Tenaxa

Tori shrugs at Max as she picks at her fruit and sips her coffee. “Weird things are going on around here. Or maybe I’m just imagining things. Normally I can separate things and keep them clear. Recently everything seems to be mashing together.” Finally finishing her fruit, Tori looks at Max. “Listen, I gotta get going. I need to get my head clear and that means it is workout time. You’ll let me know if anything else comes up?” She gathers up her stuff and gets ready to head out. “Thanks for the fruit.”

written with American Valor PCU-Cup and Saucer Max spun the pad around and pulled up the P.C.M.E. report information and a picture of the victim from his university ID appeared. Max looked at Tori and tapped at the picture it enlarged showing a smaller picture in the corner and an information file. Personal File of Mr Willet Thomas Jonson 4th Name Willet Jonson SWM age 22 height 6'0" weight 200 Brown hair and eyes Studying PreMed Honor student Alpha Beta Kappa GPA 3.75 No steady partner. Several school police incidents several involving scalping sports tickets. 1 lewd acts while intoxicated. open container. None of the charges had any consequences of action, He had never even received any type of punitive action in his school file, they just sorta went away. On a different note the family made a large donation to the university in the sum of $750 k. The next file was a copy of the official P.C.M.E. report: Cause of Death: Death from Affixation /Poison Victim's Name Willet Thomas Jonson 4th AKA: Willet Jonson SWM age 22 height 6'0" weight 200 Brown hair and eyes Blood type O Was apparently sexually active only victims DNA was found Death was caused by poison Ingested/ absorbed through skin contact from multiple locations Drugs found in system cause unconsciousness. Cuts on back of neck were made with some type of razor blade appears that was a possible site of injection The razor cut appears to spell the word KOA Bruising on chest from CPR no other marks found on body Toxicology reports: Various drugs that cause unconsciousness Ingested Poison Lipstick residue color a blue/black traces of a poison agent in lipstick "So the mystery man isn't so squeaky clean after all?" looking at Tori. "What do you think about this Kiddo?" Tori looks up at Max. “This dude did something bad to someone…or many someones. He probably got off without repercussions. His parents are rich, they know the right people, and he is…was an entitled rich kid who never understood what could happen. Never had to pay the price.” She sits back looking at the ceiling. “Dang, I doubt this was a direct victim revenge. The stuff cut into his neck is too much of a calling card or meaningful mark. Probably a vigilante that had seen enough of this dude getting away with it.” Max shakes his head no in response, but doesn't say anything. :Well, tell you what, I’m going to dig into this a bit more. Do some research. See if this particular marking or something similar pops up anywhere else. See if victims might similar in that they hide behind money.” She sips on her coffee and then leans forward to whisper. “And in the future, just add a code word to your texts so I know it is you. Trying to track what number you are using is getting silly.” Max just grunts uncommittedly while scarfing down the rest of his fruit.

“Uh no. Was just out at the D last night for a while. Then had a crappy start to my day. Sorry, just a little tired.” She wondered why he was always so cheery and upbeat. Tori almost spit out her coffee when he mentioned the Outcasts. “Wait…what?” She quickly tried to recover, saved by the timely arrival of the waitress. “So…what’s this about Outcasts and this Nightman person? And what eyewitnesses? I heard there was something, but it was the middle of the night. Who would have been around to see that?” Tori pokes at the fruit salad, taking small bites.

Tori looked up at Max as he stood there grinning and filling out his shirt rather well. She still looked a little disheveled from the night before with no make-up or any effort to look good. She had on an “Oasis” T-shirt and jeans. “Sit your ass down hotshot. The drink’s, not too bad for a super-secret code drink.” She said with half a smile. “Just finish a workout or are you just naturally swol and sweaty?” She jokes somewhat sarcastically. She rubs her eyes, realizing she probably looks like she hasn’t slept…which isn’t too far from the truth. “So what exciting news do you have for me?” She asks, her voice a little more tired-sounding than she’d like.

Tori leaned against the door trying to figure out what went on. Eventually she gave up, knowing that this was going to be an ongoing mess. She cleaned up her place a bit and changed into some real clothes before heading over to the Cup and Saucer. “Time to get this done, I guess. From one confusing mess to another.” She walked in and made the order for the double espresso chocolate mint latte. She saw Saul subtly perk up at her order, and then go back to get something. It seemed to take a long time, but eventually the drink came to her, and Saul gave her a nod. She looked around and found a booth to sit and slid in, sipping her coffee. "Not bad for a weird order."

