1120 Q9
Lightwood's Office

"We'll work on that. The first thing, however, is to get you settled. If you have anything you want to send home for, let me know. I'm afraid the rooms start out a little bare. But, before that," Lightwood stood. "Have you eaten yet today?"

1120 Q9
Lightwood's Office

"Um, no. Other than your stupid tea, so yeah I'd love to have some food."

1120 Q9
Lightwood's Office

"I would apologize, but I still believe that it was the best for you," Tamara said. "I think as you come to know this place better, you will agree. But come--I'll take you down to the cafeteria and we can get some food. By the time we are done, there should be a room ready for you."

1120 Q9
Lightwood's Office

"Sounds good to me."

Burg: Day 6

A gleam of dawn glittered at the edges of the horizon as Xandria trudged through Burg. Thanks to Selena and Malcom, she not only had a vague notion of where she was, but also a very handy GPS like device. She had spent her time walking and debating with herself where, exactly, she would be staying for the next few days. Until she understood what, exactly, had happened, she felt uncomfortable staying near other people, so a hotel was definitely out of the question. But what, then? Businesses might be closed, but it would be likely that the owners would return to open them, at some point--if they hadn't already been broken into by thugs looking for spare cash. She had finally settled on the thought of finding a nice library to stay in. With the events of the past few days--had it nearly been a week?--few people would be coming by public libraries, at least, until things settled down a bit more. She had considered the university library, since her university had also kept extra pillows and blankets in the library, but then she remembered that the students would probably still be on campus, unless they all lived very close, so someone would be more likely to notice her arrival. The same thing went for rural libraries. So she had set her sights on the large, downtown public library. The only library that would rival it in size would be the one at the university, and it would be highly unlikely that people, looking for entertainment, would frequent it quite yet. If anyone did come by, it would be large enough that she could either hide, or lose any pursuers in a maze of books and make her escape. And, most importantly, there would be information--something she desperately needed.

The sun had just risen when she finally found the library. It was large, with at least three stories, not counting whatever basements there might be. She gave a little shudder thinking about how creepy a library might be at night, but then shook it off. She had to pull herself together. Until she knew what exactly was going on, she needed to stay hidden, even from seemingly kind people like Malcom and Selena. She walked around the building, inspecting it. There were tall glass windows on every side, and a few doors that led down to a lower level. It was at this moment that she realized her next predicament: how, exactly, was she going to get in? She stared at the library, thinking. Finally, she pulled out the gadget Malcom had given her. She touched the screen tentatively, then began moving it around, looking to see what was nearby. Ah, a body shop, about three blocks to the east. Her legs were already sore from so much walking, but she grudgingly trudged toward the body shop. No one would be at a body shop now, would they? The use of such places had vanished. Now, if they only had a crowbar or something similar...Xandria didn't even know what sort of tools were kept in a body shop. All she knew was she needed something to break into the library with, and a crowbar, well, it sounded handy. Come to think of it, Xandria wasn't sure how to break into a building, anyway.

She shook her head. Just find a tool that looks good, and figure it out from there.

The autobody shop was fairly well sized, and there were a variety of tires and other odds and ends laying around, as well as a variety of cars. And, well, there was a tall chain link fence, too. The gate was locked, so Xandria wandered around to see what she could find. She looked up and down the street and, satisfied that no one was around, backed up and got ready to take a running leap. Then she paused, squinting at the fence. It was probably seven or eight feet all. There was no way she would manage to hit it at a good angle. With a sigh, she walked over and began climbing. All she knew for sure is chain link fences are no fun to climb when you're barefoot. With a grimace, she pulled herself over the top of the fence and jumped down. While she was in there, she needed to find a bolt cutter to get through the lock, too.

The door to the shop was unlocked, so Xandria walked right in and stared at the dark and smelly room. Out of habit, she felt for the light switch and flicked it, but was then reminded that there was no electricity to use. Grumbling to herself, she set to work, feeling her way through the various tools until she found one that fit well in her hand and had a flat edge. It was good enough, she decided, heading back into the light. She stopped at the door, propped it open, and went back inside. Right. She needed something to get through the gate...or she could stop being such a softie and just climb it again. She stood in the doorway for a moment, debating, then finally pushed the door shut and headed back to the fence. She could do this. She slipped the tool--whatever it was, she wasn't quite sure-- into her waistband, shivering as the cold metal touched her skin.

Suck it up. You're a professional athlete. You're better than this.

She went to grab the fence, then hesitated. No one would be coming by for quite a while...and people had to have paid when the got their cars fixed. How many of them had paid in cash? Xandria stood there, weighing the idea of cleaning out the cash register before she left. If the owner hadn't done so already, who knew when someone would think to look. Beside, they could be dead for all she knew. On the other hand, someone had worked for that money, and it was her own fault for leaving her wallet at the convent. She needed cash, and she would need to get an ID somehow, if she ever hoped to get any of her own money out of the bank. If that was even a possibility. She might as well check and see. If it hadn't been cleaned out, then she could keep debating. If it had, well, there was no reason to stand around wondering.

