Super Heroes Like You

Name: Ben Cummings
Gender: Male
Age: 30
Appearance: 6' tall, short brownish blond hair, a bit overweight, typically wears jeans, work boots, and a button-down shirt
Location: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Vocation: Electrician
Background: Grew up in western Montana, still has family there. Has been married for five years to Kayla. They have been unsuccessful at conceiving children, but are looking into adoption. Ben started his own electrical service compnay about two years ago which is just now starting to turn around and bring a profit.
Personality: Funloving, hard working, honest, neighborly, loves children, prefers a small town
Major Power: Altering the vision of others. He can blur vision, block vision, cause people to see things, change color perception, change his appearance, etc.
Minor Powers: Reflective vision (up to four angles so far), direct eye contact makes others queasy
____________________________________

Ben packed his duffle bag into one of the compartments in the back of his pickup. It barely fit with all of his tools, accessories, spare parts, and extra cables.
Kayla came up behind him. "The way you pack your clothes, I sure hope you hotel room has an iron in it."
"I'm sure they do." Ben smiled at her as he looked off in the distance.
"Now don't forget, you need to be home by 2:30 on Monday for our appointment with the adoption case worker."
"I should be home Sunday night."
"I know, but sometimes you get sidetracked by a customer or schedule a 'quick' site visit that takes longer than you thought."
"But this is our baby we are talking about," he said looking at his feet, "I wouldn't miss that for the world."
Kayla smiled. "I know." Then her face became sad. "Will you look at me, Ben?" she said crossly.
"I just don't want--"
"I know, you don't want to make me nauseous, but you're my husband and I want to look into your eyes. I don't care if I get a little sick."
Ben could sense her frustration and knew that his recent changes had been hard on her. Heck, he shared her aggravation. While most of his newly developed abilities were ‘cool’ and kind of fun, their side effects were discouraging.
It was about three months ago when he noticed that some of his workers were getting sick while working with him. It became a joke on the work sites, but when he noticed that his wife was getting sick around him too, he started to suspect that he actually was the source to the illnesses. He looked on the Internet to search it out, but the only thing he could match the symptoms with was radioactivity and vertigo.
Ben visited the doctor to inquire about it. The doctor did a full workup and came up with nothing, but did mention that he felt queasy during the examination. When Ben mentioned radioactivity, the doctor actually rounded up a medical Geiger meter that was used when treating thyroid patients with radioactive medicine. The scan indicated no radioactivity.
Something strange happened when Ben was taking the eye test. As he concentrated to discern the smaller numbers on the chart, he suddenly saw himself as if in front of a mirror with the doctor behind him. When the doctor asked him if everything was all right, Ben closed his eyes, refocused, and read off the letters. Ben didn’t mention this to the doctor because he felt the doctor already thought he was nuts.
The incident that forced Ben to realize that he was developing unusual abilities occurred in the middle of the night. He woke from a vivid dream about Kayla dying in a car wreck. As he began to explain to Kayla what had happened in the dream, Kayla stopped him with a start.
”Was the car a blue Honda and was I in the passenger seat wearing my pink ‘Piglet’ sweatshirt?” she asked in amazement.
”Yes. Why, did you have the same dream?”
”No, I can see it right in front of me!”
That was how they first learned that Ben could alter someone else’s vision. Ben took time off work and spent a week with Kayla to explore these new abilities. He found that he could make others see things that weren’t there, blur vision of certain things, or make someone go blind. The practiced with colors, changing his appearance, and many other things. They discovered that it was much harder for Ben to alter Kayla’s vision of specific, more detailed things. For instance, he could make a wall in the living room appear red, but he could not make a banana appear blue, or an orange appear green. He could completely block Kayla’s vision, but he could not make only himself become invisible. He was able, however to blur something like himself or something he was holding, so that if someone wasn’t paying attention they would miss it.
They went to a park and practiced with multiple people. They found that Ben could only affect the vision of those that he could see himself. Also, the more people, the more generic in his manipulation he had to be. His strength was making things appear rather than altering what was already there.
Ben also worked on his ability to see reflections, what he called “reflective vision”. He was able to reflect his vision so that he could see things by reflecting up to four angles. He tried to explain it to Kayla. “Imagine you were sitting in your car and you looked in the rear view mirror to see out the back window; then imagine that there is a mirror in the back window that points toward the floor of the back seat; then imagine a mirror on the floor that faces up underneath the passenger seat. By looking strait ahead, you could see the candy wrapper that was stuck up in the seat bracing.” It took some time, but after a while, Ben became pretty good at it.
The only drawback so far was that when people looked directly into his eyes, they started to get sick to their stomach, some sort of vertigo caused by his reflective vision, he figured. He began wearing sunglasses more frequently. There were also the unanswered questions of how and why this had happened to him. And how would this affect Ben, his marriage to Kayla, and their plans for the future? Those were the unspoken questions that worried both Ben and Kayla.
Then the invitation to the electrician’s conference in Seattle came with the brochure for the “New You” seminar. It talked about “seeing things from a different perspective”, “manifesting your vision to others”, and dealing with those that are “unsettled by you”. Kayla thought Ben was reading way too much into the self-help motivational mumbo jumbo, but something about it made Ben suspicious. He intended to go to the conference and attend the seminar. If it turned out that Kayla was right, then he was just being jumpy, but maybe…
”Are you worried?” Kayla asked softly to break the silence.
Ben came out of his thoughts and looked down at his wife. She was so supportive of him! He felt like the luckiest guy in the world. He couldn’t wait to see her as a mother. She was so loving and kind. He couldn’t wait to get back from this conference and work on starting a family with her. “With you at my side, babe, how could I be worried?” He gave her a soft, loving kiss and a warm hug. “I’ll call you when I get there, but if you need something, you can get me on my cell phone.”
”I love you, Ben.” Kayla said.
”Love you too”
Ben put on his sunglasses, got into his pickup, and drove off.

Name: Bruce Parker.

Gender: Male.

Age:25

Appearance: Tall 6'2, weighs about 197 lbs, Black hair blue eyes rather handsome. (Think what Wolverine looks like)

Personality: Funloving, sportloving, works hard, sometimes agressive and hard headed. He is a bit sarcastic, likes to keep to himself.

Location: Eugene, Oregon.

Vocation: A student at the University of Oregon.

Background: Lived in a city called Medford before moving up to Eugene.

Major Powers: Super Healing factor, metal claws, (Think Wolvereine).

Minor Powers: Enhanced hearing, smelling, that sorta thing. Enhanced strength, can jump long distances.

Bruce looked back at the school he had just graduated from, and sighed, he had grown to love the school. He walked to the parking lot and got in his car, A Dodge Viper. He was going to stay at some hotel until he got a job, which was going to be pretty easy since he had gotten his masters degree, in computer sciences and stuff like that. He was just pulling into the parking lot of the hotel when another truck came into view.

Name: Kelly Kellson

Gender: Female

Age:23

Appearance: Kelly has short brown hair thats layered and flips out. She has green eyes and a tanned complexion. Stands at about 5'3''

Personality: She loves to talk and write. She is very sweet and kind but holds grudges. IF she gets hit she gets really angry and starts to kick butt.

Location: Seattle, Washington
Vocation: Journalist.

Background: Kelly lived in a small town in California before coming to Seattle. She graduated highschool early and went to college at Stanford. Shes currently dating a photographer named Danny West.

Major Power: Super Strength and agility.

Minor Powers: Can fly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kelly pushed print on her computer and whizzed around to get the article.

"Kel, wheres that article about the President visitng a homeless sheltar?" HEr boss barked at her.

"Its printing now."Kelly said holding herhand out to the printer as it printed 2 of 4 pages. Kelly tapped her finger impatiently and the rest of the pages printed.

"Here you go." Kelly said.

"Kel, You need to get some sleep. Your my-" He said kindly know.

"I know your star writer and you dont want me getting sick or anything." Kelly finished for him. He nodded and Kelly sighed turning to her computer

A Non-Existent User

(Wow, this will be the first time I actually create a female character for a cf. I probably should since its 3 to 1 already. I guess there's a first time for everything...)

Name: Aurora Kerrigan, often just called "Keri" by most
Gender: Female
Age: 28
Appearance: Keri stands at about 5'7 with a medium frame at about 140 lbs. She has long, slightly wavy blond hair, which goes with her fair, white complexion. She always has a rather innocent look in her eyes, like she is seeing the world for the first time.
Location: Olympia, Washington
Vocation: Lawyer
Background: Keri was born and raised in Olympia, the capital of Washington. She lived a nearly secluded life, taking care of the only family she knew: her grandmother. Her grandmother was able to take care of her, but in Keri's teen years, the grandmother became very ill. Thus, Keri never really had a social life due to taking care of her.When college came around, Keri attended a law school, and her grandmother passed away when Keri was 22. Since then, Keri dreams of being one of the big time lawyers, but she is too shy and introverted for it.
Personality: Keri seems very naive and curious about the world. A bit too much. She is shy, and doesn't know what to say to people at the right times. Her heart is often in the right place, but it comes out differently. She sometimes stutters in her speech. She is a good person though, and tries to see the best of everything. And while Keri is no way near fat, or even chubby, she is a bit sensitive.
Major Power: Keri has picked up the ability of plants. She seems to have this knack for controlling plants and helping them grow. She believes she may have picked it up when she put a passion into gardening with her grandmother.
Minor Powers: She seems to have a limited connection with animals as well. She can feel what they are feeling, and in a way, can speak to them in a way they might understand.

"This is the third time this year! You have until Friday to get me my rent!"

Keri brushed past the large man that was her landlord, closing her hands on her ears. She could hardly afford the crappy two room apartment she stayed in. She ran down the old stairway and out the door onto the snow-covered yard. Her car, a broken wreck, sat outside as snow collected on it. It was for this reason she decided to go to this seminar. She hoped something would come of it.

Though the wierd connections with her strange powers in the letter were a bit suspicious, anything could be better than where she was living now.

Name: Melissa Rinegald, 'Electro'
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Appearance: 5'6, with a smallish frame. She has shoulder-length, deep blue hair with silver streaks. Her eyes are completely silver. She is rather tanned which make her eyes stand out even more. She always wears her hair tucked up under a baseball cap and sunglasses whenever she leaves her house.
Location: Salem, Oregon
Vocation: None
Background: Electro had lived in Salem all her life. When she started to develop her powers at 7, her parents believed it was some sort of disease and spent most of their time trying to 'cure' her. With the help of her older brother, Shea, she ran away shortly after her 12th birthday, and started calling herself 'Electro.' No one knows her real name.
Personality: Due to her freakish appearance, Electro is cold and hostile to all strangers, and shy around people she does know. She's a loner, and often avoids large groups of people.
Major Power: Electro can teleport through anything that runs on electricity or a battery, and end up wherever she wants.
Minor Power: She can control electricity to a degree, and she can also see in the dark.

Electro glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then leapt into the telephone booth in front of her. Before she could even blink she found herself inside the empty school. The security cameras and alarm system immediently switched off, leaving her to do whatever she pleased. Electro made her way over to the door, pulling off her hat and sunglasses as she did so. Everyone had left hours ago, leaving the school eerily quiet. She didn't care. She was used to being alone. She made her way down the stairs, heading towards the front door. Shea was waiting for her, like usual. 'Hey.' He greeted her quietly as the doors slid open. 'How you holding up?' Electro smiled, giving her older brother a huge hug. 'All right, I guess. How's things at home?' Shea wrinkled up his nose. 'Dad's found this new doctor who claims he can cure you, while mum's still trying to track them down.'
'You won't tell them where I am, will you? I can't stand being poked and prodded.'
'Nah, of course I won't.' Shea gave her another hug, then handed her a back pack filled with the weekly amount of food and clean clothes. 'Oh, and this came for you today.' He pulled a long, white envelope out of his back pocket, and handed it to her. 'Well, I gotta go now. See ya next week.'
'See ya.' Electro watched as he left, then turned and headed towards the princpals office. Dumping the bag on the desk she curled up on one of the couches, opening the letter to read its contents.

'Dear Electro,
Have you been feeling down lately? Need a spark to lighten up your life? Come along to our Seminar!

* We pay for your tickets!
* We pay for your accommodation!
* We GUARANTEE it will change your life!

No gimmicks! We hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Super Seminars of America.'

Electro snorted. 'As if.' She started to screw it into a tiny ball, then stopped. Every night she would lie on this very couch, wishing for things to be different. Now her chance was here and she was going to throw it away? Opening it up, she read it once more. It really wouldn't hurt to go along - if things started to go wrong she could get out of there quickly. And what did she have to lose? Making up her mind, she got to her feet. She would go.

