--Day 1--
Burg

Paint chipped off the ceiling tiles in Jack's hospital room, a few pieces littered his blankets. But luckily, he would not have to stay here much longer. His arm had been properly wrapped and cared for, and the blood loss (which he had passed out from earlier) had been fully restored.

Flashes of the past events had become more frequent, though each one more unhelpful than the last.

Jack did not know much about memory loss, but common knowledge told him that seeing something from the forgotten event would trigger some type of memory. He now knew what the next step was, he would have to go back to the precinct.

A puffed up looking doctor strolled in, looking at a clipboard. "Mr. Hollander you have been released."

Jack was slightly angered at this, "What do mean, released? I just lost a couple gallons of blood and your telling me I can leave within a few hours of getting it shoved back in?"

The doctor looked like he was going to get great pleasure from giving his wealth of information, "Well...first off...Jack, if you had lost gallons of blood, you would assuredly be dead, and second, we have been releasing many people today earlier than scheduled because of the incident. Now, I'm sure you have...important things to do, and so do I. So lets just do each other a favor and get out of each others way." The doctor left without saying another word.

Jack was soon standing on the street corner, slightly bewildered, but he had no time to think on that, he knew where he must go now, though he was not sure he would be able accept what he would find. He made his way toward the precinct.

Supernova
— Day 1 —
Brink City, Erbaine
(Inside an elevator)

Tripp held Madison close until she finally found peace from the hysterics.

"Get me out of here, Tripp..." Madison said, firmly enunciating each word.

"If I knew how, I would. Escaping a stuck elevator, with the power out, wasn't exactly part of my training..." Tripp said, touching the elevator walls in the dark. Madison's and his phone were both fried, so they produced no light. Tripp had pushed the alarm button over ten times, hoping it would work and get the attention of someone. It didn't work. The result was the same every time.

His hand touched the cool, steel railing that ran around the middle of the elevator. "I'll get you out, Madison. Just...stop crying..."

Tripp pulled Madison close and said, "I need your help. If you want to get out of here soon, you're going to have to cooperate."

He heard Madison exhale. "Okay. What do I do?"

Tripp instructed her and together they got Tripp onto the thin railing, with Madison giving him support so he wouldn't lose his balance. Tripp felt the ceiling, hoping the grate was on this side.

He started to worry that it was on the other side, but his hand finally touchd a screw. He felt it and said, "Get me a penny or something to unscrew this."

Madison made sure Tripp was balanced before she searched for her purse. She fished inside and finally pulled out a thin, metal nail file. "Will this work?" She handed it to Tripp.

