Field Offices

[Miriam Bell]

"Ah, then maybe it was personal for me. Like one of those gaudy keychains you get in the mall, only tearing at existential dread. So we're back to 'I'll pay her back'."

"I could be wrong, but it felt like everyone around me was feeling very similarly to me. You might simply have moved beyond that kind of mortal terror."

[Cassiopeia MacPherson]

Tosh screwed up his face in thought. "Hmm... well, assuming Kane knows where you can most easily look for them, could you maybe correlate what you have with areas not easily accessible by your Ghost Roads?"

"Sure, you got about a month to calculate latitudes and longitudes for thousands of locations and manually put together a matrix of coordinates spanning the entire globe?"

[Toshiro Narumi]

Tosh chuckled, grinning. "I'll do you one better."

He whipped out a waterproof baggie and took out his flat electronic slab. Turning it on, he navigated to a cached Google Earth app and opened it. "We already have that."

[Cassiopeia MacPherson]

Cass gawks at Tosh casually pulling out what had previously been an impenetrably dense and broken mystery. "How... but... where's the data storage? All the other components? How is it not overheating!? Is that... image data? Of the planet? It scales so fast!?" she says, watching in awe as Tosh pinch zooms on the globe. She all but slaps his hands away when she grabs the phone, cradling it in both hands like some kind of fragile relic. To her credit, she figures out the touch controls pretty quickly after having watched Tosh use it for just a moment. "All of this... Just for a map." she boggles at the casual use of this miraculous technology for something so mundane, completely missing the fact that this is far from the only thing it can do. "What other gadgets do you have!? Do you have a blank one with command prompts? Is there one with video-games? Are they custom build or can you reload them with other functions? Is there a central repository you plug it into? How long does the battery last? Does it even have a battery? You've been here for hours and it's still running!"

[Toshiro Narumi]

It took the brainy boy a moment to parse the rapid barrage of questions. "I only brought that. I have a bigger work computer for programming. And a personal one for games, but this has those too. It also sends text messages, makes phone calls, and you can browse what our ARPAnet evolved into after it became something for everyone. Of course, it can't do much in another universe."

[Cassiopeia MacPherson]

"What what what? All of that on a single one!?" she boggles at having Tosh point out to her how to swap between apps and she spends the next couple minutes just swapping between various functions, half of which are informing her of a missing 'Internet' connection. "And browse how? All over the phone network? What's WiFi?" she asks, having managed to find her way to the settings. "Apps, applications, okay, yes. Poke mon go? Ah, no connection. Wait... no way. Is it like a MUD? Multi-user? This is crazy. Holy shit, holy shit." At this point she's almost vibrating in place, which is as energetic as anybody has probably seen her, ever.

"How far ahead of us are you guys?" she asks, giving the outside of the phone another thorough and noticing the lenses. "A camera too!?"

[Will Stanton]

"I could be wrong, but it felt like everyone around me was feeling very similarly to me. You might simply have moved beyond that kind of mortal terror."

"I guess I'm made of sterner stuff," Will said, with a half-lopsided grin.

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Technology has advanced quickly over the last forty or so years," he smirked, enjoying her enthusiasm. "Still no flying cars or androids, though, so it's not like we're in Blade Runner world."

"Shit, do you have that movie yet? No, nevermind, that's getting off topic."

He thought for a second. "You have those big, bulky cell phones, right? That was what we started with. Then, when computer components got small enough we developed these. Honestly, we've gotten a little too dependent on the things. A lot of us would be lost without them."

[Miriam Bell]

"I guess I'm made of sterner stuff," Will said, with a half-lopsided grin.

"Couldn't possibly be that what scares you most is ending up like that again. There's being immortal and then there's being immortal."

[Cassiopeia MacPherson]

"Technology has advanced quickly over the last forty or so years," he smirked, enjoying her enthusiasm. "Still no flying cars or androids, though, so it's not like we're in Blade Runner world."

"Shit, do you have that movie yet? No, nevermind, that's getting off topic."

He thought for a second. "You have those big, bulky cell phones, right? That was what we started with. Then, when computer components got small enough we developed these. Honestly, we've gotten a little too dependent on the things. A lot of us would be lost without them."

"And they're ubiquitous too? Sounds like utopia to me. Certainly would like not having to carry all of this around. Damn, your miniaturization must be crazy. Not that we could ever allow something like that to get out. Can you imagine Russia or America getting hold of this? Oh! How crazy is Japan in your world? Are they still the leader in consumer electronics? Are they who makes these slabs?"

[Will Stanton]

"Couldn't possibly be that what scares you most is ending up like that again. There's being immortal and then there's being immortal."

"It's a bridge I might have to cross one day, but there's no sense getting worked up over it before it happens," Will said, letting out a deep breath. "I can only control what I can control."

"And besides, you could just turn up the heat on the cauldron and bake it solid beforehand. I'm sure that'd take care of it," he half-joked.

