Science Fiction Origins: Matthew Berger and John Rose

Everyone has an Origins. Everyone has a story to be told. Some are just a bit stranger than others, but no less important or significant. It tells others of how we have come to exist as the beings that we are and what we have gone through to reach our respective destinations.

What follows will be the origins of a young Professor, Matthew Berger, and John Rose. While other people will inevitably want to tell their stories as well and will be welcomed with open arms, this adventure will begin with how these two young men are discovering who they are and their own place in the world.
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Welcome to Origins: Matthew Berger and John Rose. This game will be about these two young superhumans, and whoever else decides to join, and will follow them as they mold their own stories through the years, while also looking back to their past. If you would like to join, just send me an outline of your character and we will go from there. Whether it be just a cameo appearance or joining the cast of the game, all are welcome.

In relation to character development: While the game will probably thrive on OCs, this does not mean that we cannot have our own Superman(s), Batmen, Spideys, Wolverines, etc. You can have their powers, having a different origin story or the same, make them a crossover, combinations, or what have you. This is a story of Superheroes and Supervillains and how they are created. I see this as the introduction of characters that will, hopefully, take part in a larger role playing game later, while having the characters established here.
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The rules are the same as they are for most games: Obey the GM, no God-Modding, respect others, follow the TOS, and if you will be absent from play, please let those involved with your story know beforehand, if possible.

Gentleman, if you would be so kind, please introduce your respective characters to the world so that we may begin.

-b

 

Approved


Name: Matthew Berger
Alias: Solid
Job: Junior Professor at the University of WHEREVER YOU WNAT HIM TO BE for physics.
Age: 0-31

Appearance:
[image=http://mavieenlair18.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/historyboys-scmoore.jpg]

Super Power: Indestructible. No matter what hits him or how hard, he doesn´t even loose a hair. He can´t change his appearance though in any way. No haircut, no operation. He is how he is and will probably never, ever change. He feels no pain, as his nerves seem to die from the lack of stimulus. Actually, he feels nothing anymore.

Weakness: Numbness. Not pathological, but he does not feel like normal people do. His lack of pain-awareness is also a constant danger of being "unveiled" to the world, as he can have his hand in a fire without recognizing it. He also needs to breathe, therefore he can be killed by gas or drowning. His internal organs work normally, it´s just his outside that doesn´t. Therefore he can be rammed by a train or stand inside any explosion, but poisoned gas would actually kill him like anybody.

 

[image=http://www.pinewswire.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Interrogation-Room-e1267376976601.jpg]

State your name for the record.

Agh, I can't see! It's so bright.

Your name.

John Rose. Am I in some kind of trouble?

When were you born?

Uh, 1991. November 8th.

Who are your parents?

What? Look I-

Your parents.

Paul and Laurie Rose.

...

Hello? Where am I? Why am I stuck in this chair?

...

I know you're there.

What can you do?

Sorry?

Your talents. What are they?

I don't underst-

Answer the question.

Uhh... I was always good at basketball?

Your real talents. I've seen what you can do, John.

What?

You move things. Things you don't touch, things that aren't close to you, you move them at your will.

I...

Are your abilities limited?

...

No harm will come to you. Just answer. Are your abilities limited?

I... well, I can only move things that I could physically move myself. My mind, it's like it's just as strong as my body.

So you aren't able to move a car, or a house?

Not even an X-Wing.

But you can move something like a glass of water. Or a knife.

Yeah. If I can move it physically, I can move it mentally.

Hm.

What's the point of all this? Why am I here?

...

Hello? Are we done here or what?

No. Not even close.

[image=http://www.mpsinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/interrogate-e1287104312527.jpg]

 

Sometime in the early 2000s, New York City

"Matthew, please hand Formula 19 to me. Be careful, we are on the brink of greatness, my boy.? Professor Mica Banner was a small woman, bordering on her 50s, but looked like she was still in her 30s. It stunned students at first about her age, but the surprise faded once they had gotten to know her. She was quirky, funny, gentle, and considerate, an all around genuine person who was also a leading scientist working in the field of Genetics, seeking for a way to help people who had become paralyze. The research was to find a way to bring feeling back to them, while also with the benefitted side effect of clearing skin blemishes and problems with a near 100% success rate. Consequently, cosmetics companies were big supporters, with their wallets of course, of her research, while the government supplied everything else she needed.

The project was not want for money.

This is all to say that today was a big day for the Professor and her two leading students, Matthew Berger and Olivia Hutton, because the project was about to make a major step forward. An accident a few weeks ago had made a formula that had been tested on paralyzed lab rats and the rats had demonstrated an function and response in their formerly disabled limbs, not to mention that they were also experiencing increased resistance to pain. The government was particularly happy about the latter part.

Formula 19, now it was called, was now about to be added to the older, more carefully arranged Formula 18, its predecessor that had been in the works for years. They were mixed in front of them by the Professor and then?.nothing happened. A grin spread across Olivia?s face. ?I think?we have success in mixture, Professor.? Professor Banner had a perturbed look on her face. ?Yes, it would appear so?? A pause. ?In all my years of working up to this moment, everythin-?

She was cut off by smoke rising from the vial, followed by a popping sound. The Professor smiled, then abruptly passed out onto the floor. Olivia?s panicked eyes looked at Matthew before she began reaching for her throat, struggling to breathe. Matthew himself was now experiencing pain as one of the *pops* had fallen onto his hand, the skin there was boiling up into a soft bubble, and now it began spreading up his arm. The pain would be indescribable, but his two coworkers, maybe even friends were lying on the ground and fumes had not stopped filling the room...

Tag: Fin

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A couple days ago, Los Angeles?

