually turned and ran into the kitchen, fear on her face.

"Billie, what was that?" Nikkie asked as she set the poster on the bar top and hopped down from her perch.

"I have no idea, but suddenly I am really hungry."

"You're always hungry. let's got meet the rest at the pizza place and have lunch. Bye Xander. Maybe I'll bring the rest of my friends by some time..."

Xander nodded absently as the girls left.

"Is it gone?" Illyria asked in a small voice so reminiscent of Fred it was scary as she peeked around the corner.

"Who, Billie? yeah she's gone. What could scare you like that? You a Old One for peat's sake!"

"Yes, well someone once made a weapon meant to destroy us... and that was it."

"Right... funny thing, supposedly that 'weapon' is friends with one of your kin. The Kellith." Xander replied as he unrolled the poster to reveal the red head looking down right pissed and nearly naked with words "Nature; Beautiful but Fierce" at the bottom. With it was a small broach depicting a blazing oak tree.

~~~***~~~

Tue, 27 January 2015 00:23

One of Poe's newest TGirls approached their guide timidly. "Ah, excuse me Phase..."

"Ayla, please." Phase corrected absently as he listened to the speculation about the ton of gold.

"Ayla, there's something weird about the Lord Paramount painting."

"Oh? it looks fine to..." Phase trailed off, eyes going wide at the sight of Lord Paramount wearing a very small banana hammock with a very big bulge, black bow tie, and cuffs; the classic Chipin Dale 'costume'.

"God I hate exemplar memory..." Phase groaned as he looked away.

~~

Mrs Carson walked to her office in the wee hours of the morning, grumbling at the need for her to leave her nice warm bed and the equally warm embrace of her lover's arms. But she needed a jump on the paperwork she'd put off the night before and...

Carson's step paused and she took several back to take in the row of paintings depicting the school's headmasters and mistress. Her painting had changed over night.

Instead of the dignified image based on a snap shot taken while she was still one of the English teachers, it was a more candid shot of her letting her hair down at a party; Stretch Girl's bachelorette party if she remembered right. God that had been one hell of a weekend... 20 super women, 72 hours several of which she still could not remember even with Fubar's help...

The signature in the corner caught her eye. "IMP!!!"

~~~***~~~

Tue, 03 February 2015 23:32

February 2nd
Whateley ranges

"All right, Mr Mahren started this tradition several years back and we are going to continue it. Which mean today we have some special targets for you to shoot at. These are custom ANTS that are programed to behave like the varmints they are modeled after." Gunny growled as he stalked behind the row of students armed with all manner of projectile weapon. Every range class was crammed onto the outdoor range's line.

"Shooters ready... Deadeye, release the hogs. Commence fire!"

Gunny's lips pressed down into a thin smirk as he watched the fur covered robots get shot to hell. Erik had started the groundhog hunt after one particularly bad winter where they'd been snowed in for weeks, and then Phil down in Pennsylvania had predicted more winter. They all knew it was garbage, but for the stir crazy range master... he kind of snapped. Gunny wasn't sure where Erik had found the dozen stuffed, both plush and taxidermy kind, ground hogs, but over the course of an hour Erik had leisurely reduced them to tiny pieces.

Echoing Erick's words Gunny muttered "Six more weeks my ass."

~~~***~~~

Mon, 16 February 2015 21:56

Hawthorn's kitchen door stood open and the sounds of a busy kitchen could be heard coming from within. Most of the old hat residents of the house grinned broadly and shooed the fresh things away least they disturb the kitchen's occupant.

Val was humming to herself as she worked several deep fat friers as well as ran several mixers. Her first year at Whateley had left her feeling out of sorts with the meal arrangement. She was so used to making dinner for her family, that she missed just being able to cook and bake like she could at home. Sure she could work in the kitchens, but then cooking would be a Job, and not a Pleasure or Relaxing. So she'd asked Mrs C if it was all right to make a meal or two in house. The House mother hadn't seen an issue with it, though she had reminded Val about how food that wasn't labeled properly was fair game...

Val had just shrugged and later had informed the cottage that if her groceries where left untouched those who wanted could join her for the meal. She'd been a little surprised when several of her cottage mates had asked if they could help her with the meal. She hadn't realized how much some of her fellow Thornies missed a family dinner, either due to their own families now shunning them, or the fact that the other students shunned them in the caff.

So began the tradition of the monthly Hawthorn 'family' dinner, though Val wasn't always the head cook. Family recipients where traded and shared, new ones made on impulse and improvisation. Christmas and Thanksgiving, the main kitchens handled the Feast, but the Thornie kitchens produced some special treats like pumpkin cookies and pear pies.

And with Ash Wednesday approaching, Val took over the kitchens on Sunday and had been working around her scheduled to produce enough of one of her home town favorite treats to satisfy her house mates; the fasnacht. The kitchens where off limits and whoa to anyone who tried to snitch one of the savory treats before it was time.

Using her TK val shook the frier baskets and dumped the now cooked doughnuts out onto a towel to cool, then shifted her attention to another batch which she dusted with powdered sugar. Val did a quick count and let out a contented sigh as she scooped up a selection into a cardboard box.

Pulling out a cell phone Val tapped in a number and waited for it to be picked up. "I'm done Mrs C. Come get your order, and could you please spread the word it's like last year; If you didn't place an order you only get two to start. After everyone had gotten the rest are up for grabs."

"Thank you dear, I'll be right down. I swear child, since you started in that kitchen I have gained far to much..."

"it's my pleasure. Oh, and could you guard them for a little? I need to deliver three orders." Val laughed as she packed up several more orders and labeled them.

"Certainly, certainly. haven't i been doing that since you started this year?" the house mother had asked before hanging up.

Chuckling softly Val dialed the next number on her list and waited a beat. "Mrs Hartford? Your glazed are ready. I'll drop them by with the headmistress's and the Chief's. Should be... ten minutes? All right, thank you."

~~~***~~~

Sat, 28 February 2015 16:36

Sasha sat fuming in the hall waiting for the principal to see her. Further down the line of chairs Marissa Smith-Jones sat prime and smug. Their math teacher had sent them to the principal because their test papers where 99.99% identical, the only difference being the names at the top. As Marissa's family was well off and donated to the school, and Sasha's family were just dairy farmers their teacher had jumped to the conclusion that she had been the one cheating.

Sasha winced and reached up to rub her left ear. Both of them had been bothering her since she'd woke up, and they'd been a little swollen... Sasha caught Marrissa looking at her through her lashes, a smug smirk on her lips. /Oh I wish she'd just tell the truth from now on! seems like nothing that comes out of her mouth is the truth!/ Sasha thought as the door was opened.

"Girls, in here." Mr Morris said with a tired sigh.

"Sir, Sasha didn't cheat, i did." Marissa blurted, looking stunned at what came out of her mouth. "I didn't study, went out drinking with my over 21 friends and then got laid by my secret girlfriend who is the girl's swim coach." Marissa's eyes went huge as she clapped a hand over her mouth.

Mr Morris blinked. "Come again?"

Marissa seemed to struggle to say something, but what came out was "I cheated. I looked at Sasha's paper. i've been having other people do my homework for years."

"Not that, who are you having sex with?"

"The girl's swim coach."

"Sasha, you may go..."

Sasha nodded and scurried off, and into the bathroom, her bladder on the verge of letting go at her fear. Sweeping her brown hair back Sasha was shocked to see her ears now where graceful sweeping points.

Elf ears...

~~~***~~~

Tue, 03 March 2015 23:15

Frosty ducked into one of the deeper, and lesser used tunnels under the school, panting hard and causing the area around her to ice up.

"The restless natives come after you too?" Nahga asked, causing the hawthorn girl to jump nearly a foot in to the air.

"Yeah. They didn't believe me that this storm wasn't my fault." Frosty sighed.

"Well come on, we have an area set up where we can wait until things melt. Arranged us attending via video until it does already." the witch explained as she cooled a spot on the wall causing a door to swing open revealing Icer, Suzan Chylds, and the hand full of others capable of manipulating ice and cold. "So, sno cone?"

~~~***~~~

Fri, 13 March 2015 16:26

"Welcome to the 'Walking Copywrite Infringement club.' For those of you who's first time this is, if you look around you see this club is for those of us who's mutations replicate a comic hero."

A boy with a bat-morph raised his wing hand to get the speaker's attention. "You don't look like..."

The young lady at the podium raised a finger as she shrank down, wings growing from her back. "I got the "Wasp" package like you got the "Man Bat" package. I STILL don't have a good code name as all the good bug ones have been taken. You're going to also have trouble due to the Bat Family's Bat block."

~~~***~~~

Fri, 17 April 2015 08:49

(Day late, but my Muse was on strike yesterday)

April 16th 2007

"Jana, what are you doing here?" Sted asked as she looked up to see who was clopping towards her in the Venus Inc changing room.

"Likely the same thing you are. I got an invite from Poise, something about a special shoot that we where perfect for." Jana replied as she stripped off her uniform top and stretched.

Sted blinked and blushed as she looked away. "Geeze, what brand of bra do you use? It looks like they squished things down a cup size!"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, some times Saci thinks I need to be a little fuller on top so he inflates things when the clothing comes off. Meaning unless i can borrow a larger size, I need to risk Peeper and walk back to my cottage bra less." Jana said making a face as she poked her enlarged chest.

"Speaking of clothing, did anyone tell you what we'd be wearing?"

"Noooo.... they didn't."

"Actually I have your wardrobe right here," Fey said as she padded in elf silent save for the squeaking of the rolling rack's wheels. She looked from the bikini like tops and then to the two girls frowning. "I'm going to have to glamor them to blend into your skin tone better..."

"Hold on, those are skin tone.... you want us to take a picture that looks like we're naked?" Sted sputtered.

Fey grimaced. "Yeah, they want to continue the Nature Fierce and blah blah blah line, and when the photographer heard about you two..."

"He thought we fit." Jana finished as she found a top in her size. "Well I was offered a good amount for this shoot, so I'm not gonna turn it down. Besides it's not really any worse then some of the things I've worn on holidays back home. besides, it will be nice to have people seeing us as sexy rather then freaks."

Fey snorted and shook her head. "Girls, you are sexy, and your... forms are older then dirt. The first centaurs where created back before the Sundering as Calvary units. And... my spirit rather liked ... congratulating the victorious stallions." Fey finished that with her face as red as her hair. "Which is information I really didn't need to know."

Fey shook her head and squared her shoulders. "Well, if you two are ready, the camera awaits..."

For the next three hours Jana and Sted where posed and clicked, and instructed, and had a lot of fun as they frolicked in a secluded clearing close to the Venus studio.

~~~***~~~

Wed, 06 May 2015 22:45

Nikkie sighed as she carried her tray along the lunch line. Alya had talked the chiefs into making her some vegetarian treats, and a lovely mushroom 'steak' was gracing her plate. Coming to the desert area she pause debating if she wanted a sugary treat. Nothing really looked good... no there was a lovely looking tart tucked way in the back like the rest of it's pan mates had already been snitched and it had been missed.

It practically said 'eat me!'.

Without really thinking about it Nikki spilled it onto her tray and hurried up to the Kimba table.

"What do you have there?" Ayla asked spotting the tart, a piece of her own mushroom steak part way to her mouth.

"Not sure, but for all the times you've given me bites, you can have some."

"Thank you, but I'll wait to see if I'm still hungry when I am done with this."

"Suit yourself. So, do we want the crystal or not?"

Hank made a face around his mouth full of barely grilled meat, the dribble of juices making Nikki shudder inside with revulsion. "Have you updated the cover conversations?"

The elf girl nodded. "Now it will sound like we're talking about homework and less disturbing things."

"Thank you God. I've had other guys ask me how I can stand all the girl talk." Hank dropped his voice. "Someone even asked if I was really a girl. I nearly did a spit take on the soda I was drinking at the time."

"Sorry about that. I..." Nikki coked on what she'd been about to say as a wave of magic flowed through her body. She looked down at her fork which had a half eaten piece of tart on the tines, and to her horror it seemed to be growing larger in her hand.

"Nikkie what is happening?" Ayla gasped, and Nikki could see he was doing something to the ambient essence...

"I'm not sure. Feels like someone hit me with a spell..." she tried to focus, but the spell's weave.. she couldn't get a grip on it to break free. Her clothing billowed around her as the spell sped up, and soon she was lost in the bundle.

Then light flooded down on her as Ayla lifted her shirt and bra off of Nikki, exposing the miniature naked form. "AYLA!!!" she snapped.

"Sorry, give me a moment, I think I have something in my utility belt... Not one word Hank. here Niki, this might fit you."

Nikki accepted the offered cloth, and shook it out. "Ayla, why do you a tinkerbell dress in your utility belt?" she asked as she slipped it over her head.

"It's Jade's, she dropped it, and I picked it up. I was going to give it to her, but she seems to be skipping lunch."

"So why does it fit me like a glove?" Nikki asked as she tugged the dress's hem as low as it would go so as not to flash the boys.

"You'll have to ask Jade that. Want a ride in my pocket to the Mystic department?"

"Please. Take what's left of the..." Nikki blinked as Hank ripped out of his clothing, crushed his chair and then banded his head on the level above. "HANK!!"

"Sorry, it looked so good. I just had a little bite..."

~~~***~~~

Fri, 29 May 2015 14:38

Hey Cryptic."

"What is it Muse?"

"You know that story we've been working on?"

"If you're about to say you have writer's block, so help me..."

"No, no, not that. I just realized we need to work on the cliques seeing how we've set things at a point where all the current canon characters are gone, and the next batch hasn't arrived yet."

"Ahhhh, bugger. And you couldn't have waited to tell me this until after the fair?"

"Well I figured you could think about it while you helped set up..."

"-sigh- you have a point. So which cliques do you think we should focus on?"

"Spy Kids, Bad Seeds, Masterminds, and... Wanna say the remains of The Don's faction. Oh and the Alphas."

"I'll agree with the Secret Squirrels, but how about focusing on someone other then the 'bad' element? How about the Capes? Let's say Pendragon's successor didn't choose as well as Pen did and the Capes have become what the Alphas where under Freya and the Don?"

"Hey, I thought I was the Muse in this relationship! But I do like that idea. Maybe they're trying to rule the school with an Iron Fist of Justice?"

"Mmmm, maybe. I was thinking more Jack Rabbit and Iron Mike rather then the Crime Lords or what ever they where called."

~~~***~~~

Thu, 18 June 2015 00:21

"This had better be worth eight bucks." Jenny sighed as Tommy lead her, with a firm grip on her hand, through the gates of the fair and made a bee line for the fair's race track entrance.

"Oh it will be!" Tommy, "Junker" to his friends and the MCO, said with a grin. "I hear they have Slashdance here! You NEVER get to see Mark 5's any more!"

Jenny sighed and tuned out the techno babble. She loved the gadgeteer, but some times she wondered if he loved machines more then he did her. If she ever caught him making love to a machine... well she wasn't sure what she'd do to him. She'd seen such promise in him inviting her to visit over the summer, hell they would be seniors next year, and she was kind of hoping the country tinkerer would maybe get the hint and they would go all the way before school started up again. And a week in, she was enjoying things, thought she couldn't say she was to thrilled about the country fair. She didn't need to see where her burger came from, she was content thinking it came from the store, not that smelly burping, pooting, drooling cow. The Goats where cute though...

"Hold on, I want to get some... and we're in." she sighed looking around the surprisingly packed stands. it was a disturbing cross section of America, with mullets and flannel mixed in with the Suit-groupies who followed the circuit from city to city. and not a concession vendor in sight.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!! Put your hands together for Slashdance!!" the announcer said over the pa system as a sleek silver power armor strutted out to the center of the track. Despite it's highly polished plating, it was clearly battle scared and it didn't move smoothly, like something was damaged internally or the pilot was not at 100% themselves. Jenny could see it got it's name from the large blades that where welded to the underside of the armor's fore arms, though from where she was she couldn't see it's hands.

"And Slasher's challenger is from the Great White North!! Give it up for Steamhelm!!!"

The armor that clomped out looked a steam engine had collided with a scrap yard. Jenny wasn't sure what to think of Steamhelm. The thing was crude, belched smoke and steam, it looked like it was held together with bubble gum and... no that was definitely duct tape holding some armor plating in place.

"Oh, wow!!" Tommy breathed, his eyes huge. "I've heard of Steamhelm... supposedly it was found in this hole in the basement wall lab where it's creator froze himself by accident back in the 18 somethings. Poor guy miscalculated his cryogenic formula and he didn't survive the thawing process."

Jenny shivered. Her father worked at ARC and he once took her down to the cryo storage area, and it had creeped her out to no end. Even four years after she still had nightmares of the place.

Her reminiscing was interrupted as an air horn sounded and the two suits of armor began to circle.

"This is so cool!" Tommy breathed, pushing his glasses back up onto his nose as Steamhelm ejected a spiked mace on a "short" chain and began to lash it at Slasher. Slasher ignored the small wrecking ball, taking a few hits as it picked up speed and began to do laps around the larger and heavier armor.

"Look at Slasher go! This is Slasher's favored move; hamstring it's opponent then go in for the kill." the announcer bugled as Slasher's blade struck sparks. "But it doesn't seem like Steam's Achilles's heel is going to be that easy to get to! And it seems like Slasher's vibro blades are not up to snuff to cut through that iron plate..."

"That's cause they aren't on." Tommy huffed as he fiddled with his glasses frame. Jenny knew that besides correcting his sight Tommy had "borrowed" the idea to house several types of cameras and visual enhancement devices in the frames from some web comic he read. "I can see ... yeah, who ever has been maintaining Slasher needs to be fired. they cross wired the vibro motor and..."

The person next to them, a massively fat woman in an overly tight t-shirt with some unreadable do to the stretch logo on it, hissed at him to shut the hell up. Tommy started to protest but was cut off as Steamhelm let out a massive burst of steam and ground to a halt. It shook slightly, as if it's pilot was squirming around inside trying to make repairs. Slasher paused as if trying to work out if this was a lure to draw it in, or if Steam really was in trouble.

"Oh, shi...." Jenny hissed as her danger sense suddenly flared to life. She threw up her PK shield to cover herself and Tommy seconds before Steamhelm exploded, sending parts flying into the stands.

~~~***~~~

Fri, 26 June 2015 22:57

"Excuse me, Jadis Diabolik?"

Jadis looked up slowly from the book she was reading. usually when she had someone asking for her name, it usually meant she was about to have someone screaming in her face about how she'd killed some relation to them, or some Cape wannabe trying to rush them by takeing out a 'villain'. The fact that the person asking was actually being polite about it was a bit of a change.

"I am, what can I do for you...??" the white haired young woman asked looking over the frosh shifting from foot to foot across from her. About average height, pixie cut blond hair that was almost as light as her own, tapered elvin ears sported several... where those iron and plastic earrings? Sihde allergies should have rendered them unbearable. Set into a heart shaped face eyes where almost like smoldering coals burned into Jadis, but not in a hostile way. /Huh, she didn't get the 'most common super power' any more then I did./ Jadis realized as her gaze swept over the other girl's top.

"Alisa Mercer. I was stuck with the code name Iron Kissed. I... bet you don't get this often, but could you pass on to your father my thanks? He raided a city this spring where I was being held by the MCO. While they where all under the effects of the Mind Web, I managed to escape."

Jadis's mouth compressed into a thin line. "You're a fugitive from the MCO? What where they holding you for?"

Alisa shrugged. "Nothing, I am an orphan who was between foster families, and my eyes changed. The person running the group home I was staying at called them in and they took me away. Didn't even use my powers until they started 'playing' with me to see what made me tick."

"I see..."

"Well, like I said, thank him for me, and I'll maybe see you around. I need to get to the store before it closes."

Jadis nodded absently as the girl hurried away, more then a little stunned someone actually wanted to thank her father.

~~~***~~~

Thu, 16 July 2015 12:34

"Chief, we got reports of a rager incident in the quad." one of the new officers called from the bull pen.

Delarosa sighed and popped an ant-acid. It seemed in the last few years the number of Ragers had gone up about as fast as the number of Changlings had, and they where getting stronger and more violent. "Which one this time?" he asked.

"It's Charon sir. Lancer, Generator and Shroud are working to corral him and the rest of TK are playing crowd control."

Delarosa gave silent thanks that after the Wild Pack had graduated the kids of Team Kimba had stepped up to fill the hole their absence left in his security plans. It seemed to have grounded them for the most part though they still has some of the "Third Option" flair to their antics. Still they had a knack for heading off problems before they became security's problem. "Ok, so it's handled except for the clean up and punishment. What set Charon off this time? No.. let me guess..."

"Someone was calling him Sharon again." Delarosa and the officer said at the same time.

~~~***~~~

Tue, 21 July 2015 08:30

Mrs Carson stared down at Phase and Fey, giving them a death glare. "Ms Goodkind, I know I have told you about the rules protecting the families of other students. I would have hoped you had passed the ... warning on to the rest of your team. However I have a report here about an assault on one Dakota Morgan code name Traceur's family. Her sponcers and Dr Bellows have made me aware of what happened to her before coming to Whateley, and it seems that someone took poetic retribution for the ills they did to her."

She slapped several photos onto her desk. "Someone used magic to swap their genders. And then put a compulsion on the young... women too have sex with anyone and any thing."

"Mrs Carson, you can check my bank records, I did not pay to have this done, and Nikkie would never...."

There was a cracking sound and Phase shut his mouth.

"Ms Goodkind, I don't care about what was done, the spell has worn off, at least for most of them. the Elder... sister is pregnant and hasn't changed and Circe says she likely will never revert. What I am angry about is that I wanted to deal with them myself and someone beat me to it."

~~~***~~~

Wed, 29 July 2015 15:17

"Good afternoon everyone, this is Outcast Corner taken over the air waves, cause frankly we got tired of Peeper's leering at the girls. He's currently duck taped to the ceiling with a lead sleep mask over his eyes."

A seal like barking that those who where friends with the reptilian rage knew as his laughter cut in followed by "Chirruph!"

"What you said buddy." Jericho said with a smirk. "Don't get ever complement Cait on what she is wearing underneath the outer layer of clothing."

"Let's not mention it and get on with the next bout." Cait growled as she finished drawing a penis on Peeper's forehead.

"As you say Oh Metallic One. We have... Nacht going against the Frosh Tink... Um there seems to be something going on down there..."

"Churr? Chirp chuff, gra!"

"Yeah, I agree Razor. It appears like Nacht is refusing to go into the ring against Tink."

There was the sound of rummaging and then Cait spoke up. "Hey what's... Oh God... I hate to sound like Peeper, but I just found a PIN UP of Nacht! And it looks like it was produced by Tink!"

"Let me see. Damn, some how you don't realize Nacht has a very fine ..."

"CHIRP!!"

"And shutting up now before She-Beast comes hunting my polk-a-dotted butt."

~~~***~~~

Sat, 01 August 2015 19:14

September 2008
Berlin New Hampshire train station

Jadis hefted her bag and stretched slightly as she looked around the semi deserted station as Mal and Thrasher humped their bags off another carriage. The rest of the Bad Seeds, as well as a few new Seeds had gotten a Special all to themselves this year due to security concerns.

She-Beast glanced down at the text on her Dad Phone then around the platform again. Kate was supposed to be meeting her at the station, something about her and her guardian needing to come to the school early. But the spooky girl and her overly bubbly chaperone were no where in sight.

Then something slammed into her back, causing her to reflexively pull up her Beast-skin. "Get the... Kate?" Spinning around, there was a snarl on her muzzle that turned into a look of confusion as she realized who had been hugging her.

"Good Morning Jadis!" Kate chirped with a huge grin. Gone where her dark clothing, replaced with a yellow blouse and light gray pants. The shadows that had clung to her the whole time Jadis had known the other girl where also gone. If fact she seemed to be radiating light. "Isn't it a lovely day?"

"Um... yeah. Kate, what the heck?" She-Beast asked as she dropped her skin.

"Welll.... kind of a long story, but Sunny's Dynamorph, or part of it any way, ended up in me, and won't come out." Kate smiled blissfully as she did a slow turn an inch off the floor. "I haven't felt this good in years!"


Written by Sir Read-a-Lot
Sat, 01 August 2015 20:04

Jadis looked over at Sunny, walking next to her as they watched Nacht completely fail to live up to her code name - smiling, laughing, skipping as they made their way to the train. Sunny grinned. "Don't tell Kate that I said this," she confided, "but dynamorphs have absolutely zero influence over your personality. All they can give you is a bit of an adrenaline rush and very sparkly powers."

Jadis looked over at the ebullient girl ahead of them who was starting to sing a very pretty rendition of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". "Don't worry," she said, "I won't."

Sat, 01 August 2015 21:22

Jadis sat across from Kate at her usual Fixer table, still mildly weirded out by the change in her friend. "So... how has this effected your powers?"

"That's kind of why we came early." Kate replied as she nibbled on a muffin. "I can still do the Dark thing, but it doesn't come as fast or as strong any more. And now I have lesser versions of Sunny's light based power."

"Mhm... So sticking with Nacht or are you gonna change the code name?"

"Sunny and I talked about it, and I'm changing it. Gonna go by Schatten- Licht."

Jadis frowned then asked " 'Shadow-Light' in German? Have you been watching My Little Ponies reruns? So, think you're Bobby Rose will like the new you?"

"Yes I have been. Sunny has all the old episodes, and she and Big Dawg as backing a reboot. I hope so. I really enjoyed his attention last year and... I kinda wanna loose my ..."

"Lalaladon'twannahearit!"

"Self in his eyes." Kate finished loudly with an amused grin. As soon as Jadis's hands where lowered from her ears Kate added. "But, yes, I'd like to have sex with him too."

Sun, 02 August 2015 09:07

A scream ripped through the night, and the night ripped through several walls and floors of Melville cottage. Panting, eyes wide and unfocused, Kate sat up in bed, a hand pressed to her chest to feel her heart racing a million miles a minute. Shivering she put her head on her knees and began to rock.

She was still in that position when Jadis, beast skin up and a bag of Molly in hand, cautiously poked her head into the doorway. "Kate? The Hell?"

"Bad dream. Very bad dream. I was perky, and happy, and ... and ... in the dream I liked it!" Nacht whimpered.

