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 Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:28 pm
It was a typical evening for Gabriel Blake. He had spent a few hours at the Astronomy Club at school, and then headed to the MUFON meeting scheduled for that evening. He was so proud of his little branch of the Mutual UFO Network. Most of the members were older, but as he was the branch's founder, they looked to him for advice. Imagine that, people looking to him!
As usual, he was laden with both meeting minutes and with various stories put in by fellow members, of their personal experiences with the weird happenings in Destiny City. More and more, he was glad he had moved here. This was a hub of strange sightings. It seemed a lot of them revolved around giant monsters or teenagers in odd outfits.
He had been lucky-or, in his estimation, unlucky-so far. He had managed to avoid it all.
Little did he know, tonight was his lucky night.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:39 pm
Ah, the Conspiracy Kids. She liked them, she decided. They were cute and they were enthusiastic, which were all pluses in her book. Young, naive, but they were fascinated and scared by the idea of aliens being out there, watching them.
She imagined there was a lot of fear there. Fear of the unknown, fear of some unseen threat. Fear of the unexplained attacks and happenings that plagued the city that these kids knew beyond any doubt had to be aliens. And how right they were! If they were careful and clever about it, they would actually be the most informed of all the civilians out there about the true goings on in their city.
But they weren't. They were just people babbling at each other about their nerdy theories. At least, that was what Painite estimated of them in her few sessions of stalking at a distance. She could never hear anything, not wanting to get that close, but she'd seen enough of the Astronomy club to make her assessment and feel confident in it.
But she'd made another assessment as well.
When she saw him leaving the building she moved to follow him. Her chosen Agent Mulder, the one that seemed to be leading things and the most devout. If she got him on their side, it would be one more voice against the senshi. She followed him through the shadows, keeping out of sight and waiting for a good chance to corner him alone. Sure, she could just grab him and teleport to the top of the highest nearby roof, but where was the fun in that?
Actually, now that she had the idea, she thought it did sound pretty fun. So that was what she did.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:43 pm
Gabriel was, as a rule, not a particularly observant person, especially when he was lost in thought as he was then. He was running over the meeting in his head, considering some of the theories put forth, and generally glad that he had the path home memorized.
Painite really didn't need to sneak around, he would've missed her anyway. Right then, he was mentally comparing the benefits of purchasing a traditional camera or a digital one. With a digital, the images he might catch would be smoother, but of course he could be accused of editing it...Ah well, he wasn't sure he could get his hands on one anyway.
His ponderations were interrupted rather dramatically. One minute someone was grabbing him, and the next...he looked around and he was on the roof of a very tall building.
"Augh! Oh my god what just happened?" He looked aorund, and spotted the woman in her strange outfit. "Who are you? What do you want with me? Where are we?" The answer to the last question was easily enough answered, he could look around at the vistas. They were at least still in the same general area.
Oh dear god, was he in the process of being abducted by an alien? Auuuggghhhhhhh. This was terrifying.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:50 pm
The General laughed at his confusion, and not just to mock him or scare him. It was actually funny, and she was seriously amused by his panicky response. It did not put her off her choosing him, though. She'd be scared too, in his shoes, and probably wouldn't react much differently.
She grinned at him.
"I borrowed you for a second. I wanted somewhere private to talk, so I brought you up here. Fun, isn't it? You were teleported, if you want to know. No beams, no transfer pods or whatever it is they're called. I used my power to bring you here so I could talk to you a bit about your, ah... little club. And your theories."
She watched him, not calling her weapon just yet. She'd approach this one differently to some others, where strength and shows of power were key. Here, she felt the right conversation would benefit.
"I know you're very much into the whole... Space thing. Aliens. How much do you know about the aliens here on Earth?"
That ought to do it, she imagined. Confirming his suspicions and giving him a little promise of learning more. That was like an X File wet dream, wasn't it? And it would only get better for him, and for the Negaverse, when she showed him the world that was just waiting for him.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:40 pm
Oh, great, now she was laughing at him. Someone who could teleport, apparently, and she was laughing at him. He had a deep-seated feeling that he was in way deeper than he wanted to be.
"You...want to talk about my theories?" His eyes narrowed. She might be one of them, trying to fish out what he knew! But then, she seemed to already know that he knew things, or thought he knew things...
It was all very confusing.
He crossed his arms defensively. Not that he could ever even imagine he was in any way, shape, or form intimidating, but it made him feel a little better. Also it masked, he hoped, the fact that he was shaking a little.
"Aliens here on Earth?" Just that one dropped hint and his demeanor relaxed, changed. The way she spoke, it didn't quite sound like she was one of them. She still could be, he supposed, but then again, she could be...like...an MiB! Yeah,t hat made sense. "I know...I mean, I'm pretty sure they're here. In Destiny City. And...they're trying to infiltrate, aren't they, by looking like people?" It was his private pet theory. He didn't share it often. But he knew, he knew it was true.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 6:39 pm
"Close," she said gravely, shaking her head. "thought it is a little more complicated than that. They do look like people: they have no trouble fitting in. They are more powerful and dangerous than you can imagine, though, and they believe they have some right to our planet. But I, and my colleagues, fight them. We have the power to do that, you see."
