Reluctant Heroes

[BadForm]

Dollar

It was a short while before the Worldgov leader spoke once more, and when he did it was in uncertain tones. "Yes... it is understandable that you need to rest. One of the wings of the ninth floor is now being prepared for you. It should take our robots mere minutes to ensure rooms are prepared, one of each of you. I will also provide a computer link to the tailoring system so that you can order or design whatever you need for clothing. But I ask you to agree to the investigation quickly. We have estimated what the most likely method this group would use to interpret the next verse of the Revelations... and if we are right it will be a critical failure of the San Andreas Fault, plunging the West coast of America beneath the waters. This would cause both earthquakes and tidal waves the like of which have never been seen before. Each new sequence has been released once per day, which would indicate that some time tomorrow is when they will cause that calamity."

 

[Dark Warrior]

Bruce/Weaver

"America... so that's who they're attacking next. Why should I save America? What have they ever done to me? Besides screw over my country, that is." Bruce thought.
You don't understand... first America. Then other countries. Australia may be low on their lists, but eventually, its turn will come...
"Australia...? But..."
Bruce shook his head. "But how the hell do we get out? There aren't any bloody doors!"

 

[LadyBlueMoon]

Erica / Mirage

It was not until Dollar spoke about clothing that Erica became aware of her own nakedness. Perhaps it was the bizarre appearance of some of the others around her, or perhaps it was the change she felt within herself, but she was not mortified. In fact, she felt totally devoid of emotion. While others spoke to "Dollar" with voices tinged with anger, or sobbed fearfully on the floor of this strange room, Erica felt nothing.
America the target? California, her adopted home, next? Shouldn't she feel something? Anything?
"I'm willing," she anwered the voice, "Now, where is my room?"

 

[BadForm]

Those who asked for it were teleported to their rooms on request. Each of the rooms butted on to the same corridor, allowing the group to interact freely, and each, while pleasant enough and certainly nice enough, had the 'we have no idea who you are' sameness of a business hotel. The furniture and fittings were excellent quality however, and a short search of doors revealed a large en-suite bathroom in each room, complete with bath, shower, bidet and even jaccuzzi. Obviously, the Worldgov wanted the group to be as well rested as they could. There was a message waiting for Plague though, stating simply that even his skills would not be able to tap into the Worldgov computer system, and that trying to do so could be dangerous as it was the computer system that maintained the homeostatic atmosphere for the whole building.

 

[LadyBlueMoon]

Mirage

Alone in the room, Erica paused to take stock of the situation. So much had transpired. So much she could not comprehend. Yet, what was most disturbing was the voice in her head. A presence she could not recall noticing before.
Erica is no more the voice whispered She is but a Mirage
Erica walked across the large, luxurious room, feeling the soft pile of the carpet beneath her bare feet. She entered the bathroom, and stopped short, almost overwhelmed by the opulence. After using the bidet (every bathroom should have one of these, she thought idly), she stood before the floor length mirror, examing her nude body.
Others will see what you wish for them to see the voice again! You shall manifest any aspect of the Goddess you choose
Erica peered at the mirror again, and thought of the Crone. Were her eyes playing tricks? What manner of mirror was this? The reflection which looked back at her was not her own. Rather, a wizened, grey-haired hag stared out from the mirror, breasts drooping, skin leathered. Erica stepped back from the reflection.
Try again the voice whispered.
Erica thought of the Goddess' aspects, beginning with the virgin. The reflection in the mirror changed. A teenaged girl appeared, lithe, skin aglow, whisps of blonde hair along her pubis, pert breasts, pug nose, sparkling blue eyes.
Erica smiled and the girl in the mirror smiled back.
Another? the voice questioned. Yes, she thought, another. The seductress. She looked again at the mirror and laughed at her reflection.
This, she thought, is going to be fun......

 

[Lacewing]

Black Clouds

Amanda found herself in a plush room. Better than what she had at home. She looked around and noticed too that someone thought to make sure that most of it was also fire proofed.

Good thing since the first book she picked up with minor interest went up in flames.

This was going to be annouying.

 

[The GrandMage]

Plague

"That I can't hack? Bullshit. Besides, what you got that's so important to hide, hmm?" He sat at the computer in his room, beyond state-of-the-art the thought with a smile, and began his job. He wasn't really hacking, just poking about the security, checking it out. He leaned back in the chair, staring at the screen.

"Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Look at all these lines of pure bullshit code. I mean, in order to hack in, you have to be able to find a way to get in, but even your front door is hidden in so much pure bullshit code that it's impossible to find. I mean, the space you're using just to create this, wow. Impressive. And of course, if I sent a virus through the lines, the security beyond this line of bullshit would pick it up and terminate it. Probably a lot of this bullshit is individual security meshed together. It's genius."

He sighed, and picked up the tailoring link, getting some clothes for regular wear, and some extra thick warming wear for the trip south. He didn't like cold to begin with, and he had a feeling his new body wouldn't like it either.

He got up, and went into the bathroom. The radiation change had destroyed all the forms of waste he might have, putting it into that which he had been reborn from. Instead, he hopped in the jaccuzzi, sighing with pleasure. "I think I may like this new life. A good body, a good room, a job where I can get some respect. Hell, if I get laid every once and a while this could be paradise! Hmm,....No. No. I'd hate to think my employer is controlling every bit of my life, although I'm not against being conrolled every now and then, whenever I'm trully needed. Hey, I wonder if I'm being monitored?"

He closed his eyes, relaxing while he waited for his clothes to arrive. His mind drifted back to the room where he had seen the others. There had been a few females, and they still looked human. He stretched, wondering what they would think of him. He sighed. They'd probably laugh in his face, they were undoubtedly more powerful than he. What could he do against aliens, even if War of the Worlds did end with the invaders dying of the diseases of this world, at least, that's how he thought it did. He chuckled, but imagined he'd be the team member of the outfit left to do the menial work anyone could do. But still, it was a good life. He might impress a few normal women. He frowned. Maybe a doctor that would use him for experiments.

Sighing again, he let his ego go back to it's rightful and normal place: nearly nonexistant. So, he had powers now, so what? He couldn't use them for his own advancement, he'd probably still be a flop with chicks, and he was roughly the equivalent of Aquaman. Probably less. Aquaman could swim like a fish, breathe water, and communicate with sea animals. All Plague could do was spread diseases and be immune. Big whoop.

"Alright, Claude, time to get out, your clothes are probably here by now. Go, do your job, and who knows, maybe a nice dinner before you go back to bed. No use deluding yourself. You were always a nobody, and now at least you're a nobody with a chance to save the world, right? Hey, if you die, the women will all like you then, right? Even if you aren't around to enjoy it."

 

[airborne92]

Demon

I appeared in my room, it was almost better than some of the suites in St. Moritz. All the creature comforts were here, I could almost enjoy this. The tought of having lost the life I had known was very disturbing to say the least. I was being asked to do the same job as before, only on a larger scale.

"Well, I had better get used to this" I said to myself. I went and ordered some clothes. A decent set of slacks, dress shirt, and shoes for now and a set of winter issue tactical gear for the mission.

I head into the bathroom and use the jacuzzi for about half an hour. The water didn't even seem warm, though it should have sclded me easily. Mostly to relax my body and my mind from this latest 'adventure'. If you could call it that. I got out of the jacuzzi and decided to take a good look at myself in the mirror. I had blood red skin, my fingernails were now claws, my eyes were now jet black, and to top it all off I was now much taller than before the transformation, at least 7' tall.

I go back into the main part of the suite and find my clothes ready. I get dressed and head out to see who else is around.

 

[Lacewing]

Amanda looked at the ceiling when after a long letter she tapped out on the keyboard she finally got clothing that was fire retardent.

And felt silly in the tight plastic like thing that looked more like something from a comic book. She hadn't changed physically like some of the others. Still needed glasses, still a normal biuld and they wanted to dress her like a supermodle.

Picking a wedgie she walked out to see how was around and spotted one man that could only be something out of a biblical 'demon' type.

At least she didn't have it that bad.

 

[airborne92]

Demon

I see this girl from the transformation room walk out into the common area. She is wearing an outfit made of some sort of plastic. I walk over to her, she doesn't seem to be changed much. The only difference is that she almost seems to glow from within.

"What would your name be young lady?" I ask her.

 

[Lacewing]

Blaze

Amanda blinked and was going to say "Amanda" but as before nothing came but the sound of bellows over a furnace. she pauses and after a bit of thought signed with her hands "Blazer"

She spelled it out in the aair feeling like she wanted to giggle when her fingers left a trail of fire in the shade of the letters before they burned out and faded.

 

[airborne92]

Demon

"Blazer, well that sounds appropriate. I guess I would have to be called Demon, just by my appearance. Before I was Gunther Munz, and I was from Germany." I say to Blazer.

The heat from the fire she created seemed to be comfortable. I reach up to touch her face, careful not scratch her with my claws. Her skin doesn't seem to be any warmer to me than it should be.

