Private The Channels II [18+]

[EpicVakarian]

The year is 2016.
11 years since the Channels were discovered.
Channels: ordinary people with extraordinary powers.
The first Channel was discovered in Chicago, IL, in April 2005. A sixteen-year-old young boy,
barely out of high school. He had the power to manipulate rock and stone.
He abused this power, to the point of causing an earthquake and tearing down most of Chicago's skyline.
He was eventually captured, and taken to a prison, where they worked out a way to cancel out his powers. He was imprisoned there, with no way to escape.
After this event, more powers started to crop up. The public called the extraordinary people "Channels", but the governments of Earth classed them as terrorists; they weren't willing to undergo another disaster like Chicago. The official name granted to them was "Hunters", in order to make the Channels seem more menacing to average humans.
Thus a new age began; Channels were discovered all over the world; one in every fifty million children born was a Channel, each with unique powers. These powers were discovered to remain dormant until the age of 10; after that age, most Channels discovered their powers. If a person got to 20 and hadn't discovered any powers, then they were likely not to have any, unless they were a very rare case.
With the realisation that Channels would just keep coming, the governments forged the Daynes Treaty, named for James Daynes, who proposed the idea; the Daynes Treaty stated that all the governments of the world must act together in this instance. Each country would have their own Special Defence Department, an SDD. The best of the best would be selected to fill roles in the SDDs; hackers, soldiers, leaders, anyone that could help deal with the "Hunters".
Many Channels have managed to escape the prisons set up for them using the power-cancelling technique, living in peace beside humans in secret. But many have also decided to take vengeance on humanity; with two variants taking form. Some merely wanted to mutate every single human to have powers, and others purely wanted the complete destruction of the human race, so that the Channels could start from scratch.
Around the year 2011, another variant of Channel was discovered. Some people had no powers of their own, but could temporarily "learn" weakened versions of powers through touching the original Channel. A classification system was introduced; Primary Channels were ones that had their own powers, and Secondary Channels could leech weakened powers for a short time, and so were less of an issue.
In any case, the Channels are global. You are one of them; you may choose one of three goals. Either live peacefully alongside humans, free of secrets.
Mutate them all so they know your pain.
Or simply destroy them all.
The choice is yours, but will you make the right one?

RULES​

1. Respect each other; we're here to have fun, not to argue amongst ourselves.
2. Language is okay, to a certain extent. This is an 18+ RP, but excessive use of foul/racist words will not be accepted.
3. Your Channel may be of any origin you like; American, British, Japanese, anything. However, remember that all our Channels must come together at some point. You should have the ability to travel overseas, either using powers or simply getting on a plane.
4. This RP is 18+, so be aware that there may well be violence, language, and sexual themes, along with anything else mature that might crop up. If you can't handle these, don't bother applying.
5. Please, no cliche superpowers like superstrength and flight. Have interesting powers that have weaknesses.
6. Once your CC is submitted, I'll survey it and tell you if anything needs changing. The character itself should never need changing, but powers might; each Channel can have up to two powers, and a third if it relates closely to one of your others. For instance, one character may have water powers alongside his other power; in that case cryokinesis (ice powers) are also allowed, due to the close relation. I will tell you whether you need different powers; certain combinations might result in OP, death-bringer characters. And we all know, that OP characters are no fun; have a weakness. Be willing to be beaten once in a while. Hopefully that should result in a friendly, realistic RP.

CAST
EpicVakarian as Maxine Elizabeth McKenzie (orange dialogue)
Simus as Alice Croshaw (blue dialogue)
Daryl Dixon as Michael/Levi (light blue dialogue) and Bryce Montarello (white dialogue)
OnlyThePie as Hal Fengry (red dialogue)
Wolfbane as Cass (green dialogue)
Kaelbu as Gwendolyn Lee Wiser (purple dialogue)
CapObvious as Brom Robasdon (cream dialogue)
Blitzz as Nishimura Ryuichi (pink dialogue)
...​

 

[EpicVakarian]

It was a Friday afternoon, it'd been a long week at work and Max wanted nothing more than to just sit down at her computer and chat with her friends on Channel Surfing. She entered her apartment around 6pm, clicking her fingers and lighting the various candles placed around the open-plan apartment. She preferred candlelight to the electric lights; for one it made for a much cozier, homely feel to her apartment, and secondly, Max's abilities allowed her to control the flames without having to even move; it was much more convenient.