It hadn't.

Xandria paused, then slowly started counting out bills. It was definitely enough to get her started, she knew that--with that much cash, she could probably last quite handily on her own. Still, she felt a twinge of guilt growing inside her heart as she closed the register. She pushed it down. She wasn't the same person as before. She wasn't an international athlete with enough money to start her own foundation. She was just a girl, now, one who was in danger for her life. She was already an outlaw, so why act like she wasn't?

For the last time, she pushed her way through the door, climbed the fence, and jumped down. Now she needed to get back to the library before people started moving about. She picked up the pace to a brisk walk, her arms swinging as she tried to keep herself warm and act normal. She was about a block away from the library when she heard a whistle tweet. She looked around, then her heart sunk as she saw a police officer walking toward her. He waved her over with his hand, and she slowly walked toward him.

"Something wrong, officer?" she asked, swallowing hard.

"Quite early for you to be out and about," he said, looking her up and down. "What's got you out at this hour? None of the shops are open."

"I...was staying at a friend's house, and they're all early risers. Can't really sleep after everyone else is awake, so I thought I'd go out for a walk. I was hoping to get over to the library and see if anyone had any idea when it would open."

"Where are your shoes?"

"Shoes?" Xandria looked down at her feet, then back at the policeman. "Oh, I usually go barefoot. I don't like shoes. They always pinch my feet in the wrong places."

"Well, I'd suggest you find a pair. It's going to be a lot harder to get treatment if you accidentally cut yourself, and walking around downtown, there's a lot that you could step on. As for the library, I don't think it will be opening for quite a while. If you really need a book, go over to the university. There library is open to the public, and it's in a much safer area. Beside, even if the library were to open, it would be a couple hours yet. You should head home. Want me to walk you there?"

"Noooo, I think I'll be ok," Xandria managed a smile. The man frowned, then nodded curtly.

"Suit yourself. Just be careful. There's a lot of bad people out there, and they're taking advantage of the supernova like you wouldn't believe. Now get going."

"Have a good day!" Xandria called, turning and walking away briskly. She continued on for a few blocks, then ducked down an alley. A police officer. Why? Out of all the people in the city she could meet, why did it have to be a policeman? Xandria groaned and leaned against the wall. Would nothing be easy now? She loitered around the alley for a while more, then began to make her way back toward the library. At least she knew there weren't any plans to open it up any time soon. At least that would work in her favor.

She reached the library without incident this time, and made her way to the doors at the back of the library. She had to go down a set of stairs to get to them, so she figured that they probably led to the basement. Rather than trying to force the door open, Xandria continued on the walkway, finally coming to a low window. It was small, but then, she was skinny, so she could probably find a way to fit through. She pulled the metal thingy out and whacked on the glass, grimacing as it shattered. She sat for a good five minutes, breaking away as much of the glass as possible, then dropped the bar through and squeezed through the opening. For a moment she panicked, thinking she was caught halfway through, but with a little push, she managed to tumble through and into the basement, landing awkwardly on the glass.

"Dang it," Xandria muttered, glaring at the blood on her hand. "Now I have to figure out a way to get you cleaned up."

Burg: Day 7

Five days had passed since the Nova hit. In those five days Jason's world had been yanked out from under his feet. Soon after the initial confusion and shock, someone in Diabolis had made the brilliant decision to do some looting. It was the butterfly that started a typhoon, soon the entire city was under siege from rioters and the like. For once, the Coppers and the Mob found themselves fighting on the same side, the side of control and sanity. But even their combined forces were no match for the swell of the masses. Diabolis was lost, a ruined city destroyed even further. Both the police force and the mob were scattered and Jason found himself running from the city.

Running. Jason had been a standout high-school athlete, track star in fact. He was even offered a full ride to D.U. One drug charge and that scholarship opportunity was gone. Still, as fast as he had been he'd never run this fast. In fact, he didn't think anyone had, ever.

Ever since the Big Boom, things had been different. He'd heard talk of strange folks doing some pretty weird things. He'd listened to some huge fish tails in his life, but these took it to a whole new level. Then again, he shouldn't be able to run this fast, no one should. Maybe those fish tails weren't so long after all.

It had taken him several twenty four hour periods to reach his destination, which was Burg. The headquarters of almost everything but the government. If a decision was being made, it was happening here. The military, big business and yes even the mob that he had worked for back in Diabolis was based in this ugly city. That was in fact where he was heading.

Jason needed to inform HQ of the situation down south, because they had just lost a major market for their product. That was of course, if they were even producing it anymore. Even that depended on if anyone was still living, at this point he wouldn't even be shocked if that was the case.

