Flight 265 [IC] - Issue 1 - Awakenings

[drawingfreak]

Robert Harrison

As everyone readied themselves to hear the explanation, Robert decided to see if he could turn the new wings on and off.

[Green Bean]

Nathan James

Nathan knew at this point, the only thing that could save him would be honesty. He took a moment to marshal his thoughts, then began to speak.

"Two and a half years ago, some men just like the ones who attacked you approached me with a job. I had to fly to Boston, pick up a briefcase, and deliver it to Los Angeles. I don't know what was inside it, but it was obviously important to them. For some reason, it didn't make it off the plane when you guys unloaded it, so they figured I got scared and dumped it. So they tried to set me up for murder, so they could...ask me more about it in jail."

Nathan blew out a sigh. This confession was almost cathartic.

[The_New_Guy]

Arthur's face suddenly became very grim and serious as Nathan confessed to him - to all the survivors in this little group really. He took a deep breath, and then let it out as a long cool stream of air before speaking again. It was a lot to take in, really. He was dealing well with the presence of gifted individuals - and by gifted he meant people who seemed for the most part, to have abilities that were more or less impossible. But this just compounded matters. It made things more difficult.

"Mr. James..." he finally said "...I am going to act as though I didn't hear what you just confessed to - for the time being. Right now, for your safety, and the safety of the others, I'm going to have to move you. And everyone here. There is a hotel about a half an hour from here that we sometimes use for this kind of thing. We can - will, post an armed guard at the front desk. Three armed guards in fact. I don't want a repeat of what happened downstairs. Do not doubt that there will be a reckoning for what you have done - if I take your meaning correctly, and I'm sure I do, then you may find yourself in fairly deep trouble."

For the first time he glanced at the hole in the window. He had heard just about everyone repeat the story of Daniel throwing someone through it, but it was the first time he had bothered to look - out the window, and to the broken window across the street. "As for your new..." he paused, struggling for a word "...abilities - I do not know. And we'll leave it at that. I do not know. If I were you I would keep them hidden for now - god only knows what it means, but you certainly don't want that much attention unless you want people shooting at you again."

He nodded as the flaming "feathers" of Robert's wings started to moult, vanishing before they hit the ground and leaving nothing behind. The sword and shield faded too - consumed by gouts of that same flame. "Hiding those... err... appendages is a good idea Mr. Harrison. I believe I could explain away Mr. Horton's strength or Ms. Reynold's healing. But flaming wings - that'd be tough. No one is going to know where you are going - not even any other agents. Just myself. It's unorthodox, but if there's a leak somewhere, I'm the only person I can trust. Even your guards will be in the dark. I'll get a van brought by. You get your things - quickly."

[Kesnit]

Eric McMahon

Eric sighed softly. He'd been hoping things could settle down. Then he laughed to himself. Settle down? he thought. Not likely!

He went to his room to gather his things.

[ChronicLunacy]

Daniel Horton

"Whatever you say, Andrews, just as long as this little incident doesn't keep me from seeing my wife -er...ex-wife when she gets here..." Daniel said as he went to go get his things from his room. He hadn't unpacked so it was as simple as just wheeling it all back out. He really hoped they wouldn't try to keep them underground and run a million tests and keep him from his family now that they knew that there was something...odd about the passengers. Nothing but nothing was going to keep him from seeing Rachel. Afterward they could run all the tests they wanted but he needed to see her...especially after all this.

Well, he was definitely a stronger man than he'd been before, he chuckled to himself. Now if he could just keep from sweeping her off her feet the minute she walked in, that would be something. God, he hoped she didn't bring her fiancee with her... It was strange how being shot at paled in comparison to the issues of his wife. He could beat assassins around all day long if it meant going home to see Rachel at the end of the day. Still...would she even want him now? He was so scatterbrained about all of it he just didn't know where to keep his thoughts. One thing at a time, Daniel...one thing at a time.

