"Just as with baselines there aren't any easy solutions there. Will rehab work? Maybe, that probably depends on the individual. Incarceration? Only if you can find a way to suppress their powers - probably by rendering them unconscious and keeping them that way. Many of us simply cannot be imprisoned if we're able to use our powers - so that's probably not the best solution in the long run."



"Nova nation? Hey - that's kinda catchy. I suspect that the governments of the world are going to attempt to pretty swiftly regulate novas if they haven't already - and I know many have. Would it be more appropriate for us to regulate ourselves?" He shruged, throwing out ideas, "So - here we go - say I'm accused of some crime - doesn't really matter what for the moment - and I get a jury trial. Must the jury be composed only of novas? I don't want to sound like I'm really full of myself or anything, but its hard for me to seriously say that most baselines could be reasonably acknowledged as my peers."

"The problem with creating a nova nation is that it sounds waaay to similar to those nuts who want to establish a white nation, or a black nation, or a purple nation.  Also, pretty much every inch of soil on this planet has been spoken for by at least one government.  The only place that could conceivably be used would be the antarctic, and god knows people don't live there for a very good reason.  Unless someone were to somehow create a new island...  But that leads us back to the racist philosophy of us and them, and are baselines allowed on Nova Nation soil? Can they vote?  Do they have rights?"

"Well, it depends on the crime, but I'd go so far as to say lobotomy of the M-R Node for the truly horrible criminals. As for hunting them down, that is what T2M is here for, in part. We are the world's police when it comes to the big stuff. But you raise a good point in incarceration problems, Gravitas. I guess this will push the limits of technology in our immediate future. Hmmm... This gives me ideas."

"Now, you've raised an interesting point about Nova on Baseline crime, Phantasm. I can see this being raised in the future, as more and more Nova bigots will Erupt. Well, I say to them, the Baselines make us. All Novas will be former Baselines. Baseline desires and dreams form our powers. How is victimizing them excusable? It is ridiculous and hubris at its worst."



"Perhaps."



"Oh, I don't know. I've seen a lot of stupid Novas, some of them with astronomical IQ's, that I wouldn't want judging me, but I have some issues with the court systems as is I am trying to reconcile."



"Oh, I agree. But if there are Novas who can't stand Baselines, I would love to offer them their own stomping group rather than forcing them to mingle with the fragile Baselines. I'm looking at a 'Nova Nation,' huh, that is catchy, Gravita, to act as a 'pressure valve' of sorts, to let Novas who don't want to mingle get away and do their thing.

"I'm also interested in it as an experimental populace to the controlled Baseline/Nova one, but that's me and my mad social science side talking."



"The Island of Dr. Zero! Mu-wha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Sorry. The fan boy in me couldn't resist. And I'd staunchly go for Baseline rights. I'm not sure about the particulars, yet, but that is why this conversation between all of us is so healthy. I do have some ideas I am working on to achieve this goal, but I'd like to polish it up a bit before babbling about it."

"But, this idea of separatism isn't all that sinister. After all, aren't we engaging in it right now? Here we are, in our little club house, taking a breather from the Baseline fans, and discussing the days events. I feel this is healthy."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:24, Tue 09 June 2009.

Dillon frowned, his eyes on Sparkle and the Olympian down on the dance floor.  "I dunno ... I thought I was avoiding another Nova."

"Now that's just stupid Zero." Sam is getting noticably angry. "This just a small gathering. The type of scale we're talking about is much larger, and far more sinister as you put it." He folds his arms in a huff, and mutters under his breath "I'm sure the KKK thought their little gatherings were healthy as well."

"To be fair, there are reasons for some separation.  I mean, support groups, medical care, even legal issues, when dealing with us all need to be looked at from our perspective or it isn't really fair to anyone, us or them.  But especially us.

But creating our own nations?  Separating ourselves so that we stop interacting?  That's not where I want to go.  I know we turned into something more, you can't ignore what we can do, but... There has to be some better way, doesn't there?"