~~~***~~~

Sat, 08 August 2015 10:56

Tears ran down the young woman's face as she stood looking at the charred ruins of what had been her home. She had emerged from that crucible but her parents and siblings hadn't. She knew who had done it; people she'd thought of as friends and neighbors, good God fearing people. Well apparently Though Shalt Not Kill didn't apply to those who God had blessed.

She gave a soft laugh at the irony; her mother was the one who the town had turned against, despite them loving ... ok tolerating her Masked identity. But some A-hole at the MCO had thought mutants should be posted like pedophiles on the internet so "the citizens should be aware!" Fourteen years retired, several commendations, friends in high places, and yet they still went after her mother because she wasn't what they thought she was.

She looked down at the scraps of burned cloth that clung to her body. She wasn't what she'd thought either. Her legs where different now, cloven hooves and covered in fine blonde fur that matched what was on her head. Absently she brushed her hair behind her ear, finding it was now long and tapered.

She frowned remembering a story told to her by her gran, about a vengeful spirit. "I am the Green Lady." she whispered to herself as ashes swirled around her body, forming a dress as green as new grass. Something clicked in her mind and a voice purred. /Yes love. You are. You are she reborn, shadowed hand of the Queen of the West. And I am you, and I will guide you in your power and duty. let me show you what we can do, using those who have hurt you as my props.../

~~~***~~~

Tue, 11 August 2015 23:13

"Teri, what are you up to in there?" Ms Savage asked through the closed doors to the fairy mutant's room. "Some of the other girls are getting a little worried by the ..." the house mother paused to choose her words. "Loud giggles."

The fairy sized door popped open and Ms Savage flinched a little as light reflected into her eyes. "Just working on a costume for Flight class. Do you like it?" Teri asked doing a pirouette in midair while wearing what looked like a gold colored disco ball that covered her from her neck to her hips, showing off pretty much all her legs, which too where gold in color. The ball also had holes for her wings.

"I... don't know what to think." Ms Savage said going a little cross eyed as she took in her smallest charge.

"Well I ran into Hexette while out for a fly last Tuesday and we got talking. She mentioned that Mugwump has been trying to enchant a ball so he can play Squid-witch? I don't know I was distracted for a moment, missed the game's name. Anyway he hasn't managed to get it to move right. So she asked me if I could be the Snidget and show him how it moves so his spell can 'record' my movements."

"Um Teri I think Hex..."

"Up, I need to go, Mugwump should be getting out of Mystical arts 101 about now! Got to go!" And with that Teri tucked her arms and most of her legs up into the disco ball and shot off.

"This isn't going to end well." Ms Savage muttered as she went to locate something to drink.

~~~***~~~

Fri, 14 August 2015

The being who went by the name Mr West stepped into the DPA main elevator and let the scanner play over his features. The buttons dimmed and then a plate slide aside exposing several more options. Nodding to himself he used the tip of his cane to touch the one marked for the sub-sub-sub basement, and the lift began to descend. When it came to a halt the doors slide open revealing a hospital clean corridor tiled in a soft golden-brown.

"I see you redecorated since the last time I dropped by." the ancient 'dragon' called as his step grew strong and fluid, the guise of being human falling away in all by the flesh.

"Considering the last time you visited was back when ... well you know." came a gravelly reply as a hulking figure looked up from the 10 inch tablet that was dwarfed by his hands.

"It's been to long. Been trying to stay out of your side of things, though the school... You may want to head up that way with a team some time soon. Signs are pointing to something bad coming, and Class X things have been stirring up trouble."

That drew the big man's attention, causing him to shake his head. "I told you setting that school up in that valley was a bad idea. Bad enough Minsk U is there."

"You know the reasons that site was chosen Adam," Ty said as he settled into the chair across from his oldest ... something. Both where centuries old and at one time or another they had come head to head over an issue. But they both saw the long view and their goals for the most part where parallel. Ty's gaze swept over the other 'man' across from him. "You're looking better. less... cobbled together."

Adam smiled thinly and nodded. "Thank you for putting me in contact with the bio-devisor. While he has no idea how I live, he did manage to work out how to activate a healing factor which has smoothed over the rough edges my father left me at my birth. So, where did we leave off in our game? i believe it was your move..."

~~~***~~~

Sat, 22 August 2015

Doug looked over the assemblage of parts laid out on the work bench and mentally crossed his gingers as he slipped the device around his test subject's neck. "Ok, let's let this boot up, and hopefully by then Miyet will find her way here."

The cat girl took about fifteen minutes longer to find his lab then Doug was comfortable with, but she did show up. "Hi, someone said you had a job for me, and you where willing to pay?"

"Yup, I hope you don't mind if I transfer your payment to your school account? I.. didn't realize my roommmate had raided my cash on hand so I'm a little short."

"I guess that's fine." Miyet replied with a shrug as she took in the lab for a moment before fixing on the cage sitting on the bench. "What are you doing with .. is that Timeless's Whiskers??"

"Nothing harmful, and James knows I have him! I made a cat translation device, cause my cat at home and I have no idea what she wants when she meows at me!"

"Oh... Um I'm not sure Bast wants humans to know what cats are saying, but I guess unless she steps in and says so I can help you."

"Ok, um... well this might take a bit. Whisker's has actually been pretty quiet since James dropped him off..."

"Merr. yawn"

"He says 'shut up, I was sleeping, and you just interrupted a GOOD dream'." Miyet translated.

Doug frowned at his tablet "Huh... my read out just says "I hate Mondays.'."

"Now?"

"Huh? what is he babbling about?"

"I had "Let me out."

"Rrr."

"That was Let me out, I want to see James."

"My program is way off... 'where is the litter box?'." Doug sighed and shut off the tablet. "Ok, I need to work on this some, you want to take Whisker's back to James for me?"

"Sure."

~~~***~~~

Sun, 23 August 2015

"... MCO and Knights of Purity units converged on Reading PA today when a low level Rager incident took place at a local G-mart store. While there was a lot of property damage, no one injuries where initially reported. That changed when the MCO and Knights stormed the store guns blazing. We have exclusive film from the store's security camera, and we must warn you the images are graphic..."

The film cuts in showing a woman with dark hair and glasses pushing a cart through the aisles, and it was clear she was getting frustrated by the other shoppers stopping unexpectedly, blocking the aisles, blocking her ability to get to items, stepping in front of her without looking and nearly getting hit. The straw that broke the camels back was when a bunch of kids just ran a muck causing mayhem in the section and the mother did nothing to rein them in. The woman just let loose throwing carts out of her way so she could chase the misbehaving children with a french bread.

Then came the MCO and Knights who knocked down shelves, stampeded people, tasered them when they didn't move fast enough and just did everything they where not supposed to before dog-piling the "rager". The then proceeded to pummel the woman unconscious and drag her out to a waiting super transport. The actual policed arrived a half hour after the MCO and Knights had departed.

The anchor reappeared on screen "The MCO claims they have no idea who the woman on the tape is, and that they do not have her in custody."

Mon, 24 August 2015

"Good evening, In the First Ten at Ten we have an update on the "Rager in Reading" incident yesterday. The MCO have now admitted that they did take a young woman into custody, and that their denial about takeing her was due to slow paperwork processing and not updating their spokesperson. Said spokesperson panicked when asked about something he was unaware of and spouted their default denial. The MCO has also said that the woman has been released as it turned out she was not a mutant at all, just a frustrated shopper, and that the person who called them in over stated what was happening. They say they will release the recorded call in the morning.

While we could not reach the young woman for comment, her lawyers have stated she will be filing suit against the MCO and Knights of Purity."

~~~***~~~

Thu, 27 August 2015

Bunker and Mule filled into the Security conference room. Security officers had been to round them up and them bring them here on the double. But now that they where here it was hurry up and wait.

"Sorry to make you wait." interrupted the poker game that had sprung up in the twenty minutes they'd been left cooling their heels. The two immediately jumped to their feet at attention, only to relax a fraction when it registered that the man who had spoken was only wearing a suit that had Fed stamped all over it. "Field agent Haze DPA. I know you two are planning on enlisting when you are finished here... sit, sit, this isn't a talk that should be heard while standing."

Dominic glanced at Bunker (For some reason he couldn't think of her as Andrea) then took the seat across from Haze. "Yes sir, that had been our plans. And if this is a pitch for OlymPYC, I can speak for both of us when I say we're quite happy here at Whateley."

Agent Haze looked like he'd bitten into something unpleasant at the mention of the US's Paranormal Youth Cadets. "God no. That place has been more of a head ache then it's been worth, as the Goodkinds and their H1 friends have been protesting it since it was a twinkle in some idiot general's eye. No, I am actually here to ask if you two would be interested in cross training with the Mystic Arts department. The DPA works closely with a few special units built along the lines of a SEAL team, and they are trained to handle the things that ... well we don't want the average citizen to know about."

"You want us to fight monsters." Bunker stated cutting through the bureaucrat speak.

"Well, yes, we do. The Chief has made notes in all your files that you have been dealing with Class X entities and... well you're still sane and alive."

"Why aren't you talking to the Goobers?" Dom asked leaning forward to rest his chin on his interlaced fingers.

"Because they are a joke, even Englund's core group. We've recruited from them in the past and the life expectancy for them is six months. Grunt recruits do much better."

"How much better?" Bunker asked, eyes narrowed.

Haze squirmed under her gaze. "it's not as good a survival rate as an average military unit, and some years are not as... Apocalyptic as others...." Bunker raised an eyebrow and Haze crumbled. "the length of of service in the unit is supposed to be two years, before most are rotated out to other units who are in less stressful deployments. But the actual ... oh hell recruits average a year. Only one other unit has had casualty rates higher that that and ... well their missions are just as dangerous as the ones our people deal with."

"The Dragon Slayers." Dom said softly thinking about the Rager Night video he'd been made to watch before Halloween.

"yeah. Them. Our unit does what they did, sept with the really nasty stuff." Haze said softly.

"We'll think about it. Is it ok if we talk to a few people about this? people who we've been working with ...

"The Wild Bunch? Sure, go ahead, see if any of them would be interested, because if you're an effective team already, why break it up?"

~~~***~~~

Thu, 03 September 2015

Wrote this, and realized I can't use it yet in my current Magpie story, so thought I'd give you all a sneak peek at my newest character.

John Loki Stephens better known around Whateley as "Wizard Magpie" let out a tired sigh as he leaned back from his work bench in the Alchemy lab, sparing a quick glance at the Mickey Mouse alarm clock he'd saved from desecration by over eager part-hunters. Just a little past 1 in the morning, and if all went well, if everything was properly aligned... He would have created Life! in the form of a Homunculus. From her perch his familiar Double Stuffed the magpie let out a warble and gave him the stink eye.

"Hush you, I'm using Uncle Grey's formula, and you've met his 'butler'." John replied as he closed his eyes. He'd just close them for a little bit...

~~

Mickey was banging energetically away on his bell jerking John awake, his face stuck to a piece of paper by way of his spit. Double let out a growl and tucked her head further under her wing.

"Eight o'clock? Shit." John ground the sleep from his eyes and looked over the incubation chamber. It was open. "Shit. Where did it go?"

"Where did what go?" a high pitched female voice asked from the floor.

"The frack?" John swore again as he pushed his chair back and goggled at the Barbie sized, orange skinned, naked girl. When their eyes locked something passed between them and a bond formed. She was flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood... Why was she a she?

"Oh, hello Master." the girl purred as she scrambled up his leg, her fingers sprouting wicked little claws that pierced the fabric of his jeans with ease. "How may I serve you?"

~~~***~~~

Mon, 14 September 2015

John looked over his costume for Halloween, a small smile on his face. He'd managed to convince Irene to go as something other then a Witch with a pointy black hat, mostly by hiding the much abused witch hat she'd had prominently on display in her room. The girls where going as the Halliwell sisters from Charmed, and he was going as another fictional magic user.

Taking a breath to center himself, then remembering to lock the door to his room, John drew Essence in and began to craft the illusion he needed to complete his outfit.

~~

Jimmy T stretched enjoying sitting with Chimera at the judges table. Fubar was chatting with Kayda's spirit who was bedecked in gold chains and sporting a Mohawk.

"Looks like we have a group entry." Chimera said, pointing to where the Charmed Ones where making their entrance along with another young woman dressed as Lady Loki carrying an impressively glowing staff. "And the Lady Loki's pretty good too. Wonder who that is."

Jimmy cocked his head as the Lady Loki strutted over and took an entry sheet. "Evening Jimmy, 'Mera. The girls wanted me to fill out the form for them if that's ok."

"Sure that's...." Chimera started to say as her brain caught up with her nose. "you're a guy!"

Lady Loki grinned and nodded. "Figured my namesake went distaff now and then, thought I might give it a try."

Jimmy shook his head as he handed John an entry form that was already partially filled out for best female character.

Mon, 14 September 2015 23:52

Mudwump glowered at the costume honor required he wear to the party, having lost to that mudblood disgrace to all wizardom and his haram of essence thieves. Grimly he shed his robes and stood in his tight whities girdling his nerves to put the costume on. with trembling hands he slipped the light blue fabric over his head and did up the zipper. A wig went on his head, special shoes and socks, and a stuffed animal finished the costume.

~~

"Oh God, who is that supposed to be?" Chimera whispered to Jimmy, her eyes wide as she took in the white haired "girl" who was wearing a light blue dress that was 70's-retro, knee high socks with dainty black leather shoes, and a stuffed black cat.

"That's ...." Jimmy cocked his head to listen to one of his ghostly visitors "Wow... calm down Dan. I don't think that's meant to be an insult to Sabrina. Geeze, just go already, I will get Circe to exercise you from this building." Firmly ignoring the ghost now Jimmy shook his head as the "girl" went over to the Halliwells and Lady Loki and began to shrilly yell at them.

~~~***~~~

Sep 20 2015

When the Sundering happened, Magic as those who lived at that time was shattered along with the land.  The World Trees that hadn't been destroyed in the war where the catalyst for the spell, their destruction caused the Essence in the world to burn away.  As the Essence burned the Sidhe who where linked to the World burned as well.  Only a few survived the holocaust and they survived only through quick thinking and desperate measures.  Most of the spells and artifacts that had been created where also destroyed, but those that where inactive, or in a passive state linger, waiting for someone to rediscover them...

I swam slowly in the murky waters off the cost of Galilee Rhode Island, my fins stroking lazily as I fought the current, working to uncover... something.  We'd been diving on this area for a week, Funded by Misk U, and out time was nearly up.  Most of the team thought that this was a waste of time, but I knew my brother had pointed us here, and I knew when he said there was something some where, it was there.

I probably should have been paying more attention, but my mind was wandering to my nephew John and the e-mail he'd sent me about getting ready to go to his new private school in a few weeks.  So when something cold sliced through the neoprene dive suit I was wearing and the water flooded with my blood, it was a bit of a surprise.  The bigger surprise was when the cold object warmed up and latched onto my wrist, clamping off the blood flow.  The the burning started, and i blacked out.

~~

I came to slowly, and I could tell I was on dry land again; The room wasn't shifting with the swells.  The sound of electronics caught my ear, as well as the steady "beep, beep, beep" that echoed my heart's labors.

"Mom!!  Dad!!  The patient is waking up!!"  a girl's voice shouted cutting through my assessment.

"Ow, little..."  I paused.  My voice didn't sound right.  Come to think of it, my body didn't feel right, though I couldn't place why.  Wait... no i could tell why; I couldn't feel what ever i was laying on.  i could tell it was there supporting me, but it was like...  laying down in the snow as a kid while I was wearing a snow suit.  The floof of the suit had cushioned me from the frozen ground, and while what ever was encasing me wasn't soft, it was keeping me from ...

My breathing registered then, the slight echo and hiss that I sort of remembered from wearing an old style brass diving helmet as a hazing ritual on my first underwater excavation.  I was wearing some kind of helmet.  I opened my eyes slowly and found my view not that badly restricted.  I revised my dive helmet comparison to motorcycle helmet, though I could tell what ever was over my head was sealed tight around my neck which meant I had no idea where the air i was breathing was coming from.

A bronze haired woman and a dark haired man came into the room, and I recognized them as the Bayside Surf and Rescue team; Jenny and Richard Taliesin, which suggested that I was in their headquarters.  And that the girl was their child, who rather publicly went from Larry to Karen after a visit to ARC.  There had been a lot of conspiracy theories flying about the gender change and how it had happened.

"What happened?  Why am I in... what ever this is?"  I asked before either adult could speak.

Richard shrugged.  "We're really not sure.  When you where brought in you had something clamped onto your wrist, and in a few hours it just ... grew."

Jenny brought over a mirror for me to use, and the reflection could have been a prop for a next generation of Power Ranger.  The garnish purple and silver helmet had that kind of look to it.  But instead of spandex the rest of the suit seemed to be made out of some kind of metallic cloth, again with the silver and purple.  Mostly purple, with the silver forming a collar like design around my neck and upper chest.

A chest that clearly had breasts.

"Oh, hell, how'd I end up a woman again?"

"Again?"  Jenny asked looking confused.

"Yeah, when I was six my older brother turned me into a girl with magic."  I replied as I rubbed the wrist that had been 'attacked'.  That wrist had a significantly more intricate gauntlet then the other side, and as I rubbed it something clicked in my head and the whole thing just sort of flowed off of me.

And burned like hell around my wrists and neck as the metal settled into my body somehow.

~~~***~~~

Re-posted from Crystal Hall Forums

Thu, 29 January 2015 15:47

Mrs Carson sighed as she took in the battered girl sitting across from her. One eye was swollen shut, her left hand was in a cast, and the tattered uniform hid other injuries. And yet she sat straight and proud unphased by the glare the headmistress was giving her.

"Ms Web, this is the seventh fight you have gotten into in the first three weeks of the year. One would think you where a rager brick, not one of our..."

"Don't call me an Underdog." Kara snapped, her true personality slipping through her Leslie persona. "I am not a whipped puppy, I refuse to lay down and take it."

Mrs Carson sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Very well. Take these papers, fill them out, and you will get an Ultra Violent arm band."

Kara nodded as she hopped up and took the papers.

"You also have detention helping Sam, Morris, and the Sinclairs in the sewers." Carson added. "As well as becoming Sensi Ito's student teacher. He saw tapes of your fights, and with what he's seen in class, it has impressed him. How ever he thinks you still need to learn control and feels helping him teach will give you that grounding."

"Understood."

"Dismissed."

Once the girl was out the door Elizabeth let her frustrated groan out as she pulled a bottle from her bottom desk drawer. "I pray she doesn't draw any more Mighty Mice to her banner..." the headmistress muttered as she pored herself a drink and slugged it down.

~~~***~~~

Sat, 25 July 2015 00:48

September 2025

A slim woman with light brown skin, and black hair cut in a pixie do strolled to the center of the mats. "Good day, this is basic Martial arts. I am Kara James and I will be your instructor. I studied under the founder of this school of akido, Tatsuo Ito, as well as a few other schools of combat. Sensei Ito has mostly retired from teaching and has chosen to work with only a few advanced students this year. Sensei Tolman is the other teacher for this class, but she was required else where today."

Kara's eyes swept over the assembled students. "I am and Exemplar 2, which is the peek of human ability. Monster Mac you are rated as an energzer, sub-class speedster as well as being an Exemplar 5. Would you say you have the advantage of me?"

Mac, who really didn't look mysterious at all, chewed over the question then shook his head. "No ma'am..."

"No sensei."

"No sensei, as I suspect you're gonna do a 'trained vrs not trained demo.'"

Kara raised an eyebrow, causing the student to squirm. "My aunt is an alumni and she told me about sensei Ito's first day speech and demonstration."

Kara laughed with amusement. "I'll have to tell him we're getting predictable. Well you're right Mac. Would you and... Bellona come up here. Class Bellona here is a power mimic as well as being a high end energizer and low end exemplar. I know she's likely already copied most of the powers in this class. Bell, Mac, your objective is to get me into that cage over there while avoiding being put into it yourself. Think you two can manage that?"

Mac looked a little nervous, bur Bellona nodded eagerly.

"Well then on the mats, and let's begin." Kara stated.

Bellona charged in, fists glowing as she took to the air. The mimic wobbled in the air and her fire balls missed as Kara moved only a few inches in a random direction to avoid them. Kara then leaped up and her full weight impacting Bell's back. The downward force drove the student into the mat where she lay twitching.

"Mac, you aren't doing anything..."

"Um... ok. Well after that demonstration sensei, would you consider myself thoroughly intimidated and consider a peaceful resolution? Could you please walk into the cage without me trying to force you?" mac asked looking at his feet.

The class was silent as they looked from the freshman to Kara, who's face was carved from stone. Then they saw the corner of her mouth twitch, seconds before a full on laugh bubbled out.

Kara's grin was infectious as she turned her back on Bell to focus on Monster. "Why Mac, I do believe that is a first; someone actually trying diplomacy in here. Yes, I think will walk into the cage as this demo..."

Bell sprang to her feet with a roar, energy crackling around her. In a blur of movement Kara used the girl's own momentum to throw her over the assembled class. Bell went skidding through the Women's Instructors Shower door and after the sound of her impact with a wall, water could be heard.

"Ok, that was my bad. I should have ended the match sooner." Kara stated from where she lay holding her should. "Mac, give me a hand up. I think I pulled something with that move."

~~~***~~~

Sat, 08 August 2015 11:19

Inspired by the Twisting the Hellmouth story "Everything I know I learned from TV"

Kara crouched behind some cover eyeballing the power armor. It wasn't an Iron Man like design, but looked more like a knock off Mech Warrior's "Cauldron Born". Just downsized by several stories.

"All right people, here's the game plan." She said into her com. "Star, distraction detail. Kitty, Tech, I want you two to hit that thing and roll it when you see an opening."

"Roger that." Katrina replied back, confusion in her tone.

"Stringer, you and me, we're playing fire bug. We need to burn out the wiring."

"Got it Mouse."

"Don't call me that. Rest of you, help Star on distraction detail... Ok BREAK!"

In a few minutes the sim ended and the "You are victorious" message chirped to the assembled team as they came out.

"All right, James, where did you come up with that tactic?" Gunny asked glowering down at the brown haired girl.

"Well sir, I saw that it had no way to right itself it it was flipped over on to it's roof, though I would have settled for just on it's back. I admit I was taking a chance that it had some other weapons that could track Star, but the arm cannons just couldn't track her that well. They where sluggish."

"Mhm."

Kara squirmed under Gunny's gaze. "Ok, I got the tactics from watching BattleBots on TV. Flipper and burner tactics."

~~~***~~~

Sun, 09 August 2015 11:48

Reach triggered the secret latch into the Spy Kid's club house as Spark and few of the others kept a watch out for people coming down the little used section of tunnel. She let out a hiss of warning when the door slid open nearly silently. The nearly part was because someone had some how attached sleigh bells to the other side which jangled merrily at the movement.

"Hello ladies and gents." a cheery voice called from within. Instantly weapons appeared in the hands of the Spies and they did a passable room entry, something Gunny and Sir Wallace had pounded into their heads. "Does this count as an audition to your little club?"

"Who the hell are you?" Ace growled at the brown haired young woman who was seated with her feet up on the conference room table that took up a quarter of the main room's space.

"Leslie Webb, code name Ballbuster. Intel Cadet legacy, though that's something I learned after breaking into this place." Kara said waving to a picture on the wall. "By the way, your security sucks."

Originally posted on Wed, 20 August 2008 23:31

And now, the real reason why we have seen only eight of Herakles’ Twelve Labors named in Ayla 4...

(Note: the snippet below is a PARODY. Diane has no responsibility for this silliness. It's all my fault.)

Ayla 4: “Ayla and the Tests”
CHAPTER 9 — The Girdle of Hippolyta (DRAFT)

“HEY, HANDS OFF MY UNDERWEAR!!!”

Damn, Hippie is on a rampage again. And this time she’s after me. Where’s Sara when I need her to calm down the queen of militant feminist bricks?

“Calm down, Hippie, it’s not about YOU, see, there’s this old legend...”

“I DON’T CARE! KEEP YOUR PERVERT BOY HANDS AWAY FROM MY LINGERIE DRAWER!”

“Uh, okay, Hippie, but for the record, I never tried...” wait a minute... “Hey, do you HAVE a girdle in your lingerie drawer?”

She actually looked embarrassed for a second there. Then the old Hippie was back. “NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS, GOODKIND!”

Huh. Who would have guessed? The idea of taunting her about it passed through my mind, before flying away, screaming in fear. Not the kind of idea that lends itself to long-term survival. Better to finish this fast. A strategic withdrawal seems the best tactic...

“All right, all right, Hippie. I’ll end ‘Ayla 4' right here, and I’ll think of a different theme for chapter names in ‘Ayla 5.’”

“YOU’D BETTER!” she growled, stomping off to her bedroom.

And that’s why there’s no Chapter 9 to Ayla 4.