Written with American Valor PCU Tori barely flinched at the blade. She’d give up her security deposit for that but knowing her landlord, that was an inevitable conclusion anyway. In that moment, Tori took in the details of the blade. This was something she knew well and a quick glance told her a lot. Krys was right and Tori knew it. They weren’t going to solve anything right now. There was too much emotion and tension in the air. “Five PM tonight it is.” She sighed as Liv dragged Krys out and down the hallway. Alie was actually studying the blade sticking into the counter. The blade was Tanto style without a guard all metal construction it was deadly sharp. Tori turned to Alie. “You might as well go after them. Keep your toys in line.” She said without really much emotion, just matter-of-fact. Alie considered many things this was savageble she chose her words carefully. "Their not toys, their our friends. I could talk to Krys if you want?" Alie said. Tori frowned. “I’m sorry it worked out this way. I’m sorry you think I’m bad because I do hero work. Good luck with whatever you have to do.” "I'm a college student, Crey has done good by me and my family. I got a scholarship, They fixed our house it was destroied during a super's battle. Not all capes are bad but they don't stick around to help either. It would be nice if we had Rescue Heroes. I don't think you're bad Tori. Honestly I really don't know you, what I know could fit in a thimble. So maybe we can try again you're Tori and I'm Alice Devero my friends call me Alie." Tori is taken aback a bit by Ali’s change of stance. Perhaps without the others around she didn’t have to posture so much. She takes a deep breath and walks over to Ali. “Victoria Hanes-Sykes. You can call me Tori.” She holds out her hand to shake Ali’s. “I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot this morning. Krys is a bit volatile. If you could help calm her down I’d appreciate it.” Alie smiled softly while pointing at the Tanto. "Me too, Sorry about Liv as well. She has boundry issues I've discovered. Do me a favor you keep that. I'll let you sleep cause lord knows I could use a nap. This was too bad really, we could have all spent the time wrestling." Alie face blushed as she moved over to the door to leave. "We had a great view while you were picking up the clothes. Bye Tori." Tori walked Ali to the door, smiling and blushing a bit. Alie turned and gave Tori a quick kiss on the cheek before she slipped out the door.

Tori tried to keep control of herself. Getting angry and yelling wasn’t going to help her here. It was going to help Alie and prove them all right. And seeing Krys like this was breaking her up inside. “I told you we had to be open. I told you we had to clear the air. Now it is all out on the table and at least we know where we’re starting from.” She said as calmly as she could. “I’m not saying who’s right or wrong. What I’m saying is we now have a starting point. No more lies or pretending. I’ve been upfront and open with you. I just want the same in return.” She sighs. “Somehow because I do some hero work, I’m the bad guy? Alie assumes I’m going to arrest you and you claim I’m throwing my weight around. If being open and honest is bad, then I guess you are right about me.” Tori was tired of fighting. Tired of being wrong for being honest. She’d gotten almost no sleep the night before, so was tired and emotionally drained. She couldn’t keep this up much longer without either crying or lashing out. She leaned back against the wall, giving Krys the space. Letting her feel big and superior. Tori was in a bad position if Krys decided to hit her, but otherwise she was subtly giving Krys a social position win.

Tori tried not to show her shock as somehow the control of the discussion was torn from her and twisted against her. She mumbled to herself, angry that she lost control of herself and the conversation. This wasn’t what she was good at – she was good at fighting. Tori stared at Alie for a moment. She wanted to wipe that smug grin of Alie’s face and it would have felt good to do so. But that would just prove her point even more. Krys’ words cut Tori deep, making her feel like a cheap, used, toy. She was hurt and angry. But she couldn’t give up. Not yet. Alie may have drank the Crey “Kool aide” but Krys and Liv still had a chance. It made Tori shiver to know what Crey would do to someone like Liv. She quickly moved to the door. She almost put her hand on Krys’ shoulder but resisted. She simply stood by the door and softly said. “Wait, please don’t go.” Tori swallowed hard, awaiting the response.

((OOC: Announcement: We welcome anyone else to join us as this is intended to be cooperative writing. I realize American Valor (AV) and I have taken a little side-trek by way of Pocket D, but that should not prevent or dissuade anyone else from writing. Please read AV’s first post to get some basic tips, and then maybe a bit of what’s going on. I only got into this because I took the plunge way back on the “live” CoH forums. Also, happy to provide some guidance to anyone that wants to join. And/or be an initial contact (after an initial introduction post for your character) just to get you going. This post/thread is for everyone; you are welcome if you can post and bring a bit of story. Thanks! Now back to your regularly scheduled college, supers RP))

PCU - Off Campus Apartments Tori stopped and looked at Liv. Poor Liv, her innocent eyes looking at Tori, worried about jelly on the couch. Tori smiled and grabbed a paper towel. She walked over to Liv and wiped the corners of her mouth, then wiped the jelly off the couch. “I would never be mad at you Liv.” She says and kissed Liv’s forehead before walking to the counter. She pours herself a coffee. In a calmer voice she starts again. “Really, we just know a lot more, now. If you have a job to do, I might be able to help. I need the money, but I’m not going on Crey’s payroll. That would be a betrayal of too many people.”