Okay? Enough was Enough. ?Herman, that?s enough, get out of his mind. I don?t want him to think this was anything more than a dream. I especially don?t want him to remember this conversation in any strict detail, he?ll figure it out and that will do us no good.?

Herman took a look at the child beside him before putting his fingers to his temple, scrambling around the evidence and memory of his expedition into young John Rose?s mind. In a deep, gurgling voice, he responded to the?what appeared to be a child. ?It is done. I noticed he will be going to class tomorrow and that there is a trip to a museum planned. Is that where we will do it??

?Yes Herman, that is where we will do it.?

Tag: Reynar

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New York City?

It was a normal day for Kathy, so far. She had gotten off at 3, earlier that day. And now, well... It was less than normal. She was now 1 of 27 passengers being held hostage on the train. Interestingly enough, the gun man was not asking any questions, or making any demands, or being rude in any way. He was just standing there, with a gun and no one knew what to think about it or what to do.

Tag: Livi

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70 Years ago

The selection process had put many hopefuls through the ringer, many men had dropped out from the rigorous testing, constant blood being drawn, others were dropped because their mental faculty had not been deemed strong enough. There was one, though. And he was the main candidate that the project leaders had been hoping for, some wou

 

Name: Kathy Cooper
Alias: Mesmer
Job: Supermarket checkout attendant
Age: 25
Appearance: Shorter than average, with dark curly hair, olive skin and brown eyes.
Super Power: Kathy is psychic, with a particular affinity for telekinesis. She can read minds and cause mild hallucinations, but cannot use her power to control people.
Weakness: Using her power beyond her normal capability results in debilitating headaches. Further exertion causes nosebleeds and fainting.

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[b]Kathy Cooper[/b]
[i]New York City[/i]

Was it appropriate to be bored in a hostage situation? Kathy had gone through the usual reactions when the man had stood up- fear, panic, something like anger- but that had been nearly an hour ago. Now, she and the rest of the subway car she'd been travelling in were just sitting there, waiting for this guy to do something. He had a gun. He had 27 hostages. He also, it seemed, didn't have much of a plan: the man was just standing there, swaying slightly, the gun dangling from his hand.

Further down the carriage, a little girl began to cry quietly.

As unobtrusively as she could, Kathy closed her eyes, raised a hand to her temple as if she had a headache, and reached out to the man's mind. Like most people's, it was a tangle of impulses, memories and emotions- roads not quite taken and plans yet to be laid. However, there was something else there. A thread of... she couldn't name it, but it didn't belong. Something was influencing this man.

Quietly, Kathy tugged at the thread, hoping to spark a memory that would tell her why this man was here.

[b][TAG blu][/b]

 

Operation: Rebirth
Status: Classified (TS)

SUBJECT NAME: Rogers, Steven Joseph
SUBJECT DOB: July 4, 1917 (Age 23)
SUBJECT OCCUPATION: Unemployed (Student)
SUBJECT APPEARANCE: Male, 6 ft 0 in, 115 lbs., HAIR blo, EYES blu (Photograph Attached)
[image=http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp39/darthramza/SteveRogers.png]
SUBJECT BLOOD TYPE: A-
SUBJECT MEDICAL HISTORY: Standard inoculations. Broken arm (Age 8), healed.

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[i][b]Steve Rogers[/b]
A New York suburb, Late March, 1941[/i]

[i]PFC Steven J. Rogers, the Super-Soldier![/i]

[i]Sgt Steven J. Rogers, the Super-Soldier![/i]

Hell, why aim low?

[i]1st Lt. Steven J. Rogers, the Super-Soldier![/i]

God [i]damn[/i] was this a thrill! No less than five separate Army enrollment offices had turned Steve Trevor down - apparently drive and enthusiasm didn't get you too far with the medical examiners - but now, here he was, less than 24 hours away from becoming the first in what Dr. Reinstein, in his very thick accent, referred to as "die next generation of American fightink forces." Mind you, there was something about serums and... veeta-rays? Vitta-rays? Veyeta-rays? Vegimite-rays? Bah, the scientists could worry about those details (Steve, being an up-and-coming illustrator, never cared too much for that sort of thing); Rogers would sweat giving Hitler a nice, decidedly non-Aryan sock in the jaw once the boys took Berlin.

... Well, there was that slight detail about how the US wasn't [i]technically[/i] at war with the Nazis yet, but you'd have to be a fool or an isolationist to claim it wasn't coming. The government had cut off all practical ties with the Germans in favor of sending supplies to the UK and the Free French, and there were rumors that some American fighting men were already engaging Hirohito's best over in Chinese airspace. Yes, a fight with the Axis was on the horizon, and Steve, proud believer in the American ideal that he was, had been eager to sign up for the Army well ahead of schedule. That hadn't gone quite as planned, but that was all in the past now, and soon he...

Soon he...

Was that guy... [i]bright pink[/i]?

Well, skin color could wait for later. Whoever - or whatever - this guy was, he had clearly been badly injured. Steve darted over to the man's side as quickly as he could manage.

[i]?Steve Rogers?You have arrived.?[/i]

"Of course I've arrived, pal, this is where I live. Christ - sorry, 'scuse my language - what happened to you? We need to get you to a doctor, fast, pal, and... wait, how do you know who I am?"

[b]TAG: Blu[/b]

 

Matthew Berger
Laboratory, 26.01.2003 (I just make this a fixed date)


He smiled about all the anticipation. Obviously this one would go as bad as all the other ones before. They were still so early in development. Any success would mean nothing but an incredible lucky shot. A few billions to one kinda lucky shot. And science barely was so lucky. but the Professor believed in it. Olivia believed in it and so did he. For now. Just to play along. "Sure, Professor. Success is all over this mix!" He laughed out.

