Vahl concentrated for a moment, focusing on his breath, he attempted to breathe in all of the water through his pours, effectively drying himself and pulling all the water he had used to lessen the friction as he slid.

     "I'm not sure it's perspiration; I would hypothesize that it's more like effusion from my cellular walls," Vahl intoned quietly as he leaned in so only Rowan could hear. "Anyway, we can study it later, I have a more intriguing proposition for you, that may involve your research with mine. I could use your expertise on a potential solution to a problem, actually multiple problems. Interested? I'm seeing a man about a "nano-cybernetic horse" and could use some backup."

Vahl paused for a moment, then realized his audience, "Nano-cybernetic horse was meant as an idiom, figurative language, you know, saying fun things out of our vocal orifice, pie hole," smiling he grabbed some grub with his hands and shoved it in his mouth like a caveman. "Pppeeyeee hoooee."

The water around Vahl evaporated almost immediately, almost as if it were being pulled back into the man.  One might only make this connection by paying attention to the nuances of where it was coming from, his breathing exercise, and acute attention to how the water seemed to disappear.  But to the casual eye the water just seemed to dry up exponentially faster than it would as according to the common understanding of science.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:14, Fri 05 Apr.

Rowan watched the liquid return to Vahl, her furrow deepened and a small frown pulled at the corners of her mouth. Shame, the prospect of a nano-cybernetic horse is most intriguing. Her eyes stayed focused on Vahl's shoulder as she considered the offer. Viewing his research was definitely something she was interested in. The potential areas of overlap with her own would certainly shed more light on their shared affliction. Her head tilted as she corrected herself. Not affliction--evolution.

Her focus returned to the kitchen and she was acutely aware that she'd been starring. Her eyes blinked rapidly hoping no one noticed. The stiffened material of her shirt where zombie viscera had permanently melded with the fabric scratched against her skin. Shifting in her chair, she unfolded her legs. "That's an acceptable proposition. I will help you with your problem."

She turned to Kat. "I'd like to get out of these clothes." The shirt was becoming suffocating. Rowan resisted the urge to tug at the bottom hem.

Upon the prompt for an apple, Daenus resisted the urge to launch a fastball, like a pitcher on the mound. He knew, somehow, that he'd be able to propel that bit of fruit. He'd be like a missile launcher. Or a potato gun. But more like an apple gun, since it was an apple.

The apple had made it's way harmlessly to Vahl, however. Violent urges were uncommon to his being, after all, and he'd wondered where it came from. Probably from the soldiery types. Being around them was beginning to rub off on him, he figured. That, and the fact that their lives were largely violent as of late. This was a compelling reason for his decision to lay low and avoid any trouble.

As the water retreated into Vahl, Daenus pointed a lazy finger at him, waved it up and down and around as he searched for what to say, eventually ending with his palm up, uncertainty and disgust clear on his face. "That was literally just on the floor, Dude."

Without anything to add, he turned his palm out to intone that he just couldn't with him right then. Instead, he turned to Gavin and pat him on the shoulder. "I'mah sit this one out, Gavinator. Got a few things" beers "I need to do" drink "so I'm just gonna get stuff...done." And not get hit or shot or run from anything. "But you have f-"

Daenus whipped his head around back to the two doctors like he was smacked by an invisible fist, eyes wide. His hat even budged. All he'd heard was "proposition, help you with your problem, and get out of these clothes."

"Damn, Girl, you do move fast."

"God, I've worked with dogs more evolved than you," Kat directed at Daenus with a dramatic eyeroll.

Mulling over everyone's desired tasks for the day, and Daenus's fake plans (she knew what he was about, wanting to be left home alone), she offered up to the group at large, "It's not exactly the most efficient for us to knock everything out as a group, but there are some overlapping priorities and I like the idea of us sticking together while we're not yet certain that Stasis has forgiven us for kidnapping their project instead of murdering it.  Her."  She shot a sheepish look to Rowan.  "Sorry, doc."

Clearing her throat, she continued, "I really don't think anyone should go to Dr. MacKinnon's place without Gavin or me for some proper recon and soldiering if needed, and we need to visit his dojo today.  I propose we all go together to her apartment, scope the place out, and go in if we feel it's safe.  Either way, next stop would be Gavin's dojo, and then over to Vahl's lab.  Depending on whether I reach Brutus today, I can arrange a meetup after everything else is done. Does that work for everyone?"  She still found herself looking to her former commander for a nod of approval, confirming he was on board with her plans for the squad.  Old habits die hard.