They stood in the ruined lab, surrounded by the remains of broken robots. Servos and gears continued to whir and try to completely the last command given to them by the now defunct computer brains of the robots. Their broken limbs twitched like crushed bugs. The smell of burnt electronics and hydraulic fluid filled the air. The gigantic armor they’d found the scientist wearing was now smoldering garbage. Tori stepped up and popped open the helmet. “Time to die you piece of crap.” She said as she removed a long knife from her waistband. A look of fear suddenly crossed his face. “B-but you’re heroes! You c-can’t!” “You are garbage and I’m ending you now!” As her arm came back it was grabbed. A woman in a silvery suit of armor with moth-like wings held Tori’s wrist. “Don’t do it. He’s not worth it. Killing him won’t change anything. It won’t make you feel better.” Tori growled and the scientist in the suit spoke again. “You’ll never learn about the others!” Tori paused. “What do you mean, others?” A hint of a smile crossed his face. “The others from the experiment. You didn’t know did you. Oh, a few others survived as well.” Another woman, small and lithe with pink hair stepped up. “I’d love to end this piece of crap too, but if he has further information…there could be others like you that need help.” Tori yelled in frustration and stepped away. “Fine.” “But tell us where the box is. The box with my locket!” Once all was done, Tori stood at the exit, looking at the locket. “Come on Tori, let’s go home.” The pink-haired woman said. “I think this calls for a celebration.” “Others…” Tori mumbled to herself and then looked up. “Yeah.” She nodded. “Let’s go.” ((OOC: This is basically the end of the initial part of the story. Kinda ended with a fizzle. More went on in game but a lot of it didn’t translate well. Also, in-game Tori/Tenaxa has diverged from forum Tori (See Paragon University thread) enough that I now have “Crisis on Finite (two) Earths” going on with her. There is more going to happen with this, as was teased by the BBEMS (big-bad evil mad scientist). Others that survived the experiment are out there. I have an idea for one, but not really sure how I want to do this. When I work that out I may very well add it to this story. Thanks to any that actually read the whole thing!))

((Written with American Valor)) Alie passed the gym bag to Liv and looked for a place to put the party pack down. "Yes coffee and assorted donuts. Sorry for the interruption Tori." Alie said. “Over there.” Tori pointed to the counter that separated the kitchen area from the living area. “Or just on the coffee table.” She pointed to the small coffee table that sat in front of an old couch, facing the TV. "You didn't call or text, Rule is you always call after a fight! What happened let me see." Liv took a step back and began looking Krys over for injuries. Krys smiled at Liv, then did the classic sideway muscle pose she winched slightly then looked at Tori giving her a wink. Liv didn't say anything just gave Krys a stern glare. "Were you hurt Tori?" she asked. “Only some minor cuts and bruises. Would have been hurt worse if Krys hadn’t saved me.” She gave a nod toward Krys. With a slight blush at Tori's comment Krys said, "I left the shower running. Alie can you pour us some coffee? I need to give Tori a hand turning it off, don't I?" Tori started to dismiss Krys’ comment but then understood. “Uh, yeah. Mugs are in the cupboard if you need them. We’ll get dried off and be right back out.” "I think that y'all should join us after you get dressed. Where do you want the bag?” Liv was looking at the trail of clothing starting at Krys damaged jacket. Liv had a concerned look on her face. Still, she couldn't help but smile watching Tori. Tori started picking up clothes off the ground on her way back toward the bathroom, not realizing she was giving a show every time she bent down to grab something. Krys stared at Tori's wet t- shirt clinging to her body thinking *Damn, this is impossible.* Tori heard her phone chime from her nightstand, but let it sit for the moment. Krys strode purposefully to the bathroom giving Tori a lite tap on her butt while she was picking up clothes.

