Forums » Sci-Fi Roleplay » An unexpected future (1x1)

Kayleigh finished putting together the last cabinet for mister Yugo, together with Samm. She stood up from where she was crouched and cleared her clothes of sawdust. "Well, that's it for me today, I'm finished!" she said happily.
"Lucky you. I'm on a late night shift." Samm replied. "Anyway, I suppose you're going to Ronno's?"
"Yeah, now that you mention it. I wasn't planning on going, but I could probably use a beer or two. It's been a long day."
"For you, mine has yet to start." he scowled.
"Yeah, bad luck for you!" she chuckled. "Will you come by later?"
"Sure, sure. I don't see why not."
"Find me at Rollo's, if I'm not there I'll be at my place." With those words, she ran off.

She quickly grabbed her dark green jacket and put it on. It was spring outside, but the temperature was having a hard time rising again this year. Probably another of those late summers. She sighed and walked the alleyways back to the market district. She was pondering over what to do at Ronno's. She did fancy a drink or two, but what next.. Probably go home and wait for Samm there, we can watch some tv-.
"Hey, you!" A cranky voice sounded from the alley she just passed. Kayleigh quickly turned on her feet to see a good five grumpy looking guys approaching her. Looking at how they wer dressed, they were in an even worse financial state than she was. Which was cause for alarm. "Have you got anything nice to offer us? Maybe a bit of coin?"
Kayleigh shivered all over at the man's voice. She was afraid, but not yet panicking. "N..no..." she tried.
The man laughed heartily. "BULLCRAP!" he yelled. Kayleigh shrank in fear. "We saw you going in that store hours ago and going out again. Which means you work there, which means you must have earned something..." He had a nasty grin on his face as he gripped her chin and lifted her head to look up at him. "Unless there's... something else you wish to offer us..." A cheeky grin spread over his face as his free hand began exploring her back and her butt.

Kayleigh lost it. In one sudden burst caused by a combination of anger, despair and utter fear, she thrust both her hands forward. She suddenly felt a great amount of energy rise from deep within her body, then quickly make its way to her hands. An invisible yet powerful blast erupted from her stretched out hands and knocked into her assailant. He flew back several meters into a building. Kayleigh didn't have to look twice to see that he was dead - broken neck. Her eyes went wide in shock as she saw what she had done. The 4 others hesitantly stepped back and fled the alley.

She turned and started running non stop, towards the market district and to Ronno's pub. She didn't care how many people looked at her weirdly, or if she was gazed at once she reached the bar, she just wanted to get away from the scene, off the streets. She walked into the bar and immediately sat down at the bar where Ronno, a large middle aged man saw and recognized his daily customer. "Oi lass, what can i do for ye t'day?" he inquired.
"One beer Ronno, large one." she said, looking down at the counter.
"Comin' right up!" Seconds later, Kayleigh took a large sip from her beer and felt relieve right away. Now that she had calmed down, she started thinking about what had exactly happened. For some reason she had killed thatman, but she didn't know how? She'd never seen or felt anything like it...";

Jerian had been off-duty for the day, one of the rare times when he actually got a day off from his Paladin-ing for The Society. Or at least, it was supposed to be his day off, but a job like that very rarely bothers noticing if you're on the clock or not.

The nineteen year-old had been on his way to one of the bars he sometimes frequented when he wanted to wind down away from The Hub, but he was still a block away when he'd suddenly sensed a powerful burst of magic somewhere off to the north of where he was, maybe two blocks away. In front of him, a traffic light went green and he twisted the handle bars of his sleek black motorbike, the machine purred beneath him and then roared as he sped towards the area he'd sensed the magic coming from.

It hadn't been a signature he recognised, and the communication devie on his ear had pinged to tell him that it wasn't registered on the Mainframe either. So he had a rogue magic-user. Wonderful. He soon found himself outside an alley. The area still resonated with the faint vibrations of recent magic, and he soon spotted the twisted body of a raggedly-clothed man.