 

[Lacewing]

Blazer blinked at the gental touch and looked at him suprised, her skin was slightly warmer than normal, but not bad. Her hand went up suprised and he found her hands very warm. Near burning. But she dropped her hands quickly so she wouldn't hurt him. She was just startled.

 

[airborne92]

Demon

Her hand came up immediately as I touched her face, and quickly brushed mine before she lowered it again. She had a surprised look on her face.

"What is wrong?" I asked Blazer. "You seem to be afraid of something."

 

[Lacewing]

Wild Fire

She reached out not really even thinking of it, to grab the nearest combustable item, some bit of cloth on a small table, she pulled it up and he could see the smoke, then the fire as the cloth burned quickly to ashes, Amanda didn't drop it as the flames surrounded ehr hand and when there was nothing left to burn her hands were still fine like before.

She incinerated it.

 

[airborne92]

Demon

I watched as she incinerated the piece of cloth. I had not gotten burned when I had touched her face. Time to try something to test this theory I was developing about myself now. I reached down and gently grasped her hand. It was warmer than her face, but it wasn't uncomfortable at all. That meant I was now impervious to fire.

"Don't worry about me, I think that I am immune to the effects of fire" I say to her in a gentle voice.

 

[Lacewing]

She blinked turelly suprised though rther releaved as well. Being able to touch others ment she wasn't suddenly going to be cut off from any contact. But still in many ways she did not care.

At least that's what she told herself.

 

[BadForm]

Asha Tambika/Wayfarer

Asha, or the Wayfarer as she learned she had been dubbed by the Worldgov, slumped in her room in front of the computer. She had not washed, or showered. She had not done anything to look after herself. She could not even bring herself to call up the clothing link. She had been the last to leave the central room, and had first pulled up the bio-scans Worldgov had run following the change.

Now she knew she didn't deserve anything good. Not to be clean, to be fed, to be clothed. She deserved nothing but pain. After all, she had helped to get them into this, making sure all angles were covered in the search and selection process, even been brought in, uselessly as it turned out, to try to help with decoding the sequence of numbers. If it hadn't been for her, then all those people would still be alive, and the few remaining would be normal.

The fact that there was no other choice except for allowing the world to be destroyed did not matter to her. All that she felt was guilt. Perhaps the others didn't realise it now, but they could never go back. This wasn't the comic books. She had seen how various governments had treated people who were different, especially if there was any potential they could be dangerous. They would never be accepted.

They could not even become supervillains without living their lives completely alone. Any normal human would be useless to them, so henchmen and fences would only fear them and nothing more. They would be able to do anything they wanted, except have any meaningful interaction with anybody else.

Some, such as herself and the Demon, would even be viewed as blasphemous abominations by several of the major religions of the world as they bore some passing resemblence to some character from a holy work. There was only one who had not changed much physically. And for a second, the hope that at least one person would be able to go back made her feel better. Then she remembered the scan. Her biomolecular field was flexible. It was believed she would have some kind of shape changing powers, at least in human form. And wasn't she the one with the brainwaves off the wall, indicating telepathy or other mental powers? No, she could not go back either. If she could be anyone she wanted, and if she could read any mind she wanted, the truth was, she would rapidly grow bored of those who couldn't.

Asha waved a hand over her body and teleported back to the central room. She screamed as she collapsed to the floor unaware even that the corpses had been teleported away as she closed her eyes and cried for all she had done.

 

[The GrandMage]

Plague

He looked at himself in the mirror, after having put the several sets of clothes away in the room, and laid out the wear for the 'mission'. He cocked his head to an angle, staring at himself. So, he was a little pale, that wasn't to bad. A hat and a pair of sunglasses, and he could easilly fit back into society. He wasn't that pale, just a little more than the normal person. From what he'd seen, he was one of the more human of his new kind. He worried though, about what would happen once this threat was put down.

Would they kill him? He doubted they'd just let him, or any of them leave, like they could fit in. Himself, he could hold back his powers, and just disappear. Or could he? How good were these people? He shivered, and put his mind off it as he got dressed regularly. No need to dress to warm now, and overheat himself.

He bundled up the warm dress, and set it down next to the door. He opened the door, and glanced around the hall. Frowning, he closed the door, sitting on the floor, his back against the door as he picked up his gear.

"Okay, but where the Hell am I supposed to go now?" He shrugged, and put his gear next to the chair he sat down in, looking through the computer he had in his room. "No doubt they've got a layout here, or sent a message about what to do. Or something, who knows."