She sat on the globe, on top of the Atlas statue, in Atlas Park and looked out over the city. The cool breeze ruffled her short, unkept hair. Her eyes were red and the little make-up she wore smudged. Her colorful clothes were messy and stained. A half-empty plastic bottle of vodka sat next to her. She lifted it to her lips and took a pull from the bottle and the cap skittered away in the wind. She barely noticed and made no effort to catch it. “Look ma, I’m on top of the world…” She mumbled. She stood up, bottle of Vodka in one hand, and wandered around the top of the globe. “I could fall and you’d jush make another one, right? Tori two-point-ooooh. Maybe she won't be such a weak...stupid...alcoholic." She takes another slug from bottle and stagers a little bit, dangerously close to sliding off of the globe. She staggers back to the center and sits down, uncharacteristically hard. “Whooops, almost had to get a new Tori! Doubt I could activate my jet pack thingy before I hit.” She lies down on the globe. “Oooh, feels like the globe is spinning.” She laughs. “Get it…the globe isss-spinning!!!” “Maybe I’ll just stay here…at least I go out on top…get it. I won’t get no statue like ever-body else. Cause they don’ make statues of nobodies.” Approaching the top of the statue are a small pink-haired woman being carried by a woman in a silver metallic suit with moth-like wings. They land near Tori, a look of concern on their faces. “Tori, what are you doing here?” The pink-haired woman asks. “Oh, hi Anna. Hi Mae. Come to see the nobody? I’m just being nobody here because someone made me up.” Anna knelt down next to Tori. “Oh Tori, you aren’t a nobody!” “Atlas is my buddy. He doesn’t care that I’m not a person. Maybe when I fall off and die they can just put my ashes in the globe. Because nobodies don’t get statues.” The armored woman settled down next to Tori. “Let’s maybe lay off this for a while.” Mae said as she gently took the bottle of vodka. “You have people who love you, Tori. You are a person. It doesn’t matter where you came from, it matters what you do with yourself.” Anna takes Tori’s hand. “We’re all very worried about you Tori. We don’t care what that paper says, we know you and we all care about you.” Tori started to cry again. “You’re just sayin’ that. You can just mix a new one up in the sink.” “We don’t want a new one.” Mae said, almost pleadingly. “We want this Tori. The one we know and love.” Anna added. They both hugged Tori as she cried, whispering encouragement to her. “C’mon Tori. Let’s get you home.” Anna suggested and helped her up. Mae helped as well and hit a few buttons on her wrist. “We’re counting this as an ‘emergency’ and using the teleport system.” Soon they sat in the fancy apartment, with Tori back lying on the couch. Mae and Anna stayed with her and had a long discussion about her situation.

((Sorry for anyone who was following. A lot of stuff happened in-game over the last week to close the first chapter of this story)) It took a few days for Tori to heal from the physical wounds, but those were relatively minor. The revelation that she was, ‘not a person’ as she put it, was too much for her. The mental trauma was...bad. Her friends took turns watching her and keeping her company as she shifted from sleeping to depression to fits of crying. It was only a couple days later that she woke up on the couch. Someone was curled up next to her, asleep. She thought she’d cried all the tears she could. The papers in front of her were wet and wrinkled. The pages held a significant amount of scientific data, but the key points were: 0% DNA Match 0% match with any geographical locations. No historical data, no relation to anyone living or dead, no correlation to any location. Based on collected information, appears that subject was part of an illegal experiment performed by a genetics company approximately 20 years ago. “Failed lab experiment. That’s all I am.” She put the top paper on the table and wrote; “Goodbye. I love you all, I’m sorry, I’m not a person. I’m garbage and not even the fun kind. T” Tori got up, wandered over to the bar area and grabbed a full handle (1.5 liter) of vodka. In moments she was out the door.