"Perfect," Tripp said as he took it and began to work on the screws.

~~~

Supernova
— Day 1 —
Arida, Arenico

Senator Raines could be considered a hero, if he had saved Evangeline. Their faces would have been plastered on magazines, if he had been a man and helped her out of the destroyed limo.

Instead, he ran back into the hotel, with the news cameras and mics following after him. Only a few people remained outside the limo, but they were none of her concern.

Evangeline left the limo, gun in hand. She motioned to the driver and he exited the limosuine too. "Thanks for your help, Chino, but I won't be needing it anymore." Evangeline said, handing him a hundred dollar bill. "It's not much, but that's all I have right now. You'll get the rest of the payment when I have time to organize it."

The driver left and Evangeline looked around. From one end of the street to the other was nearly destroyed. Glass and rubble littered the street. People screamed every once in a while, but mostly they just ran around, looking scared and confused. The air felt thick and hot, while the sun seemed ten times brighter than usual.

She ditched the heels and ran up the street, dodging piles of glass.

-- Day 1 --
Judicia, Erbaine
Underground
Previous Post

All eyes flicked to the door as the man in the grey suit strode in. He cast his gaze around the table with a cool smile, catching a few eyes and nodding in a silent greeting. "My apologies for being late, gentlemen. I was delayed."
But they weren't looking at him anymore. Instead, they were scrutinizing the youth who slipped in behind the man called Steele. The young man had a strangely wary look in his eye and stood just behind the Doctor's back, peering over his shoulder with narrowed gaze.

Dr. Steele glanced at the youth and said something in a low voice to him, putting a hand out to lightly touch his shoulder as one would to soothe a frighted horse. The young man gave him a look, sharp and distrusting, but Steele said something else and touched his shoulder again and the boy relaxed, slightly. The Doctor turned back to the table and his lips were softly turned upwards.

"Allow me to introduce my companion: This is Anthony Knight. I nearly ran him over on my way here." As he said this, Steele put a hand on Tony's shoulder and another on his arm and gently pulled him forward to stand at his side. Tony resisted only momentarily, before allowing himself to be steered into the plain sight of everyone at the table. He was somewhat cleaned up now; most of the slices were no longer bleeding and he was dressed in a new shirt and new jeans. The shirt, however, was rather too small and stretched tight against his broad chest, revealing the lines of the bandage wrapped around his rib cage, and also the sharp lines of the muscles stretched taunt across his body.
Steele continued, "Tony is rather exemplary of the many people who have suffered much from the devastation caused by the supernova. But he is also exemplary of what, I believe, is a widespread consequence of this unique event."

Steele made a motion with his hand and one of the guards slipped out of the room, coming back momentarily pushing with some amount of difficulty a large, heavy duty cart carrying what appeared to be metal working scraps.
Tony glanced over it and then turned his gaze towards Dr. Steele with a strange look that appeared to be something of an appeal. Steele smiled at him, murmured something, touched his shoulder with one hand and pointed at something in the cart with the other. The youth's sturdy shoulder's drooped and his face fell, but dutifully he picked up the 3" diameter, 3' long steel bar. Steele turned back to the table, flicked his eyes over the occupants, smiled briefly and nodded to Tony.

Tony also gazed over the table, bit his lower lip, furrowed his brows, then took the bar in both hands and flexed his arms. A creaking noise cut across the room, the kind of noise that grates on the ears like nails on a chalkboard. But a moment later, the bar was bent into a horseshoe shape by the hands of the teenaged youth. Steele took the bar from Tony and handed it to President Wentworth with a charming smile.

"Any questions, sir?"

Day 1: Aridia
de Mon Castle Grounds

"Candice... Candi... hmm, a good name." Christopher said as the heiress sized him up. Fitting for a girl like her... he thought when Candi asked how long he would be staying.

"Indefinitely. I was hoping to head back to my hometown this afternoon, but after this... event, I doubt that would possible. So, I guess I'll stay here as long as the landlord allows me." Chris finished with a slight smile before taking another puff.

Burg:
Lawrence Manor, Around 3:00 AM

After cleaning the dishes and making sure the manor was in order, Jennings had retired for the night. At 2:45 the unmistakable sound of the elevator and secret bookshelf opening had awoken the butler. Now, wearing his royal red night robe, Jennings was standing in the doorway of Lawrence's study.

Malcom sat in a large armchair, minus his trench coat and mask, seemingly staring at a book laying in his lap. After a few minutes, Lawrence spoke. "... I can't win the way I wanted too. The criminals here are too twisted now. More twisted than I remember them being and with this.. this, THING that has happened out there, they are only going to get worse."