Name: Leper (Bones) Ridan
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Appearance: Bones is quite tall, reaching a height of about 6'4. He is not superiorly built nor is he scrawny. He has muscles, bones, and skin. In which case he is surprisingly strong, but does not look buff at all. Bones is naturally olive-skinned, his grandmother and mother being italian, and his Greek father's green eyes are piercing and very friendly. Bones has a very disarming smile, and many like him at first glance. His mother often told him that he would break many hearts with just that smile and more than a dozen times it had given girls the wrong impression. It is near to impossible to be angry at him for long, because of Bones's adorable kicked dog expression. However, Bones is quite intense and frightening when he wants to be. His eyes take on a more steely blue color than its natural green and become piercing, almost as if he could see into your lies and the depths of your souls.
Location: (U.S. hey... That's tricky, I gotta get my globe out and since it seems like everyone's skipping out on Montana, I'll do that.) West Yellowstone, Montana.
Vocation: Studying Developmental Psychology in U of Y
Background: Bones was originally born and raised in Canada, BC. He grew up in a beautiful town called Whistler and snowboarding was his life. He got the nickname 'Bones' firstly because he had broken so many bones since he was little and secondly because he was all bones and muscle with little fat. Bones lived with both parents until he was 17. His parents then divorced and both were to move in separate ways, his mother to California and his father to Saskatchewan. Bones refused to leave his hometown and ran away from home. His parents gave up on his return after one summer of waiting and Bones worked full-time from 5:30 p.m. to 2:45 a.m. every day for a year, at the same time attending his highschool like nothing happened. After graduating with top honours, he was offered a scholarship into the U of Y in Montana and he accepted, realizing he had no money to send himself to a school without a scholarship. Two years later, he had not once recieved a letter or card though he sent his Montana address to both parents, his mother called him and informed him that his little brother Joney, age 15 at the time had committed suicide. Bones went through a stage of depression because of the close and affectionate relationship he had with his mentally disabled little brother and at his third year at the university, changed his major to the subject of Psychology, taking courses on a few of the many branches of studies. He changed his major for two reasons. One, to understand his parents' motives for ignoring him after his running away from home, and two for the suicide of his little brother who should have had no mental ability to think or even attempt suicide.
Personality: Bones is always smiling, laughing, but one who knows him closely would know that the Bones at sixteen and the Bones at twenty-one was very different. He was unbelievable sharp-witted and smart but usually laughed anything off, as if by simply making it into a joke would erase any problems. Bones has a serious and brooding side to him that he bottles up inside. He tells nobody of his past, of his brother. Bones is dedicated to studying the way a human brain works and knows more about what a person's thoughts than the person themselves.
Major Power: Bones can read minds. He can deduce truth and deceit from any thought or statement a human produces. He can also bend one's will but only lightly and this part of him is still very weak.
Bones is not a flirt, and does not know how or why girls seem to fall all over him. He hardly even notices. Bones simply cannot keep up with the girls' gossip, their needs and wants and endless talking about things that confuse him. Bones sees girls as exactly what they are. Girls. He has never been in love and sex and dating are just things to keep him occupied. He hates it when girls want things to get serious, because if he doesn't feel it, he refuses to force it.
Minor Powers: Bones can place a thought into anyone's mind but simply a thought. In a way, it's talking through minds but most often, if the person knows nothing of it, the thought is ignored or overlooked.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

The banging on the door caused Bones to stir and then finally get up on his feet. He plodded bare-feet across the floor and opened the door, stifling a yawn as he did so.

"Mail!... Oh, it's you Bones. I have your mail," the square-jawed girl said shyly, a large comparison to her original bark.

Bones grinned, puzzled at the sudden change in tone and also still feeling muddled from waking up.

"Thanks Dora," Bones said, taking the letters from her.

Bones tossed them onto the table. They were probably all for his roommate Jonesy anyways. Bones never got mail and if he ever did they were pink, scented, with hearts all over them. Bones stumbled over to the small refridgerator and pulled out a carton of orange juice. Plopping down on the chair beside the table, Bones chugged out of the carton. With his head still tilted back, Bones's eyes wandered on the pile of letter and saw the letter be. Taking a gulp and wiping his lip with his sleeve Bones shifted the letters apart and saw his name. A familiar cold feel of dread swept over him and he opened the letter. He already recieved notice that his brother was dead the year before, what worse could have happened?

This is what the letter read:

Dear Leper Ridan,

We are pleased to inform you that your pscyhological abilities and knowledge has increased our interest in you and are inviting you to a seminar on full scholarship. Everything including accommodations, food, and transportation will be taken care of. We hope to see you there and you don't need to be able to read our minds to know that we are eager to have you here. Enclosed is a letter signed by the President of our clinic explaining to your Headmaster of the consequences of this trip and the extra marks you will recieve in developmental, environmental, and parapsychology. I am sure he will be in full agreement to send you to us for a complete upgrade in your abilities and knowledge.

Sincerely,

Super Seminars of America

Bones scanned the RSVP and details of the place and phone number and felt his body go numb. Their innocent statement We hope to see you there and you don't need to be able to read our minds to know that we are eager to have you here. was too close to the the mark for comfort. However, it was all free including food and he got extra credit for going. Without a second though, Bones picked up the phone and dialed the number one the page.

Ben Cummings

[OK everybody, let's get to the seminar. I do have some specific things in mind once everyone gets there, but feel free to create the atmosphere and interactions with other characters. And please, if you know that you cannot make an addition in four days, skip yourself or contact me.]

Ben had left the convention early. He had been through most of the vendors’ booths and exhibitions. Most of it was the same old stuff--same vendors, same sales pitch. He had found some of the newer products interesting: Alden-Britney had a new line of streamline motor control centers with pre-wired control and Floup have some affordable meters with extra features to offer. Overall, though, a convention was a convention, and Ben had been to many of them.

He had turned down several offers for free drinks at hospitality rooms and caravans to the strip clubs. Though he never enjoyed those activities at the trade shows, this time he had a good excuse not to go. The “New You” seminar was in a building just a few blocks from his hotel. Thankfully, he was able to walk there. He absolutely hated driving in Seattle. The traffic had been terrible when he arrived last night. How could people actually live here and commute on those congested freeways every day? It would drive him insane.

After a nice stroll through part of downtown he arrived at the entrance to the Pugeot Sound Convention Hall. A long covered walkway led to revolving doors. As he entered, Ben was impressed by the extravagant lobby, with its marble columns and embossed carpets. He inquired the front desk about the seminar and was directed down the correct hallway. He passed several meeting rooms before arriving to the room he was looking for.

He entered to find a fairly large room with chairs set up facing a podium on one end and a table set up with an array of food on the other. The middle of the room was open with some chairs unevenly lining the walls. Other than Ben, there were only about a half of a dozen people in the room so far, most were standing with plates, nibbling the refreshments and talking in small groups. He approached the food table. Ben grabbed a plate and began perusing the selections.

“Excuse me, sir, would you be able to hand me some butter please?”

Ben turned to discover an older woman in a wheelchair. She wore a shawl around her shoulder, had a small purse tucked to her side, and was holding a plate with an unbuttered roll and some cheese. He smiled at her.

“Of course,” he said, handing the butter down to her.

“They always put the darn things in the middle of the table where I can’t reach,” she said with a chuckle. “Thank you.” She handed the butter dish back to him.

“Can I get you anything else?”

“No, I’m quite alright. Thank you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[I am creating this new character and will write for her, but if anyone joining the campfire would like to take over as Irene, they may do so]

Name: Irene Kingsley
Gender: Female
Age: 76
Appearance: stands at about 5’2”, has green eyes and white hair. She generally is in a wheelchair, but does not have to be. She prefers the wheelchair because she can get around quicker and does not like to draw attention to her new powers.
Location: Butte, Montana
Vocation: retired cook
Background: Grew up in southern Idaho, married at the age of 17 to Roger, who she had first seen riding a bucking bronco at a rodeo. Roger went on to work in the local mines and they were later transferred to Butte, Montana to work in the mines there. Irene kept busy raising their four children and doing many things for her church. She took on work as a cook at a country club after all of her children had moved out, but she had retired years ago. Roger died almost six years ago of a stroke and she has lived alone every since, although her two daughters live in the same town and see her all the time.
Personality: Irene is very active and does not like to sit still for long. She belongs to several clubs: the garden club, the pioneer heritage club, and a weight loss group. She will travel at the drop of a hat and likes to visit family in Idaho and Utah. She is very independent and resists her daughters attempts to slow her down, but she loves them and appreciates them being close. She is generally very friendly and amicable, but she can get stubborn and feisty. She is bothered by the impatience of others.
Major Power: Irene is virtually indestructible. She cannot be harmed by physical force (bullets, cutting, blunt force), electricity, heat, cold, or most anything. The limits of this invulnerability are not known. Irene also does not feel any pain from these things.
Minor Powers: Strength. She does not have super-human strength, but she is definitely stronger than ever before, probably that of a young man who weight trains. She can lift about 325 pounds.
Other: Irene suffers from fatigue, not as much as before her new powers, but she still gets tired easily . She also walks very slowly which is why she prefers the wheelchair.

------------------------

Irene smiled at the nice man and wheeled herself over to the drink table to get a glass of punch. She was surprised by the age of the people who had showed up so far. By the brochure that she received, this seminar appeared to be for senior citizens, but nobody she had met so far was anywhere near her age. Maybe her daughters were right about this. Maggie had said that it was a con, but they offered free travel and accommodations so Irene didn’t see the harm. Besides they didn’t know about her discovery, nor had they noticed the suspicious references in the brochure. It mentioned “finding your inner strength you never knew you had” which seemed fairly innocent until she read further. The phrase that caught her eye was “become impervious to the world around you” in bold letters. Her daughters would never understand why that meant something to her.

Irene smiled as she thought of their reaction if they knew that she had fallen down the stairs to her basement. She even chuckled at the thought of them seeing her get up unharmed and drag her wheelchair back up the stairs. Oh, if only they knew about the experiments she had done on herself after that. They would have thought her suicidal and thrown her in the loony bin. She did feel foolish at first, but being an old lady alone in her house, curiosity had gotten the better of her.

They had been curious as to how she rearranged her living room, especially the heavy, upright piano. Irene had told them the neighbor and his brother had done it for her. She shouldn’t lie to her daughters, but she found humor in how much they worried about her. If only they knew.

Irene looked up from her plate to see some more people enter the room. There was a young man in street clothes and a young woman in a business suit.

Kelly arrived at the convention later on. She had only just arrived and had hurridly dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a white shirt with a tan jacket. She was surprised about the different ages of people she saw there.

Kelly gave herself a small smile and walked over and grabbed a soda. She opened it and took a quick sip and then nervously drummed her fingers on the side of the can. Kelly wondered why she had even come to this thing.

'Of course. Danny pushed me into it.' Kelly thought biting the inside of her lip. Kelly looked around and tried to spot someone intersting to talk to. Sitting uncomfortably on a couch she saw a young boy with sandy blonde hair sitting and swinging his feet back and forth hitting the couch. Kelly was surprised to see someone so young at a seminar. She figured he was here with his parents. Kelly walked over to the boy and sat next to him.

"Hi whats your name?" Kelly asked flashing a warm smile at the boy.

"Kolbe." The boy said looking down at his feet.

"Thats a nice name." Kelly said still smiling.

"How old are you Kolbe?" Kelly asked him and leaned forward slightly.

"Five." He said softly.

"Are you going to be starting school then soon?" Kelly asked figuring he was going into kindergarden.

"Yes. Sharting kinergarden." Kolbe said.

(Yes I do realize I spelled the above wrong. I meant to. He's 5 ,keep that in mind.)

Electro sighed, her eyes sweeping the room. The large crowd of people made her nervous, plus she was bored out of her mind. Sighing again, she got to her feet, wandering over to the refreshment table. After she had eaten enough, she picked up a can of soda and turned to go back to her chair. Before she got to far, however, someone accidently bumped her elbow, sending her drink flying. It hit the ground, showering sticky soda all over the floor and Electro. 'Oh, great.' She muttered. 'Want some help?' Electro turned to face a young man. 'No.' Electro replied coldly, her entire body stiffening. The man looked suprised, then shrugged, turning away. For a few moments, Electro felt the usual pang of guilt, then quickly pushed it away. After all, he wouldn't be so nice if he got a good look at her without her glasses. No one was. She glanced down at her sticky jeans, a deep scowl on her face. She'd just have to put up with it until after the senimar.

(Sorry it's so short. I didn't know what to write.)

Name: Ciara Varisse

Gender: Female

Age: 26

Location: Southern Oregon in the middle of no where.

Vocation: Professional Author/Illustrator

Appearance: Just under medium height with a lean and curvaceous body. Ciara pays no attention to her weight, but she does treats her body like a temple. She has slightly wavy pitch black hair that is just past her waist. Her face has soft and simple lines with a calm and assuring smile, pearly white teeth, and a cute button nose with a few freckles. The most vibrant part of Ciara’s face is her eyes. They are a deep and clear indigo color that sits just between blue and violet covered in a thick mass of long dark lashes. Her eyes have an inner glow and it sometimes seems as if the very essence of her soul lies within their depths. Ciara has darkly tanned skin from being of mixed ethnicities. She is beautiful, but always on her own terms. She rarely wears make-up. Her clothes are accentuate her physique but are always tasteful Ciara carries herself with a certain grace and quiet dignity that is all her own.

Personality: Ciara is exceedingly simple. She derives enjoyment from uncomplicated things and straightforward people. She is a warm, compassionate, and gentle individual, especially when it comes to taking care of others. Ciara is generally even tempered and patient. She is excellent at giving advice, but only if she is asked for it. She believes that everyone has some good inside, and she will go the extra mile to prove it. Infinitely sweet and serene, she is fully trustworthy and loyal. Ciara is completely unassuming at first glance, but there is a powerful intellect within. Her intelligence is what makes most people take notice. Ciara is generally soft-spoken, but she is not a person that one would want to get in an intellectual battle with because she will win. She has a great sense of humor that is all wit. She is strong-willed and eternally graceful under pressure. Once she makes a promise, she will keep it. Other people tend to gravitate to her because of her quiet strength.

