John stared at Matt as he landed, shocked at his appearance. "You....you too?"

He turned to Lifelight as she spoke. "You can seriously fix me? You're not lying?"

  Matt has found people start to get irrationally trigger happy when everything around them is Obviously Invulnerable.  While much less pleasant, 'wow, I can't believe they survived with mild injuries!' seems to make people less inclined to keep shooting at the same civilians.

  "Sure thing, Lifelight." Like Lifelight's request. When somebody with a big hole in their chest already has clear meta shenanigans going on around them, what's one more?

  "You have better odds than most there, John." Matt's awareness takes a moment to consider important questions like 'Did the guy John was yelling at already get turbo murdered cruel irony style', but research notes and materials are a non issue to recover even if John's anger was now towards a pair of smoldering legs. (It's PROBABLY fine, Nameless guy was still complaining after the last blasts toward the building)

  "It's apparently somewhat recent, you've got a lead on why, and people willing to help if you settle down. That's already way more information than I ever got." Even if Matt has come to take some comfort in the fact not even ancient wizards know what he's filled with these days.

  Figures it took becoming an inhuman monster to finally accept himself as a person. Most are not that lucky.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:25, Sun 14 Apr 2019.

Lifelight says, "I can try to fix you. Fixing people is what I do. You can call me Lifelight."

She purposefully does NOT call out to Reeve. That would draw the calming John back to the focus of his rage, which could set him off again.

Lifelight then says, "We have two options. I wait for Mittens to be ready to teleport us to my lab. Or I summon my mecha to take us to my lab."

A tiny portal opens near Lifelight pointed at her ear.  The voice of comes in loud and clear for her, but for everyone else the sound is like listening in on someone else's headset

"Things just got really violent over here, Lifelight.  But someone's picking off the baddies, so I don't expect to take very long."

Meanwhile, with Rodger.

The door opened and a man stood in the doorway. He looked like he had just gotten home from work, he had removed his suit jacket, and his tie was loosened but he still had the shirt and pants on. He stopped, a look of fear crossing his face when he saw Rodger immediately holding his hands up. "Just take whatever you want!"

"Whatever's faster, I don't want to spend anymore time as this....thing then I have to." John replied.

Lifelights systems detect radiation coming from John, though Matt's influence is currently negating any effects.

  "Mecha sounds best for now.  Not because giant robots are cool" Which they are "But because those portals are still regularly having munitions and tear gas transported through them."  Matt has spoiled himself on instant travel through various means, but slower travel has it's uses.  An impatient radioactive man brought to a lab is better than 'five seconds ago, they were shooting you'.

  Oh, and there's also torso trauma guy.  But he's not dying so, uh. Sorry not sorry you are a secondary concern.

  "Also, John.  You've got a lot on your plate right now. But it would be wildly irresponsible to not mention 'did you know you are radioactive'? That's currently being handled in the short term so you won't kill the injured guy just for standing near him, as ambient radiation is easier to quick fix than BEING radioactive." Matt does a Forensics and traces the unique glowing skeleton's trail with his Awareness in the hope it leads to somewhere relevant.  While smoothing over any 'health problems' levels down to 'It's a Clue' levels.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:47, Sat 20 Apr 2019.

A mech comes flying in*. Standing at about fifteen feet tall and having treads for "feet", even though it can seem intimidating with its large, impressive arms and clamp-hands, it is clear the vehicle is not really a combat mech. No guns. Besides! It has a construction-vehicle paint job, so clearly it is meant for work and not war, right?

Antoinette says, "There it is."

With one of its arms, the mech grabs the currently (and thankfully) unconscious man with a hole in his chest. The central cockpit opens and Antoinette hovers, presenting the cockpit to the radioactive man. "You can sit here if you like."

*Like this, but with tank-treads for "feet":
https://i.pinimg.com/originals...a7a670af45e2af3c.jpg
This message was last edited by the player at 04:52, Tue 23 Apr 2019.

John shrugs at Matt. "Didn't know for sure, but kinda figured. What else would glowing green energy mean?" As the mech arrived John let out a low whistle before climbing in the offered cockpit.

