[Somewhere, Sometime]

Crucible leaned forward, his face grave.

"I'm glad to see you at least begin to understand the implications of your choice. The world which resulted from your rescue of Liberty Belle will not be one you quickly recognize. But, such is the result of choices. Every choice made by every person causes ripples. Some call this a 'butterfly effect' or chaos theory. But, it is far more and by far grander. Humanity holds a unique place in the universe, one the bulk of your population and most of the rest of the races of the universe do not or will not understand. And it can all come down to a single choice, a simple act... are you prepared to see what your choice has wrought?"

[Somewhere, Sometime]

Tommy forced his casual irreverent tone back into his voice. ”Sure, think I can get some draws first.”

[Somewhere, Sometime]

Crucible smiled wryly.

"You can of course have clothing at any time. It is your head."

[Somewhere, Sometime]

Tommy looked unimpressed.  Closing his eyes he imagined himself in normal street clothes, and Crucible with a big purple pimp hat.  Successful or not he then gave him a nod. ”Ready”

[Somewhere, The Present]

Tommy opened his eyes, the glare from a nearby window causing him to squint. He felt like he was waking up from a dream, sleep making his eyes feel gummy. Several sensations became apparent as he cleared away the cobwebs in his brain. First, he was in a bed. The thin sheet that was bunched up around his torso was relatively comfortable, if a bit on the rough side. Second, he was in a room, though the glare from the sun streaming in through the window was making details hard to pick out. Last, there was someone next to him, warm, soft and definitely feminine.

A quick look over showed him blond hair and a very shapely form under the rest of the sheet. His movement caused her to stir and sit up. A familiar, if just slightly older face looked at his face and Belle smiled, the slim scar running across her cheek turning upward. Tommy then noted that neither he nor she were wearing PJs of any kind.

"Time to go already?"

[Somewhere, The Present]

What ever changes had been made to the world, this was one he could live with.  Had Tommy not been thrilled with just seeing Bell alive he might have been embarrassed by the situation.  Obviously what he did the day of the invasion changed more than just keeping Bell alive.

He grinned. ”Hell Blondie, unless a super villains fixing to crack the planet in half or something I’m not going anywhere today.”

Tommy embraced Bell in a tight hug. ”God I’ve missed you.”  He knew his words would be a little confusing to Bell but at that moment he didn’t really care.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Belle returned the hug restrained gusto.

"Not sure where that came from, but I've been here all night, like always. And you very well know we've got to get on the move, much as I might enjoy staying in bed all day. One day maybe, love."

She slid out of bed, revealing what had until now only been in Tommy's imagination. Belle began pulling on civies that were piled nearby, a white t-shirt and rather tight jeans. She stopped with the jeans half-way on and looked quizzically at Tommy.

"What's up? The HKs aren't gonna spot themselves, y'know. You feelin' okay?"

Tommy's vision had adjusted enough for the sun not to bother him, but he'd been distracted until Belle's comment. The room, he now noted, was obviously in disrepair and not regularly inhabited. Matter of fact, nothing in the room seemed in good repair. The windows were missing glass, the floor was rough and worn and the door consisted of all the other furniture carefully stacked to inhibit easy entry.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Once Tommy’s eyes finally moved from Bell to scan the room he slowly stood.  He looked at the room again and then shook his head as he looked for his clothing. ”Maybe just a little outa sorts. Last few days are… well a little fuzzy.  I didn’t get hit in the head or something did I?” There was serious concern in his voice.  Tommy located his clothing and started putting it on.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Belle finished dressing and walked over to Tommy, concern written on her face. She took his head in her hands and looked into his eyes one at a time. She felt along his skull gently, probing under his hair. Then she smiled and kissed him hard.

Pulling away, she said, "You seem fine to me. Now, stop goofing around. We've got to..."

Belle trailed off, looking behind Tommy. Her face hardened and she gripped Tommy with more force, pulling him close to her.

"HKs 200 yards out from the window... get ready to move. Attack alpha," she whispered into his ear.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:25, Wed 19 May 2010.