She sucked in a breath and before Daenus could launch a long-winded and nonsensical monologue on why he shouldn't, couldn't, or wouldn't go with the group, she said in a surprisingly kind voice, "And don't worry, Daenus, we can pack a small cooler and bring a few beers to keep you entertained.  They're basically like your pacifier."

Watching the liquid antics with both amazement and amusement, Gavin finished his coffee, looked to Kat and nodded.

"Sounds like a good plan, and we'd all be together if anything is amiss at Dr. MacKinnon's place." Looking back to the doctors, "My dojo is downtown, near the heart of the city, Brutus may answer my call if I dial directly from there. Everyone ready?"

Looking back to Daenus for a second, "I mean after packing the beers, of course."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:12, Mon 08 Apr.

The myriad of expressions that passed over Daenus' face betrayed his rapid internal rebuttals, the last of which, however, was akin to resignation.

They're starting to get me. Daenus mused over their combined pitch. It wasn't the best he'd heard, but it'd have to do. For now. They need me. Again. They act tough but they need me to hold their hands. Fine. Either way, he was sure he was outvoted and he'd rather not have his retinas burnt out by Laser-Kitty in any attempt to further convince or encourage him. He squinted in a defensive look back at her, which could just as easily have been interpreted as contempt.

"Great!" Daenus had a pitch in his voice that belied his toothy grin. Ya, make em think that's what you wanted all along. Keep them on their toes. He moved to pack the beers before anyone could change their minds. "Family field trip. And shotgun!"

It was a shaky agreement, but it was enough to move forward with this new and tenuous crew.  Kat found clothes for Rowan that may not have fit perfectly but were clean.  Kat's more muscular build did something to mitigate Rowan's 5 inches of extra height and, though Rowan didn't pay much care to fashion, a suitably fashionable yet practical outfit was procured all the same.  Quite frankly, their tastes were similar.  Utility over aesthetic but without the desire to stand out in a crowd one way or another.

The agenda was set for Rowan's apartment, followed by Gavin's dojo, and the plan so far ended at Vahl's appointment.  The group's silence on the impending need to research Stokely was likely a reflection on all that had gone on in the past week.  As a whole, their lives had all completely changed in what felt little more than the blink of an eye.  They all knew this burden lay upon them, and the smaller errands seemed to allow for the briefest of reprieves from the weight of that yoke.

While the ladies arranged Rowan's accouterments, Daenus hunted the logical places in the house for a Compact Refrigeration Unit, in his hopes of the Lengthened Interval Relay variety -known colloquially as a "crewler"- because he wasn't sure how long they'd be out.  Considering the track record he'd experienced with the group's overall reticence to stop and get necessary supplies (read: beverages) throughout the day, he wanted to be sure they were good and stocked.  Yet again, the mansion did not disappoint.  His exploration took him towards the West wing on the lower floor of the house, in the direction of the room Rowan now stayed...did she mention a treehouse?... and across a series of three doors in the hallway.  His first guess of the three, the left, rewarded him with a storage room full of outdoor adventure gear.  A high-quality C.R.U.L.I.R. was on a waist-high shelf and he took a scan to notice plenty of other potentially useful implements.  Might be worth taking inventory at some point.  Though, knowing Stasis, this shit's probably all bugged.  He reached for the crewler, hesitated, thought about a day's worth of errands without lubrication, shrugged, and hauled the device from it's appointed space to fulfill its destiny.  As he closed the door to the storage closet he eyeballed the center door.  There was something about it that bugged.  He'd had this feeling before.  Daenus paused in the hallway, stock still, a handle of the crewler secured in one of his mitts, starting at the center door.  He raised his hand to point accusatorially at it then, suddenly, with a violent shake of his head and an expression of dismissal he said aloud "Not today, strange door.  Not today."  His mind on his booze and his booze on his mind, he marched for the Keeping room where all the good stuff was kept.  The crewler floated along behind him on basic repulsorlift technology.