Originally posted on May 15, 2009

The telephone was ringing when Dr. Bellows entered his office that Monday morning.

“Yes, it is him... what? Alakazam went missing over the weekend again? No, don’t worry, I think I know how to find her...”

He put down the phone and stared at the decorative bottle on his shelf.

“Salima, we have talked about this. It’s not healthy to come hide in my bottle every time you have a spat with N’Dizi. And you know I can’t let you stay here when I’m talking with other students; it would be a breach of ethics.”

Originally posted on February 10, 2010. Made obsolete by canon developments.

Scene: an empty classroom in the Devisor tunnels. A few students are arriving, confused because they didn’t expect the others being there. Among them are PHASE, FEY, THUBAN, ZENITH, AQUERNA, JERICHO, CHAIN LIGHTNING and SLAB. They begin talking to each other, wondering what is going on.

After a few minutes, a few seniors enter and lock the door. They are KODIAK, POISE, PENDRAGON and GADGET. Kodiak clears his throat to call attention to himself.

“I suppose you are wondering why I asked you all here tonight...”

“Cut the cheap mistery novel bit, Kodiak. What do you want?”

“Ah, Jericho. That’s what I like about you. You don’t let anybody intimidate you,” remarked Pendragon. “Of course, you have a distinct advantage in that it’s hard to fight you without looking at your clothes.” Snickers.

“What we propose will take some groundwork. You know how I have been working to change the Alphas this year,” began Kodiak.

“Yeah, well, I’m not sure I trust you, but the number of complaints about Alpha bullying has fallen a lot in Hawthorne,” admitted Slab.

“Yes. And several other seniors have been helping, lending their influence, like these three here. But the problem is, we ARE seniors. Come September, most of the current Alpha council will be gone. Depending on who takes over, there is the possibility of a return of the old ways.”

“Sebastiano...” groaned Chain Lightning.

“And Solange too. They are both juniors,” added Aquerna.

“Not only them. There are some other unpleasant people who would like to take the spot, like Fantastico. I don’t want to see all my hard work lost. In a way, the Alpha reform is my personal legacy to the school.”

“And how is that OUR problem?” asked Zenith.

“It’s EVERYBODY’S problem! Or do you WANT the old Alphas back?” replied Tidewater.

“Well, when you put it that way... no, I don’t. But what do you expect us to do?”

“In a nutshell?” Kodiak grinned. “I expect you to take over the Alphas.”

“What? How?” asked Fey.

“You are a good example, Fey. You do know that the head Venus has a seat on the Alpha Council, don’t you?” interrupted Poise.

“Yes, like all clubs and major cliques,” ansered Phase, realising where this was going. “Go on.”

“I’m graduating too. There will be a new Venus head in September. Solange is a junior, and has been looking forward to the job for a couple years. Now more than ever, since it’s her ticket back to the Alphas.”

“Ugh. If she becomes head Venus, I’ll leave the club.”

“You and most of the others. I don’t want to let her run the club into the ground. Instead, I want to nominate you for head Venus.”

“ME? But... I’ll be only a sophomore...”

“I thought hard about it. There are some other people who would be good for the job. The problem is, Solange has her Junior status and her money on her side. She thinks her beauty entitles it to the job, but it’s not actually a factor. But what she does lack, and you have in abundance, is charisma. All the other models like you, and would vote for you against Solange in a heartbeat — especially if I endorse you.”

“And if I am the head Venus...”

“You would have a seat on the Alphas, and would be in position to influence the Alphas in a positive way and keep the jerks out,” explained Gadget.

“That goes for all of you,” elaborated Kodiak. “We chose you because you are the kind of people who would be a good influence in the Alphas, and you have enough political clout in your groups that you can get there. What we are asking is that you do try to get there.”

Originally posted on May 2, 2010

The Dragons’ dojo, the day after Chou, Molly and Dorjee come out with their poly relationship:

“You mean you are dating BOTH of them?”

“Yes”

“And they are OK with that?”

“Yes”

“You lucky dog...”

Originally posted on May 26, 2010

NEXT: Rising from the ashes
How Willard Jennings took a bunch of failed computer companies and melded them into a major power.

From BusinessWeek

Willard Jennings could be one of thousands of other Silicon Valley employees. His Business degree didn’t hide the fact that he is a geek at heart, and when Apple hired him for a position in the administration side of the company, it was his dream job. This was the early eighties, where those early hires often became compnay shareholders and millionaires. And among all the sharp minds at Apple, Willard (he dislikes being called “Mr. Jennings”) most admired the one who had a clear business mentality: Steve Jobs

When Jobs was ousted from Apple and left to creat NExT, Willard cashed his Apple stock options and followed him, becoming one of the early investors in the startup. But when things didn’t go as well as expected a few years later, he was one of the few voices opposing the sale to Apple, who wanted the rights to the NExTStep operating system.

“I wasn’t ready to give up,” he explains. “Steve was offered stocks for his share and a place back at the Apple board, but the rest of us minority partners would get cash. It was quite a bit of money, but I liked the feeling that this was my company I was working for, and I wasn’t ready to either retire or go back to being just another employee.”

So he formed a group with other young partners willing to keep risking it and offered Apple a different deal; they would agree to the sale, provided that Apple would sell back them — cheap — two pieces of intellectual property Apple wasn’t particularly interested in: the hardware designs and the NExT trademark.

The company was reborn with Willard as its CEO, being the one who articulated the deal and the most business-minded of the group. However, they were a computer company without an operating system. But Willard had an answer for that too.

Apple had looked at another company for a modern operating system: Be, Inc, also formed by former Apple people. But, despite Be being considerably cheaper, they ultimately chose NExT — leaving the powerful, if still immature, BeOS up for grabs. Willard grabbed it, and found venture capital to keep the new merged company going for a while.

The third part of what some call the “NEXT tripod” came next year. In 1994, Commodore Computers had gone under due to mismanagement, taking the popular Amiga line of computers with it. Escom, the German computer who bought the Amiga rights, went itself bankrupt in 1997, and Willard managed to purchase the Amiga rights. Now they had a still-popular platform with excellent multimedia capabilities to marry with their operating system and business hardware expertise. The NEXTamiga 5000, a slightly updated Amiga 4000, came out soon — and sold well enough to game and video enthusiasts to keep the company going.

Willard’s real coup would come in 1998, though. The NEXTsystem 8000 (the “Amiga” brand was relegated to the home-user line), offering unprecedented multimedia capabilities for the price range, took the wind from Microsoft’s Windows 98 and Apple’s iMac launches. The BeOS-based NextOS included compatibility layers that allowed running both Amiga and Unix/Linux software (although with some limitations), making the new machine immediately usable. From that point on, NEXT established itself as a credible third power in the PC arena.

Some attribute NEXT’s meteoric rise to its willingness to use hire mutant engineers to accelerate development. “There is some truth in that,” acknowledges Willard, “But it’s not like we are doing anything shady. Some of the best engineers are mutant gadgeteers, but Microsoft won’t openly hire them because they do a lot of business with Goodkind International — Goodkind Computing is their largest OEM, for starters. And Apple, in that regard, is a victim of their own strengths: Jobs’ obsession with clean design and uniformity does not really help users with extra-large fingers and other special needs. Apple is not well regarded in the mutant community due to that, and few gadgeteers even apply for jobs there. So we are the most mutant-friendly company in this market, and it benefits us.”

Having mutant-friendly hiring policies didn’t hurt NEXT when bidding for contracts from a very large customer: the U.S. military. A VR simulator training system was their first military product, and this balloned into a multi-billion relationship that allowed NEXT to gobble up a couple more companies falling into hard times, like former graphics powerhouse Silicon Graphics.

The military contacts meant increased security — which ended up paying for itself: “When we set up the new protocols to make the Pentagon happy, we found out industrial espionage was a worse problem than we had thought. And some of the leaks were in the security company we had hired. We ended up having to create our own security and intelligence division to keep on top of the game.” Is there any truth on the rumors that it rivals the CIA? Willard laughs: “No way, the CIA has over fifty years of history and is funded by the world’s richest government. My security team is very good and well-funded within the limits of a private company, but at the end of the day it’s a small operation. More like the part of the Secret Service that takes care of White House security.”

What’s next in the store for NEXT? “Well, that would be telling. We are in the high-tech business after all, and a premature reveal of our plans could hurt the company deeply. But our niche is high-power computing, and you shouldn’t expect us to enter the commodity market. Expect us to do things we are better equipped to do than our competitors.”

Originally posted on February 14, 2011 - made obsolete by canon developments

Cavalier and Skybolt were brought to the meeting room at ARC. They looked at the people waiting for them with some surprise.

“Mr. Cardan, Ms. Schroepfer, please have a seat. We have much to discuss today,” said the imposing figure of Headmistress Carson.

They sat together, looking at one another a bit awkwardly, as if they still hadn’t figured out how did they relate to one another again.

“It’s good to see you both as yourselves again. Dr. Otto tells me you made remarkable progress,” added Dr. Bellows from his chair.

“Well, yes, I guess. At least I can get a full night’s sleep now without waking up screaming. Sometimes, that is.” answered Skybolt sheepily.

“After months of telepathicaly-assisted therapy... I think I’m beginning to feel human again,” added Cavalier.

“Yes, and that brings us to the point. You haven’t have an uncontrolled rage incident in more than one month. Even when Otto deliberately mentioned Hekate or Sebastiano,” continued Dr. Bellows.

“Those... those...” fumed both the former Alphas, holding each other’s hand for support — the memories were too painful, but they managed somehow to contain themselves.

“Was that really necessary, Doctor?” chided the Headmistress.

“No, but they will have much worse than that to handle in the day to day, when they leave here.”

“Wait,” interrupted Cavalier. “Leave? Are we going to be discharged already? I thought...”

“...we thought we would rot here,” admitted Skybolt. “I certainly don’t feel cured. I’m not sure if I will ever be well.”

“No, you are not being discharged,” explained Dr. Bellows. “But at this stage, since your therapists think you no longer present a danger either to yourselves or to others, we would like to move you to outpatient therapy, and begin reinserting you into society.”

“Where... where are you sending us?” asked Skybolt timidly. “Are we going back home? To Europe, that is?”

“That’s a possibility we considered,” admitted Carson. “But, if you are willing, we would welcome you back at Whateley. There are some good reasons for that. Your status with the MCO, for one. At the school, you could continue your therapy without their interference. Elsewhere, they could harass you as being ‘dangerous psychopatic mutants’.

“Also, at Whateley you wouldn’t have to deal with the extra dissonance of keeping the appearances of a baseline. And you would be close together, which I think is important to you,” added Bellows.

“But Sebastiano is there,” stated Cavalier.

“How could you let him stay?” complained Skybolt. “After everything he did to us?”

“For the same reason we couldn’t get you both from under his thumb last year,” sighed Carson. “Lack of evidence. He claimed he thought Hekate had just convinced you, he denied knowledge of the slave enchantment, the accusations of sexual abuse, the whole nine yards... with no other witnesses, and your *ahem* temporary lack of credibility, we had no justification for expelling him. We know he is lying, but we can’t prove it. So we are keeping a close watch on him, waiting for him to slip. At least he is no longer head of the Alphas. Kodiak kicked him out.”

“Couldn’t have helped to a nicer guy. He will slip,” said Cavalier confidently. “He’s too lazy and not as smart as he thinks. Eventually he will make a mistake. And then...” he growled.

“This is another thing,” interrupted Dr. Bellows. “If you go back to Whateley, we can’t have a repeat of your January episode. It would land you right back here, or worse, in a MCO jail cell.”

“But... that creep deserves all the punishment...” complained Skybolt.

“And he will get it — but it will have to be done entirely by the book. Otherwise, you lose any chance of getting your lives back,” replied the Headmistress. “Can you do it? Can you handle looking at Sebastiano’s smug face and keep from throttling here on the spot?”

“I think... I think so. If I have Sky or someone to help me focus. But if I get that slime alone on the bathroom at Melville... I don’t know. You might have to hose him from the walls.” admitted Cavalier.

“Well, at least that shouldn’t be a problem. We are not thinking of putting you back in Melville.” said Carson.

“No? But... why? And where are you putting us?” asked Skybolt.

“One of the reasons for keeping you out of Melville is exactly Sebastiano. But there is more. We fear it will bring you bad memories. And, the general atmosphere there is not suitable for your recovery. There’s too much social competition there — with all the related bullying, and put downs and such. You would be like bait in a shark tank — they would compete to bring you down,” explained the counselor. “It would be irresponsible of us to throw you in that situation. So, we are placing you in a safer environment.”

“And that is...?” asked Cavalier.

“There are options. But our first choice, if you agree, would be Poe,” admitted Carson.

“Poe? The whackos cottage? Isn’t that like putting a sign on us saying ‘crazy person here’?” snarked Skybolt.

“Don’t dismiss Poe out of hand. There’s a lot in favor of that choice. And think a bit: the only other co-ed cottage is Hawthorne, and there’s no medical reason to justify you taking valuable room there. So, it’s either Melville and Sebastiano, or Poe and the ‘crazies,’ or we have to split you, say between Whitman and Emerson. Which we would prefer not to do; Otto tells me that the support you gave each other was very important for your recovery,” replied Carson.

“Also, you already have friends in Poe. The two people who have nearly as much reason to hate Hekate as you do,” reminded Bellows.

“Fey!” brightened Skybolt. “And that little one... Generator I think. Yes, I think I would sleep a bit better knowing they were nearby.”

“Man, did I underestimate that squirt. She kicked ass!” remembered Cavalier. “And Fey was... amazing. No, terrifying. Thank God she was on our side.”

“They aren’t the only ones. I think you can trust that if it Sebastiano or Hekate try something, you will have all of Team Kimba and some of their friends at your back. They have history. And they are a very tight group, if Fey and Generator take your side, the rest will come. Not that I approve of student fighting, mind you,” glared the Headmistress.

“There’s a couple other reasons we think Poe would be a good environment for your healing, but let’s discuss those after you decide,” continued Bellows.

“Oh, I think you convinced us. At least, you convinced me. I don’t want to be far from Sky. If it’s between living with Sebastiano or the whackos, send in the whackos. Hell, we’re pretty crazy ourselves, isn’t that true? What do you think, Elaine?”

“They had me at ‘Team Kimba watching our backs.’ Every time Sebastiano attempted something against them, he crashed and burned. That makes me feel... safer,” smiled Skybolt.

“Well, if we are in agreement... then let’s discuss those other reasons for placing you at Poe. Headmistress, if you please?” asked Dr. Bellows.

“Yes. Mr. Cardan, Ms. Schroepfer, I’ll leave you with Dr. Bellows now. The reason is that we expect that the information he will give you will bring to fore some of the issues you are still dealing with. Since I’m not your therapist, it would be inappropriate for me to be present. If you prefer, he can talk with each you separately, or you can ask for your current ARC therapists instead — although they don’t have as much information on those topics as him. If you agree to talk to him, he will be bound to the same confidentiality as any other therapist. Also, I must stress that the information Dr. Bellows is going to give you is not to be repeated. It would very damaging if it were made public, but we trust you to keep your mouths shut. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No, I don’t think so, ma’am. I think we would prefer to continue this together,” answered Skybolt.

“Yes, thank you, Ms. Carson. We will be fine,” agreed Cavalier.

“All right. Now that we are all alone, let me tell you about Poe,” began Bellows. “There’s a secret regarding Poe Cottage. We let most people think that it’s where we put the unbalanced students, but that’s not exactly true. They aren’t any more crazy than the other students, but they share a common issue. One that you have come to face too as part of your ordeal.”

“What? Have they all been mind-slaved to a couple of bastards?” snarked Cavalier.

“No, but they all had to face things regarding their own sexuality,” explained Bellows. “The truth is, Poe is our ‘alternate sexualities’ cottage. None of the students there fit the traditional sexual roles. Most of them are homosexual, some are bisexual. And some are... more complicated.”

“More complicated? You mean, even more than being gay?” asked Cavalier.

“Yes. Some are transgendered in the conventional sense — that is, they were born as one gender, but think of themselves as the opposite gender. Others have it thrust upon them as part of their mutation.”

“Hey, wait. You mean when they manifested, some guys began thinking as girls? I never heard about mutations changing one’s mind before,” demanded Skybolt.

“No, just the opposite. Think of it as a form of GSD, if you will. Some boys found themselves turning into girls when they powers manifested. Some girls turned into boys. And some... some became sort of both,” explained the therapist.

“Like that freshman Heyoka,” Cavalier exclaimed. “I never could figure out if he’s a boy or a girl. What is he, or she, after all?”

“It’s not my place to tell. When you move to Poe, you may ask Heyoka yourself. Be polite, though.”

“OK, back to the point. So Poe is the gay cottage. How does it help us?” asked Cavalier.

“Well, for one thing, Poesies are likely to be less judgmental about you. They have a much more open outlook regarding sexual practices. So, they aren’t likely to think less of you because of something that you were forced to do. In fact, several of them have had somewhat similar experiences — being forced to act in a way contrary to their natures. Usually it’s more a societal pressure situation, but rape is not unheard of. So they may not fully understand what you went through, but they can empathize.”

“Hey, how can you compare...” started Skybolt.

“I can’t. It’s not the same, I grant you. But still, I have heard some terrifying experiences over the years. Don’t think you are the only ones to have ever been abused. GLBTI youths, as a class, face a lot more trauma than other teenagers. So they can relate.

“Also, because of that common ground, Poe is a more close-knit community than the other cottages. They are used to keeping secrets, and they watch for each other. Yes, there are cliques, there are feuds, but overall they aren’t as competitive as the other cottages. For most of the students there, Poe is the first place where they could be themselves and relax, and meet people with similar tastes. Preserving that is more important to them than petty bickering.”

Originally posted on Tue, 30 July 2013 21:42

October 9, 2007
The Crystal Hall

“Did you get it?”

“Of course! Let’s do a deathmatch tonight!”

“Oh, OK. Man, I have a free period... I think I’ll explore it a bit...”

One hour later
Hallway between classes

“MANOHMAN! Did you look at the Extra?”

“I hadn’t time yet, and what about it anyawy? It’s just some mod they included...”

“No, really, just try it...”

Emerson Cottage
5:14 PM

“Man, this is the coolest thing EVER!”

“I would love to have one of those...”

...

“TO THE LABS!!!”

Advanced Technologies Department
9 PM

“Captain Delarose, sir? It’s Green, here at the devisor tunnels. We, ah, we might have a situation.”

“What is it? Another BOLO?”

“Uh, not yet, sir. But the students... well, they are ALL here, working like mad. Something got their interest all at once. It’s like early January...”

“Oh, no... not another Shoulder Angels situation. What did Generator do this time?”

“I don’t think it was her, sir. Every one who comes up asks the others if they also got the ‘orange box’...”

“How bad is it?”

“Delta Spike has already caused three explosions, sir.”

Originally posted on Mon, 09 September 2013 19:31

Gunny Bardue faced one of the new teams for this term. He flinched at the pretentious name they chose for their team.

“Good afternoon, uh, ‘Nuclear Power’. Your team will be facing... the Zoo.”

“Wait, which one is this?” one of the students asked.

“The one with all the members having animal powers,” the girl at his side, obviously his girlfriend, explained.

“You mean, the one with the girl with the squirrel spirit?” the boy replied.

“We are facing a team that’s so lame they accepted an actual underdog? Piece of cake!” the obvious team brick enthused.

Bardue just smiled at the students. With typical teen arrogance, they were looking at this all wrong. They saw a girl with non-flashy powers and thought this made her weak, and by extension it made the team weak. What they were missing is that the ostensibly weakest member of that team had single-handedly defeated several of the campus bullies over the last few months, and came out without a scratch.

But they would learn. It would take a few humiliating defeats, but they would learn, hopefully.

Originally posted on March 01, 2014

(In honor of the first day of Carnival, I’m posting this little piece. It’s inspired by a similar feeling of cultural dissonance I experienced as an exchange student in the Eighties)


Saturday, February 17, 2007
Dunn Hall

It was the end of the lunch hour, and the kitchen crew was cleaning up. The remaining students were leaving the School House Restaurant, but then one came back. She looked around a bit, and then walked directly to me.

“Hi, Pilar,” I greeted her.

“Uh… do you have a minute, Jana?” the green-tinged girl asked me in Portuguese.

“We’re closing up. I’ll be free in a few minutes. Tell you what, grab a couple sodas and wait for me at the bistro,” I answered in the same language.

“Oh, OK.”

---

A few minutes later, I joined Verdant. She looked surprised when I actually sat down on the chair.

“Uh… not to be nosy, but… aren’t you supposed to be a centaur? I heard you were an Avatar, I always thought you had the spirit of the horse or something.”

“No, I am an Avatar, however that has nothing to do with how I look. I’m also a mage, but I botched a spell badly, and until I fix it I have to stay most of the time as some sort of half-animal hybrid. That’s why my codename is Mezzo,” I explained. “Like a pizza. Mezzo alici, mezzo mozzarella.”

“That must suck.”

“It could be worse. At least now I can change which animal I’m an hybrid of; I spent the first couple months stuck as a mermaid. The centaur form turned out to be the best one for my job, but before coming out here I borrowed a page from Gadget and turned half-squirrel. The fur helps with the cold weather, and, well, four legs are a bother lots of time.”

“Right now, I sorta envy you. Brrr!” Pilar half-joked. I guess that before leaving Rio, she hardly ever had to wear a sweater.

“So,” I cut to the chase, “Why do you want to talk to me all of a sudden? It’s not like you and Força made a big effort to keep in touch after the counselors introduced us.”

“I guess I just didn’t see the point,” Pilar said. “We don’t have a lot in common. You went to good schools, you already spoke good English before, you had this cooking thing that got you an inside with the chefs, while I…”

“I see. Yeah, I guess I wouldn’t have been a lot of help with the problems you had to face when you arrived.”

“Yeah. I tried hanging out with Força, but frankly, I can’t stand the guy. He keeps hitting on me, even after I told him that I’m not interested. But then this thing came up, and none of my friends really understands, and you at least are Brazilian like me, and…”

“I think I see what this is about. Go on,” I encouraged her.

“Well,” Pilar babbled, “it’s like… I received an e-mail from my older brother… and he was talking about his plans for this week… and I realized…”

“You realized that it’s Carnaval,” I surmised, “and that you hadn’t even noticed.”

“Yeah. How could I forget about that? It was such a big thing for me every year… If I were still the old me, I would probably be putting the last touches in my costume. My whole family is in the samba school. Last year we even got to be in the Special Group.”

“The same thing happened to me last year,” I admitted. “Well, perhaps not quite the same. I’m not much of a Carnaval person — for me it was just a long holiday to go surfing — but I was used to it being this big thing, on the TV all the time… I knew Americans don’t celebrate it like us, but, well, I guess I expected it to be at least mentioned some way.”

“But they don’t. They completely ignore it,” completed Pilar.

“Except in New Orleans. But that doesn’t help you. It’s a big culture shock,” I agreed.

“What sorta makes it worse is that today is also the Chinese New Year. Chou and her Oriental friends are going to have a big party tonight, and I… well, I guess I’m going to hit the Web and try watching the parades.”

“Don’t worry too much,” I advised her. “In a few years, you will be back, and the Carnaval will still be there.”

“I guess so. You know, it’s funny,” chuckled Pilar, “but I think what really got me was that I was sorta looking forward to show off these babies.” She indicated her breasts.

“Seriously?” I asked. I didn’t know Pilar that well, but she didn’t strike me as the slutty type.

“Yeah. Before I manifested, I was sorta plain. Now I have this great body, my face looks better too, and instead of flaunting it in a bikini I’m all bundled up like an Eskimo.” she grumbled.

“Uhhh… what about…?” I indicated Pilar’s two extra arms.

“Oh, yeah, my GSD wouldn’t go well on a beach, would it? But Carnival is a different matter. Who’s going to be able to tell if the girl with green skin, four arms and a tail is a mutant or just wearing a great costume?”

“It’s not a problem here in Whateley,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, but back when it was still warm enough — or for Halloween — I was just too afraid of breaking some stupid rule or another and being sent back home. But when it warms up again…”

“So you are not afraid of the rules anymore?”

“After I saw some of the things other students got away with, somehow I don’t think Ms. Carson will care if I choose to sunbathe in a string bikini,” grinned Pilar. “Reverend Englund may throw a fit, but frankly I don’t care what he thinks.”

“Yeah. I might go with you, if I can figure out a form good for sunbathing.”

“Yeah. Well, thank you for listening to me, Jana.” she said getting up. “It helped a little. Now, to find some website streaming the parades…”

“Wait,” I interrupted her. “I just remembered a thing that may help…”

“What?”

“Let me call a couple people.” I pulled my cellphone. “Judicator? Mezzo here. Listen, I need a small favor… no, nothing complicated. I just need to talk to Mrs. Ryan. No, it can’t wait until Monday. No, I can’t go through Admin, it’s not a real emergency, just… time-sensitive. It’s something she will probably be interested in. If you are busy I can ask Thuban… you will? Great.”

“What was that about?” asked Pilar.

“Mrs. Ryan once asked me if I had taken part in any Carnaval parades, and was really disappointed when I explained that I hadn’t. She said she wanted to talk about the costumes — I guess it comes with being the Costumes teacher.”

“So?”

“So, at the very least you will have someone to talk about it at length. But I got the impression that it was more than an academic interest in costuming; she was just too disappointed I wasn’t a Carnaval person. I bet she is planning on watching the entire thing. And teachers have access to better gear than a 14-inch laptop — not to mention being able to write an excuse for you to skip a couple early morning classes next week.”

