Loa Blood

[SwampThing]

The Mayor

The Mayor is a short, fat man with a huge smile. "I'm so very happy to meet all of you. Allow me to introduce our other guests:

"King Dumar Dufray of Dracon Island," Damien's father wears ceremonial robes, his hair tied back in a long, severe braid.

"Our Chief of Police," a big, bearded bear of a man in a rumpled suit.

"Mr. Thomas Thorne, of Coda Corporation," a handsome, bland-faced man in a severe black suit, dark glasses and a metal earpiece.

"And Dr. Abigail Archer of the Argon Ministry of Science." a handsome woman with round glasses and a simple pant suit.

"You already know Detective Price. Detective?"

 

[SwampThing]

Detective Price

"All evidence so far suggests that the asylum breakout was an outside job. Whover broke open the wall made no attempt to steal the medical Blood inside the asylum, so there goes our easy motive. Like you said, Dex, it doesn't make any sense.

"It isn't the first 'Cuckoo' incident, though." Price sums up the prep-school kidnapping that coincided with the Dracon Island disaster. "There's some pattern, plan, or agency at work her, and it's only getting started.

"Thanks to you, most of the inmates were recaptured. A few escaped, however, including the Collector, Kate Beckett, Seth, and," he shudders, "the Shoemaker. They're loose out there in the city somewhere.

"We could use your help."

 

[SwampThing]

Mr. Thorne, Coda Corp.

"We could also use your help in protecting the next shipment of salvaged Loa Blood from Dracon Island, with arrives here in one week. Since the Killer Bee attack, we cannot trust ordinary security measures."

 

[SwampThing]

Chief of Police

"We want you to come work for us as deputies. We'll be able to pay you, and you'll have police assistance. Any previous records, as well as any, shall we say, complications in your imigrant status, will be forgotten as long as you are working with us. If you wished to undergo our regular training programs, you could, in time, become full members of the police force, or the Argon Intelligence Management.

"This means you would be upholding Argon law, and subject to it. You would follow police procedure, and no running off after an incident, or keeping whatever secretes you like. Although we are very grateful for your help, vigilantism is illegal. If you will not operate within the law, we will be forced to deal with you as criminals."

 

[Jacobo_Curious]

Meanwhile



Darkness. Darkness everywhere.

Darkness in my eyes. Darkness in this city. Darkness in this world.

Darkness in my hands.

He stood up, shivering softly, shaking a plastic bag off his shoulder as he emerged from the dumpster, standing quietly for a few moments. Stock still. Then, in a flash, he lunges for the fire escape and clambers up the building, reaching the roof in an amazing amount of time and then stopping again.

Death is following me. I can't escape it.

I don't want to escape it. I want it to find me. I'm so tired of running.

Why am I still running?

Shivering even more, yet his face completely expressionless, he stood up and stared down the edge of the wall he had just climbed, standing on the brink that could send him plummetting down.

They're all dead. Everyone I know. For no reason. And now this will kill me too. But until then... this power...

He began to shake even more, hunkering down slightly, hissing as his breath began to come quicker, and though it might have been a trick of the imagination, motes of dust seemed to rise from both of his hands. A steady stream, blowing into the wind.

Foolish faith of the Wheel. You could not stand the test of time. The people of this world are obsessed with the Loas now. These terrible God-creatures.

Have I transcended the Wheel already? Am I more powerful than life and death? I can summon them both at will...

But they follow me... they hound me... I would rather be insane than sane... I cannot act because I cannot stop thinking...

...why am I being so melodramatic?

He suddenly froze, as if to pounce -- but instead relaxed, heaving a deep sigh.

Maybe I just WISH I was insane.

No, I'm still Kell Claudas. High school boy, just turned seventeen, about to enter senior year. Not that I really care. I'm kind of glad I'll miss the ceremony.

There's nobody left for me anyway. I've been my own man for a long time already.

Shaking his head slowly, the figure finally raised himself up fully, showing his face to the light. He was rather handsome, in a youthful way -- he didn't look eighteen, though his dark clothes and melancholy eyes lent him an air of maturity. Zipping up his black cloth jacket slightly, still leaving his glimmering metal pendant in view, Kell walked to the other edge of the building, looking down at the street.

Police cars. He shook his head sadly.