Things are changing and that´s the only truth there is to say about things. A German philosopher told that once and it was about the only truth that I ever heard in my short run as a philosophy student. I always considered this be a truth. An absolute truth, as a matter of fact. What did not change? Everything changes on so many levels. Atoms, relationships, people. Times. Governments. Politics. Even the laws of physics seem to change. I heard about a guy flying through New York. Certainly they changed.

His hand touched Olivia´s back as he leaned over on her part of the experiment. "Check out the PH once more, will you? The last two formulas had simply to his PH. And be careful with the acid." He smiled at her. Why hadn´t he asked her for a date? He had the feeling when he was around her she would say yes. But when he was at home, thinking it through, he always felt a no would be the answer. She had a former boyfriend who played college football and a former lover who was the universities heavy-weight champion. Looking at them, Matthew was simply not her kind of guy. Although he could defeat them both in chess. Drunken. And with a headache and meanwhile solving a puzzle . . . he was just no physical guy. He was no strong man. He was smart. So he looked for woman who liked smart man. And Olivia . . . well, in his head she did not. What she really wanted he did not find out, obviously. Because he did not ask!

"Great work." He smiles at her and turns to the Professor. Then the BLOB announces failure. "Oh no." He sighs, as he sighs the broken glass behind the Professor. He looks down on his hand and sees a small portion of it on his hand. It is this famous second where the pain does not yet arrive in your brain, while you know it will be there. As it arrived it was overpowering. "Aaaaaaargh!" He screamed out, just as he saw both of his companions collapse, holding their throats. He looked at the door. Locked. Airlocked. Gas. Poisonous gas. In a room. With no. Ventilation. The pain, oh by the gods, the PAIN!

Matthew grabbed her. His mind was hurling, his body trembled under the pain and grew cold, telling him he would sooner or later break down. But not yet. He grabs her and drags her after him. The key. It is in the locking system. He drags her. The key. He sees it. Drags he until he reaches the wall. He has not breathed in after the scream. He know he breathes in poison. But he has no oxygen left. Red. World becomes red. A veil of death. He turns the key and grabs her. Drags her. Drags her. Must go. go. Go. Go. go. go. go. go. go. go . go.

And as he reached the outside room, where the ventilation cleans the air he collapses under pain, breathes in and uses every bit of much needed oxygen to scream out loud, until he lose consciousness.

His last sight is Olivia. He has saved Olivia. Probably. The Professor. She must still be in there.

Some things don´t change. I found out much later. Things like . . . me.


Tag: blue

 

New York City

Tugging at the rope that was currently linking him and the gunman together; that?s what Herman was feeling. This was a strange and new sensation for him as, while he had known that there were others with extraordinary abilities, he had never encountered someone with powers like his. He furrowed his brow and shook his head.

?What is the matter, Herman? Is the distance bothering you??

?No, that?s not it. There?s?someone like me aboard that railcar.? The bewildered Herman managed to respond. The person that appeared to be a child beside him raised a hand to his chin, stroking it as he grappled with this new information.

?Really? Now?isn?t that?Interesting.? The child licked his lips and nibbled on the bottom one for a moment. ?This is an unexpected course of events. Would you like to talk to her??

??Yes.?

?Then reach out to her then.? The child motivated him to do.

?I am, She is- What?.what is going on?...Something?s attacking the railcar?A Superhuman!? Herman exclaimed as he turned to the child for explanation.

The child was visibly shaken. ?What? We have to get there now.?

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Kathy Cooper would feel the rope tugging back, resisting at first, before it gave in and actually reached out to her as well. There was a moment of intimacy, nostalgia even. A feeling of compatibility and kinship that humans, on a most basic, primitive, level yearn for in their common man would be experienced by Kathy. This feeling would only last for a second before the railcar shook, violently. The gunman, in his dazed unsupported state, was quickly thrown into a door and slumped to the floor, unconscious. The other people of the car screamed, babies began crying, but the shaking soon came to an immediate cease. Kathy would be able to sense a fast moving, dangerous presence moving alongside the car. An angry, raging presence that was not through with them yet.

Tag: Livi-wan

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New York, 70 Years Ago

?Do not move me, Steve Rogers. I?am not long for this life. ?Abin Sur looked at the young man, pain in his eyes. Somewhere, the thing that had brought down his ship was recovering on this planet. The darkness approaching quickly, he realized that he would never be able to find out what the thing was and how it had gained such power on this primitive world that would be able to take him and his ship down. There was a pain, a deep sense of shame and regret that began to comb over the strong willed Lantern. He had failed to protect his sector and this race?s planet. No. Something deep within him said. It was his job as a protector of the sector to find, if he was unable to continue his work, a suitable replacement and successor. The ring had chosen Steve Rogers. That was what had brought him to this small New York suburb.

It was agonizing for him to speak, but his words had to be spoken. ?This ring.? He held up a bloody hand. ?Is for the universe?s greatest protectors; those who have the will, and duty,? He coughed, blood streaming down his mouth. ?To fight against evil, no matter how strong it may be, no matter where it places its black hand. The ring has chosen you? Steve Rogers, to serve as my successor. In this world where hate and evil have joined forces to darken the peaceful skies and stain the ground with corruption, you?? The light began to fade from his eyes. Steve would feel that there was nothing that could have been done. ?Will be the light. Take this ring and place it in the lantern, Steve Rogers. I entrust it to you.?

[image=http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/425569703_0909551171.jpg]

He placed the ring in Steve Rogers? hand and the light, one that held so much power in it, faded from Abin Sur?s eyes. There was a lantern placed on the other side of him. A voice called from behind them, it was his neighbor, Sally Lane. ?Hey Steve, what are you doing outside this late?? She couldn?t see, from her vantage point, the entire situation.