Background: The Varisse family breeds horses on a large ranch on the border of Oregon and California. Since the ranch was so far from civilization, Ciara was home schooled until she officially graduated at fifteen. She went straight into a writing career, by submitting novellas and when she was 19, Ciara had established herself as top notch children’s author. Since then, she has been writing all types of fantasy novels and now has over three dozen books published. Five years ago lightning struck a barn that her parents were in, causing a horrible fire and killing them both. Ciara inherited the ranch.

Major Power: Ciara manipulates time to her advantage. Usually she works within objects causing their molecular structure to speed up (and in essence causing that item to explode) or slowing time down to a point where everything stops.

Minor Powers: Telekinesis and Translocation (moving matter instantly over long distances).

Ciara sucked on the end of a pen, careful not to let the ink spill, as she jotted down notes for her newest novel. She seemed to be having a bit of writer’s block and decided to leave her work for the next day. Ciara stretched and walked out of her ranch home. She went to the stables and rode her favorite horse, a mustang mare named Spirit, and rode the two miles to the her mailbox. It was quite full, seeing that Ciara had not check her mail in nearly a week. There were three letters from her publisher wanting to know when her latest novel would be ready for editing. But another letter caught her eye.

To Miss Ciara Varisse,

Alas the cares of a novelist never wane. For though the imagination flows copiously, mental blocks as of late must weigh heavily upon the creativity of the gifted. A seminar to free your mind is exactly what you need! However, time is of the essence, and you must take care to control it in your favor. Anything you could possibly need will be taken care of; transportation, food and lodging will be arranged. We truly hope that you will join us.

Sincerely,

Super Seminars of America

“Well this certainly is strange.” She said to herself as she steered Spirit back toward the ranch. “It certainly is worded oddly. It’s almost as if the know about my secret...”

********

Ciara stepped into the large room. People were milling about, all of different ages. Having never been one to approach others, Ciara sat down at an empty table and waited.

Well I suppose all that’s left is to see what exactly this seminar is about...

Ben Cummings

Ben scanned the patrons of the food bar for the fourth time and then turned to look toward the podium. No sign of the wheelchair or its occupant. There were plenty of young women with short, brown hair which was all the kid gave him to go on for the person who had his letter. “I don’t know, buddy, we can’t find them. Maybe we should go back to the couch and hang out for a while.” he suggested.

The boy looked at him very concerned. “Okay,” he whimpered, seeming on the verge of tears.

Ben led the boy away from the crowd near a wall and got down on one knee. “Hey look, buddy, I’m sure we will find it. That letter was important to you wasn’t it.”

“Yeah, it was my invation.”

“Oh, your invitation.” Ben replied. Then a curious thought struck him. “What does your invitation say?”

The boy hesitated, “I don’t wanna tell nomore. I should’ve not told the lady.”

Ben found all of this mysterious. “Well, okay, let’s not give up yet, kid. Let’s check the hallway." They started to head toward the doorway, but then the young boy stopped abruptly. Ben looked down at him.

“The couch.” he said pointing back. “I can’t see the couch anymore.”

Ben sighed. This is harder than I thought. He got down on one knee again. “You know what, I don’t even know your name.”

“My name is Kolbe Ian Daniels.” the boy said proudly.

“Well, Kolbe Ian Daniels, my name is Ben. Nice to meet ya.” He offered Kolbe his hand. Kolbe shook it. “There,” said Ben. “Now we’re not strangers anymore. Let’s go look for your letter in the hallway.”

“All right.” Kolbe said, looking quite relieved.

Ben smiled to himself. He had seen that in a movie once, and it actually worked. They rushed out into the hallway, but there were no wheelchairs. They looked down both directions and even walked down the hallway a bit. They came across a set of restrooms.

Ben was just about to go back to the conference room when got a crazy idea. He looked at the door to the Women's restoom and noticed a small gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. He backed up to the opposite wall and tried to reflect his vision under the door. He chucked inwardly as he thought about his wife.

"Now don't go using your ability to peek under skirts." she had teased. Don't worry honey, he thought to himself. I'm not doing this to get my thrills.

He wasn't able to get the right reflection, so he crouched down a little. He didn't notice the stares he received from pepole walking by. Then Kolbe spoke up. "What are you doing?"

"Just give me a minute, Kol, I'm working on something." Kolbe just stared at him bewilderedly. Ben continued to focus. Finally, he was able to see underneath the door, but he was looking directly at a wall. He concentrated and relected his vision off of the wall diagonally to yet another wall. One more reflection and he was looking at a tile floor. He adjusted his vision more so that he panned up from the floor. And then he saw a metal wheel. Jackpot! He panned futher upwadrs and saw the older lady in her wheelchair talking to a young woman with short brown hair.

Ben stood up, returning to his normal vision. "They're in there, kid. We'll just wait for them to come out."

"But how do you know?"

"I just know. Trust me." Ben was pretty pleased with himself.

Befor long, the restroom door opened and Ben heard Kolbe yell out, “Hey! You took my invation!”

Kelly looked at Kolbe for a minute and then realized what he was talking about.

"Oh yes." Kelly said grabbing his invitation.

Kelly got down on one knee and handed Kolbe his letter. Kolbe took his letter and examined it to make sure it was ok. Kelly smiled, she loved little kids so much.

"Why did you take it?" The man that was with Kolbe asked as Kelly stood up.

"Well this may seem somewhat stupid to you and its a little complex." Kelly said running a hand through her hair.

"Try me." The man said.

"Hold on." Kelly said as Kolbe ran off towards the table of snacks and drinks. He picked up a can of Sprite. His tiny fingers fumbled with the top. Kelly opened the Sprite for him and put a straw in it. Kolbe gave a small smile as Kelly handed over the soda.

"Ok well....how to explain." Kelly said turning around to face the man.

"Well to start off I'm a journalist...I've been hearing rumors lately about people with...powers...being able to do unexplained things or to do extraordinary things. This intrested me being one of these people myself. I've been looking through old newspaper and magazine clippings to see if there really were others like me. What I've gathered from a scientists hypothesis is that if these people do exsist then they are more than likely all adults because the powers grow over time, but to meet someone so young that has the ability to do something as intense as turn things invisable is simply amazing. Thats why I asked to see his invitation to make sure he wasn't lying. Then when I saw he wasn't I still couldn't believe it and took the invitation to Irene, the older woman, to make sure it was really Kolbe that the invitation was meant for." Kelly said and then looked at the man for some kind of reaction.

"Why Irene?" the man asked.

"Because she seemed to know more about this than anyone else." Kelly said. Kolbe put his finished Sprite in the trashcan behind the man.

"I'm sorry how terribly rude of me...I'm Kelly." Kelly said extending a hand.

"Ben." The man said shaking Kelly's hand.

Irene Kingsley

Irene looked toward Kolbe who was sitting in the back row in front of her between his new friend and Kelly. He looked back at her nervously. She smiled at him, knowing that he caused the speaker’s jacket to disappear. Kolbe quickly turned back.

Irene thought of her conversation with Kelly. The young woman had been politely persistent about finding out more information about this seminar and her own involvement in this. Irene wasn’t sure how Kelly had recognized her. The two women had spoken before today, but only by phone. Kelley had uncovered some articles that her father, Gordon Fuller, had written about people with extraordinary abilities in the 1930’s. Kelley assumed Irene knew more about this than she was letting on; and she was right. But Irene didn’t feel confident enough yet to divulge anything. Truth be told, she didn’t know what to make of this “seminar” herself.

The murmur of the room began to die down and the woman at the podium continued. “I know a lot of you are very interested in the purpose behind this seminar.” The speaker glanced in Kelly’s direction. Ben nudged Kelly from his seat next to her.

The speaker went on. “Some of you see this as more that a motivational conference. There’s a reason for that. In fact, we were counting on that. That’s what brought you here. And just as there is more to this seminar than meets the eye, the same is the case with each of you.”

The crowd began to clamor again. Kelley looked back at Irene with a questioning stare. Irene simply shrugged. She was just as bewildered as everyone else. Then, a man standing behind Irene, headed for the exit. He discovered a locked door. “Hey,” he bellowed. “I want to get out of here.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” came a calm voice from the podium. “We can’t allow anyone to leave this room.” As more people began to become excited, the speaker raised her voice. “Please calm down. I will explain everything. We need to keep you hear for your own safety. You are the smart ones, or lucky ones, depending on you’re reasons for being here. Those who received an invitation and did not make it to this room will not fare too well. And as far as the rest of the world knows, this gathering never took place.” At this the woman, held up what looked like an invitation. It began to melt in her hand and then turn to ash and disappear before the powder hit the floor.

Now almost everybody was getting out of their seats and demanding explanations. Irene looked over at Kolbe again, who was staring fearfully into his empty hands. “It’s gone!” he cried. She looked up at the podium and the woman in the redish jacket was concentrating while she held a finger to one ear. Irene figured she must be listening to some kind of earpiece.

“I’m sorry.” the woman called to the crowd. “I must leave to attend to something, but I will return to explain everything."

The woman turned around and walked directly through the back wall. The room became completely silent.

A Non-Existent User

Name: Brodey Macewan
Gender: Female
Age: 13
Appearance: Long Strawberry-Brown hair, natural green eyes, fair skin that only burns and never tans. She usually wears long flowing skirts with shorts or pants under it, tank tops with a long sweater.
Location: Boise, Idaho
Vocation: She wants to be an artist/author/actress when she gets older.
Background: She was born in Glendale California, but her family moved to Boise because her dad’s best friend lived there. Her parents were shot and killed in a bank robbery when she was 11 and was put in an orphanage soon after.
Personality: Fun, always acts like she's younger than she is. Never wants to grow up (because she’s a toysrus kid). Gets along with younger kids mostly, and most people would say she's a “breath of fresh air”.
Major Power: She has premonitions about people dying… only about people dying. Her first premonition was of her parents dying, and she new that they wouldn't come back from getting some money from the bank that day. After that, she's had them frequently, about five a day. Whenever she has a premonition, her eyes change to the color of the person in her premonition.
Minor Powers: Whenever she puts on second-hand clothes, she can feel the persons emotions or sometimes see what they saw when they were wearing that specific article of clothing.

Brodey struggled to get free from the older students. They often bullied her into telling them about how they were going to die. She arched her back and tried to wriggle free, but their grasp was true.
“So how am I going to die?” one of them squealed at her in a high pitch voice, “Will it be a car accident? Or a BANK ROBBERY?!”
Brodey stopped struggling and looked up at the older student. He had gone too far, and she couldn’t control her rage anymore. Hot tears of anger streamed down her face and the arched her back once more and kicked him below the belt. He bent over gasping in pain, and Brodey craned her neck in order to get her mouth onto one of the other student hands.
“Your going to die from rabies!” she screamed and ran off towards the halls.
Right when she opened the doors, the headmistress was there, scowling at her with her thin lips and cold eyes.
“Brodey Macewan!” she frowned even more (if it was possible), “I have had it up to here with you and your intolerance of the other students! I’m sending you back to the orphanage this instant!”
Brodey stared at her mouth open in plea, but nothing came out.

The red brick wall of the orphanage was right in front of her; the ivy from the seeds the other orphans planted over two years ago had almost covered the whole wall below the first window. The girl walked up to the steps and was almost at the door, when a premonition hit her in full force.

“Do I have to take a bath today?” a voice of a little girl said.
“Yes, now the waters warm so hurry and get in!” a woman's voice said happily.
A little girl came into view with a large towel rapped around her. She ran to the edge of the bath tub and jumped in, with the towel still on her. The woman laughed and began to pour in bubbles for the bubble bath. She pulled the sopping towel out of the tub and went to fetch another one. The little girl reached up to the sink and pulled the hair dryer off and pretended she was drying her hair. When the woman returned the little girl squealed with pleasure and pushed the button. The hair dryer turned on and the little girl was hit with a blast of cold air. Taken by surprise she dropped the hair dryer and the woman screamed.

Brodey found herself gripping the door handle and gasping for air. Then she felt her eyes change to a honey color of the little girls. It was horrible to know that within a few moments a little girl was going to die. She opened the door and stepped inside the orphanage that she hadn't seen in over a month. Dropping her bags on the threshold she ran up the stairs to see her kid friends. She ran into Sisi on her way towards the girl’s dorm.
“Brodey!” she grinned and wrapped her little arms around Brodey’s knees, “We missed you! Guess what! We got a new girl!”
Brodey smiled and was pulled along the hallway towards the girls dorm. Then she caught sight of a woman entering one of the bathrooms. She gasped and suddenly the lights flickered with a sudden surge of electricity and someone screamed. Brodey ran into the bathroom, already knowing what she was about to see. But before she could do anything, she fainted.
Brodey woke up the next day with a major headache and a nauseas feeling. She sat up in what she recognized as her old room at the orphanage. Her eyes wondered to her old bedside table where an envelope lay there. She sat up and tore it open.

Dear Brodey Macewan,

Do you feel or see things unsuited for your personality? Need something the heighten your social needs? Come to our seminar! We’ll show you things you never believed you’d ever see! Enclosed is a map to our headquarters and we shall set you up with our new accommodations!

Sincerely,
Super Seminars of America.

Brodey looked at the back of the envelope and thought, show me things that I haven’t already seen? Haha. I have read Firestarter. I wonder if this is like the SHOP and all they want to do is pull my hair till I show em my talent…
Five minutes later, she was packed, out the door and flagging down a taxi.