Vahl confirmed with a message to Anya that he would make his appointment, albeit with an entourage, and they were off.  There was some flexibility built in to the order they'd intended, making room for the vastly unknown they could experience at Rowan's previous domicile.  Vahl made a remark or two that not even Daenus could guess if he was joking about leaving them in the middle of a skirmish to make his appointment with Dr. Kontos.  Despite the nuances of newness, the group genuinely started to feel like a team.

Rowan's apartment was in a complex designed by the late Vincenti Cardinale, one of many more recent attempts to bring some of the nature before The Implosion War into the Megacities.  It made sense to house S.T.A.D.S. scientists in a space not only teeming with life but riddled with technological updates.  Hudson seemed to want his people inspired, and the complex was a testament to inspiration.



The entire campus was solar and wind powered, water recycled through the prodigious plant life, and built to be of the building class labeled "envelope."  Entirely self-contained, nothing wasted from energy to air.



There were main entrances on all 4 sides of the large complex, each segment easy accessible on its own.  Rowan pointed out the structure that housed her place.  The team sat in the van with a good vantage point for several ingresses and egresses which at least a few of the group would be scouting instinctively.

Staring out of the window at her complex, Rowan couldn't see any Stasis operatives. Not that I would. Rowan touched each of her fingers on her right hand to her right thumb, counting. If they had broken in, it's possible they destroyed her belongings while searching for something--she still wasn't entirely clear what they'd be looking for. All of her work related data was still in the lab. Still, the thought that these strangers had rifled through her things, possibly destroying much of it, tightened her chest making it hard to breathe. 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1.

If they'd damaged Toby or Greg or any of the others, she'd be devastated. Fixating on the potential damage without confirmation started a mental spiral.  She needed a distraction. Looking around the van, everyone was focused; alert to anything out of the ordinary. Except Daenus. He was leaning back in the front seat, C.R.U.L.I.R between his feet and an open can in one hand.

"You said something in the kitchen that puzzled me. You said I 'move fast'. While I am capable of significant speed for a human of my size and athletic abilities, I don't believe I moved at any great pace while in the house. Did you experience something I didn't? If I'm developing new abilities I need to make note of them. Likewise, if you find yourself developing new facets of your condition I would hope you would share that information so I can build a comprehensive case study."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:11, Mon 08 Apr.

Daenus tore his gaze away from the lush architecture and stared at Rowan, his open beer can slowly dropping away from his lips.

He stared more. Daenus wanted to believe she was a real person underneath it all, he really did. Next to her, Gavin was the T1000 and she was a T800, maybe even an earlier model.

Eventually words formed in his brain. Mostly questions.

"When you look at me, or anyone for that matter...do you just see ones and zeros? And, honestly, have you ever had a friend? By the way, yes, my condition is developing new "facets", like bewilderment and to some extent discontent due to the highly aggravated assaults happening to my person on the increasingly regular. Thanks for asking."

Swinging back around to face front, his beer only made it half way up before he fixated once again on the redhead. He pointed with the can to the buildings. "And this place is sumthin' else, Red Ranger. How much money were you on?"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:40, Wed 10 Apr.

Rowan considered his questions. Her eyes lost focus as she thought. "I don't see in binary code, though that could be beneficial in any number of circumstances. Unfortunately, I only ever learned basic coding. Enough to troubleshoot my equipment while in the forest. My areas of focus have been in organic matter. Why?" She asked, leaning closer, "Do you see the world in binary? The implications would be fascinating. Does your vision pixilate?" Rowan leaned further in, trying to get a closer look at Daenus' eyes. "If you'd be amenable, I'd love to get a closer look at your eyes..." She had leaned close enough that she could smell the beer on his breath. She retreated to her seat, uncomfortable with the sudden proximity. "Apologies."

This is so much worse than worrying about my apartment. Rowan closed her eyes and tried to still the maelstrom. It was hard to stay quiet when she was anxious. Hard to keep from saying everything that crossed her mind. Not all thoughts are outside thoughts

The silence in the van was prickly and it was making it difficult for her to stay still. It would be better if they were outside. "I did. Have a friend. When I was a kid, I had a dog. Technically it was against HOA rules, but Jack wasn't very big and he was smart. He learned not to bark or howl. My parents said it was better than watching me play by myself all the time...they didn't say that to me, of course. They didn't realize I could hear them at the time. It was fine. I got to keep him." Jack's collar was in one of her boxes. I really hope they haven't destroyed anything.