Written with American Valor: The bright sun shone in through the window, illuminating the room. The small room was dominated by a bed, allowing barely enough room to get around it. On the floor lay two sets of clothes 1 boot with a torn fishnet stocking, jeans, 1 sneaker, mesh shirt, shortshorts, vest, burnt torn jacket with ribbon leather and lace inside it that lay in a rough line from the door. The bed is a disheveled mess, with blankets on the floor and sheets only barely covering two very naked bodies, still entwined with one-another. With a moan one of the bodies moved, and then sat up with a start. “Wha? Oh…ooohhh…” Tori said, smiling as she looked over Krys and recalled the previous night’s activities that had gone well into the early morning. She pushed a pillow up against the headboard and laid back down. Krys was also beginning to stir. “Ugh, it's so bright. What time is it?” Tori grabbed her phone and laughed. “Um, late. You don’t want to know.” Krys moved over and put her head on Tori’s stomach. Tori put her arm around Krys. She looked up at Tori and mouthed “Wow”. Tori chuckled and nodded. “Wow, for sure.” Both just snuggled together for an awkward, but very comfortable, moment of silence. “So…” “Um….” They started together, then looked at each other and laughed. “Let’s not worry about what that meant for now. Let’s just enjoy what we had, and we’ll talk about it later.” Krys said. “Yeah, I like that.” Tori Nodded. Krys snuggled into Tori's stomach making herself comfortable with her hands tucked under her chin. "So last night was a lot of fun. You asked about Liv and my relationship. We go back a long time. We’ve known each other for over ten years. She's family if that makes sense." Krys kisses Tori's stomach. “Tori smiled and ran her fingers through Krys’ hair. Suddenly Krys’ phone started blowing up with texts. “Hmm, I think someone is wondering where you are.” Tori said. Krys rolled over, exposing her body from beneath the sheets. Tori could see some slight bruising where she’d been hit the night before. But mostly she just admired the overall sight. “Damn, there’s a ton of texts from Liv. I forgot to let them know it was turning into a sleep-over.” Tori grinned. “We were a little too busy to worry about texting.” Tori got up out of bed and headed to the bathroom, walking slowly as she felt Krys’ eyes on her. Krys smiled watching her sway, the phone buzzed again with another text: *Somethings wrong coming over NOW!* Krys sighed missing Tori disappear into the bathroom, she texted back. *Everything is fine. Bring coffee and clothes, see you in a while, no rush. smiley kiss face emote* Krys got up and dropped the phone next to her other fishnet and walked over to the bathroom. "I think, we still have blue chalk in hard-to-reach places.” She said with a laugh. “Can I use the shower? I have never used this one before I will need your help." Krys said with a sly grin and a sparkle in her eye. 12 minutes later Steam fogged the bathroom mirror as hot water cascaded off the two bodies in the shower. 'Further discussion' was interrupted by loud and repetitive knocking on the door. “Open up damnit, I know you’re in there!” A voice shouted. It sounded like Liv. Tori and Krys looked at each other. Krys started to laugh. " Wow I need to teach her to read a clock. I said take your time." Tori wondered how they had found her place. “Yeah, that was quick. Did they track you phone or something Krys?” Krys started to say something but decided against it. Tori climbed out of the shower, still basically soaking wet, and grabbed a long T-Shirt, pulling it on as she went to the door. The T-shirt clung to her wet body and was barely long enough to cover her. Tori looked out the peep hole in the door. Liv was banging on the door and looked upset. Alie was behind her, looking a bit exasperated holding a gym bag and what appeared a coffee party pack from Drenchers Donuts. “Just a sec.” Tori said through the door as she unlocked and unlatched the various locking mechanisms. Before she could even open the door, Liv burst through. “Where is she? I know she’s here!” Liv demanded as Krys came out of the bathroom, holding up a small hand towel wearing a smile. "We're going to need a bigger towel to dry with." Krys giggled looking at Tori. Tori marveled at the sight of Krys’ body and smiled. Alie was caught off guard and blushed red. Liv brought both hands up and covered her mouth while squealing. "Is that Coffee?" Krys asked.

Mr. Graves has determined the secret. Please have him eliminated, immediately!!! Hey, give him the Outbreak drug, that should do it...

