Chapter 2

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May 27, 2019 2:58 pm
Logan nods his head as he hears Arthur. Getting up from the chair he was sitting in, Logan moves into the common room. Looking around and seeing that a couple of the others were already there, Logan takes a seat beside Liberty. Glancing over L9gan asks a simple question. "How are you settling in?"
May 27, 2019 2:59 pm
Ariel perches on an arm of the sofa, one foot on the seat cushion and the other dangling in space. Having delicate wings and sinking into comfy chairs unfortunately aren't very compatible.
May 27, 2019 8:00 pm
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Arthur is the last to enter, except for Ellis, he takes the remote for the TV and places it in the middle of the coffee stand the chairs in the room are placed around.

Almost immediately, the TV flickers on, there's a brief flash of snow (no signal). Then, flipping through scenes like channels on the television, it looks like the individual positions watched by the CCTV cameras... After a few quick switches, it settles on Spencer in a split-screen feed of the one camera in the infirmary. On both sides, Spencer is lying down on the infirmary bed. Captions begin to scroll across the bottom of the TV. "Can you guys keep a secret? I'm a mutant like you, but with less 'demonstrable' powers. I didn't know I had them until the mall. I wanted to show you first, so it doesn't appear like just nosebleeds and stuff... the best way I can think to explain is that my brain has been 'upgrading'... Just watch."

Two titles appear above the split-screen feeds on the TV, on the left is titled Real, on the right Recorded.

On the left, Spencer gets up out of the infirmary bed and walks out of the infirmary, while the right side shows him still lying down. As he walks into the hall, the TV display changes to the hallway downstairs, the left side shows Spencer walking through the hall, the right shows the empty hallway, occasionally cycling back to the infirmary, where Spencer continues to lie quietly. He gets in the elevator, there's a camera in there pointing down from the ceiling, again the left shows Spencer in the elevator whistling to the elevator music, the right side an empty elevator. You hear the elevator ding its arrival on the 2nd floor, and Spencer walks out and sits in the empty seat between Fee and Ariel on the armrest. The camera feed shows the group of you on both sides, nearly the same, with Spencer is missing on the right side, then switches back to him sleeping in the infirmary.

The captions scroll up again: "Don't freak out, this is what makes me want to keep this a secret!"

The screen changes again, to what looks like scrolling files. Mugshot photos of the group they encountered at the mall, files on a drug called ReNew and what looks like police reports on the mall incident, and ongoing investigations noting how high school students are being hired by an organization after being hooked on ReNew. There's also mention of the 6th suspect who got away, and reports of how they can shapeshift and pose as other people.

Spencer sighs heavily and the captions read: "Lame, right? Just slightly better than nose bleeds and fainting?" As the TV shuts off again, Spencer clears his throat but sits silent, and leans over to Fee.
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May 27, 2019 8:19 pm
Ah, that's why you've been looking at the lamps around the rooms.... Makes sense. Arthur regards Spencer a litter differently. How believable is that.. switch thing? Is it like in the movie Speed where's its on a continuous time loop?
OOC:
really want to say "is there a way to Keanu Reeves our way around it, but he's not that popular an actor yet. lol
Arthur looks back at the window. I mentioned briefly earlier about my... past. Frankly put, I'm a thief. I learned how to be a pickpocket and burglar when i was in Atlanta. I worked with a crew and was pretty good. I had to be, because I didn't have a place to go. My parents kicked me out, I went to Atlanta to live in the foster care system for a bit. They didn't care about me, so long as the checks kept coming. I had enough of my foster father's crap and chucked a charged chess piece at him. He pulls out a chess piece, a black bishop. I took the other to remind myself of who I am and where I came from. He slides the piece back into his jacket. Sorry about that... oh.. yeah.. I saw how they pulled off the job and I think I can get in with them to get more information and maybe even some samples of the drug. I figured if they'd heard about the crew I worked with, I might get lucky and in on cred...