A Non-Existent User

Name:Xenon Azolish
Gender:Male
Age:11
Past:Grew up in NYC but is vacationing in Seattle with a friend's family. The friend knows about his power.
Appearance:Tall,lanky and stronger than he looks.
Xenon has a nose that always seems to be red even when he doesn't have a cold. He has dark brown hair that is dyed magenta at the tips. He has eyes that change from green to pale green to blue/grey at random.
Personality: He prefers to let people come to him but even then talking still only depends on his mood. Observant even though he looks like an idiot. Xenon is bossy at times, a leader and impulsive. He is also angry a lot if he doesn't trust you.
Major Power: Telekinesis
Minor Powers:His power makes him very acrobatic,fast (et cetera)
Power Side Effects:When he gets really overwhelmed/stressed he goes catatonic for up to an hour. If he gets REALLY angry he tends to lose control of his power (i.e. Garbage Cans fly through the air.

WHOOSH! The sound of a car nearly slamming into a building woke Sonya from her (sry 4 gap) thoughts. "Xenon watch it!, whispered his friend Sonya". He turned on her, a fire in his eyes
"Both our families just died and you expect me to watch it!,he screamed. "What kind of parrelell world do YOU live in?"
"Me? I live in a place called America, where 46,000 people die from gun violence each year and--"She was interrupted by a stare from Xenon's vacant eyes. "Aw,CRUD!,"she muttered,"Having a boy with super powers as a friend REALLY bites." She couldn't take him to the hospital without revealing his secret and the police would ask too many questions. Of course, there was always that wierd invite to that even wierder sounding Seminar but she was suspicious. "Whadda ya think Xenon?"
"Huh,dunno what your your talking about so I can't really contribute,"said Xenon.
"Hey Xenon. I was thinking we could go to that seminar."
"Yeah, I guess we should,I mean, where else can we go right?"
********
"Well, after asking numerous people for directions, here we are,"said Xenon. They walked down the hall and opened the door just in time to see a woman walk through the back wall.The room became completely silent as everyone turned to look at them. "Ummmmm...hi?"

Electro stared up at the stage, her muscles tense. She didn't like this. She didn't like it at all.

Getting to her feet, she made her way to the edge of the room, fishing around for her mobile phone as she went.

She defiently didn't want to use her powers in front of all these people, but she would have to risk it. After all, once she was out of the room, none of these people would ever see her again.

Taking a breath, she leapt into the phone. And landed back in the room. 'What the...' She glanced around. Incredibly, no one was looking at her.

Turning back to her phone, Electro cocked her head, trying to figure what had went wrong. She NEVER ended up in the same place she started out. 'Mabye theres something wrong with my phone.' She mused. She turned to leave when a hand tapped her on the shoulder.

Turning around, her eyes widened as she saw a lady walk through the wall. Electro shrieked, dropping her phone as she leapt back.

The lady picked up her fallen phone, shook her head, then vanished once more.

This time, more then one person was staring at Electro as she turned around.

Electro bit her lip, not quite sure what to do now. Much to her relief, everyone quickly went back to whatever he or she was doing.

Electro made her way back to her seat, and sat down reluctantly. The moment she saw a chance to get out of here, she would take it.

(agghhhh it deleted my whole addition!!!)

Bones watched the crowd from his dark corner. He had just watched a girl leap into and out of a cell phone. He understood, they all had something weird about themselves. The only thing that had bothered him so far was the fact that someone had carefully blocked his attempt on reading that speaker woman's mind. He didn't know why but he definately knew what. She didn't lie once during her speech.

When the woman had walked in the second time to get that girls cell phone, Bones caught a glimmer of something. For one, they weren't going to be there for long, just until they showed something for themselves. Second, that she found it interesting about the girl's cell phone thing. Not surprised or shocked, like the girl had passed some test or something. Bones let his senses fill the room and considered the room's motion of thoughts and motives. One kid wanted a piece of paper, no, that letter. So they had all recieved that letter. The girl with the cell phone had sat back down and she wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. There were people who were scared, angry, and some wished they'd never come. It seemed he was the only one curious enough to find out the meaning of this meeting.

Sighing, Bones pushed off from his wall in the corner. If he was going to be locked in here, he might as well be here with a full stomach. Picking up a plate, he began to fill it up when he felt a tickling sensation at the back of his head. Looking up, Bones watched the wall to his left intently. Putting his plate down slowly, Bones walked to the wall and stood two centimeters away from it just staring straight forwards. Something was behind that wall watching them. Feeling another prickly sensation Bones turned and looked at the other walls. People were all around the room. They surrounded them and were all watching them. Bones couldn't reach their thoughts, but he could feel their being behind those walls and the eyes of all of them gave him an odd feeling.

Bones turned back to the wall and grinned. Turning back to the table and picking up his food, Bones grinned wider. This was actually great for his studies, so many mysteries to unravel, and people to discover.

Ciara watched the others with interest. Of course, she had easily figured out that she wasn't the only person at the seminar with powers. Everyone else had probably gotten a letter like hers and ended up here.

But why are we here. What are we supposed to do?

Just wait, I suppose. Ciara looked around. Se had not thought that last phrase and that meant that one of the people in the room was a mind reader. As she gazed, her eyes settled on a man, just a few years younger than she was. He was trying desperately not to look at her.

Ciara's hand came up and she blew up the food in his plate. The plate's contents flew into his face and Ciara walked over to him.

"You do realize that it is rude to enter some else's mind don't you?"

"What are you talking about."

"You planted that thought in my head. The very fact that you were trying to ignore me, leads me to believe that you were the one who did it."

"Look I-"

"Should apologise?" Ciara asked.

"Okay, well I'm sorry. But how did you know that it wasn't your own thought."

"Probably because my own powers are mentally based. I guess that I'm more sensitive to mental intrusion than others." Ciara half-smiled. "Just do me a favor next time you feel like roming around my mind."

"What?"

"Ask first." She smiled. "I'm Ciara."

"Bones."

[Ben Cummings]

It was obvious to Ben that Kelly was right about all of them having fantastic abilities. Of course, he had seen the girl disappear into her cell phone and then re-emerge. A small explosion near the food table soon followed. As he looked around, he saw various displays of powers and emotions. Some people were angry. The man who had tried to leave earlier had transformed his arm into a sledgehammer and he was using it to batter one of the exit doors, albeit to no avail. Some were making the best of things. One woman was juggling apples with her hair, much to the delight of Kolbe and other spectators. However, most were sitting nervously and keeping to themselves.

Ben turned to talk to Kelly, but found that she had moved her chair to talk with Irene. He moved to join them.

Kelly was speaking. “…too many similarities to your father’s articles. Are you sure you don’t know more about his research?”

“You have to realize, dear,” Irene replied, “I was only eight years old when my father disappeared. All I remember is that he was very preoccupied with unexplained events and would leave for weeks at a time to track down leads. He traveled all throughout Idaho, which is where we lived at the time, but he also went to Oregon, Washington, and Montana. One time, he went to Canada. British Columbia, I think. I remember because he brought me back some Canadian dollars. And then one day, he never came back. That’s about it.”

“Did he ever mention anything about ‘the land of promise’?”

Irene’s head snapped up as if she were startled. Then, she seemed to relax and shook her head. “No…not that I recall.” She smiled. “But then he never did read the Bible much.”

Kelly frowned suspiciously. “That’s not what I—“

They were interrupted by a tapping on the microphone at the front of the room. “Excuse me. Excuse me. I am sorry that I had to leave so abruptly. I know you have a lot of questions. If you could all pay attention, I will explain everything.”

The sledgehammer man began to approach the podium while shouting obscenities and demanding his release.

Ben stepped in front of him.

“Just calm down and let her talk so we can figure out what’s going on.” Typically Ben didn’t confront people, but this guy was becoming unhinged and who knows what kind of riot could break out in this room full of nerves if someone got violent.

“And who’s gonna stop me, tough guy?” The man’s sledgehammer arm transformed so that a foot-long knife blade appeared in place of his hand.

Ben removed his sunglasses and stepped up to glare into the man’s eyes. “Let’s just relax, shall we?” he said.

He had never thought to amplify his sickening stare before, but he tried as hard as he could to make this man sick. Quite quickly, the man’s face became pale and he bent over, grabbing his stomach. He ran toward the back of the room and retched into a garbage pail. Then he slumped to the floor, moaning.

Ben simply put his sunglasses back on, sat down and faced to podium, ignoring the amazed looks he received from Kelly and Irene.

“Well, now that that is settled,” continued the speaker. “Let’s go on. Also, excuse me for not introducing myself. My name is Doreen. I, along with the other hosts of this event, belong to an organization called the Benefactors. Everyone in this room has been endowed with special gifts—most of you for only a short time now. You have been gathered together at a critical time in the history of this world. Your skills are needed.” Doreen paused and held a finger to her ear again.

She continued. “Yes, first, the most important thing is that you must learn to work together. Since this is such a large gathering, we will break you into groups so that you can bond as teammates. You should come up with codenames for yourselves and even come up with a team name if you wish. Oh, and designate someone (or two people) to be the leader or leaders of your team. There may be changes in team line-ups depending on how things go. We’ll just play it by ear a see what happens.” She hesitated for a moment as if making sure she had said everything she was supposed to. “I guess that’s it. Good luck, everyone!”

Ben was confused. What were they supposed to do now? Before he could answer his own thought, he noticed the whole room started to fade. He felt a little disoriented, but soon his surroundings began to come into focus again. He looked down to find he was standing on grass, although it looked unnaturally perfect. As he looked around, Ben discovered the were in some sort of stadium.

“Hello down there!” Ben turned and looked up to see Kelly sitting on a goal post. Then he felt a tug on his shirt.

It was Kolbe. “Where are we, Mister Ben?”

“Well, buddy…” Ben looked around more to see three or four other people mulling about. He looked down at the end zone markings. “It appears we are on the field of the Seattle Seahawks Stadium.”
__________________________

[Irene Kingsley]
As Doreen finished speaking, Irene had the strange sense that she recognized her from somewhere. Then as Irene’s sight of Doreen began to wash out, the woman turned to look right at her and smiled pleasantly. Then suddenly, Irene was outside. It was night time, but the area was well lit. She heard music behind her. Irene struggled to turn her chair around as she was on a downhill slope.

She then heard a voice from behind her. “Here, let me help. My name is Brodey.”

Irene looked up to see a young girl with long brown-red hair and green eyes. “Thank you.” She replied.

The girl smiled and turned the wheelchair around. They were facing a warehouse-sized building that was filled with bright neon signs and video arcade games. However right in front of them was a large carousel, which was running despite being empty.

“Do you know where we are, Brodey?” asked Irene.

“No, there’s nothing like this in Boise.”

“I know where we are. I’ve been here a lot. This is the Seattle Center.” said another young girl nearby.

“Are you sure, Sonya?” a young man asked.

“Yes, Xenon, I’m sure. Here look, I’ll will prove it to you.” The girl walked a little bit a way from the others and then pointed up. “See!”

The group of them moved to where the girl stood and looked up to view a structure that was quite recognizable as the Space Needle.

[Okay, I'm not sure exactly how to proceed here. I could change the order so that all of team 1 goes first and then all of team 2 or I could create a seperate campfire for each team. I think for now I will just keep the same order we have since I would like to bring everybody else back together at some time in the future. Hopefully it won't get too confusing who is where. I welcome your input.

Please do what Doreen said: come up with a codename, team name, etc. As for what happens now, that's up to you, but I would like the teams to stay together and for them to stay in their general locations for now, i.e. stadium and Space Needle

Here is the breakdown of the teams:

Team 1
Ben Cummings | Jared

Kelly Kellson |

Kolbe Daniels | stormmagnet202
Jonathan Faustus (Johnny) | walker1158
Aurora Kerrigan (Keri)
Melissa Rinegald (Electro) | The.Random.Rocker

Joe Hutz | lilauthor

Team 2
Irene Kingsley | Jared

Bruce Parker | §onny-

Brodey Macewan | senna
Xenon Azolish | timedust101
Leper Ridan (Bones) | Aunt SunKiss

Ciara Varisse | Daizy

Have fun!]

Bruce

Bruce had gotten the letter from the seminar, and had decided to go. He drove up and parked his car, getting out he saw another guy just getting in, Good, Atleast I'm not the only one late Bruce thought to himself.

He had shown the man at the door his letter and had gotten in, and some very strange things had happened: a plate had flown up into this guys face, Ben had made this guy with a knife for an arm sick, a lot of strange things happened.

Bruce massaged his knuckles as the lady said, "Well, now that that is settled,” continued the speaker. “Let’s go on. Also, excuse me for not introducing myself. My name is Doreen. I, along with the other hosts of this event, belong to an organization called the Benefactors. Everyone in this room has been endowed with special gifts—most of you for only a short time now. You have been gathered together at a critical time in the history of this world. Your skills are needed.” Doreen paused and held a finger to her ear again.

She continued. “Yes, first, the most important thing is that you must learn to work together. Since this is such a large gathering, we will break you into groups so that you can bond as teammates. You should come up with codenames for yourselves and even come up with a team name if you wish. Oh, and designate someone (or two people) to be the leader or leaders of your team. There may be changes in team line-ups depending on how things go. We’ll just play it by ear a see what happens.” She hesitated for a moment as if making sure she had said everything she was supposed to. “I guess that’s it. Good luck, everyone!”