Tag: Ramza

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A few days after the Experiment, New York City

?I simply don?t

 

John Rose
Rose Residence, Los Angeles, CA

Usually when John Rose's phone went off at seven o' clock weekday mornings, he'd open his eyes slowly, loathe the thought of another day of crowded hallways and monotonous education, and slowly reach up to silence the racket. This morning, however, was different. This morning, when the routine sound of raucous beeping blared in John's ears, the phone flew to the other side of his bedroom and collided with the closet door on the other side as he jumped awake, his eyes darting open wide, a cold sweat covering his body.

"John?" John's mom's voice came from the kitchen. He heard the microwave beep. "John are you okay?"

"Yeah," John replied, throwing the covers off his body and mentally flipping the fan switch on the opposite wall on. He was feeling hot. "Bad dream." It was true, he guessed. He'd had a nightmare, he knew it. He just couldn't remember a single detail.

The phone was still beeping on the other side of the room, so John got out of bed and off the damp sheets to silence it. There was a notification on the screen that he had a text from Patrick Jones, his best friend since freshman year. He opened it.

P.J. 2:34 am
Can't. Sleep. Must. Stop. Playing. Ocarina. Of. Time. 3D. Awesome.

Texts like these from Patrick were a common occurrence, and John closed the message and read the clock. It was 7:02.

The rest of the morning went by as usual. Laurie made herself a cup of coffee and sat in the study working on her online business. His dad had already left for work, he was a postman. And John had a bowl of honey nut cheerios for breakfast.

"I'm out," John called to his mom as he hunched his backpack over his shoulder. He was wearing white basketball shorts with a blue Clayton Kershaw tee shirt jersey.

"Okay, be careful!"

"Yep."

John had almost closed the door behind him when he heard his mom call out again.

"John?"

He peeked back inside. "Yeah?"

"You guys are going to the museum today, right?" Her eyes were still fixated on the computer screen, her hands tapping away at the keyboard. John was always impressed with his mother's multitasking skills.

"Yeah, why?"

"Just making sure."

"All right. Should be home by five."

"I don't want to hear about any floating skeletons dancing in the air."

"Funny."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

The drive to the high school was uneventful, other than the fact that John hit every possible red light on the way. Lucky he left early.

When he opened the front doors to the large school, he approached the cafeteria table where the usual meeting spot for his friends were. Everybody was sitting down as he was the last to arrive. There was Patrick, a black kid about David's size with dreads sitting at the table staring down at a handheld gaming device. There was Leo, a slightly overweight Hispanic boy hunched over the table reading Glenn Beck's The Original Argument. And there was Jake, a tall dark haired senior twiddling his thumbs wearing wrangler blue jeans with a tucked in flannel shirt and a flashy belt buckle. All that was missing was the cowboy hat, which the school didn't allow him to wear. He was from Texas.

John let his backpack fall to the floor and sat between Jake and Patrick.

"That Zelda?" he asked Patrick.

"Yeah." Patrick never took his eyes off the screen. "Nostalgia overload."

Jake chimed in. "Did you see the game last night?"

"Please don't remind me that the worst team in baseball scored seven runs off us." John's best sport was always basketball, but baseball was the sport he was most passionate about. He could talk about it all day, rattling off stats and facts, comparing players, predicting scores, et cetera.

"I'm talking about the Rangers game," Jake said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you don't watch the Dodgers. I saw they won in ten innings."

"Heck yeah dude, Adrian Beltre. Freakin' beast."

John checked his phone, and just as he did the five minute bell rang for all the students to get to class. John stood back up and picked up his backpack, as did Jake. Leo started reading faster to find a s

 

Kathy Cooper
New York City

Kathy tugged harder at the alien strand inside the man's brain, and just for a second, her mind touched the other psychic's. Her hand fell from her temple and she suppressed a gasp as, for the first time in her life, Kathy felt a power like hers. Kinship as strong as any she'd ever felt flooded through her and for a moment, the fear and drudgery of her everyday life melted away. It didn't last, though. Kathy was thrown forward as the railcar shook violently, her link with the other psychic severed as she grabbed the pole in front of her and held on. Others weren't so lucky- around her people were thrown to the floor, luggage spilling as the carriage righted itself.

Frantically, Kathy scanned the area outside the car and felt a savage, angry presence prowling outside.

"Great." she muttered, pushing her fear down with sarcasm, and (though every instinct she had told her not to do so) twisted in her seat to look out of the window.

[TAG Blu]

 

Matthew Berger
Hospital

He smiled to Olivia and looked at his hand. The cup. He did not feel the cup. It needed him a second to understand that, before he shook his head and smiled at her. "The Professor survived? Thank God!" He could not feel the cup. Blinking he calmed himself. The drugs. Certainly the drugs. Or a temporary problem with the nerves. a shock. Yes.

"How is she? How are you?" Matthew looked at her. He smiled. He could not help himself but smile. "I would never have left you in there, you know that. I just . . . would never have done that." He nodded and looked at his hand. Slowly he raised the cup and drank from it. The fluid in it was hot. So was probably the cup itself. He tasted it. he felt it´s heat in his stomach. But the cup, he did not feel the cup.

He felt fear though. What if this stayed like this?

Tag: bluebeast

 

Steve Rogers
A New York suburb, Late March, 1941

?Do not move me, Steve Rogers. I?am not long for this life."

"Don't talk like that, I'm sure a doctor could... could..." Steve got a better look at the man's injuries - assuming 'man' was the right word for the pink man in a glowing green suit - and, unfortunately, it seemed he had a point. That he was even able to stand at this point was commendable, to put it mildly.

"You say the ring... chose me? How does a ring... hey, hey, stay with me pal!"

He was gone.