"Is this a way of saying that you are retiring from vigilante work, sir?"

"No. It's just admitting that I need a stronger approach..." with this Malcom stood up, laying the book he was reading on the desk next to the chair. "If I'm going to fight crime in Burg or anywhere else in Azumia, I need to do so without a second thought, without mercy. It's the only way to get through to these scumbags." Lawrence said getting obviously worked up before taking a deep breath and letting out a tired sigh. "I need some sleep... I'll be in my room, Richard."

"Very well, sir. But may I just give one word of advice?" Jennings asked as Lawrence walked towards the staircase. When Malcom turned around, the butler continued. "Just try not to get lost in this monster of yours. For all the good you are trying to do, one false step could make you as bad or worse than those you are so desperately trying to stop."

"Thanks Jennings. If I do get lost, I give you full permission to do whatever is needed to pull me back. Just no frying pans to the head, O.K?" with the last bit Lawrence gave a mischievous, if weary smile.

"Very good, sir. Sleep well." Jennings said as he watched his master retire to his chambers. Before returning to his bed, the butler walked over to the desk where Malcom had laid his book. After closing the book, the title was plain to see:

The History of the Valdarian Warriors: Desert Barbarians and Guardians of the Way

— Day 1 —
Judicia, Erbaine
Underground

President Wentworth's fingers closed on the cold, twisted steel, and the entire room was silent with shock.

"Super strength," the president finally murmured, tearing his eyes away from the warped rod in his hands. "Do you mean to tell me that some of the population has developed super strength? They may be hard to take down, but surely—"

He glanced at one of the guards at the door. Specifically, the heavy duty firearm in his hands. Everyone seemed to realize what what he was thinking at the same time, and half the people recoiled. Was the president going to authorize having the teen shot, to see if he would survive? To size up exactly what the Azureman government might be going up against?

The young, nervous scientist stepped forward again, clearing his throat.

"Not necessarily super strength, sir," he said. "We don't know the full extent of this phenomena yet, but one thing I can tell you is that it seems to be governed by utter inexplicability. About two to five percent of the population, I would estimate, has developed very strange. . . abilities. Powers. Superpowers. But the similarities end there."

The scientist nodded in the direction of the teenager.

"He is the only one with super strength that I am aware of," he said. "There have been reports of magnetism. . . bizarre disappearances. . . flight. . . various kinds of manipulation. . . physical, mental, emotional. . . ."

The president's gray eyebrows shot up higher with every passing phrase.

"They pose a great danger to the authority of this government, sir," the scientist said, adjusting his glasses. "For all intents and purposes, they are the only ones with power in this powerless world.

"If anyone can survive this apocalypse, it will be them. If anyone can ascend to leadership among desperate people, it will be them. If anyone can challenge your iron rule, sir. . . it will be them.

"They must be contained at all costs, or else the power struggles could spell the end of this nation."

There was a long stretch of silence.

"Power," Wentworth finally spoke, as if tasting the word. "'Superpower,' as you called it."

He rubbed his wrinkled forehead wearily.

"No. This will not do. Civilians are not to be trusted with power. Especially not in the wake of an apocalypse. There is nothing else to be done. . . General Claw. I authorize you to round up anyone and everyone who is exhibiting. . . let us call it 'symptoms of radiation poisoning.' They are to be sent to Quadrant 9, the last technological stronghold in the wake of this disaster, where they will be kept under control, and studied and tested to see what use they are to the government."

He waved his hand in the direction of the teen.

"This boy will be the first one to enter. . . let's title it 'Project Empower.' Power to Azurema."

A murmur of agreement, of allegiance, rippled through the room. . . and then a shout.

-Day 1-
Capitol University
Judicia, Erbaine
After the supernova

Laramie rummaged through her backpack and came up with nothing but a pack of tissues. It wouldn't help much, but she handed it to Liam anyway so he could dab some of the blood off his palms. Her eyebrows shot up as Liam announced that he wasn't feeling any pain. She had heard stories of people who had gone through traumatizing experiences not feeling any initial pain from injuries--was that what was happening to Liam?

When Liam mentioned his hand's reappearance, Laramie winced inwardly. She had been rather hoping he wouldn't mention it and she could write the hand-switching off as an odd mind trick. As embarrassing as it would have been to know her first response to fear was hallucinating, the idea that she hadn't carried a flood of questions that she tried to push to the back of her mind. The whole episode felt like a nightmarish dream, and now that they had apparently woken up, Laramie did not want to think about it. "I know," she said, glancing briefly down at her hand. "Mine is too."