[Somewhere, The Present]
Tommy had allot of questions.  Most of which would take more time than they apparently had.  Some of those questions could be answered by shifting gears, and that's what Tommy did, in essence slowing the world around him he first moved to see just what in the hell an HK was.  It would also tell him if he was Slipstream fast, Kid Lightning fast, or somewhere in between.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Tommy moved faster, speeding up and heading to the window. He still felt slow... not as slow as what to him had been only a few minutes ago as Kid Lightning, but no where near the speed he'd gotten used to. It was disconcerting to say the least. If he hadn't ever become Slipstream...

Tommy was pondering that thought as he reached the window and looked out. He caught sight of the HKs quickly enough. It wasn't hard. They weren't attempting to hide. The sight outside was a vista of decay and destruction, several city blocks of blasted buildings and scorched streets. Though much of the architecture was relatively intact, it was obvious there had been a massive battle. The HKs were moving through the wasted streets with deliberate moves, scanning their surroundings constantly. The armor was different, more angular and with very sharp looking edges. The weapons were familiar. But, they were unmistakable.

Hardradians.

[Somewhere, The Present]
"Shit"

Tommy zipped back to Belle grabbing her arms he pulled her well out of view of the window.  He then whispered softly but there was obvious urgency in his tone.  "No time to explain and this is not me screwing around.  Right now you need to either tell me what the hell an attack pattern alpha is in twenty words or less, or we need to take a pass on these bastards, cause we got allot to talk about."
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:24, Wed 19 May 2010.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Belle stared at him, concern etched on her face. She was obviously trying to decide what to do, worry over Tommy and another undecipherable emotion warring within her. After a few moments, she nodded and motioned towards the door, laying a finger to her lips. She creeped over to the door and began sliding the furniture piled there back carefully, lifting it just clear of the floor to prevent any noise and setting it gently to the side. Once the door was clear, she lifted the hingeless door away and looked at Tommy expectantly. Just then, a small screw rolled off the furniture, heading towards the floor.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Tommy snatches the screw out of the air before it can hit the floor.  He narrowed his eyes watching the process Belle used to clear the door.  Tommy pressed the screw between his fingers.  He could only guess the HK's as Belle had called them had some sort of enhanced hearing.  With that in mind Tommy remained quiet and ready to follow Belle's lead.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Belle tensed as the screw fell, her hands occupied holding the door. She relaxed as Tommy caught it. She set the door down carefully, leaving the doorway clear. Moving deliberately and slowly, she leaned in next to Tommy and whispered in his ear.

"We've got to move quickly as soon as we get out the door. If something happens and we get separated, head north for 50 miles and we'll meet at the tower. Don't let them touch you. We..."

A sudden booming voice from outside cut Belle off.

<Lifesign detected. Emerge from the dwelling and prepare for processing or you will be executed>

"Shit."

[Somewhere, The Present]

Tommy shifted gears getting a general over view of the building and possible exits.  In a flash he was back, snatching Belle up with surprising ease.  He wasn't as fast as his tall lanky Slipstream persona but he also wasn't as slow as the scrawny kid he had been back before the Invasion.  Having never entered the Slipstream as part of the experiment Tommy hadn't skipped almost seven years into the future.  In this world, a world harder and more deadly than his own, the speedster had become a stronger and tougher Tommy.

Carrying Belle in his arms Tommy takes the path of least resistance and heads North in search of the tower.  Tommy didn't like bugging out but until he knew exactly what he was up against it was the best move.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Tommy virtually flew out of the building. As he ran past the HKs, he noted the odd differences in the armor and weapons. In the intervening years, they had obviously made or stolen some upgrades. The plates seemed to shift in a far more organic pattern almost as if they weren't armor at all. The weaponry had a bizarre organic look to them as well, seeming to grow out of the Hardradian arms, though Tommy could tell that wasn't literally true closer up. He raced on, leaving them behind and heading towards the splinter he could see in the distance, pointing at the sky. Belle was obviously trying to say something to him, but slowing down to listen was not much of an option at this point.

However Tommy was moving too fast to notice both of the aliens' heads turning quickly towards his direction as he left the area. They turned and began to walk towards the tower.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Zipping up towards the tower Tommy circled once to make sure no one was around and then stopped about 30 yards from the tower in case there were some sort of internal security measures he would be unaware of.