Maybe I should just turn myself in. But what would be the point? I'd just have to enter a damn foster home for a year. Nobody would treat me like I should be treated... not that I know what that is. I'm tired of all this.

...who is that they're taking out of the car?

Surprised looking police officers were looking at a little girl there, talking to her, apparently asking her why she was in the car. She was saying something, but Kell wasn't paying attention. His eyes were wide.

That's... that's Mary! But... why does she look so young!? She looked like that years ago, the last time I saw her at that dinner!

Shuddering reflexively, Kell watched with wide eyes. Maybe it was just the familiarity of Mary combined with her logic-defying appearance, but something in him tugged at him. Something familiar. Somebody. Somebody he knew, at least a little, in this dark world.

Every moment I spend with people reminds me how alone I am.

But I can't stop trying...

Mary... would you help me, if you found me?

Mary... would you even remember me...

...would anyone remember me...

Quietly, Kell continued to watch.

 

[SwampThing]

Mr. Thorne, Coda Corp.

"It is not, however, illegal to work as private investigators, or security guards. If you are uncomfortable working for the police or the Argon government, Coda will be happy to hire you for the specific job of guarding the Loa Blood shipment. I should tell you that we can afford to pay you quite a lot more than the city can."

 

[SwampThing]

King Dumar

"If you are planning to continue using your Loa Gifts publicly, I must urge you do so in masks, and using codenames. Damien and Monolith, your Gifts are already public knowledge, and are difficult or impossible to conceal. I suggest that you 'hide in plain sight' by courting the media, and becoming public figures. The more you are in the public eye, the harder it will be for anyone to make you disappear.

"And Gifted have been disappearing. Not only here in Argo, but all over the world. Just yesterday, a young healer named Hotaru Tomoe was abducted from a hospital here in Bay City. Most likely, someone is collecting Gifted for experimentation or forced breeding. Possibly Arumet, as they are known to use Loa experiments on humans."

 

[SwampThing]

Dr. Abigail Archer, Ministry of Science

"The Ministry of Science has a separate offer. No matter what you choose to do with your lives, or your abilities, we want you to remain in Argo. We will provide you with a large, comfortable place to live, and a moderate income. I would live with you, to observe you, study your Gifts, and provide you with the sort of unusual medical attention your unique physionomies may require.

"Understand that I wish to study you in order to help you to better understand and use your Gifts, and to further human knowledge about the Loa Blood itself."

 

[SwampThing]

Dr. Bobby Dugan, GAIA

A pale, wild-haired man in a flowered shirt bursts into the room. He smells of alcohol at 9:00 am.
"Sorry I'm late, there was the wierdest rock formation outside of town . . . "

"Ah," smiles the Mayor, "Dr. Robert Dugan, of GAIA. The world's foremost expert on Loa-phenomenon who is still alive and hasn't been mutated beyond recognition."

"He's exagerating." says Dugan, "Call me Bobby. Here's the deal. GAIA wants to keep an eye on you, and I'm it. If you take Abby's offer, I'll be popping in from time to time to make sure no one's experimenting on you against your will, or turning you into super-weapons, or anything like that. Even if you don't take her offer, I want you to know that you can go to GAIA for help."

He gives you each a crumpled business card.

"Ashes, he's a big one, isn't he?"

 

[SwampThing]

One last time, Mr. Mayor

"So, those are our offers. You don't all have to decide on the same thing, but I imagine you'll want to talk it over among yourselves.

"Any questions?"

 

[RoyalPurpleVelv]

Kryna sat in the meeting listening to all her options keeping anything but polite interest from showing on her face. She could really only accept one of the offers, the others were out of the question, but she wanted to feel out the others, especially Dex.

She avoided looking at Dex. On their way in he had stopped her gripping her arm as he told her he wanted to talk to her privately after the meeting. She admitted to herself that he had a right to be angry after the way she kept sneaking out on him.

Looking at Dr. Archer, something just didn’t feel right about her offer. Maybe it was just the idea of being studied like a bug under a microscope that made Kryna feel jittery. Made her feel more jittery than she felt just being in police headquarters.

“I have a few questions. Dr. Archer exactly what would be involved in studying us? Your offer sounds like we would have very little or no privacy. Mr. Thorne, could you please be more specific about what our duties would be if we agreed to work for you?”

She watched the others in the group for their reactions as Dr. Archer and Mr. Thorne answered her questions.