"A Nova nation doesn't necessarily mean that we carve out a island for ourselves somewhere and set up our own country, though that would probably be easy enough as well. It Could be more about recognizing the distinctions between us and baselines, and ensuring we are treated and that we treat them accordingly. We are different, no question there. But how different? Honestly I have no idea. I don't feel all that different, well, except, better I guess. Still, I do prefer the company of others like myself, I feel I have far more in common with other Novas than the rest of the world. The idea has merit, I think, the question is how to implement it. I don't think any baseline government would like a 'nation' of superpowered being they can't control. Course, I doubt they could control any of us now, but they probably take comfort in thinking they can."

"I don't want to be antagonistic here, beautiful, but I'll pay devil's advocate.  There are so many different ways to control people, not just by pure force or intimidation.  We, well, many of us have friends, family, loved ones.  We may be bulletproof but they're not, or said loved ones could be given protection, freedom from persecution, expensive medical care, promotions they may not have deserved.  Others can be hooked on drugs, paid off with glory, sex, or money or all of the above.  others are given the recognition they never had when they were different.  The trick is not letting them know your price, but of course I'm betting some of our secrets are know by the powers that be, personality profiles have been run on all of us, they know what it'll take to reign us in, to get us to dance the right dance, to push us to do things we may not really want to do.  Not all of us get smarter or wiser or more discerning."

Zero chuckles deeply. "Ha, ha, ha. Yes. It might be stupid. That is why I do enjoy sharing these thoughts. Sometimes, you think an idea you've had is bloody brilliant, and you need someone to tell you otherwise."

"But I'm not trying to antagonize you, Samuel. I can stop, if you like, but if I may, I would like to briefly defend my position. The KKK gathered not to get away from others, but to plot against them. It was a goal of subjugation and conquest. What I am thinking of is an exodus of sorts. A place Nova separatists can go to. Like the Pilgrims on the Mayflower."



"I'll admit, I'm coming from the opposite side of the spectrum. I'm vastly, vastly more concerned about Baselines being abused by us. It's just too easy. I've seen the worst a Nova can do, for the most petty reasons, and it can't compare to what Baselines can do back."



"Oh, well, I'm not sure what all the other 'separatists' want to go with it, but I'm only interested in it as an alternative. You can stay, or you can go. Then, anyone who wants to get away, for whatever reason, can. This would be great for our job at Utopia, as a lot of the rowdier elements in the Nova community would probably love to leave, and the Novas they'd find themselves around will be a lot harder to harass than a Baseline public. I'm not sure how the higher ups in Utopia would think about it, though, but that's something I'll have to think about selling to them. Would that appeal more to you, Phantasm?"

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Does and has Dr. Zero's Creepy Feeling Enhancment ever pick up spying occurring in this room? Electronic or otherwise?

---

This message was last edited by the player at 13:36, Tue 09 June 2009.

"To quote the Bard, 'Th' abuse of greatness is when it disjoins remorse from power.' - Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene 1. That quote is spoken by Brutus - he's contemplating killing Caesar because he's turning into a tyrant and, well, I think we all know how that ended. We are, pretty undeniably, great. There will inevitably be those that will abuse that greatness and the power that has come with it. The question is what to do with them when they pop up, or what sort of preventative measures can be taken. " He leaned back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. "Perhaps more relevantly: Is it our responsibility to police them, as perhaps the only agents able to do so?"

Dillon gave Myron a look.  "See, Myron?  We're all still figuring it out.  Don't pin yourself down yet."

"So, Mathematician ... uh, Caroline," he realized no one had answered as to whether to use Nova names or given names and didn't want to insult either of the two, "do we fit in with your philosophy club?"  Privately, he wondered just how well he fit in.  Or how well other less savvy Novas might fit in with this crowd.  His buzz was disappearing as it dawned on him just how 'fate of the world' related the conversation had become.  Body was probably overcompensating.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:40, Tue 09 June 2009.

Sam feels somewhat ashamed of his outburst. "Oh... Sorry about the guys. All this talk about sepratism has got me kinda on edge." He stares at his hands for a few moments. "It's just... you all make it sound like we're not even human anymore. That's making me question my own humanity, and I don't like that." He gives everyone a weak smile and sits back to relax a bit.

In reply to Samuel Wolfson (msg #307):

Mathematician:
"That is why we have these discussions though.  It's imperative that we find our place in the world.  As to whether we're human anymore... I'm not so sure.  What defines a species?  Can we interbreed?  I haven't heard of any cases of nova births yet, and physiologically we have a great many differences.  Our "humanity" may be nothing more than a vestigial social artifact with little pertinance to our new existence."

