The applause from the crowd is deafening, and you find yourself staring listlessly at the screen. There’s a hot, acrid feeling in the back of your throat, and your palms are clenched at your sides. All the while that familiar emblem on the podium taunts you from the other side of the screen, the symbol reawakening a memory from that night you had escaped the police. Your brain struggles to process the implications of this.

Matt, of course, is faring no better, if the sudden pallor he’s taken on is anything to go by. In fact, he seems to be taking it worse than you, as you know he feels as responsible for you as you do for him.

You still need to stop Pharos, and you’re going to stop him and the Crux, no matter what. It’s just going to be a little more dangerous now.

>What do you say?
>”This isn’t going to stop us! We’re just going to have to be more careful.”
>”I think it would be best if we laid low”
>You're at a loss on what to do. Ask Matt for advice
>write-in

>>4170008
>”This isn’t going to stop us! We’re just going to have to be more careful.”

>>4170008
>"Family dinners are going to suck now."
>"No, I'm not stopping, though. Just going to have to be more careful."

Can't wait for the ultimate family feud.

>>4170008
>”I think it would be best if we laid low”

Also, gonna make another prediction.

Pharos and Atticus are in cahoots. Pharos riles the mutant populace, Atticus captures them, tunes them into killing machines, sets them on a timer, they both virtually own the city under their rule until the inevitable betrayal and city-wide war. Or something akin to that. Either way, neither of them are good.

>>4170038
>>4170042

It all comes crashing back to you in the span of a second: the kidnappers, the black-vans, the tranquilizer darts, everything— all of it can be attributed to FutureLabs, who you realize, without the shadow of a doubt, has been working silently against mutants ever since the explosion that made you into what you are.

“Matt,” You start, trying as best as possible to keep your voice smooth and even. “We can’t stop searching for Pharos.”

“No shit.” His eyes are cast on the hardwood floor— it’s clear that he’s worried. “Even if I told you not to, there’s no way you’d keep your stubborn ass put.”

“Yeah.” The statement makes you smile, just a little. “It’s going to be a little harder from now on. We just have to be more careful.”

“And there’s no way that Pharos will take this lying down, Ellie.— he’s just that big of an asshole.” You nod, and for a while nothing fills the room but the steady ticking of the clock on the wall, until you remember something else that had been on your mind.

“Do you think John knows… about the mutants?” By the look on his face, you can tell that Matt was thinking the same thing as you but didn’t want to say it aloud. “Honestly, I think he does, because he was acting really weird when I started talking about them.”

“Doesn’t matter, cause he’s not going to tell us regardless. They’re legally bound not to talk about they’re jobs— at least that’s what John told me… ” Talking about John stirs up something unpleasant in your gut, but you ignore it, as there are more pressing matters to think of for the time being.

It’s going to be a game of cat and mouse, you think, from a feud you have yet to finish. Just with another, stronger player.

And a harder game with stronger opponents will require some more preparation on your behalves. Of course, Matt has a slew of metal bats from his time on his high school’s baseball team, but you think you could use a little something extra to keep an edge on the people working against you.

>What do you think would be the most important thing to have on you in that regard?
>some earpieces; communication is vital!
>trackers; stick them to yourself or the bodies of others!
>night-vision binoculars; a prized possession of Matt’s, the two of you can double your scouting efforts as you search the city for Pharos and his crew
>a handheld radar; with a range of 250m, it would be useful to have on hand to keep track of bodies in your vicinity.

>>4170641
>Handheld radar.

Although why we wouldn't Batman it up and bring them all, I dunno.

>>4170736

Support

>>4170736
>>4170802

>nananananananananananananananana —GADGETS!!!
>guess we’re going the batman route

Matt is already on that, you find, as you’re led to John’s workspace.

Pulling a box from under a desk that has the FutureLabs logo on it, your eyes go wide at the sheer amount of little gizmos and gadgets— gadgets that are yours and Matt’s for the taking.

However, sorting through it all is easier said than done, and it takes a while of the two of you working together to find anything of use, but you mentally catalog what you have found so far:

>A set of bluetooth earpieces
>A handheld radar
>night-vision binoculars, courtesy of Matt
>five trackers

It is Matt who’s responsible for handling the radar and binoculars, while the trackers are split between the both of you.

You spend the next two days testing the limits of each gadget: the earpieces have a range of 500 meters, while the radar has a range of 250 meters.

The day after, the two of you take to the streets, and, with Matt on the ground and you on the rooftops, you cover far more ground faster. Sometimes, you think you can see Pharos or Siren or Fastball somewhere on the ground in the blur of people, but you know it’s just your anxious mind playing tricks on you.

(1/?)

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Although the people you save are grateful for what you do and someone gets a snapshot of you before you run off, despite your less-than-friendly appearance, the media still hasn’t said a word. You’re not looking for any recognition, but it would be nice if they said something other than how dangerous mutants are and fueling the miasma of panic that has overcome Konigsburg. It’s probably because they can’t fathom the concept of a “good” mutant, and FutureLabs doesn’t want them to.

Some fringe websites keep track of people who have disappeared in the past few weeks, but they are taken down as quickly as they are made.

Another week or two, and you realize that it’s been very, very quiet. Too quiet on Pharos’ part.

It’s starting to feel hopeless, you think—this endeavor of yours that you’ve undertaken. Several weeks and nothing but a couple of bruises on Matt’s behalf to show for it.

That’s why, it’s on a very calm day that’s just on the cusp of summer when everything goes to hell.

(2/?)

>>4170965
To be fair, I wasn't trying to insist we absolutely HAD to bring them all (otherwise I wouldn't have picked), I more was just wondering if there was a reason NOT to.

>>4171071

Yeah, I actually thought of that. Why isn't there a reason is pretty right. I was going for a Chekov's gun kind of thing, but since Matt is carrying most of the stuff it's kind of a moot point.

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>>4170984

You’re watching television— the nightly news again. That’s where you are.

The TV glitches once, then twice, and you think that the hanger you’d attached to the back of the television had come loose.

When the static clears, however, it’s no longer the anchorman’s face whose in the camera: it’s one that sends you into a simultaneous state of alarm and furor— alarm at the fact that the person on the other end had hijacked the television stations and furor at the face stepping back into camera view.

“Hello, people of Konigsburg!” Greets Pharos with that smooth grin and honey-laced voice of his, trademark Mask donned. There’s a banner behind him, too, that sports the signature bullseye of the Crux.

“I hope you’re doing well in these troubled times, because we are most certainly not.” There's a particular emphasis on end of that sentence. “If I haven’t told you already, and I really guess I haven’t— the truth is I’m not like the rest of you, and neither are the rest of my comrades.” As he says this, he gestures to the rest of the masked figures behind him before starting again. There are more, definitely more, if he's acting this arrogant. “We are an organization dedicated to helping mutants in need, but we’re unable to get our message across, as FutureLabs has been granted judiciary power over our rights. In short, they have declared themselves an enemy of mutant kind.”

“Where am I, you may wonder?” And that smile of Pharos’ is back, but there’s nothing friendly about it. “That’s for me— and for me alone— to know. Just know that there’s a bomb hidden in the Kastan General Hospital and Research Center. It’s set to go off at midnight unless, some of the kind legislators watching can help us out.”

“You have until midnight to repeal the Mutant Terror Act.” Then his face turns serious and fierce. “Any attempt to dispatch us will be met with equal force, and any hostages we may have will be killed. This would also include a direct cut to the hospital’s power supply, so play your cards, wisely.”

“Just remember, Atticus Charles, any blood that is shed tonight is on your hands. We eagerly await your response.” He turns away for a brief moment before a final statement is made:

“The lives of our comrades will not be lost in vain.”

You’re already on your feet before the screen cuts to black, and you’re almost out the door when you stop short.

If you’re going to face Pharos, you feel that you should probably do something first and foremost, like tell Matt where you’re going, or even take him with you.

>What do you do?

>grab Matt and take him with you; an extra set of hands (or bat) will definitely take the Crux by surprise— plus he’s got the radar
>tell Matt where you’re going but don’t encourage him to fight; chances are he’ll want to come along but he should know in case something happens to you
>get going now— this is your chance to give pharos his dues, plus lives are at stake!

>>4171118
>grab Matt and take him with you; an extra set of hands (or bat) will definitely take the Crux by surprise— plus he’s got the radar
tell him to be extra careful 'coz we can escape easier if things go south

>>4171118
>>tell Matt where you’re going but don’t encourage him to fight; chances are he’ll want to come along but he should know in case something happens to you

>>4171118
>>tell Matt where you’re going but don’t encourage him to fight; chances are he’ll want to come along but he should know in case something happens to you

He has the gadgets, he's more educated; he needs to be our Mission Control.

A few things:

1: He might be expecting us. I don't doubt that despite the gag order, we're a known factor among some bigwigs, and I'm operating on the assumption that our secrecy is limited and fragile.

2: We are not bomb disposal. There's limited action we can take to defuse the bomb, if any at all.

3: He's likely not on site, but several of the mutants likely are, otherwise that 'any attempt to dispatch' bit wouldn't even be necessary. We need to play it careful and stealthy.

4: Direct Cut to the hospital's power supply is interesting. That means that a good clue to this is deep below the main building. Also, it makes me wonder if Pharos might've forgotten that hospitals are REALLY REALLY BIG on Emergency Power Systems. If he's only affected the mainline powerline, then that's very unfortunate, but can be mitigated. If he's managed to screw with both, that's more worrisome, especially because if, say, he's planning to EMP the place, that STILL shouldn't affect emergency power due to how the electricity is generated in emergency power in the first place.

That Batman analogy may be more apt than I thought...

>>4171164
>>4171171
Thoughts, anyone else? I want to make sure we have some ideas on how to approach this.

>>4171118
>tell Matt where you’re going but don’t encourage him to fight; chances are he’ll want to come along but he should know in case something happens to you

>>4171171
>>4171195
>>4171682

“MATT!” You shout, because you’re not quite sure where he is at the moment. “I’m going to stop Pharos!”

“What?!” Your brother screams from across the hall, all the way from his room. On instant, he’s in the hallway with you, and, when he sees your body leaning for the door, he knows exactly what you intend to do.

“There’s a bomb at the Kastan General Hospital-- he’s threatening to cut the power supply.”

“And you’re going alone?” The tone of Matt’s voice is affronted, because you know very well that he wants to go too.

Still, you find yourself tongue-tied at this question, because you don’t want to admit the ugly truth: there’s a high chance you may get captured either by the Crux or FutureLabs but you don’t say that aloud, because saying it aloud is the equivalent of admitting defeat. Matt knows this as well.

And, although Matt is quite handy with his metal bat, you still can’t help but think how fragile he is in comparison to yourself.

“I won’t be able to protect you if you put yourself in danger.”

“Think I’m stupid? I don’t plan to fight anyhow.” He shoots back after a beat. “Plus, you’re my sister, and I’d be a really shitty brother if I let you do something stupid by yourself.”

At that, you finally relent, because you know that you wouldn’t be able to stop Matt from following you if you tried.

You make it to the hospital in record time, even with Matt in your hold. There’s already a perimeter set up around most of the building, a mixture of normal cop cars and black vans interspersed with the ant-like bodies you see moving to-and-fro on the ground.

Neither of the parties has made a move yet, but you don’t expect that to last for long.

“Ellie.” Matt says from next to you, pulling something from the backpack he’d brought for himself. “I found this in my pocket from after we escaped. Don’t know how it stayed in my pocket the whole time that night, but I didn’t think we’d ever need it again.” It’s another bullseye mask. A mask that you could use to easily blend in with the rest of the Crux.

Beyond dispatching enough of the Crux members for the police to safely deal with the bomb, there’s not really much more you’re able to do. In fact, this may be your only chance to deal with them permanently, because it’s more than likely that the all of the strongest of Pharos’ crew are congregated in one building. Like chess pieces on the board, you know that if you knock the kings and roots and pawns, the king will be ultimately powerless.

Your only way in is through the two-doored roof.

>How will you go about in getting in?
>go through the research center
>go through the hospital wing

>>4172019
>go through the hospital wing

>>4172019
>go through the hospital wing

So here's what I'm thinking. Continuing on my logic from above, the power supply is likely on one of the lower floors. We're going to have to fight through eventually, but stealth is good for as long as it can last. The other issue is the bomb. If he wants maximum damage, he's going to want it in the bottom of the building, near the base. HOWEVER, if he wants maximum spectacle, which is also possible, he'll set the bomb up so that it explodes in an area with the most visibility; similar to how he did before. Somewhere street facing. That still leaves a lot of area to cover, but yeah.

