This is a private thread for John Tashiro and Blain Carter, If you are not the owner of one of these characters, please stop reading immediately.

The sounds of half-working space heaters coughing out warmth to their shivering owners fills the office of the Dust Bowl's Gov't Police headquarters. It is Christmas Eve and most were hoping to have the day off. In an effort to seem impartial, the chief of police-- Norelie Beatty, a middle aged Filipina woman with long hair tied into a neat bun-- had teams of officers pull straw to decide who would have active duty today. Those were the officers. Detectives didn't ever get that chance.


This morning, the DBGP seems to be in an even worse mood than usual; grumblings from officers that would much rather be at home with their families form a soft cacophony that seems to match the mood of the stagnating trails of cigarette smoke pervading the small office.

Though he has no injury, the doctor insisted that Blain wear a sling for the arm near where the bullet wound has already seemed to heal. It is uncomfortable and smells slightly stale. A few officers have already nodded their respect. A moment later, the sounds of paper slapping wood shakes Blain from his reverie as Nina Sung slaps a manila envelope on his desk.

"Welcome back, pretty boy," She smiles, the gesture reaching her eyes, "No rest for the wicked, eh? We already have another assignment."

She lays down a cup of coffee: made exactly the way Blain always takes it. "You're gonna need that. Get this: couple a' gov't enforcers were sent to bring in a few scientists in for questioning? Totally botched it. Set off an explosion that killed everyone."

Nina takes a sip from her own Styrofoam cup, the drawstring from the teabag hung limply off the side. It looked dirty.

"Anyway, now it's our job to clean up the mess. A local in the mountain claimed to have seen  the indomitable snowman or some shit. Probably a wild goose chase but you know the protocol."

Her gaze hovers on Blaine's sling for a moment, "Can you still shoot with that thing?" her voice a mix or mirth and, hidden a little deeper, concern.


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John doesn't remember what he dreamt but he remembers it was intense. Something foreboding. A warning, maybe? A nightmare? He couldn't quite place it as he opened his eyes. The slight ache in his back brought him back to the present as he takes in the surroundings:

Emily had found an abandoned cabin in the mountains that John could stay in after the incident 3 days ago. It was bare. A poor excuse for a cot that he slept on, a rolled up blanket for a pillow, and a single dusty shovel in the corner. There was an outhouse next-door.

She had promised him she wouldn't sleep there with him or even touch him since they found out that the mere act of holding hands seemed to hurt her. Yet somehow she always seemed to be there as he fell asleep and was always there when he woke up. This morning she looked a bit more worried than usual.

"Still no word from Richard since the accident." She handed him a plate of scrambled eggs. They were already cold.

"I... I'm just not sure what to do next." She said, eyes hovering on John's form. The beginnings of tears were starting to well up in her eyes.

Outside a large BANG is heard. Quickly followed by another one. If the two of them wait, there are no other bangs.

   Blain accepted the cup and took a deep drink as he smiled up to his partner. He didn't know what to make of how quickly she had come to mind as he had laid on the dusty earth and bleed when that raiders bullet had caught him high in the shoulder not so long ago. Fun thing about being shot, every gun wound feels fatal when it happens. It her so much and there was so much blood. He had genuinely believed he was going to die that day. And all the fear and regret that washes through a man when faced with a violent death washed through him. He thought about missing seeing what kind of man his son would become, thought about the strain his absence would put on the boys mother. But then his mind drifted to Nina and he found him filled with a deep sense of regret he had no words for. And then unconciouness took him.

  Blain gave his head a little shake, concerned that he had been staring as he let him mind roam back to that horrible night. He hadn't died and so there was still work to do.

" So our next case is the indomitable snowman? Well marry fucking Christmas to us." He gripped as he opened the envelope one handed to flip through the file.

 "And don't worry, the second we are out of here this idiotic thing is coming off" He continued as he gestured with his arm in question, still snugly in its incredibly unnecessary sling.

Blain Carter

Nina's eyes widened momentarily. "Off? Don't you need it?" her concern no longer masked behind her playfulness.

"Carter! Sung! Why are you two still sitting in my office??" The shrill voice of chief Beatty rang out from the other side of the room. Though her voice was stern, her face was soft. It was clear she was happy to not have lost her best detective... even if she didn't quite know how to show it.

"Better shake a leg." Nina smiled, grabbing the keys, "We're going up in the mountains. Some kind of cave up there. Hope you brought a parka." A few moments later, as the two detectives are walking down the stairs, she asks, "Did you prefer I drive? My car is a bit better suited to the weather."

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
(OOC) Feel free to start any rp/convo during the drive. I will respond accordingly. There will be nothing of significance happeneing before you reach the mountain and said cave.

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Edited. Lack of sleep is causing me to mix up NPCs haha

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This message was last edited by the GM at 20:23, Sat 14 May 2022.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 1):

John wanted to reach for Emily when she started to cry, but the second he did she began breathing out white mist. He pulled back, keeping his distance. He could already see her shivering.