He pauses for another moment and looks around. I'm not the planning type, I just find a way in and blow a hole out the exit. What's the plan?
Last edited May 27, 2019 8:20 pm
May 28, 2019 1:20 am
"Woah, slow down. What plan? Spencer can barely walk, and we're in... lockdown, or detention, or whatever. Isn't the plan to sit tight, study for this sudden Classics exam, let the police do their job and wait for all this to blow over?"
May 28, 2019 7:21 am
Liberty whispers a few times with the other girls while everyone's getting settled in. Things like, "What happens if you sit on your wings? Have they ever cracked on you before?" and to Fiona, "You're so lucky that you have such a pretty shade of green. Can you imagine going around looking the same color as olive?" Small, conversational things, as she pulls her legs up, crossed in the seat with her, or as well as her jeans will allow.

When Logan moves in she gives him a furtive glance. The easy, carefree in which she's assimilated thus far today starts to edge away and she makes a show of looking down at her ankles while pulling her lips into saccharine smile. "The other two girls are really helping me," she admits, but then something seems to occur to her. To trouble her. To make her sit up straighter and more alert. She asks Logan, Fiona, or Ariel, whomever happens to respond first, "That Ellis guy. He was the one that was really quiet, right?"

Her brow knits as the TV screen flickers on. She listens quietly and with side-glances toward the others to see how they gauge this, to see how normal this sort of thing is, all while fidgeting with her cuticles.

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May 28, 2019 10:35 am
In my experience with law enforcement, the police barely do their job. it took them 6 months to catch on to the amount of thieving done in Atlanta. Yes, I agree that we should study for the exam and be allowed out, but I am also looking at what other options we have.
May 28, 2019 11:15 am
Fee listens to Spencer as he whispers to her, then locks eyes with him for a little longer than is comfortable for everyone else. Something seems to pass between them, and when she finally turns away, she is grinning and blushing a deep violet.

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She turns from Spencer and nods to Liberty, then whispers, "Yes, Ellis is the quiet one."

As Arthur and Ariel debate their plans, Fiona leans forward and waits for an opening.

"You guys may not have noticed, but I lost control just a little bit out there. I could have seriously hurt that guy. I know he wasn't a nice person, but that's no reason for me to hurt him." She leans back on the couch, letting out a deep sigh. "As much as I'd love to go play crime fighter, I think I need to stay here until I can control myself a little better. I don't want to hurt anyone."

She looks around at all the other students. "But if you guys all decide to go, you might need me. I'd rather be there for you than worry about you, or worse still, have something happen to you because I wasn't there to help."
May 28, 2019 12:40 pm
Arthur holds a hand up. Fiona, I don't want anyone to get hurt. My plan was just me going in and trying to get in with the group. Plus... and forgive for how rude this is going to sound... vaguely gesturing to the group. y'all don't know anything about thieving. If everyone went, it could be disastrous and ruin our chances of finding them.
He hangs in his head in hands for a second, before speaking again.
I'm sorry, that sounded a lot ruder out loud than in my head. This is just stuff I know and I am pretty good at it. And I know youall want to help. Ellis... what's the range on your brain-communications-network-thing?
May 28, 2019 1:10 pm
Logan stays silent as he listens to everyone else. Thinking for a minute, he finally breaks his silence. "I think Arthur is right. That may be the only way into figuring out what's going on. Yet we have to get past the test before we can even think about infiltrating the gang. Once we manage to pass and are allowed outside again, we can begin to investigate." Logan looks over at Arthur before continuing to speak. "When we do make a move against this gang, Arthur, it's a bad idea to go in alone. If things go bad, which they quickly could, you'll have no one to watch your back. Since you have the skills, I propose this idea. Pick someone that could be your so called partner. It could be for speed, brains or even muscle. One thing is for sure though, don't go in alone."
May 28, 2019 3:03 pm
I'll have to think on it. Each of you have something that could prove useful to a thief. another pause. Wow... I need to stop sounding so arrogant. The sin that leads to the fall... He moves his left hand to this right, gloved hand.
Anyway.... Fiona, your abilities can do many things... moving objects to cause a distraction, or removing a wallet from across the room... And didn't I see a forcefield of some kind back at the mall? There's also a control element, like you said earlier.

Ariel, your teleportation can be a bonus for a quick getaway if things get pear-shaped quick.

Logan, muscle always proves useful. The metal thing... is it always just armor or can you manipulate any kind of metal?
OOC:
@Logan: Arthur didn't see you make the handcuffs as Ariel teleported him out to the parking lot.
Spencer, with what you can do to electronics is amazing... But, are you okay to get around and help? I don't want to get into something awful and you pass out...