She dropped her bag onto the sofa, heading through to the kitchen and cooking herself some dinner; a quick plate of spaghetti. Once she'd poured herself a glass of water, she carried her meal to her desk and logged on to the forums. Things were relatively uneventful, aside for one message, but there was one strange alert; a new member, called Ghost, had updated a status. Max's eyes narrowed, and she clicked on the alert, wondering why she'd gotten it; usually she only got alerts like that for members she followed. She assumed it was just a bug in the site coding, but was quickly proved wrong by the comments on the status, all written by people who'd apparently gotten the same alert as her.

By the sounds of it, this Ghost had somehow joined the site and intentionally gotten everyone to unwillingly follow him. How he'd done it - or why, for that matter - was a mystery. So Max, being the friendly, stubborn person she was, put it upon herself to find out. She began to write a message to this Ghost.
That move you pulled getting everyone following you was impressive. A bit irritating, but impressive. If you don't mind me asking, how? And why, obviously, it's a bit of a weird thing to do.

Simple, quick, and honest. Satisfied, she opened up the other conversation, from little Alice; the 16-year-old Starpebble, who regularly spoke to Max in messages. Max often ended up giving Alice advice in how to deal with some of the discrimination that came of being a Channel. This message from her was an essay, but Max began to read through it.

Participants: Starpebble, PyroLizzie
Subject: I had such a crappy day! :'(
Last post: Starpebble at 3:30 p.m

Hey Max. The title pretty much says it all and I know this is like the third one I've sent you in the last month and I'm really sorry about that. I just...I need to vent to somebody besides my mom or Jess. I feel like I've used them too much already, and it helps me when I write all this down. It's okay if you don't reply to this, I just need to write it all out.

My day was completely pl***. I didn't wake up until 6:45 today because I forgot to set my alarm and I turned my phone off last night to try and sleep better. Otherwise I'm here till midnight or on Facebook or whatever else. I have barely enough time to throw something on, grab my backpack and run out the door, catching the bus with seconds to spare. Then I get to school and what do I find? My blue dress, my favorite blue dress, is more wrinkled than tin foil because I didn't hang it up last night, my white leggings are inside out, my matching white long sleeve shirt is on backwards and I had grabbed two different knee high riding boots and two different matching leather gloves. One black and one brown. My dress has a short skirt and short sleeves so you can still see the long sleeve shirt and leggings underneath, and therefore the ugly seems for being inside out. Plus my hair's a wet fluffing mess and I've got no makeup because I had time to shower and nothing else.

Turns out, we get to school EARLY and I have 15 minutes till 1st period (that's English) starts and who comes around to greet me? fluffing Britney. Britney with her perfect-by-nature shoulder length brown hair and her spotless black leather jacket, her shined knee high black stilettos over her very flattering skinny jeans. Her and her crowd of airhead Kim Kardashian fluffing wannabee divas. I can't even open my mouth before they all pull out their phones and take my hideous picture, which of course hits Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram minutes after (I swear those girls must be Channels by how fast they post and text.) Then, after my phone is done vibrating and chiming like it's about to explode, Britney walks up to me. The conversation goes something like this.

Britney: Oh, hey Alice.
Me: Morning Britney, you're looking...good today. (me trying to be nice despite wanting to kill her.)
Britney: Duh. I always look good. You? Not so much? A little rushed this morning were we? *cue infuriating laughter from airhead girls 1,2 and 3)
Me: Uhhh...yeah. You could say that. Is there something you need? A new pair of thumbs after you just broke yours putting my mugshot all over the Internet maybe?
Britney: OOOoh, burned me Alice. You're having a bad hair...well...bad everything day, but it could be worse.
Me: Oh? How so?
Britney: Oh, you'll find out later. See you at lunch Alice!