 

[PoliteSuccubus]

Mary Monroe

The dome light came on in the car and woke Mary, so she sat up and squinted at the surprized office and started to cry.

"How did you get in here!" he asked, obvisously baffled.

"I don't know." Mary sniffled, rubbing a really good knot her forehead to call attention to it.

"Well, where are your parents?" he waved over a uniformed female officer.

"I don't know."

"What's your name, then little girl?"

She screwed up her face as if deep in thought and twisted the hem of her robe in her hand. "I don't know!" she burst into a new wave of tears.

The lady cop held her on her lap and looked at the tags in her clothes for some sort of identifcation while the car owner was questioning someone about the age range of the aysulm.

Mary sniffled and buried her face into the chest of the woman, which wasn't very soft, as she was wearing a flak vest under her blues.

"Nothing." The lady cop said to the man when he turned back to them.

"Unless there's been a report for a missing child then, we'll have to take her to socail services for tonight and see if they can locate her parents." He got a thoughtful look on his face. "Check among the ..."he gave a slight across the throat gesture out of sight of the girl "staff and see if any of them had children about her age."

Hidden behind her doll Mary gave a slight smile, but over the tattered red yarn hair only her large tear reddened eyes and bruised forhead showed.

 

[KisstheSky]

Sugar

As he held her she let the emotions take her. Riding them like waves, but then the flashes started.
Glimpses into the mind, both his and hers...moments that shouldn't be shared upon first meetings.
She saw her own rape through his eyes, she relived her anguish, her pain.
And the next thing she knew she was running, sprinting through the darkness alone.
Scarcely noticing the rocks and bits of glass that tore at her feet leaving a trail of bloodied footprints.

She stopped dead in her tracks. She had no clue where she was...and she was afraid.
But her thoughts were Ghost as she stood there alone in the darkness.
She'd unwillingly forced him to relive some unplesant experiences both hers and his, she hoped he was alright.

She tried to retrace her steps, but soon found herself even more lost than she had been.
But along the way she'd found a clothes line adorned with freshly washed clothes that some negligent owner had left on overnight.
She found a short black skirt made of a chemise type fabic that was cool on her skin, and a simple white camisole tank top to replace her bloodied tattered garments.
She found a bench and curled up on the end, afraid to venture any further for fear of getting even more lost than she already was.....

 

[Democable]

Damien leaned back in his chair, the opition were not the ones he wanted. right now he preferred to be alone. He glanced over to his father. Lord Dumar returned the look and spoke inside his own mind, Damien heard his thoughts loud and clear. "My son, i know you by now and none of these choices will be yours" Damien returned the look to his father and smiled.

Damine looked to everyone in the room, even Nikki. "I'm sorry all, but i have more pressing matters to attend to then, settle down and stay in one place." Damine knew inside that Nikki would be angry with him.....

 

[SwampThing]

Dr. Archer leaned toward Kryna. "I would want you to feel comfortable, Kryna, so of course you would be allowed privacy in your personal lives and affairs. The Ministry's interests are in what sort of applications you find for your Gifts, whether they are humanitarian, professional, artistic, or something completely unforeseen. We are not interested in whether you floss between meals, or leave the toilet seat up.

"If you were willing, I would perform regular, routine medical and psychological examinations on you, say once a week or once a month, depending on rate of change in your system. If there were any sudden changes, such as injury, or the Monolith's latest growth spurt, we'd study that specifically more in depth."

Mr. Thorne turns his head slightly toward Kryna, his eyes hidden behind his dark glasses. "Your specific task, if you choose to work for Coda, would be to provide security for the Loa Blood shipment, and it's safe delivery at our Bay City facility. We would not expect you to go to Dracon Island, as the GAIA salvage team there is already doing an admirable job. It's here in Bay City that we seem to have a Bee problem. We would require you to investigate potential information leaks to the gang, and guard the shipment when it arrives.

"This would be a one-time contract for one week. If you were interested, and the company was pleased by your performance, I'm sure we could find other assignments for you afterward."

 

[SwampThing]

The huge Chief of Police scowled at Damien. "That's unfortunate, Prince Damien. But that is your choice, and you have, so far been very co-operative with the authorities. In the future, please remember that involving yourself in a police matter without authorization can be found as interfering with the law, and may result in you being held as a suspect for the very crime you sought to combat. Our offer still stands, if you should change your mind."