[Green Bean]

Despite his despair Nathan almost chuckled at the agent's threat.

"There'll be a reckoning? Is it the kind of reckoning where you shoot a bunch of people to frame me for murder? Because that's what it would take to faze me at this point. I'll go get my things."

Nathan walks into his room, and grabs his overnight bag.

[drawingfreak]

Robert Harrison

After gathering his things, Robert stands off to the side and practices activating and deactivating his new ability. If he was going to have to conceal it, he was going to have to learn how it worked.

"Oh man, if only Katie could see this."

[The_New_Guy]

Agent Andrews shook his head in reply to Nathan's joke. "It's not a joking matter Mr. James. What you've done could be construed as treasonous. Consequently, ignoring your confession is also an act of treason. Fortunately for both of us, the NSA allows its agents some leeway in terms of such things, so I am able to act towards what I believe to be right."

"As to your ex-wife, Mr. Horton..." he said, turning his head to address the businessman "...I promise you I will do what I can."

---

The group got their things assembled quickly, as Robert practiced bringing his wings, sword and shield to life, and then dismissing them. The sword and shield seemed to be simple enough -they just appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Only the wings seemed to behave differently - when he summoned them they flared to light in a gout of flame, and when he dismissed them they faded away by moulting flaming feathers.

"I wish you'd stop doing that..." said Andrews as the young man was surrounded in flame for the umpteenth time.

---

The car ride, for the most part, was pretty boring. Arthur Andrews drove, pistol in his lap the entire trip. He didn't allow music to be played - he needed to concentrate on the road. Just in case.

The Van didn't have standard seats - it was certainly not like the van the survivors had rode together to the Robson Arms in. Only the pilot and co-pilot seats remained - the rest of the seats had been torn out, to make room for more passengers. There was a seatbelt for everyone (and then some), but comfort was an option that wasn't included here. Lawrence and Ann sat together in a corner, Ann cuddled up close to her fiancee and still very teary eyed. Lawrence, for his part, tried to comfort her, but part of him was still in shock from having taken the bullet.

Arthur Andrews invited Eric to take the co-pilots seat. Though the agent didn't say much once they left the building, he did explain this - Eric was ex-Navy, and knew how to use firearms. If it came to it, Arthur had a shotgun across his lap along with the pistol, that would become Eric's arms if there was trouble.

Things went surprisingly smooth (given how the day was already beginning to turn out), until they hit morning traffic. It was a fact of life, but it didn't make Arthur any less agitated. Each of the cars could be carrying an attack. After ten minutes of stop and go, the cause of the traffic became clear - a massive accident, about seven cars ahead of the van. There were three - no five cars involved. And it looked pretty bad.

"Keep your eyes peeled..." said Arthur, his first words in about five minutes

[Green Bean]

Nathan kept his eyes peeled for anyone who looked suspicious. While he knew it was unlikely, there was a chance they'd use one of the men who had contacted him the first time.

[Kesnit]

Eric McMahon

Eric did everything he could to keep his heart rate under control. He knew from experience that he was a much better shot when calm and controlled. He kept turning his head, watching the cars. He knew traffic on the Beltway was always a nightmare during rush hour. Accidents happen all the time. It doesn't mean anything, he kept telling himself. It could be a normal, rush-hour crash. Despite constant reminders, he keep looking back at the crash, hoping he spotted anything suspicious while he could still act. Maryland State Police... They would be at a crash this bad, and could help if a gunfight breaks out. I'd rather not get involved with the police, but it would beat getting killed! He looked around to find where the cop cars were located.

Spoiler

Show

I'm assuming we are still in MD. If not, change Eric's thoughts to "Virginia State Police."