[Miriam Bell]

"It's a bridge I might have to cross one day, but there's no sense getting worked up over it before it happens," Will said, letting out a deep breath. "I can only control what I can control."

"And besides, you could just turn up the heat on the cauldron and bake it solid beforehand. I'm sure that'd take care of it," he half-joked.

"Leave it to you to make a casual joke about euthanizing you on my way out the door. Fuck that, by the way. That's Sam's problem when she inevitably outlives me despite hurling herself at this kind of nonsense all the time."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"And they're ubiquitous too? Sounds like utopia to me. Certainly would like not having to carry all of this around. Damn, your miniaturization must be crazy. Not that we could ever allow something like that to get out. Can you imagine Russia or America getting hold of this? Oh! How crazy is Japan in your world? Are they still the leader in consumer electronics? Are they who makes these slabs?"

"Japan is a leader in consumer electronics, sure. But South Korea is nipping at their heels. This one is a Samsung," he explained.

He sighed a little. "As for being a utopia. Anything but, I'm afraid. The world's just as messed up as ever, only some of the names have changed. And then you have people with superpowers like us on top of that, with a few bad eggs making life difficult for the rest of us. Our organization works towards a peaceful coexistence between our kind and normal humans but we can only do so much."

[Will Stanton]

"Leave it to you to make a casual joke about euthanizing you on my way out the door. Fuck that, by the way. That's Sam's problem when she inevitably outlives me despite hurling herself at this kind of nonsense all the time."

"This isn't your normal kind of nonsense, I know. You've never really seen Her in full action, have you?" he said, attempting to side-step the question.

[Cassiopeia MacPherson]

"Japan is a leader in consumer electronics, sure. But South Korea is nipping at their heels. This one is a Samsung," he explained.

He sighed a little. "As for being a utopia. Anything but, I'm afraid. The world's just as messed up as ever, only some of the names have changed. And then you have people with superpowers like us on top of that, with a few bad eggs making life difficult for the rest of us. Our organization works towards a peaceful coexistence between our kind and normal humans but we can only do so much."

"Have you considered a global conspiracy to suppress the existence of para-natural phenomenon? Though it sounds like the cat might already be out of the bag on that one."

[Miriam Bell]

"This isn't your normal kind of nonsense, I know. You've never really seen Her in full action, have you?" he said, attempting to side-step the question.

"Not like this, all full of righteous fury. Don't get me wrong, that little fucker started it but this is... a little messed up. She might be right about the whole Morrigan thing but... this was a little unhinged." she says diplomatically, glancing over at Sam being treated for her injuries.

[Will Stanton]

"Not like this, all full of righteous fury. Don't get me wrong, that little fucker started it but this is... a little messed up. She might be right about the whole Morrigan thing but... this was a little unhinged." she says diplomatically, glancing over at Sam being treated for her injuries.

"You alright with it?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow. "I know it's one thing to know about it..."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Have you considered a global conspiracy to suppress the existence of para-natural phenomenon? Though it sounds like the cat might already be out of the bag on that one."

"Cat's been out of the bag for a long time," Tosh laughed.

"And there's nothing supernatural about what we are, except for ones like the red-head over there. It's just a gene we have. So if our kind ever start appearing, please don't treat them like cryptids. It might not be easy since some of us don't look particularly human, like our Leo Eskandari, but we're just humans who have evolved new abilities. Not superior or inferior, just different. "

[Miriam Bell]

"You alright with it?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow. "I know it's one thing to know about it..."

"I can't exactly judge people for their mental issues, can I? It's just... a reminder that she wasn't at Muir with me for nothing."

[Cassiopeia MacPherson]

"Cat's been out of the bag for a long time," Tosh laughed.

"And there's nothing supernatural about what we are, except for ones like the red-head over there. It's just a gene we have. So if our kind ever start appearing, please don't treat them like cryptids. It might not be easy since some of us don't look particularly human, like our Leo Eskandari, but we're just humans who have evolved new abilities. Not superior or inferior, just different. "

"Excuse me what!?" she boggles at Tosh. "New abilities? What kind of abilities!?" Apparently whatever brief she's gotten had not included a lot of information. "Do not let the Doctor hear that!" she suddenly seems to realize, dropping her voice and hoping that the idling noise of the nearby arcade machines masked her outburst.

[Will Stanton]

"I can't exactly judge people for their mental issues, can I? It's just... a reminder that she wasn't at Muir with me for nothing."

"I guess 'mental issues' runs in the dorm room, then. Just make sure you burn a steak every now and again and say something in Irish. Y'know, to appease the Goddess," Will smiled.

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Oh, right, you wouldn't know that, duh," he chuckled awkwardly. He then pointed to his companions one by one. "Telepath, polymorph, telepathic polymorph, and I'm a limited shapeshifter with element manipulation abilities."

"Your agents saw us in action at the mall, so keeping that from your doctor might be difficult."