She stood up hastily and lifted her backpack from the ground, stepping outside into the smoke and shattered glass. "Come on. You need some help for those hands." A lump of fear for her family rose in Laramie's throat, but she told herself they were fine. She would make sure Liam was alright, and then head for home.

-- Day 1 --
Judicia, Erbaine
Underground

Tony watched the reactions following his display with at first a feeling of embarrassment, then of surprise, then of extreme alarm, then finally he took a step back and sucked his breath in sharply, sending Dr. Steele a look that bespoke worlds of angry betrayal. But Steele exchanged one glance with him, then stepped forward briskly.
"Sir!" He was very close to the president, steel grey eyes fixed on the president's face, voice raised just loud enough to be heard over the shouting. "Sir, I must respectfully request that Anthony not be the first to enter 'Project Empower'. He has not the temperament to be a threat to anyone and on the contrary, may be of very great use to certain types of research that may be performed on the effects of the supernova. In short, I would like to take him back to my practice and make him my assistant." Steele kept his gaze locked on the president's eyes in not so much an aggressive way, but an earnest one.

Tony's breathing was coming fast and he shot a discreet look towards the door, the gun and his only chance of escape. Unless Dr. Steele kept his word and no harm came of this...

— Day 1 —
Judicia, Erbaine
Underground
The president's cold, unfaltering gaze met Steele's eyes for what felt like many long, crawling minutes. It was a mental showdown, but the president was battling himself as much as he was battling the reputable psychiatrist. If he backed down, it was a sign of weakness. But this man had great influence in his field, and known for being merciless towards those who oppose him, and the president did not want to get on his wrong side. He needed calculating, detached men and women like Steele working for him, especially in light of the recent happenings. Especially considering his plans.

"Very well," the president said finally. "Except you won't be going back to your practice, Steele. You will be taken without delay to Quadrant 9, where the boy may work as your assistant, where he will have higher clearance but will be, for all intents and purposes, quarantined nonetheless."

"Others will also be sent there to study the superhumans. . . but only the best of the medical and science arenas. A team of geniuses whose sole purpose is to dissect this issue, and manipulate it for Azurema's greater good. And even they will not know where Quadrant 9 is; few have that kind of security clearance," the president said with studied air. "Just in case any of the captives should get any ideas about running away. Because you see, the government more than ever needs great minds at its disposal. . . and they will be sent to Quadrant 9 in the best interests of this nation. Willingly or not."

The president's message was perfectly clear.

Steele had no choice.

— Day 1 —
Palisade National Park
Near Parksville, Erbaine

Far away from the capital, quite oblivious to the meeting about policies that could affect their lives for years to come, the Baxter family focused on much more mundane matters: readying their campsite for the night. The piles of gear had been sorted and placed into the car for safekeeping; the sun was sinking quickly now and Dan and Angie knew that it would be better to start for home in the morning.

At first glance, the sight of the family sitting around the small campfire in the fading daylight looked entirely ordinary, but foremost in the couple's minds was the safety of themselves and their daughter, followed by concern over what might be happening in the outside world. They would enjoy the fire, eat their evening meal, and sleep in their tent as they had done dozens of times before - but this was no ordinary night.

It's just another night in the woods, Dan tried to convince himself. How many times have we been up here and seen nothing larger than a deer? We'll be fine. But sleep would be slow in coming, he knew.

The stars shone brightly in the sky above when they finally tucked Grace in for the night. In a nightly ritual practiced while camping, she curled up in her little sleeping bag and hugged her father good night before he stepped out to tend the fire. Then Mommy would stay with her for a few minutes until she fell asleep.

Then Grace blurted out, "I miss Holly and Ivy."

The twin girls lived next door, and since they were only six months older than Grace the children had become inseparable friends almost immediately.

Angie, to whom this comment had been directed, was initially at a loss for words. How much did Grace really understand about the day's events? How much did any of them really comprehend?

"I know, honey," she began. "I miss them too." This wasn't just a platitude meant to reassure Grace. The Norwood family had welcomed the Baxters warmly upon their arrival in Parksville, and the adults had become good friends even as the children had bonded. Concern for the Norwoods had joined that for their immediate relatives ever since the teenage girl had run through their campsite with news of a fire in town. "I'm sure they miss you. They were going out of town on a vacation of their own, so we may not see them for a while. But I bet they miss you just as much as you miss them."