And Liberty, sorry but you're new and I don't trust new people that much yet. Please, don't take offense, I've just been burned by new people before and it's how I am.


Arthur will pick up the book and start looking at his notes again.
Last edited May 28, 2019 3:03 pm
May 28, 2019 5:21 pm
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Spencer looks around the room, sort of frustrated, but he can't seem to get the stupid grin off his face since Fee leaned in. He leans his head into his hands..."This is what I meant by not being able to demonstrate this... The nosebleeds are over for now. The problem was I was getting too much information and it was overwhelming. Whenever I heard a question, my brain would immediately be on the internet trying to answer it, or a nearby computer, etc. accessing library databases, DMV records, FBI and police reports, City building permits or even just an online thesaurus for the answers, all the answers!

I kind of upgraded my brain, the unconsciousness was like a 'reboot'! ... I know how to... curb the urge now, and I can do searches in the background.
He looks at Fee. "I can monitor press releases, and I know everything the press didn't publish about what happened at the mall on the weekend! I know where everyone in this building is! It doesn't matter if they're in front of a camera or not! I memorized Plato while I was sleeping just now! Not just Alcibiades I and II, all of Plato!

You can see Spencer is a little agitated:"Ms. Clairemont is setting us up to fail, Alcibiades 1 and 2 comprises almost 500 pages of text... We either have to cheat, or this is a test of something else besides our knowledge of Plato, or she's offering us our freedom against completion of an impossible task, expecting us to fail."

Finally he turns to Liberty: "Ariel can take people with her when she teleports, can you do the same when you "phase"? Is that what you call it? Can you move through barriers, too? Like a door or a wall, or... the ground?" He makes a classic gesture like the Thinking Man.

"Three of the five guys we tagged in the mall were high school kids. I know which school. I know their GPAs and their club and sports team affiliations. That makes Liberty and I good candidates to go undercover with you guys as support. The other two were adult repeat offenders, and the one we lost I think was who recruited them.

Ariel, Arthur... that part of the parking lot you lost her in, not only was it outside the surveillance camera's view, but it was also near a manhole. You said she disappeared? Is it like how Liberty could maybe look like she disappeared as she passed through a wall or something?"


Spencer gets up and walks over to Arthur, placing his hands on both his shoulders for emphasis. "You need to promise you're not going to do anything alone. You're part of a team now, no one's getting burned, we're going to cover each other's backs. Liberty, you have a choice here... we have a team here, and we want you to play, but we're making up our own rules, and playing a game the headmistress doesn't like.

When it comes time Arthur, someone else could go in, and we'll rely on you to tell us how to find them and what to say. I think I can rig comms with a longer range than Ellis when we're ready."


He turns to Fee and Logan: Fee, we need you confident out there, we'll just work with what you're good at, and your Force Field, can it protect someone behind you?

We're all growing right now, it's going to be different next week or the week after. I went from nothing to SHAZAM! over the weekend. Logan, I'm not sure I understand your power at all. I get swords and armour, but how were you doing that with the coin today in class? Can you do stuff at range, like jam a gun or open a lock?


He puts his hand up to interrupt himself, consciously stopping... recognizing he's reached his limit, and takes a deep breath and sits back down beside Fee and rests his head back, he checks his lip with one hand to see if his nose is bleeding, it's not.
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Last edited May 28, 2019 5:49 pm
May 28, 2019 6:03 pm
Arthur puts the book down and shakes his head at someone else going into a den and him on the sidelines. It's not just "finding them and knowing what to say". Puck had a knack for finding out who could be legitimate or not. Can anyone walk through a crowded subway and grab 5 wallets? Can anyone pick a lock in under 25 seconds? He would test people on the spot to see if they were legit. If they weren't, they were branded and forced out. I watched a branding once. Never again.

He shakes his head again. Granted, these are high-schoolers and probably amateurs at best, but I don't feel comfortable for anyone else besides me walking into a place like that. Besides, no doubt they heard of Puck in Atlanta so there is a chance I won't have a problem going into it. Spencer, with your "upgrade", you could probably have no problems going in with me, hacking security cameras and whatnot before hand. These places always have someone watching.