Bruce and several other people were transported to the Space Needle. "Wow! That was interesting." The man, Bones, said to no one in particular.
"Well, she said we need to make leaders and codenames, so heres my name and suggestion," Bruce said, "Wolverine is going to be my codename, now lets see, I think we should have a joint leadership, I hate to be a favoratist (spelling?) , but I propose that me and Bones make a joint leadership." This suggestion brought many outbursts from several people.
Irene quieted them, saying: "Well, mr. Bruce, why do you think that you and Mr. Leper would make good leaders?" "Well, you see Bones has the brains and abilities to be leader, he can do things to peoples minds, and I guess I am smart, and I have brawns to back him up."

"A good reason Mr. Bruce," "Please, ma'am, I'm just plain Bruce, or Wolverine, whatever you want to call me except, Mr." "Now of a team name. . . ." Bruce said thoughtfully, "I have no suggestions at the moment."

Kelly flew down from the goal post she was on. She couldn'r resist showing off a bit with a small loop on the way down.

"And I thought you were just a pushy journalist." Ben remarked with a grin

"Please someone explain to me why we are in the Seattle Seahawks Stadium." A female voice said.

"Not sure, and you are?" Kelly asked.

"Aurora Kerrigan. Keri." She said. Kelly nodded and turned as three more voices sounded out.

"Melissa Rinegald" One said.

"Joe Hutz." said another.

"Johnny Faustus." called the last

"I take it were all team one then." Ben said. Everyone nodded and stared around at thier surroundings.

"What we do first?"Kolbe asked.

"Shouldn't we pick leaders first? I mean that sounds logical." Joe said. Everyone nodded and Melissa asked

"Don't we have to think up codenames too?"

"First things first. Lets pick two leaders." Keri said.

"Is there anyone who does NOT want to be the leader?" Ben asked.

A Non-Existent User

Brodey
The wolverine guy scared her. She had seen many tough men in her life, but no one nearly as tough as him. Maybe he would be a good leader, maybe not, but she still didn’t want to get on the wrong side of him. At the mention of him being leader with bones, Brodey hung back, she wished she hadn't come. There were other people in the world like her, people with powers as strange as hers. But none not nearly as sad.
“You, girl?” Bruce pointed at her. Oh no she had dazed off again, “What's your power?”
Her eyes didn’t meet his as she whispered, “I can see when people die. And I can kinda feel peoples emotions through their clothes.”
The group got quiet and Irene patted her hand, “I'm sorry young Miss.”
“Well then, we should figure out with this thing is for and what he have to do. But first we need to pick nicknames, obviously I'm Bones and Bruce is Wolverine, so what with you be?”
“I guess I could be Seer,” Brodey said. And suddenly she had another premonition.

Bones quelled his growling stomach and looked to the now-grassy ground where the spilled food used to lie mournfully. Food wasn't the only thing on his mind, the cause of it being on the floor was as well. Jerking head to the side, the flop of his brown shaggy hair in his eyes brought him into the present and looked closely at the little girl who'd had the premonition. He could have sworn she had green eyes but now they were more of an auburn brown color, and she stood as if transfixed. Bones cautiously probed the girl's mind, shooting a defensive glance at the Ciara girl as he did.

What he saw was incredibly disturbing and would probably stay with him for the rest of his life. It was a woman, 25-30 years old getting murdered in what seemed like an alleyway. The killer was a middle-aged man, average height, and the look in his eyes was similar to that of Freddie Cougar's. He carried the mangled body of the dead woman to a ratty and dirty-looking dumpster and threw her in.

Bones blinked his eyes clear of the image that had materialized itself in front of his eyes and saw confused looks on everyone's faces darting from himself to the girl, Brodey. The girl turned and met pained eyes with him and Bones knelt down and hugged the little girl. She reminded him of his little brother Joney. Completely innocent, and such so that it seemed such an outrage, sinful deal that they had to deal with something so cruel.

[Ben Cummings]

When Kelly took Kolbe over to meet the young girl who had disappeared in her cell phone, Ben found himself alone. He was a little frustrated that they hadn’t been able to do what Doreen had instructed them to do, but he figured everybody just needed a little time to adjust. He was a little unsettled himself. He thought about Kayla and if he would see her again soon. His heart ached when he thought about her waiting for him to return. He thought of their appointment on Monday with the adoption case worker.

While Ben thought, he noticed a woman crying on the sideline benches. He sighed. The best way to overcome your own troubles is to help someone else with theirs, he thought. He walked over and sat next to her and recognized her as Keri. He decided not to say anything at first.

She began speaking. “The only reason I came to the seminar was because I couldn’t afford my rent.” Ben nodded his head. She continued, “There’s not even any one in Olympia to worry about me…and here I am stuck in a football field with a bunch of strangers that just so happen to have freaky powers like me.”

“It is kind of—“

“And do you know what my ability is?”

Ben decided just to shrug.

“I communicate with plants. I make them grow better and they tell me what they have “seen” and teach me about nature. How useful is that?”

“Quite useful if you are a gardener.” Ben offered.

“Well I am a gardener. My grandma taught me how. But that does me a fat load of good now. The lady made it sound like we are supposed to become some sort of super hero team or something. That’s not me.”

“So are you saying that you could ask the grass here about last week’s game and you could tell me how the Seahawks did?”

“That’s not grass. It’s astro-turf or something artificial.” Keri said. “There are some weeds in the concrete behind us and some moss by the entrance over there…” Keri caught Ben’s wide smile and realized he was teasing her. She punched him good-naturedly. “Are you making fun of me?”

“Not at all, but I at least got you to smile.”

“Thanks.”

Ben was about to reply when Johnny came running up to them. Keri was a bit taken back by Johnny’s devilish appearance.

“Dude!” exclaimed Johnny. “We have to do something about this. Do you know how hard it is the avoid that kid?”

“Can’t you just relax and de-devil or something?” asked Ben.

“I’ve been trying, but something’s keeping me on edge.”

Keri stood up suddenly. When she saw the questioning looks from the other two, she explained, “Excuse me, fellas, but I don’t think I am the only one who can talk to plants” She walked over toward Joe (actually Atmosphere) who seemed to be talking to himself near the edge of the field.

Ben thought about following her, but was interrupted by Johnny again. “Okay, so you have to help me with Kolbe.”

“Well, maybe my powers can help.”

Johnny scoffed. “What are you going to do, make the kid sick?”

“No,” Ben corrected crossly. “That’s not my power, just a by-product.”

“Well then what is it?” Johnny still sounded a little too smug. Ben knew a way to straighten him out.

“Wha.. Hey! I can’t see anything!” Johnny screamed hysterically. “I’ve gone blind!”

Ben calmly stated, “My power is to affect other people’s vision. You can’t see anything because I’ve blocked yours.”

“Okay. Okay. I get it. Now change it back.”

Ben did so. “Now, if I go with you to see Kolbe. I can make you look like normal until we explain things to the little guy”

“Cool. Can you really do that?”

Ben sighed and changed himself to take on Johnny’s devilish features, at least to Johhny’s perception.

Johnny was impressed. “Wow! What else can you do? How about some fireworks?”

Ben looked around for a moment and then closed his eyes. Shortly thereafter there was a small, silent explosion above them followed by a burst of glimmering red, white and blue sparks decending in a brilliant display. Johnny noticed that everyone else looked up to see it as well; and he heard Kolbe’s jubilant cries.

“You made everyone see that?”

“Yep. I was thinking about taking on the codename of Vision.” replied Ben. He was starting to feel a little ashamed of himself for showing off.

“The name fits. Now what’s that supposed to be?”

Ben looked at Johnny, puzzled by the question, and then followed his gaze upwards. He saw a small cigar-shaped globe of changing color descending in the night sky toward them.

“Um Johnny…that’s not me.”
________________________________________

[Irene Kingley]

“Do you feel better, dear?” asked Irene.

“Yes, thank you.” replied Brodey. “I thought I was getting used to these premonitions, but when they are so violent like the last one, it’s very…”

Bones replaced his arm around the girl for support. Irene noticed that Brodey sunk into his embrace, and hoped that she was not misinterpreting his intensions. She didn’t have to read minds to know the impression a protective older man can have on a young woman. But if Bones could read minds, then he would be aware of any crush-like feelings and deal with them in the best way.

The group was quiet and she could tell they were all on edge. Maybe she needed to lighten things up a bit. “Well,” she announced, “I think I have decided on a name for myself.”

“What’s that?” asked Xenon

Irene giggled. “Well, my departed husband was a miner and had the reputation for being pretty tough. I’m not sure how it all started, but the men got to calling him ‘Anvil’. So, since that kind of goes along with my powers, I figure Roger won’t mind if I use his old moniker.”

“Old Lady Anvil. I like it.” quipped Bruce.

Everybody laughed, including Irene, but she didn’t let the remark go unanswered. “Watch it, Shorty, I’ll take you out.”

Wolverine backed up in mock fear, causing more laughter.

“Seriously though,” said Bruce. “Do we need to take a vote or something? I feel like I’m on jury duty picking a foreman. Whaddya all say? Shouldn’t Bones here and I be the leaders of our group?” The question kind of threw the group back into a silent mood, with nobody coming forth with a yay or nay.

“Actually, “ said a voice from the back of the group. “I think I would make a much better match to lead this group with Bones.”

The group parted to see who had spoken. There stood a slender woman with black hair.

“And who are you?” snapped Wolverine.

“I’m Ciara Varisse.” stated the woman. “No offense…Shorty,“ she began while eyeing Irene, “but I just think you are a little too impetuous to lead the team and a little too eager for action.”

“Watch it with the attitude, Missy.”

Irene heard a sound like metal sliding against metal and then looked to find that three long metal knives (or claws) had emerged from behind Wolverine’s right wrist. Suddenly the scene had gotten a lot more serious.

“Whoa. Back off there, fella.” Ciara implored. “You’re doing nothing but prove my point. I’m not picking a fight here.”

Bruce did not respond, but he seemed to calm down a bit.

“Besides,” Ciara continued with a sparkle in her eyes that Irene felt only meant trouble. “Don’t blame me for the way somebody botched your haircut that badly.”

“That does it!” Bruce bellowed as he charged toward Ciara. Suddenly the ground exploded in front of Wolverine and he flew forward landing at Ciara’s feet.

“Had enough?”

“Not on your lif—“

“Stop it, both of you!” cried Bones. “Brodey’s having another vision, and it might be one of you who dies if you don’t knock it off.”

They all turned toward Brodey and watched her pained face until her eye color returned to normal.

“What was it this time?” Bones asked. “I didn’t join you for this one.”

Brodey seemed to be still recovering from the vision. “There was fire everywhere…falling from above…people were running…there were steps…and a woman screaming. It’s weird. The vision wasn’t as clear as the rest.”

“Was it one of us?” Irene asked

“No, nobody here, but I think I’ve seen her recently” said Brodey.

Bones looked around and then stared at Bruce and Ciara. “Well, at least your premonition seemed to sober us all up. If we are going to be a team, we have to work together. I’ve been trying to figure something out since we arrived here.” He paused. “By count, there are seven of us here together, but I can sense the mind of eight individuals in the area. I can get a brief sample of each of your peripheral thoughts, but only the presence of the eighth. I have tried to probe deeper, but no luck so far. So the question is: Who is here with us and do they mean us harm?”

'You never did tell us your code name.'
Electro turned to look at Kelly.
'Electro.' She said quietly, then turned back to look at the object. There was some sort of electricity there - something that made her nervous.
'You'd better find that little kid.' She said at last.
Kelly nodded. 'We're trying to. Johnny did find him, but now Kolbe's gone again.'
Electro got to her feet, brushing the bits of grass from her jeans. 'Tell the others to keep away.' She said quietly. 'One of my powers is I can control electricity. There's heaps in that thing, and it might explode or something.'
Kelly nodded, and set off to warn all the group. Electro slowly walked towards the object, being careful of where she trod. The electricity was a lot stronger then she though, she quickly realized as she grew nearer. 'Kolbe!' She whispered. She didn't know whether loud noises would set it off or not - but she didn't want to find out. 'I'm Shot now.' A small voice said from somewhere on her right. 'Okay, Shots. Now, why don't we go over to the rest of the group and you can tell me what your powers are?'
'I can't go over to the rest of the group.' There was a small trememble in Kolbe's voice. Electro slowly and carefully made her way towards the voice. She didn't want to tread on him. 'Why can't you?'
'I just can't. Whenever I try to, I can't.' Kolbe wailed. 'Shh. Don't worry, I'll get you un-stuck. Now, can you see me?'
'Yes.'
'Good. Now we're going to play hot and cold. When I get closer to you, say warmer, and when I'm really close to you say hot. When I go further away, say colder. Understand?' She started took a couple of steps to the right.
'What am I now, Shots?'
'Colder.' He whispered. She took a few steps back to the left, and then stopped. 'Warmer.' She continued to move towards him, until finally, 'Hot! Your right next to me!' He said, then quickly dropped his voice back to a whisper. Electro frowned. They where now a few meters from the object. Kneeling down, she used her hands to feel for him. 'Now what?' Kolbe asked. 'Can you make yourself visable again?'
'But I didn't make myself invisable!' He wailed. 'Shh!' Electro glanced at the object. A deep, rumbling noise was now coming from it. 'What's wrong?' A voice said from behind her. She turned her head slightly to look at Ben. 'I'm not sure. He say's he's stuck.' Ben frowned. 'Well, we'd better get him free. We're too close to the object.' Silently, Electro agreed. They had to get Kolbe away.

Bones watched Ciara and Bruce with a weariness of someone watching to make sure their child didn't go near the hot stove. He didn't mind if they were leaders together, he didn't even mind if he had to be the underdog. He just wanted to figure out what was going on. The eighth presense bothered him. Like seeing something out of the corner of his eye but not being able to turn his head to actually see it. Bones closed his eyes and concentrated hard. The person's mind was slowly gradually becoming clearer but at the same time, a blinding pain took form in Bones's head and he had to stop to catch his breath.