Then she walks off and I go to class and try not to think about it. Then 12:30 comes, I get to lunch with my friend Jess and she and I talk about the pl*** that bitch did to me. Jess is super awesome as always, and having 3 of 7 classes with her is nice, all in the afternoon (Acting 2 on B days, World History 2 on A days, today, and Geometry after lunch. That's every day.) So we get our food, set it down and Jess gives me a spare brush so I can do something with my hair and we go to the bathroom so we can talk. Then we come back, I pick up my PB&J sandwich and as soon as I bite into it, I pull out a piece of gum. A giant fluffing grey piece with hair on it! And if that wasn't enough I find my apple dropped in a container of fluffing school cottage cheese! I don't like cottage cheese anyway but our school must use toxic waste to make theirs because no human being would eat it. Then there's my apple in it with a fluffing bite mark! I look over to Britney's table and she and her host of airheads are cracking the fluff up. And to top it all off? Everyone, and I mean fluffing EVERYONE I meet today was looking at that lovely picture of me from this morning. It's on facebook with the caption "Alice Croshaw, the embodiment of beauty." It was all I could do not to start crying by the time Geometry started. I don't even remember today's lesson I was so upset so now I'm gonna have to ask Jess.

I came home in tears today. Jess walked home with me because she's awesome and she gave me a hug and tried to remind me that Britney's a bitch and she stayed over until my mom got home and then she gave me a hug and held me after I cried for about 15 minutes. It helped, but it's just not enough.

You know what the worst part of this day is? I had a vision about it last night. All of it. Every single part. My "gifts" let me see all the pl*** that was going to happen to me today and you know how much good it did? None! Not a fluffing bit! All it did was make me lose sleep. I hate my powers. They're a curse. I can't even crush Britney's chest with my biotics (haha! Mass Effect referece to my powers! That's pretty much what they are lol!) Because then I'd kill her and that would be messy.

I just don't get it. Britney and I have known each other since 4th grade. We were good friends once and now all she wants to do is go around school looking dolled up and making trouble for me. I thought she was my friend. What the fluff happened?

I'm sorry for that book. I understand if you need time to think on everything or if you're just not wanting to talk to me but I really need a friend right now.

Max almost pouted to herself, feeling sorry for Alice and immediately starting to write a response.

Hey, Alice. I'm sorry to hear about the crap you have to suffer through at school; sometimes people forget that Channels are still human beings, despite what the government would lead us to believe.
The thing to always remember is that, in the end, you are the better person, you and that lass Jess. I would say to ask the school to separate you and Britney, but I know for a fact that'll change nothing, so all I really can say is to ignore it. I know, for people your age, that's precisely what you don't want to hear; it's precisely what 16-year-old me wouldn't want to hear, I know that. But honestly, the key part of being happy, in my experience, is to just not give a plops. If Britney thinks you're ugly, why do you care? It's not her you have to impress; you don't have to impress anyone but yourself.
If you stop caring what people think (which is difficult, I know), you stop giving people the satisfaction of upsetting you. Believe me, people quickly get bored if they don't get a response. If you walk past Britney in a corridor and she makes some snarky comment, just smile at her and ignore it. If she puts embarrassing photos of you on Facebook, thank her for taking the picture. She'll give up, trust me.
I can only imagine you're thinking, 'why is it easier to be a Channel than it is to be a teenager?'. Just make sure you remember what I said, and that I (and your parents, and Jess) are here whenever you need us.
Good luck!
Max

At this point, it was 7pm, and Max had finished her dinner. She headed through to the kitchen, washing up the day's dishes and letting them dry out on the rack, then grabbing a can of coke and sitting down to watch a few videos on YouTube.

At about 11pm, there was a quiet ding from the forums, and Max paused her video to check it. It was a response from the new guy, Ghost, and she opened it up, not at all prepared for what it included.

Hello, PyroLizzie. I am a ghost. You are at Fort Worth, TX, 32.76 degrees latitude, -97.33 degrees longitude. Do you care of the struggle our kind faces each night? Not all of them are welcomed. Not all of them are free. None are safe. If you decline my offer, know this: You will not face direct consequences. However if you accept you shall bring about good to the channels that face execution and scorn just for who they are, not who they chose to be.

Outdoor Steakhouse approximately 14 minutes from your location. You will meet me here at 1pm tomorrow. You will either accept out of curiosity or ignore me and pretend this never happened. When you arrive tell the waiter you are here with Fiona Tibbet. They will give you a meal and inform you of which booth I am sitting in. There we will discuss how you can help Matthew, Jessica and Richard. Three channels who are locked in holding cells. Their crimes: Trying to defend themselves escaping captors who wish them harm for being who they are. We will see what kind of person you choose to be.

Goodbye.