((Note: I don’t like writing for others, but this is all based on what happened in game, so I hope it represents ok. Participants are: Anna / Silentfall Pshaw / Pshaw Synalon / Syn Myria / Myria Also, all very cool in-game RP’ers)) Tori looks pale; her clothing is torn, and she is cut, bruised, and burnt. If she hadn’t moved one might have thought she was dead. Her eyes are sunken and can’t seem to focus. Likely dehydration and shock are an issue but one could only imagine the internal injuries she has suffered. “Oh my god Tori, what happened?” The question came from a small, pink-haired woman. She had a look of concern on her face. Tori barely picked her head up, and in a mumbled voice; “Huh? Who’s there? Am I dead?” She looks up with unfocused eyes and then tries to stand up but falls back down “Oh shit that hurt…everything hurts…who…who’s there?” “Tori, oh Tori!” Anna says almost in a panic. “Oh, Anna, I’m sure glad it is you. Sorry but I’m kinda having a rough day.” Tori says and tries to smile. “Who did this? I’ll find them.” Anna growls as she texts for help. “You should see the other guys.” Tori responds, and laughs but it breaks down into coughing. “Oh, that hurt. I think I have a couple broken ribs. You wouldn’t happen to have a band-aid and a couple aspirin, would you?” She gives a weak laugh. “Actually, some water would be nice. I’m thirsty as hell. Probably from the internal bleeding. And maybe some booze…I don’t want to die sober.” A pale skinned demon rushes in. “TORI!!! What were you thinking running off on your own!?!” She shouts and kneels down by the injured woman. She is slim, with colorful clothing, the two sides of her body not matching. She has tiny demon wings on her back that flutter nervously upon seeing Tori. “Hi Pshaw.” She coughs. “I had to protect everyone. I…did it. You’re all safe now.” Pshaw puts her hands on Tori, providing a little bit of healing energy and absorbing some of her pain. The demon looks pained as she does so. Moments later another demon shows up. This one has classic red skin. She is dressed like an average woman on the street with a sweater, skirt, and sneakers. She kneels in front of Tori with a look of concern. “What happened?” Anna asks, as she holds Tori, trying to keep her steady and provide some support. Tori speaks in a weak voice. “What happened? Apparently, I happened.” She coughs. “I took care of things…mostly. But underestimated them…they were ready for me.” She coughs again. “But I got away…and now I’m sitting here all beat to shit, probably dying of internal injuries. But they didn’t get me, and more importantly, they didn’t’ get you, and they didn’t get Kaylee or Syn or Pshaw or anybody.” She coughs again, spitting up a little blood. “Oh crap, getting dizzy again… I did my job…I made sure you were safe. That’s all I ever wanted to do. Make sure no one ever ended up like those people in Galaxy City.” Syn moves around and takes Pshaw’s place. She places her hands on Tori and start chanting quietly, sending healing energy over the injured woman. A small elf-woman with dark hair floats in. She crosses her arms and sternly chastises the assembled group. “Why didn’t anyone call me as soon as Tori was found? And Tori, what were you thinking going off on your own?” Though seemingly angry, the elf-woman, Myria, has a look of deep concern on her face for Tori. Tori cries as she pulls the crumpled papers out and shows them to the assembled group of her friends. “I’m not a person. I’m some damn failed lab experiment. If I die you can just make another one.” Some of Tori’s wounds have started to close as Syn continues to chant quietly, applying healing. Pshaw stands. “Let’s get you to the apartment.” Anna helps Tori up, and Myria, despite her small size, lifts Tori up and float-carries her to the portal.

((Written with American Valor)) Steel Canyon, a little way from PCU Campus Krys led Tori down a long flight of stairs leading down near a courtyard to a old hotel turned apartment building that was currently closed for renovations. They turned and headed away from the lit apt complex sign called The Whitmoore. Tori eyed the legendary “hero hotel”. She’d heard stories about it from her dad and wondered if those could even possibly be true. Krys saw what she was looking for and slowly guided Tori that way. Suddenly she stopped and then pulled Tori into the alley. Krys pushed Tori to the wall with her body. "We're almost back. The deal was making out getting to second base. I have been waiting for you to kiss me all night. What are you waiting for?" Tori was surprised at first but recovered quickly. She gave a smile and was about to say something… The darkness of the alleyway was broken by a pair of flames, hanging in the air. The flames were shrouding the hands of a muscular man with an evil grin. “What have we here?” He asked in a gravelly voice, as others moved up behind him. One had frost cascading off of him and another arced with electricity. Tori subtly shifted one foot to get better purchase and balance. She knew these jerks, Outcasts. Elemental wielding mutant gangers that really loved to pick on women. One of her absolute least favorite kind of thug. Plus, things had just been looking up with Krys. The sexy sultry smile on Krys face fell and she swore. Her left hand stayed in place on the wall next to Tori's face as her right hand came off the wall in the direction of the voice with a WTF scowl. Tori was quite annoyed. She knew Krys was a competent fighter, but these guys were no joke, so she readied herself to get Krys out of the way. Maintaining what seemed like a casual stance, Tori turned her head toward the gangers. “Why don’t’ you go find a purse to snatch you two-bit wannabees! I think I saw a grandma a block over that you might be able to roll.” She said with a wry grin. Mr. fire-hands was clearly not happy to be cut down in front of his ‘boys’. He growled and pulled back a handful of fire. It was a strange feeling for Tori as she tried to push Krys out of the way of the incoming fire missile, and Krys was already moving out of the way, not needing any help to avoid the fire. As Tori moved Krys did a step jump parkour wall-bounce backward flip out of the way of the firebolt. The surprise almost left Tori too slow to dodge, but she managed to avoid the flame. Both Tori and Krys instinctively moved back just enough to get to the far end of the alley. The larger, elemental wielding gangers had the advantage in a narrow alley, but with space, that made it a different game. Krys had no idea who these ‘soon to be dead guys’ were and she didn't care. She had almost tasted the gin on Tori's breath then these idiots showed up, Krys growled. "You're too stupid to run, so come to Mama, BOYS!" Krys taunted them out of the alley, as she drew two small boot blades, while Toir settled into a fighting stance.