“Uh. That… could work. Thanks.”

“Let’s see if Judicator managed to do it…” on cue, my phone rang. “Mrs. Ryan? It’s Mezzo. You know, the Brazilian centaur girl. Listen, you still interested in Carnival costumes? I have here a girl whose entire family is in a Samba school…”

…you know, I was thinking of the Worf Effect in the context of the Yukinojo…

Worf Effect

by Sir Lee

Big Bad Alien teleports into the Yukinojo’s bridge. Just to prove his Badassery, he promptly knocks out the armor-wearing Stalwart.

Things go downhill from there. The comm officer orders him to “SIT DOWN” and for some reason… he does so.

“You hurt my boyfriend! Why did you do that?” complains the redheaded medical officer.

“HA! Now that I defeated your champion, you paltry females…” he starts bragging.

“HEY!” shouted Ayla and Hank simultaneously

“…will… surrender… to the might… of…” he trails off, noticing for the first time that nobody seems impressed or fearful. In fact, the emotions displayed run the gamut from annoyed (Bunny) to furious (Fey).

“You made a mistake, big boy. Stalwart is not our champion. He was just going on a date with my Medical Officer.”

“So… who do I have to defeat? Certainly not the puny boy in the back?”

“HEY!” shouted Hank again.

“Well, if you had challenged us politely, I would have let you face Lancer. That would let you save some face. If you had challenged us impolitely, I would ask Ayla to take care of you. He is a master of etiquette, after all, and would teach you a few things. If you had just come attacking head-on, I would have no chance of keeping Chaka from interfering, and that would be embarrassing to you. But you did none of that. You attacked my guest. Be thankful he is not seriously hurt, or I would deliver you to Fey, and believe me, you do not want to be on her bad side. But still, for that transgression, you have to suffer.” Tennyo’s eyes started glowing a dangerous red.

“Uh… what do you mean? Are you confronting me yourself?”

“Me? No, facing me would be too merciful. You wouldn’t last a tenth of a second. Instead… Generator, will you teach this moron the meaning of terror?”

“My pleasure, onee-san.”

Beacon didn't know why Reverend Englund wanted Kodiak to come see him, nor did he know why Reverend England wasn't using official methods to contact him. What Beacon did know was that he now had an excuse to go up to the third level, and maybe get invited to stay. He'd hoped that the Goobers would fight for a spot on the third tier of the remodeled Crystal Hall, but Reverend Englend had told them to accept a spot on the second tier.

As he cleared the top of the stairs he looked around to locate the Alpha table, he spotted them and the Outcasts, fortunately he wouldn't have to go near them. Striding confidently across the room to the Alpha table, he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked closer as a mass rose over the head of the shortest member of Team Kimba.

His eyes got wide as recognition dawned on him. He dropped his tray of food, and screamed, "You won't eat me again."

Beacon sprinted in horror back towards the stairs, one last glance, and let loose a blast at the horror. He dove into the stairway tumbling down the stairs, never hearing the roars of laughter from Outcast Corner.

From: Administration
To: Students.All
Sent: 2013-12-17 10:32am
Subject: Construction Permits

Dear students,

Due to recent events, we would kindly remind you of the regulations regarding construction permits.

For constructed object, or collection of objects, with one side larger than 6 feet, you must have a permit prior to construction. This goes for all materials used in construction, including but not limited to snow, ice, stone, wood, metals or a combination thereof, for any construction method used.

Permits can be obtained at the ground keeping department. After submitting your blueprints using the forms in attachments and verification by the staff, you will receive your permit, including a sign to be used on your construction site.

This does apply to constructions used for testing, class projects or recreational objects.

Related to this, anybody singing, humming, whistling, showing or communicating lyrics, images or tunes from "Let it go", will be seen as an accomplish to any building infractions and other consequences that may occur, which will lead to detention.

Kind Regards,

Dr. A. Hartford
Assistant Headmistress
Whateley Academy

In a rage Fey worked a spell to change her tormentor but made a small error in the spell that she saw just as she released it. "Oops"

"What oops?" Lancer asked over the spots, the rest of the team chiming in "yeah what oops?"

"Um, my transformation spell was flawed, all male unders on campus have been changed into manties."

"Manties?"

"Panties, for men."

www.manties.net

Kodiak in a pair of those.

Tuesday evening
Ayla knocked on Jade and Billie's door, he blinked when the door was opened by a pair of Hello Kitty panties. "Jade?" he asked.

"Hey Ayla, what can we do for you?" Jade asked looking up from where she reading.

Ayla glanced around the room, the panties dropped into a pile of lingerie, and a pair jeans floated up and went into a different pile. A book turned its page, Jinn was sitting at their desk writing something. "I'm having another dinner with Vox this Saturday. And I wanted to know if you could serve dinner again."

Ayla thought he heard a giggle, "Of course, one of me will be there. When? And did you want me to pick up the food too?" Jade and Jinn said simultaneously.

Ayla grimaced at the 'of course,' "Same time as usual for everything."

"Gotcha, We'll be there."

Ayla muttered, "They have got to get some new pronouns," as he left.

After the door closed Jade started giggling, then all out laughing. Jinn simply said, "Tell."

Jade reached out and recharged Jinn, and then Jinn started laughing, the book and two 'spyspecks' flew over and got recharged and all of them were laughing. Tennyo walked in to see Jade, Jinn, a book, and a pile of laundry all giggling maniacly.

Jade suddenly stopped laughing, and ran out of the room, "Gotta pee."

Billie stared at Jinn, "What's so funny?"

Jinn stopped laughing, "I'm not sure I should say."

Billie kept staring, "Jinn."

"OK, but you can't tell anyone. Ayla was just in here, asking me if I could serve him and Vox on Saturday."

"What's so funny about that?"

Jinn giggled, "You remember last night, when we were watching The Muppets and the Swedish Chef came on? Well, Ayla always comes down to make sure I know how to serve everything. So imagine his shock when he opens the door and "bork, bork, bork."

Billie glared at Jinn, "Are you prepared for Ayles retaliation?"

Jinn stopped giggling and thought, "I don't think that he'll do anything. The whole thing will be in private. Besides it will be funny for both of us."

Billie shook her head, "I hope so, anyway it's your life."

Jade came back in, and saw Billie shaking her head at Jinn, "You told her?"

Jinn nodded, "I should talk to Jana."

Jade nodded back, "And I need to talk to Bunny."

The two took off before Billie could say anything. The book ignored her, but a shirt popped up and shrugged, "I've no idea. Yet."

Jade ran down to Bunny's room, and knocked on her door. "Bunny I need a favor..."

Jinn headed out to find Jana, first checking at the Crystal Hall, the Whitman. Once she explained what she needed, and what she was doing Jana was all for the joke.

Saturday evening
Jinn was setting the table, when she was poked by Jamie Flyspeck. The six white gloves ducked behind Jasmine the "Swedish Chef," Jamie flashed back to Jade.

Phase opened the door and his draw dropped as he saw the Swedish Chef behind a large steel bowl.

"Yorn desh born, der ritt de gitt der gue, Orn desh, dee born desh, de umn bork! bork! bork!" Jasmine said in her best mock Swedish.

Phase stood there, he mouth slightly open as Jasmine continued on.

"Tudey ve-a hefe-a a gerdee seled." Jasmine grabbed the salad bowl and shook it a bit. "Und noo it is teeme-a tu tuss zee seled. Bork Bork Bork!" And she reached into the bowl, and tossed the "salad" up into the air. Amazingly it all fell back into bowl.

As Phase stood there, his mouth opening and closing. The "Swedish Chef" grabbed the salad bowl, headed past Phase, pausing only to grab the camera Bunny had set up to film the skit.

Jinn was giggling, "The look on your face, was great."

"But... What was that?"

"A little joke, don't worry no one will know. Well no one besides Team Kimba and the gang. And maybe Jana. But only we know it was you."

"I... Ah... What was in that bowl?"

"A bunch of veggie scraps. Don't worry it didn't come anywhere near your dinner. Now is there anything special I need to know?"

Monday morning
Mrs. Horton stopped Jade as she headed out to breakfast, "Jade you have a package."

Jade charged the box and it headed back to her room.

At breakfast, Jade asked, "Does anyone know what Lutefisk is?"

Jogging up slowly, it never paid to be to fast to arrive around here, Officer Michaels came around the corner of Poe cottage and whistled. An entire external brick wall of Poe cottage was now rubble spread over the gardens to the side of Poe. Luckily the constant remodelling had long ago removed any load baring from its external walls, otherwise whole floors would now be sliding down onto the rubble too, as it was this entire wing of Poe would need to be temporarily moved while the wall was rebuilt.

Cautiously approaching the rubble, Office Michaels kept a cautious eye out for the student or otherwise that had caused the destruction, fortunately it seemed the event was over. Students hiding in the greenery where cautiously making their way back to Poe, but all of them seem to be eyeing a peacefully sleeping young girl, curled up hugging a stuffed toy and wrapped up in a pink blanket, with undisguised horror and terror. When the girl turned over in her sleep, the cries of terror seemed set to wake her, till those screaming shoved their own forearms into their mouths, more then a few drawing blood, desperately muffling their own shouts.

Looking closer Michaels stared in disbelief as he looked on the famed Team Kimba, laying spread on the ground around the sleeping girl broken and battered in defeat.

Hank Decland, Lancer, one of the strongest PK supermen currently enrolled, laying moaning, burns covering most of the what Michaels could see of him.

Ayla Goodkind, Phase, unconscious, covered in blood beside him, Chaka white faced in pain sitting between them, tending Hank as best she could with her leg very obviously broken.

Moving cautiously closer, Office Michaels went to kick the almost naked, but otherwise apparently unharmed, purple haired girl tenderly stroking the sleeping girls face.

"Don't!" Urgently croaked out, the word caused Michaels to turn and star in surprise. The Fairy Princess, Fey, lay exhausted, cradling her right arm protectively to her breast.

"Why not?" Michaels demanded.

"Tenyo's making sure she stays asleep." Fey gasped out.

"And that means?" He snarled.

"She's safe! We're safe! We managed to recombine her! She just needs sleep and she'll be fine, it'll all be better again!"

"What will be better?" Michaels demanded.

"She will be!"

"What happened!"

"Vox." Fey gasped. "Vox got pranked she retaliated." Eyes wide in horror Fey moaned. "Who could have known it would have been so bad? Who could have guessed how much she held in? That it was that that contained her?!" Silently Fey stared at Michaels, pleading with her eyes.

"Vox did all this?" Michaels demanded in disbelief.

"No." Fey moaned, starting to cry. "Vox voiced Jade to no longer like Hello Kitty!"

Ib12us wrote:
"Valentine wrote:
Beacon didn't know why Reverend Englund wanted Kodiak to come see him, nor did he know why Reverend England wasn't using official methods to contact him. What Beacon did know was that he now had an excuse to go up to the third level, and maybe get invited to stay. He'd hoped that the Goobers would fight for a spot on the third tier of the remodeled Crystal Hall, but Reverend Englend had told them to accept a spot on the second tier.

As he cleared the top of the stairs he looked around to locate the Alpha table, he spotted them and the Outcasts, fortunately he wouldn't have to go near them. Striding confidently across the room to the Alpha table, he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked closer as a mass rose over the head of the shortest member of Team Kimba.

His eyes got wide as recognition dawned on him. He dropped his tray of food, and screamed, "You won't eat me again."

Beacon sprinted in horror back towards the stairs, one last glance, and let loose a blast at the horror. He dove into the stairway tumbling down the stairs, never hearing the roars of laughter from Outcast Corner.

Ummm But its Bacon? Dang need to get my eyes checked again.

TK and Goobers in a combat challenge, Sara sees a noodle monster and yells out DADDY!!!!! ... Oops, my mistake.. just after Beacon got eaten by the spagetti monster."


As I recall it was Goobers vs Outcast corner.

From: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To: Students.Devisors, Students.Gadgeteers
Sent: 2015-10-07 4:56pm
Subject: Thanksgiving fireworks contest

My fellow inventors,

This year, Whateley academy is celebrating thanksgiving with fireworks! And we like our students to participate in this event!!

Your goal, if you choose to participate, either solo or as a team, is to create the best firework show (or equivalent) possible. You will be judged on:
– Sizing of show
– Overall design and artistry
– Synchronization
– Originality of effects
– Quality of soundtrack
– Quality of technology
– Handling of materials
– Following procedures

Our sponsors will provide you with a budget for materials. Only this budget can be used to create a level playing field. A pyrotechnics professional will be available for advice, guidance and security. More information and contest entry are available on the workshop website.

A few guidelines, that ought to be common sense:
– Please no radiation outside of visible light
– Everything is first tested and approved on the range
– Biological systems need approval BEFORE evolving
– NO nuclear fission, fusion or antimatter devices

Good luck,

Mr Asterlitz
Project Manager Workshop
Whateley Academy

From: Administration
To: Students.Devisors, Students.Gadgeteers
Sent: 2015-10-07 4:59pm
Subject: Re: Thanksgiving fireworks contest

Further to the rules detailed for this competition by Mr. Asterlitz:

1. Students found letting off fireworks that alter the state of mind for viewers will face the consequences of the harshes nature, to be clear:

• There shall be no fireworks designed to hypnotise nor otherwise make students or staff enter a 'suggestive' frame of mind
• No 'mind altering' drugs, pharmacopoeia, herbs, fungus, devices, gadgets or mechanisms of any kind are to be used in the manufacture, storage or display of the fireworks at all, irrespective if they are meant to be effective against others or not.
• Fireworks should not cause either loss of memory, nor should they cause unexpected memories to be recalled or created to become part of the conscience or subconscience of anyone viewing the display
• There shalt be no altering of the viewers mood, neither escasy, paranoia, 'tripped out', terrified, or any other emotional imposition will be tolerated
• Firework displays designed to give nightmares to members of the younger student body, or particular members of our community, are also banned. As are displays designed to be offensive, suggestive or that otherwise reflect badly on the good name of this institution. Keep it PG gentlemen and ladies.

2. Fireworks performances designed to cause damage to property, persons, the environment or just the equipment of fellow competitors are also banned. Gentlemen I intend to be super clear here. If you break it, you fix it, and the cost of doing so will be deducted from you Lab funds, or the Lab funds of any class or project you are working on if your personal funds are not sufficient, for as long as you attend this institution until the damage is paid for.

• Do not create sonic booms, nor any other booms sufficient to cause earaches, headaches, nausea or property damage of any kind.
• Students found either deliberatly through design, or accidentally through insufficient safeguards, producimg fireworks that become unstable, and randomly, or guided with afore malice, target, peruse, attempt injury or menace against other students, faculty or visitors will be bought before Administration to face its full fury for your actions

3. Fireworks are not to be used to build portals, summoning circles, interdemensional rifts, space time disruptions or any other devices for the summoning of demons, salamanders, imps, godlets, fire elementals or anyone or anything else. Students found doing so will face the wrath of the Magical Studies Department, and incidentally may find themselves sacrificed to the entities involved if so deemed necessary for the safety of the school or its students.

4. Students attempting to exploit loopholes, alternative interpretations, omissions, etc. in these guidelines are reminded that all activities on campus are governed by the rules and expectations laid out in the student handbook, and that this document does not change, modify nor amend such rules or obligations in the slightest.

You have been warned and we are watching you.

Dr. A Hartford
Assitant Headmistress
Whateley Acadamy

From: The Ranges
To: Students.Devisors, Students.Gadgeteers
Sent: 2015-10-07 4:59pm
Subject: Re: Thanksgiving fireworks contest

This should go without saying, but in case there is any question - All fireworks are to be tested on the Ranges. Any student testing fireworks anywhere besides the ranges will be automatically disqualified from the competition.

Gunny Bardue
Range 1
Whateley Acadamy

From: Headmistress Carson
To: Students.Devisors, Students.Gadgeteers
Sent: 2015-10-07 6:45pm
Subject: Re: Thanksgiving fireworks contest

It has come to my attention that certain devisors have plans to release a chemical agent that would make certain parts of the female anatomy increase in size upon skin contact. These devisors are now doing detention in the sewers.

If anyone is caught planning a similar action, or actually accomplishes it during the display, you will consider those currently serving detention extremely lucky.
You have been warned.

Headmistress Carson
Whateley Academy

Jericho smirked as he lit the fuse. The rules had clearly stated that he couldn't use any sort of boom to nauseate people, but that was fine. He didn't need booms. He had plaid.

From: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To: Students.Devisors, Students.Gadgeteers
Sent: 2015-10-07 7:56pm
Subject: Thanksgiving fireworks contest

My fellow inventors,

We have found three judges.
First is Jericho.
Second is Shroud.
Third is Fubar.

Good luck,

Mr Asterlitz
Project Manager Workshop
Whateley Academy

Rick code named Launcher couldn't help himself as he strapped on winged bird to the rocket as well as another. Set to explode at an predetermined altitude of 200meters he laughed at the idea.
Having caught an old TV show with muppets he thought the Swedish chef was hilarious as was that thing call Gonzo. He had taken his inspiration from how Gonzo had his fellow chickens fire him from a cannon. Only he now decided to test the theory if turkeys could fly. Given that he had no idea of how to find such a bird he reluctantly settled for what he had been able to procure from the kitchen. A pair of chickens from the freezer.

Fitting the cone through the cavity of both gutted birds he calculated that both should rise up into the air and with camera at the ready he was prepared to capture it all. Pulling out the wings he attached small flags attached to sticks. He wasn't sure how all this would work in an aerodynamic way but what was the fun in that.

He gave a slow countdown having lit the fuze. As the rockets flew into the he was briefly concerned only to capture the flags fluttering madly as the rockets reached their intended height before exploding into dazzling display of colors. Suddenly he had to shield himself as small chunks of meat fell to the ground, only to give him wonder if this was a future way of making chicken nuggets.

Ms. Grimes watched her familiar yowl and scratch at the door, and sighed. Familiars were animals, magical and special but still animals with the same basic instincts, and right now, Merlin, who despite the name was female, was in heat. At least it only happened once every year or two, she thought.

“Sorry Merlin. You aren't going anywhere for at least a week,” she said.

The black cat meowed piteously, but Ms. Grimes was adamant and very carefully made sure every door and window was well locked before leaving to teach class. She never heard the tapping of invisible clawed feet slipping through the front door just as she closed it.

**

“Beetle, where are you, you stupid cat?” El called, looking under his dormitory bed for his cat familiar.

“Is your cat stealing something again?” his roommate asked.

“I hope not,” El groaned. “Crap, I have to get to Ms. Grimes class. If anyone comes along accusing Beetle of stealing something, tell them I'm sorry and to leave a description of it.”

Grabbing his bag he headed out of Poe, running so he wouldn't be late.

**

Merlin stopped yowling soon after her wizard left. She'd had to put on a good show so that the wizard wouldn't think anything was amiss. Now however she could have some fun.

A dark red cat slowly became visible, starting with his whiskers. They sniffed each other, and while she didn't approve of the demon smell coming off of the other familiar, he was a fine looking specimen of a cat. Raising her tail, they began making sweet music together.

**

El was starting to get worried. Beetle would disappear at times, literally, since the familiar could turn invisible, but the stupid demon cat had never been gone for this long before.

He was about to start asking the others in the changeling wing of Poe if they'd seen his cat when there was a very loud, angry knocking on the door.

“Ye-” he started to say, stopping as he saw Ms. Grimes glaring furiously at him. She had her hand raised as if she was holding an invisible cat by the scruff of its neck.

“Mr. Young, I expect you to take better care of your familiar in the future,” the teacher said, shoving the invisible animal into his arms. “When Merlin has kittens in a few weeks, you can look after them until suitable homes can be found.”

Ms. Grimes slammed the door shut and her stomping could be heard until she reached the stairs.

Finally Beetle let himself be seen. Somehow the cat looked even prouder of himself then usual.

“Beetle, what did you do?” El groaned.

The familiar just curled up in his arms and fell asleep with a contented purr.

“I'm going to have to castrate you, aren't I?”

The lower half of his familiar vanished.

More of Danny, Kayda, and the Canotila (recovered from the discussions thread on the old server):

Brother (to Kayda, grinning) - "Oh, by the way, now I know why you were dating Julie!"

Kayda (shocked) - "What?!?"

Brother (broader grin) - "And she's pregnant, too! I think that makes seven. Or eight. I lost count..."

Brother - Oww! Please stop hurting me!

Kayda- You lucky little <bleep>! I'll kill you!

Debra (restraining Kayda) - "Now, now, honey. You've got ME now, remember?"

Kayda (pausing, then blushing beet red) - "Oh, yeah!" starts kissing Debra passionately.

Brother (wincing) - "Oh, for Pete's sake - get a room!"

elrodw wrote: More of Danny, Kayda, and the Canotila (recovered from the discussions thread on the old server):

Brother (to Kayda, grinning) - "Oh, by the way, now I know why you were dating Julie!"

Kayda (shocked) - "What?!?"

Brother (broader grin) - "And she's pregnant, too! I think that makes seven. Or eight. I lost count..."

Brother - Oww! Please stop hurting me!

Kayda- You lucky little <bleep>! I'll kill you!

Debra (restraining Kayda) - "Now, now, honey. You've got ME now, remember?"

Kayda (pausing, then blushing beet red) - "Oh, yeah!" starts kissing Debra passionately.

Brother (wincing) - "Oh, for Pete's sake - get a room!"

You forgot the part where they both kick him out saying "We have one now."

For parents' day, new measures were taken. Signs were pretty much everywhere in and around Crystal Hal. "Do not feed the fairies. This is for your safety." The staff patrolled to remove any leftovers immediately. A security officer was working as bodyguard to keep children away from Teri. Still, Ms Carson had this feeling something would happen.

"Mouser," Teri said fidgeting in her pink princess costume, "most of these people aren't from Nebraska. I'm not sure if headmistress Carson would like you advertising your business here. And I already have half the campus thinking I'm crazy, I don't want to prove it."

The black catwoman jingled a little in her jester outfit. "You never know when you might be able to make some money. And this is fun isn't it? Now come on and put your happy face on!"

Teri flew after her guardian, and smiled at the security guard who was to keep her away from any sugar. "Hey Officer Green, do you think you could arrest me for something? Pretty please?"

"No," the officer said, smiling way too innocently. "I think I want to see this."

"Thought so," Teri repliedhopelessly. "Well I hope you enjoy the show." Smiling as widely as she could, she tried to think of herself as a pretty fairy princess.

Jericho watched the chaos as Crystal Hall quickly cleared of diners when they had the misfortune of seeing his lovely style that had been specially made by a fellow devisor to change with every shift of light into another eye watering pattern of strips, plaids, dots and squiggles in colours man was not meant to see. Even Razorback was avoiding him.

"Hi Jericho," Caroline said coming up behind him.

"Hey Caroline," he said, not bothering to ask what she thought of his clothes since she could only see his aura.

"Can you help me pick out lunch?" she asked.

"Should the blind really lead the blind?" he asked. He wasn't being his usual sarcastic self since he liked the girl and she did a good job at Doyle.

"Consider it an adventure," she joked.

Getting their food they went to sit at the Outcast table, clearing the immediate area in record time.

"Jericho, why are people getting sick whenever they look at you? I've seen less fear during a rager incident."

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe they don't know good style when they see it."

"Yeah," she replied deadpan, "I've heard about your fashion sense. Just a moment."

Caroline went limp, Jericho figured she was astral projecting to see what he looked like. A second later she was back, covering her mouth. "You are a sick, sick person. You know that right?"

"Makes you happy to be blind doesn't it?"

"Yes. Yes it does, it means I don't have to gouge my eyes out with my spoon."

"You're a healer you could fix it."

"Oh caviar! Fancy!" Teri said as she wandered around the school store. Grabbing a jar of it, she started smiling and then she started laughing.

**

"What are you eating, Teri?" Serena asked the little fairy who was nibbling on a cracker that had some black stuff on it.

"Eggs, it's really tasty," Teri chirped happily.

"Where did you get eggs that small?"

"I have a source. I'd offer you some, but this is all I've got for the next ten days. Sorry."

**
Ten Days Later

"Oh you got more of your eggs," Serena said.

"Yep. Here I saved some for you," Teri said, handing her a cracker with the black stuff on it.

Taking a bite, Serena smiled. "This is pretty good. Can you get me some?"

"Well," Teri said, "I can only get it every ten days and I can't get much more than this. Sorry."

"Where can I get some?"

"You need to know the right people. And it's kind of personal."

Serena gave her roommate an odd look. "Ok."

**
Ten Days Later

Serena sat down with a cup of tea. "Periods suck," she moaned.

"I wouldn't know anymore," Teri said, handing her a cracker with some black eggs on it, "I don't get them now."

"You're so lucky."

"Not really," Teri said, watching very closely as Serena bit into the cracker. "I get something almost as bad every ten days now."

Serena who had been happily eating the cracker, slowed down her chewing.

"It's over a lot more quickly, but going to the bathroom in the morning when it happens, royally sucks."

Serena looked at the half eaten cracker in her hand.

"Would you like some more eggs, they're fresh?" Teri asked innocently.

Serena was out the door in record time, spitting and screaming for water.

Half the floor came to the door of the room wondering what had happened. Teri pulled out a jar of caviar. "Good morning! Does anyone want some caviar? It's really good."

Anna was surprised when a hand snuck in and stopped the elevator doors, she was sure that she hadn't heard one behind her.

"Hold the elevator, please," a pleasant feminine southern drawl called out. Anna stabbed the door open button and held it as she watched a curvaceous girl caught up to the hand.