>>4172019
>go through the hospital wing

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>>4172046
>>4172072
>>4172139

21:59 P.M:

With the aid of Matt’s radar, you decide that the hospital wing is the best course of action, as the research center is completely devoid of life.

You give Matt a wordless, bone-crushing hug, and then you’re on the next roof in the blink of an eye.

Slipping yourself through the door, you’re thrust into the darkness of the hospital.

It takes a staircase or two before you find yourself on the upper floor where its patients no doubt are asleep. Hopefully, there’s an order for them to stay put, because you don’t want anyone caught in the crossfires if things get really hairy for you.

It’s a dark, endless hallway with the footsteps you make being unbearably loud in the dead silence. The hairs on the back of your neck prickle, foreboding, but you march onward despite the way your stomach roils.

“Ellie—“ Matt’s voice crackling through your earpiece nearly makes you jump in fright. “One coming up to you, alright?”

You don’t dare say anything back.

Instead, you keep striding forward until you're side-by-side with the first Crux goon, letting your second skin spread across your body in a rush of yellowish scales. A quick punch to the head, and they're unconscious.

"Done." You whisper.

The next goon is as easy as the second to dispatch, and, to be honest you find it a little too easy as you plow through the next few, so much that-- some floors down-- you're caught unawares when a hand pushes against your back, but that gentle tap sends you flying into the wall with a resounding 'SLAM.'

The force of it has your head spinning, but you quickly shake yourself out of it. Peeling yourself from the dented concrete, you realize-- judging by the ability and the hood pulled tight around their face-- that this must be no other than FastBall, the Crux's former bouncer.

It's certain that they recognize you, so there's no way that this will be a one-way fight.

They look eager in fact, for some sort of action, judging by their stance, as are you at the challenge.

Who are you to refuse?

>roll d100 to retaliate
>how we gonna defeat this one, kings?
>also y'all think FastBall's a guy or gal?
>I'm thinking girl so CAT FIGHT CAT FIGHT CAT FIGHT
>tfw Pharos has harem

>also that's it for tonight! see you next time!

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>4172233
time to zig zag bang. seriously though, run up dodging whatever she throws at us and knock her air out

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Rolled 32 (1d100)

>>4172241
> Surge forward with pure intent. Drive your fingers through his surface to the wet. Ignore the pain. Feast until nothing remains.

Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>4172233
Hit her hard?

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>>4172656
>we're going with this

You push off the ground posthaste, using the walls as a springboard.

Left, right, up, down— you are quite literally bouncing off the walls as you close in on FastBall. You can tell that it’s difficult for them to keep track of your movements with what seems like reckless abandon.

Behind! You ram into them with your shoulder, eliciting a grunt of pain from your opponent and causing them to stagger forwards, and then you’re off the ground again, nothing but pure intent driving you forwards.

Again! You plan to repeat the same thing, even though it’s a little tricky to time your strikes, and you think your plan is working well, as you manage to drive FastBall to the end of the hallway.

That is, until they grabs a handful of rubble out of seemingly nowhere— courtesy of the first time they slammed you into the wall— and it launches at you with incomprehensible speed.

The larger, more jagged pieces thankfully miss, but a few of the smaller ones end up grazing you, drawing blood.

Then they press their hands against the wall that they’re seemingly pinned against, flying towards you with an outstretched fist.

The impact to your stomach knocks the wind out of you, but it fails to knock you.

“Pharos said I could kill you if I saw you…” FastBall says sneeringly with the voice of a female, her voice resonating throughout the hallway. The mention of Pharos sends your blood singing— because if not for him, you wouldn’t need to be here risking your life.

”…I didn’t know why he’d wanna go after one shitty mutant, and I didn’t really give a crap either. Your little friend was one thing..." Her Bronx accent is vehement. "...but now I see why you piss him off…”

>huh?
>I don’t give a shit about what Pharos thinks— I’m here to save lives!
>roll d100— words? Who needs em? Sock her in the face!

>>4172241
>time to zig zag bang. seriously though, run up dodging whatever she throws at us and knock her air out

I meant we're going with this post ^

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>4172719
Piranha frenzy time. You’re gonna pay for this
>>4172722
Now it makes sense

Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>4172719
> Words? Who needs em? Sock her in the face!

Rolled 21 (1d100)

>>4172719
Damn, I was hoping to get up and post before you did. I had a plan. Ah well.

> "Yeah, it's cause I broke through his siren-song shit."
Give her a little something to chew on. Besides our fist, that is.
>Punch her as SOON as she opens her mouth.

>>4172753
Seconding this.

>>4172719
>"You know he's mind controlling you, right? That's his power."

>>4173043
>>4172751
>>4172749

“You know Pharos is mind-controlling you, right?” The honeyed lullaby that dripped forth from his tongue— you’d lapped it up like a thirsting dog. “That’s his power.”

“Blah, blah, blah—“ She taunts from across the hall. Your plea, of course, falls on deaf ears. “If I gave a rat’s ass, I’d be long— Urrrk!”

A fist to the chin stops her short, and you land behind her, already rearing up for the next attack.

She’s ready for it, although now she’s fuming, and you don’t really care. She’s too far gone— no! All of them are too far gone.

The power to reshape the minds of masses is a truly versatile power. Faintly, you think, as you charge for FastBall, that Pharos’ power had as much potential for good as it did for evil.

Another strike, and when skin meets scale your mind is alight as the sweet scent of blood hits your nostrils, but you shove any intrusive thoughts aside, only focusing on the present, on the fight, on the lives that are counting on you tonight.

There’s a large chunk of wall coming straight for you. It misses you, but another one quickly follows at an even higher speed, knocking you to the floor. As you get up off the ground, you can feel the damage to your body already repairing itself.

Several more chunks of wall follow after that in rapid succession, pushing you backwards from your target.

This is probably the hardest fight you’ll have tonight if Pharos doesn’t have any other aces up his sleeve, you think, as yet another chunk of wall too big for you to see past. When the dust clears, FastBall is gone, out of sight, and this temporarily surprises you.

However, you can clearly smell the blood from her person that has yet to heal, and you can hear the footsteps against the tiled floor as if FastBall’s still in the hallway with you.

>Roll d100 to pursue

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>4173334
damn we're like wolverine

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>4173334
This is already taking too long. We have a time limit, she confirmed he guessed we'd be here. We need to drop her asap.

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>4173334
Fish is fresh and is gonna get that pussy
>>4173365
And aquatic

>>4173372
>>4173365
>>4173377

22:42

There's a hole in the floor to some brighter area of the hospital, and when you jump through it the copper tinge on your tongue only gets stronger.

Your nose is your guide, and it isn't long before you hear FastBall's breaths heaving wildly in her chest.

When her hooded silhouette comes into view, it's clear she's flagging in the way she holds her shoulders and in the frantic thrumming of her heart.

She doesn't even see you coming.

Fist meets skull, and FastBall's sent flying into the wall in a crumpled heap.

Not dead. You ascertain, but she'll probably have quite the concussion.

"Ellie--" Matt's voice crackles to life. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Now that you've taken out what was unarguably one of Pharos' strongest men, you are now left with little time to take out the rest of the Crux. However, despite how necessary it is to remove the danger of the Crux from society, it's heartbreaking, you think, that FutureLabs is going to take all of them and imprison them indefinitely, but, like Pharos, FastBall chose her fate.

No matter, there are still Crux members lurking about, and a look to the clock on the wall shows that you have little time before Pharos pulls the metaphorical trigger.

"Not sure if you can hear it, but there's a shitload of fighting outside-- like a freaking warzone..." His voice trails off, fizzling for a long moment, and it's obvious that Matt's thinking on something. "...If--If it starts looking bad, Ellie, I want you to get out of there, got that?"

"Yeah."

"Anyways, there's a huge-ass cluster of guys on the other side of the building, which I think is where the bomb might be, but not many cause they're banking on their main muscle winning. I think the cops are going to be more focused on disarming the bomb instead of the power supply, so wherever you want to go is pretty much up to you."

In order to prevent the least loss of lives, where do you feel is the most important place to go?

>to the power supply system
>to the bomb

>>4173447
>to the power supply system

>>4173447
>to the power supply system

>>4173447
>to the bomb

A good argument was made earlier about backup power systems. Bomb could drop the building.

>>4173447

>to the power supply system

Even with that earlier point made about power system, we aren't qualified to disarm a bomb, we don't want to run into the police, and Pharos probably did enough research to know about any backups.

>>4173798
You've got a point. I'm not sure how to vote, myself. I'd say helping clear the way TO the bomb would be important, but as you said, we could be doing as much good cutting off his backup plan...

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>>4173518

A lot of old hospitals actually have their generators (even the emergency ones) all clumped together in the basement, so we can assume that all the generators are in the same place at the Kastan Hospital.

So yeah Pharos pretty much had all his bases covered.

>>4173798
>>4173508
>>4173455

It’s a given that the power supply is in the basement, so that’s where you head. Passing near the lobby, you can see the wild displays of power interspersed with the red and blue of the police lights. Some mutants are gathered near the windows and doors, some of them are broken, but you quietly slip behind the chaos and deeper into the hospital’s depths.

“You were right about it being a war zone, Matt.” You utter this once you’re out of hearing range of the lobby.

“Kind of wondering they’ll send up choppers or something, cause they’re losing too much time on the-- HEY! HEY! Give that back, you asshole!" A pit wells in your stomach, because you don’t know who found Matt or what’s happening on the other end of the line, and there's some muffled shouting on the other end of the line, before the comm goes silent.

"--toots... toots… Is this thing workin-- OW! OW! OW! OW!“ More muffled bickering. “—can you screw off with that thing?!”

"Blink." You say slowly and vehemently. “I don’t have time for this. If Matt doesn’t beat you up first, then I think you know who will.” Hoping that it serves its purpose, you leave the threat hanging in the air.

“Don’t worry, fishface! I’m not gonna touch him. I just thought these gadgets were kinda cool, so I took ‘em!” You’re thankful what happened was basically a false alarm, but now you don’t have Matt’s help anymore. It’s unfortunate, but at least Blink seems more fascinated with the gadgets than harming Matt.

“What are are these little dotty things anywho? Does this thing get Internet or Bluetooth? Can it even— “ You’re mostly ignoring his blathering, but then he goes completely silent, which is rather weird considering what you know of Blink. “Ummm… I dropped your radar... Sorry.” A little irritation rises within you at that. “But he broke my leg!”

Matt is fine. Everything’s fine. Just focus on the task, Elise.

>(1/2)

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>>4174055

Before you know it, you’re at the basement. The room is filled with mutants galore— some whispering among themselves, some standing in wait for an opponent.

But after taking out FastBall, you know you’re more than capable of doing this. Knock them out, escape, and hope that the police are either disarming the bomb or evacuating the patients.

You’ve trained for this with Matt, you’ve done this a million times on the city streets, and even when you escaped from the Crux. Over and over, until the act of protecting became second nature to you.

Why? You’ve never really given it much thought at first, using it to satisfy some instinctive need that had been thrumming within you like a pulsing heartbeat ever since you turned. Now, if you look hard enough, it’s evident to you that there is always someone in need, someone whose life is in danger, and, since you’re perfectly capable of helping, Why wouldn’t you act?

You can do this, Elise. You think to yourself, this time with surety.

>how will you proceed?
>take out the weaker-looking grunts first
>take out the grunts nearer to the generators
>write-in

>>4174056
>Pick the most direct path from where we are to the generators, take out whoever's on that path, the most dangerous looking first.

>>4174066
This, if we don’t see anyone on the way with communication devices, otherwise we take them down too

>>4174066
+1

>>4174056
>weaker ones first

If we fight near the generators they might get damaged

>>4175267
Found the coomer

>>4174066
>>4174097
>>4174124
>>4174622

>>4174622

The first few goons don't see you coming.

A punch-- one goon down-- another with a knee to the gut, and another sent to the floor with a scaled fist.

One with blades growing out of his arms, another with lasers for eyes, you knock out whoever is in your way. Each encounter leaves you with one more bruise, burn mark, or laceration, but you ignore all of this in favor of lunging for the next mutant.

Throughout all this, you have to continually remind yourself that these mutants are much more delicate than yourself after you accidentally break one-too-many bones — even though it’s highly difficult for you in this fast-react situation. Also, you need not forget the generators all around you that are vital to the survival of the hospital.