"So does ours" adds Dr. Archer.

Damien feels his father's voice in his thoughts. And my advice for you still holds, my son. Your fame may be your best protection.

 

[PoliteSuccubus]

Faith Honai

Faith woke up in the Youth Hostel bedroom feeling icky and sticky. After 14 hours of plane rides and falling straight into the hostels narrow bed after checking in she'd slept without moving and now was sweaty from the airlessness of the room and stiff.

Groaning she peeled off the clothes she'd not bothered to change out of before what she thought would be a quick nap and changed into a terry robe and padded down the hall to the commual showers. Almost everyone else was alseep, she guessed.

The warm water (why didn't these places ever have HOT water?) relived her of travel grit and sweat and as she soaped up her lithe if somewhat thin body and masses of un-tameable black curls with Johnson's Baby Magic. She usually traveled light and you could wash anything with the stuff, includeing clothes.

She wondered if it was too early or too late to go and find the policeman who was the contact name given to her by her contact back home. Det. Price. Usually those kind of men kept regular office hours unless something was happening that was beyond the norm.

Padding back to her room she sprayed in the conditoner that kept her riot of curls manageable and assembled her things. Wallet, mini-digital camera and recorder, the ever present notebook with everything written in shorthand (which nearly no one could read any longer in these days of computers), and the photos of her sister before the Alteration. As she clipped her belt watch onto the loop of her black stretch jeans she desided that since she'd be going to the police station she'd leave the knife she usually wore strapped to her ankle here.

She also had to find a place to live, a part time job and sign up for classes next semester.

Biting her lip she looked out the window of the cramped room and wondered if she was even in the right city.

With a sigh Faith desided to grab some early morning breakfast near the police station and then wait for the Price, if he'd even see her. If nothing else, it'd be good to get to know some of the cops and make some connections. If all else failed she'd buy a local paper, check out the writing talent and look for a place and a job while she sat in the lobby.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Monolith

My first reaction was to immediately volunteer my services to the chief. I could be a cop again!! I almost spoke up, but stopped myself. My old life was dead. Dramon Knight died that night with the paramedics that were trying to save him, the victim of a madman who had punctured a bag of Loa contaminated blood.
I was offically listed as dead, remains destroyed due to Loa contamination. I had waked away from my job, my fiance, and my life because of the changes the blood had done to me. Three years ago I had walked away from my life, and I was better off having my past stay dead. I was tired of the wanderings. I had wandered the earth for 3 years coming to tearms with myself, and my abilities. The monks of Tai-Pal had shown me how to harness my inner light, and to accept what fate had done to me. I no longer avoided mirrors, and seeing somebody who reminded me of my fiance no longer hurt me as bad. No, my old life was over, it was time to start anew.
"Mr. Thorne, I will take that job of helping protect the next shipment of Loa. Thank you for the offer, Chief, but I will pass on being a deputy. " I then turned to the scientist. " And, Dr. Archer, I am not going to be anyone's research paper! NOw I have one last request, anyone know where i can find a really really big & tall store so I can give back this quilt?"

 

[RoyalPurpleVelv]

Kryna Ennairy

Ten years in the thief’s business, and she was being asked to prevent something from being stolen.

Ten years ago when her parents had died, she was 14 and her brother 17. Fearing that they would be sent back to Locrir they had taken to the streets, and taken to stealing rather than be caught up in the system with the authorities.

Nearly ten years ago Kryna had tried to pick the wrong pocket, Fagin’s. After scaring her nearly to death he took her and Andante in and helped them out. He taught them how to survive on the streets, taught her how to steal, and hooked her brother up with the man who taught him to fly. Then he became their fence for all the artwork, gems, and the occasional secret invention that they stole.

They had always kept to low profile jobs, keeping their pattern random and operating on every continent and in every major city in the world. She knew she was wanted, but nobody had a clear image of her, and she was certain that nobody had connected her to half of the jobs she’d done.

Ten years of sneaking, lying, and hiding. Now she was thinking about giving it all up. The thought of a mundane 9-5 life terrified her, but running security for an international corporation like Coda just might provide enough excitement to keep life interesting. If it wasn’t, well she could leave after a week.