As Reach entered the elevator, she smiled a thanks to Anna. "Taking someone lunch?"

Anna smiled back, "Jer... er Hazmat never remembers to eat, when he's working."

"Jen... Spark is the same way."

The elevator door opened, Anna turned right and Harley turned left. They looked back simultaneously, "Same time tomorrow?"

From: Administration
To: Students.Workshop
Sent: 2015-10-07 4:56pm
Subject: Workshop Updates

In this update
- Licensing for vehicles
- AI limit
- Fashion testing
- Weapon use
- Sharks

[Licensing]

We have been working with the legal department to clarify some questions you had. With the recent movie anniversary and the new releases inspiring inventors, this was becoming an issue.

The most critical parameter is maximum height of the ground clearance plus the vehicle itself, cargo, driver and passenger. The hard limit for the maximum height, either by hardware limits or control systems under any circumstance, is 4.15 m (13.6 ft). This is the standardized height of bridges. So, for the students working on land speeders, speeder bikes, if the max height it below 4.15 m, your vehicle is legally equivalent to an off-road vehicle and can be driven using a standard driving license. For those building a hover conversion capable of going over that limit, you will need a private pilot’s license with a visual flight rules rating as your vehicle is then legally equivalent to a small plane.

Hover boards are classified by the means of propulsion. If the board can using without any input of energy (no batteries or fuel of any kind) besides human force, it stays equivalent to a skate board. But, if using an energy source, it is, depending on the maximum speed, the legal equivalent of a moped or motorcycle and requires the same license.

Testing using remote control is possible, and recommended, but still requires a UAV pilot license. We have a list of students with the required licenses willing to offer their services. Please come to my office to make arrangements for testing.

[AI limit]

Dr. Hartford would like to warn you that that droids can only have a class 2 sentience. Anything above will be hunted down and destroyed. Her words.

[Fashion testing]

The more fashion inclined inventors are urged to use dummies, mannequins or PK brick initially before testing any products themselves or on somebody else, no matter how sure you are that "this time it'll work". We already had one student with a crushed foot and one student with burn wounds on the upper torso in Doyle.

[Weapons]

Gunnery Sgt. Bardue reports that all weapons testing and use are limited to the ranges. Anybody waving around a light saber or blaster outside the ranges will be kindly requested to prove their prowess in a sim of his choosing.

[Sharks]

No more holographic sharks!! This is for your own safety. Fey expresses her apologies for overreacting, but the devisor is reported to make a full recovery. Repairs to Schuster Hall are almost completed.

Happy motoring,

Melvin Donner
Vehicle Lab

This is entirely Kristin's fault .
----

She said, "I've seen you in here before"
I said, "I've since had a patch or two"
She said, "Well, my name is Mystic Jo
Meet my assistant Betty Lou
And we're all feeling kinda cramped tonight
And you're the only blanket in this place
And if you're up for a magic show
We'll make her disappear without a trace"
I said, "Girls

I ain't as good as I once was
I got a few holes in my knit
But there was a time, back in my prime
When I could really hide a trick
And if you need some magic tonight
Then I might have just enough
I ain't as good as I once was
But I'm as good once as I ever was"


I still hang out with my best friend Aung
I've known her since she first started to crawl
Last week she went to Boston, had confrontations
Struttin' round starting brawls
With a few Children of the Night
One great big bad necro man
I heard Aung yell across my loom
"Hey buddy, how 'bout a helping hand?"
I said, "Aung

I ain't as good as I once was
My how my seams have blown
But there was a time, back in my prime
When I was really tightly sewn
But if you wanna fight tonight
Guess these spells don't look all that tough
I ain't as good as I once was
But I'm as good once as I ever was"

I used to flap in the wind
Way back before the Sunderin'
Now my stitches say, "You can't do this, Weave"
But my thread says, "Oh yes you can"

I ain't as good as I once was
That's just the well worn truth
I still take a good whack, block a little flak
When I'm feelin' bulletproof
So don't tug on my loose threads now
'Cause I'd choke you with my fluff
I ain't as good as I once was
But I'm as good once as I ever was

May not be good as I once was
But I'm as good once as I ever was...

----
(For the benefit of those who don't do country, that was a parody of Toby Keith's As Good As I Once Was .)

Staring down at the newly planted rosebush Hank sighed, then gently pulled a flower to his face, breathing in its sweet scent. Letting the flower go he smiled, gently tapped the dirt around rosebush's base once more to confirm it was properly planted, and pushed the wooden stack that would guide its growth a little firmer into the ground.

Standing up he gave one last pat to the rosebush planted in Jamie's memory and turned. Only team Kimba had stayed watching him plant the rosebush. Team Kimba and Lily. Even Mr. Miyamoto and his groundskeepers had withdrawn to their vehicles, leaving the students to their moment of shared remembrance and grief.

Looking over Hank was pleased to see that Nikki had finished planting her rosebush, but frowned when he saw her angry stance and fuming countenance. Turning to Lily and his friends Hank exchange hugs with them all, then indicating Nikki he silently pleaded with them for time alone with her.

With barely a quick glance at Nikki Lily nodded and left, his other friends however were slower, Ayla in particular giving Nikki a long anguished stare before he too nodded at Hank and left. Turning to the silently fuming Nikki, so caught up in her own world she hadn't even notice her friends departure, Hank stopped and waited.

All through the ceremony in the garden Nikki had silently fumed at Mrs. Carson, treating every imaginary slight as a personal affront to Aunghadhail and herself. Ever since Mrs. Carson delivered the news to Nikki, both that Solicitor was suing her, and that far from fighting the suite, the school's response would be to give him her modelling earnings, Nikki had been furious. Even more so since all now seemed to be trying to make her believe that Aunghadhail's death had been good for her!

Finally Hank decided that Nikki had been left to her thoughts long enough, without waiting for invitation he stepped up and hugged her. "Let it go Nikki, it's only money,” he advised.

Fiercely Nikki shook him off, rounding on him to scream, "He wanted to enslave me! Now I'm supposed to pay him for nothing?!”

"Who are you? Are you Aunghadhail's heir? Daughter of the Burning Oak? Paramount Queen of the West and leader of the Sidhe people? Or are you Nikki Reilly, daughter of Nicholas and Lucile Rielly?"

"I'm both!” fiercely Nikki declared.

Hank calmly considered her for a moment, then with a gesture he invited Nikki to follow him, "Please? I have something I want to show you?" He watched her, worried that in the mood she was in she'd not come with him. Hank had watched as Mr. Miyamoto had brought out the rosebush for Nikki to plant in Aunghadhail’s memory. Had seen her facade crumble, genuine warmth in her thanks to him. He hoped that Nikki might be able to accept some things being told to her now. From his own experiences with Jamie he knew how hard it was to hear that those you grieved for were not the most important people. That the living mattered more. With a sigh of relief Hank saw Nikki abrupt, angry nod of acceptance.

Turning he took he lead her out of the rose garden of remembrance, and through the school buildings. Eventually to the Homer Gallery and up to a dusty pile of metal bars.

"It's only money Nikki.” He stated. “ Yes it's your money, but still. Look here, see this gold? How much more do you think Ms. Guzman would add for one day, one hour, a single minute more with Jamie? To tell Jamie of her love? To say her goodbyes? Stare at this gold Nikki and understand! The world has decided we are to grow up, and it's all through asking. Right here, right now you get to choose. Are you the Daughter of the Burning Oak?, or are you the daughter of Nicholas and Lucinda Reilly, who are still here and love you?"

"Why can't I be both!" Nikki wailed.

"You will always be of both heritages, but only one future allows you to be yourself. Only one way will you get to choose and dictate your own path. The other is a path of other people's expectations, other people's desires, other people's destinies, eventually, other people's wars."

"I want to honour Aunghadhail! I want to lead our people!"

"I'm human Nikki. Your friends are all human. Your family is all human! What would you do if you choose race over family? If you choose to stand on the other side from your friends and family?"

"It doesn't have to be that way!"

"No Nikki, it doesn’t,” Hank explained with feeling. “But we are not the ones who make your choices for you."

"But you are forcing me to make a choice! You are making me chose my family or Aunghadhail!" Nikki wailed in distress.

"Oh Nikki no!" Hank exclaimed, stepping close and wrapping her in his arms. "We don't want you to make that choice ever!" Hank promised holding the crying girl close in his arms.

"Let her go Nikki," Hank whispered. "Grieve for her. Grieve for her Kingdom lost in time, but let it go! Honour Aunghadhail by being the best you, the best Nikki Rielly, can be. Let the Kingdoms of the Sihde stay forever lost in time,” Hank begged her.

Kneeling, holding Nikki as she wept out her heartbreak, Hank prayed that something they were doing was really getting through, that the death of Aunghadhail didn't also lead to the loss of Nikki Rielly, the loss of everything that made her his friend.

(Based on an idea Kristin wrote in a different thread)

The senior looked around the fire ring at all the new freshmen members, their dim orange faces open-mouthed and awestruck as the fire flickered and danced, casting some uneven, unsteady illumination to the scene. Behind the senior, the hulking triangles of two tepees loomed large and ominous, faintly outlined like monster ghosts against the moonlit sky.

"Yeah, there's a new student coming named Heyoka," the senior said in his deep, sonorous, but eerily soft voice, making the new members lean closer, knowing he was increasing their tension level. "But the original Heyoka was murdered here on campus!" he hissed. "He was killed in cold blood in Arena 77, his guts torn apart by a sharpened horn and his head split open by a tomahawk. They say his spirit is stuck until his killers are caught and punished, haunting the Arena, looking for his killers. is spirit is powerful, or so it's said, it's touch so terrifying that even Lady Astarte won't go in the Arena by herself! Sometimes, people fall in the arena for no reason, like they've slipped on his spilled guts and brains!" He paused for effect, looking around, knowing the shadows flashing on his face were lending a bit of a spooky air. "Last year, a kid was knocked out when he fell, and even though the doctors swore he was unconscious, he walked around like he was under attack, falling over and clutching at his stomach, and then grabbing like something had hit him in the head before he fell over again! When he woke up, he had scars on his stomach and forehead, just like he'd been hit the same way Heyoka was killed!" He looked around again. "Don't ever go into Arena 77 by yourself, because the spirit of Heyoka might possess you as it relives Heyoka's death over and over again!

Some of the freshmen flinched at the booming way the senior concluded the story. Ghost-stories night at the Nations campout was always such fun!

Buster had had enough. Months of people mocking him about squirrels, and then that... that dog freak that only he seemed to be able to see, hounding him, snickering from the shadows, making everything go wrong. He'd had enough.

People thought Buster was stupid, and they weren't wrong. He'd never been very bright. But he wasn't a complete idiot. He'd ridden a bike before, after all, and he'd watched war movies, and he'd seen helicopters. The solution to his problem was clear, even to his dull mind. The specific mechanics, those he had trouble with... but troubles are easily beaten with the correct use of force. In this case, force used on those nerds down in the tunnels.

And stupid or not, Buster knew that squirrels couldn't fly. Neither could baselines, according to the nerds he'd made help him. They'd said baselines had been struggling to make pedal powered helicopters work for ages with no real success. Buster didn't care. Buster wasn't a puny baseline.

Steering his helicopter was difficult. He'd never realized how slippery air was when he'd been landbound like the rest of the peons who passed below him. But he wasn't an Exemplar 3 for nothing. He learned as he pedaled through the sky above Whateley, and soon he was hovering more or less over his target as she looked up at him with confusion. Confusion became anger and disgust when he began pouring yellow liquid on her from one of the tanks at his side. It was just water mixed with food coloring and some cleaning supplies that smelled like piss, because where would he get that much actual piss? But she wouldn't know any better.

As she dodged and yelled, he kept his eyes on the ground around her. Soon he saw what he'd sought: squirrels swarming in to defend their queen, turning the ground into a brown and grey carpet of writhing fur. Buster smiled. His "piss" tank was empty now, so he chucked it out toward the little tree-rat bitch. She dodged, but that wasn't important. What was important was that now his hands were free to operate the napalm dispenser.

It wasn't long before Stormwolf showed up with a horrified scowl, ruined his helicopter, and sent him tumbling to the ground, but that was fine. Buster had gotten what he'd wanted. He was a little disappointed that the crackling flames drowned out most of the screams from the rodents, but that was fine. Everything was fine. He sat there smiling as Stormwolf and Firecat waded toward him through the flames to drag him off to Security. Maybe he'd be expelled, but he'd shown them. He'd shown them all.

A new student arrived late in Martial Arts, a big bruiser who had a squished nose, fists like battered hams, biceps as big as most of the students waists and an ugly gleam in his eyes. When he saw the mix of boys and girls, some looking quite strong, but not as strong as him, and smaller regular looking teens, he grinned showing big teeth that seemed capable of chewing up a tank.

Sensei Ito walked over to him, and said something as everyone else continued their practice sparring. The big guy didn't bother being quiet, or respectful. “I don't even know why I'm here. None of these pussy's can give me a challenge. I'll eat them alive.”

Sensei Tolman had to order several students back to work as they stopped to glare at the obvious bully.

“You think it is that easy? You can judge how strong a fighter is by a single look?” Ito asked.

“Look at how big I am, none of them could hurt me even if I gave them the first hit,” he boomed with laughter.

“Well by all means let's find out. Teri to the ring. Everyone else let us see if Brick Bat is correct in his assumption,” Ito said.

As everyone eagerly knelt to watch the ensuing chaos, Ito explained to Brick Bat about how to spar in his dojo, emphasizing multiple times while looking at Teri that they had to get their opponent into the cage. The new boy seemed to be unsure if he should be laughing at his six inch tall fairy opponent or angry.

Before they started, Ito seemed to notice that Teri was sweating hard after her practice which had involved dive bombing a target with various heavy objects. “Before we begin would either of you like a drink,” he asked.

“Yes, Sensei,” Teri said.

“Sure. It will help wash down the bug,” Brick Bat said.

Tolman appeared with two sports drinks, letting Brick Bat choose his first. Teri looked at the second bottle cautiously, as the entire class suddenly scooted as close to the walls as possible.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked.

Ito nodded. “Drink up, and remember just get him into the capture cage.”

“You keep saying that old man, is her brain so small she can't remember anything for twenty seconds?” the bully said.

Teri glared at him and drank the bottle down in one gulp. She burped and wiped her face, grinning from ear to ear, her eyes lit up.

“Come on Teri, to the circle and bow,” Ito said somewhat hurriedly.

Teri bowed about fifty times her head almost hitting the floor, in the time it took Brick Bat to bow once.

“Hajime!” the usually calm Sensei shouted, before diving halfway across the dojo.

**

The students came out from behind the forcefield that some of the devisors and gadgeteers had thrown up. The slower students were covered in plaster from when Brick Bat and Teri had hit the ceiling and did a couple of laps with the boys head leaving a furrow in the hard plaster.

Several mats had for all practical purposes exploded when they had valiantly tried to slow down the two fighters as they returned to earth, several times. The walls were in pretty good shape, two of them would need to be plastered over, but they'd been made to handle brick fights, so that was an easy task. The capture cage however would need to be rebuilt. It had three new doorways, the first two had been created when Teri had flown Brick Bat into it and kept going. The third one was her more successful second attempt.

Ito walked over to the dazed and utterly confused boy. He'd have a headache but he wasn't hurt too badly, aside from some minor bruises. “So Brick Bat, do you still believe that you can judge an opponent just by looking at them?” he asked.

“Wh-wh-what happened?” Brick Bat managed to slur, still not risking standing up.

“You lost, badly. When you can stand join the other students and learn how to fight properly, hopefully you'll have more respect for your classmates.”

Turning away from the brick, he went to the far end of the dojo where Teri was curled up, snoring loudly. Scooping her up, he handed the exhausted fairy to Tolman who took her into the small office to sleep it off.

“Now, let us return to our lessons,” the evil old man told everyone, a gleam in his eyes.

"What is that?" shouts Runs Faster.

His younger brother, Watches Hard, snorts. "It's an orca, obviously."

"I am Willie," says the orca agreeably.

Runs Faster shakes his head. "But orca don't have legs. I know all creatures with legs, all creatures that run. The orca has no legs. This is no orca. This cannot exist."

"I am Willie," says the orca stubbornly.

Watches Hard frowns and approaches the orca cautiously, his hands spread to show he means no harm. "Brother Orca! Why have you grown legs and come to land? Is there trouble in the ocean?"

"I am Willie, and Willie is Free," says the orca firmly.

"Yes, um... Willie. But this is very strange. Why have-" Watches Hard pauses mid sentence, then snaps his head to the west where a cloud of dust is rising. He licks his lips then speaks with forced calm, eyes unmoving. "I- I think your destiny has come, Runs Faster. Go! Warn the others! Hurry! The orca are coming!"

As Runs Faster bolts, Willie bellows at the sky. "Willie is Free! The cage of the Ocean no longer confines! Landfish will be eaten, and Skyfish soon will follow! All Orca are FREE!" Shortly his ranting is drowned out by the thunder of galloping blue whales carrying the horde of orca raiders across the plains. The Era of Orcan Omnipotence has begun, and the Earth trembles before it.

Two excerpts from "DeVille's Daughter"

Anna Parsons, aka Aquerna looked up as I came over to the Underdog's usual table and gave me a happy grin. “Hi Leslie! Gonna join us today?” she asked nodding to the rest of the low powered students who didn't think that they where worth anything or where not willing to stand up for themselves. Part of me, the part hardened by my time at DeVille thought them pathetic, while the other untainted part of me just felt sorry for them and wanted... I wasn't sure what I wanted for them.

“Not today. I wanted to ask you...” My nose twitched at the same time Ann's did and we both turned towards Nate. “Oh God... get your ass over by the vent.” I gagged, eyes watering.

“What? It was only a little one!” Nate protested weakly, a spoon full of baked beans half way to his mouth.

“Nate, it's melting the plastic seat of your chair.” Winnie pointed out as she and the rest of the Underdogs scooted further away from the flatulent Avatar.

“I've lost my appetite.” Anna groaned as she grabbed her tray and bounced up. I'd seen pictures of her from her freshman year and while she wasn't an Exemplar Beauty she had still matured into an extremely cute young woman who would likely have been a 7 or 8 any where else. Ok, maybe I was selling her short, maybe she was a 9. Her shoulder length brown hair bounced like a squirrel tail as she moved, and the energy, as well as good cheer, she radiated was infectious. “So what did you wanna talk about Les?”

“I wanted to know if you where interested in joining a forming sim team.”

“Thanks, but I'm not that good...”

I shrugged, knowing I wouldn't get past her block if she wasn't willing to move past it. “All right, thought I'd ask. If you change your mind there'll will always be a slot on the Vindicators for Squirrel Girl."

~*~

“Korenda has nothing to do with it this year, other then snipping at us. I was wondering if you'd like to be the Falcon to my Widow and Donovan's War Machine?”

“You have anyone else yet?” Billie asked. “Ayla and Jericho have decent things to say about Donovan.” she added as an aside to Starling.

“Thinking Clover to fill the slot of Scarlet Witch, as my first choice for spell slinger turned me down and suggested her instead. I kinda feel like we need another heavy hitter though...”

Billie looked a little sick at my dropping Estelle's name. “Oh God... you want to make those three more dangerous, by teaching them to work together and plan things out?”

“And maybe if they planned better, they wouldn't cause as much chaos. Besides I want chaos on my side while in the sims.”

Valentine wrote: Anna was surprised when a hand snuck in and stopped the elevator doors, she was sure that she hadn't heard one behind her.

"Hold the elevator, please," a pleasant feminine southern drawl called out. Anna stabbed the door open button and held it as she watched a curvaceous girl caught up to the hand.

As Reach entered the elevator, she smiled a thanks to Anna. "Taking someone lunch?"

Anna smiled back, "Jer... er Hazmat never remembers to eat, when he's working."

"Jen... Spark is the same way."

The elevator door opened, Anna turned right and Harley turned left. They looked back simultaneously, "Same time tomorrow?"

The next day

As agreed Aquerna and Reach met at the elevator the next day. Both were surprised when a low hissing voice said, "hold the door pleasse."

They were shocked when Thuban king of faction 3 showed up in person and got on the elevator holding a similar package to what they themselves held.

After several moments of awkward silence Reach worked up the courage to ask, "so who ya in for?"

"Generator is working on a new project and forgot about our dinner date. Jinn was there of course but it's not really the same since she doesn't eat. So I thought…"

"You should grab 'er dinner to make sure she eats."

After a few moments Anna and Harley leaned back out of Thuban's range of vision. Reach made whipping movements and pointed to Thuban. Anna nodded in agreement.

"Yes, and as I said, that skeletal figure was me."

"Oh really?" the officer growled, leaning in uncomfortably close. "Prove it."

I frowned at the sensation of spittle hitting my skin. "You are in my face. Please get out of my face before I remove it."

"That a threat, little girl?"

I slowly raised my hand to my chin, gripped, and tore off my face. "I do not make threats," I said calmly as I tucked it into my purse. "Do you believe it was me now? Or will I need to strip down entirely? I hope that seems as unnecessary and inappropriate to you as it does to me, and I'm sure you have better things to do with your time."

"I- Yes. That will, um, not be necessary." He leaned back and began wiping the blood off his face with his sleeve.

"I am leaving now."

He waved at the door and grunted weakly, too busy fumbling for the trash basket to look up.

Lewis glanced at his watch and growled, once again glaring around the foyer of the Goodkind Bank's Springfield Idaho branch. Really there was nothing to growl about, the team were all in position, the insertion had gone without a hitch, and they'd even prevented the silent alarm being given, if anything the robbery was ahead of schedule, but the adrenaline was up, the blood was pumping and Lewis, for all his experience, could not stop himself once more glancing at his watch, relieving his frustration a little by shouting the countdown.

Glancing towards the front door, left unlock as it was their escape route, Lewis swore as a perky cheerleader approached the door obviously intent on entering. Cursing fate's love of Murphy, Lewis started to move towards the door to intercept the cheerleader, but again Murphy stepped in. Instead of opening the door in a state of oblivion, the cheerleader took the merest glance inside before her posture gave away that she comprehended the scene before her.

Hurrying, trying to use the normal moment of disbelief to close the gap so he could prevent her running, Lewis froze in disbelief himself as instead of freezing, panicking, or just plain running, the cheerleader smiled like all her Christmases had come at once and bounced through the door and straight up to him.

"Who the hell are you?" Lewis growled out menacingly, recovering from his shock.

"Hi! I'm a superhero, can you give up please?" the cheerleader asked fixing him with a million watt smile.

"You! A superhero?" Not just Lewis laughed, but so did most of the rest of his crew, who had gone silent, along with the hostages, to hear what the fearless cheerleader would say. Staring in horror, the closest hostages silently shook their heads at the girl, trying to get her to stop. "You thought a cheerleaders outfit would scare us?" Lewis demanded of the girl.

"Oh no, I was just on the way to practice," she replied, huge smile still fixed in place. "I have a real super's costume, would you like me to change into it?" she asked bouncing a little in excitement.

"Little girl," Lewis growled, eyes hard as diamonds. "If you make one move to leave, I will personally shoot you dead!" he growled, raising his sawn off-shot gun and levelling it at her, rock steady, aimed straight at her chest.

"Oh no, I don't need to leave," the cheerleader exclaimed happily, turning around and pulling off her tight shirt, exposing the sports bra she was wearing beneath. "I can change right here!" she declared happily shimmying out of her skirt and reaching behind for her bra straps.

"Well this is a first." Lewis drawled, eyes appreciating the displayed skin. "Normally I have to pay first for a strip tease!" he murmured impressed, as the rest of the team drew closer, their eyes now almost glued to the stripping girl who was by now naked with her back to them.

"Nearly done!" she called happily as she neatly folded her panties, and crouched down to the small pile of clothes she had made to place them neatly on top, almost making the men watching moan in excitement.

"How about we skip the fight and move straight onto the kissing and make up?" leered Lewis, stepping closer to the naked girl.

"Really?" she exclaimed happily over her shoulder eyes wide in innocent delight. Then reaching up she grabbed the skin of her forehead, and with a shockingly sudden move ripped down, revealing the blood covered skull and muscles beneath. "Because most of my boyfriends run screaming and they never answer their phones or return my calls!" shockingly the still perfect and perky voice rang out of the lipless skull, muscles and bone exposed dripping with blood as she turned to face them, completely naked, but all where too busy staring in horror to notice anything but the missing face revealed.

Grabbing the fingers of her right hand in her left, she jerked loose her shoulder, lifting the skinless ball and socket into the gap where the neck's skin had come off with the face. Twisting to pull her arm out to its elbow through the stretching skin she continued in the same perky voice as the screaming started, "I mean, I've the body of a cheerleader! I work out!" Grunting a little she removed her whole arm, and dropping the skin reached across with her skeletal fingers to grab the left hand and start on that side. "I have a *great* personality, everyone says so! So why is it I can't even get to the first kiss?" she whined as she finished pulling the left hand out, and using the skin of her arms started pulling down her skin, wriggling sensuously as she shimmying out of her skin like a woman shedding a tight dress.

Looking up she reached out, skeletal hands with blood dripping off them, skin from two boneless arms flapping to the floor from her waist, a still beating heart exposed surrounded by its two inflating and deflating lungs, all in a rib cage dripping in blood. She stepped forward, arms outstretched to embrace the leader of the bank robbers, her faceless, smiling skull moving forward for the promised kiss as as eyes wide in horror, body locked up in fright, Lewis could do nothing more then scream mindlessly at the unimaginable horror coming his way, his gun dropping from nerveless fingers as the overpowering smell of urine permeated the raucous air.