Again! Two more with matching reflex abilities, another that can breathe fire from his mouth.

There's another one behind you, and you lash out with a kick; there's a metallic bang, and he doesn't get back up again.

One of them, a mutant with a wind-control ability, sends you skidding across the floor, causing you to tumble into one of the large generators. It leaves a sizable dent, but thankfully the generator still seems to be intact if the blinking lights are any indication.

You rise back to your feet, and, before you can begin the next charge, a large, reverberating shriek fills the air. Courtesy of Siren, one of the few remaining higher-ups of the Crux, the ghastly noise seems to last an eternity. By reflex, your hands fly to your sensitive ears and cover them for dear life, as do all of the lingering Crux goons that happen to still be standing (including the one in front of you), and you think your head is going to explode from the pain of it until it suddenly stops short.

The abrupt halting of Siren’s screech leaves a lingering feeling in your stomach that’s not at all pleasant.

>(1/2)

>>4175558

Whatever Crux members were still up and running are all scattered about the ground.

"Ummm, fishface..." Blink interrupts your train of thought. "I'm not tryin' to be the bearer of bad news or anything… but I think the cops are getting in there." A fizzle and some shouts on the other end of the comm device.

Somehow Matt had reclaimed the communicator, you surmise, and it's fizzling silence for all but ten seconds before he's shouting into it with the utmost urgency.

“Ellie, get out of there!” The tone of his voice leaves no room for argument. “NOW!”

As if on cue, there’s a thundering of footsteps from up above you, and you wonder if it’s for the bomb or for the basement. No matter what, you'd rather not chance dawdling any longer.

You make for the the door, and that’s when you notice the little camera that had been pitched there,. Of course Pharos had been watching this whole time, you think, and, as the dozens of footfalls draw nearer-- filling the endless hallway that separates the basement from the hospital--you think that the Crux leader will be watching the upcoming scene unfold with the utmost pleasure.

>at this point in the situation, what will you do?
>fight through the cops/FutureLabs goons
>attempt to find another escape route
>hide somewhere
>write-in

>>4175583
>attempt to find another escape route
Is blink out of the crux or he just doesn’t hate us ? What a troublesome guy

...something about this whole situation doesn't wash out. I mean, he obviously wants us to take the fall for the whole situation and make us into a public menace ala Spider-Man. And on paper that makes sense. But there's a lot of variables to this. If there's any sense at all in the cops' brains, why would they arrest someone standing around a bunch of KO'd creeps with masks, likely a few of which were seen near Pharos when he made his announcement?

Speaking of cameras, did he hijack the cameras and their recording area? Is there no way to see what actually happened? Are the police just that ultra prejudiced, or are they on the take? Hell, the sheer fact that they're all unconscious ought to make people suspect 'wait, what the hell happened?'

>attempt to find another escape route
We should make our escape semi-public. We're a known quantity among the public, and if word gets out 'hey, there were a bunch of knocked out mutants when we got here' and this one was seen leaving the building, I can't imagine SOMEONE isn't going to go 'hey, that one looks familiar- oh yeah, they actually saved me when I nearly died. They might be okay.'

Iunno. I feel like there's a hole in the logic here somewhere, but I can't spot it.

>>4175583
>attempt to find another escape route

Generators are safe, our job is done

>>4175596

Blink was under orders to keep a lookout for us, but his character's too ADHD to stick to a single task.

There's a reason Pharos hasn't given him any actual fights.

>>4175614

Heck man, your analyses are so thorough you have me thinking about everything I do at every step. I really have to go through each post I make, and man-oh-man it's a brain-workout!

>If there's any sense at all in the cops' brains, why would they arrest someone standing around a bunch of KO'd creeps with masks

Cops are paid to listen to the law. They don't give a crap about supposedly good mutants, so, even if they see evidence of Elise doing good, it's not going to matter because mutants are under the jurisdiction of FutureLabs. And now the cops are getting paid by FutureLabs to sweep up the mutants with no added questions.

Again, remember the scientist with the load of green in his pockets? The guy who's been paying every outlet in Konigsburg to dehumanize the mutants as much as possible. Although he's laying back tonight, he's as much of a player as anyone else.


>Speaking of cameras, did he hijack the cameras and their recording area? Is there no way to see what actually happened?

Pharos' main goal was to kill nonmutants in some shape or form, make a statement. He still thinks Elise and Matt somehow called for the bust-in, and he knows we've been intervening for a while, but his character's such an egomaniac that we're an afterthought. Anything bad that happen to us is honestly a plus for him, but, now that he's mostly rebuilt the Crux, he'd rather see lots of people die rather than just take his anger out on one straggling mutant.

If you're referring to the photo I used, that's merely a stock photo (the lack of good ones on the internet is astonishing). He set up a camera there to keep an eye on things.

As for the video, you can bet that someone with an extra brain cell will see the video eventually and think 'oh crap what have we done' and notice that that was the same mutant who had been dragging people from burning buildings at one point.

>Iunno. I feel like there's a hole in the logic here somewhere, but I can't spot it.

I honestly get so in to writing this that I forget to step back to check what's happening relative to what's already happened. Plus this quest is probably the most fun thing I've done on the internet my whole quarantine.

>>4175810
Yeah, I kinda figured that was the situation, for the most of it. Don't worry, I'm enjoying the hell out of this.

>>4175583
Our best bet is
>attempt to find another escape route
It may be smashing through the basement ceiling (floor) instead of taking the stairs, then mad dashing it to the roof or a non-copped floor to jump to a nearby building
IF WE CAN'T FIND A WAY OUT
AS A LAST RESORT
>shift back from our fish-form into human Elise and pretend to be a hostage
Rad quest dude. Were you here for the shark girl mutant quest in the beachside town? This is vaguely reminiscent of that.

>>4176028

Oh hell yeah I read that and it's probably my favorite, but none of Mutant!Quest is based on that at all.

I had an idea for a fish-girl with superpowers lingering in my head for ages that I wanted to bring to life in some way, whether it be webcomic, quest, or whatever else have you; but the proto-Elise didn't make the cut, because there wasn't really any personality I had for her at the time. I didn't have any other proto-counterparts besides Matt and John, so they were all still there, floating in my mind.

Truth be told, this was going to be just a one-shot, but this has deviated in such an unexpectedly wildly and wonderful way that I'm determined to see it to the end!

>>4176083
Your enthusiasm is admirable and contagious

>>4175583
>attempt to find another escape route
>>4176083
I'm glad you're enjoying this as much as we are.

>>4176028
Link to said quest?

>>4176220

I think it was called beach town beat down or something like that. Just searched the suptg archive and found nothing. Maybe I got the title wrong. QM's name was Sea Breeze if that helps.

>>4176239
>>4176220
Fairly certain the author never archived it since it was meant as a one-shot, but Beach Town Beat Down sounds like the right name
on that note please archive this quest

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>>4176250

The first part's already done. Not forgetting about this part either.

>>4176250

That quest will forever live on in our hearts.

F

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>>4176178
>>4176028
>>4175617
>>4175614
>>4175596

>not sure how well the FBI will take to me googling “hospital blueprints.” Oh well.

A quick scan of the room shows that there’s a small window in the back corner.

You’re not sure where it leads nor do you care, but, right now, it’s your best chance for escape.

Without hesitation, you drive your elbow into it, and the glass gives like a sheet of paper. Although your arm is stinging and dribbling with blood from the glass that managed to break through your scales, the pain you’ll experience now is better than the alternative.

The jagged glass edges scrape you as you slip through, and, as you disappear, you catch a glimpse of some of the many cops that converge into the room en masse. You don’t linger to see what they’ll do; instead, you find yourself where the exhaust units for the ventilation are, and so you leap onto the roof.

Frig, you think, because Matt is a whole hospital-length away, and even though you don’t feel too comfortable leaving him with Blink you definitely can’t go back at the moment.

>(1/?)

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>>4176301

‘THWP—‘ A tranquilizer dart embeds itself into the ground next to you. The high-pitched noise startles you where you stand, and you realize that you’re not the only one on the roof. Several more follow suit, and you find yourself ducking behind one of the roof’s doorways for cover.

“What the frig, Ellie?!” Matt’s voice is a mixture of angry and frightened. “What the hell are you even doing?!” How can Matt even see you? The question baffles you for a brief moment before you remember that he has the binoculars. “Just run! Freaking get out of here and don’t come back for me! !”

Leaving Matt behind is the absolute last thing you want to do— and it takes everything in you not to argue back, to charge back in the opposite direction— but you know Matt’s right.

One last hesitating glance behind you to the building where you know Matt is, back to where the sweeping flashlights edge ever-closer to you, and your legs are pumping once more.

From one rooftop to the next, the only thing you can think of is running. Away from the police, away from the danger, away from Matt—your thundering heartbeat drowns out all else, and you’re moving so fast that everything fades into a blur as your only focus is on your feet against the rooftops and the wind rushing in your face.

There’s more red and blue up ahead. More danger! Your mind supplies, but it fails to register. You charge headlong into it, and, the instant you’re flying over that barrier is the instant that several gunshots sound out from the ground.

A needle so sharp and piercing meets its mark, its metal point sunken into the flesh of your leg.

The pain does not stop you, and you aim yourself for the next highest building you see.

>(2/?)

>>4176402

As you jump, you stumble— right on the leg that got shot— and you end up falling short of the rooftop.

Barely, just barely, do you manage to grasp onto the ledge, hauling your body up slower than you usually think you would.

You’ve just gotten the upper half of your torso over the ledge when another dart sinks itself into your back—and then another, and another, and another follows suit.

One moment you’re hanging for dear life off the edge of the building.

The next, and you’re staring into the starless city sky.

The impact with the pavement leaves you feeling breathless, and you can feel the debris digging into your body along with the tranquilizer darts still lodged beneath your skin.

In what feels like a herculean effort, you try to lift an arm, but it feebly drops back to the ground, limp. Your legs, too, refuse to obey you. Paralyzed. Your muddled brain supplies.

It hurts. And that’s the last thought you can manage to think before your brain refuses to obey you as well.

There are voices now. They’re coming closer to you, and you know very well they’re not Matt’s.

You need to go. You need to run.

But you’re tired.

So, so tired.

>At this point, what do you do?
>Struggle
>Sleep

>>4176472
>Struggle

>>4176472
>Struggle
oh god oh fuck

>>4176472
>Struggle

Yeah, it sucks. We're tired and in a lot of pain. But fucking hell, if we don't, Pharos wins.

And FUCK HIM.

>>4176472
>Struggle
THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION

>>4176494

On the bright side, at least Pharos lost his whole motley crew!

>>4176478
>>4176485
>>4176494
>>4176517

There are shadows standing over you now.

Looming over you with their helmeted faces, one of them leans in to remove the mask from your face— not the one you had from the Crux, but the one you had chosen for yourself.

So many rough hands grab at your body in a way that’s neither gentle nor kind, hauling you up like a ragdoll. You struggle in their grasps for all you’re worth, even when you’re basically tossed onto a stretcher, but all you can manage are faint twitches of the limbs.

You want to scream— and you try—but the most that comes out is a garbled moan. “Hnnnngggggghhhhh—“

“What the— she's moving?!"

"How many freaking darts did you use, man?!”

“Four, five, I dunno--“

“Frick that, can you get another?”

“Nah, they have shit in the van for that…”

By ‘shit in the van,’ they mean more tranquilizers. Stronger tranquilizers.

You hear one of them say something into a walkie-talkie, and you renew your feeble efforts. All the while, your head is throbbing, pounding, hurting. But you come to the realization that the more you struggle, the more your limbs come back to life.

>(1/?)

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>>4177378

The increasing amount of obedience that your limbs give you is what makes you renew your endeavor with increased fervor. A twitch of the finger, a wiggle of the limb, and one of your arms ends up falling over the stretcher, but the men and suits seem to pay it no mind. However, for all your efforts are worth, your body’s response is still not fast enough to produce any kind of results. Still, you refuse to give up. Not now, and not ever.

It’s more of a gut feeling than a general awareness of your surroundings, but you can feel that you’re nearing the end of your deadman’s march. Turning your head to the side, you find that your intuition was indeed correct, as you are able to make out the nondescript vans that are only a short distance away. They are surrounded by yet another gaggle of cops, and, before you can even protest, the calming darkness of the city is replaced with harsh, cold light that stings your sensitive eyes, along with several more men in suits. Unlike the cops outsidewho had been wearing the Konigsburg seal on their uniforms, you notice that the men now standing above you have the ever-familiar logo of FutureLabs adorning each of their shoulders.