While Angie comforted the child, Dan was outside tending the fire, Candy at his feet. The night was quiet, save for the crickets, and he smiled as he heard his wife's words. He loved them both so much!

He was struck again by the sheer ordinariness of the scene. Yet while he was grateful for his family's safety, his mind kept returning to the situation in town - and how, perhaps around the world this night, engineers and others were hard at work trying to restore the power grid they all depended upon so heavily.

He knew his family had to come first, that he was far from town, and that returning home on foot, with an eight-year-old child, was impractical. Even so, he felt guilty being so far from his post at the power plant, where he might help deal with the emergency - yet his practical side argued that they should, in fact, remain here a few more days until order was restored. They had food, water, and shelter for almost a week.

An owl hooted as Angie returned to his side. "She asleep?" he whispered.

Angie nodded. "She misses Holly and Ivy. I hope they're all right."

"So do I. But even if the EMP affected the whole country, we don't know much about anything beyond the power grid failing. They may be perfectly safe."

"I hope they are." Holly and Ivy, Angie thought. Such cute girls. When she and Dan had learned she was pregnant, they'd first considered naming their child Lily if it were a girl. But they changed their minds after the twins next door arrived - too many plants around, Dan had chuckled. And they were, after more thought, thrilled to name their child Grace as a constant reminder of the gift her life was to them.

"I'm reconsidering that trip to town tomorrow. I'm not sure it's fair to Grace to make her walk so far. I thought about having one of us walk to town while the other stays here with her, but decided we should stay together." This last was quickly added to forestall Angie's protest about splitting them up. "And our food and water should last several days if we're careful."

"And wait for things to settle down, until someone finds us?"

He grinned. "You read my mind, my dear."

A coyote howled in the distance, and Angie cuddled up closer to him. At least we're safe. One day at a time, he told himself.

-Day 1-
Judicia, Erbaine
Capitol University

Liam raised an eyebrow skeptically when Laramie handed him a plethora of tissues, but he used them anyway, dabbing off his palms. Normally, before all this, he would wince, but he didn't feel any pain; just a distant soft sensation of the tissues against his skin. He finished carefully cleaning up each hand as best as he could, then looked in disbelief at the blood stained tissues. "I can't believe I'm bleeding. Why can't I feel it?"

Liam looked at Laramie, his blue eyes piercing. "Laramie... Are we crazy?" He looked down at the ground. What had happened? Their hands had switched, yes. But that was hardly an explanation for it. To top it all off, now he couldn't feel pain? He must be crazy.

He sighed and wadded the tissues up into a small ball, then stood. "You're right. Whether I can feel anything or not, I need to get my hands taken care of." He stared down at them, muttering. "...My hands." He shook his head quickly as if to dislodge his strange thoughts, then helped Laramie out of the rubble. Together, they walked back into the college building, leaving the dismal gray courtyard behind them.

He and Laramie navigated the halls, looking for the nurse's office. They passed one particular hall, and Liam did a double take as something clicked in his brain. "Hey... isn't that Dr. Dreyman?"

His thought processes intensified. Dr. Dreyman... the one who knew there was going to be a supernova... the one who had prepared for it this whole time... and the one he had agreed with in class earlier. Liam's head spun as he tried to make sense of it all. He searched Laramie's eyes, looking for a bit of sanity, looking for answers, or anything that could help him make sense of it all. At least she was here with him when his world felt like it was falling apart. That had to count for something.

~Day One~
~Outside Brink City~

The situation had not improved much in the past few hours, but Michelle felt rather buoyant.

On their way out of Brink City, Josiah and Michelle had caught a ride in a large van with a family on their way to Judicia. The Archers lived in Erbaine's capital, and had been taking a spring vacation in Brink City.

The radio didn't pick up anything, the roads were crowded, and according to those who weren't blind there had been, for a while, two suns in the sky. But the Archers shared blankets, food, soda, and the Kingsley twins started them singing, and taught them a few of their own songs. The hours still crawled, but they didn't mind so much, and for a while, some of the fear and gloom of their uncertain situation was relieved.

It was darker out now. The youngest Archer, four-year-old Olivia, had fallen asleep, and the traffic was still terrible. Michelle leaned her head against her brother's shoulder, adjusting her blanket and wondering if she would be able to fall asleep.