Steve looked from the green ring in his hand, to the man, to the lantern at his side, back to the ring. Place it in the lantern? That had been what the man had said. No. This was crazy. This was all crazy. Steve was going crazy. Maybe he was just... somewhat delirious. They had taken an awful lot of blood earlier, and it was entirely possible that he was just imagining all of this.

He closed his fingers around the ring. It certainly felt real enough. Maybe if he could just... put it on...

A familiar voice brought him back to reality. Granted, this was a strange sort of reality where there was a deceased pink man in front of him and a strange green ring in his hand, but it was reality none the less. "Oh, uh... just... stayed a bit too late doing some draft work, Miss Lane. You know how it is, you start sketching something and then alluva sudden it's 10 o'clock at night!" He chuckled nervously. "I was actually just about to head inside and get to bed, if you'll just excuse..."

He tried to lift up the man.

Steve Rogers had previously been rejected by five recruiting offices for his lack of physical prowess.

The results, in retrospect, were somewhat predictable, as he went tumbling over backwards under the man's weight.

"This is... this is so not what you think it looks like... This is a... um... sketching... model... figure... gotta be life size, you know how it is. Helps with proportions and all that."

TAG: Blu

 

New York City
She would have a second of clear sight of a darkness that stood out, very distinguishable which was surprising as it was pitch black in the tunnel around it. The monster?s eyes opened to reveal yellow glowing orbs of viciousness and hate, with maliciousness in every part of it. A grin followed. And so did the complete ramming of the railcar into the tunnel?s wall and the utter derailment of the entire train. The crash was by no means slow, but it lasted much longer than any of the passengers cared for. There was a torrent of bodies flying across the railcar, sounds of crushing and crackling bones, muffled and gurgled cries of pain and anguish with the accompaniment of the screeching metal on metal of the derailing train.
Minutes later, there were moans from the survivors, and silence from the dead. Kathy had several glass shards impaled in her stomach, but she was not harmed, at all. Matter of fact, she had no other injuries, not a bump nor a bruise on her body as she hung in the air above the carnage of her car below her.

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Herman continued to run down the tunnel, his entire right hand pressed to his forehead. It was all he could do to keep Kathy in the bubble that he had used to protect her. While he did not know who this woman was, he had been able to grab hold of her mental rope before the destruction of the train and had managed to protect her from harm. He, however, was suffering. His eyes had tears in them and the veins in his face and neck bulged and he struggled to keep the bubble intact.

The person that seemed like a child ran along with him down the tunnel. ?Herman?how does it look ahead??

?Many?dead?The monster?It is there?Searching??

The child was not pleased, he, in fact, grimaced and quickened his pace.

-----

Kathy heard screeching metal above her as she regained her senses. The monster finished ripping an opening in the side of the car, which was now the roof of the car as it was turned on its side, and beamed with glee at her survival. He was happy she was alive, that much seeped into her mind from her mind reading ability.

[image=http://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel//universe3zx/images/thumb/6/6c/DarkBeast.jpg/406px-DarkBeast.jpg]

Reaching down, easily breaking the bubble, he grabbed her by the skull and pulled her body up to him. All she would sense, should she choose to use her ability, would be evil and malice, likes of which she had never felt before.

Tag: Livi_Wan

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New York City, 2003

As the days passed, Matthew would discover it was not a temporary problem. Olivia continued to spend time by his bedside every day, conversing about school, travelling, past relationships, art, and chemistry. And each day, Matthew would find himself not improving, as far as the inability to feel anything around him besides gravity. His release date, as the Doctors honestly, despite however puzzled they were, could not find anything wrong with him, came soon.

Olivia was dressed beside him - she had been rather attached to him, maybe because of some hero/protector complex ? and laid a palm on his face. ?You still don?t look well, but the Doctors say you appear to be in the best health possible for man of your age and size. Are you holding back the Fountain of Youth from the world?? She joked.

Yes, Matthew was in fantastic shape and well rested from the hospital, which he was now being discharged. However, it had to occur to him all he had to do would be to reveal his insensitivity to anything around him and the Doctors would quickly readmit him and get to work trying to solve this curious puzzle.

Tag: Fin

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New York, 70 Years Ago

Stacie Lane?s curiosity was legendary around the neighborhood. She was a year and so younger than Steve, and stubborn as a mule, always speaking about how woman could do anything just as well as men could, something that greatly displeased her father. She quickly pulled up her long skirt and marched across the street to Steve, pigtails bobbing with every step. ?You men! Always on

 

Kathy Cooper
New York

Kathy's breath came in ragged, frightened bursts as she looked the monster in the eyes. This was an animal terror beyond any she's ever experienced- a mix of adrenaline and pure instinct that compelled her to driver her power hard and fast into the creature's brain, more powerfully and deeply than she even thought possible.

In the beast's mind, Kathy's breathing stopped abruptly and the rest of the carriage filled with silence.

I am dead. We are all dead. There is nothing for you here. Leave.

The tunnel was devoid of life. There were no playthings here, nothing that would offer it any amusement, should it investigate. The air had the stench of death.

You have succeeded. Leave.

Dangling from the creature's arm, Kathy felt blood run from her nose and resisted the urge to twitch it away. She willed harder, filling the creature's mind with the wrecked carriage, and herself lifeless, useless, dead.

There is nothing for you here.

[TAG Blu]

 

John Rose
Los Angeles

John nervously scratched his head as he perused the study guide that Professor Gore had handed to him in class before they came to the museum. History, next to science, was his least favorite subject.

"Where do we find all these?"

Patrick was aimlessly walking next to John, his mind absorbed into the land of Hyrule once again as his eyes were fixated on the screen of his handheld. "Just get the answers from Leo like I am."