>(2/?)

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>>4177471

Your arms and legs are restrained with thick straps that feel like some sort of odd mixture of leather and steel. Again, you push and strain against them with shaky limbs, but nothing comes of it.

Your throat starts to burn as you’re overcome with a feeling of helplessness. Another sharp something is stuck into your arm, and it’s less from the minuscule pain and more from the realization of what has happened that the tears fall of their own volition.

“M-Matt—“ You cry, voice heaving and desperate. He’s shouting now, more distraught than ever, but you can’t make out any of the words through the cloud of fog that only seems to grow thicker with each passing second.

The van doors slam shut behind you like a reverberating knell, and, when that thick fog that you had been fighting no less than two minutes ago returns with a vengeance, this time, you’re powerless to stop it.

>(3/?)

...sooooo this was a useless choice? Hope not. Loathe those.

>>4177502

I thought it would be completely in-character for Elise to at least try.

But I might've been tired then and just wanted to have something out before I slept.

>>4177509
Yeah, my suggestion is to never do that ever EVER. If you can't, then don't force the issue. I've stopped runs dead because I couldn't figure anything out that made sense and decided to just sleep on it. You should never feel like you HAVE to have an update out, and always make sure to make the choices meaningful and offer a divergence in the story. Doesn't have to be a massive one, but it should always be a clear one. SOME result of every choice should be mutually exclusive to every other.

>>4177509
Like >>4177522 said, don’t give an useless choice. You could have made it a difficult roll instead so it would make more sense

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>>4177522
>>4177537

>Yeah, my suggestion is to never do that ever EVER. If you can't, then don't force the issue. I've stopped runs dead because I couldn't figure anything out that made sense and decided to just sleep on it.

That actually sounds better, in retrospect.

I'm also still a budding QM, so I'm trying to work out what works best for what situation (i.e. choice-options vs dice rolls). It's a little hard to get a feel for what is the best set of options to offer to the participants, but I am definitely open to advice from people who have more QM experience than I.

>You should never feel like you HAVE to have an update out, and always make sure to make the choices meaningful and offer a divergence in the story.

I probably will slow down over the coming week for IRL stuff, but that will give me extra time to deliberate on how the upcoming crap will play out. I want to get something out once every day/every other day, if only for the fact that this quest gets me so pumped!

I seriously thought my quest would be shot before we even got to Blink the first time.

You kings have helped me refine my QM abilities a lot. Not even kidding.

>>4177479

You don’t know how much time has passed in-between the time you’d closed your eyes and the now, because it very much feels like your mind is steeped in quicksand and is pulling you down, down, down, down

Which is why it’s hard to tell whether or not you’re actually awake.

Still, you try to blink open your eyes, and you find that they respond, albeit at a snail’s pace. Immediately, your eyes are assaulted with that same too-bright light under which you’d fallen asleep, and you shut them, if only just to get rid of the blinding pain that shoots through your skull. It still makes the insides of your eyelids ache, but, thankfully, the feeling doesn’t last for long, because your body’s moved (floated?) somewhere darker and breezier; and you almost feel relieved at that until the brightness hits your eyes once more.

And it hurts— it hurts for the longest while until your eyes eventually get used to it. With much trepidation, you attempt to open them once more, and a whine comes out of your throat, unbidden.

There are more people, you find. Some of them are in dark suits, while others are in white coats, but they’re all swarming like bees around even more gurneys.

There’s one, however, that stands out above the rest: even though the delirium, you think you recognize the figure standing above yours— the bespectacled one with the clipboard in his hand.

>what do you do?
>call out
>close your eyes— it can’t be
>other

>>4177574
>Look to it while your vision is recovering, you can’t believe it

>>4177574
>close your eyes— it can’t be
hey bro whats up

>>4177574
>close your eyes— it can’t be
At times like this it's better to just go back to sleep

>>4177574
Are we still in fish form?
>>4177584
This

>>4177672

Yes.

>>4177565
S'all good. Happy to help, and I'll try not to get too preachy if it happens again- let me know if any advice I give is getting annoying.

>>4177574
>Call out.
>"Surprise."

>>4177574
>>call out

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>>4177574

So we got 2 vs 2 vs 2 for the vote... notwithstanding the coomer whose post got removed 2 mins ago.

Just for kicks, I'm just going to put the choices in this nifty wheel-thingy I found online.

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>>4177997

And we got us a winner folks!

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>>4178000

On that note:
haha spinny-wheel go brrrrrr

>>4178019
sleep tight

>>4177574
>>4178000
>>4177633
>>4177592

>just in case it wasn’t clear:
>Elise is still in her fish-form
>there’s still a sedative needle in her arm

He’s obviously focused on his work, you think, as he writes something onto his clipboard. He lingers to check something that’s on the other end of the needle still stuck in your arm before turning elsewhere. As his form disappears, your chest coils with something tight that your mind can’t name, if only for the fact that you’re still so exhausted from everything that has happened.

When it becomes apparent that you’re much too tired to process anything else, you let yourself close your eyes, if only to give yourself a reprieve from the blaring lights above you.

(1/?)

>>4178110
oh, I thought you were going to sleep and not the option, silly me

>>4178116

To be fair, you can't really see the options on the wheel that well.

>>4178110

Elsewhere:

A brother comes home to an empty house.

Another works, unawares.

A lost boy no longer has a place to belong.

A king’s castle crumbles before his very eyes.

And a doctor watches on as the pieces of his plans slowly fall into place.

>not sure when I'll be churning the next part out, but this is probably the last one for tonight.

I wanted to also add that sometime in the future, we may or may not see a change in POV if only to give the readers some insight as to what's happening on the outside

It feels like a game over, honestly.

>>4178125
>>4178125
Continuing, I mean, I know it's not. But it feels like all choice is out of our hands for now. They can do A LOT to us now that we have no real say over, and that's distressing in more than one way. 'Do this or we kill you thanks to the bomb we implanted in you/and/or fighting subliminal brainwashing' is always an EXTREMELY risky tightrope to walk in terms of quest setup. Not saying you're going to do that, but again, I'm just running over possibilities that don't involve us just managing to escape. This kinda stuff works a lot better when the audience isn't intended to have control over the character.

>>4178125

No, I just needed to conclude the arc before I start my week.

I honestly want to just sit here and keep writing until odd hours of the night, and I might even do that if the mood suits; but, despite the quarantine, my profs are doubling the workload cause they assume that the whole college will cheat.

Plus, I'm morally obligated to tutor my housemates that are several semesters of math behind me. Wooooooooo.

Can't lose my marbles over a quest that's yet to finish.

>>4178136
>my profs are doubling the workload cause they assume that the whole college will cheat.
sad thing, because you can have good support with the internet and they're neutralizing that

>>4178131

My plan doesn't involve brainwashing thank you for asking.

> But it feels like all choice is out of our hands for now. They can do A LOT to us now that we have no real say over, and that's distressing in more than one way.

You bring up another point that I guess I, a freaking novice to high-heck, forgot-- this is a quest. Give your readers liberty, etc.

>This kinda stuff works a lot better when the audience isn't intended to have control over the character.

Again, I'll chalk it up to QM inexperience, cause I've only been a participant in 99% of the time I've spent here. I keep forgetting this isn't fanfiction or whatnot when I get too into writing it-- and that's where I probably frig it up.

DESU, the more constructive criticism I get, the more I want to write!!! SO STOP GETTING ME FREAKING PUMPED ALREADY!!! I'M GOING TO LOSE ALL MY SHIT!!!111

>>4178142

My only professor that doesn't give a crap is my C++ professor. He just said do what you will with the quizzes and learn how to code.

Everything else is causing me to turn studying into a full-time dayjob.

>>4178110

When you wake up, it is strangely silent.

Given, it takes you a while to gather enough will to pry your eyes open, this time to a comforting sort of darkness. The pressure, too, that seems to encompass you also is no help.

Water, your brain supplies. You’re in a tank, surrounded by it. Taking stock of your surroundings, you realize that the tank is cubical in shape and rather small— just big enough for you to stand up and lie down in but nothing else.

You’re still in fish-form, as your body automatically takes to the form when exposed to water for long enough. Unlike the salty water of the ocean or the fresh and energizing water of the lake that Matt takes you to, this water feels clean— unnaturally so— and, when the memories of last night’s events come crashing back to you, you don’t cry like you think you would.

’Oh,’ is the only thought that comes to mind, because perhaps deep down you knew the risks of what you were doing and were prepared to face the results, if only to prevent lives from being lost. Still, you don’t regret what you did one bit. However, when you think of Matt (alone and unsafe and afraid), that's when the emotion threatens to drown you, but you refuse to cow to it, because you know he wouldn't want you to be sad along with everything else.

Instead, you clear your mind (if only to calm yourself down) and are left staring at the corner of your tank.

Now that the events of the previous night have come back to you, what’s the most important thing on your mind?
>Escape— your brothers are probably worried sick; you need to get out of here ASAP.
>Sustenance— Last night’s fight took a great toll on our body, leaving us a little ravenous.
>Observing— We need not jump the gun after all we did last night. It’s more important to recuperate, even if we are trapped in what’s basically the laboratory-equivalent of jail.

>>4178419
>Sustenance— Last night’s fight took a great toll on our body, leaving us a little ravenous.
Fish need to be fresh again. Also I thought you went to sleep for real this time OP, glad you’re back

>>4178425

I had a burst of inspiration and decided that I needed to go out with a bang before I start the grueling week!

Plus, questing is addicting and fun!

>>4178419
>Sustenance— Last night’s fight took a great toll on our body, leaving us a little ravenous.
I'd prefer to leave after this but some snooping on the way out way out couldn't hurt.

>>4178419
>Sustenance— Last night’s fight took a great toll on our body, leaving us a little ravenous.
We didn't choose the defining quality of our powers to be insatiable hunger for nothing!

>>4178419
>>Sustenance— Last night’s fight took a great toll on our body, leaving us a little ravenous.

I'm not a fan of shifting characters.

>>4178419

This is not exactly the continuation for the day, but a handy-dandy vote.

>>4177522

>1. never force a choice
>2. never force a choice
>3. never force a choice

This reader brought up some excellent points here about the direction the quest has taken, and, with the amount of personal investment I've put in the quest, I refuse to leave you all with a shitty quest. In fact, I will be disgusted if I leave this quest shitty.

>This kinda stuff works a lot better when the audience isn't intended to have control over the character.

To be honest, I got tunnel vision and forgot to let the readers have their say. I even forgot my own plan because I was just having too much of a good time writing it out. Plus, I'm pretty sure advice from seasoned QMs is better than what I know about making a good quest.

And I thought of it in both directions. Even planned for the next long while-- I see better character development, more opportunity for awesome fish girl adventures, and even a paradigm shift for the people of Konigsburg that fits the superhero genre of this story.

Option 2 (where we are now) would not honestly fit the story. It brings the endgame to an inconclusive close and is honestly harder for me to write. And I, your QM, want to keep having fun while writing it.

Not saying that it's taken an impossible direction, because it hasn't. It's just not as "organic" as the direction I think it could take via reader-control, and, to get to the point, I honestly see a better outcome if we were to "redo" it from this post here. >>4176472

What?! You can't just rewind a post!! QUESTS ARE IMMUTABLE. This isn’t how they’re supposed to work. REEEEEE!!!

>Haha post button go brrrrrrrr

In any case, I’m giving you kings back the reigns, because I want everyone to enjoy this quest. And I find it easier to make the story flow when the readers are giving me their input.

Therefore, without any further ado:
>What will you do?

>0 for rewind
>1 for forwards

>>4178425
>>4178445
>>4178489
>>4178990

That chasm in your stomach reminds you that it’s probably been a long while since you’ve eaten, and you've gotten so used to being full that the sensation is foreign to you. But, no, it's not just that. You haven't eaten in a while-- not since the morning before you left to fight the Crux.

For a while, it's the only thing you're able to focus on, because you don't no how long you've been here and the pain from starvation is just getting worse the longer you ruminate on it.

You don't think you're at the point beyond control, but, at this point, anything would probably taste delicious to you. However, you're broken from your thoughts when the tank suddenly begins to drain, you hear the click of a latch, and you're left with your sopping hair hanging limply in your face.

>What do you do?
>wait and see what happens
>jump at the disturbance
>see post above (DO IT)

>>4180078
>0
https://youtu.be/2rnO3fU5Pf8
OP back at it again

>>4180120

Anon you are fekkin hilarious.