"Hm... a murder?" Jerian frowned, That's my day off ruined, he thought sourly. He concentrated and 'felt' the area around him, analysing the magical emanations. Unrefined, chaotic. A short, strong burst rather than anything controlled. Probably someone without any training then.

He got back on his bike. Now that he had a fix on the signature of whoever had killed that man he'd be able to trace the vibrational 'trail' of the person. It'd fade rapidly, but hopefully he could get a fix on their location before he lost the trail entirely.

It wasn't long before he'd followed the trail to a nearby bar. Figures. He'd need a stiff drink if he'd just killed a man. A Human man anyway. Jerian dismounted and made his way inside the bar, his eyes scanning the room just as his other senses analysed the tangled and confused auras and emanations coming from dozens of Humans in close proximity. The magical trace was strong here. He was close.

Kayleigh had just finished her beer when Jerian came walking in. She turned around to look at him. He looked... off somehow. She didn't trust him. She turned back to the bar. "Hey Ronno, I'll pay you for that beer later, gotta go!" she said.
"Fine, usual agreement?"
"Usual agreement," she confirmed. She got off the stool she was sitting on and made her way to the exit as fast but covertly as possible. She didn't know why she was leaving, but she felt like she had to. Without looking back, she walked into another street and started running to her appartment building, one block away. She made it safely and ran up the stairs since the elevator was out of comission, had been for a while. The housekeeper was supposed to fix it, but then again there were a couple things he was 'supposed' to fix. She made it to her flat on the fifth floor and unlocked the door, walking in inmediately. She closed the door and threw her jacket on the couch, dropping down on it herself straight after. She took a few breaths and calmed herself, then turned up the old black and white tv her parents left her. Some talkshow, good enough to take her mind off things. It wasn't long before she started relaxing.

Jerian went up to the bar, feeling the trail grow stronger. It was strongest... at an empty place at the bar. He must have missed whoever it was. The young Paladin cursed under his breath and stretched out his senses and tried to untangle the trail from the interference. He made his way through the room untl he got back to the door. The trail was even more tangled and confused here... like it had crossed over itself. She'd left the building then.

Jerian exited the bar and got back on his motorbike, his hand going to the pod on his ear, cuasing a small microphone to telescope out near his mouth, "Hub, this is Jerian. I'm on the trail of an unregistered magic-user, untrained by the feel of it. Anyone nearby who can give me a hand?"

"Sorry Hotshot, Arrow and Seth are out investigating a poltergiest report. I can't leave The Hub unmanned and Tech's locked himself in his lab again." Came the reply over the comm.

The Paladin sighed, "Of course... well, I'll kee you posted Ops, Jerian out." He pressed the pod on hs ear again and the microphone retracted back inside. Jerian started his motorbike back up and tried to follow the trail again. Luckily it didn't go far and he'd managed to keep it isolated from other signatures that might interfere with his tracking.

He stopped outside an apartment building and went inside, wincing in discomfort as he did so. Iron had been used in this building's construction and the cold taint of the metal was messing with the vbratios he was tracking. Normally the effect woud be deadened by the other materials used in the building's construction, but the building was obviously poor maintained and the taint was stronger because of it. Not to mention that Jerian was highly attuned to elemental air magic, the polar opposite of earth and metal.

Jerian followed the trail as best he could inside the building, following it passed a disused elevator and up a stairwell...

Kayleigh quickly got tired of the shiw she was watching and decided it was time for some coffee. She awalked into her makeshift kitchen and used her old coffe maker -still her parents'- to get herself a nice warm mug of coffee. She she opened the window and sat down on the edge, leaning in against the wall supporting it. Her favorite activity in her flat: just relaxing on the window with a nice hot mug of coffee.