Arthur pulls the chess piece out, rolling it between his fingers as he thinks.

What did the security cameras show of the thief that hit the jewelry store? How did they get past the security and the cases? Did they check their marks before or just fly blind?

He looks back at the book. You mean I read 80 pages of this for nothing?
Last edited May 28, 2019 6:04 pm
May 28, 2019 6:08 pm
Logan thinks for a moment before he answers Arthur and Spencer at the same time. "Everyone knows about the sword and armor. During some of my training sessions I've been trying out new ways to work with metal. That was how I was able to secure the gunmen at the mall and the gift I gave Liberty. I'm pretty sure I can manipulate most metals, it's just that some metals are easier to work with than others. Now as far as distant metal objects, I did open the doors at the mall, but that's the only time that I've tried. What I really want to try is see if I can change the armor and sword. Maybe with practice I can mold the armored appearance and make something besides a sword."

Glancing over at Liberty, Logan goes quiet, almost as if he's at a loss for words." Have you had the tour yet? I can show you around if you want?"
Last edited May 28, 2019 6:08 pm
May 28, 2019 7:03 pm
"I think the underground may not be where we need to go first, is what I'm saying. At least until we know who we're looking for. If I'm right, looking for someone in that arena would probably arouse suspicion anyway, and the way trust works, we'd probably end up with someone looking for us instead.

I'm thinking we go undercover at the high school those other kids were from. They were all on sports teams, so I'm guessing there's a skill set they're looking for or a type of kid that's more susceptible to being recruited. You might even know about that Arthur..."

It's either that, or we go down a manhole near the mall, but I'm saving that idea as a last resort.

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Last edited May 28, 2019 7:05 pm
May 28, 2019 7:28 pm
They were on sports teams? That's odd. When I was recruited to the den, I was living on the streets. They promised a warm meal and a place to sleep, so long as I worked for them. Maybe it has nothing to do with thieving, but there's an angle there. They have to have a fence, a go between to move stolen merchandise. The fence would know who is coming and what they are bringing. It involves the less friendly parts of town, but could work.

He pauses for a second. We could work this from two different angles. You infiltrate the school and see what you can find out about the kids being recruited. I can develop some connections and find the den, provided I can convince Ms. Clairemont and Dr. Pryce that going back to my old ways for the common good.
Last edited May 28, 2019 9:30 pm
May 28, 2019 7:28 pm
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Liberty sort of off-hand interjects at some point while Spencer is talking, side-eyeing the others to make sure by their expressions that she's not off or something, "But she didn't give us a time limit... did she? We could just study until then..." She uses her hands like a scale gesture, both sides tipping occasionally. "Like, I dunno your Mom outside of a few minutes but unless you think she's gunna' throw in a pop quiz at some point? And I haven't tried with other people." Her expression darkens. "I don't think I want to, either. What if they get stuck in a solid object somehow?"

"They gave me kind of the cliff notes version of things," she whispers with Logan softly when the attention is off her and everyone is focusing on Spencer again. "If you want to give me a more in depth one, I think I would like that." She gives him another friendly smile, this time meeting his eyes with building confidence.
May 28, 2019 8:33 pm
Logan smiles as he hears Liberty's reply. Looking at his hands for a second, he gathers some courage and replies. "Great, we can head out as soon as we are done here."
May 29, 2019 2:40 am
OOC:
Just checking: is Spencer's "The Alcibiades dialogues are 500+ pages" line a deliberate lie to try to set the group against Clairemont, or just a mistake? I don't want to kick off an in-character conflict if you were just pulling a number out of the air, but I don't know what Arthur was reading 80 pages of - possibly all the disputations of the texts' attribution to Plato, rather than the dialogues themselves?
May 29, 2019 4:50 am
OOC:
When I looked it up, the pdf I found was 488 pages, do I have that dead wrong? Oops, I see now that it's a collection with Alcibiades AND a bunch of other writings... the whole book is 500+ pages, but Alcibiades I and II is only 182 pages.

My bad, sorry about that. It sounds like an honest mistake! Who knows what kind of questions she'll ask anyway!

How is taking a test going to work anyway? How many stones do we need to spend to pass?
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Last edited May 29, 2019 4:52 am
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