I meant this post (>>4176402) in regards to this post (>>4180078).

Just realized I clicked the wrong one. Oops.

>>4180082
>0

>>4180078
Always remember Rule Zero. You are in charge.

That said, at this rate, things haven't progressed too far after the fact, and you made your case very clearly enough that I'll vote

>0

You're a quick study, honestly, and it's great to be part of this quest. Being new, it's fine to make a few missteps so long as they're learned from.

As an aside, I will say this- if you DO want to make a quest where the options may not necessarily line up with what the players might expect (or at least what you think they expect) that's ENTIRELY POSSIBLE AND FINE. The trick, however, is to 'train' your players to expect that. Namely, within the first thread- the first few choices, ideally- you'll have them make decisions and then take them in a different direction than expected, so that the players understand from the get-go what kind of quest you're running. Those 'I have no clue where this is going' styles of quests CAN be very gripping and tense- but they absolutely need to be warned of before you really get going in them.

okay right done.

>>4180341
>>4180314
>>4180120

>it’s rewind time, so I’ll be leaving this here for the night...[/spoilers]

‘THWP—‘ A tranquilizer dart embeds itself into the ground next to you. The high-pitched noise startles you where you stand, and you realize that you’re not the only one on the roof. Several more follow suit, and you find yourself ducking behind one of the roof’s doorways for cover.

“What the frig, Ellie?!” Matt’s voice is a mixture of angry and frightened. “What the hell are you even doing?!” How can Matt even see you? The question baffles you for a brief moment before you remember that he has the binoculars. “Just run! Freaking get out of here and don’t come back for me! !”

Leaving Matt behind is the absolute last thing you want to do— and it takes everything in you not to argue back, to charge back in the opposite direction— but you know Matt’s right.

One last hesitating glance behind you to the building where you know Matt is, back to where the sweeping flashlights edge ever-closer to you, and your legs are pumping once more.

From one rooftop to the next, the only thing you can think of is running. Away from the police, away from the danger, away from Matt—your thundering heartbeat drowns out all else, and you’re moving so fast that everything fades into a blur as your only focus is on your feet against the rooftops and the wind rushing in your face.

There’s more red and blue up ahead. More danger! Your mind supplies, but it fails to register. You charge headlong into it, and, the instant you’re flying over that barrier is the instant that several gunshots sound out from the ground.

A needle so sharp and piercing meets its mark, its metal point sunken into the flesh of your leg.

The pain does not stop you, and you aim yourself for the next highest building you see.

>roll d100 to jump

>>4180366

Oh shit that was embarrassing.

Clean version incoming...

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>>4180368

‘THWP—‘ A tranquilizer dart embeds itself into the ground next to you. The high-pitched noise startles you where you stand, and you realize that you’re not the only one on the roof. Several more follow suit, and you find yourself ducking behind one of the roof’s doorways for cover.

“What the frig, Ellie?!” Matt’s voice is a mixture of angry and frightened. “What the hell are you even doing?!” How can Matt even see you? The question baffles you for a brief moment before you remember that he has the binoculars. “Just run! Freaking get out of here and don’t come back for me! !”

Leaving Matt behind is the absolute last thing you want to do— and it takes everything in you not to argue back, to charge back in the opposite direction— but you know Matt’s right.

One last hesitating glance behind you to the building where you know Matt is, back to where the sweeping flashlights edge ever-closer to you, and your legs are pumping once more.

From one rooftop to the next, the only thing you can think of is running. Away from the police, away from the danger, away from Matt—your thundering heartbeat drowns out all else, and you’re moving so fast that everything fades into a blur as your only focus is on your feet against the rooftops and the wind rushing in your face.

There’s more red and blue up ahead. More danger! Your mind supplies, but it fails to register. You charge headlong into it, and, the instant you’re flying over that barrier is the instant that several gunshots sound out from the ground.

A needle so sharp and piercing meets its mark, its metal point sunken into the flesh of your leg.

The pain does not stop you, and you aim yourself for the next highest building you see.

>roll d100 to jump

Rolled 21 (1d100)

>>4180370
Right, trying this again.

Late night, though. I'll check back in tomorrow. Here's hoping.

Rolled 61 (1d100)

>>4180370

Rolled 53 (1d100)

>>4180370
>roll d100 to jump
She leep

>>4180420
>>4180424
>>4180396

Barely, just barely does your arm manage to catch the ledge of the opposite building, scrabbling up and over it before another two darts shatter the glass where you were once hanging.

Although not inhibiting you completely, your right leg is starting to drag behind you, and it slows you down quite a bit. The police will be hard-pressed to reach you from down there, so you count yourself lucky, as that could’ve ended a whole lot worse.

In fact, the tranquilizer doesn’t seem to be affecting you like it did Matt at the warehouses, as the feeling in your leg is slowly coming back the longer you wait upon the roof, but it’s not as fast as you would like.

This is probably the safest point for the next few-hundred yards, so you know you can’t afford to dawdle. More police will be here soon enough, all armed to the teeth.

However, from this point until quite a distance from here, all of the buildings only seem to get lower, making you an easier shot for the police.

With this in mind, what will you do?

>roll d100 to keep running
>wait out the dart's effects

>>4181004
>Wait out the dart's effects

We're gonna get tagged if we run with a dead leg

>>4181004
>wait out the dart's effects
Have we pulled out the dart yet?

>>4181004
>wait out the dart's effects
Healing factor is a bitch, also take the dart from our leg

>>4181056
>>4181065
>>4181102

Because you’d been so focused on running, you had completely forgotten to pull out the dart, and so you immediately do this once you’ve realized your mistake.

It takes quite a bit until your footsteps are steady enough that you’re ready to get moving once more, and, now that you’re more focused on your surroundings, you can just see the shadow of trees in the distance, which means that you’re not too far from Castle Park— a park that had been modeled off of New York City’s Central Park, although it’s only a third of it’s size.

It’s also a straight road, and you think it’s your best bet for escape— losing them in the thick of the trees— if not for the fact that the police seem to be interspersed for half of the way there

You have to run, regardless, so that is what you decide to do.

>roll d100 to run
>we gettin’ outta here!!

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>4181348
Escaaape. Speaking of New York, shame the sewers aren't NY sewers. We might be able to Ninja Turtles it.

Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>4181348

>>4181355
sewers are gross bro

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>4181348
Fish is fresh and back to action

>>4181348
>roll d100 to run
Yee haw

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>4181373
Am I rarted?
Also is this best of 3

>>4181375

No, I consider our best roll the "winning roll."

also I screw up dice rolls all the time

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>>4181355

Sewers, you say?!

Now that's something my sleep-deprived brain had yet to think of...

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>4181348

>>4181355
>>4181359
>>4181372
>>4181375

Off the building and back onto another, you’re off like the crack of a whip.

Matt’s voice has long since gone out of range, but you’re sure he’s fine. You’ll see him when you get home, you think.

With each step forwards, you can see the trees getting closer and closer— a sign that you’re almost home free! However, the closer you get to Castle Park, the lower the buildings get, revealing a detail that you were not quite privy to from the relative safety of your high-building perch.

Waiting at the edge of the park are several more police cars and one black van— not as bad as what it was like by the hospital, but you suppose that any mutant that was in your shoes would probably have the same idea.

Since you ended up noticing this detail a tad too late, you topple over the edge of the building you were just atop of and onto the roof of the police car parked aside it.

Yet more broken glass sinks into the flesh of your scales as you tumble onto the asphalt— that’s going to be a bitch to get out later, you think for lack of better words— but you’re back on your feet in an instant.

>As you hear the shouts and the opening car doors, you turn over several options in your mind. Therefore, what do you do?

>sprint to the manhole heh.
>chance the park
>fight the cops
>write-in

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>>4181536

I did not notice this until I refreshed...

>tfw

>>4181549

>roll d100

Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>4181549

>chance the park

Flip the police car first with our mutie strength

Rolled 32 (1d100)

>>4181555
Don't stress over it. Is what it be.

>>4181549
Manhole was a better idea when they weren't sure of our location. Now it's more dicey of a proposition since they could try to smoke us out, if not just bite the bullet and follow flat out. Less room to maneuver, too.

That said...they probably wouldn't expect us to double back if they're trying to follow us.

>Drop into the sewers, run a bit aways, see if they follow you directly. If they do, just haul ass and hopefully lose them in the maze. If not, wait for a minute, double back and resume travel on street level. Keep them guessing.

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>4181549.
>>4181570
+1

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>4181549
>>4181570
+1

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>>4181629
>>4181582
>>4181570

For a split second, you considered the manhole before you, because it’s a straight shot down to the sewers. The way down, unfortunately, has no place for cover; so, if you were to go down there right now, there would be no chance for cover whatsoever.

Jumping backwards onto the building you fell off of, you turn tail in the direction from where you came. You don’t look behind you, even when you think you can hear the revving of an engine or the siren of the police cars.

Once you get somewhere where there’s more high buildings again, you take another turn, and another, and then another— as many criss-crossing turns as it takes until the red and blue lights are out of sight.

You hadn’t even realized that the police were long gone until you finally stopped running, the current building you’re on now being a stone’s toss from the entrance to your safety.

When you land, a few nearby onlookers point at the seemingly random person that happened to fall from the sky-- you even hear their whispers about your more outlandish features that aren't quite hidden well enough-- but you don’t care as you tear off the iron cover without hesitation, climbing down just far enough that you can grab the cover and replace it. Then down, down, down you go-- to safety and freedom!

(1/2)

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>>4181769

It takes a while of navigating the tunnels, but eventually you find one that leads directly into the bay. Once in the water, you take stock of where you are relative to some of Konigsburg’s more prominent landmarks and mentally store the location of this place away for later.

You’ll have quite the story for Matt, you think, as you swim in the direction of home.

You shift back once you meet the rocky shore that borders the street before your neighborhood and tumble through the door with all of the grace of a drunkard.

Much to your surprise, Matt’s not home, which worries you just a little, but you reassure yourself that he’s fine.

04:19 A.M. is what the clock reads.

But you refuse to go to sleep— not when Matt’s not home yet.

Nonetheless, as you wait for him, you busy yourself by cleaning the blood off of yourself and tweezing shards of broken glass out of your limbs. The glass cleaning is a little difficult due to your healing factor, but you think that the extra time you’re using will definitely keep you awake. You’ve almost finished your arms when a jiggle of the doorknob sounds from the other room.

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding as Matt walks through the doorway, absolutely haggard.He falls onto the couch next to you, pulling one of the blankets on the backside over his form. Once all the glass is out of your arms, it finally hits you— just how exhausted you also are— and follow suit, letting the peaceful unconsciousness overtake you.

>I’m going to continue this maybe later tonight or tomorrow; I’ve been shirking a bit today!
>also frick yeah we did it!!!

>>4181822
Waiting for you senpai

>>4181822

The following morning, the news is buzzing. Absolutely buzzing.

Bomb stopped. Mutants captured. Perpetrator still at large.

Mostly, it’s talk about how effective the police were in neutralizing the threat, how FutureLabs will need additional funds to expand its facilities in order contain all the mutants, and the fact that nobody knows where Pharos is; for the most part, it’s what you expected.

Matt doesn’t seem to be quite as interested as you are in watching the aftermath as you are. In fact, his eyes are pointedly looking at anything but the news.

You would think he’d be a little happier that the Crux was defeated, but, given the fact that you nearly got caught by the cops, last night was probably as mentally stressful for him as it was for you.

Then the news moves onto the electric room, which piques your interest.

“—Another mutant was seen fleeing the electrical room at approximately eleven-thirty P.M. and managed to escape—“ The screen then flashes from footage of the hospital to what seems to be a very grainy shot of yourself on the hospital rooftop.

Mutant features: Scales

Sex: Female

Age: 18-24

“—If anyone has information on this mutant, call this toll free number at XXX-XXX-XXXX—“

Your brother leaves the room before the sentence can even finish.

Now you’re finding his behavior strange, and you think you should address it; but, at the same time, you find it a good idea to let him be.

>what will you do?
>Leave him be. Matt’s probably stressed from everything.
>Check on him. Ask him what’s wrong.

>>4182452
>Check on him. Ask him what’s wrong.
first there was Blink picking on him and now this

>>4182452
>>Check on him. Ask him what’s wrong.

>"Being entirely honest, last night went better than I expected. How're you holding up?"

>>4182452
>>Check on him. Ask him what’s wrong.