Before she fed any more of the anxiety bubbling up in her chest she turned her mind to something more comfortable. Her eyes stayed on the greenery that seemed to burst from the concrete monolith. "I would love to study you though. If you'd allow me. All of you...us, we're medically... biologically... what if we're the next stage of human evolution?" She shook her head, "That's probably too far, but there's definitely something. I need more data points before I can draw any solid conclusions." If someone else says something I could stop talking. Or if we could move. If I had something to do... If she believed in such things, waiting would be hell.

"I don't know how much it costs to live here. It was included in my employment offer. I was just glad I didn't have to find something on my own and having the urban garden makes it feel more like... home?"

After another moment where the only sound was the hollow slurping from a beer can. "You didn't answer my question."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:04, Fri 12 Apr.

The silence that filled the van between ponderings, questions, and slurps was thick like a closet.  A closet full of people.  The soldiers scanned their surroundings, peered with intensity at the structure they were to enter in search of options.  Options were always ideal.

Unfortunately, none truly presented themselves from this vantage.  There were front doors, one set per building.  The ground floor likely also had a back door that probably led to some kind of patio or grand scale quad-type of situation in the center of the complex.  Two ways in and out.  Elevators and stairs were both reasonable to assume.  At this time of morning there wasn't a lot of people traffic.  The occasional tennant or visitor coming or going, many cars in the parking lot and not a noticeable amount entering.  Some folks were on their way out for the day to work, run errands, visit something or somebody, the possible variations were endless and not relevant to their reason for being there.

Beyond that, they wouldn't get a lot more intel from outside.  No strangers to having to gather data on the fly, they made peace with what they could get for the time being.

Gavin found himself distracted by the banter between Daenus and Dr.MacKinnon. What an odd pair, speaking the same language, but in completely different worlds, hearing different things. "Dr. MacKinnon, I think the binary comment was more of a euphemism for being socially awkward, but I'm not picking that up, you seem completely normal to me." Looking to Daenus, "You don't even need liquid encouragement like your friend Daenus does."

A wry smile crossed Gavin's lips as he waited for the inevitable response from Daenus lamenting the robots were collaborating.

"Well, unless someone else notices something I missed, seems we have the standard options - front and back door. If anyone is watching comings and goings both are probably being watched, I say we just act casually and head in the front. What floor is your flat on Dr. MacKinnon?"

Gavin continued to take in the unique architecture of the space, the plants reminded him of the forest and a time not so long ago. He took in a deep breath as he turned off the Van engine.

Between the verbal barrage and being studied like the rare specimen he was, the level of discomfort Daenus was feeling in that van was becoming palpable. Opening and closing his mouth multiple times to respond or interject, and eventually giving up altogether, he cast a glance to the others in the van, a silent plead for help. No help had come. Is noone hearing this? And when she finally ended with the realisation that he hadn't answered her question, Daenus could only stare again. When his eyes finally left hers it was only to linger briefly on the crewler. Ohhh, I needed so much more.

After Gavin finally chimed in, especially with MacKinnon seeming normal to him, he nearly spit out his next sip, but refused to lose a drop which instead resulted in it trying to escape through his nose. His mirth immediately changed to pain, the can in his hand crushed in an effort not to yell. "Fffffff...nnnhhghh."

Recovering enough to speak again, he offered a suggestion, relieved to keep the discussion off of him. "You guys should probably just just speak in code. You really don't have to say it all in Common just for the rest of us." He sipped his fingers to clean them of the last vestiges of his drink and procured a new one as he added under his breath, "Beep beep clickity-beep bop."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:58, Mon 15 Apr.

Kat found surveillance oddly meditative.  She could tune out the noise of her immediate surroundings and allow her consciousness to expand, taking notice of the big picture and the minutiae at once.  Watching people enter and exit the buildings, everything seemed normal.  She hadn't clocked any classic, under-cover surveillance vehicles in the parking lot either.

Replying to Gavin she said, "If someone is watching, it's highly likely they'll be looking for MacKinnon and we don't have any way to disguise her.  Why don't you and I go inside first, and see if anything feels off.  We can even go as far as walking past her door to scan for spies or traps.  If all seems well, we can call and invite the rest of them up.  What do you think?"

