Welcome to Gaia! ::

Adela woke up in agony but had yet to open her eyes. Somebody get the license plate of that truck? She tried to get up but found it difficult. It feels like I broke a couple of ribs. She still thought she was in a dream. When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself in a warehouse with the people that she'd been talking to at the party. Holy s**t! It wasn't a dream? That would explain the overwhelming pain. "Dios mio..." she mumbled. What type of hell did I get myself into?

She still tried to get up, albeit slower than before. She pulled her collar so she could see the chest damage - it was bad. I would not at all be surprised if I broke more than a couple of rib bones. Her throat burned, so she coughed. When she removed her hand from her mouth, she found blood. She screamed before the light blinded them the night before (if it was indeed the night before); she must have screamed herself hoarse.

"Just fine," Schraeder said, "thank you for asking. Look, I know this is an extreme circumstance for all of us here on the floor, but you people seemed to have some kind of special, let's say, powers. Isn't there one of you that could finish the job on healing us?"

"The Felts, including Mike, escaped unscathed, miraculously. He must've led them down the street, but we had to pick him up later. You're all lucky to be alive... if you hadn't absorbed it like you had, you wouldn't be...

"Anyway, the 'lass' is just back there, but you'll have to wait a minute. Yes, our powers are exceptional, but this time you're going to have to heal yourselves. We've done everything we can; what remains is Sigil-release damage, and... that's a special case. It's like... you're infected. The wounds aren't serious enough that it's worth the risk of us being infected too. On the other hand, the wounds should be healed within... thirty minutes. That gives us some time to talk."

"I'll handle that," Very Serious Man told Lizzie, coming from behind the boxes.

"Lionel-" Lizzie started, but was cut off.

"Just let me explain. You'll get to ask questions in a second, so hold them for a moment," Very Serious Man, apparently named Lionel, requested. "If you can see fine as you claim, then you've absorbed Sigil powers. That's the only way you could have survived that explosion - that block was completely leveled. That's what happens when you destroy something that powerful, though.

"I suppose I need to explain Sigils first. They're... markings. We don't know why, but they provide an incredible amount of power. You saw that power. The power, however, radiates a little... and it sticks in people. As we speak, the Sigils we were able to maintain are increasing your power, healing your wounds, more or less. The reason we can't directly is because there's too much energy bound into you, and it needs to bleed off before we can even get too close." They were indeed standing some few yards away. "Once that's done, then you can start regaining power more gradually. Obviously, we're going to need your help. The Thief isn't exactly what he claims. He's no master of deception, that's not his way, but he'll be back, and he'll want you to defect. He'll promise the only thing he can - power. I suggest you do not accept his offer. Others have, in years past - now future, I suppose - and have come to sticky endings when they ceased helping him or had hesitations.

"Back on topic. I'm sure you're curious what this absorption will allow you to do. You will at some point be able to run, jump, see, fight - all of the things that you saw us do. Not immediately, but soon. You'll also have... specialized powers. We really don't know what. The Sigils affect everyone differently, and your own mindset seems to have some bearing over it. I suggest you consider to yourself what you hope will happen and it may be granted.

"Any questions?"

((List of Sigils currently held going up in a few minutes - look it over, consider what each might do for you. Explanations of possible powers will be given. (Images of Sigils will be slower going up.)))

July ?, 2015
?? confused ? PM
Clear, Full Moon

Lisha Richardson
_Stamina
_Gash on outside right thigh
_Gash on inside right bicep
Adela Xochil Aragon Velasquez
_Stamina
_Absurd Bruising
Mike Felt
_Stamina
_Unknown
Stetson Schraeder
_Stamina
_Gash from collarbone to hip
Finnegan Driskoll
_Stamina
_Severely Burned

"You have to understand something," Lionel informed her, producing an empty glass from... somewhere, he didn't appear to have pockets from what she could see - and filling it from what appeared to be nothing. He bent down and handed it to her as he continued his explanation. "It's not just that he wants to 'rule the world.' That's not his interest, ruling doesn't catch his fancy. No, he wants to introduce anarchy. He isn't interested in setting up a government, he's interested in seeing that they all topple, because no government he could or would create would stand, and in anarchy the most powerful man wins. In the end he would be the most powerful, and nothing could be denied him. That is what he quests for, alone or with allies. That is the goal he will entice you with."

"Ah. From the beginning, I suppose." Lionel put a hand on his forehead, took a deep breath, and then looked back up at them. "We were working on a government project called Eden. It was a time dilation device, or that was the theory. It appears to have worked," he added, before moving on. "We're members of a group called Adam-team - set up by General Patrick McArthur - but you aren't interested in him - anyway, we worked as guards, all of us, on some time frame. Some of us were there longer; some of us were receptive, like you, and stayed only a couple months before developing powers.

"The powers... come from the Sigils. You saw them, the canisters with the glowing drawings in them. The Sigils themselves are a bit of a mystery, really. We only found out about them very recently. The first one was just written on a cave wall, giving off light and energy. Don't know why, don't know how. They radiate something, some sort of energy. It stays with you, gives you abilities, like what you saw.

"And him coming back... that started months before it actually happened. Again and again, something would go wrong with the project. Something would be sabotaged; Sigils would be somehow misplaced and then recovered in unlikely locations. Frequently they'd show up in our rooms. It got to the point where nobody believed it was us anymore, and that's when he started bothering us. The Thief'd show up every couple of weeks, launch an attack, run before anyone but us could witness it. It happened regularly, and even McArthur was becoming convinced that we were messing around somewhere. That was... until it was really too late. He just kind of popped up one day and started tearing the place apart, stealing the Sigils, powering up the Eden device without its power sources. Then... he saw that he couldn't dispose of us any other way, couldn't get us out... I guess... and he brought us back here with him."

((You can draw power from whichever you want; you can even draw from combinations, if you want, but keep in mind this is your first power. Go wild, though. Imaginate something specific and lemme know.))

"Yes, you will need some training... you'll learn to activate it right away, and basic controlling won't be an issue... it'll just be honing it in so that you can use your powers accurately and efficiently. That's the issue you'll have, and that only comes with time, training, and lots of practice."

((Also, thanks for letting me know. I'll make sure your character doesn't fall too far behind!))

Lionel stepped away from Schraeder. "I thought I made this clear, you're kind of dangerous to us right now. That's why, y'know, we haven't specifically ensured your good health. If you want to discuss possibilities that you can decide on in your mind, we can do that now. You still probably have... twenty or so minutes to make decisions."

Finnegan remained still and rested his eyes, awaiting the time when his wounds would supposedly heal.
"Well," he said without opening his eyes, "Just let me know when I'm safe enough for ya so I can thank you properly. And the family? I don't believe you answered me. I mean, I would appreciate knowin' how they are."