[ChronicLunacy]

Daniel Horton

Daniel made his way up towards the front so he could put his head in between the shoulders of the Agent and Eric in their seats. He felt a little silly saying it, but he had to say something about it just to clear the air. He made sure to raise his voice enough so that the others in the back could hear him as well. "If there's an accident, maybe we can help." Daniel said, raising an eyebrow at Andrews. "I mean, we've got these powers for a reason, right? I could probably lift those cars off of each other if I had to, and now that we know about Anne she might be able to save someone's life out there. They could be dying for all we know. Shouldn't we at least go and see?" He shrugged, uncomfortable inside the cramped van. "I realize it could be a trap, but what if we could have done something and didn't? I don't think I'd feel right..."

[Green Bean]

Nathan looked away from the window, toward Daniel.

"Look, even if it wasn't a trap, helping would cause more problems than it solves. If you go and toss around some cars, or Ann goes out there and pulls another Lazarus, the NSA would have to stick everyone in this town in custody to keep them from talking, because the alternative would be to let the world find out. And trust me when I say that it would not be a good thing. I mean, bringing people back to life? That's something countries would fight wars over."

((Incidentally, CL, is that a typo, or am I secretly possessing you? )

[ChronicLunacy]

Daniel Horton

Spoiler

Show

Whoops, typo sorry. My last M&M character was named Nathan. Typed it without thinking.

"Hey, that's an easy thing to say but if you were faced with revealing your powers and letting someone die what would you do? I'd hope you were a good enough person to do something about it instead of sitting all safe in the van and taking care of your own skin." Daniel frowned. "I'm sure the fire department has everything under control, but what damage could it do to just have a look? Keeping all this to myself to save the NSA some paperwork just doesn't seem right to me. I mean, has anyone wondered why we are the way we are now? Couldn't it be for some higher purpose? Don't tell me you never read comic books when you were a kid." Daniel smiled. "Besides...it might be fun."

[drawingfreak]

Robert Harrison

"Or maybe you could...oh I don't know, fake it?" He shrugged as he spoke. "I mean, adrenaline can give people a small boost of strength, right? Just act like your having a difficult time with it. And you..." He looked to Ann. "...just do what you can before someone official sees."

[Kesnit]

Eric McMahon

Eric turns and grins at Robert. And how are you going to hide the wings, sword, and shield?

[The_New_Guy]

Lights flash up ahead - there are several service cars at the accident, including two Maryland State Troopers, a fire truck and a couple ambulances. As you inch closer the scene comes more into focus. Suffice it to say that traffic is barely moving.

Andrews grimaced at the suggestion that the survivors go to the victims of the car accident. "I won't tell you what to do and what not to do. Given everything that has happened, I'd think you'd want to be more careful. But there's people in those cars too - real people. If you can help - well, let your own moral compasses guide you. I'll keep an eye out from here."

"I..." added Ann, her voice taut - nerves and emotions still keeping her on the edge "...I think we should help. I don't know how I did what I did back there in the suite, but...." Her voice trailed off.

Lawrence nodded "If Ann's in, then I'm in."

[drawingfreak]

Robert Harrison

"I'm going to try my best not to 'Flame on'. If we're attacked though, no promises. Other than that, I'm just another guy."

[ChronicLunacy]

Daniel Horton

"Alright," Daniel grinned at the others who had said they were going to help. "Let's go see if there's anything we can do then. The rest of you can stay here if you want. Keep your eyes peeled for more people trying to kill us." Then he reached over and pulled open the van's side door.

Hopping out, Daniel tried to get a handle on the situation by jumping up onto the roof of another car. There was some smoke, but if he could identify where they were needed most he might be able to get things done quickly. He looked for cars with people trapped in them, cars the emergency services couldn't get to due to fire or other cars in the way, anywhere they might be of more use than a firefighter.

[Kesnit]

Eric McMahon

Eric sighed, but felt guilty staying in the van while the others went to help. He hopped out after Ann, Daniel, and Robert.

[The_New_Guy]

OOC: Eric didn't have a pistol. He was riding shotgun. And Arthur kept the shotgun - Eric was just going to have to take it if there was a gunfight.