"As usual, the voice of reason." Gavin nodded to Kat as he stepped outside the Van.

Vahl was intently focused on his laptop, trying to access internal camera footage, and stumbling just a bit. He realized that he hadn't been talking and that people were about to roll out when he felt the van shut off. "Hold one second, I'm trying to access camera footage. If I can access the peepshow into MacKinnon's apartment I might be able to give us some intel," Vahl quickly said as he was attempting to access the network.

Trying to multi-task, he looked up briefly at Gavin's comment "normal...huh" Well I'd sure like to get an idea of his normal parameters.

Hmm...this is a pretty sophisticated network, "Let's try seeing the hallways and lobby then..." Vahl said quietly as his voice mumbled to no one in particular.

"We don't have a way to disguise ourselves? I thought that was part and parcel of wet-works in the city Kat? You know, just thinking out of the box here," Vahl paused his work, looking up seriously, "There should be something we could do with your light Kat, and with my water manipulation. Maybe we could figure out some refraction trick to make ourselves invisible to the human eye?!?!"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:54, Mon 15 Apr.

"What happened to teleporting?"

Seeing an opportunity to escape the claustrophobic environment in the van, Rowan called to Kat and Gavin, "Wait for me." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, imagining an octopus clinging to a rock and changing their coloring and texture to blend in  with their background. Energy trickled over her skin, a not unpleasant tingle of power.

I'm no one important. No one of consequence. Look around me. Look through me... anywhere but AT me. When she opened her eyes she took a quick look in the rear view mirror to confirm the changes had held. Her vibrant red hair was now a dull dishwater brown. The same color replaced the, normally vibrant, yellow green of her eyes. New freckles peppered the bridge of her nose and cheeks. It was her and not her at the same time.

A black baseball cap was tucked into a pocket on the back of the seat in front of her. Rowan grabbed it and smoothed it over her head. She'd never tried this with the intent to disguise herself before. Here goes nothing!

"You'll be fine getting through the lobby" she said stepping out of the van. "But the elevator uses bio metrics unless you get an override from the security desk. The fewer eyes on us the better right?" She held up a hand and wiggled her fingers in the air.

Vahl had dabbled in computer-related endeavors of the clandestine nature but hadn't dedicated the kind of time he'd spent becoming a doctor and physicist.  Though able to determine the backchannels for spying on the complex by engaging with their security system, he found the firewall impenetrable.

Rowan looked notably different now that she'd significantly altered the coloring of her features.  The hat helped as well.  A casual glance would see a different woman.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:35, Mon 15 Apr.

Daenus frowned. "Oh that's it, DAMMIT! I'm gonna need a full dossier on everyone's capabilities!" He punctuated every word with a finger aiming downward. I'm sick of these surprises. Sick! "So sick of it."

Rowan turned to Daenus, "You're absolutely right! We should put together a battery of tests so we can pin down the extent of everyone's abilities and their rate of growth so we can maximize our potential."

She smiled. "I must admit. When I first encountered you, I thought you were a brusque blowhard with little more to add than a few witty quips. I am surprised." She nodded, more to herself than to him. "I look forward to seeing this more scientific side of you."

Daenus blinked. "Ya. Well. When I met you I was trying to decide on how to dispose you. So. Touché I guess. But now...now we know. Next time, don't assume, cuz it makes an ass out of you. Yup. I'm like a cake."

Daenus smiled inwardly. Damn right I got some witty quips. Whatever that means.

Vahl closed the laptop with reverence and annoyance all rolled into one little head nod. I can build nano-technology, and perform heart surgery but not breach a firewall. I'm useless. He chuckled to himself as he slid the laptop back in its case and leaned forward towards Kat. "Hey, I think we should try something here, let's hop behind the van and see if we can make Daenus disappear. I'd like to try to see if our powers might work in conjunction. If it does then we have a wonderful way of getting around without being seen," Vahl said talking into Kat's ear.

"Oh I'll disappear alright. Probably not in the way you're thinking." Vahl probably didn't know he was talking so loud, and Daenus doubted it worked both ways. Blondie only heard what he wanted to hear.