Once she finished it, she returend the mug to the kitchen and left it there, deciding she'd clean up later. She had quite some dishes to do, but didn't feel like it now. her old phone suddenly vibrated. She hated the thing, for she could only recieve calls and not call anyone herself. She took the thing from her pocket. Samm. "Hey samm, you're done?" she asked as casually as possible.
"Yeah I'm finished. Are you at Ronno's?"
"Nope, but I'll go there now."
"Allright sounds good. See ya there."
Kayleigh hung up, took her jacket and left her flat, locking it behind her. She started down the stairs as she suddenly heard someone coming up. She looked down the staircase to the floor below to see the strange man she saw in the bar walking up. Her heart started beating faster as she quickly turned to her door, quickly looking for her keys again. With some effort she found them, opened the door, went through and closed it behind her. She sat down against the weak door, her back pressed against it, face buried in her hands. "No, no, no..." She wished she could call Samm back...

Jerian reached the fifth floor and the trail finally levelled out, he followed it down the hall until it stopped in front of a apartment, going through the door. The signature was very strong now. He touched the communication device on his ear again, "Ops this is Jerian. I've located the apartment the unregistered magic-user apparently lives in. Their signature is fresh and still strong... they might even be inside. Are Arrow and Seth still tied up with that poltergeist?"

"Yeah. By the sound of their last communique it was more dangerous than we first thought. Once you're done there you might need to head over there and help them."

"Right.. well, I'll bail them out as soon as I can. How do you want me to approach this? Standard procedure?"

"If it really is just some unregistered magic-user then they probably won't be very well trained. Go with the standard protocols unless the situation changes." Ops ordered.

"By the book. Got it. Jerian out." He tapped the pod and it deactivated again. Jerian stared at the door and pressed his hand against it. A normal wooden door. Not much of an obstacle if he wanted to break it down, but he wasn't just going to break the door down. He was going by the book.

Jerian knocked on the door, "Hello? Anyone home?" He called through the door, "My name is Jerian. Something strange happened today, right? Something bad. I know you must be confused right now, scared too I imagine. I'm here to help you."

Jerian frowned slightly. He had a feeling that whoever this magic-user was they wouldn't just let him in. The standard procedure in these situation was to try to be as diplomatic as possible, after all this person might be a potential recruit. At the very least, provoking an untrained magic-user was dangerous; there was no telling what they would do or if they would lose control. But... if the magic-user turned hostile then Jerian would have no choice but to use force.

Kayleigh's head shot up when he heard Jerian speak to her. Her mind was racing over different options on what she could do, but none of them was realistic. She just sat there agains the door, waiting for further words. When they didn't come, she got up slowly and put her hand on the door, leaning in close as if the man would hear her a lot better of she nearly pressed her face against it.
"G...go away....." she just said. She didn't have the power to utter any more words. So the man in the bar had come for her... But why? There wasn't anyone else present in the alley. Was there?

Jerian sighed and tried to make his voice as friendly as he could, "I'm afraid I can't do that. You've unleashed something inside you, something that's been dormant in you for a long time. If you don't get help, if you don't learn control then the powers you've awakened will just grow wild, untamed. You will become a danger, not only to yourself but all those around you... but there is a solution. I am part of an organisation who offers people like you help. I am like you; I can channel magic, I can control forces that most Humans dismiss as fantasy and myth... and I can help you learn how to do the same; how to control the magic you have awakened."

He paused for a second to let this sink in, "Once you learn to control your magic, you can learn to hide it from casual detection. I was able to follow you here because I can sense your... resonance... your vibrations... marks that any creature with the senses can detect. All I offer you is a chance to survive... but I can't promise that things won't change. You won't be able to go back to the way things were before today anyway. Your magic won't go away."