It was then that John noticed he and Patrick had apparently obtained the attention of a small group of girls about their age. He recognized a couple of them from the hallways back at school. His natural instinct was to pretend like he didn't notice and so he went back to reading the questions on the study guide, though his mind was now elsewhere.

"Stacy Hoelscher and Hannah Doucet keep looking over here, bro," John told Patrick, their heads both down.

"I already told you I didn't like 'em." Patrick hadn't had a girlfriend since the second grade.

"Why not? They clearly have a thing for ripped black guys, you might notice if you'd pick your face out of that 3DS."

"Well I don't have a thing for cheerleaders. Why don't you go talk to them?"

"And say what?"

"You could brush Stacy's hair behind her ear with your mind."

John didn't respond. He and Patrick just kept walking, heads down.

Tag: Blu

 

Steve Rogers
A New York suburb, Late March, 1941

If there was one thing Steve was definitely not going to miss come tomorrow, it was playful jabs hurting almost as much as a real punch. Whoever had come up with the cliche of the street-hardened orphan boy was off his blasted rocker. Then again, Steve had only been orphaned at age 8. Maybe it was a tiered system.

He shook his head. He had had some silly ideas before, but that might've been close to taking the cake. Not to mention there was the more immediate problem of a dead... man? Monster? Alien? that he was carrying.

"Oh, no, no, nothing with movies, I can't stand the notion of not using my hands to create something. No, this guy is for... uh..." What was big these days? Well, there were those funny books everyone was talking about - Empire had started putting out the published adventures of a costumed crime fighter called "The Escapist," and pretty soon a whole industry had sprung up. Men in tights fighting crime! How outrageous could you get?

... Pink guy with a glowing ring outrageous. Fair enough.

"Well, you heard of Empire, that company that publishes those comic books with - whatsisname? The Escapist? This is a new character for their line. He's called the... uh... the Green..." He looked around quickly. "The Green Lantern. Anyway, Empire wants me to do some covers for them and I, being the dedicated hungry artist that I am, agreed. They sent this over for me to use as a reference."

He freed one of his hands, used it to pick up the actual lantern, and helped Sally carry the man inside.

All the while, he could feel the ring in his palm, the slight pressure acting like a beacon. If he hadn't known better, he could've sworn he heard a voice inside his head, as if it were talking to him. But that was silly. Rings couldn't talk.

Right?

TAG: Blu

 

New York City

The Beast?s devious smile did not alter, but there was a twitch in his facial expression that indicated that Kathy had gotten through to him, on one level or another. He placed her down on top of the car, surprisingly gently, and roared triumphantly. It was loud, thunderously so, and echoed throughout the tunnel. The Beast, satisfied with his level of destruction and victory, leapt onto all fours on the ground and sped off, maneuvering his way through the wreckage and disappearing around the corner.

Footsteps, hurried footsteps, made Herman and the seemingly childish figure known to Kathy. While Herman, finally able to relax his mental powers, breathed a deep sigh of relief, the figure beside him stared at Kathy. ?Bring her to me, Herman.?

With his mind, much to his slight chagrin, Herman brought the young woman to the ground of the tunnel. He was quick to ask her if she was okay. The figure beside him looked around them at the destruction and carnage. ?We need to leave this place, Herman. She looks like she is okay.?

Herman looked at the seemingly childish figure. ?We should take her with us. She could help our cause. Plus, won?t she need our help as well??

?Herman, you want to take her with us for no other reason than the fact she has a power like yours that is all.? The childish figure snapped. Herman recoiled, but remained silent. After a couple seconds of consideration, the seemingly childish figure spoke again. The voice, Kathy would distinguish, as being an extremely old one, or at least one that had an abundance of experience. He stepped forward. ?Would you like to come with us? We mean you no harm, but you must decide quickly.?

Herman flinched slightly as he stepped forward. The thing about his companion?s power was that in this form he would appear as whatever an individual felt the most passionate about, whether it be something or somebody they hated or loved, he would become that in their eyes. Needless to say, it was unpredictable and Herman was wondering what the woman would see and whether it would encourage her to come with them.

-----

Unbeknownst to the party of three, armed forces were en route to their position.

Tag: Livi-Wan

------
New York, 70 Years Ago

?Comic books?That?s really amazing.? Maybe it was the lighting, or the fact that it was late, but Stacie Lane had an expression on her face that looked like disappointment. After setting Abin Sur?s body on the floor of the house, Stacie patted Steve on the shoulder. ?I?ll talk to you tomorrow Steve. Good luck on your?Um, model.?

Once she was gone, the ring became warm, not hot, in Steve?s grip. What he may interpret, possibly correctly, as speech coming from the ring continued to flood his mind. Simple suggestions infiltrated his mind, all of them indicating one desire: For him to put the ring onto his finger. Not as subtle, the ring started to glow, casting its green light all over his living room.

Tag: Ramza

------
Los Angeles

Even though his head was down, John may or may not notice a man in black putting his hands over both girls? mouths and pulling them out of an exit door with him. Outside in an alley he had lead them to, he forced them to lie flat on their bellies on the ground. There was something about the look on his face, a distant look, a look that didn?t register what was happening; as if while his body was acting in the moment, his mind had long been gone to some far off place. This man escaped Convict Jack Napier, pulled out a gun and began to aim it at Hannah Doucet, her cries doing nothing to stop him.

Tag: Reynar

 

John Rose
Los Angeles

"So are they still looking at us?" Patrick's hands were still hard at work on the handheld. It was a wonder he hadn't walked into any sort of obstacle yet.

John peeked up from his paper to check on the status of the attractive girls, and immediately did a double take. "Holy ****!" he exclaimed.

This got Patrick to look up. He flipped a few dreads out of his eyes and looked at John. "What?"