She smiled at him sweetly then. She wasn't going to trick him, not really. She was going to tell him everything, and when he was corrupted he would really understand. The Chaos would do more for him than she could ever explain.
She was curious to see what he would look like awake. What weapon he would have. If he would take to it, or if he would prove a mistake. So far, there had never been one under her picks, but who knew? There was always a chance for the first one.
But she had an interest in him, and she was certain he would prove useful.
"The terrorists are the aliens, and they're from all over space. I am from something called the Negaverse, and we use a power called Chaos to give us strength to fight the outsiders. I know, it sounds totally evil, but we're not. We have to use what methods are available to us to defeat our enemies, yes, but that's what war is."
She summoned her weapon then, the long, scary looking spear resting casually in her hands. She didn't point it at him or threaten him, just wanting him to see a little bit of the power she meant. She liked this role he had given her. It was kind of nice to not be bullying and mocking for once.
"I'm offering you a chance to join me in our fight. We need someone like you, someone who understands that Earth is not a place for aliens. Do you want me to give you some of my power?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 6:48 pm
Even though he had always known it to be true, having that confirmation that he was, in fact, close, that there were really were aliens on Earth... It was a lot for him to take in. He stared dumbly at the woman for a moment, before the first thing he could think to say came tumbling out.
"I knew it. I always knew!" He declared. Then, he fell silent again as she continued. Oh wow, so there were brave people out there, fighting this secret invasion...and he was looking at one of them? His respect for her shot up. She had to be insanely brave, to take on alien terrorists.
"So you're...kind of like the Men in Black? Except, with spears and stuff instead of Neuralizers?" Yes, he had seen that movie about a million times. "That's...that's really awesome. You must be the bravest people on the planet." UFO hunters like him, they thought they were brave, sneaking under the government's radar to report the truth. This was real. This was war.
"Are...are you sure you want me?" He asked, and then he mentally kicked himself. That was stupid, she wouldn't be here if she wasn't sure. "I mean, yes, please, I want to fight! This is our planet, not theirs!" He had never bene more committed to any statement in his life.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 6:56 pm
Painite watched him and felt a tingle of jealousy for his zeal, though she knew she was as loyal to the Negaverse as he was to his ideas and his planet. It was good to see, someone so energetic and dedicated, and she hoped that trait would remain.
He would make an excellent member of the Negaverse with an attitude like that.
Smiling, she nodded her head. She put her hand on his chest, watching his eyes and giving him as reassuring a look as she could.
"Well then, I will initiate you now. You are the brave one, joining our fight, and you will understand everything when I have given you some of this power. You will need to work hard, and prove yourself every day, but I have no doubt that you already do that for yourself and your group. This is a secret initiative, and you cannot tell anyone, especially not the people you meet or your friends or family. If you do, bad things will happen."
She was being very serious about that one.
Then, without giving him a chance to change his mind, she pushed her hand into his chest and wrapped her fingers around his star seed. It only took a moment for her to do, and then he would feel the terrible pain of chaos being pushed into his star seed, pure as it had once been. Now it would be corrupted, and she gaged it enough to pull her arm back when she was sure she had finished, and not made a youma.
It was important to control how much Chaos she used. She was tired from it, taking a breath and stepping back to let him finish his transformation, to don for the first time his uniform for the Negaverse, and for him to learn his proper, as she saw it anyway, name.
"Welcome to the Negaverse, Lieutenant."
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 7:22 pm
If it weren't for how reassuring she looked doing it, Gabriel probably would've panicked when she put her hand on his chest. It was a lot more physical contact than he was used to. She did it as if this was normal for her, and maybe it was. Or at least, normal enough. He nodded slowly, acknowledging that he understood it had to be a secret. People would riot, panic if they knew the truth. "Some things, people just aren't supposed to know, huh?" He said. He felt...blessed, in a way, even though he hated that he couldn't share this newfound truth. He was right, had always been right, and no one could ever know. But, well, he had no doubt that when she said bad things would happen if he spoke of the Negaverse, he absolutely believed her. And then she reached into his chest, and he had to force down a scream. Oh, dear Lord, what was this. For a moment he had second thoughts...and then all there was was pain, Chaos being forced into his starseed. It hurt too much for him to cry out. When she was done, he stood in front of her, a Lieutenant of the Negaverse.  "Natron," he said. "I'm...Lieutenant Natron." He couldn't say how he knew, he just did. He eyed the "weapon" in his hands, a simple red dodgeball. Some might've laughed, but he'd taken enough solid hits from them to know how dangerous they could be. This, this was amazing.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 10:29 am
Painite had seen far worse as first weapons, and she could not tease him for the dodgeball he had now. Her first weapon had been a plush horse head on a stick, and she always felt a little bit of an affinity with soldiers who started with classic toys like this.