[Samantha McManus]

"Starting to see why you in particular got into this business," Sam mutters as she's getting patched up.

[Dr. Mariya Chasovnya]

"Starting to see why you in particular got into this business," Sam mutters as she's getting patched up.

"They don't ask a lot of questions as long as you get results. Did you know a lycanthrope liver works as an universal donor organ? One of them saves four or five people as long as you feed the thing colloidal silver for a week before the transplant. Makes you near immune to alcohol poisoning too."

[Cassiopeia MacPherson]

"Oh, right, you wouldn't know that, duh," he chuckled awkwardly. He then pointed to his companions one by one. "Telepath, polymorph, telepathic polymorph, and I'm a limited shapeshifter with element manipulation abilities."

"Your agents saw us in action at the mall, so keeping that from your doctor might be difficult."

"Depends on what they told her. But I should get to work, these calculations take a while..." she says, very hesitantly handing Tosh his phone back.

[Miriam Bell]

"I guess 'mental issues' runs in the dorm room, then. Just make sure you burn a steak every now and again and say something in Irish. Y'know, to appease the Goddess," Will smiled.

"That'll just encourage her. I got my own ways to appease girlfriends. Or... whatever the hell we are."

[Leo N. Eskandari]

"Depends on what they told her. But I should get to work, these calculations take a while..." she says, very hesitantly handing Tosh his phone back.

"Good luck," Tosh responded as he put the phone away. He then returned to the others.

"They don't ask a lot of questions as long as you get results. Did you know a lycanthrope liver works as an universal donor organ? One of them saves four or five people as long as you feed the thing colloidal silver for a week before the transplant. Makes you near immune to alcohol poisoning too."

"Guess I know what you'll do with my remains if I bite off more than I can chew." Leo chuckled uncomfortably.

[Samantha McManus]

"Doesn't sound too pleasant for the werewolf."

[Dr. Mariya Chasovnya]

"Obviously not. This kills the werewolf." she says with a tone of indifference. "Just like it killed whatever was left alive in the specimen I used to fix up Mr. Eskandari here. Of course he's gone and ruined my hard work already, so it looks like surgery might be the better long-term option after all."

[Leo N. Eskandari]

"Somehow I don't think radical cosmetic surgery is going to make me look especially normal." Leo sighed. "I'm not eager to volunteer to for the scars that'd leave."

Tosh thought for a moment. "With your regenerative ability, there's a chance you wouldn't have any. Of course, that would also make accomplishing any lasting changes difficult... not to doubt your talent. We have access to doctors who have experience with performing surgery on people with accelerated healing factors, but I don't know if plastic surgery is something they do often. I can ask around if I get the chance before we close the portal."

[Will Stanton]

"That'll just encourage her. I got my own ways to appease girlfriends. Or... whatever the hell we are."

"To each their own. I quite enjoy seeing her go into full I Am the Power and the Glory mode. From time to time, that is."

[Miriam Bell]

"To each their own. I quite enjoy seeing her go into full I Am the Power and the Glory mode. From time to time, that is."

"Yes, but we already established that you're a weirdo." she smirks and bumps her shoulder against Will's again.

[Will Stanton]

"Well, it could be worse. There but for the grace, right?" Will said, nodding his head at Wyldclay.

[Samantha McManus]

"Not helping, Tosh." She says through clenched teeth.

"I think I'm patched up enough, thanks."

She steps away from the doctor and starts heading for Miriam and Will.

[Miriam Bell]

"Well, it could be worse. There but for the grace, right?" Will said, nodding his head at Wyldclay.

"Yeah..." she says, watching Wyldclay make another one of his odd sideways-rolling passes. "But something about this feels off. Or... not off enough."

[Dr. Mariya Chasovnya]

"Not helping, Tosh." She says through clenched teeth.

"I think I'm patched up enough, thanks."

She steps away from the doctor and starts heading for Miriam and Will.

"Some people just don't want any help. What about you?" she turns to Tosh. "Any injuries or world-travelling side-effects?"

[Toshiro Narumi]

"No!" Tosh responded a little too vehemently. He didn't want to be poked and prodded, especially after what Cass had said.

"I mean, n-no thanks. I'm fine," he added more politely. "Well, okay, a little sore from being thrown by Ryn, but I'm tougher than I look. Besides, the column I hit wasn't particularly solid."

[Will Stanton]

"Yeah..." she says, watching Wyldclay make another one of his odd sideways-rolling passes. "But something about this feels off. Or... not off enough."

"Well, us weirdos have to stick together, I guess. He gives me the willies, though. Pun very much intended."

She steps away from the doctor and starts heading for Miriam and Will.

Will smiled as Sam walked over. "Get the full bill of health?"

[Samantha McManus]

"This doctor's a nutter. I had to get out of there before she started sticking things in me."

[Miriam Bell]

"I'm telling you, this is some shadow government, illuminati shit."