Lifelight is happy John was impressed by the mech. Lifelight gives a small smile to radioactive man and then takes off with the mech. The cockpit closes, but the man can hear Lifelight through the machine's internal speakers (and likewise, she could hear him through her headset). "The more I know, the more I can help. Please tell me what you can about what happened up to the accident?"

She expects that either Matt's power to put dying on hold will keep till she makes it to her lab... or Matt will follow her. Either way, Lifelight trusts Matt enough to not feel the need to ask much more.

Speaking of Matt, he could easily be heard by John a number of ways; either speak closely to Lifelight's face or talk loudly near the cockpit.

  "Yeah, that's a fair assumption." Of course this is a setting where green glowing skeletons can a very wide variety of causes. So no wonder more holy types carry guns these days just to be sure.

  "I'll just hitch a ride on the outside." Matt could fit inside if he wanted to, but sudden Mac and Me impressions probably would not help matters right now.

John nodded. "I don't really know much. I was Reeves' assistant, one of them anyway. We were working on a new form of radiation therapy, for cancer patients. We were going to test it, without a patient, just to see how well it worked. I was in the room, doing some fine tuning on the machine when the door suddenly shut behind me. I ran over to it, but it was locked. Next thing I knew I woke up as...this thing."

Lifelight's soothing voice came through the speakers again, "Were there security cameras in the place you worked at?"

She then looked at Matt. "Matt, please bring Reeve too."

And with that, the bunch are headed off towards the lab Antoinette works at! It would probably take them 10 minutes to get there.

  Okay so Reeve would be... Man, While mittens makes the Deadpool jokes, Matt plays hot potato with a living narrative. "Unless the cops or worse will be angry, probably five to ten minutes"

  While Matt goes through the metaphysical equivalent of mashing the browser refresh button on Reeve as a person, he physically arrives in the (since repaired) former hiding place of the man.

  He hopes any attempts to dispose evidence (if there even is any here, as his awareness runs the Family Circus Trail back to the origin story of Radioactive Skeletons) was through physical trauma or digital button pressing.  It's a bit embarrassing retrieving the flushed kind.

OOC: "How did you find the records of the drug deals without a hacker?"  "I hit CTRL-Z on the universe" "How did you find the drugs?"  "I'm also a living roto rooter."

Reeves is confused to find himself in a cell, then even more confused to find himself back in his lab with no damage done to it. For a second he wonders if it was all a dream, then he sees Matt. With all the stress of the day, plus being confronted by whatever Matt is Reeves just breaks down, curls up in a ball, and starts crying.

While waiting for Matt Lifelight spots a cloaked figure standing on top of a nearby building, but strangely, he does not show up on her sensors.

  You would think having no physical breath would make resisting the urge to sigh effortless, but he still has to try real hard some days.  "Even with your life being in a better place now than it was ten minutes ago, that's an understandable reaction."

  Matt gestures towards the intact walls, "I can fix a lot of things, and I certainly know enough people who could piece together the how and why of what happened here today without your input if I left right now." some would probably do it out of boredom as much as any sense of justice.

  He takes a seat outside of arms length by Reeve, "But even if it turns out it really was an accident.  I can't cure most people of regret. Whether you avoid it, or even simply lessen it, that's up to you trying to help John. Even if all that amounts to is walking people through what you know."

  Matt does sigh now, adding "But I don't think John is in a state of mind where he realizes you giving a **** about him beyond sympathy, will end up more important than if he's stuck as a freak or not... You know, after you deal with your more than justified stress. I might actually slap someone if they act like you didn't just narrowly avoid getting blown up."

  Oh Matt, you were this close to a heartfelt speech.

Upon seeing an undetectable, Lifelight is curious. Since none of her sensors are detecting the cloaked figure, but her eyes are, she can't help but theorize the person either has powers or technology that prevent detection outside normal means.

She speaks to John. "I'm still with you. The mech you are in is going to fly ahead to my lab. I will catch up."

Lifelight heads to the cloaked figure and waves with a smile.