>>4182452

>Leave him be. Matt’s probably stressed from everything.

inb4 he's selling us out for the bounty money

>>4182452
>>Leave him be. Matt’s probably stressed from everything.

>>4183041

why does Matt need policebux when he can just steal John's credit card again?

>>4182757
>>4182638
>>4182616

You find Matt in the kitchen, and he doesn’t look happy. Not one bit.

Against your better judgement of leaving him alone, you feel that you should ask him how he’s faring in light of the recent events, which is what you end up doing.

Matt admits that he’s pissed, even though he expected this to happen: your existence was plastered on television and you are officially known to the authorities.

Even though he doesn’t seem to think so, you think that the night went better than expected: you stopped the Crux, saved the patients at the hospital, and the two of you managed to escape with minimal injury. Aside from almost getting caught by the cops and having Blink show up on Matt’s end, you think the last night was an overall success, so why would Matt have any reason to be upset?

“You almost got caught, Ellie.” Matt points out rather bluntly, to which you are quite indignant. Of course they shot you once, but it wasn’t like you couldn’t recover from it.

Judging by how wide Matt’s eyes suddenly are, that… was clearly the wrong thing to tell him. A change of topic would suffice, you think, so you decide on asking him how he got away from Blink.

Matt admits that he had ruffed Blink up quite a bit before proceeding to throw him off of the building— several times in fact. The catlike smirk on Matt’s face is absolutely contagious— and a welcome change from his prior demeanor— because the image of your brother throwing Blink off of a really high building is pretty hilarious. Matt had even stuck a tracker on him before he left for good, so, if Blink starts causing anymore trouble, the two of you can go after him easily.

(That is, when things cool down for the most part.)

He seems to be a bit loosened up, you think. Not completely better, as you feel that there was more to his attitude than was on the surface, but, for the most part, he’s way more at ease than he was at the beginning of this conversation. Whatever else Matt has to say, he’ll do so in his own time.

(1/2)

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>>4184709

During the course of the next week or two, Konigsburg slowly forgets about the attack on Kastan Hospital.

You’ve kept inside to rest and recuperate in the meanwhile, and Matt is who-knows-where. Probably in his room.

John’s home too, as he’s taken to the kitchen to peruse over the various stacks of paper that he brought along from the workplace. You had all-but-forgotten the argument you’d had with him that while ago, because you know he genuinely cares for you and Matt.

So far, he’s asked the normal questions like, “Have you thought of what classes are you taking next semester?” And “How’s your time at the gym going?” All of which you had nodded replied the standard answers.

He seems in a better mood than usual, too. Perhaps something good happened at work.

Right now, you’re making coffee for Matt and John, and, although you’re unable to drink it, you’ll take faint sips for the sake of appearances. The machine burbles to life, and the smell of your former-favorite drink fills the air, which is when John rises from his seat with his stack of papers and makes for the other room.

When you set the coffee cups onto the table, you notice that John had left behind some of his papers.

>Particle Resonance and Mutants: A Case Study

>Calculations for Experiment #102-34-XXXX

>FutureLabs Guidelines for Handling—

That last one was covered by one of the other sheets of paper, but nonetheless your curiosity is piqued.
As your arm moves on its own volition, the papers are in your hand before you can think better of yourself.

However, leaving them there on the table was a temptation that was too strong to bear. Your not sure how much time you have to read them before John comes back for his coffee, but you don’t think he’d be too happy if you thought you were rifling through his work papers.

>With this in mind, what do you do?

>Read (write-in)
>Go and give it back to him— it wouldn’t do to be a snoop

>>4184720
>>Read (write-in)

>>4184720
The in-character response is probably to give them back.

The response I WANT to say is 'read the one page to get an idea of what they're doing because it's been obvious since day 1 he's working for the bad guys and I want to kick this subplot into high gear already.'

Decisions, decisions...

Fuck it.

>Read the one page with the guidelines on it and make sure to keep them all in order.

>>4184727
>>4184720
Changeing to this.
>>Read the one page with the guidelines on it and make sure to keep them all in order.

>>4184727
+1

>>4184727
+1
We know FutureLabs is taking the mutants
But we don't know what happens to them

>>4184762
>>4184756
>>4184730
>>4184727

>FutureLabs Guidelines for Handling Mutant Specimens:

Since you don’t think you’ll have enough time to go through them all, this is the set of papers you choose— a large, paper-clipped bundle that is still as tempting as it was not even two seconds ago. And so you sit down and begin to read.

Mutants: A Quick Overview:

Mutants are comprised of lifeforms with an appearance or ability that is very much deviated from the base of which their species are derived. Some mutations are obvious, while others are not.

Although mutants walk, talk, and act like the majority of their species, they are rarely so. Their abilities are often beyond their control, and their minds have warped as much as their bodies, making them a danger to the general population.

That is why it is the duty of FutureLabs to contain them and use their bodies for the betterment of mankind.

It is also up to you, the staff member, to follow these guidelines as closely as possible so as to ensure the safety of yourself and the other staff members.

Decontamination:

Staff members are to decontaminate themselves before and after the handling of specimens. Decontamination chambers are located in room 204-A—

The stuff about decontamination is kind of boring, so you skim over that. You skim over the next pages too, because they only talk about the preparation of the workstation rather than the mutants themselves.

Nonetheless, you continue to what is perhaps the most eye-catching section you've seen thus yet.

Experimental Protocol:

Unless otherwise necessary, subjects are to be bound at all times. This includes the limbs, torso, and oftentimes the mouth. Use standard Ferro-Flex bindings at all times. Remember that during this time it is perfectly safe to proceed with experimentation if the subject is to remain conscious.

If the subject is unconscious and is able to overcome sedatives during any experimental process, staff members are encouraged to make use of the numerous sedatives on hand.

In the case that subject escapes the Ferro-Flex bindings, it is vital that you leave the testing room and press the red button at the side of the door. This will administer a sedation gas that will quickly affect the subject after which you may return them to their confinement at once.

Ask your superior for the codes to these buttons.

231, is what’s written at the side of the page in John’s neat handwriting, and you find that amusing for some odd reason or another.

(1/2)

>>4185934

However, that amusement is entirely squashed when your eyes meet the header of the next section of the page.

Disposal of specimens:

In the case that the subject unexpectedly deceases during any experimental process—

No. Your heart leaps into your throat. Nonononono—

—disposal may be completed at room 054.

Aurum Impulsum:

Do not get on clothes or skin, and dispose of contaminated items in incineration bins that are located throughout the facilities.

The rest of the section is blacked out for some reason or another, but you don’t care. Not one bit.

Not as your mind is currently reeling with the new information you’d found— no! It’s what you had refused to acknowledge the whole time: that John was working for… for killers.

Faintly, you wonder if he knows this, and, even if he doesn’t, you don’t think you can ever tell John. Not after what you just read, you think, as you slip the papers back into the positions that they were previously set. Not now, and not ever.
The Crux was an extreme in one direction; with an obvious directive, their hatred for nonmutants was evident. FutureLabs, on the other hand, is more akin to a slow-acting poison; working in the background against them this whole time through the police, the legislation, and the media in order to abduct them and use their bodies for an innumerable amount of cruel and unusual things.

You feel sharp teeth biting the inside of your cheek and the blossoming of scales on skin, and it takes the tattoo of footsteps against the tile to startle you back into awareness. You mentally grasp for your control back, but it’s like a thread of silk on the wind.

You haven’t lost control like this since before Matt found out, and, the harder you reach for it, the further it dances from your hold.

>What do you do?
>roll d100 to calm down; stay in the room keep pretending everything’s fine
>get out of the room, go find Matt.
>get out of the room; go outside for a walk/swim/etc.

>>4185955
>get out of the room; go outside for a walk/swim/etc.

eat some fish

>Aurum Impulsum

'Gold' something. Impulsum sounds like Impulse, which means 'to act'. Gold Standard, maybe? Might be some kind of chemical.

>>4185955

>>4185986, but write a note first and stay near the house. 'Early morning walk. Back in 15.' or something.

>>4185955
>get out of the room; go outside for a walk/swim/etc.

OKAY. So I still say we need to form a mutant cooperation or some sort of defense society. The X-Men to the Crux's Brotherhood. The question is how, though. Any decent mutant has probably gone to ground.

>>4185955
>Confront John, his company is fucking killing people

>>4185955
>get out of the room, go find Matt.

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>>4186000
>>4185986
>>4186001

You’re out of the room before you can even meet the eyes of your brother— the one you would rather not look at at the moment.

You need to get out of here. Somewhere. Anywhere that’s not inside right now.

Beforehand, you scribble out a note, so that way someone will at least know where you went.

Then you’re off into a jog, which then becomes a run, until you’re in a full-on sprint. The part of the neighborhood that edges the water is more-or-less-empty, where the only visible people are just an old couple is sitting on one of the benches by the townhouses and another teen that just seems to be minding his own business.

You clamber onto the rockier part of the seaside that is far away from potential witnesses, the crashing of the waves against the rocks a beckon to your being; and so you dive, letting the cool water encompass you.

You let yourself sink further down until you feel the gills along your neck come to life. Once the transformation sets, you swim as far as you can out into the sea until the sight the townhouses are just a speck on the water. Then you dive deep, as you can feel the schools of fish flitting about the open water, and you let that secondary, maw-like part of your brain take over.

(1/2)

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>>4186547

Your tastebuds positively sing at the texture of flesh and scale. One fish after another, until they’re all reduced to nothing but bones, you take to the pursuit of your meal with an almost-orgiastic frenzy. And it doesn’t even register how violent you had been towards your own meal until your gills are heaving and your eyes are burning from tears that you’re unable to shed.

This is when you find yourself floating in the nothingness expanse of the ocean with absolutely no clue how you’ll tell Matt this, or if you even want to—

No, you reprimand yourself. He is your brother and has been helping you from the start. You’re certain that Matt will support you until the end.

Then your mind flits to the subject of the other mutants, the ones trapped and afraid and hurt— the ones like FastBall and Caesar and Jewel and even the ones that you don’t know. Yes, a good portion of the higher-Crux members were legitimate criminals, and they deserve to pay for their crimes. However, at FutureLabs, those mutants are no longer members of society, but expendable tools to be broken and discarded.

Eventually, after bobbing aimlessly in the open water, you find yourself ready to go back home, which is a return journey that doesn’t take too long. You’re careful as you get out of the water, keeping an eye out for any people or vans that may be there. Although it may look weird walking home with a sopping shirt, you're glad you had half a mind to wear an athletic shirt, so it dries rather quickly.

You have absolutely no clue on how you’ll take this on, because you and Matt are just two people. Plus, what can two people do against what is unarguably the east coast’s largest scientific facility?

Well, you think, if you took on the Crux and won, maybe there’s some sliver of a fighting chance for you after all.

You’re going to tell Matt when you get home, that much is for certain. But, for problems like these, you definitely need some sort of starting point.

>First thing’s first, what do you want to do?
>Brainstorm ways to get the message out about/to other mutants.
>Keep fighting on the streets, hone your fighting abilities more.
>Train and test the limits of your powers.
>write-in

>>4186550
>>Brainstorm ways to get the message out about/to other mutants.

Just said it, so. Let's do this. We just said part of the problem is 'what can two people do'? Well, probably a decent bit...but having friends never hurt.

>>4186550
>Train and test the limits of your powers.
Let's see how much we can pack before contacting others

>>4186550
>Train and test the limits of your powers.
More power? MORE POWER!

Why not train WITH other people? Use it as proof of camaraderie? A way where people can learn, grow, and support each other together in a positive manner.

>>4186550
>Brainstorm ways to get the message out about/to other mutants,

>>4186550
>Brainstorm ways to expose FutureLabs inhumane acts to the press and world.

>>4186550
>>Brainstorm ways to expose FutureLabs inhumane acts to the press and world.

>>4187813
>>4187381
>>4186639
>>4186562

It takes a whole two days, but you wait until John is gone to tell Matt the truth.

Matt looks disturbed, and rightly so, with the look on his face getting worse the longer he reads the pamphlet that you had stolen from John’s room not long after he had left. When Matt finishes reading, it takes a while of him staring up at nothing until he finally, finally says something.

“They’re killing people.” That pretty much summarizes everything in that pamphlet.

Matt seems much calmer about it than you were, except the look in his eyes is still distraught. Then he admits to you that he was thinking about asking you about telling John right after the hospital fight. You’re not surprised that Matt would consider that in light of the danger you had put yourself in that night. At least now he knows and agrees with you that telling John would likely be akin to a death sentence.