 

[LadyBlueMoon]

Mirage

She remained in front of the mirror, completely losing track of time, putting her body through its paces. Incredible, she thought, as she continued to will physical changes. Though it should have frightened her, Erica found the ability amusing. For a woman whose life had been predicated on her appearance, both socially and professionally, this new capability somehow lessened the importance of her past.
As she continued to experiment with this new ability, she discovered it had its limitations. Though she could change her ethnicity, her age, and her size, she was confined to the female form. And her attempts to create bizarre, alien forms were absolutely futile. "The Goddess allows her image alone, Mirage" The voice again, and that name, Mirage. Somehow, it fit. She tried one last incarnation, the Mother. The image in the mirror did not change. She peered at herself for a moment, then went to the tailoring link and order an outfit.
After a long soak in the jacuzzi, she emerged from the bathroom to find her outfit had arrived. She put it on and checked the mirror again. She admired the reflection: black, skin-tight unitard, vee neck, and then open from below her bustline to her navel; knee high black heeled boots; and the piece de resistance, an ankle length cloak, complete with hood. She raised the hood over her short red hair, shadowing her face. She placed the wide, gold bracelets on each wrist and fastened the gold belt around her waist.
"Not very practical for an arctic expedition," she smiled to herself, "But it will do nicely for introductions."
With that, she shut off the lights and entered the corridor.

 

[Dark Warrior]

Bruce/Weaver

Bruce looked around his new room, still a little unsure how he had gotten here, but it all seemed to fit. He made his way over to what he guessed was the clothing link, quickly ordering a simple set of warm clothes and putting them over his naked form.
He was still curious as to his new-found powers, strangely enough. For 5 minutes or so he experimented with the threads of the air around him, changing them in just minute ways and taking in to consideration the effects he was having. The air moved at his will, forwards, backwards, thinning, growing more dense under his grasp.
"Time to try this on something a bit harder..." he thought, as he stepped up to the nearest wall. He concentrated hard, his hands weaving the threads in just the way he had done before, urging the thing to lose its density, urging it to accept him into its hold.
"There... I think I have it..." he thought, before slowly, carefully, stepping into the wall.
THUMP.
Bruce reached up and placed a hand on his head. "Maybe not."

 

[airborne92]

Demon

I turn around as I hear someone approaching. It must be one of the other survivors. He or she is wearing a long black coat with the hood pulled up over their head. By the way hte person is walking I would say that it is a woman.

"Who are you?" I ask the person appraoching in a calm voice.

 

[LadyBlueMoon]

Mirage

His size is impressive, but it is his skin, and the way his eyes shine like stones, that attract my attention. He is obviously another survivor, and he had been talking with the girl I recalled from the other room, the birthing room as I now thought of it.
"I am," the voice in my head took over, "Mirage. And you? A demon perhaps? But you know, there is no Hell, so you must be a survivor also. Will you walk with me? I believe they are awaiting us." I pull back my hood to show I did not fear him. "And the girl, she should come as well."

 

[The GrandMage]

Plague

He sghed, and gave up. Grabbing his stuff, he left the room just in time tocatch part ofthe conversationin the hall. Plague was wearing thick, but comfotable hiking boot, dress slacks, a belt, dress shirt, and a trenchcoat, all of which were black. He loked over, raising an eyebrow.

"No Hell? Can't say I'm sorry to hear that. What's your religion? Desn't soound as bad as the crap I was raised on."

Hepulled out a pair of sunglasses, and putthemover his eyes. He didn't like their looks. His hair moved through he air behind and above him, moving under it's own force, as far as he could tell.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Alex Smith/ Bloodwynd

Teleporting this time was a bit stranger than the first time, if I could believe it. I could almost feel how it was done, the individual molecules of my body twisted through space. Oh well, i'm sure Captain Chargecard would teleport us again, & then I would have it.

First things first, some clothes. Lets see, some black leather pants, boots, black denim shirt, & a black leather duster. there, & now for a bath before my clothes arrive. I also ordered a send set (minus the boots) & three other changes, along with a backpack. I might need to split, or change.
After getting in the hottest water I could stand, I relaxed, almost dozing. Looking at myself physically I really couldn't see any change, besides a better muscke tone, but I was changed. I had no problem moving the soap to me, or removing all the water from my body with my mind. Hell, I wonder what I could really do if I tried.

Oh well, I figure i need to talk with the rest of the "Changed". I put my clothes on & went outside, noticing a group of people standing in the hallway.
" Uh, hello there, I'm Alex. So, whats next?"