His eyes narrowed in frustration, and then suddenly smiled. One watching him would have though he was a madman. He began to walk forwards, probing for the eighth presense as he did. He changed his course when he felt it become faint and sped up a little when he felt it become stronger. Finally he bumped into... The air. He couldn't put out his hand any farther but as far as he could see, there was a wall there and behind it, a person. He could only hear the faintest whispers of thought but he couldn't decipher any meaning. The wall was either too thick or there was something else preventing his mind to probe any farther.

Bones turned and beckoned Ciara to him. Gently taking her hand, he brought it to the wall. She looked at him quizzically. Can you dissolve it? Bones submitted the thought into her mind. Ciara looked at him for a moment as if she was going to slap another plate of food out of his hands again but Bones put his finger to his lips. The person behind this wall may already know that they were there but Bones wanted to give it the benefit of doubt. Ciara nodded slowly showing she understood and then closed her eyes in concentration.

Ciara knew that she couldn’t actually dissolve the wall, but she could rearrange the molecules enough to create a hole. She had never done anything this big before, so it would be interesting to see if she had enough power. Eyes closed, she took a deep breath and stopped time. All around her was frozen, this way she could create the hole without alarming the person behind it.

Taking a deep breath , Ciara began the excruciatingly slow job of restructuring the thick wall. Finally the wall began to move. She could feel it becoming thinner and then, underneath her hands, a hole opened. Her eyes stayed closed, but her focus began to slip.

Come on girl. You can do this. She thought to herself, concentrating once more. Everything around Ciara faded away once again and the hole became larger and larger. Her hold on time began slipping. Time was a strong force that was just too difficult to contain for such long periods. It began to speed up to its’ normal flow, but the hole was large enough to fit an entire person through, so Ciara just let go completely, releasing her control. Time stabilized and she opened her eyes. She felt weak and dizzy, but pleased that her powers had worked on such a large degree.

In front of her sat a tiny girl, no more than four years old. The girl stood up and Ciara noticed Bones walk toward her.

“Wil you help me?” The little girl said in an even smaller voice.

No wait, something is wrong. No little girl could block her mind out like this one did. Ciara’s mind screamed, but she was too weak from using her powers that she couldn’t speak. Bones wait...

Wolverine appeared out of nowhere and stabbed the girl in the stomach. The facade faded away to reveal an older man with graying hair. Hand clutching his abdomen, he smiled wickedly.

“Well you are smarter that I gave you credit for, perhaps you will prove a challenge to me. Goodbye for now.” He said and then vanished.

“Who was that?” Seer asked.

Bones, still a little shocked, shook his head. “I-I don’t know. How did you know about that Bruce?”

Wolverine wiped the blood off of his claws and smiled a lopsided grin. “Had a bad feeling. The whole situation just didn’t seem right.”

Ciara, recovered enough to speak softly, turned to Wolverine and stuck her hand out. “You have my trust and I apologize for underestimating you and the way I acted.”

He looked at her, sizing her up. “You have mine. I’m sorry too.” Smiling again he asked. “So what’s your code name anyways?”

Thinking for a moment, she spoke with assurance. “Well chrono is Greek means time. Since that’s my element, Chrona would be appropriate.”

[Vision]

Ben was nervous. He wasn’t sure which was worst: the mystery of the unknown object, the inability to see or free Kolbe—Shots, he reminded himself—or the fact that a full-fledged tornado was tearing up the 50-yard line.

“I can move!” The excited voice broke his thoughts. Ben looked down to see Shots and grabbed him up. Then he handed him over to the cell phone girl.

“Get him to safety. There.” Ben pointed to a stairway behind the goalpost that led down to the locker rooms. She started to walk away, but then turned back.

“My name’s Electro.” she stated.

Ben nodded in acknowledgement. “Vision.”

Electro headed back toward the stairs holding onto the squirming boy. As Ben turned back toward Joe, he became aware of an increasing humming noise coming from the tornado. He looked up to see the “orb” strobing through its colors with increased speed and intensity.

“Turn it off!” he yelled to Joe.

“I can’t!” Joe screamed back as the humming grew louder. “It’s taken over! I’m doing everything I can just to keep it back.”

As his head began to throb from the undulating resonance coming from the core of the tornado, Ben muttered to himself, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

In a sudden explosion of light, the tornado vanished to reveal the now blinding orb shooting fireballs in all directions.

“Run!” he screamed and took off toward the locker room. He heard Joe right behind him and saw Kelly to his far right running in the same direction. His eyes flashed to the stairway entrance. Electro and Shots were rushing down the stairs. At least they made it.

The ground began to explode around them as the fire fell from the sky. Ben saw Faust running toward them. He had extended a huge fire shield above them that absorbed the incoming fire. Hopefully Faust could hold out until they were safe.

When they all got to the stairway, Faust blocked the opening until they got to the locker room. They still heard the explosions above. Ben looked around and took inventory of the group. Then his blood froze.

"Keri! Where's Keri? Did any of you see Keri?"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Ben started for the stairs, but Faust stopped him.

"No." Faust said. "I'll go. You have no protection."

Ben looked up at the devilish face. "Johnny, you look tired. Are you sure you--"

"I'll be fine."

Then Faust ran back up the stairs.
_____________________________________

[Anvil]

Irene was shocked when she heard the man’s voice.

“What did the man say, dear?” Irene asked Brodey. They were back away from the excitement.

“I’m not sure, but he’s gone now.” the girl replied.

Irene stood up out of her wheelchair and walked over to the others. Wolverine was helping Ciara up.

“Yeah, Chrona. That’s a sexy name. I like it.”

Ciara bristled at the comment. “Now we just made up. Let’s cut out the wisecracks, okay. I don’t think-- Oh, Irene…your wheelchair…”

Irene was too impatient to politely reply to their surprise. “I’m not glued to the blasted thing.” she said sharply. “What did the man say?”

“Something about us being smarter that he thought and that we would be a challenge. Then he was gone.” Ciara told her.

“What did he look like?”

Wolverine spoke up, “Bloody when I got done with him.”

Irene looked at him with fierce eyes, which diminished his grin. She turned to Bones. “What did he look like?”

“He was older. About your age, I assume. He seemed tall, although he was on his knees when I saw him. He had white hair, cut short..kind of a long face..deep set eyes I think…I really didn’t have a very long look at him. Why, Irene? What’s this all about?”

Irene thought about the description of the man. Maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe her imagination was playing tricks on her. With all that had transpired, maybe the strain was getting to her. But she could have sworn…

“Oh, I’m sorry to be so dramatic.” she said with a smile. “I guess I’m just a silly old woman. I’m just trying to figure out if we are still in danger.”

Irene could tell that they didn’t quite believe her, but they didn’t ask any more questions, so that’s all that mattered

Bruce

*Jared said my guy could have a weak Telekinitic power, just letting you guys know.

Bruce turned off the wisecracks and got serious.

"Sorry, Irene." He saw her start to get weaker, and leaped to help her.

He helped her walk back to the wheel chair.

Bruce was concerned, and he was wondering who she thought the man was. "Do you know who he is, Ma'am?"

"I don't know, Shorty, I don't know."

Bruce turned and walked back to Bones and Ciara.
"My apologies again, sexy."

She raised her eyebrow, and smiled.

"Same here."

Bones had a puzzled look on his face, and both Ciara and Bruce were wondering what was bothering. They both knew that the appearance of the man had disturbed everyone, but it didn't have the same lasting effect as it did on Bones.

Guess it's just him. Bruce thought. He could tell Ciara was curious too. He shrugged at her and she nodded.

[Jared - Just a note to all Team #1 members: Keri is dead and won't be coming back. Of course this will affect each character. It also makes for good drama. (Keri's creating author has withdrawn from the cf)]

A Non-Existent User

Brodey

She looked around stunned at what was going on. The area around her seemed to shimmer and then fold in on itself like an origami.
She whirled around and saw that the people she was with were all looking around frightened or ready for another battle. Then suddenly walls erupted from the ground, separating her, Ciara, and Bones from the rest of the group.
she screamed and put her arms around her head as dirt and rocks flew past her and then the world went dark.

The first thing that she heard was the sound of dirt being scraped against the floor, then she smelled the dirt oddly close. when she opened her eyes, she saw darkness and then the ground close to her. she sat up with a headache and hearing the voices of her companions. Bones knelt down next to her and helped her up.
"Another simulation or something," he said, "But this one is more real than the last one, we cant dig through, and youve been out for a really long time so we dont really know what to do."
Her eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness and she saw four walls surrounding her and the two others.
Ciara dug her fingers into the dirt and tried to pull a clump of dirt out and then dig her figners back in, but this particular clump was givign her trouble.
Brodey got up and switched places and then another vision hit her. After it receaded her eyes changed color and she knew whos eyes those were without even having to have seen her vision. She looked up and saw the roof begin to collapse. With amazing speed that she didnt even know she had, she pushed bones aside as a huge rock came tumbling down.
That was the first time a vision didnt come true. She saved a life of a friend and before she could think, another vision hit her. but this one was of her own death...

Keri was dead.

Electro didn't know what to think, or say, or do. Shock, followed by sadness, swept over her. Then, finally, anger. Anger at everything, and everyone.

'What do we do now?' She asked softly, keeping her gaze fixed on the ground.

'I don't know.' A male voice. She didn't know who it belonged to. All she knew was the dull, throbbing ache inside.

'There might be more of those things.' This time it was a female voice.

Electro sat down with a bump, too tired - both pysically and emotionally - to stand up any longer.

Reaching up, she started to run a hand through her hair, then suddenly froze. 'My cap! It must've fallen off!'

She didn't even realize she had said it out loud, until Kelly said in a shocked voice, 'Electro. It's only a hat.'

The sentence itself was harmless enough, but for some reason it angered Electro unbelieveable. And it was the final straw that caused all the anger that had slowly been boiling up to spill over.

Springing to her feet, she pushed Kelly with all her might, watching as the woman fell over backwards, a dazed look on her face.

'Just like Keri was only a person, huh? Just some stupid person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And now she's dead, so lets just forget all about her. After all, who cares? She dies, just like we're going to die, and theres nothing we can do about it!'

She didn't even realize she was crying until she stopped yelling. Everyone was staring at her, a look of incredible sadness on their faces.

'Electro, yelling at Kelly won't bring Keri back.' Johnny said quietly.

Turning, she foccused her gaze on him. 'And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you! After all, you where the last person to see Keri, right? How do we know you didn't just kill her? Huh? Did you?'

She was on top of him now, hitting him, fighting him, as if hurting him would somehow get rid of the pain she was feeling.

Hands grabbed at her, pulling her off Johnny. 'LET GO OF ME!' She screamed, twisting and fighting until she finally run out of energy again.

Panting for air, she knelt on the ground, Vision and Kelly holding her tight while Kolbe watched in silence. A tear slowly trickled down her cheek, then another, until finally she was sobbing uncontrollably.

'Bring her back!' She sobbed. Turning her face, she buried it into Kelly's shoulder, sobs racking her body. It was Keri this time. Who knew who was next?

(um... is Brodey going to die too? I'll just play that she doesn't for now, and you can just erase it later or something)

Bones fell back and as he did, his mind touched on Brodeys and saw her death, a hair's breadth away from the real thing. Bones reached out a hand as he fell and grabbed at first at empty air and then finally a piece of cloth. Pulling with all his might, Bones groaned as the rock, missing Brodey, fell and shattered, slicing open his leg. Shattered?? Bones patted Brodey to make sure she was still breathing and intact and then looked more closely at the fragments of rock.

Before he could examine it any longer, the pieces shimmered and faded away, including everything else in the area. Now they were in a room with five doorholes with large boulders of rock blocking the way. Everybody was either lying and standing as they were in their last setting, without any trace of rubble or shards. Blinking slowly to get used to the darkness, nobody moved. As if by staying still, all would stay as it was. Bones subconsciously probed the room and was relieved to find everyone still there and breathing. He felt some sort of responsibility, to leave the place and leaving noone behind. By this time, Bones had noticed the warm sticky pool forming around his leg and took off his overshirt to stuff it against the cut. Tearing a long piece of his shirt, Bones tied the bundle in a tight knot and breathed even breaths to keep light-headedness from getting to him.

"Bones? Bruce? Anvil....? Anyone? Is everyone okay?" The voice of Ciara pierced through the darkness.

Bones grunted, and then called out quietly in a raspy voice, "I'm... doing okay, Brodey's here beside me. Unconscious. I think everyone's here."

Something kicked Bones blindedly and Bones let out a "Ouf!" sound. There was a sharp intake of breath and Ciara was kneeling beside him in a flash. "Sorry!" She whispered and Bones looked at her with a most random thought. Her eyes were doe-like. Very innocent and the colour was an artist's glory shade of indigo. All of this framed by long lashes that arched gracefully outwards. This odd thought made Bones grimace. This wasn't a time to be noticing features on a woman, he scolded himself, beginning to push himself up awkwardly. The room they were in was like a circus hut. Pick the right door and you can go home free. Pick the wrong door and beware. The thought gave him the creeps.

Ciara bumped Bones accidentally and whispered softly. “Sorry.”

Bones looked at her in a strange way, then he frowned.

“What?” She asked.

“Nothing.” He said, a little harshly.