"It WAS an accident!" Reeves shouted in a high pitched voice. He sobbed for a moment before continuing. "He wasn't supposed to be in there! The room was on a timer! He must not have looked at the time and I didn't see him on the cameras till it was too late!" He buried his head in his knees continuing to sob, then added. "I-I Just went to the bathroom, but when I came back he was already..." He trailed off staring down at his feet.


The cloaked figure turned to watch as Lifelight approached. His face was obscured by his hood, and both hands were in his sleeves leaving no discerning features, not even skin tone. "Good evening my child, it warms my heart to see your attempt to aid your brother in the trying time of his transition. But I must warn you, once Pandora's box has been opened you cannot return what has been released."

Lifelight answers the cloaked figure with a smile and her usual soft voice, "Hi. I'm Lifelight." then tilts her head a little, as if to let the figure know she is pondering what he said. "Thank you. Please tell me more."

Meanwhile, her mech does as she mentioned and goes on ahead towards her lab. Lifelight had been sure to make sure Reeve would not be in John's field of view while en route, lest the guy loose himself again.

  "That would sound outlandish, if not for how common that sort of tragic timing seems to come up." Like stellar empires being unable to go five minutes without being re-conquered. No wonder so many ancient immortals are in retirement when even just a few years of work crumples the second you turn your back on things.

  "What was the intended nature of your project?  Simply going through your stuff won't have the same meaning as hearing it from you.  While a 'cure' may seem like a dim prospect to you, making his now radioactive nature only dangerous when he wants it to be, not simply for existing, is far more likely."  It's no longer 'tragic' if most people won't survive being close enough to hear you lament your fate, after all.

  Even if Matt is fielding that particular problem, he figures it is for the best to discourage a slow creep towards one day doing more work keeping things running than the laws of physics.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:48, Tue 07 May 2019.

The Hooded figure inclined his head towards lifelight. "I am The First. The machine is not the source of his change merely the catalyst for his awakening to what is known in modern times as a parahuman. Once a parahuman has ascended they cannot return to their former state. His gifts can be controlled, focused, but he cannot go back to the mere human he was before."


Meanwhile in the lab.

"The project was supposed to be a new radiation treatment, for cancer. I don't know how much help I can be, parahuman physiology isn't exactly my area of expertise."

Lifelight ohs. Then smiles again and says softly, "Thank you. Do you want to come with me and help assure John of what you told me? Or help with his ability to control it?"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:35, Tue 07 May 2019.

  "It does matter, because in the past we'd be having this conversation about smallpox.  I don't have any proof the universe was out to get you in this case, just as I don't have any proof people are very, very good at telling the universe to go **** itself." It shows Matt is new to this because he's not being nearly grandiose enough about the subject.

  "I'm running mostly on instinct and good intentions.  However, even if what happened to change John will probably be officially filed under 'irreproducible freak accident', the specifics will probably make a difference in John's ability to hold any semblance of a normal life." After all, the intended subject of research is how to use radiation without killing somsone... Even if something this extreme was never expected by anyone involved.

  "I can afford to fly blind because that can't hurt anyone. Very literally. But even something as little as a stack of printouts is reference that can help John come to grips with how to contain and shoot godzilla beams without irradiating anything but his intended target. Or twisting science's arm enough to avoid even that."

  OOC: For the same reasons 'and now, SKELETON!', a cliff notes out of date science textbook also probably works as Dumbo's magic feather if needed.  The ability to make physics cry was inside you all along, John!
This message was last edited by the player at 14:51, Fri 10 May 2019.

The Doctor stood, trying his best to pull himself together, and only partially succeeding. "I'll come along and try to help as long as you can keep him from killing me on sight, I can't help anyone if I get disintegrated."


Meanwhile

The man in the hood tilted his head as if considering it. "Not if your friend will be there. His creators and I had a disagreement many millennia ago that I am still not happy with. Besides that I am merely acting as an observer for now, my plans are not yet ready for me to begin interfering in this latest age."

Lifelight offers a card to the cloaked figure with an innocent smile. "I understand. This is my contact information. May I have yours?"

The card has a phone number, email, and a list of chat handles she is on.