And by the way, she smiled which for some reason was more hidious than could be imagined. My hero's name is Embryonic.

Blame Domoviye for this, he encouraged me.


"Ma'am push. That's it, push a little harder!"

Gasping, breathing hard and covered in sweat, the young lady stared death at the midwife bent over and looking with professional detachment under the sheet draped over her gravid stomach and upper legs. "I want a cesarian!" she demanded with an angry growl.

Not even bothering to look up from her study of the young woman's passage, the midwife replied absently with false cheer, "Now dear, the birthing is going fine! We already have some nice dilation, and with a few more pushes you'll all be done. There is no reason at all to contemplate such a nasty, dangerous procedure."

"Who's contemplating!" growled the young woman, ripping off the sheet and reaching for the top of her swollen belly.

Looking up in puzzlement at all the extra light, the midwife's eyes widened in horror as the girl calmly grabbed two handfuls of the skin on her belly and ripped them apart, pulling them aside till the whole swollen expanse was denulled of skin. Screaming for help, the midwife dived for the emergent alarm, slapping it on and then jumped back to the woman, grabbing for her arms.

Contemptuously the woman flicked the midwife aside, throwing her to the side of the room, where the midwife lay slumped, stunned and confused, eyes locked on the horror scene before her, a scene the first to respond to her summons found before them as they raced through the door.

A flayed body, the muscles from the stomach engorged in pregnancy, two blood covered hands pushing into the mass ruthlessly. Screaming in horror, experienced nurses fell to their knees, or rushed back out of the room, puking, screaming, running from the nightmare.

Face harsh, emotions locked down as she strode purposely past her fainting nurses, the ward sister slammed her way into the number three delivery ward just in time to see arms, bloody to the elbows, withdraw a squirming, kicking screaming bundle from a body mess her brain only just managed to identify as a flayed, bleeding, pregnant woman.

Eyes wide in horror Sister Turner watch as the arms drew the writhing mass up the exposed chest of the body before her, stopping to cradle the writhing bundle. Clinging to the edge of sanity she looked up, into the eyes of the true horror of the room. A smiling, loving face, looking down in complete bliss from atop the wreckage of the young woman's body. Absently a flap of skin was rolled back up onto the chest, and the wriggling mass, belatedly Sister Turned identified it as a baby, was lowered to it, as enthusiastically a mouth attached itself to the bloody mess and started suckling.

Looking up, directly into Sister Turner's eyes, the coup de gras for her sanity was delivered. There are some things even the hardened psych of an experienced medical professional is just not equiped to handle.

In a perky, estatic, deliriously happy voice the horror before her spoke. "Oh Hi! Look, I'll look after Suzy here, but do you think you can cut the cord and check on the afterbirth for me please?"

Suzy ran into the living room where her mother was relaxing after a long day of being a superhero, by massaging her skin in a special cream that would keep it nice and supple. The superhero was standing on a plastic tarp to keep any blood from staining the hardwood floor.

"Mom! Check it out!" Suzy cried, not worrying that her mother was standing there looking like a skinned corpse. "I manifested today!"

Without waiting for her mother to speak, she jabbed two fingers into her arm just below her shoulder. There was a pop and the bones of her arm, hand and fingers came sliding out through a slit in the skin. The bones hovered in the air and waved. The muscles and skin of the arm stayed attached to Suzy, moving like a boneless worm but still under her control.

"I can do this with my entire skeleton! Isn't it cool!"

Her mother jumped for joy, spraying blood and cream around the room. "This calls for a celebration! And I'll talk to the team about getting you signed up as a junior member. The criminals of the city won't know what hit them."

Priscilla stood in front of her mirror her body wobbly to an fro as she took in how her body had manifested. It still looked the same to her even with the change only her skin was looseer, more flexible as her head took to flopping down.

Once more she reached with her hands to straighten her head so she could get a better look.

"MOOOOM!" Priscilla called out hating how she had to have her mothers help to get dressed. Her clothes lay on the bed just waiting to be put on.

"Yes honey?" her mother called out from the other side of the door.

Turning her skin flopped to the ground like a fish as her skeleton moved to open the door.

"I can't seem to open wide enough to fit my skin back over my bones," Priscilla whined as her eyes could only stare upwards towards the ceiling. "And the bus will be here soon."

"Honey I told you not to use your dads soap, you know how it dries out your skin making it shrink," Priscilla's mom said as she went to retrieve the steam iron.

Old saw bones as Priscilla called her skeleton waited beside the dry as soon as her mother started the wash machine. She had made sure to use the latest in fabric softener as well as only the smallest amount of bleach to prevent any skin rash.

"Priscilla honey will you come here for a minute, please! her mother beckoned. I need you to reach under the fridge again. Eyeing herself through the front end loader she hated how her bones could just leave her. Closing her eyes she waited once the next cycle began as she tried to hold back her nausea when the spin cycle commenced. It always gave her a head rush and her brothers teasing of calling her a ditz didn't help.

She hoped her skeleton would be done soon as the last time she was placed in the dryer her brother had changed its setting from fluff dry to high heat causing her skin to flake and a week of eye drops when her eyes dried out.

Speedy ran down the street at an easy 50mph, his backpack was full of gems he'd stolen a few minutes ago. The little city had a superhero team, but it wasn't talked about much by anyone so it couldn't be very good. The stones had to be worth a couple hundred grand which would let him rest easy for the year. As his mentor had taught him, never be greedy, a job every year or two kept the heat off as the heroes and cops went after the idiots who had to keep their faces in the news.

A guy in a business suit with a mask covering the upper part of the his face stepped out and held his hands up to show that he didn't have any weapons. Not that that meant much when he could possibly fire lasers from his ass. Still a short talk to see what the opposition was like couldn't hurt.

“Get out of my way before you get hurt,” Speedy said.

“I'm not here to stop you, that's not my job as the Negotiator. I'm just here to ask you to surrender before you have to meet the two other members of my team. I promise if you surrender without a fight you'll get a nice plea bargain and stay out of the big mutant prison, with good behaviour you could be out in a couple of years,” the guy said.

Speedy started laughing. “I've gotten away from a dozen super teams and took a punch from Champion, what's so scary about your team?”

“You didn't really look us up too closely before you came here, did you?” the hero asked, with a smile that seemed almost sympathetic. “Believe me when I say surrendering is the best option.”

“Like hell. No one is going to catch me.”

The Negotiator took an envelope out of his pocket and threw it to land at Speedy's feet. “Just look at the photo's and decide first. It will save you a lot of time and money to avoid the psychiatric treatment.”

Very curious now, Speedy picked up the envelope and pulled out several photo's. He had to fight back the urge to throw up. Looking at the hero, he saw a red and dripping woman about a block away waving happily at him. Music made him slowly turn around. A skeleton covered in red, and a seemingly boneless teenager were dancing as a stereo was blasting the song, 'Dem Dry Bones'.

“This- this is real?” he asked.

“Oh yes, we have our fourth member setting up forcefields so that you'll be locked in with Skins and Dem Bones, so escape will be very difficult. And until you do, you'll get to fight these two up close and personal. The betting ring currently has you lasting two minutes before you wet yourself and curl up in the fetal position. I think you'll last three minutes, but I can't take part in the betting. So shall I take my leave until then or can we make a deal?”

He took a look at the pictures again, and saw that the three horrors were coming closer. Skins was somersaulting and cartwheeling closer, leaving a trail of red behind her, and Dem Bones was doing the most disturbing dance in the history of the world as the body and its skeleton danced together.

“I SURRENDER!”

Ayla's eyes widened with astonishment and horror as he read his email. He paid people to send him information about particularly unusual mutations, but he'd never heard of anything quite like this. His mouse hovered over the link to the attached picture, but in the end, his good sense won out over his curiosity, and he did not open it.

Suddenly he smiled wickedly, and began typing up another email.

----

The Negotiator looked at the devise being erected in the center of town, and frowned. Devises usually looked a little strange, but this one was particularly odd. It had lots of lights and whirring parts, but no discernible purpose. Whatever it was, it was unlikely to be good. He cleared his throat as he approached and the devisor, a black boy in a long labcoat, looked up. Was he blind? He wasn't acting like it, but there was a white cane resting on the devise and his eyes were odd.

"Oh, hi! Please, don't mind me!" the devisor said with a grin.

"What are you doing here, young man?" the Negotiator asked.

The devisor's grin grew even broader. "I heard there was a hero team over here who won fights by horrifying their opponents. So I hopped on over to check out the competition."

The sound of a stereo signaled the arrival of Skins and Dem Bones. The devisor glanced their way. "Wow. I've encountered stranger things in my time, but y'all are pretty impressive. Two thumbs up."

As the team stared at the nonchalant devisor, he finally got up from where he'd been working on his devise. He turned to each of the three heroes, bowed to each of them in turn, and then with a flourish Jericho took off his labcoat, revealing to the world what he was wearing underneath.


---

Three days later, Skins finally felt well enough to return to active hero duty. She'd give Dem Bones another day or two in bed before getting her up and about.

Agent Ryan tapped her desk top, taking very slow, deep breaths to keep from yelling at the incompetent excuse of an MCO agent who was standing shamefaced before her. She'd had to send an intern to pick up Agent MacArthur, from some little no nothing town on Christmas eve, and now when she should be reading “The Night Before Christmas” to her youngest, she had to deal with a total mess.

“Now let me make sure everything is perfectly clear, agent MacArthur. One week ago, you and your partner Agent Anthony, went to Sunnydale, after hearing from the police that there was a violent mutant. You discovered it was a newly manifested fourteen year old female, who can manifest small animals. You attempted to apprehend the girl who had run away from home, she initially got away thanks to manifesting cats and a small horde of rats. This caught the attention of the media, and I had to work very hard to keep the situation quiet after the initial reports. Is that correct so far?” she asked.

“Overall yes, but the mutant can manifest the animals at a distance of ten meters. The horde of rats was manifested... in my pants,” he said, blushing and shuddering at the same time.

She just gave him a very flat and unimpressed look. “Duly noted. You then heard of another potential mutant, a teenage male, most likely a Sidhe, with white hair, wearing a blue trench coat, white scarf, and black boots, who calls himself Chris Kringel. He was first witnessed donating over ten thousand dollars worth of food and toys to the local food bank, and asking about the female mutant. Three days ago, you witnessed both mutants together and attempted an arrest them with your partner, whereupon, you found your guns missing, and the mutants teleported away. Rather than notifying us about the entire situation, you told me on the phone that there was a second mutant but you could handle it, downplaying my concerns, and not describing Chris Kringel in any real detail.”

“Well ma'am, they didn't seem to be friendly, and they are only teenagers. We thought that he wasn't a serious threat.” He shut up as she scowled at him.

“Now where was I? Ah yes, you then used the back up gadgeteer weapons, which are only suppose to be used for dire threats and began tracking the mutants with the unwilling help of the police. According to the long phone call and even longer email from the chief of police, you and your partner went well beyond the bounds of civility and legality, resorting to, and I quote, 'bullying, threats and exceeding any legal authority you had as MCO agents operating in the United States of America.' During this time, you found the mutants singly or together seven times, and in the process of attempting to arrest them, destroyed two civilian vehicles, set a house on fire, caused thirty-two thousand dollars worth of property damage at the local G-Mart, and caused over 50,000 dollars in damages unrelated to those previously stated incidences.” She turned her scowl into a glare, she was in hot water and it was only going to get worse once the superiors of her superiors got back from holidays.

“Those were not entirely our fault, we were in pursuit of the mutants and-”

“Shut up. This morning you finally managed to tag Chris Kringel as he was dressed as an elf handing out toys to children as their parents took them to the skating rink.” She looked at him in disbelief. “You shot Santa's elf in the arm in front of fifty children?”

“He was a mutant, who knows where he got the toys and what he was going to do to the children!”

“That is a mitigating factor. But shouting that you're the MCO, and firing wildly at a known teleporter when there were children and parents in the line of fire? Stupidity. That seems to have angered him. You attempted to continue your search, and discovered that he had stolen your keys, the spark plugs, all the equipment in your trunk and your phones. Using the information in your wallet, he then went to your hotel rooms, stole all of your clothes replacing them with elf suits, took every one of your possessions including your laptops, and filled your suitcases with a mix of coal and pig feces. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Yet despite all of that, you did not call me. You continued to pursue the mutants using only your sidearms and the credit card you keep for emergencies in your inside pocket to replace the spark plugs. When you found the female mutant, you both tried to apprehend her, almost running her over. When you came to a stop Chris teleported behind the car, grabbed it and teleported you both twenty feet above the local swimming hole. Not deep enough to drown either of you, but it finally knocked the sense into you to call and ask for assistance. You'll be happy to know that Agent Anthony should be out of the hospital soon as soon as they're sure he isn't suffering from hypothermia.”

Agent MacArthur got to his feet. “This just proves how dangerous he is! We need to cover the town with power armour and agents until they're caught!”

“Sit down!” She pulled a Christmas card from her desk. “Neither mutant is in Sunnydale anymore. I received this two hours after you contacted the office. I'll read it for you since I'm no longer certain you're intelligent enough to read. 'Seasons Greetings Rebecca Ryan! Thank you for all your agents help, I couldn't have convinced Melody to come with me if it wasn't for you. She was actually thinking of running off to LA at first. Don't worry we'll keep her safe and out of your hair. Merry Christmas, Chris Kringel. PS: I'll know if you're harassing her parents. Let's keep this nice and civil and you'll never see me again,.'”

Agent MacArthur had grown very pale by the time she was done. “now that we know about him, we- we need to stop him!”

“The MCO already knows about Chris Kringel. He's scooped mutants away from us before. Usually we only know about it after the fact, or we'll see him once or twice as he teleports away too quickly and tries to avoid contact with authority. You pushed him just enough to annoy him without putting him at any real risk. If you had informed me of all the details from the start we could have dealt with him effectively. Instead you ran our good name through the mud, lost both mutants, and cost us a a large sum of money in fines, damages and damage control. You're on leave until further notice, you should probably start working on your resume. Now get out, I'm going to be covering the MCO ass, and kissing ass all night and tomorrow because of you and your partner.”

Flux: Stoner being a pain in the ass again?
Risk (smirking): Heh, well, unlike you, I never made that mistake. But yeah, he got in my face about some stupid thing about his laundry.
Flux: Got in your face, huh? He likes doing that, like, a lot.
Risk: You warned me about that. That's why I didn't make that mistake, like I said.

One morning in the Melville girls bathroom.

"Hey Reach, how often do you change gender?" One girl asked.

"Once every couple weeks why?" Asked Reach.

"Oh no reason, how long ago did you last shift into a boy?"

"A couple of weeks ago," said Reach, ending the sentence with a yawn.

"You said you feel different depending on what gender you are right," a new girl asked.

"Yeah, I'm an exemplar as a girl so I'm stronger and smarter, also my only male role model was a total loser so I subconsciously sabotage myself as a boy," Reach said in a way that everyone could tell was rehearsed, not as a lie but as something he said so often he new it off by heart.

"So would you say you are less observant as a boy," another new girl asked the rather sleepy shifter.

"No it's about the same, I notice different things as guy than as a girl but I don't really notice any more in one form," Reach was getting confused at this point.

"Oh for gods sakes people just be blunt about it. Reach, you should check your gender before going into a restroom, you switched over in your sleep and are a boy right now even though you were a girl when you went to bed. Out, out, out," one girl said finally fed up with how long it was taking him to figure it out.

"Shit sorry, see you later girls, hopefully I'll be one of you by then," Reach said as he ran out of the room.

Team Kimba was scary. Most of the purposely formed teams weren't as good as they were. Their story said that they formed to beat the ninjas and then just stuck together. No one believed them. Everyone was talking about how the Goodkind had formed the team on purpose using her vast resources. How wrong they were.

Bloodwolf knew the truth. That hellbeast they kept on a leash must be the leader. Everyone underestimated her. She looked so innocent, and with the Elf Queen's glamour overpowering everything else in the area, no one would notice a compulsion to protect, to serve. She must have done it as soon as she arrived, sought out the most powerful beings in her cottage so that they would protect her, hide her. He had never seen anyone deny her a request, did no one else notice or did they just assume it was her innocent looks.

Yes it must have been her that brought the team together. It makes so much sense, only a demon lord could keep them in line. Tennyo, she was the key, she was supposedly resistant to any form of psychic coercion, but Generator kept her closest of all, constant pressure must be the only way to keep her in line. He must find a way to sue her against her master…

Just then a familiar shadowy cloak drifted around the corner.

… or he could ignore the whole problem and flee in abject terror from the demon lord's sister. Yes that seemed the smart course of action here.

James was having a hard time today. Normally people were creeped out by his life draining aura and avoided him. Today he wasn't so lucky. The group of bullies TNT had decided that he was their new punching bag. Or at least N and one of the Ts had. Probably because he corrected a mistake in Truck's detention, he got out earlier than he should have and was making it up now, which was why he wasn't here.

Nitro picked him up again when a voice called out, "you guys might want to stop, that guy has powerful friends."

"Eh, what it to us if the little shit has friends, he got Truck more detention right TK."

"That is what he was being praised for down at the office, apparently he found a mistake in one of the shift's time stamps which let Truck out of detention early. He obviously reported it and Truck got more detention because of it."

"That was-," James started but was cut off by a punch to the gut. The time stamp being wrong meant some of the grounds workers being paid less, he didn't even know about Truck's detention until Ms. Hartford found where the time stamp was from. She really didn't like these guys so she went out of her way to ensure that he finished the detention instead of leaving it be like she would do for someone she liked… okay like she would do for the alphas, she wouldn't really do that for anyone else.

"You don't get to talk you get-," this time it was Nitro's turn to be off by something.

As Nitro fell forward onto him James saw a familiar face. Jade pulled the knife she had out of Nitro's back. She then walked around to the side of Nitro closet to James and gave him a sharp kick to the shoulder, rolling him off of James. She then slapped one of her medical devices onto him and turned to TK saying, "that device will keep him alive for an hour take him to Doyle and he will live," in a voice scary enough to get TK to grab Nitro and run.

"Here's your knife back shroud," she said tossing it back to her sister as she watched them run off, "hey Timeless how bad are you hurt do you need to go to Doyle too?"

"No, not really they didn't hurt me to badly," James said to Jade, as the only person able to touch him without unease checked over his wounds.

After the two friends headed their separate ways the precog who had watched the scene said, "You try to warn some people," she pulled out her phone, "hey Jen where's Thuban right now, we're going to want to be there when he hears about this."

Gunny Bardue was nervous. He absolutely hated how Team Kimba treated his combat Sims, they were a game to them since the first time they did them in team tactics.

But now someone else was treating them as a game and he needed to show them up, and Team Kimba was the best way to do that. He had the techs call them in and they were in a waiting room once he went in it was all over, he would be asking Team Kimba for help. One did not ask Team Kimba for help without consequences, was he willing to pay the price they would ask?

He hoped so, as he walked through the door to the waiting room they were sitting calmly and casually, fooling around as if they weren't some of the most dangerous mutants who went through Whateley.

"Hello Gunny, what would this be about, you've already wasted enough of our time. Running the school from the shadows takes more time than you'd expect," Ayla said, straight to business as always, "we already know what this meeting is about, we know it isn't a combat sim, not right now at least, you want us to take the übermien down a peg. Considering that they aren't here that means that you want us to plan out something specific for them."

"So you know that already, what is it going to take to get you to take them down," Gunny wasn't the least bit surprised that they already knew, they always already knew.

"Radioactive condor bird."

Three simple words but he knew what she meant. Jade had proven herself to be a strategic genius at multiple points, able to take apart every situation he had thrown at them with essentially insane strategies that always worked. The first one was Radioactive Condor Girl, if he agreed to this it would be opening them up to using what ever strategies they wanted for the rest of the year. They were going to drive him insane. They were going to kill him with a heart attack. They weren't going back down from this. He was doomed.

With a sigh Gunny said, "done, Jade can come up with whatever strategies you guys want until you graduate."

Ayla smiled and said, "done, we were only going to ask for it to be used as an example in your team tactics class but that is much more fun."

He couldn't tell whether she/he was lying or not, Jade's strategies were a topic of discussion on campus without being used as class examples but if he started using them in team tactics… he didn't want to think about the consequences of everyone on campus applying Jade's insane troll logic to every situation, that really would kill him. Were they showing him the stick after beating him with the carrot or showing him the carrot after he asked for the stick. Or were they just trying to screw with him. He couldn't tell which of the three options was the worst.

Ayla was watching him, he wasn't the only one that could mess with people's heads, "that might not be a bad idea, I'll set up a lecture on it for the students this year," let's see how they react to that. Except they were all smiling now.

"Oh that's great, I could come in and help with that if you like," said the sweet, innocent, certifiably insane, little girl who caused all this trouble in the first place, "do you have a DVD of the Übermien's fights? Ayla is making me do the strategies for taking them down."

Oh god it had already started, he was going to have write a will, he was going to die before the end of the year.

---

A few days later.

"Ubermen, you are hear today to face a rare challenge for a team made of mainly first years," Gunny started purposely mispronouncing the name to annoy them, "you will be facing Team Kimba. Or at least you will be facing one of them."

"Oh god, we're facing Tennyo, the most powerful mutant in school."

"No your not facing Tennyo."

"Dear lord we have been warned about Dark-Phase."

"Nope."

"Okay so at least we get to meet the fairy queen. Maybe even see her up close."

"No."

"Maybe it is Lancer, the strat ops, one of the best PK bricks on campus, current leader of the grunts, yeah I can see him soloing a sim."
This time Gunny just starts shaking his head.

"Ok Chaka is supposed to be undefeated in individual bouts."

Not even a head shake, just a raised eyebrow.

"Okay so it must be a death match with the dead girl. She's already dead and can't be killed so it is an impossible match we can't win that is supposed to teach us a lesson about being cocky."

"Your very close. You will in fact be facing the Shroud's sister Generator. I don't know about the rest of that nonsense though, I mean really setting you up with a goal you know is impossible would be pointless."

The übermien were still celebrating the fact that they had an easy opponent that they didn't ponder his last statement.

---

Five minutes later.

The Übermien were back in the waiting room all shivering in fear.

"No need for a debrief, Jade did her job well… You should be glad she was in a good mood today, look up security incidents involving trees and railroad spikes for a reason not to get on her bad side."

Pucelle was disliked by most of her dorm mates. She was thought of as one of those people who pitied those GSD. They thought she wore the iron mask because she was guilty about being pretty. They weren't wrong. They were wrong about the why.

Everyone assumed that she pitied those less fortunate than her. They thought she saw those around her who were ugly and pitied them so much that put on a mask to hide the fact that fact that she was more fortunate than they were. She didn't mind, even if they thought she was just a &1+{# that was fine, it was their right. They didn't need to know the truth. Heck she didn't have the right to tell them they were wrong.

She had few friends at Whateley so she didn't have to worry about them meeting her parents. Everyone would be distracted by the pretties anyway. That would be her logic. No one would notice the parents of someone who wore a mask and wasn't popular anyway.

So on parents day she met her parents off to the side and led them away. Hiding them away in shame. Not that she was ashamed of them, what was there to be ashamed of, from what she said they were wonderful people. No she was ashamed of herself, her own looks. Looking at her father it was obvious where the idea for the mask had come from, he didn't need to were one to look like that though. Her mother was different, bony protrusions extended from all over her body including her face, as well as being covered in fur. They certainly made an interesting couple, but not what you would expect to be the parents of the pretty, pitying, Pucelle.

Not many saw her show her parents around. Even fewer knew who she was. Some did, they reconsidered everything she had said. Everything she had done. Not all of them thought differently of her. But she did make some new friends in the weeks following parents day. She never knew why.

The crowd of students was uneasy. Normally the opening ceremonies were run for the first years and new students, but this year they called everyone to the assembly. This not only confused people, as this was normally done after disasters like the Halloween of 05 or school wide events like the shoulder angel conspiracy, but it also made it a might bit crowded.

After they had been stewing for a while a little girl walked up on stage. She looked like she could be no older than 13. What was worse was that she was wearing a pink hello kitty t-shirt, a Hannah Montana jacket, a skirt that looks like it belongs in an 80s sitcom, and rainbow neon stockings. Worse yet she walked straight to the podium, this was the vaunted Mrs. Carson, Lady Astarte, headmistress of the school.

"Hello, I am Jade Sinclair, code name Generator. Most of you were expecting Lady Astarte to be here to give a speech seeing as she is the Headmistress. I am here because she is on vacation, now you're all thinking 'but we just got back from summer vacation,' and you are right, you just got back from a vacation. Being Whateley's Headmistress is a full time job, as I am unfortunately finding out, even during the summer Mrs. Carson, files papers for new students, double checks things to make sure that Ms. Hartford didn't purposely screw anything up or anyone over, goes on diplomatic meetings, arranges the paper work for the MCO, double checks things for Hartford screw ups, and check over anything she's not involved with to make sure Hartford isn't screwing over students. On top of all that she is also a part time super hero. So when everyone on staff decided that she needed a vacation she kinda knew that she couldn't just leave things to Hartford, all of the GSD students who couldn't afford tuition on their own would be kicked out for starters. Why did they decide on me? I have no clue, I'm sure there is a better alternative to someone who thinks the best way to end the fight is to mentally scar someone so badly that they never want to fight you again. Then again maybe there is some appeal to having a someone who purposely lives like a teenager school them, though in my case it is less purposely and more forcibly.