Caroline:
"Impetus is exactly right.  If Novas share anything with humanity, then it's their vulnerability to emotion and self delusion.  Look downstairs if you need any other evidence.  And what's a better chain than the paradigms that were imprinted on us from the moment we were born?  We have to transcend our mere humanity, or we'll just be slaves to our pasts forever, and never able to reach our true potential."

Myron:
"Yeah, I don't know.  I do see where you're going with all this, but I'm not sure I agree.  You've got some points, but I think you're twisting things.  You assume that we should leave our humanity behind, and that will make us something better.  I say our humanity is a strength, and that we'll be less for leaving it behind.

Hey, Comstock, give me a call sometime if the Utopia people need a hand with anything, OK?  I'd like to try my hand at making a difference.  In the meantime I'm going to go cure cancer or something. Even though it doesn't affect people like us, my Humanity tells me I should do something about it.  Guess I'm just too flawed for this room..."
Myron walks out.

Louise:
"What drama.  He should have been an actor."

"That's deep Caroline, but to 'transcend' our humanity? Wouldn't that be losing a fundamental part of who we are? I dunno, this is quickly scaling out of my league. All I know is that I'll follow my own dreams to wherever they go. I am Solitaire, and I will change the world." She laughs then, "Guess I've been thinking too hard too. Hey Imp, show me how to make one of these amazing things." Solitaire holds up her Three Mile Island.

Solitaire will hang out at Archon for a while longer, making small talk and enjoying a drink that finally has some kick to it, before making her way back to the hotel and catch a few hours sleep. The next day she does some (reasonably disguised via Appearance Alteration) sightseeing, before meeting Shield for drinks, dinner and music, or whatever other interesting places he happened to know about around Vegas.

Imp grins, "Sure Sol, you put in this, this this this and this, then add one of these, crushed, then at a twist of lime and voila, a drink that'll probably kill a normal human."  After showing Sol how to mix the drink he catches Louise' eye as she heads out the door.  after a brief stay and an exchange of contact information with Pedro and Caroline Imp heads downstairs and meets Louise before heading over to the hotel to catch some sights before finding out how good sex with a nova can really be.

For the rest of the weekend Imp will spend time with Louise looking around Las Vegas.  If she gets bored and/or takes off he will carouse the strip solo, causing havoc, winning cash, breaking hearts, posing in pictures and basically being an ass.  Having thus glutted himself Imp will be back at the base late Sunday, ready to be Mr. Responsible trainee once more.

"Yeah ... see you around."  Dillon felt a bit ignored in the conversation himself, and so in the next half-hour found an excuse to make his exit.  He was glad to have met Pedro and Caroline and told them as much.  He just didn't feel like he had a strong grasp of the subject of debate, even if the rest of the team did.

After a bit of relaxing and a swift exit, Dillon dialed Harley to take him up on his invitation.  If Harley gives him a location, he taxis over there, smiles at the busted dive bar, and tries his hand at pool.

In the morning, Dillon made sure to call his parents, tell them a bit about what's happening, and then spent a few hours trying to write a letter to the mayor, hoping to be a spokesperson and see what he could do to help the city out.  After six drafts, it finally clicked that this is what agents were for and he gave up, putting the drafts back in his bag before getting dressed for Siegfried and Roy.

The conversation just confused her.  While she could certainly keep up, eruption hadn't helped her sort out feelings, and this topic brought a lot of them to the surface, most of them at odds.  Attachment to her view of the world and her humanity, the novas-gone-bad she had seen, the desire to take the law into her own hands and punish said novas, and her own teenage ego that urged her to be better than the masses, all fought in her head as the impromptu debate continued.

This is dumb.  I should be having fun.  I'll sort this out later.

Phantasm gets up and leaves without saying a word to anyone, with the intent of going to find some fun, or maybe just going back to the hotel to hang out.  But when she gets out, she can't shake the conflicting thoughts that the night had brought up.  So, she walks Vegas instead.  Making sure she isn't being followed, she even changes shape occasionally, shifting to her true form, to that of a man, to that of various races and body shapes... Seeing how people treated her, how they reacted.  And seeing how the world moved around her.