Ciara shrugged. “We need to get out of here. Is your leg alright?”

“It’s fine.”

Ciara helped him to his feet and went to help the others. The gathered in a group in the
middle of the room.

“So what do we do?” Brodey asked, having come back to consciousness.

“We get out.” Anvil said. “We pick a door and hope for the best.”

Wolverine took a deep breath and went to a door. He sniffed loudly. “We could just smell our way out.”

“What?” Brodey asked.

“Try to find fresh air.” Ciara said.

“Then we follow the freshest path!” Bones smiled.

“I think this is your time to shine Wolverine.” Anvil said.

Wolverine went around the entire room. Sniffing at the edges and bottom of each door. “This one.”

“Let’s go...” Ciara said, tentatively though eager to leave. She had enough of the indoors.

[Vision]

“Wait a minute!” Ben exclaimed, losing his composure just a little bit. “Johnny, I thought you said you destroyed this thing.”

“Well, I did. Maybe this is a buddy.” Johnny joked glumly.

Here to seek revenge. Ben thought to himself. He sighed. What were they doing here? What kind of sick game were the “Benefactors” playing with them? Fauna’s death escalated it way past a game. Would more of them die? What if he were killed? Would he ever see Kayla again?

Everyone seemed to be watching him, which made him even more frustrated. On the other hand, they gave him a purpose. Worrying about the rest of the team kept him focused. Otherwise, he might not be able to hold himself together.

Okay then, smart guy. What do we do now?

They all watched as the new Orb lowered itself until it was hovering over the field in front of them. It did nothing threatening, just strobed through various colors as its predecessor had. Obviously, attacking it was not the right approach. Then what…

“I think Shots should approach it.” Ben announced.

Everybody turned toward him in horror.

“Are you mad?” shouted Electro. “You saw what that thing can do! It killed Keri! It nearly killed all of us! And you want to send a four-year-old up against it? Why not just—“

Electro began to cry again. As Ben looked around, he could tell the rest of the group shared Electro’s disbelief at his statement.

“I’m five.” Shots said, holding out his hand with all five fingers separated and staring down each member. “I’m five!” he repeated.

Everyone smiled. Electro choked back a sob, broke into a slight chuckle, and gave Kolbe a hug. “Sorry, Shots.”

“Now just hear me out.” Ben started, taking advantage of a renewed silence. “The Orb never did anything to us until we messed with it, but it did seem to be interested in Kolbe, and vise versa. I think that he is the key to getting some answers. As long as we don’t pose any threat, we might be able to learn something. He won’t go alone. I will go with him, and Faust can protect us with a fire shield.”

Kelly spoke up. “Now Ben, I’m not trying to be a jerk here, but why you? How can you defend him? If something goes wrong, I would at least be able to fly him out of there.”

“Since I’m providing the fire shield, I should go.” said Faust.

“I can’t believe any of you think this is a good idea.” Electro said, holding onto Shots protectively.

Ben explained, “Obviously, we were put in this situation as some sort of test or proving grounds. This is our test.” He pointed at the Orb. “This is our challenge, our puzzle. Hopefully, if we figure it out, we can get out of here.”

“Or move on to the next test” Faust injected.

“Regardless, we have to do something.” Ben said. “And I think Kolbe, pardon the pun, is our best shot. Now who’s with me?”

Joe came forward. “Maybe I’m crazy here, but I think the most important person to ask is Kolbe.”

He knelt down in front of Kolbe. “Hey, Shots, you’ve heard all of us talking about you, right?”

“Uh huh”

“Do you understand what we are saying?”

Shots pointed to the Orb. “You want me to go on the ride.”
--------------------------------------

[Anvil]

Wolverine threw open the door to discover a giant boulder blocking the way from the outside.

“I thought I saw boulders blocking the doors.” Bones said. “I thought maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me, but I could have sworn they were on the inside.”

“Well now they are on the outside.” Wolverine stated the obvious. “Clear out. I will claw my way through.”

“What about the other doors?” asked Ciara.

“No good, sexy. I didn’t like the smell of them. Besides, I’m sure there are boulders blocking the other sides of those”

“Well, then you stand back, Shorty. Let me blow this thing up.”

“Hold on.” cried Irene. She had been watching them and felt like she had to step in. “Maybe this is a good time to gather ourselves.”

Ciara sighed, obviously disappointed in being prevented from blowing something up. “C’mon, Anvil, you were in as much of a hurry as the rest of us.”

“I know, dear, but it’s really struck me that we are not working as a team. You were just about to blow up an entire boulder without thinking about the consequences. We already have one man hurt.”

Irene looked at Bones. He began to protest, but she cut him off. “Now he says he is fine, but he has a nasty gash in his leg that needs some attending. And what about Brodey? She is totally unprotected from flying debris from an explosion. I would have been fine, and Bruce could have healed from any injury. I don’t know about Neon and his friend, here.”

“The name is Xenon, ma’am.”

“And Sonya.”

“I’m sorry, Xenon. Now what could you have done?”

“I could have blocked the debris with my telekinesis.” Xenon said.

“And you, Sonya?”

“Well, um, I don’t have any abilities.”

“See, this is what I am talking about. Did anyone know that Sonya didn’t have any powers?” Irene looked around at a roomful of blank stares.

“Now we are a team. Like it or not, we have been stuck together and we have to act as a team. That means everybody participating and everybody working together, looking out for each other. I know I sound like a stern grandmother, but I care for each of you. We shouldn’t go off and use our individual powers just because we can. Using them as a team, we can do more. Those with more physical powers need to guard those with passive or mental ones, or with none at all.”

“I feel very useless.” said Brodey. “Like a weak link, a liability.”

“Useless?” called Bones as he sat back down to rest his leg. “You saved my life a few minutes ago. I’d say your abilities came in pretty handy.”

“You saved me, too,” replied Brodey with a shy smile.

“Again, because of your premonition. I saw your death as I read your mind and I acted.”

“You see,” Irene said. “Two team members using their individual powers to help one another.”

She paused and had a twinkle in her eyes. “I learned something new today, too. When the ground surrounded us, two stones were converging on Wolverine and I reached out to pull him back. I was not able to get him away from the rocks, but somehow, by being in contact with him, I extended my invulnerability to protect him. The rocks broke apart as they hit him. I suppose I always took for granted that my wheelchair has never been damaged while I sit in it. But now I know than I can protect other people or things that I touch.”

Irene look around to a silent group. Nobody was daring to speak first. She chuckled. “OK, I’m done with my lecture now.”

“So, Anvil, what do you think we should do with the boulder?”

“Well I have a couple ideas, but I don’t want anybody to get confused that I want to be the leader of this team. I may have gathered some wisdom in my years, but I don’t have what it takes to lead of group of super people. I think we have all agreed that Bones would be the best leader. Think of me more as a counselor, in both the emotional and the administrative sense. Bones, what do you suggest we do with the boulder?”

“Well, first of all, Anvil, thank you for your words. Our thoughts are all now a little calmer and more unified. Feel free to counsel me at anytime. As far as the boulder, even though it might be an exercise in futility, we should try to see if we can move it by brute force. Anybody have super strength?”

Wolverine spoke up. “Right here, bub?”

Xenon also came forward. “I don’t have super strength, but my telekinesis can pack a punch.”

“Okay then, why don’t the two of you give it a try.” said Bones.

Wolverine and Xenon walked up to the boulder. “Are you ready, kid?” Bruce said.

“Ready.” said Xenon.

“One, two, three…”

They pushed with all their might and the boulder shot away from the door effortlessly, so much so that the two of them fell forward outside the door

Wolverine pulled himself up. “What the…?”

There was laughter from the other side of the door. Then, a young woman with wavy, blonde hair wearing white jeans and a tight red short-sleeved sweater stepped into view. Her clothes, however, were quite tattered.

“I’m sorry, “ said the girl, still giggling. “I gave you a little help.”

Wolverine was a little angry. Irene guessed it was because this was the second time today that he had fallen flat on his face. And both times it was because of a girl.

“What do you mean ‘you helped’? Who are you?” Wolverine growled.

“My name is Jazz and I eliminated the friction between the rock and the ground.”

she.said

Name: Jasmine (Jazz) O'Niell

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Appearance: Of average height, Jazz is thin and curvy. She wears clothes that show of her form but aren't revealing. She has slightly wavy, layered white-blonde hair to the middle of her back that she usually wears in a simple pony-tail, and big, rich chocolate brown eyes. She has a pretty smile and soft, full lips.

Location: Seattle, Washington

Vocation: Part-time worker at Starbucks while attending her first year at University.

Background: Jazz was always part of a big family. She's the third oldest in a family with two parents and 7 siblings, including two older brothers, three younger sisters and one younger brother. She was never really very close with her parents, who spent most of their time taking care of the younger kids, but she has always been close with most of her siblings. She was known as the "sporty" one of the group because she enjoys and plays a lot of sports and has an athletic, toned build. She was just recently accepted to University, and Jazz just found out about her powers a few months ago, and hasn't told or shown anyone.

Personality: Jazz is outgoing and laid-back. She's honest, kind, caring, and trusting. She hates when people call her Jasmine, except for a select few, like her oldest brother, whom she is really close with. As a result of having so many younger siblings, she loves children and has an excellent sense of humour and an almost care-free nature, but can be protective over younger children.

Major Power: Jazz has control over friction.

Minor Powers: She doesn't know much beyond her main power yet.

-------------------------------------------------

"What are you doing here?" Wolverine snapped. Jazz's face fell suddenly, and her eyes held no sense of the giggles she had just recently let loose.

"I...they..." Jazz's eyes fell to her feet and she just gestured behind her. Stepping out of the way, she allowed all of them to step out into the surroundings. Amid the boulders and rocks scattered in the area, was what appeared to be nothing at first. But on closer inspection, they could make out limbs sticking out from large boulders, or a bloody, slumped over body half-hidden by rubble.

"None of them made it." Jazz whispered from where she had sat on a boulder. She suddenly stood up, grabbing a small bag that had been at her feet.

"I'll be right back." was all she said before she walked away and disappeared behind an extremely large boulder. She had brought the backpackto the seminar in case she met a cute guy and needed a quick change for a date or something. Now she needed them for a whole different reason. She had also packed some make up, breath mints and an energy bar.

From where she stood, changing out of her ripped, dirty clothing that only brought images of her previous teammates in their death, she couldn't hear what they were all talking about. She didn't know who they were, but she knew they must be another team, and she also remembered seeing a few of them at the conference.

Jazz quickly changed into a white wife beater, cream khaki capris with draw-strings around the bottoms to hold them tight just below the knee, and black adidas soccer shoes with lime green stripes. She slipped her hair up into a pony-tail and stepped out from the boulder, kicking her bag away. She wouldn't need the other clothes anymore. They were pretty much ruined.

She watched silently as the team walked around the wreckage, examining each of them. There was a boy that couldn't be any older then 10, and a woman completely the opposite, who looked to be in her 70's. Among those two were people of varying age in between.

Jazz was glad that she hadn't known her teammates any closer then the vague basics she had, otherwise this would have been a lot harder on her. She had shut her eyes tight during the rock slide, but that didn't change the image that lay before her now. She crossed her arms and leaned her head against the boulder, sighing and closing her eyes.

"I wish I was normal." she whispered to herself.

A Non-Existent User

[ARGH! STUPID COMPUTER SHUT DOWN WHEN I FINISHED!]
*****Before I begin*****
Name: Sonya "Psycho #1" (with Xenon being Phycho #2)
Gender: Female
Age: 12
Appearance: She has wavy black hair that she keeps in a ponytail. About 5', with blue eyes. She usually wears her old adidas soccer sneakers, jeans, and a red and white t-shirt.
Past: The only adopted child to two gay parents, she and Xenon went to the same school's, and have been best friends ever since. Sonya's and Xenon's parents were killed in an armed robbery when they were coming through the door to a bank (in Seattle).
Personality: A follower, quiet since the death of her parents. Withdrawn and stubborn when she REALLY believes she is doing the right thing.
Major Power: (she's got to have one or I would have killed her off by now) She can warp things. When I say warp...how do I say this. When you go into a black hole your body gets stretched and stretched and stretched until you pop and/or implode upon yourself. Sonya's power is the equivelant of the "black hole effect".
Minor Powers: Can control gravity slightly
Other: Doesn't KNOW she has powers...yet

***Sonya***
I stared slightly at the new girl, sizing her up, I suppose. She wasn't one Team 1 or Team 2, if the size of this team was any indication of how big groups were. If she wasn't part of either one, then there must be more. If there were more than there were A LOT of people like Xenon who had powers. If we--I mean they--were all being called here, then they must be really needed. The Benefactors weren't kidding. The people we were up against were sickos, that's for sure. I told the team this. They stared at me. Stared at me as though I was an alien, which, I suppose I was.
***Xenon***
Xenon admired Sonya, to some extent. Compared to her, he seemed...stupid. He did good in school, knew his stuff, but she, she was LOGICAL. She could deduce like no one else he knew, and to him that was better than any power. "Well, no not really," he thought. "I think I need to get my priorities straight. Then again, maybe not. I should probably tell the Team--capital T--my codename now." "Umm...I have my codename now," he said. Half the team gave him a blank look, but Irene was the first to speak.
"What is it Xenon," she asked.
"Psycho #1," he grinned.
"I'm #2"
"Is there a #3?" Irene asked playfully.
"No, unless she wants to volunteer, which I don't think she does." A silence followed. A silence broken only by a deep rumble close by.