"Some of you know me as the demon babysitter that your parents hired to protect you as a child, I ask you to spread the fear. To those of you who don't know me, I stopped aging at 11 so I look like this, I also have a kill count higher than most supervillains so don't be fooled. I tell you this so you will take the appropriate caution when you think of bullying another student. I was a target when I was here because of everyone in team Kimba I was the one that looked the most harmless. They stopped attacking when they realized I was the token evil teammate and made up for lack of power with creative viscousness. I will use the same creative viscousness when determine your punishments for breaking the rules. Oh and to Loophole's daughter, I will bring your mother in if you try to bend the rules so you aren't punished.

"I was born to a poor household in Topeka, and although I didn't know it at the time my father was a loan shark. How a loan shark can end up poor is beyond me but it happened. Now girls whoever tells you not to marry for love is a fool, I married for love and it brought me out of the gutter, literally at that point in time that I met my husband I worked in the sewers. I am married to Stephan Chang Sinclair, code name Thuban, also known as the dragon king of Kansas, yes I'm the reason he has such an odd last name for a Chinese industrialist. And why he lives in Kansas. And why he owns hello kitty. You now know that no matter what class of citizen you are I have experienced it, you don't get any excuses for being a poopyhead."

On that rather odd whimsical note her entire body disintegrated. As she vanished every door in the room slammed shut and locked in an eerie union and then whole room spoke. Not the students or the teachers but the walls, the floor, heck even the stage curtain and the chairs all vibrated at once, speaking in one unified, really scary voice, "I AM HERE, I WILL PROTECT YOU, BUT KNOW THIS, I AM EVERY WALL AND EVERY FLOOR, EVERY WINDOW AND EVERY CEILING, EVERY TREE AND BLADE OF GRASS! AND, I! AM! WATCHING!"

Jinn finished her speech and slowly began letting the chalk flow away. She was actually two Jinns one making up her left half the other making up her right. They went in opposite direction each going to different vents.

The effect was quite spectacular. She knew, she practiced this in front of Jade. Turning to dust and blowing away in the wind was nice but if she made herself into strings of chalk she cloud unravel the clothes as well to make it look like she was teleporting, or that her body was unravelling.

Though now that she thought of it you probably couldn't see the effect that far back in the room. Oh and the jack, you can't unweave leather, better just drop it, though it ruined the effect even more. She hoped Jade did her part right, she had to head over to the office to make sure everything was in order.

---

Jade sat beneath the stage with Shroud watch over her. "I hope this works," she said as she put on the Diadem that Tennyo had given her all those years ago. She placed her hands upon the ground and called upon her power through the Diadem as if it were mythreal.

She spread her consciousness throughout the auditorium as she waited for the signal from shroud. It was wonderful and terrible, she could see everything in the room even the smallest grain of dust, even the water in the air. She avoided touching the air with her mind, especially with the Diadem's power she could control it but it gave her such a headache afterwards and she was already possessing an entire room's worth of solid objects.

There was the signal, the old swear that they used all through high-school to fool people into thinking she was much younger than she really was. She had her speech all lined up ahead of time, right down to the massive crescendo at the end. The vibrations were actually the easier part of the speech, though it was a little taxing to make noises so loud, the synchronis movement of the doors and locks at the beginning was much harder with so many little differences and her consciousness spread so thin.

She hoped they remembered that the doors locked from the inside as she came back to her body. Though using the Diadem enhanced her powers greatly, such power came at a cost, she could only use it for a short while and when she did she was knocked out for twice as long at least. That is why she had shroud watch over her.

Exhausted, Heather just lay on her bed for several long moments panting, a spaced-out smile on her face. That was incredible!, she thought.

OK, so it was the first time for both of them, so things were a bit awkward at first, but after a while they both started relaxing, and... she smiled even wider at the fresh memories of it.

But as she settled down from her state of bliss, she started to notice that everything in the dorm room - everything - was soaked in what she really, really hoped was just water.

Sheepishly, she looked into the stunned face of a naked and sopping wet Jody Cooms.

"Oops?"

It was around 4:40 on a Friday afternoon, and as usual Xander was getting one last round of Shirley Temples for the four girls who were chittering up a storm at one of the tables. "It's about that time, ladies," he said gently, laying the last of the soda drinks in front of Rhonda. When they'd first appeared, a few months back, he'd agreed to let them stop by from time to time for some non-alcoholic drinks, as long as either one of the older members of their team were with them, or else that they left before 5 PM. Oh, and as long as they made sure that Slappy didn't drink anything stronger than Geritol. He was glad that they never gave him any trouble, as he got the distinct impression that they were a lot more dangerous than they appeared.

The humanoid dog/squirrel hybrid rolled her eyes in the way all teenagers did when told something they didn't want to hear, but she didn't complain. Instead, she said something in that high-pitched language they shared which made Anna, the youngest of them, blush furiously, while Grace seemed confused.

He never did figure out how it was that both Grace and Rhonda were the oldest one of the four at the same time, but since time-travel appeared to be involved, he didn't look into it too closely.

Moments later, as Xander got back to the bar, a mustachioed man in his early thirties wearing what appeared to be a very expensive suit came in and headed towards him. "Hello, I hear your name is Xander Harris, right? I was supposed to join someone here for a business meeting tonight and was told to ask you..."

Just then a gleeful screech came from the girls' table, and the handsome stranger went white as a ghost. "Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! It's me, Doreen! Oh wow I can't believe you know this place too this is just soooo awesome you have just got to meet my friends here it is just oh wow..."

And with that, the newcomer was flocked by the younger members of the All-Squirrel Squad.

"What's wrong, Sadhira? I thought you'd be thrilled to get a new roomie this year, I know you never cared much for Maladicta, so what's happened?"

"Well, it's just been a bit uncomfortable between Mikii and me since I found out why she wears an eyepatch."

"Oh?"

Kaiju nodded. "It seems she was living in Osaka last June, and..."

"Oh! The thing with the giant walking shark? Yeah, I can see why that would make things... awkward..."

12 January 2007
Brittany Sholes stared straight up at the ceiling of her room here in the prison hospital. They told her it was a school, but she knew better. They wouldn't take a freak like her to a school, after all.

Besides, any place where they didn't let her die had to be a prison.

A kindly-looking older man named Dr. Bellows was talking to her, but she wouldn't listen. It was no use, trying to change her mind. She knew monsters deserved to die, and she wouldn't live as a monster.

That was what she told herself when she saw what had happened, saw how her eyes had gone from the sky blue they had been to a dark hunter green no real person has ever had. As soon as she saw that, she knew she had to kill herself. She didn't want to, because she knew suicide was a sin, but if she did it because she was a monster, did it really count? She was sure that it was better to die than go on like that.

It didn't take her even one minute to open the medicine cabinet and swallow the whole bottle of her mother's Valium.

But she didn't count on her parents not realizing what had happened. Had they known about it, they would have let her die, they even told the doctors that when they explained to them why Brittany had done it. They knew the truth, and she was dead to them, as dead as she should have been from the overdose. It never even occurred to her that she was hearing the conversation from several rooms away, despite the fact that they were whispering.

When they took the restraints off of her arms, she tried to run for the window, to jump out of it, but they had another freak there, that bitch Invincibelle must have been there to protect them from her, and she was able to hold her down while the orderlies restrained her again. They kept the straps on her all the time after that, except when they wheeled her out to the ambulance for that long ride north to the prison.

She wondered if this was where they took that weirdo, Kyle, when they found out that he was a monster, too. Not that it mattered. They couldn't keep her in bed sedated forever. Eventually, she would be free to end this horrible existence and go to Hell like she deserved, like all the monsters here deserved.

It had to be better than this.

12 June 1997
Elizabeth Carson threw the dossier she was reading down on her kitchen table, hard. It was easily the most disturbing, no, disgusting intelligence report she had read in a long time, and it was going to make life hell for everyone who was trying to keep the peace between mutants and baselines. She suddenly felt the need for a stiff drink and someone to comfort her.

It was Dr Amazing's report on the recent events in Buffalo, NY, and it was worse than anyone anticipated. If Messing was right, an old specter had arisen again, and every aspect of how it was being handled had gone as badly as it could. She was just glad that Dr. Otto had seen fit to pass it along to her under the table, though it made her ill to read it.

It started innocuously enough, when a social worker noted a statistical anomaly: a sharp rise in teen pregnancies among the wealthier families in Buffalo. The social worker was alarmed enough to do some more digging, though, and found that all of these pregnancies had something in common: a gynecology clinic operated by one Dr. James Searles.

Suspecting that either Searles or someone on his staff had been abusing the girls, she notified the police, who soon raided the office. Dr Searles had vanished, though, and there was no physical evidence on the scene to indicate just what had occurred. Worse, it seemed that the original supposition was wrong: paternity tests showed that the children had several different fathers, none of whom were on Searles' staff. They did discover that several of Searles' older patients were pregnant or had given birth recently, though, so they started investigating his patient records. Most of them seemed ordinary, but it soon became apparent that Searles had overlooked some computerized documents he'd meant to destroy. These were so troubling that it led law enforcement to call in Messing, and, unfortunately, the MCO and DPA as well.

It quickly became apparent that Searles, though a baseline himself, was affiliated with a notorious mutant supremacist group called Wellspring that had been active in the 1960s. While Wellspring was best known publicly for threatening to contaminate water supplies with mutagenic chemicals, their primary modus operandi was to recruit or kidnap young female mutants for their breeding program, as well as infiltrating fertility clinics to slip mutant genetic specimens into their sperm banks. They were seen as both frightening and absurd, but they managed to outlast most of the more militant groups.

Liz frowned at that part. No one had heard from Wellspring in decades, and it was assumed that they had dissolved some time in the mid-1970s. If they had gone underground, and were only just now reappearing, or if some new group was copying them, it was a serious matter. And this new tactic of inseminating women in their teens and twenties without their consent was nothing short of sickening.

But there was worse. It seems some of the paternity tests did come up with hits when compared to known gene samples for several suspected members of Evolution Rocks and other pro-mutant groups, which made it likely that people in those organizations were also involved. There were others that had the variant form of the metagene complex associated with the Bloodline, which worried Liz even more; if the Bloodline, or a splinter group off of it, were involved, it could prove very difficult to trace the paper trails to their sources. All in all, it was news no one wanted to hear.

The best part? With the MCO involved, it was a certainty that the poor children in question were going to be watched and harassed for years, and very likely snatched up as soon as any of them show signs of mutation. That alone would be enough to ruin her sleep for several nights to come.

Knowing this, she decided to get to work on a plan to deal with this crisis as long as she could, hoping that she could drive herself to exhaustion, and maybe find some way of untangling this Gordian knot.

Most of the other students were back at their dorm rooms, waiting things out. A few seemed to have snuck out to see, and I'm guessing maybe get involved in, whatever was going to happen; I noticed that this included Bloodwolf and Systemic, at the very least, which didn't bode well for a peaceful resolution, in my opinion. And there were a few, like us, who had the unfortunate position of being in the middle of things. We'd been told to wait near the front gates, in sight of the 'guests', but not to do anything unless told to by Mrs. Carson. The Grunts were lined up on either side of the gate, ostensibly as an honor guard, but no one could mistake the fact that they were armed to the teeth.

To say we were nervous would be to understate things dramatically. Even Chaka was quiet, though she was bouncing on the balls of her feet with pent-up energy.

Carson herself was out in full regalia, with a phalanx of school faculty and staff at her back. I could see Wildhammer and Ōka to her left (I mentally was kicking myself when I realized that the latter was Mrs. Shugendo; how did I miss that before?), Mr. Paulson in his Tin Man form was to the right, as was Mr. Donner, who was simply dressed in his usual clothes but was wearing a heavy chain like a belt. Several others I knew by their codenames, but didn't recognize who they were, followed. At the rear was the intimidating form of a dragon, which I gathered was the enigmatic Tywyswyr's true form.

I thought about the message Paul had sent me, and wondered if he was going to get in trouble for it. I took Dana's hand and gave it a squeeze, though I wasn't sure which of us I was trying to reassure.

Moments later, I could see five small dots moving over the horizon, rapidly swelling into view, with more seeming to appear right behind them in a constant flow. Somewhere on one of those dropships, Uncle Herb was preparing for... what? A parley? A raid? A siege? An all-out confrontation against several of the most powerful beings on the planet? I wished I knew.

As they walked up towards the door of Poe Cottage, Envy heard her mother say, "Oh! I almost forgot something..."

Wondering what sort of trouble she was in for this time, Fina turned to look, just in time to see Strega pull a small vial out of her purse.

She stared at the small bottle, recognizing it immediately. "I thought you were joking about that stuff!"

"Now, dear, calm down, this isn't for you. I want you to deliver it to someone - you'll know who it is when you see her, I'm certain."

Her hand shaking, she took the bottle of Branwyn's Tears and quickly put it in her own purse. "Who could possibly..."

"Trust me on this. When you meet the Queen, tell her that she will have to decide who to use it on, when the time comes."

"There's one more thing you should be careful about, dear," said Strega breezily. Fina knew, though, that her mind was on something more serious than her tone implied. "You'll want to be somewhat careful about who you date. It is safe to say that some of your... siblings... will be here at Whateley as well."

Envy, who would normally be stunned by any mention of who her father was, simply nodded numbly. "Really?" she mumbled, having had more than her share of revelations for one day already.

Well, yes," her mother added, "You already know Romeo, of course, and I've always had suspicions about Kate, but you can be sure that any number of others are around. He is extremely, well, potent, you see, and wonderfully handsome, but he has a definite weakness for the fairer sex..."

And a lifetime of suspicions were thus confirmed.

Spanner still wasn't entirely familiar with the maze of underground halls that led to the Workshop, and had terrible direction sense even under the best of circumstances, so when she found herself near halls leading to Poe and Hawthorne, she was actually relieved to be able to get her bearings. She was headed back in what she thought was the right direction when another girl, dressed in a tight-fitting green costume, passed her headed in the direction of Poe.

Oh, crap, she thought, as she realized that this was one of the students she was supposed to be watching out for. She hadn't really wanted her assignment, though the opportunity to attend Whateley was something she couldn't pass up. She wanted to simply stay inconspicuous and make her reports when she needed, no more.

Unfortunately for her, the other student gave her an odd look, as if trying to figure out where she had seen here before. Suddenly, the taller girl slammed Spanner against the wall and held her in a chokehold.

"Katherine Burberry," Envy growled, "Your father was on the Jules Verne when I was a captive there. I saw you in his mind. What are you doing here?"

"I, I don't what, I don't know what you are talking about!"

"Bullshit! Listen to me carefully. I don't givea damn what the Bloodline wants with me, or with this school.Just stay out of my way from now on and I won't interfere. Capice?"

Kate simply nodded, mutely.

Fina let the girl go. "Get the hell out of here, now." she spat. Spanner turned and ran.

"Ah, Billie? Can I ask, like, a personal question about, uhm, Jade?"
"Huh? Oh, sure, Ceecee, shoot."
"It's just, you know, I was wondering just how close she is with her boyfriend and all... I mean, have they, uhm..."
"Whew, well, I don't think they've gone any further than a lot of kissing and snuggling. Why?"
"Well, I heard her say something yesterday about her armband being 'stroke-tastic' or something like that, and, well... it just sounded, sort of dirty, and I can't tell when she's joking about that kinda thing... what's so funny?"

"Sit down, child, I have much to discuss with you now. There are things which concern you and your family which you should be made aware of, things I suspect you would have been told when you were older had you been in good standing with your family."

"Didaskeleh," Phase answered, "How did you know about this? I mean, I've always known that there were secrets in our family which I would be told when I was an adult, but how were you aware of this?"

"I know this because I know your family, and have for a very long time - longer than you ever knew, in fact." She shifted direction,asking, "You were raised Episcopalian, correct? Do you still consider yourself a Christian?"

"Of course."

"I see," replied Circe, who clearly anticipated the answer. "I only ask you this because some of what I may have to tell you might... disturb your faith. There are things about your family you need to know, before I can proceed with teaching you."

"I see," Phase said thoughtfully. "If it is something I have to face, then I will," he added, with a determination he didn't quite feel.

"Very good. I am not a Christian, of course, and haven't been a practitioner of any faith in a very long time - which is not to say I do not believe in the existence of the Gods, or even of a single God above all others. Experience has taught me well enough about their reality. I have, however, followed the progress of the religion, and those which came after it, practically since the day that Simon the Rock first began preaching to the Greeks and Romans. I dare say every mystic of the time was both fascinated and disturbed by the growth of this faith, especially in its more esoteric aspects."

"I know you are aware of the existence of many conspiracies, both ancient and modern, which lurk in the shadows of our world. You no doubt have been taught something of those which practice dark magics, such as the Thule Gemeinshaft and the Brotherhood of the Bell, and you have personal experience of what was the Tong of the Dark Madonna. What you may know less about are those which operate upon what they consider 'white' magic, especially those based on Christian theurgy. Such groups are not always beneficent, but they generally see themselves as serving a higher purpose, which can make them no less dangerous than the 'black magic' cults they often oppose. Some of these groups hold important secrets, going back the very founding of the Christian church. Your family belongs to one of these, and is inextricably linked with them. Most believe that they are a recent hoax, but they are in fact the last physical link to Joshua the Wise in this world."

Circe paused, giving her student a moment to let this sink in. It took him a moment to realize that 'Joshua' in this case meant Jesus, but once he understood, the rest fell into place.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw the implications. His normal composure broken, he stammered through a dry mouth, "You... you're talking about the Priory of Sion..."

"Aye! A most impressive deduction. Your knowledge and skill are greater than I expected. Yes, the Goodkind family are from the Priory, or at least a faction splintered off of it. I do not know if your family are from the main lineage they protect, or one of the 'cadet' lines such as those of James or Andrew, but yes, yours is the blood of the Holy family of Christendom.

Now, I need you to calm yourself. I can only imagine how great a shock this could be, but I need you set aside the spiritual implications of this and focus on the more immediate matters. There are dangers which you have never imagined which, now that you know the truth of your lineage, you will be subject to. Just the knowledge that the Priory exists, and that there are more than one faction to it, is something which many will kill to learn - or to suppress.

I would not have told you about this, not yet anyway, except that circumstances have forced my hand. Two of the newer students here have ties - direct or indirect - to another faction of the Priory, one known as the Bloodline. While your new cottage-mate, Envy, seems to be opposed to them, there is one whom she has identified to me as an agent of the Bloodline. While this is nothing new - they have sent students and bought security officers here before -your presence, and Fina's, changes the equation significantly."

Still feeling drained, Phase struggled to focus. "How so, Didaskeleh?"

"The Bloodline is a faction which seeks to rediscover the secrets of Joshua Magus's powers - not through theurgy, as some other factions do, but by breeding wizards, and more recently, mutants. They have waged a secret war against several other factions for centuries, which is one of the reasons - not the sole reason,but one of them - why the Goodkind family are against mutants.I do not know the whole reason for the fear and hatred of mutants, but I know that this is not the sole cause. Still, it is an important one, and is probably the oldest reason for it."

Abstract
In the past year, there has been a growing understanding of a newly identified class of mutant ability, variously known as 'Incarnations', 'Eu-avatars', or 'Uni-Channellers', characterized by a close bond with a specific Class 3 or Class X spirit, in individuals showing none of the characteristic traits of the better known sub-classes of Avatars. Due to the rarity of this trait, it has been difficult to identify, but recent events have led to elucidation of this poorly understood form of mutant power. This study reviews the work done with the subjects 'Tennyo', 'Fey', and 'Prism', and discusses the relationship between Incarnations and conventional Avatars, as well as with the established sub-category of Paladins.

Am. Review of Paraphysical Studies, Winter 2011

24 Oct 2029

Elizabeth Carson peered down her nose at the three shame-faced Junior High students before her. "I assume you all know why you were called to my office today? Miss Cody, could you please tell me what rule the three of you broke last night?"

"Uhm, which one do you mean? We were out after curfew, and had gone outside of school grounds without permission, and..."

"I am talking about the one regarding Class X locations."

The words were little more than a whisper, but they were enough to make all three gulp audibly.

"And you, Miss Wilkins," she turned to the taller of the children, "As the oldest of our Junior High students, I would expect you to have a little more sense than a pair of seventh graders. Would you mind explaining yourself?"

The young Drow simply remained silent, pulling her head down yet further. She finally seemed ready to speak when the youngest of the trio spoke up.

"But that place is so cool! I mean, its got like the wildest stuff you've ever seen! And..."

"Miss Chylds, I don't know what your mothers and your sister have told you about this school, but it is not a playground, or a school for adventurers! I am aware that you are used to dealing with things like your mother's familiar, but please remember that Mythos beings are dangerous! The three of you getting killed is the least of what might have happened!"

We were at the Bad Seeds' table on the upper floor of the Hall for the first lunch period of the new school year when Trevor walked up to up to us with Fina and some other girl I didn't recognize in tow.

"Here they are," Phase said to the two girls. He then turned to me and said, "A couple of Senior Specials for you, Jadis. Make sure no one breaks them too badly before the end of the day." He then headed back to the knot of new Poesies that were around the Kimba table.

"Good to see you made it, Envy," I said with a wave. I'd met Fina a few times, back when she was still Fino, and we'd gotten to know each other a little better this summer in Karedonia (no, not like that you pervs, I'm not interested in women that way thank you very much, though her desire aura can be distracting). His - her - new look was striking, the spitting image of her mother with all the attributes (damn it,how is it even ex-boys get the Most Common Superpower, but I don't?), but if you watched how she moves you can still see an echo of the shlumpy kid she used to be. "Who's your friend?"

"Folks, this is Stormy," she said with no apparent sarcasm, "She's rooming with me, and I guess she's a Bad Seed too. Her father is a minor player calling himself 'Mr. Magic'."

Kate looked bemused at this, which told me she knew something. "So you finally did end up at Whateley after all. What changed your mind?"

'Stormy' looked sheepishly at Nacht, then said, "I wasn't given much choice. I hung around with Dad for a couple months, then, well, it wasn't going to work out. I...," she got choked up a bit, then went on, "Do you remember Cubby? One of the 'werewolves' Dr. Macabre made? Well, he and I, we kinda hooked up before last Christmas happened, and, uh, we weren't careful."

The rest of the Seeds were confused, and so was I for that matter, but the implications were obvious. Nacht's face actually showed some sympathy - OK, most people wouldn't have noticed that, but I knew her long enough to see it. "Well, since you're in the Nut House with the Kimbas and not sharing a room with Lupine in Hawthorne, I'm guessing there's a baby somewhere back in California waiting for you to come back?"

She nodded dejectedly. "I had Carolyn over the summer," she added, "My mother is watching her while I'm here. When the authorities got wind of where I was, I was given the choice of Whateley or prison..." she trailed off.

"So you decided on both?" Kate snarked. "Did you choose a new name for yourself yet?"

"Uh, actually, Stormy Arkwright is my legal name now," she replied, "I still need to choose a new codename, because 'Stormy' is taken already."

Interesting. She must have some kind of weather powers, I take it. But why change her name? I'm sensing something is up with that, something to do with both Trevor and Fina somehow, but I can't put my finger on it.

"Yes, I was wondering about the copyright problems there... I think 'Coriolis' is available as a legacy name this year, the last person who used that moniker graduated, but that leaves you with picking another name after school. Tricky, all the really appropriate names are taken already."

Finally, Thrasher broke in, "Hey, are you going to introduce them to the rest of us, already? It's great you ladies know each other, but, like, the rest of us are in the dark, here."

To my surprise, Mal spoke up first. "OK, everyone, this is Envy. Before you ask, Jay-Arm, yes, she has rights to the name. You can probably guess whose daughter she is after the brew-up in France last Spring. Fina, meet the rest of the Seeds." He continued, "The guy who just spoke up now is Thrasher, his dad is Mach-Five. Render over there is Sunder's kid, and Nacht belongs to the Bell Witch." At that last part, Kate gave a slight scowl, which transformed into a tight grin, as if she were remembering something funny. Another thing to wonder about.

Mal went on, "Nephandus is the son of Hexmaster and the Troll Bride, and Dragonrider," I poked him in the ribs with my elbow, "Uh, well, we can go over that later. Silver Serpent isn't here right now, and, let's see, the other new kid is with her, right? I can't remember her name, but her mother is Marie Laveau - well, she says she is, anyway, I dunno how true it is, but anyway." He concluded,"You already know Jobe, Pheebs, Romeo, Sis and me, so that about covers it."

I followed up with, "That leaves introductions for you, Stormy. I'm Jadis, but my codename is She-Beast. Mal here - Techno-Devil - is my brother, and our father is Dr Diabolik. Jobe Wilkins is Gizmatic's, uh, kid, and Belphoebe is sort of her daughter and sort of her sister. Long story. Rosethorn is the son of Lilith, and Silver Serpent, when she comes back, is the daughter of the Iron Dragon. The other new Seed, Corinne, is the daughter of Le Belle Dame de la Nuit, who really does claim to be Laveau, or maybe her reincarnation, she seems to change her mind on that from time to time. Corinne is still working on her codename,too. You'll meet them both later, I suppose."

NB: I know this one is sort of OBE now, but I am leaving it as it is for now.

Ayla was busy doing some of the grading for Professor Marley's Accounting I and II classes, and had to skip this week's anime showing, so he was surprised to find himself suddenly overwhelmed with an inexplicable sense of grief. He sat up stiff in his chair, trying, with little success, to understand why he was suddenly feeling such a sense of sorrow. He was about to go to the restroom to throw some water on his face and hopefully clear his head some, when Vox burst into the room, sobbing.