"You OK?"

[Somewhere, The Present]

Belle stepped down, breathing deeply for a couple second. She looked at Tommy, then to the and lastly back out to the way from whence they came. She squinted for a moment, then her eyes widened. She rounded on Tommy, anger and fear evident in her eyes.

"Dammit, Tommy! Why don't you ever listen?! Now, they're gonna know where they are!" she said, stopping and taking another deep breath.

"No... can't do this now... Look, just... you start getting the civilians evacuated and I'll hold the pair off when they get here. If we get them away quick enough, the HKs won't signal for any Big Ones. I don't know what's going on with you, but we'll talk later. I promise... I... I won't lose you, too," Belle said, finishing almost in a whisper.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Tommy had started to argue back at exactly the same time as Belle. "You said fifty miles this is like five top...!" He stopped when Belle started talking about Civilians. When Belle had first said "they" Tommy had assumed other parahumans. "Crap" Tommy thought as he listened. "Big ones?" Crap Crap!" Belles final quieter words were not lost on Tommy. "Course your not.  I'll find a safe place, move em, and be back for you.  Just be careful."

Tommy disappeared in a flash.  First he swept through the building to get an idea of the numbers he was dealing with.  Hoping that that and the sweep around the area would give him some clue as to where he was.

It wasn't that the chaos and devastation of his actions had escaped him.  That fact was gnawing at the back of his mind and growing with every minute, but right now there were people to save.  The bigger picture would have to wait.

[Somewhere, The Present]

The tower was familiar to Tommy, but he just couldn't place it... until he got inside. It was Watchtower, at least, what was left of it. The symbols on the wall were faded and scorched, but it was Watchtower none the less. As he continued around, he made a quick count... 35 people of various ages and both sexes. Getting them out would be relatively simple. He checked the old escape passage and found it functional. So, where to take them... an area sweep within a 2 mile radius showed several promising spots, including an old hotel still mostly standing, a grocery store with surviving canned food and a government building that seemed to be sturdy enough to withstand quite a pounding. Tommy could see farther out that Berlin still stood intact in places, but the devastation was extensive around the Tower. At the very least, someone had made it a primary target.

As he returned to start gathering people, he could see Belle moving several rocks and large pieces of debris. A wall was beginning to form.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Wasting no time Tommy started moving people to the more secure government building.  As he dropped off the last person he stopped realizing that although it wasn't likely the first time Tommy had moved these people the process could still be disorienting.  "Sorry about the sudden move but stay here and stay put."

Tommy then headed back to help Belle.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Tommy could hear the fight before he reached the tower. Massive thumps and several explosions shook the ground as he ran. As he topped the rise, he was greeted with an incredible sight... Belle, wielding a piece of a support girder the size of a city buss, smashing one of the Hardradians into the ground. Pieces of armor went flying and the girder began to buckle. Belle lifted the steel beam again, turning to face the other alien. Too slow, the second Hardradian blurred at incredible speed, seeming to move almost as fast as Tommy for an instant. It passed behind Belle, running a hand across the girder and stopping near its fallen comrade.

A split appeared across the beam, precisely along the line the alien's hand had drawn and the steel parted like paper. Belle grimaced and threw the remnant at the alien before flipping back behind the scratch built bunker. Tommy noted several long gashes along her side as she landed, all of them bleeding profusely. She was definitely slowing and obviously in pain. Memories of the lawn battle rose in Tommy's mind. She wouldn't last much longer.

[Somewhere, The Present]

Tommy zipped down the rise, snatched up Belle and ran.  Altering his course to hopefully loose the HK's Tommy took one last step to ensure the civilians were safe.  Instead of rejoining them he headed one of the other safe areas, the old grocery store.

[Berlin, The Present]

As Tommy slowed and stopped, Belle let out a groan of pain and anger.

"Stupid HK mono-armor... mother *&%$er sucker punched me..." she said, lowering herself to the ground and looking around, "Look, we don't have much time. The one still alive will be able to track us and might even call in a Big 'Un to assist. Now, tell me what's up with you?"

Belle pulled Tommy down to look him in the eye, concern etched over her face.