She smiled at him, nodding her approval.
"Lieutenant Natron. It is good to see you," she smiled smoothly at him, looking much more friendly in a natural, honest way. She did not have to pretend now that he was one of them. "I am General Painite. I will help you learn what you need to know, and of course there are many other Lieutenants, Captains and Generals that will aid you as well."
She put her hand on his shoulder, patting it lightly.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 12:37 pm
The newly-minted Lieutenant squeezed his dodgeball, testing it's solidity absently. It seemed rather good, fully inflated and ready to peg alien invaders with.
He returned her smile with one of her own, feeling positively glowing under her approval.
"Thank you," he said, "General. Thank you for opening my eyes." He looked positively elated, full of excitement in his new role as a soldier in a war to save the Earth. "Please, teach me everything." He was an eager and willing initiate into this secret battle. "How many others are there? Is this worldwide, or just here in Destiny City? ...How will I recognize them?" All of the questions.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 1:23 pm
Painite laughed, nodding her head.
"I will teach you everything I can, but some things you have to learn for yourself. It's more fun that way. We'll go on an energy hunt and run over the basics. You'll be expected to gather energy from civilian targets, but I find seeing and doing it are much better than just having it explained."
"There are hundreds of others, some like you, some not. And you can tell them apart by the way they feel. Just take a moment, your senses will let you feel my aura, my strength. Can you feel the Chaos in it? It's the same as what's in you. Our enemies, the White Moon, they don't feel this way. Their auras are... obnoxious."
The goodie goodies thought they were so awesome with their 'clean' auras, but that made no difference. To Painite, they were the ones that felt wrong.
"And they're usually the ones that when they look at you, you just want to punch them. This is just when you're powered up, mind you. If you think about going back to how you normally are, you can power down and you'll just be a normal boy again."
She smiled and suddenly her aura was gone. Gently Ponsonby, dressed in a summer skirt and a matching top, glasses nestled over her nose and pencil in her ear, stood before him.
"It's only fair you know who I am. Gently Ponsonby, at your service."
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 1:39 pm
Natron frowned briefly when she mentioned draining energy from civilians. But then again, it didn't sound particularly painful, and surely the energy was necessary for their cause.
"Alright, so we have to drain energy..." He said, acknowledging it to himself. "And...auras feel...different?" He closed his eyes and concentrate,d and indeed, Painite felt like a warm, comforting Chaptic presence. "They call themselves the White Moon, gotcha. Is, et, that where they're from?" Now there was an odd thought. An alien civilization on the Moon, so close? And hadn't there been landings there? Maybe that was another coverup...but that was a consideration for another time, obviously.
For now, he payed close attention to the rest of Painite's directions.
"Oh, yeah, I guess I still have to be regular me sometimes, huh." That felt a bit frustrating, but he powered down in front of her, looking rather sad. "Gently Ponsby...well, it's nice to meet you in both forms, ma'am. I'm, uh, Gabriel Blake, if you didn't know." Maybe she had, but it felt right to introduce himself. "How do you go back? I mean, how do you keep up being, you know. Normal? Around people who don't know?" That, he was sure, had to be the hardest part.
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 12:24 pm
"Just live normally. Don't mention anything you do for the Negaverse, and do not take any knowledge that you have of the situations here on earth to your friends. It sounds harder than it really is, but for now it is for the best. Soon, we will find a way to give your group, and many people like them, a bit of what they want. But not now. We need to work on your training first."
She smiled at him.
"Everything will be cleared up in the next few days, I promise. I think, tonight, you should rest. Then tomorrow the real work will begin, and you'll be begging for a break." She chuckled. She could be a drill sergeant when she wanted to be, but she also tried to make things fun and interesting.
"So meet me here tomorrow night. Your first test will be getting back up here."
She powered up only to teleport them back down to the floor, grinning at him.
"Because you can't do that yet. In time, maybe, but not yet."
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 12:56 pm
Gabriel nodded slowly. Keeping this knowledge to himself was going to be, quite frankly, painful. But he had to do it, didn't he? As much as he wanted to share.
Also he still remembered that Painite had a spear, and he did not want to imagine what might happen if he spilled the beans.
"Training?" He blinked. Oh, right, there was a lot he had to learn. And anyway, it was getting alarmingly late and his mother might actually notice he had been out. "Here, tomorrow night, gotcha." He nodded. He wondered if it would be cheating to climb up from inside, but maybe there wasn't even roof access...hmm. That would be interesting.
And then they were back on the ground. Oh god that teleporting thing was disorienting and it had him very off-balance.
"Does it get less weird with practice?" He asked, though it seemed a little impertinent. He shook his head a little as if to reorient himself. "...General, thank you. Again. For taking a chance on me." He definitely didn't look like a soldier, but he was going to do his best to make Painite proud.
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