OOC: So someone made the point that my DNA analysis in this cannot be accurate and it must be fake. Having a science background, I felt I must refute this, at least in a slightly tongue-in-cheek way. So the two reasons that Tori's DNA analysis can be accepted are as follows: First: Poetic license / Comic Book Shenanigans. Sure, in reality all humans share the bulk of their DNA, and share a significant portion of their DNA with dogs, dung beetles, and bananas (i.e. everything living). But this is a superhero world. We have people flying around firing energy blasts with no more science behind it than "I'm a mutant" or "I built a suit". At the very least Tori would have mitochondrial DNA that linked back to somewhere. But add a little magic "Hand-wavium" to the mix and it works. Second: The DNA analysis is looking at the slim portion of DNA that is uniquely human and focused on that. In that aspect, Tori has no connection to any known genetic group of humans. So yes, someone made me stay awake last night, thinking about the real science behind it. Sure, I could probably do a couple hours worth of research and come up with actual numbers and details to make it realistic but I'm just too lazy to do that. 😛 Also, in my brilliance I forgot to log chat, so I'll have to use what I remember on some of the dialog. /end OOC

((Pausing here to let in-game events play out. Will hopefully post a version of the logged chat. Then we'll see what develops from there.))

She saw the brake lights of the ambulance, and heard it screech to a halt. She was still a bit woozy, hurt, and the adrenaline would only last so long. Plus Mr. Mad Scientist had some funky ray gun. Even in her drug addled brain, that added up to flight, rather than fight. But the Isles were not known for friendly neighborhoods and helpful people. Then something caught her eye. The red signs pasted to the wall near the manhole cover. Thank you DJ Zero for advertising! If she could make it, she’d be safe for a bit. She could hide in Pocket D. As she sprinted and dodged, patches of ice appeared as the scientist fired his freeze weapon at her, failing to connect. With a slide, and using that momentum to pull open the manhole, she was down into the lobby area in a moment. She didn’t even stop until she was on the elevator. Moments later she was dry heaving into a garbage can in Pocket D. She was pale, scratched, bruised, and burnt. She felt like death and probably had a multitude of internal injuries. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, everything hurt. All her aches and pains were coming back. Her lungs burned and her stomach was in knots. Slowly, painfully she crawled over to a dark corner. She was back as a street waif, hiding in the garbage. Just hide Tori, just hide…was all that came to her mind. “Maybe I’ll just die here.” She mumbled as she half cried, and half laughed to herself. A moan escaped as the after-effects of the past couple of hours continued to catch up to her. Leaning her head back against the wall as she sat, clinging to the ground to try to stop the world from spinning. She fought to stay awake; she was unsure what would happen if she passed out.

“Water.” She said. “I need water.” At the same time, she worked one hand to try to get some feeling into it. She focused her chi on that one hand, forcing it to respond. “You want water, I’ll give you water!” One of the men said as he splashed cold water from a bottle in her face. It was enough to allow her a moment of modest clarity. She quickly feigned throwing up again and the men, predictably, moved away. It was a clumsy move, but good enough. These guys weren’t real EMTs, they didn’t secure their stuff, they didn’t lock their cabinets, they didn’t even close most of the doors. Heck, they didn’t even strap her into the gurney. Dumb. The syringe of adrenaline was in her thigh before they knew what she was doing. The two men reacted, but again, predictably, in the wrong way. They both went for the syringe and pulled it out, empty of its contents. Moments later the adrenaline had the desired effect. Sure, she’d feel horrid later from that much adrenaline, but she was counting on her enhanced body to prevent her heart from exploding. She hoped… With reasonably clear vision, and the dizziness mostly gone, she acted. First finger stabs to the eyes of both men, sending them reeling backwards. She rolled up, barely keeping her balance. One guy got a knee to the face that flattened his nose. The other got his face shoved into a cabinet full of little glass vials and syringes. That wasn’t going to end well for either of them. There was a strange sound and a cold sensation hit her in the shoulder. A block of ice connected her to the inside of the vehicle. The driver and want-to-be mad scientist held a strange looking weapon that he was aiming to fire again. She turned and struck the ice, shattering it and rolled out the back of the ambulance. She bounced a couple times, tumbled, and rolled to a stop, gathering more scrapes and bruises. She thought she felt a rib crack. That was most certainly going to hurt later. A lot. The area wasn’t familiar. She was still in the isles. “Not good.” She thought. Still, it was a classic mad scientist move.