"I can't believe this is actually happening," Mrs. Archer said. She spoke quietly, so as to not wake her daughter, but Michelle could hear the tension in her voice. "It's like the world is ending."

"Easy, Viv." Dr. Archer had a "soft" voice, lower than Josiah's but less distinct, very soothing. Michelle wondered if he had it before he became a pediatrician, or if he developed it from calming down children and their parents. "We're safe for now, and we're together. That's what's important."

"I know, but - as soon as we get back to Judicia, I want you to find that professor." Mrs. Archer's voice rose slightly as she became more agitated. "The one who knew this was coming."

"Dreyman?" Michelle thought she picked up a touch of distaste in Dr. Archer's voice, but she might have imagined it. "Yes, once we get back to Judicia, we'll definitely want to talk to him."

"How much longer, Dad?" Jonathan asked. Michelle had thought the eight-year-old was asleep.

"Not sure, son. Try to get some sleep."

Josiah stared out the window at the unending rows of car lights. When the Archers had offered them a ride as far as Parksville, it had sounded like a great idea: they would get there much faster, Michelle wouldn't have to carry so much weight, and once the power came back they might even be able to borrow a cell phone to call their parents. But with the way traffic was out of Brink City - it seemed the whole city was trying to get somewhere else - he wondered if they wouldn't have made it faster on foot.

The Archers certainly seemed like a nice family, but if push came to shove Josiah had no doubt Dr. Archer would put the needs of his children over the needs of the Kingsleys. Josiah didn't blame him for that - he would do the same, in his position - but he wasn't going to let his guard down, no matter how many snack boxes they shared. And when it came to Michelle's safety, Josiah didn't trust anyone besides himself, and their parents.

He only half-listened to the Archers' conversations. Seeing as they were going to be parting ways shortly, their future plans were irrelevant. He felt his sister rest her head on his shoulder, and reached over to squeeze her hand.

He had to admit, they weren't in a bad situation. They could both sleep safely, warm and protected. The number of cars on the road had gone down since the afternoon, and they were making real progress. Those were things he could be very, very grateful for.

Josiah leaned his head against the window. His eyes closed on their own, and he didn't have the motivation to resist. Won't leave ... till morning, at least, he thought, and drifted off to sleep.

-Day One-
Burg

Sarah stumbled through the streets, trying to get home in the middle of what seemed like the apocalypse. The streets, which had been eerily empty earlier, were now filled with the screaming victims of the damage the supernova had caused. Sarah had never been squeamish in her life, but surrounded by the wailing victims marred by blood and other bodily fluids, she was suddenly filled with revulsion. That and a desperate longing for hand sanitizer.

Sarah came to a road completely blocked by the mangled and twisted remains of crashed cars. For one horrified second, she made eye contact with a corpse that featured a sizable shard of glass rammed through its forehead. She couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman, there was so much blood. And other things too, but she was desperately trying not to think about that.

As she scrambled over the ruined cars, it finally occurred to Sarah that she did own a cell phone. She dug her phone out of her pocket and nervously tried to turn it on. The phone wouldn't switch on and there was the faint smell of singed circuits. Whatever had happened had happened to the phone too.

"Oh no. Alan and Stephen and ...," Sarah's mind raced through the list of people in the city she could call friends. And was this just limited to the city? What if this chaos was happening everywhere? Her sister was somewhere out there in this.

By the time Sarah stumbled down the street that the music shop was located on, she was almost completely emotionally numb. The things she had seen were horrible beyond her worst imaginings. And the thought that these awful things might have happened to her friends as well filled her mind. She wasn't sure why she stopped at the store; she only briefly considered that Stephan might be there for some reason. And so Sarah poked her head into the ruined store and called out," Hello?" in a nervous, but controlled voice.

-----

Alan quickly walked away from the carnage in the wrecked remains of the bridge, but each corner he turned just exposed fresh horror. Vehicles had collided into each other as their electronic elements fired and the drivers lost control. Windows were shattered everywhere. People were wandering the streets, dripping with blood and other bodily fluids, dazed, confused, even dying.

"Okay, kid. Going to get you back to my apartment and we'll see what happens. I think I've got some of that weird dyed cereal you little anklebiters love," Alan murmured to the little girl. She heaved a deep sigh and dropped off into a exhausted slumber.

He rounded a corner and spotted one of his shadier acquaintances headed in his direction. In the accompaniment of some very dangerous-looking men and women. And to make matters worse, this was one of the people who had reason to not like Alan very much. It was a long story and involved a vat of piranhas and a prize-winning poodle.