Beauty, kindness, hatred, fear, predation... apparently its all relative.

Thinking heavy thoughts, Phantasm returned as the sun was rising, took a shower and got breakfast.  The next day was spent inside, with a computer and a book and a TV and a CD player.  At the same time.  Nice and relaxing.

Sometime during that period, Phantasm will look up pictures of actress Louise Cooper on google to compare to the nova by the same name.  And then she will spend a few minutes shaping her eufiber into something cool for the magic show (it's been much more pliable since she made sure to feed it energy regularly, and not to pull from it to fuel her powers).

Sam yawned again, quite loudly this time. "I'm sorry guys, I don't think I could just throw out my humanity just cuz I erupted." He got up strechted a bit. "All this philosophy is great and all... but I ~YAWN~ oh cra... cra... cra~YAWN~ I feel so sleepy. I'll see y'all in the morning." He nods to everybody and yawns one last time before he leaves. He does his best to navigate any "difficult terrain" he may encounter. ~You certainly have been rather quiet tonight Zeus, is somthing wrong?~

His companion answers in a somwhat exhausted tone. ~Sssssamuel, I have one thing to say to you: When the morning comes, let it dry, won't you?~

~What does that mean?~

Silence. ~Hm. Odd.~ Sam gets back to his room and crawls into bed. Before he drifts off to sleep, he notices a small cut on his arm. "How'd that happen?" He wonders aloud. "Oh well, off to dreamland."

Never much of a philosophy buff, Quentin finds himself now engrossed by the trans-humanist viewpoint being proposed by Caroline and will continue to discuss such things with her and the Mathematician until it is no longer productive to do so or until someone is forced to leave.

Saturday is split between two things (often at the same time). First he calls some of the numbers he got last week for agents and does what he can to try to set one up, deferring until Monday if they don't work weekends. Second he begins to research economics and the stock market in order to obtain a basic understanding of investment strategies and the like. Quentin foresees a great need for funding, both for his own research and for more general activities (such as the $10K/year cover at the club) and would thus like to get started on finding good places to make money.

To Impetus:
Louise is a blast, though Caroline looked horribly disappointed when you took her home.  Louise may have just made an enemy (because with your charms, no one blames YOU for bad things after all).
Whatever happened at the nightclub the evening prior remains to be elaborated upon...

To Phantasm:
It does in fact appear that Louise is THAT Louise, though she could just be borrowing the identity for whatever strange reasons novas have for doing things.

Solitaire:
Your date goes well, Shield is a pretty nice guy all told, at least from what you've seen so far.  He seems to be trying to make a place for himself in Vegas, but to be staying away from the bigger stuff like Utopia.  A pretty regular guy before eruption, he now just wants the good stuff in life while having some fun.

Gravitas:
The number that Pratima gave you works, and the agent is glad to speak with you despite it being a weekend.  The stock market is wonky right now (see the timeline).

Zero:
You get a call back from the man you spoke to last weekend.  He says that the casino would like to keep your number for "emergency jobs" but doesn't want you as a regular.

Samuel:
Sleep is good.  What happens after that remains to be elaborated upon...

)))))))))))))))))))

The Show

Vegas is crowded, as school is just getting out and people are here to party.  S&R is a popular show, as it is of interest to several different demographics.  The tricks are more showmanship than anything else, but the show is entertaining, and a few of the tricks aren't immediately transparent to nova senses.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)

Anyone in particular want to be picked out of the crowd? someone is going to be...

---

Louise left around noon on Sunday, promising to call him later.  "What a weekend." Imp grins.  Definitely different with novas.  "Now I know how all those girls felt."  He hops into the shower, towels off and grabs a cup of coffee before heading out the door.  The advantage of eufiber was only needing one set of clothes, sure made packing much easier.  His wardrobe in his usual Charcoal suit and burnt raspberry shirt, Imp mingles with the crowds.  Or attempts to mingle.  His good looks make hiding his true nature impossible--tourists take pictures of him, the brave ones take pictures with him, everybody was staring.  His hyper acute hearing caught mutters of "Look at that fag, surrounded by chicks, wouldn't know what to do with 'em though" from clusters of guys.  It wasn't anything he hadn't heard before.
Imp does his best to make himself approachable and friendly, talking with anybody who wants to talk, allowing himself to be photo'd, telling people that yes, he was a nova and was currently training with the Project and was really looking forwrd to making a difference.  After a couple hours of this Imp called Dave, his agent.
"Jason, dude, how you doin?  Long time.  Wanna get out of the project and make some real money?"
"No, Dave, still in the Project, and I go by Impetus these days.  Listen, I've got an idea..."  Imp gets dave onto tracking down companies that want Imp to be a spokesman/model.  Might as well make the popularity work for him.