“Sure, eventually they’ll figure out that none of those bodies was yours, if anyone even checks. But forensics takes a long damn time, especially with that many bodies burned so badly.” The man chuckled. “By then we’ll be away from here where I can pull all of the secrets from that amazing little body of yours, eh?” The man snapped his fingers and the two large individuals lifted her onto a gurney. She tried to struggle but she had no strength and couldn’t see straight. They loaded her into the back of what appeared to be an ambulance. “I wonder who will pay the most for your secrets? Or maybe, I’ll just create an army of my own. A bunch of slaves and warriors to do my bidding.” He climbed into the driver’s seat as the men in back laughed. She desperately tried to focus on anything that could help her. It appeared to be a fully stocked ambulance, so maybe there was something? But her eyes refused to focus. As the vehicle bounced along the road, she felt the bile in her stomach rise and she turned and threw up everything in her stomach. “Oh gross!” One of the men said as his shoes were hit. “Little bitch!” He said and slapped her. The pain gave her clear vision for a moment, and she saw what she needed. But with fingers that felt like sausages she was unsure if she could grab it. But now, even in her drugged-up state, she had a plan.

((Some items slightly redacted from the original to maintain more of a PG rating)) She staggered out of the hidden lab, coughing, as smoke billowed out behind her. <Cough> “They had a self-destruct system set up.” <Cough-cough> Her costume was torn and had burn-marks. She was bleeding and burned in several locations. “And fucking robot guards. Where do they get all these damn robots?” <cough-cough> “Doesn’t matter, bitches, all your data is purged.” <Cough-cough> “And if I ever see any of you again, I’ll kill you.” <Cough-cough> She spits out a little blood. “Not that anyone is making it out of there.” “Dman, I better get to the hospital. Wonder if the system works way out here on Nerva.” She said to herself as she staggered forward and fell to her hands and knees. “Oh, I don’t feel so well.” She said and hurled up bile and blood. She crawled a little farther and then fell/rolled onto her back. The world continued to slowly spin and blur. “This isn’t right” She thought, “I wasn’t hurt that badly.” “Well, well, what have we here.” A voice said accompanied by the sound of hard shoes crunching over the debris-strewn parking area. A man in a lab coat loomed over her, a strange device in his hand. “I guess you didn’t notice the gas that was released with the self-destruct. It should have knocked you out right away. Heck, it would have paralyzed a rhino. But you’re special, aren’t you Victoria?” She felt like a huge weight was on her chest and she couldn’t focus on the person standing over her very well. She reached up but he brushed her hand away. Then she started feeling around for her phone and medical teleporter with numb fingers. “Oh, don’t worry about that.” He said. “Little government secret is that teleport technology is actually fairly easy to block.” He chuckled. “If you know how.” Strong arms suddenly held her down as two large men grasped her. The man in the lab coat waved his device over her and nodded as he looked at a screen. “You won’t need these anymore.” He said and removed her various devices; medical teleporter, phone, hero ID, jump boosters, costume change wrist-band, and her various weapons. Those were tossed into the growing fire. “Oh, and these too.” He reached down and removed the locket from her neck.” Tori struggled but her vision was swimming and her muscles felt like Jell-O. “No…” She murmured, barely able to form words. He pulled out a small metal box and dropped the items into it. “Warded against detection. Maybe I’ll mail it to Nepal and send your friends on a merry little chase.” He laughed.

“That’s compromised anyway, I’m sure.” She grumbled as she stopped by the garbage chute and ejected the laptop out into extra-dimensional space. She hit a few buttons on her wristband and in moments was in full armored body suit, multi-spectral glasses with flare protection and low-light, blades of various sizes, and a handful of syringes for emergencies. She thought for a moment and looked down at the DNA testing results. Then she grabbed her phone and started typing a group text; “Got some things to do, not sure when I’ll…” She stopped and wiped tears from her eyes. “They won’t want me back. They’ll say they do, but they’ll know…I’m not real. They’ll pretend its ok…but I’ll know it isn’t.” She restarted her text, then stopped again. “Got some things to do, not sure if I’ll be back. I love you all. I’m sorry.” She hit send and wiped her eyes again. "Enough talk, time to take care of this my way. I’m gonna #%&$ somebody up.” She said with clenched fists.