John dropped his study guide. He didn't know if it was a hallucination or some sort of trick the girls were playing on him. "Someone just took Hannah and Stacy."

Patrick looked back in the vicinity of the girls' last known location. "What?"

John took off running towards the exit door they went through. "Find some help!" he yelled back at Patrick. This was a damn World War II museum, surely there was some form of security present.

"John, what the hell? John!"

John was already rapidly approaching the door, and he reached out his arms to push it open. No need to throw it open with his mind with the possibility of other students watching. Patrick was the only one in school who knew about his gift, and he aimed to keep it that way.

When he reached the outside he saw no trace of the two girls or their kidnapper, but immediately heard cries coming from the alleyway around the corner.

John proceeded cautiously. He didn't dare round the corner quickly only to be forced to test out his telekinesis on a moving bullet. He tried to make his steps as quiet as possible as he moved along the wall, though Hannah and Stacy's hysterics would surely drown out the sound of any approaching party. He finally reached the corner and took a deep breath, then peeked his head around the brick wall.

Hannah and Stacy were lying on their stomachs on the concrete next to a couple of dumpsters while the strange man in black stood close by, aiming a handgun squarely at them as they screamed for him to stop. There was no time to hesitate.

With a small flick of John's wrist, the criminal immediately whacked himself in the face with the butt of the gun, and then again, and then again. He stumbled back and to the ground and dropped the gun, his face now a bloody mess. The gun then scooted to the other side of the alleyway, out of reach. John briefly considered bringing it to his hand, but he didn't think it wise to mess with prints or whatever the cops would eventually do with it.

With Hannah and Stacy still crying with their eyes squeezed shut, John quickly rounded the corner as the criminal blinked and wiped blood from his eyes and kicked him as hard as he possibly could in the crotch, using a couple of derogatory profanities as he did so. Satisfied with the amount of pain he caused, John used his telekinesis to pin the criminal spread eagle on the ground, and hoped Patrick would be coming with some form of authority soon.

Tag: Blu

 

Los Angeles

The man laid bleeding on the ground, but he wasn't worried. No, it was more like the pain nor the gravity of the situation was registering to him. Still with the distant look in his eye, his hand shot up, breaking the telekinetic force that was bearing him down. The hand wrapped its anaconda-like grip around John Rose's neck and lifted the young man from his feet. Jack Napier slammed John Rose against the brick wall of the alley and began to slam, mercilessly, his fist into John's ribcage over and over and over again. Each punch growing in inhuman strength and velocity as it ravaged the young man's body. Just as unconsciousnes began to reer its shadowy forecast in John's eyes, he would see the girls throwing themselves into Jack Napier's body, knocking the man back and allowing John to be dropped to the ground to gain his bearings.

Hannah and Stacy quickly checked on John, but Jack Napier's empty eyes turned back to them. He was approaching for a second go around with John and the girls.

Tag: Reynar

 

John Rose
Los Angeles

John certainly didn't mind the concept of two attractive girls checking on him due to injuries from heated battle, but this fight was hardly over and the enemy was returning for another attack.

The time for mercy was gone. John didn't want it to come to this. He'd never done it before, and once hoped he'd never have to. But his back was literally against the wall, and it wasn't just his life on the line.

"Get down," he told the girls through deep breaths that hurt to take. He looked at the approaching villain, and then to the fallen gun that lay on the pavement several yards away. He lifted his hand, and the gun lifted in the air and the barrel pointed straight at the man's head.

John pulled the trigger.

Tag: Blu

 

Los Angeles

Bang.

-----
Hmm, pity. I was too slow. In my defense though, I didn't think the kid would resort to that. Cold bastard, that one. I'll just destroy what is left of his mind and chalk this one up to bad fortune.
-----
Jack Napier lost a good piece of the top of his skull as his body had bent backwards to avoid the shot. He had failed, but he would live. As he grabbed his head and rolled around on the ground in pain, Patrick arrived with two police officers and said "Holy ****" at the scene in front of him before checking on his friend and the girls. But then they heard something.

Jack Napier was not crying in pain anymore. It began as a low growl and then turned to laughter, a cackling insane laughter. The police tried to calm him as they put him in the patrol car, but to no avail. Hannah began crying, terrified, while one police officer stayed to question them as the other took the now very insane Jack Napier to the hospital. Their teacher, some of the class, and an ambulance came to check on John after Patrick had walked them back to the museum.

While the medics bandaged him up and the girls sat with him, the mustached officer began his questions to the trio. "I know this may be hard, but I need you guys to tell me exactly what happened."

Tag: Reynar

 

John Rose
Los Angeles

John ignored the police officer's request for the time being. "Hey Patrick," he called to his friend who was standing next to Mr. Gore. "Call my mom, let her know what's going on."

Patrick immediately pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. "Got it."

Hannah was sitting on the ground to the side sobbing into her phone. Stacy sat next to John wiping away residual tears as the officer waited for information from one of them.

"Me and Hannah were just standing there," Stacy started as a medic tended to John's ribs. "And then-"

"Standing there in the museum?" The officer was jotting down words on his notepad.

"Yeah," Stacy nodded, her brow furrowed. "Yeah, we were standing in the museum working on our study guides, and then I felt a hand reach from behind me and... and cover my mouth." She stopped for a brief moment as her mouth twitched slightly. "And the same thing to Hannah. And he just dragged us out of the door and back here into the alley. We couldn't scream, we couldn't do anything. He was so strong."

"And then what happened?"

"He told us-" Stacy paused and looked over at John as he winced from the tightness of the bandages the medic was wrapping around his bare torso. "He made us get on the ground and lay there. We put our heads down, and I didn't really see anything after that. All I know is that if it hadn't been for John..." Stacy's voice trailed off and she looked down at her hands in her lap.