"Oh, crap. The thugs are out to start looting and acting like idiots already. Have to be lucky here, poppet."

Alan ducked back around the corner and looked for somewhere to hunker down. He had made it into a residential area of Burg, but it was also one of the areas with far fewer broken windows. He jiggled the handle of the nearest door, wondering how he was going to pick a lock one-handed. And then a little piece of metal fell into his palm. His skilled finger quickly recognized it for what it was, a key. Not quite ready to believe in miracles, Alan speared the key into the lock and released a gusty relieved breath as it slid in neatly and turned smoothly.

Into the house Alan stepped and then quickly closed and relocked the door. He hoped the thugs and the shady acquaintance were heading for more affluent pastures to loot, because he was skeptical of his ability to lose them with a toddler in tow.

Alan set the little girl down on a handy sofa, covered her with a handy blanket, and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Well, technically it wasn't really *his* cell phone, but he'd stolen it fair and square. Ish. He stabbed the power button and waited patiently for it to turn on. Nothing happened. He pressed the button again, this time almost hard enough to crack the case. Still nothing. Disgusted, Alan tossed the phone across the room and began to search the house for a landline.

Two minutes latter and Alan had discovered that not only did the phones not work, the power didn't either and the cable was out as well.

"This is an absolute disaster!" he wailed. And then cringed, picturing the unsavory fellows hearing his cry. He all but tiptoed into the living room to check on the little girl. And stared dumbfounded at her because she wasn't exactly a little girl anymore. Still a girl, but definitely not little.

"I seem to have grown a bit large for my clothes. Do you think you might be able to find me properly-sized clothing? I rather think wandering the streets of Burg naked would be a bad idea right now," the former toddler commented as she wrapped the blanket around herself. "And nothing pink. I detest pink."

-----

On the streets of Diabolis, a man woke up. He stared up at the sky, which was slowly emptying itself of the fiery remains of the supernova's blistering light. Moving slowly, almost as if he wasn't sure how to make the body work, the man climbed to his feet and stumbled over to the nearest mirrored window. He studied his reflection and smirked.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. And now it's time to get to work."

-- Day 1 --
Judicia, Erbaine
Underground
Previous Post

Steele straightened and took a step back as his lips twitched into a charming and satisfied smile. "Excellent."

Tony cast him a look and slowly backed towards the wall. He made no move towards the door, but he did glance at it again. This was not sounding good. Not sounding good at all.

-Day 1-
Judicia, Erbaine
Capitol University

It felt like ages before everything seemed to calm down. Cautiously pushing himself out from the bottom of the car, Leon tried not to panic over what was going on. He had seen horror movies before, but never would he have expected to live in something that was a lot alike. More than anything, he wanted to have a pencil and paper in his hands. His parents had always joked that those two things were his "security blanket." Never had he given in to agreeing with them, but now, he was close to.

For a moment, he thought of what to do, and decided to head over to Dr. Dreyman's classroom, or at least find him somewhere. Hadn't he talked about a supernova earlier, the lecture Leon had missed? Maybe Dr. Dreyman could explain what had occured. This guy obviously had to know something, or else there was no good explanation for the strange and terrifying results outside!

Speed-walking as fast as his legs could carry him, Leon raced into the college, which now looked very damaged, and looked through every room. Luckily, he found the room in no time, but before he walked in and fired a series of questions, he spotted Liam and Laramie, his two college pals, nearby. Never had he ever felt so relieved. Thank goodness they're still alive!

Yet again, he let out a few coughs. He had forgotten he was sick, so he tried not to let it show as he acknowledged them. "Hey guys, do you know what just happened? I wasn't expecting to need to hide under a car for protection today!" Their faces looked scared and nervous, but instead of asking about it, he wisely kept his mouth shut. Besides, everyone probably has the same expressions now.

-Day 1-
Capitol University
Judicia, Erbaine
Just post-Supernova

Lewis spotted Laramie and Liam first and then saw Leon. Liam's hands looked bloody and hurt. They'd known it was coming, too, he remembered. But it hadn't been the right day...

"Styre!" He called out to them, getting closer all the time. "A day early and a dollar short, eh?" He said, trying a smile. In reality, he wondered if they knew more than he about the situation outside. "I think we've lost electricity," He said as he reached them, "Are you hurt?" He asked Liam, looking over the student's hands. "There's a first aid kit somewhere..." He looked around vaguely.