Right now though, he just wanted something to eat. Having found a convenient farmers market, he selected a stand that looked particularly attractive. He couldn't quite detect what drew him to the stand, perhaps it was the particularly juicy looking fresh fruit. Or more likely, it was the cute blonde selling the food. Either way it was a win for Jason.

Burg: Day 6

After she had gotten her hand cleaned up, Xandria had pilfered some bean bags, pillows and an area rug from the children's section to create a makeshift bedroom for herself and had curled up and slept through the morning. It had been days since she had had any solid sleep, but even so, she woke up as the afternoon light came streaming through the south windows. Seeing that she wouldn't get any more sleep under those conditions, and very wisely remembering there wouldn't be any lights to turn on at night, Xandria got up and began her searching. She scoured the mythology section, final returning to her corner with a stack of books. She knew she turned into a fish-like creature, and the closest thing she could associate with it was a mermaid. As strange as it sounded, she vaguely wondered if she might have some connection to these creatures of legends. What if, in another time, there had been mermaids, but they had died out, or become landlocked, and bred with humans? It was an insane theory, and Xandria new it. But...if it was true...well, at least she would know what to look for, and how to deal with her new self.

So she sat, engrossed in the tales of mermaids, analyzing the illustrations and wondering just what, exactly, was her connection with these creatures. Time flew past as she sat, hungrily scanning the pages. She only stopped when she realized it had grown so dark that her nose was nearly touching the page, her eyes lapping up the last few words before the darkness took them away completely.

Xandria put her book down and stared into the darkness. She suddenly realized that she was starving, again, and, more importantly, extremely thirsty. There was a case of water in the lounge, as well as a few tangerines, so she slowly made her way there, doing her best not to trip on anything. The water felt good on her throat, and she drank almost the entire bottle, then stopped. She studied the bottle in the dusky light for a few moments, then poured a little water into her hand and rubbed it on her face. She blinked a few times, then smiled at her own cunning. A little water went a long way, apparently, as she felt that wonderful night vision that had served her so well underwater come over her again. She could see perfectly now, and she felt rather like a cat at the moment, despite her natural affinity to resemble a tuna. She took the bottle back to her spot and set it down, then looked around. She wasn't tired, yet, and her reading, plus the realization that she could manipulate her eyesight to best suit her needs, had made her excited. After a moment, she took of running, hunting for the stairs, then bounding up them when she found them. She jumped over the information desk and each row of computer desks, turning the library into her own little jungle gym. It felt good to run and leap, and she might even had imagined what she would have done in some of the stories she had read. She started laughing at herself as she slid down the bannister and started running around again. It was good to be able to run, to be free, to not worry about anyone catching you.

Yes, libraries were a wonderful place.

1130 Q9
Lightwood's Office

Kat was soon introduced to her new quarters, it was quaint enough, but the little square reminded her of Sam's room. He always kept it clean and tidy, not a article of clothing was to be found anywhere where it shouldn't and the corners of his bed were always hospital spec, without fail. Katherine used to tease him about it, because her room was without fail the messiest room in the world. The walls, what you could see of them through the posters anyways, were painted a bright shade of purple while the ceiling was a sharp shade of pink. She'd convinced the General to let her paint the walls herself one summer between the fourth and fifth grades, so she was used to decorating all by her lonesome.

"I'll have to make some mods, but she'll do." She said to herself as she flopped onto the cot. Military surplus, Kat suspected, the unforgiving hardness of the mattress gave that away. Personally she preferred a bouncy sleeping surface, but she knew plenty of people who liked a ridged mat. As the minutes ticked away, she found herself thinking of home and the friends she had left behind. They'd be wondering where she had gone, worried about her even. Fortunately for her, the General scared her last boyfriend away at gun point, so she didn't need to worry about a special someone finding out that his girlfriend had gone missing. That at least was a positive. If you could call it that.

X Days after the Supernova
Location: hallway, building name unknown
Time: Unknown
Vital Status: Conscious

Whatever this place is, it's full of people. I can feel all the minds around me, sending out their tendrils of thought. Hundreds of them; maybe thousands. And not all of them nice.

That guard I just passed was a real piece of work - some of them don't convince easily. When that happens, I just switch a couple signals in their brain. See, my power doesn't let me control thoughts, but I can get control of some of the nerve centers in their brain. Like the optic center. So if I can't persuade a guard that he should just let me go, I make his eyes have a "blind spot". Not easy, but I'm still learning.

So far, the one thing I'm scanning for is eluding me: a way out. Apparently, if there's a door outside this building, no one knows. Not what I was hoping for, but if being a hero was easy, everyone would do it.

Alright, if I can't find a way out, then I need to find the kitchen. Or mess hall; whatever. I stop in the hallway, hands to my head, trying to find someone thinking about food. No, no, no, no, no...