John spoke up. "I saw him take them," he said as he started to slowly put his shirt back on. "So I followed. I told my friend to go get help and I ran after them. When I got outside and found them here, Hannah and Stacy were laying on the ground and that... man was pointing a gun at them." Now it was time to bend the truth a little bit. He hated to do it, but knew it was necessary. "His back was towards me so he couldn't see me. So I ran up, knocked the gun out of his hand and tried to knock him to the ground but he started attacking me, he got the upper hand. I had no choice. I grabbed the gun and... well, you know."

John and Stacy were now both looking down, thinking about what had just transpired. John stared at his hands, and watched as Stacy's hand reached over and held his own. As if his heart wasn't beating fast enough.

Neither of them looked up.

Tag: Blu

 

Kathy Cooper
New York City

Kathy's relief at the beast's disappearance was rapidly replaced by more fear as the mind she recognised from the gunman's head approached. Everything was dulling: the exertion required to use her powers to trick the monster had sparked a headache and her wounds from the train crash earlier were both working to distract Kathy and slow her thoughts. The world had started to sway a little.

In front of her, her.... mother? held out a hand and started to speak.

?Would you like to come with us? We mean you no harm, but you must decide quickly.?

"What?" she mumbled, pushing her power through the pain to try and scan the image's mind, if it had one. "Mum? You're... you're not here. You can't be."

Kathy pushed harder, her headache now a pulsing band of pain around her temples.

"Who the hell are you?" she snarled.

[TAG blu]

 

ooc: I got full days ahead, ending a game and working and all. I´ll be here, I´ll post, but if I keep anybody up (assuming some of us meet soon) please let me know. otherwise I enjoy Matthew Berger a alot!



Matthew Berger
New York, Hospital


He had actually tried mostly everything. He had tried cold, warm, needles and even fluffy surfaces. Nothing. He felt nothing at all. It was actually surprising he could still move that well. Rom the feeling he had, he felt like a paralyzed man. That what he imagined a paralyzed to be like. A dead body. It was unnerving. It was very unnerving.

Olivia had stayed at his side. Matthew was not exactly a player in that field and nowhere near major league, but he knew the moment they kissed was not too far in the future. Damned it, this was New york in the twenty first century, they would probably have sex more sooner than later. And trhe thought terrified him. If it worked at all, the idea of not feeling her terrified him. The thought had tortured him for days and slowly he felt it grew an obssession of him. He felt . . . handicapped. That was it. If it did not go away, he would likely go back to the doctors and do all the checks himelf. For now he needed to escape that room, that hospital. Damned, he needed to get back a life.

?Olivia, I don´t know how to thank you for everything . . .? He began and wondered if he looked half as insecure, as he felt . . .


Tag: bluebeast

 

Fin, no need to worry about slowing anyone down. This game moves at each individual?s pace.

Los Angeles

The officer stared at John for a second, not fully believing his story, but saw that the kid was having a hard time dealing with whatever really happened in that alley. In any case, it was a clear cut case of self defense and not only that, this kid had protected his two classmates. He was a bona fide hero. The news vans began to show up and Stacy gripped John?s tighter as she heard her name called, but it was just her parents. Her mom ran over and grabbed her daughter in a close embrace, both starting to weep. Her father was quick in tow as he grabbed them both in his arms and repeatedly thanked John.

The reporters and cameramen became hawks, snapping pictures of Stacy?s embrace with her parents and sticking microphones and recorders in John?s face. All the questions became a dull roar with the same tone of ?What happened??

Through the swarm, John could see his parents being led through the crowd by Patrick. Despite the danger of the situation, Patrick definitely wouldn?t be playing his game as much now. Real life was getting more interesting than any video game. He wanted to know all the details of what happened, but thought it better to ask John about it later.

Tag: Reynar

------
New York City, 2003

?Matthew, you don?t need to thank me. You saved my life, took care of me when I couldn?t help myself. I, literally, have you to thank for me being alive right now.? Olivia smiled at him and hooked him by the arm as they walked out of the hospital. They hailed a cab to go to Matthew?s place. Olivia insisted that he go home and rest and that if he needed anything she would get it for him. As Matthew stared out the window at the passing cityscape, Olivia could see that something was wrong with him.

Despite the Doctors saying that he was okay, Matthew did not seem his normal self, which was understandable after what had happened. But he was responding with, what she thought, were the wrong emotions. He had saved her and the Professor and they were all fine, getting better each day, yet he seemed even more distant and strange than he had before. She needed to fill the silence. ?Professor Banner said she won?t be able to stop by later as she promised. She?s saying that the government is offering her a deal to work on a special project of theirs since the University is being so hesitant. She asked us if we would like to join with her, but I told her that I didn?t know.?

The cab pulled to a stop in front of Matthew?s downtrodden apartment building. As they exited the cab, Olivia asked Matthew what he thought of working for the government. And once they arrived inside his apartment she asked him what she really wanted to ask him: What was going on with him?

Tag: Fin

------
New York City

Kathy?s mom stared down at her, arms folded. Herman looked back and forth between them before he too settled his gaze on Kathy. She had seen her mother, but she was a quick one. She had immediately seen through his ability. ?We?re friends, we came to help you.?

?Do not lie to her, Herman. We are nothing to her, right now.? Herman winced. His companion was not the subtle one in the least. ?You asked me who I was. I am whoever you want me to be, for now. We are superhumans, like you, and we?re trying to keep you alive, which you are making difficult.?

Her mother?s expression grew agitated and impatient.

-----
They had taken positions. The mission was to take all three alive. But sometimes their kind didn?t go quietly and that was when things got messy.

Tag: Livi-Wan