"Emily...this...this is not going to get any better." His voice sounded like someone speaking through wind. He already had a theory why-he did not have lungs or a working voice box. Somehow this new body had reflexively constructed alternative means for him to talk.

John also started to think his brain had been effected. He should be sobbing, screaming, or overcome with anger or despair. However, those emotions where often based on chemicals the brain reflexively produced. His...brain? May not be physical thing anymore. Again, this new body tried to copy his flesh and blood, and could only make it part way there.

He knew he was right. He had not slept, eaten, and drank anything for 3 days. Even when he tired to lay down, the normal fading that came with every other human going to sleep never came for him.

Maybe he was going to go crazy. Maybe he already was. However, he seemed to have a very good rational way of thinking. In fact, his mind was so clear he could remember everything. Every detail. As if losing his meat brain had improved his recall, while also losing his chemical emotions.

Except that was not 100% true. He loved Emily. He was worried for her. He told her to leave him here and go back to the underground to be safe. He would be fine on his own. Of course, she ignored him like he had not said anything.

"We have to talk about this. You cant stay with me. Its too dangerous on multiple levels. You can blend in again without me, I just..." he paused and noticed something.

The eggs. The fresh out of the kitchen eggs. He could see the heat as she cooked them, right through the walls. He could also see her, outlined in red.

She placed the hot dish in front of him. He was not hungry of course. However, his body reacted. He reached out with his hand, and held it over the eggs. The food turned grey, and then iced over. He could see the heat leave the food, and flow directly into his hand.

Then he saw it. One finger...his pointer. It was his normal skin tone. Rather then the blue-white his body had changed into.

"Emily! Look!" He said, showing her the finger. Then it faded back to the frozen dead coloring. He felt excited...well, as excited as he could get. Then he heard the bangs.

He turned in that direction, and his glowing orbs he had for eyes focused. He gazed at the wall, and it faded away from his sight. The world outlined in red and blue, and focused only on heat and cold. Yet, unlike any IR camera the level of details was amazing. He needed to find the heat of a possible gunshot...
This message was last edited by the player at 19:40, Fri 13 May 2022.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 3):

"Absolutely you drive. You know the sling and all" Blain chuckled as he strolled out of the office with his partner.

  A little while later as they were on the road to investigate the cave, Blain decided to address Nina's concern from earlier.

 "The hit really wasn't as bad as it looked. And the docs have patched me up good as new. This sling is just window dressing. Like when they make you sit in a wheel chair at the hospital."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:52, Fri 13 May 2022.

John Tashiro

"oh my... Oh my god..." Emily gasped, reflexively reaching out to touch her fiancé's hand and pulling back just as quickly. "How?" He could see it then: The cogs in her mind turning rapidly, the scientist in her seemed to have woken up and she was on the verge of grasping at hope again. Then, BANG!

Emily froze. "What do you think that was?" She whispered, terror obvious in her voice. If they were discovered here...

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
You vision shows a group of 6 people further up the mountain, out of earshot. One of the bodies is on the ground and quickly losing its heat signature.

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This message was last edited by the GM at 20:24, Sat 14 May 2022.

Blain Carter

Nina didn't laugh with Blain as they got in the car. She didn't say a word until her partner addressed the sling. Her brow furrowed.

"But... I saw you. There was blood everywhere..?" Before she could finish the thought, they had arrived at the base of the mountain in question. A single badly carved road was covered in snow ahead of the pair but that's not what caught their attention.

Blocking the path was a large black SUV. Leaning against it were two men smoking cigarettes and shivering. They look up as Nina's car approaches and one waves them off with his hand, "Sorry. Road's closed," He yells.

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
You can give me  a Expertise: Police or Expertise: Streetwise  roll to see if you can tell anything about the two men. In addition, you can roll an Investigation if you want to examine the Icy road behind them.

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This message was last edited by the GM at 20:23, Sat 14 May 2022.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 6):

"Six people...one of them has just been shot." He headed out side. "I am gonna take care of it. If you don't hear from me in 5 minutes, head down the mountain."

While that sounded macho and tough, John really had very little idea how to 'take care of it'. Was he going to kill the other five people to make sure they did not tell anyone Emily and he where up here? Most likely they would just shoot him, and then come looking for Emily.

It should have scared the crap out of him. He should just take Emily and try to get away. However...he was different now. He was not scared like when he was flesh and blood. At least, not as badly. He felt like this new body could do things...all sorts of things. He was starting to realize the Zero point energy inside him was not just a freakish side effect. He had some level of control.

However, he knew what Emily would say. "I have to try to help that person. I can't just let them die if I could stop it. I promise I will be careful." He could not argue about it-he could see the heat fading from the shooting victim even now.