FutureLabs is another beast that Matt seems to know how to approach as well as you, but, like you, he’s stubborn to a fault and refuses to let the monolith of a company carry on like this.

So you and Matt sit there in the solitude of the apartment, shooting ideas off of each other that you can use to get the message out about FutureLabs. Calling the officials or police, for one, are a definite no. Social media would need to be done carefully on any computer that is not yours nor Matt’s and far, far away from your neighborhood. However, it’s not guaranteed that the stuff you post will actually stay there, as most of the stuff on social media quickly gets wiped.

As well as exposing FutureLab’s wrongdoings, you wish you could reach out to other mutants, but you have a feeling that the majority of them are in hiding after what the Crux did. FutureLabs basically made it nigh-impossible for mutants to organize.

But then, one thought comes to your mind, and your mind comes alight as you feel the workings of a plan click together. “The police scanners!” You suddenly blurt, Matt startling in his seat. “There’s one for mutants specifically!” MutantWatch is the name of it, you recall, and, as a part of the police’s anti-mutant OPSEC page, the station is both online and radio-accessible.

At the very least, if you can’t organize with the mutants, you and Matt can very well stop FutureLabs from getting additional test subjects.

(1/2)

not sure if I'll be able to get the next part out tonight. Kind of tired and have lots of school due this weekend

>>4188625
>Kind of tired and have lots of school due this weekend
That's alright OP take as much time as you need

>>4188625

The following day, you purchase a radio that is small enough to carry around. Then you and Matt take to the streets for what feels like the first time in ages, equipped with the rattiest hoodies the two of you can find.

You follow the reports to wherever they’ll take you. Most of the time, the two of you find nothing and are just stuck scoping out the reported areas for any kinds of unusual activity. The other times that you do manage to find something or someone, the police aren’t far behind— a young child emanating multicolored lights from his body, a businessman whose joints kept falling from his body, and an older woman with plant powers that had been trying to root herself into the ground at Castle Park, among several others, you manage to stop FutureLabs from claiming them all.

Sure, they’re all grateful for what you do, but none of them ever stick around afterwards, or even want to, because they’re all too afraid. Too afraid of the police, of being seen, and even you at times after you do something particularly bold. Despite this, you’re sure to tell each mutant about the dangers of being caught, and you think they will be scared straight enough to listen.

(1/?)

>>4192285

The next report takes you to one of the neighborhoods that is way more upscale than your own. With its polished streets and stone-carved architecture, you think it’s quite a nice place to live.

You didn’t take Matt with you this time, as he had wanted to stay home to watch the Konigsburg Kaisers play the New York Yankees. This time, you’re seated on one of the roofs of what's probably a two-century old building, although you wish you could be on the ground if only to appreciate the neighborhood’s beauty.

As the high-rise buildings of the more busy districts gave you a clear advantage mobility-wise, you also feel a bit uncomfortable being so low to the ground— to the point that you keep turning around every once in a while to make sure there isn’t someone watching from overhead. Nonetheless, you keep your vigil over the posh city street, keen eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary.

So early in the evening, there are still kids outside and enjoying the playground that’s nestled between the rows of apartments.

Two young boys are clambered on a jungle gym, their mother not too far away. On the swings, there is a little girl, her light-blonde hair bobbing wildly with every swing; you find it odd that a little girl her age is on the playground alone so late in evening, but then you spot the well-dressed woman with similar hair sitting serenely on the nearby bench.

A shriek of laughter from the girl on the swings, and you feel the hairs on your neck prickle, because that’s when you see the sparks, emanating from the body of the girl— and you remember that you had seen this little girl once before. Her mother starts from her seat, eyes suddenly wide, and the girl has stopped swinging. That’s when you see the black van hidden just out of sight.

A flicker of motion in its window, and you think that the cops are going to come from that direction, when the sound of a compressed shot sounds off from behind you.

A body falls to the ground, but it isn't the little girl. Instead, it is the mother who falls to the ground, who had rushed to grab her daughter the second the sparks started. Though she tries to fight the sedative, her body eventually succumbs to it, the little girl terrified and confused all the while.

With the mother out for the count, you are now responsible for not one person, but two people. At any second, more cops will come upon them.

>Therefore, what do you do?
>roll d100
>grab the girl and run
>attack the cops
>try to grab both the mother and daughter
>write-in

Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>4192326
>grab the girl and run
the woman is not a mutant so she will be safe

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>4192326
>Grab the girl and run.

I want to try and save the mother, but that's a bit of a tall order. I'm not as confident as >>4192359
that she'll be spared- likely, she'll be either arrested and placed into custody, or outright taken to FutureLabs for inspection to see if she carries the gene.

Rolled 81 (1d100)

>>4192374
Mutants are caused by FutureLabs's particle accelerator exploding, remember?
All the same, we should nab both of them.

>>4192326
>try to grab both the mother and daughter
If I'm outvoted I'll support grabbing just the girl though

>>4192388
Oh yeah, you're right. Still. Hm. I'm tempted to change, but I'm not sure.

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>4192326
>attack the cops

Fuck the police

>>4192326

>>4192388
Fuuuck it, changing to this from >>4192374. If nothing else, we can fireman's carry the woman, and hopefully the little girl can run quick enough. If not, may have to lift her, too. Good thing we have super strength. We'll be stuck on the streets, though... Might be able to try the sewer trick again.

File: sophie.png (53 KB, 803x552)

53 KB PNG

>>4192423
>>4192388
>>4192374
>>4192359

>Hope you all had a Happy Easter, kings!

You land by the swings the moment you hear the car doors open, grabbing the girl by the arms and jumping right onto the next building. You get far enough away so that you can no longer see the van or the playground, out of there before the cops can even think to shoot you. Now that you’ve stopped running, she’s kicking and screaming in your hold, crying for her mother, and her body is glowing more fiercely than it was before.

Sophie was her name, you remember, and, as you recall the first time you met her, she had wanted the glowing to stop.

“Ssshhhhh…” You begin in an attempt to calm her down, because you don’t know what her power does, and, even if you wanted to know, it’s more important that you calm her down right now. Still keeping her in her grasp, you attempt to placate her with whatever soothing words John would use on you as a toddler coupled with promises to retrieve her mother, and it ends up working after a while.

Even though her face is disconcerted, she’s no longer glowing, so you think she’ll be fine for now.

As for the mother…

You left her there in the park, alone with those cops.

You hope you didn’t spend too much time here calming Sophie that it’s too late for her mother, lest they already arrested her, but there's no way you will have such a young child go home without a mother tonight.

“Can you do me a favor, Sophie?” You ask. Her hazel eyes are blown wide due to the fact that you had seemingly guessed her name (you had met her the first time as your regular self). She nods. “I am going to find your mother. If you sit here and don’t move, I promise that I will bring her back safe and sound." Then you add for reassurance. "Plus, you're safe here, because nobody can find you on this high building.”

She still doesn't look like she is one-hundred percent believing you, so you decide to add something else with the aim to drive the point home.

“Think of it like a game..." You trail off, taking a second to think of a game that kids of all ages love. "...like a game of hide-and-seek…” The mention of the game makes Sophie’s face even more serious, but nonetheless she gives another affirmative nod.

Looking back one last time to make sure she didn’t move, you give her a final wave before leaping back in the direction of the playground.

(1/?)

>>4192943

Scanning the spot by the swings, you notice that the spot where Sophie’s mother laid is no longer occupied, and your heart makes a leap into your throat. However, the van is still there, and you let out a huff of relief.

There are only two cops still on the playground, their heads turning wildly in search of something— probably you or Sophie— although you know that there are more just out of sight. Meanwhile, there is another cop out cold not too far from them, and you’re stuck wondering what that means until a burst of light from above one of the cop’s head has your attention. The cop falls to the ground with a pained ‘oof’, getting back to his feet in an instant, and there’s another burst of light from the building above the van before it retreats to one of the trees lining the playground.

Through the darkness, you can see the newcomer clearly, and you’re suddenly overcome by a seething anger due to the fact that you know this person, and you know this person well. The glowing green eyes are a dead giveaway.

Out of all of the times for one of the former Crux members to show their faces, this is probably the worst time to do so, as you still have Sophie waiting on the rooftop and an unconscious mother who you have yet to find.

However, unlike all of the other times you’d seen him— with a wild, carefree grin plastered across his face— the look on Blink’s face is furious— murderous even.

>Now, with the sudden appearance of Blink,
>what do you do?

>roll d100
>take out all the cops before doing anything else
>attack Blink
>forget the cops and Blink; search for the mother

Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>4192965
Hmmmmmm. Blink isn't exactly after us, but he's being a dumbass in two ways: one, he might well spook the van into bailing earlier than we want. Two, he's going to bring more heat down here if he keeps his asshattery up. I get why he's mad, we are, too. But he's seeing red and not really helping as much as he might think he is.

I saaay...use him as a distraction, and then:

>forget the cops and Blink; search for the mother

>>4193011
>>4193017
>>4193023
It's funny because you made it worse.

>>4193024
And yeah, I didn't roll great either, but I'll at least own it.

>>4193024
Why did you link the 3 votes ? I get it with the last 2 but why the first was well ?

>>4192965
>When OP miscounts the votes
1st choice:
>rendevous with Blink
I think the best course of action is to get him to nab the mother and teleport her a short distance (because of his power limit) to us, where we can transport her to a safe location. Then he can carry on with what he's doing, or if he's trying to save the mother then he'll have done that and he can fuck off before they get him.
2nd choice:
>forget the cops and Blink; search for the mother

>>4193139
how he miscounted, and also roll my dude

Rolled 13 (1d100)

>>4193142
>>4193139
I keep forgetting to roll AAAA
By my count it was 2 for grab both, 1 for grab girl, and 1 for attack the cops because >>4192374 switched from grab girl to grab both (see >>4192423 )

>>4193147
*not that I'm actually upset with the way things went and I don't think OP should go back and change anything

Rolled 91 (1d100)

>>4192965
>forget the cops and Blink; search for the mother

>>4193157
>>4193157
That's your fourth roll. I get wanting to succeed, but stop trying to game the system.

Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>4192965
>forget the cops and Blink; search for the mother

>>4192965
>search for the mother

>>4193428
Roll as well

>>4193436
There are already over 3 rolls

>>4193011
rolled 21
>>4193024
rolled 16
>>4193147
rolled 13

Not great but it is what it is

>>4193139

I didn’t miscount—the majority was up for grabbing the girl and not the mother.

>>4192388
>>4192423
>>4192374
>>4192359

I think it was four votes to whatever else. Plus, the top roll was to grab the girl.

>>4193558

>redundant explanation
>Tfw rarted

>>4193304
>>4193147
>>4193024

You don’t have time to wonder what Blink is even doing here, and, as much as you would like to punch him through the nearest wall, there are more important matters at hand, such as Sophie’s mother.

Pushing any violent thoughts towards the other teen out of your mind for the time being, you jettison off the side of the building, the impact of your landing causing russet mulch to shoot up all around you, and you make towards the van.

However, due to the fact that their primary target was lost, it appears that the cops more or less expected someone to come back for the mother— be it you or Blink— and so there are two more positioned nearby the vehicle.

Speaking of Blink, he is relentless in his attacks, if they could even be called that. The teleporter doesn’t seem to be very good at hand-to-hand combat, he has the element of speed and surprise. For the brief moments that he lands, Blink's feet barely touch the ground, and when they do his steps are uneven and staggering.

You think he’s going to be the unwitting distraction and make this easier for you, and you see the trunk in your sights. You think you’re almost home-free.

That is, until you see a flurry of whitish-yellow lights heading towards the playground at high speeds. Dread wells in your stomach as they coalesce into something vaguely human-shaped, and there’s a final flash of light before a little girl is left in its place.

Without thinking, you sprint back towards the girl— wide-eyed and frightened at the commotion she’d returned to— but not before Blink intervenes, his body blocking your path.

As he regards you, he doesn't seem to recognize you in the night. Then you remember that not all humans are as capable of seeing through the dark like you.

“I dunno who you are and what you’re doing here.” Blink’s eyes are blazing, and now that you are closer to him you notice that he’s favoring one leg over the other. “But I dare you, hoodface. Just try to touch the little girl.”

Unless he was trying to rebuild the Crux, you don’t understand why Blink would need the little girl. He doesn’t seem like he’ll give up, and as much as you would like to attack him and have it over with, it already seems like he’s pretty beat up, whether it’s from whatever he did now or a past injury.