Kayleigh doubted for a long time as tears started running over her cheeks. Things will never be the same? Yeah they will, she could dismiss it, she'll ignore it and she'll never do it again! she could do that!
or could she... She unlocked the door and walked to the sofa, sat down, pulled her knees up to her face and sobbed silently. Her arms were wrapped around her legs and her black hair fell in strokes down them, completely covering her face from Jerian when he would walk in. The tv was still on, but the volume was turned down so she didn't really even notice it.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside. He was quiet for a moment as his eyes scanned the apartment. His shoulders untensed almost imperceptibly and he walked further inside, closing the door, when he turned back around his eyes fell on Kayleigh and his expression softened, "I'm sorry." He said softly, "I know this is hard, harder than anything, but there's no way back. You can learn to control your magic, hide it from detection, suppress it and vow never use it... but even if you go back to your job, your friends, family... things will be different. You'll see through different eyes. The world is far larger, far more complicated than most Humans will ever know. With your magic unleashed you will be able to see the world as it truly is, and that gift, that curse, can never be taken back."

Jerian walked over to the sofa and stood in front of her, "I'm sure you've seen the film 'The Matrix', well ever since it came out we've been using it as a metaphor. Whilst the world isn't some giant computer simulation, it is far different from what most humans ever experience. You've inadvertently swallowed the red pill. Your eyes are open and can't be closed. I can help you survive in the real world... but only if you let me help you."

Kayleigh lifted her head slightly to reveal a pair of big brown eyes that looked at Jerian. She looked him over carefully from between strands of black hair still hanging in front of her face. She quickly looked away again, out the window. She hadn't seen the matrix since she never had the money, but she thought she could understand what he was saying. She didn't really know what to do, but supposed it was maybe for the best.. If there even was a best in this situation.
She looked up at him again. "What will you do if I refuse?" she asked quietly.

Jerian frowned, "Well, we can't let you go around with no control over yourself. The last time someone like you was left to his own devices... well... the cover story was a gas explosion, and he only killed about two dozen people." He sighed, "I could give you a few addresses and numbers of a few Freelancers that might train you enough so you don't kill yourself. Of course there's no guarantee they'll do it, or what price they might ask in return. Either way we'll be putting a tracer spell on you so we know where you are. Your magical signature will be registered with our computer systems and you'll be on our radar. It isn't exactly spying, but we'll be keeping an eye on you... unless you join up, of course."

So basically, Kayleigh didn't have a choice. Her causing the death of innocents terrified her, so that was definately not an option. she couldn't even handle the man she killed accidentally earlier today - it still weighed heavily upon her.
The freelancers were out of question just as well. She'd go there if she could, but she simply didn't have the money to do it. so she rose from her seat, still looking at the ground. "Fine, I'll come.." she said as she got her jacket off the couch.

Jerian smiled slightly and nodded, "Good, a wise choice. The fatality rate amongst Freelancers is... terrible." He pressed his hand to the pod on his ear, "Ops, this is Jerian. Magic-user located and retrieved. Want me to head back to The Hub with her?"

"Yes, I'll get a file ready on the protocols for this kind of situation. I suggest you answer any questions she'd got... tactfully and try not to blow her mind too much."

"Can you get access to the CCTV cameras in the area in a five bloc radius around here? I want you to go through them and alter anything... magical." Jerian said.

"I've already got Tech on it, just get back here with the girl, I'll notify Cell Alpha-Gamma about the possibility io a new recruit."

"Acknowledged. Jerian out." He touched the pod a second time and it deactivated, he turned to Kayleigh, "My motorbike is outside. We'll be taking that if you don't have a car."

A car? It would have been a miracle if she had a car. The very though of actually driving something other than a bike was terrifying yet exciting at the same time. She shook her head. "I don't have a car." she replied. She still wasn't very talkative, it was al so... overwhelming. In less than an hour, she had killed a man and learned of some secret organisation who excersized magic and had its own training program? It was all a lot to take in and she felt a little dizzy, but did a pretty good job at hiding it so far. "I don't really have anything to take." she said, "So I'm ready." She took her jacket and checked the pocket - what little money she had was still there.