[Green Bean]

Nathan James

Nathan just leaned back in his seat. Stupid acts of heroism aside, sticking his head out in the open at this point would just get people killed. He continued looking for recognizable faces, or anything suspicious. Hopefully, if anything happened, he'd be able to shout a warning.

[The_New_Guy]

Daniel, Robert, Eric, Ann and Lawrence file out of the fan rather quickly, while Nathan and Jackson elected to remain behind....

Outside the Van
Swiftly exiting the car, Daniel leaped from the ground to the trunk, and from the trunk to the top of a nearby car in two swift, fluid - almost effortless - leaps. The extra height afforded him a better view of the crash scene up ahead, but it didn't do much to lower his profile.

"Hey..." came a voice from the driver's window below "...get the hell off the top of my car!"

Inside the Car
"At least you two are more pragmatic..." added Arthur as the others left "...there's a time and place for heroism, but not when your life is in danger" He kept a tight grip on his pistol, and a watchful eye on the road - literally groaning when he saw Daniel leap to the top of a nearby car. "So much for being inconspicuous."

[Kesnit]

Eric McMahon

Eric pauses once he is out of the car and looks around in an attempt to figure out something he can do to help. He jogs to the front of the pile-up, keeping an eye out for anything strange.

[ChronicLunacy]

Daniel Horton

"It looks pretty bad." he told the others from the car roof, ignoring the protests of the driver. "Could any of you do something about the fire?" he asked, wondering whether or not fire shields and such were a clue to other fire-type powers.

Daniel hopped off the car and jogged towards the wreck with Eric. He'd seen one car on fire, someone trapped inside. It looked to be the most immediate danger so he figured he'd start there. Sidestepping the firefighters and other rescue workers, he attempted to make his way around to the other side of the car without being detected. He wondered how his new body would hold up to fire. If he could get close enough to open the car door he could pull the guy out to safety. He tested his resilience by reaching out and attempting to grab the frame of the shattered window where he could get the best grip on it. If it burned him, he obviously wasn't going to just sit there and let his hand fry, however.

[Kesnit]

Eric McMahon

Eric followed Daniel to the burning car, thinking that if the other man pulled a Superman-stunt, his presence could act as a cover to observers. (OOC: In other words, it would look like Eric and Daniel worked together in the act of super-human strength.)

Remembering the way the flame on the stove had acted, Eric reached out his hand towards the flames, thinking he could pull them away from the car's occupant.

[The_New_Guy]

Both Daniel and Eric managed to escape the immediate notice of any of the emergency workers - the fire fighters were too busy fighting fires, the paramedics too busy with their injured parties and the state trooper too busy directing traffic to notice that two people of dubious mental health (well - in the minds of the anyone who lacked the knowledge of their super-powers anyways) had quickly covered the distance between their black van and the car wrecks.

Ann and Lawrence held back - not quite as daring as Daniel and Eric, yet ready to jump in if there was a need. Not that they were sure exactly what they would do.

Daniel easily pulled away the door, his apparent resilience to harm protecting him from the intense heat of the flames, and his physical strength more than enough to rip a badly damaged car door away. It was about then that the firemen noticed the pair, and one of the team took off to get to the state trooper.

Those left behind in the car heard a string of curses come from the mouth of their guardian agent.

However, Eric was perhaps the more interesting case of the two. Focusing his mind on the fire, he easily pulled it away from the unconscious victim - if one could consider what he did pulling (it was more like directing). However as he pulled it the flames made a beeline to Eric himself. It all happened quickly - even Daniel didn't have time to get out of the way (not that he actually needed to get out of the way). Suddenly the flames touched Eric, and he exploded - upwards thankfully, and not outwards, but about 100 meters into the air - to the simultaneous gasp of everyone who could see (except perhaps the survivors and the agents, who might in fact be bored with such weirdness by now). When the conflagration died down about two seconds later, Eric was no longer standing as he had been before. Instead, burning slightly above the ground, was a being wrapped in fire, his very flesh dancing embers of fire.