He got outside, and thought about getting over there...fast. Sure enough, he reached out with one hand and the tips of his fingers blew off. From those fingers, white beams of mist and energy shot out, creating a ice path under his feet. He moved fast, at well over 100 miles per hour. Heading towards the group of shooters. He even took to the air, an ice ramp forming under him as he gained height.

"HOLY CROW!" He said, shocked. He had actually pictured a means to get over to the group as fast as possible. He should have panicked, but his lessened chemical emotions kept him from falling and keeping control over his movements. It was easy, drawing on the inner power and watching it take shape in a reflexive means.

He quickly realized if the group of five people saw some weird frozen guy zipping forth on a ice ramp might be bad. They might try to shoot him. He needed to prevent them from seeing him. John did not think he could turn invisible, but he could do something similar. He could keep them from seeing anything around nearby...

Sure enough, as he closed in and saw his targets with his IR vision, he gestured with his free hand. That hand...burst apart. From that mini explosion of light and mist, thick snow and hail suddenly started. Anyone without IR vision would have real problems seeing anything closer than right in front of their faces. John did not feel any pain and panic from loss of his hand, or the fingertips of his other hand. In fact, he felt good for releasing the energy that was stored inside himself.

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
(OOC-Moving with flight 6 to close in before person dies. Using my environment power to create extreme lack of visibility in a 120 foot radius around my targets. Wont effect me, so I may be able to close in on wounded person and take them away to keep them from dying before the others know what is going on. I have move by action, so I should be able to scoop the dying person up and take them away while using Environment power to keep the others from seeing me.)

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This message was last edited by the player at 19:57, Fri 13 May 2022.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 7):

Blain was way off his game. He hated lying to Nina. He knew he had to but it just set wrong with him. That was likely why he over looked most of the fine detail in the scene they suddenly found themselves in.

 As the men tried to wave them off, Blain reached into his coat and produced his badge.

"Its open to us. Now clear the road"

John Tashiro

"John! Don't you dare!" Emily responds, blood rushing to her face, "You don't have to do anything! Are you crazy??"

But she was wasting her breath as the Iceman was already gone. In a flash, he made it up to the top of the mountain where the group was. At this distance he could hear their conversation, "One of you idiots grab the supplies he was carrying. I'll take care of the car."

That was coming from the man holding the smoking gun. He seems to be the leader.

All 5 men were wearing black winter jackets and were quite surprised by the sudden change of weather.

"What the fuck is this??" One managed to get out before Doctor Zero swept in and dashed away with the victim. The man's body was cold and was covered in a blood-stained robe that looked like it was white at one point. He is still bleeding.

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
No roll necessary, especially since they weren't expecting it. You successfully grab the body and get away without being seen. Take it where you want and you can RP from there. The man is unconscious and has been shot in the chest.

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This message was last edited by the GM at 20:34, Sat 14 May 2022.

Blain Carter

The tattooed man squinted at the badge, throws his cigarette on the ground, and lifts his shirt, revealing a black pistol tucked into the seam of his pants.

"No the fuck it aint, pig. This is chain gang territory."

The second man slowly moves towards the trunk of the car, preparing to open it.

Nina glances at Blain's sling nervously.

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
You can still roll either expertise to see what you know about the gang. If you wanna persuade/Intimidate, go ahead and roll that too.

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In reply to The Narrator (msg # 10):

John returns to Emily, carrying the body. The ice ramp he used faded to mist when he was done with it, and there would be no way of tracking him back to the cabin. Even as he sped away, he could sustain the snowstorm. The power of the seeming 'weather' not coming from enviroment. Instead, it flowed from him. He was sustaining its force, even at distance.

He moved inside, making sure to put the man down before his cold aura did real damage. Then he confronted Emily in her justified anger. "It's ok. All they saw was the snow. Get the frist aid kit...please."

Fully prepared to be yelled at, and fully knowing he was the one putting them at risk, he nodded at her. She was right of course, but she did not know what he could. Hell, he did not know what he could do...not fully. Maybe he was crazy.

He looked down at the shooting victim. He could see through the man's body. His warmth fading even as he spotted the bullet. Blue against the fading red of his body. Then he saw his own hand. The one he blew off using his abilites.

It had grown back. He had not even noticed it. Restored as if it was never damaged from his cold dead flesh. He realized, the zero point energy could stabilize life as well as end it. It put John in a state of sustainment. That's why he was alive right now.

"I'm...I'm going try something." He said, gesturing for Emily to stay back. He touched the man's wound, and called on the power. The man's body froze, but the heat loss stopped. The bullet froze still as well, and John focused energy into the man's system. Changing the rate of its healing now that he had slowed and stabilized his injuries.

OOC-using my heal other power. Man gains life support, immunity to aging, and gets heal 8 with the stabilize extra. The effect will end once he wakes or is removed from the ice by any normal means, but his injury will be gone.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:52, Sun 15 May 2022.