A Non-Existent User

Brodey

Brodey thought the new girl was nice, she had a sense of humor at least, and yet some of the people in the group would look at her with either a wary look in their eyes or something that she couldnt read, but hey there was another girl in the group! Not that Brodey was sexist or anything, but she seemed to get along with girls more.
She looked at the bag that Jazz set down behind the boulder, something about it seemed to draw her. Ever since she was a young child, she could never wear second hand clothes because whenever she put on a used jacket or anything like that, she felt what the person was feeling at the time when they wore that item. It might sound complicated, but whenever she puts on something with a bad past she would get really sick and often couldnt even open her eyes. But with these clothes, left in the small bag, she couldnt help but take a couple steps toward it.
With a quick glance around, she saw that no one was looking at her, most were paying attention to Jazz and with that she reached inside the bag and stopped. It was not her business what had happened to the person while wearing the clothes, but then again she had a power and should use it.
"What do you think your doing young miss?" Irene asked from behind her.
Brodey dropped the clothes and spun around, "I... It was..."
Irened turned her focus on the bag and held up a hand. Something thudded inside the bag when she dropped the tattered shirt. She reached inside and pulled out a small bead like ball. It was about the size of a marble, including a hole with a small thin cord dangling to the ground. Once Irene touched the marble, she gained a light green aura and suddenly her eyes went wide. Then the Aura seemed to drain away from her and transferred to the marble as if it was stealing it.
Irene went limb in her chair. Brodey screamed and hit the bead out of her hand onto the ground. Irene's body shuddered, and Brodey put her hands on either side of the old womans head and held it up. Somethign seriously bad had happened to her. The others ran over quickly and saw what happened. Ciara reached for the marble, but Bones stopped her.
"No!" he yelled, "Irene, her mind... its like its been wiped clean!"
Brodey began to cry, if Irene was dead then what was she going to do? Irene had grown to be one of her closest friends in just these few hours.
"She's not dead, oh wait she's waking up right now, and all of her memories are coming back too!" he knelt next to Irene just as she opened her eyes.

Bruce

Whoa, this is getting really weird. Bruce thought. He had been startled at the appearance of the new girl, but he got over it.

But something else puzzled him, he was still pondering over the old man.

He shuddered, the look on the man's face, it just gave him the spooks.

He looked up into the sky, and was almost blinded by the sunlight. He thought he saw a boulder flying out of the sky, but thought it was a mirage.

"Is it just me, or is there a giant boulder nanoseconds away from crushing us?" He asked.

Bones looked up sharply. His eyes widened. Bruce knew it was reality, not just himself.

Nobody had time to react, except Bruce.

The boulder stopped several feet above their heads, and they all saw a silvery aura around them all.

Bruce grunted in excersion, and the boulder smashed to the ground several feet away from them.

Electro nervously watched as Vision and Shots reached the object. It was almost like watching a horror movie where you knew something was going to happen, only you didn't know what.

'How's the electricity?' Johnny asked her quietly. She kept her eyes trained on their two team mates as she replied. 'Not sure. It's steadily growing stronger, but I don't think their in any real danger.' Yet. she added silently. 'That's good. How's it going?' The last part of Johnny's sentence was directed to Vision.

'Theres some sort of door here.' Vision called back, pressing something on the object. 'It looks safe enough. We're going inside, okay?' The rest of the group watched as Shots and Vision entered the object, disappering from view.

'That can't be right.'
'What's wrong?' Kelly asked, walking closer. Electro frowned, puzzled. 'Nothing. That's the problem. The electricity just... vanished, the second they entered. It dosen't make sense.'
'So, what do we do now?' Joe asked. 'We wait.'

[Sorry I have delayed the campfire for so long. I made up for it with an extra long addition. Hope you haven't lost interest. I will try to keep up the pace again.]

[Vision]

"It looks safe enough.” Vision said. “We're going inside, okay?” The last part he said more for Shots than for the rest. He felt an amazing sense of calm as they entered the Orb. No worries about explosions or danger.

As the entrance closed behind them, they were enveloped in a blinding white light, so bright that they could see nothing but each other, and then almost as silhouettes.

“What do you think, Shots?” Ben asked.

“I don’t know” Shots replied.

“Well actually, I’m not sure what to think either. It’s almost dream-like in here.”

“Like my other dreams” said Shots.

Vision almost missed the impact of Kolbe’s comment. The boy had spoken so casually.

“What do you mean ‘your other dreams’? Have you been here before?”

“Yes, I like it here. I dream about it. Then I wake up.”

“Shots, we are not dreaming here. This is real!”

“It is?” Kolbe acted as if he couldn’t believe it.

“So what’s next, kid?”

As if in answer to his question, the glaring whiteness before them opened up to reveal an image of the earth as if they were flying above it.

“Here comes the movie.” Shots rang out.

Ben began to recognize the land masses and picked out North America. Suddenly, from the area which would represent the northwest corner of the United States, and possibly a little bit north into Canada, erupted with tiny pinpricks of light, which grew into one another until a solid beam of light shot forth from that area of the “map”.

Then a feminine, yet artificial voice sounded around them.

“From the land of promise, the chosen ones come forth. Many are called, but few are chosen…”

This message began to repeat over and over. Vision looked down at Shots, who had a broad grin across his face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, at the stadium...

The small group watched as Vision and Shots entered the Orb.

“That can't be right.” Electro said.

”What's wrong?” Kelly asked, walking closer.

Electro frowned, puzzled. “Nothing. That's the problem. The electricity just... vanished, the second they entered. It dosen't make sense.”

”So, what do we do now?'” Joe asked.

“We wait.” Faust said.

So they waited for a minute or two. Then Electro piped up. “It’s building!”

Faust instantly threw a fire shield over the group.

“No.” said Kelly. “I won’t lose them too.” Kelly tried to fly toward the Orb, but the fire shield held her back. “Faust, let me through.”

“I don’t think that is a bad idea, Kelly.” Said Faust.

Just then the Orb began to ascend in the air away from them.

“Faust, I am getting out of here one way or another.” Kelly spat angrily.

“I need to protect the group.” Faust replied.

The orb was rising higher and gaining speed.

“I warned you.” Kelly took off with great force and managed to get quite high, but the fireshield was still holding her back. Kelly did not relent and either did Faust. “You idiot!” she screamed down. “We are going to lose them.”

“We don’t want to lose you, too.” replied Faust, who was visibly straining now.

This tug of war continued for what seemed like forever. Electro and Atmosphere didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, the fire shield burst open and disappeared. Kelly shot upward toward the distant orb. With a sigh, Faust fell to the ground, exhausted.

Electro knelt down to assist him. “What is going on? How do we get out of this mess?”

“Um…Electro” Joe said beside her. “I think it just got a whole lot messier.”

She looked up to see that they were surrounded by a small army of robots, all weapons pointed directly at them.
_______________________________________________

[Anvil}
Irene struggled as the vision began to slip away. “Dad? No, don’t go! I have more questions. Don’t leave me!” Everything began to fade and then she heard a different voice.

“Irene! Irene! Are you okay?”

The voice seemed familiar. Wait. She knew who it was. He was with a group of others. So was she. What were they doing? Why had her father left? Was she at her home in Idaho? No. Hadn’t been there in years. Roger? Was it her husband? No, he had died. Did she die, too? It didn’t feel like it. Stairs. She remembered falling down stairs. Why wasn’t she hurt? Then it all came back to her: the strength, the experiments, the invitation, the seminar, the Space Needle, the group, Brodey, Bruce, Ciara, others, Bones.

“Bones, is that you?”

“Yes, Irene, it’s me.”

She opened her eyes to see all of them crowded around her in concern. Brodey stepped forward and enveloped Irene in a sobbing hug. “I’m so glad you are okay! I thought I’d lost you.”

“I’m glad to be back, too, dear. What happened?”

“You touched the bead we found in Jazz’s pack and—“

“Hey, what were you doing in my pack?” Jazz demanded.

Brodey looked down, feeling guilty.

“I asked her to check you out.” Bones interject, fibbing a little to prevent an argument that would distract them from the matter at hand. “More importantly, what about this bead? What does it do?”

Jazz was starting to get upset. “Look, I don’t know anything about any bead?”

“Then what was it doing in your bag?” Wolverine asked.

“I don’t know. All I had in there were clothes, I swear.”

Bones cut in again. “Irene, is there anything you remember that could help us.?”

“Well,” started Irene, “I don’t know if it was real, but I talked with my father. He told me that I was one of the ‘chosen ones’ and that I would follow in his footsteps. We talked about his disappearance all those years ago. However, he was very vauge. He talked about serving a higher purpose and about being chosen, but before I could ask further, he faded away and I returned here.”

“Things just keep getting more mysterious.” Bones replied. “Well, look, I think we have all been through a lot today and could use some rest. Why don’t we form a circle with the boulders and get some sleep. We will need someone to keep watch.”

“I’ll keep watch,” said Jazzz. “I’ve been resting since my team was killed.”

Brodey looked at Bones. “I don’t think that is a good idea.”

“Don’t worry, kiddo, I don’t plan on letting anybody get to us” said Wolverine, eyeing Jazz. “I’m keeping watch, too.”

“Good.” Said Bones. “Jazz and Wolverine have first watch. And hey, Bruce?”

“Yeah”

“Watch for falling rock, huh?”

“Right”

Irene got out of her wheelchair and snuggled under her blanket on the soft vegetation. She felt guilty. She had been honest in her explanation of her vision, but she had left out a small, but significant fact. The old man who had attacked them earlier had been her father.

she.said

Jazz

Jazz leaned against a rock that was resting along the perimeter of the area where the group was resting. She had no idea who the people in the group were, except for a few of them.

It was obvious the one guy that looked sort of like a wild animal didn't trust her. Jazz eyed him from where he stood about 20 feet away, keeping watch in a different area. All this was so strange. First, the letter. Then the seminar. And then meeting her group, only to have all of them killed. And then, meeting a new group. Her new group.

Jazz sighed. And then the bead. What the hell had that been about? What was a bead doing in her pack? One that injured one of the group members, at that. What was wrong with her? Why was everyone around her getting hurt? First everyone in her group died except for her, and then an old woman finds something in her pack that she didn't even know about, and gets hurt. She didn't like this at all.

What was the bead? And who had put it there? The woman, Irene, had said that it had given her a vision of some sort. A man had told her about something. But Jazz didn't understand what she had been saying. What the man had told her. They had been chosen? Chosen for what?

Jazz laughed softly as she thought of them all being chosen to "save the world". She thought of them all in spandex and capes, flying over burning buildings.

But then Jazz realized what she was seeing. She had been staring at it for a good 20 or 30 seconds, lost in thought, and not actually seeing it or comprehending what it was.

"Uhm...what is that?" Jazz called to the other group member keeping watch, staring at a small light in the distance, making its way closer to the group, growing larger and larger.

A Non-Existent User

~Xenon~
"A bead...," he thought. "That bead could have KILLED Irene. She 'talked with her father' about 'The Land of Promise'?". "What the heck," he thought.
"Umm...hey Irene?"
"Yes?"
"Did your dad say anything for about this 'Land Of Promise'," like WHERE it is exactly?
"No," she said. "Why?"
"Well it's kind of odd I mean, 'The Chosen Ones'?"
"Yeah," said Sonya. "And why the hell am I here anyways," I have no known powers or ANYTHING!"
"You have a point," responded Ciara. "But what if you DO have powers and don't know it?"
"RIGHT, sure. I'm going to fly around and defeat the forces of evil LA DEE DA with everyone else...sure."
"You don't have to be angry," Xenon interjected.
"You SHUT UP," Sonya snapped. Xenon shut up.

~Sonya~
Why was I here? Why. No really, I needed an answer to that question. I didn't have powers, nothing. I was comepletely...ordinary. I listened to Xenon talk with the old lady.
"Where is this 'Land of Promise', exactly? I mean, 'The Chosen Ones'?"
"Yeah," I said. "Why the hell am I here anyways, it's not like I have any POWERS".
Someone suggested I had powers and didn't know it. RIGHT, like they would suddenly SURFACE. Sure...I'll be stuck HERE like the Weakest Link and not being able to DO ANYTHING! I told them this.
"You don't have to be so angry, sheesh," Xenon said, like he's BETTER THAN ME!
"You SHUT UP Xenon". I was interrupted by the new girl. "Guys," she asked, pointing at a light. "Any idea what THAT is?" And then it hit us. The world went upside down inside my head, and a roaring filled my ears.
"What's happening," I heard someone say, their voice fading in my ears. Then everything went black.

A Non-Existent User

"oh my gosh!" someone screamed. it took a while, but Brodey soon registered that it was her who had screamed. some type of light had hit them, but then why was it dark? brodey tried to open her eyes, but ti didnt help, and also something seemed to be missing from her... something she had had all her life but had only seen it two years ago... when her parents died. she didnt feel her powers anymore!
brodey panicked and racked her memory, attempting to find what it felt like to have her ability, but nothing came up, just a blank hole that needed to be filled soon or she would go crazy.
she heard a voice to her left, but it didnt say anything in english or the little bit of french that she knew, but some sqeaky language that made her want to cover her ears, but somehow she was physically incapable of doing that. the squeaks continued and when she couldnt take it anymore she screamed to try and drown it out.
"Someone please! i dont want to hear it anymore! why is this happening?" she screamed and felt tears trickle across her cheeks.
"Dont worry honey, itll be over soon." a voice said, it was soothing and she immediately felt like she was being pulled back to sanity.
"Mom," she said in releif.