Jerian nodded and walked out of the apartment, leading her down the stairs and outside, as they walked he said, "The first thing I should probably tell you is that magic isn't the only new thing you might encounter now. I'd suggest reading up on your folklore and mythology, because a hell of a lot of that stuff has a basis in reality. Our reality anyway."

He got on his motorcycle. It was a sleek black machine of shiny metal, carbon fibre and plastics, he gestured behind him, "Get on, and hold on tight."

Kayleigh was just looking at the motorcycle for a few seconds until she realized he wanted her to hop on. She shook her head. "Y-yes!" she got on behind him and held on to him to make sure she didn't fall.
On the way, she thought about what she said. She just hoped she could still read well enough for texts like that... It'd been a while since she'd last been to school.

Jerian revved the engine and set off down the road, he fought his way through the city's traffic and eventually passed beyond te city's outskirts and into the countryside beyond, "The Hub is located a few miles from the city, in an old manor house." Jerian told her, "It's been in The Society's ownership for... oh two, three centuries now. It was the headquarters of the original Cell Theta, that's the group I work with." He smiled slightly, "We're an odd bunch, even by The Society's standards, but we're the best of our generation. Cell Theta's pretty much just the Grandmaster's pet experiment. The fact that the old Cell Theta got wiped out entirely about a decade ago just meant he had a designation and area free to set us up in."

They eventually came to a turn were a smaller road branched off from the main road into a thick forest, the smaller road wound its way through the woodland, eventually turning to a gravel pathway. The trees thinned and then gave way to a large green lawn with an old manor house in the middle of it. It was a large rectangular building of stone, the roof had some low crenelations on them, more decorative than anything.

"There it is." He said with a smile, "Home sweet home." Jerian parked the motorbike in front of the wide steps leading up to the large double doors, he led Kayleigh up the stairs and through the doors, into a large entrance hall.

Waiting to meet them was a girl around the same age as Jerian, with auburn hair and bright green eyes, when she spoke she had a lilting Irish accent, "There you are Hotshot. You took your time."

"It was the traffic." Jerian said with a shrug.

"Hm... anyway, so this is the unregistered magic-user, huh?" The girl's eyes scanned Kayleigh, "Welcome to Safehouse Theta 001, but we just call it The Hub, my name is Dawn O'Hara. I am the Knight Commander of Cell Theta, you've already met my second-in-command, Knight Paladin Jerian."

"Seth and Arrow still dealing with the poltergeist?" Jerian asked her.

"They've managed to get the situation under control. Kate says she's preparing to banish it as we speak." Dawn told him.

"Good. I'd hate to have to go and rescue them. It was supposed to be my day off."

"Yes, well, you know this job isn't exactly one you can just have a holiday from." Dawn said.

"I didn't exactly pick this job you know." Jerian said, "It's not like I had much choice in the matter."

Kayleigh was very much overwhelmed by the sudden grandness of it all. The entire explanation Jerian just gave her on the way here didn't sink in entirely, and the huge mansion appearing seemingly out of nowhere almost made her eyeballs fall out of their sockets. She looked at Dawn. She did indeed estimate her to be about the same agae Jerian was, but then again she didn't even know how old Jerian was himself.
"What's a poltegeist?" The first words she'd spoken since they left her flat.

"A malevolent spirit, usually of a deceased human. They tend to move objects, throw things and generally cause trouble. They're usually more an annoyance than a danger, but every so often a real nasty piece of work turns up. Seems like the one Kate and Seth were sent to deal with was one of the bad ones." Jerian informed her.

"Better a poltergeist than some kind of Demon. We've seen six Demonic attacks in the past three months. Six!" Dawn said, "I swear Abbaddon is out to get you, Jerian, ever since whatever the hell you did in Calais."

"It's classified. Which is unfortunate... because what I did was the very definition of badass." Jerian said.

Dawn snorted and shook her head, "Right. Sure. We've got more pressing concerns. The first thing we need to do is start training... ah... I'm sorry, I don't think I know your name?" She asked, looking at Kayleigh.