Still, if he’s after the girl for the reasons you think, you won’t hesitate to strike.

>With the cops still afoot and a furious Blink before you, what do you do?

>Ask him why he’s after the little girl
>Take off your hood first! Then try reasoning. He’ll probably be more willing to reason if he sees a familiar face
>Forget formalities and attack him
>write-in

>>4194641
>Ask him why he’s after the little girl

>>4194641
also, why didn't use this >>4193157 roll ?

>>4194641
>"We can talk about it later, but I'm trying to keep them FROM these creeps, okay? How do you think she got up there- SAFE- in the first place!?"

>>4194641
>write-in
"That's fishface to you, Blink. I'm trying to save her and her mom from FutureLabs. You gonna help or get in my way?"

>>4194685

Our avg sucked. And I usually don't run it by averages, but this was a special case of suck.

>>4194722
>>4194720
>>4194682

Taking off your hood might be a good conversation starter before you try anything else, and, at the sight of your very distinctive features, Blink… actually looks thankful that it’s you as opposed to anyone else.

“Fishface, what are you doin’ here?” Like a switch, Blink’s demeanor does a complete flip, but he still doesn’t seem willing to budge. “You know, for a second, I almost thought you were a bad guy or somethin’…” The irony of that statement is not lost on you. “What are you tryin’ to do here with the little miss, anyhow?”

“I was going to ask the same thing.” You say, arms crossed. “I’m trying to keep her safe from FutureLabs, but she doesn't have a very good handle over her powers.” Said girl is currently confused at the confrontation but isn’t running. “What about you? Are you trying to rebuild the Crux with kids or something?”

“Nah.” Even from behind the bandana he has covering his mouth, you can tell that the mention of the Crux causes Blink’s face to twist, the airiness in his voice seemingly forced. “Little kids don’t listen to anybody, not even to frickin’ Pharos.”

That’s actually quite a relief for you, and then you remember why you’re back on the ground in the first place. “They have her mother too-- I think she’s in the trunk.”

“Wait what?!” His bright green eyes seem to bug out of his skull at the statement.

“You were watching them, weren’t you?”

“NO! I tried to follow you after you took Soph— I mean, the girl. I thought the lady was on the ground the whole time.”

You hear more sirens in the distance, and, while retrieval of the mother’s not impossible, it will definitely be difficult— not because you aren’t strong enough, but simply due to the fact that carrying two people is somewhat tricky due to their bulk.

Even with Blink’s apparent injury, you think there’s an obvious merit to having a teleporter around. He seems to be willing to hear what you have to say now that he knows who you are and that you’re trying to help.

“Blink?”You ask, the words falling from your lips before you can stop yourself. “How would you feel about helping me out?”

You have two plans in mind, and you think they will definitely work if he agrees.

>Which of the plans seems like the best option?

>roll d100
>Blink retrieves the mother, while you carry Sophie away
>Blink to retrieves Sophie, while you retrieve the mother

Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>4194969
>Blink retrieves the mother, while you carry Sophie away

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>4194969
With every post, my suspicion grows that Blink is Sophie's older brother. In this post, I suspect that Blink found out the nature of Pharos's power, and was thus freed from his mesmerization.
>Blink retrieves the mother, while you carry Sophie away

Rolled 30 (1d100)

>>4194969
>Blink to retrieves Sophie, while you retrieve the mother

Just in case they aren't related it might not be a good idea to put a normie hater in charge of rescuing a normie.

Rolled 46 (1d100)

>>4194969
>Blink retrieves the mother, while you carry Sophie away

Sophie knows us, not him (as far as we know), and we can't blink people. So we carry the kid because she's lighter and with super strengh we can move easier with he, while he convinces the lady that we're (Kelpie) taking care of Sophie and that he's with us.

>>4195124
>>4194985
>>4194978

Blink looks shocked that you had asked him that, but the more you explain to him your plan the more he seems willing to cooperate.

You will carry Sophie off, he will teleport the mother to safety, and then the two of you will meet up on a higher-up building a distance away. Even though you find it slightly strange that he doesn’t mind saving a nonmutant, you would rather not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Once you double-check that the two of you agree on the same rendezvous point, Blink is off in a flash of green light, leaving you and Sophie for the time being.

The second Blink is gone, you realize just how many more cops gathered in the street, not just the ones equipped with the tranquilizers but actual cops. Apparently, you and Blink had caused enough ruckus in the posh neighborhood that the actual cops had been alerted to your presence.

Which is why— when you hear the sound of a distinctly non-tranquilizer gun— you scramble for Sophie, who lets you pick you up without question. “Hold on.” The light-haired girl doesn’t need any further prompting, her arms squeezing around your neck as hard as they can.

It’s jarring— the difference between a tranquilizer and a real gunshot— and, in your dash for height, you can’t tell which kind of bullets are coming from where. Bullets and darts alike still follow you as you clear the playground, and your arm becomes alight with fire as one of the projectiles grazes your arm. Having been through much worse, the pain is not enough to stop you, and soon the cops become nothing but specks in the distance.

>(1/?)

>>4195459

When you reach the rendezvous point, Blink is sitting beside the unconscious woman, his sweatshirt used as a makeshift pillow for her head. There's obvious concern in his eyes for whatever reason. When he finally notices the two of you, he springs upwards, but he doesn't move from where he stands.

“Hey, what took you guys so long?” He asks, his voice back to that same carefree tone that it’s always been. When his eyes trail to the red stain on your arm, his smile falters a bit, and looks a bit chastised. “Oh.”

Then he asks. ”You gonna be okay there Ellie—”

“Kelpie!” You all but shout. “It’s Kelpie!”

A gasp from beside you, and, when you look down at Sophie, there’s something akin to wonder in her eyes. “You’re Kelpie?!”

“Yeah.” You confirm with a nod. “I am.”

"Wait you changed your name?" Blink's comment is ignored, and, although your first reflex was to punch him for that slip-of-the-tongue, you don’t because of Sophie’s presence. Then you remember that Matt had accidentally used your nickname in a panic back when you had fought the Crux.

Well, there’s nothing you can do about it, and it’s not like Blink knows where you live, right?

Speaking of Sophie, the little girl has decided to bombard you with all manner of questions about your powers and how cool they are, Blink watching the one-sided conversation with mirth in his eyes.

You and Blink keep vigil over the well-dressed woman until she finally starts to stir, and, the instant she comes to, the other teen is gone.

It's strange that Blink would leave without getting a thank you, but you don't think much on it, because you're busy explaining to the woman what happened and how she got here. Although she didn't expect to ever meet you again, she takes your features and recounting of events in stride.

After making sure they can get down from the building they are on and that they get somewhere safe for the night, you send Matt a text and make your way back home.

Just when you’re about to reach your neighborhood, you hear a set of uneven, shuffling feet from behind you, and you think it’s a drunkard or something until you see the set of glowing eyes.

“Hey fishface.” Blink greets you with a wave. He doesn't look like he wants to fight, and it's not like he could beat you with a limp anyways.

>Still, he's too close to your home for it to be remotely comfortable, and you're still wary about him for being a former Crux member; so what do you do?

>See what he wants.
>Threaten him into leaving
>Ask him what he's doing here
>write-in

>>4195524
>Thank him for helping a nonmutant and then tell him he and the rest of his free Crux buddies better stay away from that girl. You're not about to let them draw her into their terrorist cult.

>>4195548
Going with this

>>4195524
>See what he wants.
Despite being a (former) Crux member, I've never actually disliked Blink and I think that he's actually been kinder to us than he had to be. During the attack on the hospital, he wasn't particularly antagonistic, and didn't hurt us or Matt. He was just mildly annoying. Even at that, he still warned us to get out of the building when the cops arrived.

>>4195524
>>See what he wants.

>>4195563
Agreed. He did us a solid back then, sooo...we'll at least hear him out. No rejoining, though.

>>4195524
>>See what he wants.

>>4196181
>>4195576
>>4195563
>>4195558
>>4195548

Since Blink helped you a great deal, you’re pretty hard-pressed to turn him away right now. You suppose it wouldn’t hurt to see what he wants, and you feel as if you should thank him for helping rescue Sophie’s mother.

“I know that the Crux doesn’t like nonmutants, but that was a really good thing you did back there.” You finally speak, because that was a pretty big deal, and you have had yet to find any other mutants who would do the same.

“Eh, it was nothin’ really. Teleporting is like—“ He pauses as he struggles to find the right word. “—like blinking!” And Blink ends up laughing at his own joke. “You did most of the work anyhow. Plus the little miss couldn’t go home without her momma.” You nod at that, before a question of your own comes to the forefront of your mind.

“You’re not here to ask me to rejoin the Crux, are you?” Blink looks slightly affronted at the inquiry, but his smile doesn’t falter.

“Why would I? They’re all gone now.” And he says it like he’s talking about the weather. “Now that I remember, I was actually here for somethin’ else...” He scratches the back of his head. “It’s kinda stupid.”

He takes your silence as a cue for him to keep talking.

“I think just wanted to say that it was pretty neat how you put yourself in danger like that.” And it looks like Blink’s trying to work up the courage to say something else too. Whatever it is, he seems to have a hard time trying to put his thoughts into words, so you think it must be something important to him.

That is why you patiently wait until Blink is ready to speak once more, and the following words are ones that you wouldn’t have ever expected to come from his mouth.

“I kind of wanted to know if you could teach me how to do that hero stuff.”

>Sure, but ask him why.
>You're going to have to (earn trust/prove self somehow/etc.)
>No, because (write-in)

>>4196231
>"Wow. Wasn't expecting that." Clap him on the shoulder. "But, you've been full of surprises. Probably should get use to that if I'm gonna be tutoring you. Won't be easy, though, I'm warning you! You're gonna have to earn more than a few people's trust, first. My trust in you is in a...reasonable place, but my brother's another story, and that's just for a start."

>"If you can find us a decently sized hideaway- maybe something for sheltering other mutants that might need it, though, that'd help."

I REFUSE TO LET MY DREAMS STAY DREAMS.

>>4196237
+1
now the story begins

>>4196237
+1
What all does he know about our powers?

>>4196254
>>4196242
>>4196237

“Hero?” You splutter, just to make sure you’re hearing him right, because that was probably the last thing you thought you would hear from Blink’s mouth.

He nods fervently.

“But I’m warning you, it’s not going to be easy.” You say matter-of-factly. “That’s why if you’re sure you want to do this, you’re going to have to train— a lot. And you’re going to have to learn to fight too.”

“Like with karate and stuff?” You nod, and his eyes positively glow. Though you have to explain to him that you had to train several months before you found yourself fighting competently, Blink doesn’t seem off-put in the least.

You also tell him that Matt will be helping out too, as he is more versed in the ways of physical fitness.

“Aw, not stickface!” Blink, of course, protests. “He broke my leg. Look!” He lifts up his pant leg to show off a makeshift splint that you hadn’t noticed up until this point, and you feel a twinge of sympathy at that. “I think it’ll be better in a week anyhow, so I’ll probably just camp out on a roof or somethin’ until I’m better.” He says, green eyes scanning the rooftops above. “Once I fall asleep though, it doesn’t really matter— cause when I’m out, I’m really out.”

There’s an awkward silence, and, for a while, there’s nothing but the faraway city noises and the sound of ocean against rock to fill the dark, but there’s one last thing on your mind that you have to say before you take Blink under your tutelage. “To be honest, I still don’t trust you completely. Not after you brought Bludgeon and I to the Crux.” You tell him, and he wilts at the first part of the statement.

“But I think that everyone’s powers have the potential to do good, and, if you want to keep doing good, I will help you.”

Blink looks like he’s contemplating something, and you’re not sure what it is until he speaks up again. “Tell you what? Since I know your name, I think it’s only fair that you know mine.” Blink holds out a hand. “The name’s Bernard.”

He holds out a hand for a handshake, and, when you complete the gesture, you don’t expect the “OW! OW! OW!” That comes from the other teen. Whoops. You hadn’t even realized how much strength you were using.

With a meet-up agreement for the following weekend, you head home for the night. Matt is in the living room when you walk through the door, a little tired from waiting around for you. Immediately you recount to him the events of the night, from the rescuing of Sophie and her mother, to the unexpected help you had received, and, finally, the shocking request you had gotten from the former Crux member. Like you initially were, Matt is skeptical about Blink’s change of heart, but the other teen really seemed genuine about the whole thing.

>(1/2)