The only problem in the plan was that she needed to get to Bridges and she couldn’t wait a week. Not knowing the nature of Andante’s problem she couldn’t send anyone else.

“I’d like to accept your offer Mr. Thornton. However there are a few details I’d like to discuss with you privately. Dr. Archer your offer may sound reasonable to you but it still sounds very invasive to me.”

 

[Lady_Siren]

Nikki watched Damien throughout the whole discussion. She frowned at what he said then glanced at the detective nervous still. No one seemed to recognize her as an escaped prisoner. She was sure there would be wanted posters but perhaps they had just forgotten about her. She shuddered at the memories that threatened to surface. "I will be happy to keep my gifts private but I would rather not have anything else to do with the law. No offence".

 

[SwampThing]

Mr. Thorne rose from his chair, allowing himself a slight smile. "I'm sure we can produce something suitable for you, Monolith. On behalf of Coda, welcome to the team. Kryna, if you'd like to accompany us, we can continue this discussion at our offices. Dex, will you be joining us?"

Detective Price shares a look with Dr. Archer. "I'd better check on our young charge." he said, and slipped discreetly out of the meeting room. When Abigail had arrived last night from Argopolis, he'd had her test the little girl for Loa contamination. They were still waiting for the results. Abigail had explained that it's still far from an exact science, since each mutation is so different from the next, but Price is a man of concrete results, and the waiting frustrates him.

The girl had spent the night on a cot in Archer's temporary lab, and had come to the station with them to await the results of her test. She should have been waiting right outside the room, but she was gone. Price swore and ran to talk to the desk sergeant. Then he searched the building. No-one had seen the girl.

Three phone calls and twice as many cigarettes later, Price sat back in his desk. The situation was getting worse, seemingly by the minute. He hadn't wanted to mention it in the meeting, but Sugar, the Gifted who had so debilitated his men, was one of the inmates stil out there in his city. At least as dangerous as Monolith, and so unpredictable . . . And now the little girl had disappeared. He thought of the Gifted disappearances around the world, but they didn't even know if she was Gifted yet.

The desk Sergeant said there was a reporter here to see him. Price sighed. He'd done alll he could for the girl for now, he may as well talk to this reporter.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Monolith

I followed Mr. Thorne out of the building (bending almost double to clear the doorway). When I straightened up, I almost knocked a young woman over. I reached my hand out to catch her, then froze in shock as I got a look at her
"Hope??!!??"

 

[SpectralDragoon]

Dex had watched the interactions between everyone but stayed silent, weighing his options. He had nodded with agreement as others voiced their disdain for the scientific guinea pig route.

He sympathized with Monolith for having to leave a world behind, even though that hadn't happened to Dex, what he could imagine of that scenario would be painful indeed.

He'd scanned Kryna up and down while she had thought and answered, and images of their time together flashed through his mind. She was so beautiful, but why had she run off, twice? Have a talk indeed.

And now felt people eyes up on himself.

"Mr. Thorne I do believe I'll be signing on, at least for this week. Dr. Archer, while I do believe in science and the power of it, the benefit of it, I'll have to pass on being one of the people studied. I may change my mind in time but right now it doesn't really fit my idea of good time. As for being a Deputy, I'd help out when I could but I'd like to keep the fact that I was working for the PD a secret, undercover if you will. Perhaps we could discuss that later Chief?"

Dex runs the milky tips of his fingers through his silvery hair and sighs. He idly fiddles with a pice of paper on the desk before him, and an image of the Killer Bee incident at the docks is transposed onto it with picture perfect Kodak quality. He slides that over to the Chief of police with a small, albeit somehwhat satisfied smirk.

 

[RoyalPurpleVelv]

Kryna Ennairy (Paikairy)

Following Mr. Thornton out of the room with the others she stops next to Dex and speaks quietly.

“I think maybe we better have that conversation now, before anything else gets out of control.”

“We’ll catch up with you in just a minute Mr. Thornton,” she calls as she and Dex step into an empty waiting room

 

[SpectralDragoon]

Dex hops up onto a table and swings his legs together slowly, looking over to Kryna. After a moment he arches a brow.

"What's with all the sneaking around Kryna, especially those instances specifically away from me? Not that I want to come off as possessive or controlling, hopefully I don't but... what gives? Couldn't have been my morning breath, ya didn't seem to stick around that long. Were you just taking off?"