It takes about five minutes of "channel scanning" to find a pair of guards on their way to lunch. Hmm, so it's in the afternoon. Make a note of that, and follow them.

Time: noon

Shadowing two people is harder than just one. Twice the work. But I'm managing; I guess that's a result of being highly motivated. Somehow, I doubt that "game over" will just send me back to start of the level, given the big guns they're carrying.

Finally! One of them opens a door with a four-digit passcode and beyond, I can smell food! Well, sort of food. I think my high school cafeteria actually smelled more appetizing. But at this point, I'll take it.

One problem, of course. I can't go in there. I didn't get a very long look, but I know there's at least thirty or forty minds in there. No way can I manage to keep all of them blind. I'm stuck a couple dozen yards from food, and even I can't get at it. Darn.

Maybe I could have someone bring it out? Just suggest that they'd rather eat alone... This is easier when they're closer. Come on!

I don't really want to eat with all this noise, do I?

Wait for it.... Wait for it....

Burg: Day 7

Xandria awoke with an empty feeling in her stomach. She groaned, sat up, and cracked open one of the tangerines, eating the inner contents, then popping up onto one of the bay window reading seats to thoughtfully munch on the peel. She was still excited about her discoveries, including that she could use at least her good eyesight and improved hearing on land, but the sunlight was dampening her confidence. Sure, she had become one of the most masterful swimmers of all time--mermaids were, like, the patron legend of swimmers--but the cool daylight reminded her that others would not be as excited as she was about these powers. That was the reason she had fled Arida, was it not? Xandria finished her munching, and looked around sorrowfully. A tangerine a day wasn't going to last her very long. How did people shop for food now that there was no electricity? Xandria chewed on her lip and thought. She was back to the clothes predicament. First of all, she needed a jacket to disguise the cuts she got from breaking in. Secondly, food. Oh, and shoes would probably be a nice touch. She didn't need to stick out like a sore thumb any more than she absolutely had to.

Xandria pulled out the map Malcom had given her and studied it. She had hidden the automatic device, since she had a feeling such a gadget would give her away automatically. There had to be an old town square, or something...a, there. Rosenbird Square. Large, fairly centrally located, and in the shopping district. What better place for businessmen to set up open markets than right in front of their own shops? If she were a betting woman, she'd lay money on it. After studying the map for a few more minutes, Xandria folded it up and tucked it in her waistband. It would be best to go earlier in the day and get it over with.

The walk to the market was uneventful, and she knew her bet was right as she neared the shopping district. Sellers had moved their goods out onto the street, and the closer she got to the Square, the more densely packed the shops and people were. A wave of thankfulness washed over her as she realized she would be less noticeable among the jostling crowds, and quickly made her way to a clothes seller. A light blue hoodie was quickly purchased, along with some flip flops, both of which she quickly donned. Then she began looking around. What to do about food...there was a vendor selling roasted corn at one corner, so Xandria bought an ear off of him to satisfy her immediate hunger. Then she began to wander about, slipping between the people and inspecting the goods that were for sale. She needed something that would last for a while, but was also easy to carry. As much safety as the crowds provided, she would rather be away from people, for now, anyway. Especially away from the policement, who strode through every now and again, their heads high as they looked out over the crowds. Each time they passed, Xandria did her best to duck into the back of a stall. What would they see, though? Just a girl.

You're just an average girl, she kept reminding herself. You cut yourself when a window shattered during the supernova. It's healing fine. You are normal. Act like it.

Burg - Day 7

Having been successful in getting the cute girl's contact information, he moved on from the flirtation session. Jason's quest now was to find something a bit more substantial than the apple he'd just devoured. He found what he was looking for right in front of what used to be a WaySub. Then with Hoagie in hand, he made his way to the edges of the market, hoping to locate a place to pop a squat and enjoy his meal. That's when he accidentally slammed shoulders with a young girl, gracefulness had never been his strong suit. "Crud," he whispered.

"My bad."

Burg: Day 7

"Hey!" Xandria huffed, whirling around as someone smacked into her. "Watch where you're going next time."

Burg: Day 7

"I'd say the same for you!" He instinctively responded without taking a look at whom he was speaking too. Once he had done that, Jason instantly regretted that making the decision to shout. Mainly because the girl in question happened to be pretty cute.

"You alright?"

Burg: Day 7

"No, I'm dying," Xandria turned away, miffed, but couldn't help throwing a parting shot over her shoulder. "Maybe if you learned some manners your shoulder wouldn't hurt so bad."

Burg: Day 7

He waited a few moments while she walked away from him, then Jason proceeded to exit the crowd at a ninety degree angle to her direction before sprinting in a wide curve in order to cut her off without being seen. Thus he intercepted the girl just as she emerged from the crowd herself. "I never said my shoulder hurt. My name is Jason, by the way."