Something, he thought as he tried to comfort his girlfriend, is definitely Going On.

Disentangling himself from Vanessa's death-grip embrace, he put his arm around her and led her out into the hallway, to see what was happening. He found several others walking the halls in a miserable state; even Stoner was crying listlessly against a wall. What could possibly doing this? Is this some sort of empathic attack on Poe?

The answer came to him in the rec room, where he found a dozen girls in front of the television, bawling their eyes out. In the center of this were Fey, Envy, and Euterpe, with even Vamp off to one side, grief-stricken. As he approached them, he could feel the horrible sense of despair grow, and he realized that all four of the empaths were projecting their own misery in a way that reinforced each others' reactions. A glance at the screen was enough to tell him the source of their catharsis.

"Good Lord! Who the hell decided to show Grave of the Fireflies tonight?"

Stella pulled Heather aside before the Lit Chix meeting, hoping to talk a bit in private. "I didn't want to set the others off with their 'Team Kimba' this and 'Mystery of Poe' that, 'cause I know how annoyed you get with that."

"Oh? So you are going to pester me about it by yourself instead?"

"Hey! I mean, I guess, but at least I am trying to be nice about it, OK?"

"Sorry, I just get very... touchy about that subject. It's not as if there's some big secret going on that I'm not telling people about, and if there were, I would keep it a secret!"

"All right, already! Anyway, I do have a question, about something that occurred to me a while ago. Have you read Sara's book thing?"

"Well, who hasn't looked at it? Just because the school tries to keep it from us, doesn't mean they succeed."

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, did you see the last chapter?"

"Ohhhh, I can see where this is going..."

"I don't mean you,silly! It's just, well, the way I figure it, most of these 'changelings' have to have it pretty hard, emotionally I mean,and that's just the sort of thing that Poe was set up for, right? And, well, I gotta be honest with you, some of the people smelled, well, odd when I first met them, like they were sorta boys and sorta girls, but not quite either one. And most of them, they started being more like what they said they were as time went on. I couldn't figure it out before, but then when I read the Purple Book, it all just fell into place!"

Selkie looked around conspiratorially, then whispered, "Just keep this to yourself, will you? Yes,some of the changelings are in Poe. I hear some ended up in Whitman because of GSD, but mostly, in Poe. It only stands to reason, now, don't you think? Most of them aren't handling it well, so we have to help them out. Mostly, they help each other, though. You can understand why they don't talk about it, right?"

Lupine nodded, before adding, "Uhm, I mostly wanted to, well, you aren't going to like this question, but, I was pretty sure Chaka was one, and I know Fey is rooming with her, and I guess I'm wondering..."

Heather's face got dark as her brow furrowed in frustration. "I do not like to talk about that, but yes, Fey too. Yes, Generator, yes Chaka, yes all of that lot! That's why they're always together they way they are. They all met on the first day and somehow it just came together like magic. I don't know how it happened, they just all worked out somehow, everyone in the cottage has been trying to figure it out."

"Even Tennyo?"

"Yes! Why, what about her?"

"Well, I mean, do you have any idea what she is, how powerful she is? I don't know all that much, but I can see Fae spirits and Avatars and things like that, and the spirit she's bonded with is... I don't know how to explain it. It's old, older than Circe, older than the New Olympians, older than your Queen even, maybe older than the world. She smells of something I can't begin to describe, and when I look at her, it's like she's only partly here, like the power inside her trails off into infinity behind her. The only thing like her I've seen is Sara, and she's a demon, but Tennyo... is like the opposite of that, somehow. I'm kind of a friend of her's, but to be honest, she scares me, a lot."

"I don't know much about Tennyo... but what do the 'Lympies have to do with anything?"

"I... maybe I shouldn't say it, but I think a lot of people already know, so here goes. They really are the Greek Gods. No, I mean it! They are!"

"Hell's bells, Carl", Eloise said as she stared down at the boy writhing on the cot, "Sara warned you about Feral, told you who and what she really is, and yet you had to go provoke the fucking Goddess of the Hunt."

Sitting down besides him, she continued, "If I didn't know better, I'd think you had a death wish. Seriously, if she hadn't been in a playful mood, she would have done a lot more than just tear your dick off and ram it into your eyeball. Between the twins, Razorback, and Erin, you've been smacked down, what, five times just since you met Sara? What are we going to do with you?"

"It serves you right for trying to steal my notebook," Fey said to a blackened and smoldering Solange. Alya chuckled to himself, suddenly glad for having given her that print copy of Dungeon Crawlin' Fools, even though he meant it as a joke...

---

22 July 2019
D.M. Brown Medical Center, Armstrong Base, New Houston

Much to their relief, Ayla and Billie found that Loophole was awake and already busy tapping away on her tablet, with Lifeline hovering around the edge of her hospital bed like a worried parent. Phase walked in with the air of a someone trying to hide how concerned he was, but Tennyo slunk in, downcast, as if she had something to feel guilty about.

"Hello, Doc," said Ayla, "I am sorry things didn't go as planned. Are you feeling better now?"

"Ah've been better, but mostly Ah'm just tired."

"I keep telling her to rest, but she won't stop working on her notes," interjected Maggie, with a hint of exasperation.

"Ah've got to get this down before Ah forget...!"

"Do you really think you'll forget the things you learned through this? You are an Exemplar, after all."

"Normally, Ah wouldn't, but this was too much information at once. Ah'm still trying to understand what Ah saw in there, and Ah think Ah may be over mah head this time. Ah have a lot of ideas about it, mostly Pattern theory stuff, but it already seems to be slippin' through mah fingers."

Billie, who had been staring out the window at the Lunar landscape outside, finally spoke up. "I'm sorry about all this. I never guessed it would be that hard on you, or on Yukinojo." after a pause, she added, "He finally came back on line about half an hour ago."

"Ah know, Carmen has been chattin' with him about why it shocked both of us like it did. They think the superluminal drive works on principles that aren't entirely compatible with human psychology. When Ah touched the drive, Ah could feel the warp field even with the drive at idle. Ah'm not sure it would be entirely healthy for me to try it when the drive is running."

"I'm sorry," Tennyo repeated.

"Don't be," Loophole answered, "Ah knew there was a risk when Ah agreed to this. And it was worth it. Even if we can't apply the same principles as the Isokist hyperdrive, what Ah learned is gonna move us forward by decades, maybe even centuries. Ah'm glad Ah tried it."

Pale and shaken, Paul Goodkind carefully snuck out of the room he'd accidentally stumbled upon, here in the very heart of Mutterwald. How can I tell Father and Uncle Herb about this without causing something horrible to befall us again? he thought to himself.

My God, his thoughts continued racing, Was this the reason Greg was always warning me about Uncle Theo? Ice ran through his veins as he remembered what he'd seen inside...

It wasa small room, but outfitted with a large television screen of recent make. It looked like the recess for it was made for an older model, though, so it was clear the room had been in use for years. But it was the contents of the shelves lining the walls that shocked him.

He could understand,intellectually at least, the appeal of videos like Too Good To Be True and Horny Exemplar Babes XII; after all, supernatural beauty was hard not to gawk at, thought the idea of a member of his family watching such trash horrified him. But that was only the beginning. Electrifying Beauty? Too Hot To Handle? Those were bad enough. The pseudo-teen titles like Forever Fifteen and F**kable and Sidhe's All Yours were a genuine shock, and even knowing that the actresses were actually much older than they looked didn't help, but that wasn't the worst. It was clear that even the pedophilic crap was older material, unwatched in some time.

No, it was the entire wall of well-worn jewel cases with titles like Freak Frenzy Orgy and A Night at the Sideshow that had him now racing towards the bathroom to lose his lunch.

NB: As with the others, I'm not going to update this, just post it as it is.

20 June, 2013
Boston, MA

Jimmy Zaccario, a bartender working at the Boston Harbor Hotel, had to admit that he'd never seen a wedding reception quite like this one. The entire hotel had been hired out, and rumor had it that it was one of the Goodkinds who had shelled out for it, but one look at the wedding party made it clear that no one by that name was going to be here, at least not if they were actually related to those Goodkinds. Most of the guests, male and female, looked like the kind of airbrushed perfection that fashion magazines wished they could get.

The happy couple, a pair of out-of-town lesbians who were apparently hoping to make a run against their home state's ban on same-sex marriage, were both stunners, but for some reason one of them had chosen some kind of American Indian costume for her wedding dress. Her new wife, who was a bit older and had long blonde hair the color of corn silk, was dressed more conventionally, but still showed a lot more skin than your typical wedding gown would dare.

The rest of the wedding party seemed to follow suit. There were two ginormous guys who had somehow found someone to tailor suits for them. One of these had another looker on his arm, apparently his wife from the conversation he picked up. A local 'kept woman' he recognized from previous parties was vamping around with some guy in a tux whom she obviously had just met, but almost everyone else seemed to know all the others. The blind Black guy in the sky-blue business suit was getting ribbed by the little Asian girl about how normal he'd dressed today. Another chick - at least he though it was a chick - who also looked Native American seemed to be keeping an eye out for something, as if she - or he? - was expecting trouble. S/he wasn't the only one; apparently, the blonde at the door, who looked like she couldn't more than seventeen, was part of the security detail, and she clearly took her job seriously.

Then there was this woman in a very expensive men's suit with short black hair and an attitude you could feel from fifteen feet away. Sticking close to her was a red-haired teen girl, the older one's sister he gathered, whose attitude was just as heavy and even more dour. The brunette looked familiar, though, and damn, he realized, it really was that Goodkind chick, the one from L.A. that everyone said her name was just coincidence but who was almost as rich as the real Goodkinds. Weird.

But not as weird as the chick with the blue hair that seemed to stick straight out no matter how she turned her head. And that blonde over there, in what looked like a cheap cocktail dress, didn't she look like one of those supers from the Empire City Guard he'd seen on TV? Come to think of it, wasn't the couple over there a pair of superheroes, too, from somewhere like Rhode Island or something? Was everyone here some kind of super-duper type?

That was when his jaw hit the floor, because the most beautiful redhead he'd ever seen in his life showed up to give the toast.

After a few minutes into the speech, he'd heard enough. He decided he'd just... not listen to the rest. He was pretty sure it was safer that way. He'd just do his job, keep his head down, and hopefully they would tip big.

Dissecting the Gadgeteer Trait
by Richard Colm, PhD.

Abstract
Under the newly published Hewley-Aranis classification system, the Gadgeteer ability is treated as a separate talent from general Esper abilities. While it is the position of the author that this change is long overdue, it still fails to differentiate the varied aspects of the Gadgeteer's abilities, nor does it clarify the relationship between Gadgeteering and Devising. It is this paper's proposal that for finer-grained understanding, the Gadgeteer trait must be see as not a single ability, but a combination of at least five and possibly as many as eleven separate facets. It is also our intent to show that the core ability is not, as usually presented, techno-precognition, but an innate understanding of gadgets and the tools used to make them which hence forth will be referred to as 'mechanical intuition' in this work. In addition to these two aspects, it is the author's position that three other primary traits, technopathy, technokinesis, and techno-psychometry, are in various combinations responsible for the diversity of gadgeteering abilities. Finally, the author explores the relationship bewtween technokinesis and the Devisoring trait, which is postulated to be an expanded and modified form of this ability which takes on qualitative and quantitiative differences as the ability is increased.

18 February 2031
Whateley Academy

Caitlin wasn't much of writer, on her own, though living on a school campus for 30 years had helped. Still, she knew the story needed to be told, and she had worked on it for over twenty years. Now, with the last of her old buddies in the ground as of yesterday, she was ready to get help in making the book ready for the world. She just hoped the world was ready for the truth.

Data-key in hand, she walked into Carson's office, hoping that she would be able convince the headmistress to help her out. She was able to get Carson to at least start reading it, which was something.

"Felicis Fossor? This isn't what I think it is, is it?" Scanning further, she answered her own question. "Good Lord, I'm not sure I can take reading this, even knowing most of it already. Are you really sure you want this out in public?"

Caitlin shrugged. "People have a right to know the truth, and now that Lt. Dom is gone, there's no one else who can get hurt by it," she paused for a moment, "except the USMC's rep. And yeah, I know I'm breaking security by revealing things that are still 'Kill Yourself Before Reading' Secret, but if I don't, they'll sit on this until Doomsday."

"Your taking a terrible risk, aren't you? Even with a pseudonym, there must be someone who will make the connection."

"Erik Mahren has been officially on ice for decades, and no one who knows better would want to fuck with me about it. Anyway, I mostly wanted you to edit the book for me, 'cause there isn't anyone else I'd trust to do it and not leak the details before it is published. There's no rush to it, just when you have the time."

Liz Carson stared hard at the former Marine. "I'll... think about it. I can't promise you not to tear you a new one with your terrible prose, though."

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

Even in her torpor, Marzena could sense a being of great power coming. Her eyes, fixed permanently on the horizon from where she'd fallen, held hope in them despite the perpetual Lunar shadows that surrounded her, here at the bottom of Shackleton Crater. She could only hope that the stranger coming her way would make the mistake of thinking her dead, and 'retrieve' her body back to one of the moon bases.

As the woman above her passed through her field of vision, however, her heart sank. No! Anyone but her!

The Destroyer hovered over her for a moment, then moved on. Somehow, she had escaped certain doom, yet this brought little joy to her black soul. Here, in the endless night of the Crater of Eternal Darkness which Nacht had banished her to, she remained trapped by her own suspended animation spell, the hard vacuum of space clawing at her for what seemed an eternity. An eternity that would, it seemed, continue.

Kate was growing more irritable by the day, but she was determined to resist the Urge this time for as long as she could. It was a part of herself that she despised, if only because it was a break in her normally iron-clad self-control. This uncontrolled desire, this - what was it one of those dweebs called it? - pon farr that took over her and used her and her victims like toys was just more than she could bear.

It didn't help any that it was always with men. Despite Sunny's guess that she was into beefcake, Nacht was actually a lesbian - not that she would ever admit to being interested in anyone to anybody, though Jadis naturally had figured it out a while back. True, she wasn't exactly put off by Thorn's attentions - she had just enough of a romantic streak that she found his antics, if not attractive, at least amusing, and she didn't have the heart to tell him no. But otherwise, men held no interest for her.

Except when The Urge hit. it had been happening about once every six to eight weeks since the middle of her first year at Whateley, and it usually ended up with her dragging some unsuspecting lab geek behind a bush or into a closet somewhere for a few hours of torrid sex. Last December, it happened just as she was coming down from her Divine high, and she ended up jumping Chiller, of all people. Fortunately, like with everyone else so far, she'd been able to put the fear of the Night into him to keep him from talking, but she knew that sooner or later, someone would spill. The anticipated embarassment of it made all the harder to resist The Urge as it rose in her.

Still she stalked the halls of the Workshop, unable to control The Urge. She could feel her hackles rise as someone rounded the corner. To her horror, she found herself pushing Belphegor into a secret lab room and slamming the door behind her. As tendrils of darkness began tearing his clothes off, the last sentient thought she had was I am never going to live this one down...

"Hey, Triax. What are you working there?"

"A possible improvement for the next version of the auto-reader. Hazmat mentioned that his girlfriend, uhm..."

"Aquerna."

"Yeah, right, that she thought it would be useful for reading while relaxing in a bath. I dunno how many people really do that, but I figured that waterproofing the reader wouldn't be very hard. The tough part is protecting the book, but I think I've got that covered."

"Interesting. As it happens, I was just coming down here to mention another variation on your reader myself. Two, possibly."

"Oh?"

Ayla nodded. "One of my teammates has her work-study at the library, and part of the job is to scan older books into the computer archives as a long-term backup. She mentioned that your auto-pager could be connected to a scanner to automate the process. It wouldn't need to work fast, in fact it would need to be gentle to avoid damaging the old books and manuscripts, but once scanned it would be a permanent record of the book."

Triaxial smacked his forehead. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"That's what I said about using Hazmat's failed hair-lengthening formula as a depilatory. It happens; no one can think of everything. Anyway, the other idea is to use the scanner in conjunction with an e-reader to solve the speed-reading issue. A mechanical page-turner probably can't keep up with an Exemplar, but an e-reader could."

"That's brilliant! But what about copyrights and things like that?"

"That would be the user's concern, primarily, but it could be solved by using a one-use system that deletes the file after a single read. Since the readers would be Exemplars, most of them would have eidetic recall in any case, so re-reading the books wouldn't be necessary."

"I... that's great. Let me finish this project and I'll get on that right away."

"Certainly. Have a good day."

Reina Chilson gave her Aunt Mary a hug goodbye before walking to the MCO Security Station at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. She was nervous to walk there alone, out of sight of family, but she had been told she would be meeting the same officer who had prepared her MID the month before, and despite everything he seemed understanding enough. He'd warned her that not all MCO officers were as tolerant, however, which left her feeling edgy, especially given how her parents had been when she had manifested.

She was relieved to see Agent Callesis as she entered the security area. Once out of sight of the 'normal' travelers, she dropped the hood of her sweatshirt, revealing her pointed ears and the small horns shehad on her forehead. The other agent, a woman she didn't know, gave her an ugly look, but Harry shot her a nasty glance back and the woman turned back to what she was doing. At least the floor-length skirt she was wearing hid her hooves, she thought.

It didn't stop her from gazing at the woman appraisingly, a slight tinge of lust forming in her, which she could see was returned however reluctantly. The Wizard who assessed her said that this was just a normal part of her mutation, that both Fauns and Satyrs (he wasn't quite sure which she was - both were usually male, so it was doubly odd for her to have gone from male to female) were naturally creatures of desire and that she would have to learn to control her impulses in that direction. It was still really, really distracting.

"So, Raymond... no, I see here that you've chosen the name 'Reina', is that right? Not bad, it suits you better now. As I was about to say, your travel plans going through to Whateley have been set through Boston and then to Berlin. From Berlin Airport you'll take a local train to Dunwich for the rendezvous with the school group."

"That's OK, sir. My aunt and uncle told me that this school was just the right place for me. After what happened last Fall, they said they trusted the people there implicitly."

"Good to hear. They are you're legal guardians now, correct? OK, then. Oh, I do have a note that you should be aware that there are two other Faerie-type mutants in the dorm - sorry, 'cottage' - you'll be staying in, one of whom is a high-ranked Sidhe. It's recommended you get to know both 'Fey' and 'Selkie' - those are their codenames - as soon as possible."

"I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Well, everything seems to be in order. I'll see that you get boarded immediately once the flight is ready."

It was 4 AM as Ngo Phuong (or 'Phillipa Ngo' as she preferred to be called) waited impatiently outside the stall in the 3rd floor girl's bathroom for her girlfriend, Kelly Tanaka, AKA Diamanta, awash with feelings despite her normal quiet demeanor. At the moment, the feeling that was foremost in her mind was guilt.

I wish I'd never introduced her to that bastard, she thought, Hell, I wish I never met him myself!

Of course, that wasn't how either of them had felt towards Leung Gao Lai until a few days ago. When Cascade first met Kelly, she'd been dating Gao - or Gareth, to his Western friends - for a while, at first acting as 'beards' for each other for those outside of Poe but later getting more serious. When Gareth's real lover, Mokele', dumped Gareth on N'Dizi's order at the time of the Dragons/Tigers split (along with a 'get with the plan' order to stop 'going on the down low', or so she heard - in any case, she hadn't seen the changeling with anyone of either sex since then), and Phillipa's old girlfriend graduated, they had almost gone het on everyone it seemed - until they both met Kelly at the start of the 2005-06 school year.

But for all three of them, it had been love - or at least lust - at first sight. The fact that both Kelly and Gareth were Ex-3 Man-3 shellheads - Cobalt created a layer of nearly indestructible, skin-tight blue quasi-metallic material, while Diamanta created a crystalline shell, and both had to consciously remove it in order to look more like a baseline - gave them something in common, Cascade thought. The number of times the three of them had shared a bed over the past two years were more than she could count.

Didn't I warn her time and time again about using the right kind of protection for an Exemplar? And now that son of a bitch won't talk to either of us...

Realizing she was woolgathering, Phillipa brought herself back to the here and now just as Kelly opened the door. She didn't have to look at the pregnancy test to know the answer; the horror on her lover's face confirmed what her own healing powers had already told her.

"Oh, God, honey," she said with a shaking voice, "I am soooo sorry... we'll get through this together, I promise..."

NB: Again, this one was OBE in canon since I posted it; still, it was the fact that no one commented on the film refer that was the real surprise for me...

Okay, even I was surprised when Joe Wilkins showed up. But thinking about it, I suppose it only made sense. He'd saved Hollyfeld's life and taken a serious beating for it, and they remained friends for years. Even if they disagreed - vigorously - about the uses of Devisor technology, they stayed in touch the whole time. He was the only devisor/gadgeteer Gizmatic ever considered his own superior, and he never begrudged the pacifism that drove Toymaker into decades of isolation.

He gave me a curt nod, and seemed for a moment to be looking to see if I was carrying the Rod of Astarte with me. I wasn't, of course. He then went over to console Lazlo's widow.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to come by sooner, Sherry. When I heard he was dying, I wanted to visit him before he went, but, you know how it is... matters of state, lab work to be done, battles to be fought..."

"Hey, I understand. At least Mitch and Jordan were here to help," she replied, pointing to two thirty-something gadgeteers whom I recognized as Phase Shift and Hypertech, a now married couple who had been together since their own student years. "Ever since the accident that killed Chris Knight, they've been working at ARC, trying to keep a lid on new developments in the field. They're concerned about the new breakthroughs that Goodkind industries seem to be making in combat masers."

Joe gritted his teeth. "We both know that Beamsplitter's death was no accident," he said, "I can't prove that Herb Goodkind set him up, but there's too much evidence that..." realizing his temper was rising, here at his old friend's funeral, the Emperor of Karedonia restrained himself in a fashion he wasn't accustomed to doing. "Sorry. Lazlo wouldn't have wanted that kind of anger at his own wake."

"Leonides, I wanted to talk to you about the final clean up of the forces of the To... wait a minute, are those shoulder angels you're wearing?"

"It figures that we'd be the first thing she'd notice..." said the figure in the red three-piece suit to the left.

"Ah, yes, Liz, I was expecting you to ask about that. I heard about the near-disaster caused by these things at your school last month, and while I found the stories both amusing and alarming, it occurred to me that these 'shoulder angels' could be used positively, as a means for self-reflection. I'm finding them quite enlightening."

"Thank you," said the beatific robed figure in white to the right. "It is all a poor little Intelligence Agent such as myself could hope for."

"Yes, yes, of course, you are quite welcome."

"I see someone taught that asshole how to talk, now how do we get him to shut up?"

"Yes, well, you were always quite willing to speak yourself, not that I would begrudge you the..."

Dr. Diabolik waved his cybernetic hand, and both shoulder angels went silent. "Sorry, Ms.Carson, I should have done that when you first called."

"O...Kay... I think I can see why you are doing this, and I know you well enough to understand why you have Leary as your shoulder angel. But why is William Burroughs your shoulder devil?"

Tolman-sensei paired me up with Ribbon, a little girl I'd seen around Poe a few times, and who I gathered was a changeling too. I'd wondered about that; was she older than she looked, or did she really change from male to female when she was ten? Either way it had to hard on her, I figured. OK, so some of the others, like Serendipity, were transsexuals even from an early age; but I didn't get the impression that Ribbon was like that. She was very feminine, but in a goth way, and sort of standoffish; she showed some real steel under the velvet.

Speaking of which, I quickly found that 'no powers' only counted so much against high-end Exemplars. Punching her was like hitting a brick wall, and while she was obviously holding back, she was clearly much stronger than I was. She had me on the mat twice in rapid succession.

The second time, she bent over to whisper in my ear. "Listen, if you want to talk about 'old guy' issues some time, come down to my room after class. We can talk about what things were like the first time we were this age or something, all right? See ya."

I goggled for a bit, thinking about what she said. Hadn't Carson told me I wasn't the only one here to have gotten younger? Was Ribbon like me, then? I also wondered if Carson was the one who told her about me.

I decided to take her up on the offer. Fortunately, Aolynn was busy with work-study tonight, so I wouldn't have to feel guilty about time away from her. So, after dinner, I went down the hallway to the room Ribbon shared with Euterpe, and knocked on the door. Katie answered, and stepped out as I went in.

I wasn't expecting a whole room full of people. OK, it was only Ribbon and three others, but the room was small.

Aside from Ribbon was another girl with flame red hair, about my height and looking maybe thirteen or so, dressed in a black cloak. There was something compelling about her, something that made it hard to take my eyes off of her. I had to remind myself that I already had a girlfriend before I could get my attention away from her.

The next one was a stunning blond, maybe seventeen, who carried herself with a military bearing that was like a soldier who had served a lifetime and had seen it all. She was wearing a Security uniform and standing stiffly and surely.

The third was strange even by Mutant High standards. About the same age as the blond, she had hair that looking like metal wire and eyes of copper, with odd runes tattooed all over her exposed skin. She was wearing an old pair of Marine fatigues that had more runes sewn into them. She lounged on the lower bunk bed in a casual manner, but even more than the second woman, she gave the impression of a stone-cold killer.

"Well, looks like the gang's all here," said the last one. "So is this a meeting of the Age Dysphoria therapy group or something?"

"Something like that, yes," I heard Fubar say as he appeared next to me. "Dr. Bellows and I thought that it would useful for the five of you to talk things through a bit, given that there are now enough of you to form a support group of sorts now. I know you all have your reasons to keep your own secrets, but this is something you all have in common, and if nothing else, misery loves company."