Impetus:
There are many companies that would like to hire a nova for PR, especially one working for Utopia... Unfortunately, Utopia wants a word in any such contract you sign.  Though they are willing to work with you in finding a good, green, socially responsible company, and are actually happy to see you find sponsorship.  It gets Utopia more word of mouth.

Everyone:
As the magic show progresses, Solitaire and Impetus will eventually be called to the stage to participate (eye candy never hurts a performance).  They somehow got wind that you were more than normal (or maybe just looked at you) but they call for a round of applause for the "Real magicians, the ones doing the real magic, our nova guests!"  After the applause dies down, they ask for you to play along with them and use your powers to do... whatever you think is cool, and then they do tricks along side you.  Their showmanship lets them keep up and entertain the crowd despite the 'wow factor' of your powers, though if the novas put some social oomph behind their displays they will likely get quite a good response themselves.

After the show, the novas and their friends will be asked for autographs along with all the other performers, and invited to an after show party.  Good times.

Sam woke up in the compound. He would have thought 'What am I doing here?' but his only thoughts were of food, so he went in search of some. There was no one here. Everyone's usually so busy. He checked his teammates rooms, which were also empty. Research center, observation deck, communications center... all empty. The cafeteria was empty of people as well, but full of food! Ham! Whole chikcens and turkeys! A varitable smorgasbord! But Sam wanted none of it; he wanted something more... subsatantial. A voice called out to him, "Sa~am..." So inviting... and seductive. It was coming from outside. "Sa~am..." He rushed to it as quickly as he could. He finally made it outside, and saw that it was Frostburn calling him; she was looking out towards the horizon. She slowly turned around "What took you so long, lov- Oh... Oh my god." Her expression went from seductive happiness to abject terror. This pleased Sam greatly. He reared up to his full height and dwarfed the frightened woman. He struck only once, and that was all it took. She was paralyzed, and she was his now. He noticed something in her eyes, something that made his prey taste so much sweeter: Despair. And with that, he devoured her. Then the others came: Impetus, Solitare, Zero, Comstock, and even little Phantasm. They were so small, and so weak compared to him. Solitare's might could not penetrate his scales, Phantasms contstructs could not restrain his coils, and Comstocks skin could not stop his fangs. He devoured each of them, one by one. When the last was gone, he slithered towards the sunrise, and said "Now for the resssssst of the world." But it wasn't his own voice, it was that of Zeus.

~HAHAHAHA! How very entertaining!~ Zeus startled him out of his dream... no, his nightmare. ~I thought I would jusssst give you a little dream to keep you distracted while I did my work, but THAT! THAT was juuuussssst perfect!~ Another insane chuckle. ~It seems you have some delusions of grandeur, Ssssssamuel.~ Sam rolled his eyes... or he tried to. ~You'll find that trying to move is quite futile. I didn't trussssst you to lie still until the morning, so I sssssssimply blocked all but your most vital electrical pathways. You won't die.~ The fear that was growing in Sam turned to rage. ~Oh, come now, there'sssss no reason to be angry; I told you that I am helping you, albeit in a manner you may find... unpleasssssssant.~ Sam's eyes started to adjust to the early morning light, and he saw that his bed was covered in blood, his blood. ~We can discussssssss that later, what I want to know is: Just what are your... feelings for Miss Frosssstburn?~

To Dillon, Siegfried and Roy were celebrities, local gods with statues and television spots he'd watched growing up as a kid.  Getting to stand on stage with them was surreal.  Afterward he gladly signed autographs and shook hands with the two magicians.  The only sore spot of the evening was one tiger's reaction to Dillon's scent or presence.  The beast calmed down after a moment, and Dillon tried not to take it personally.