[ChronicLunacy]

Daniel Horton

"Uh...sh*t!" Daniel said as he watched Eric start with the fireworks. "Dude, you're on fire! Stop it!" he tried weakly, actually waving his hands a bit as if to shoo the flames that wrapped around Eric away. "Okay..we're going to get caught..." he sighed as he went back to the rescue.

"Hello, sir. You okay?" he added with his best professional smile at the guy trapped inside the no longer burning (?) car. He noticed that part of his shirt was on fire and hurriedly slapped it out before having the grace to look sheepish. "If you can move, I can get you out of there." he reassured the man as he took another look at the way the victim was situated. He was pretty sure he could push the dash back and just let the guy climb out.

[drawingfreak]

Robert Harrison

"Whoa." Robert had paused at the awesome sight of this real life 'Human Torch'. When he final realized that he was just wasting time, he turned to the crowds. "Stop staring and start helping the wounded!" He yelled. "These people are need our help NOW! You can ask for autographs and pictures later!" He turned around and continued to 'Ground Zero' to see what he could do to help.

[The_New_Guy]

(OOC: Sorry for the delay - was waiting for Kesnit to post a reply)

On the Street
The newly flaming Eric McMahon stood stock still, stunned by his sudden transformation into - well, what appeared to be living fire. Most of the crowds were stunned too, though a few had grabbed their cell-phones and started viedo taping the spectacle. Even the state trooper looked on slack-jawed, and the firemen ignored the fact that, for the most part, the fire in the car had gone out.

Of course for the survivors, having seen angel wings, miraculous healing and a bullet deflected by Daniel's forehead, this was all mundane. Daniel, in the cap helping the trapped victim, found the man non-responsive to his questions. He was not, as others were, in awe of the mighty display of strength, nor flaming man outside the door, but merely unconscious, knocked out by a stiff blow to the forehead by the steering column of his now wrecked vehicle. He was also pinned down pretty firmly by said steering column, not that it would be hard for Daniel to move it away.

However, all this provided a pretty good distraction - and so Ann took Lawrence's hand, and both vanished from where they were standing...

Inside the Car
Agent Andrews was apoplectic. It was one thing for Daniel to play hero, to rip a car door from its hinges. That could explained away. But Eric's fire trick was not mundane. It was not even logical. It made about as much sense as Robert's flaming wings.

The worst of it was the lack of an exit. Even if they managed to get back to the car without questions, it would be a few minutes before traffic started moving. More probably, given the fact that everyone would probably be busy trying to find the guy who had burst into flames. Things were spiraling out of control at an alarming rate.

Then Lawrence and Ann vanished. That was the last straw. Holstering his pistol and laying the shotgun on the floor of the Van beside him he jumped out of the car and strode quickly to where the State Trooper was standing. He passed close enough to the car, to call out to Daniel, Eric and Robert as he passed. "As soon as you're done, get in the van. No mugging for the crowd. We have to move." He didn't wait for a reply.

The State Trooper snapped out of his slack-jawed trance as Arthur approached, and his hand went to his gun rather quickly. Arthur was ready for him though, and had his own pistol out much more quickly, along with his NSA badge. "Put the gun away. Now..." he said, his voice carrying a steely authority. The state trooper hesitated, then caught the look in the Agent's eyes and quickly relented. In response Arthur put his own gun away, and finished closing the distance between him and the trooper, speaking to him in a significantly more calm and quiet voice.

[Kesnit]

(OOC: Sorry about not posting. I was trying to figure out how to react. Was going to post this morning...)

Eric froze in shock as his body caught fire. Realizing he was making a specticle of himself, he dropped to the ground and rolled as if trying to put out the flames.

He heard Arthur's order and tried to think how to respond. If he got up, it would be obvious that he was not in fact burning alive. In a desperate attempt to maintain their cover, Eric gave an inhuman scream and kept rolling.