It was a worrying message, and one that gave Max chills. But she took it as a challenge; despite the obvious danger, the creepy nature of the message, she already knew the steakhouse, and she knew she would be there at 1pm tomorrow. She didn't bother responding to the message; Ghost'd made it quite clear he'd see her at the steakhouse tomorrow, so she'd save her questions for the meeting then.
Finishing the video, Max switched off her computer and got changed, climbing into bed around 11:30pm. She played about with her phone for a few minutes, before putting it on the bedside table and clicking her fingers, making the candlelight flicker and die. She put her head on the pillow, closed her eyes and fell asleep, mind swarming with theories about what would happen tomorrow at the steakhouse.

 

[Simus]

Alice had had a terrible day. The worst Friday of her life and the start to a really plopsty weekend. She had seen this day coming last night. Her powers as a Channel granted her visions, glimpses of the future while she slept. She was able to see things before they happened and sometimes act on them. She had first learned this about herself when she was thirteen and now she was sixteen, a sophomore in the middle of her high school years. She had learned to control this power to a degree. To guide her mind through the visions and to subconsciously focus on them as she slept. This let her see a great deal and had given her many advantages over her peers. Especially in her grades. She could see the questions to a math test days before it took place. She knew exactly what to study for and knew the answers before her teachers did. She could see the weather for tomorrow and dress accordingly. She could see when and where a bully would make trouble for her and avoid it, or see when her mother had a surprise for her and be excited for it. This resulted in many good days for Alice. Today however was not one of those. Today reinforced the other side of her powers and the harshest lesson she had learned in controlling them.

Just because her visions showed her something did not mean she could change it. Some events were so large or so certain, happening in so many strands of time that they were impossible to ignore. That was why she was here on her living room couch with her mother and her best friend Jessica, crying. She had been crying for ten minutes, ever since her mother got home from grocery shopping. Alice and Jessica had gotten home from school half an hour before and Jessica had comforted her best friend as best she could but could do little other than empathize.

"I just don't get it." Alice cried in her mother's shoulder, pausing to take deep breaths. "I knew this day was coming...I saw it...I saw all of it...the gum...the picture of me all bed-headed...Britney being a bitch and spreading it all...why couldn't I do anything about it!? How could I have been so unprepared!? Every day I have to hide part of who I am because of this stupid power and now it just decides to troll me!? What the fluff!?"

"I can't answer that baby." Alice's mother Amy said, holding her daughter close and stroking her hair. "I would if I could, but I don't know. What you can do...It's outside of my experience but it's helped you so much more than it's hurt you. It's not a curse sweetheart. It's a gift. I don't know what you're supposed to do with it, but it's gonna be something special. I promise you that."

"Mom, I can see the future! I should have all the answers!"

"Alice honey, no one has all the answers. You shouldn't expect to. You can't."

"You're mom's right Alice." Jessica chimed in, still sitting on Alice's other side but giving her and her mom space. "Just because you can see these things, doesn't mean you can see everything. I mean, the way you described your powers to me, don't they just manifest as random bits while you sleep? Like dreams?"

"Yeah." Alice sniffled.

"Ever had a dream you couldn't remember or couldn't make sense of?"

"Sure. Plenty of them."

"Then why would these visions be any different? Don't you think it's likely that any visions you have, especially any of the "waking flashes" you've told us about, have at least some chance of being twisted around like a pretzel? What makes you think they'd be any clearer than a bad dream? If I were a Channel I'd think they were all pretty confusing."

"Yeah...yeah I guess you're right." Alice said.

These were the kinds of moments where she really loved her mom and Jess. Jess wasn't as outgoing as Alice, or even as confident but she had a more analytical mind. She could see a bigger picture than Alice could and helped her make sense of the wildest of problems. Jessica was also a fellow Channel, an ordinary human with extraordinary powers. Jessica couldn't see the future like Alice, or wield the energies of the universe as a weapon, but she could understand how almost anything worked. With the slightest touch Jessica could understand anything from a wrench to a watch to a computer. She saw its inner workings, how it fit together, what it did, what it needed to be fixed. Then she could reshape the object in real life. Restore it to working condition completely without tools. Even the worst software issues or the most destroyed of hard drives Jessica could fix with hand and mind alone. Alice and Jessica were best friends for many reasons, but the biggest of which was they were kindred spirits. Two Channels who had each other and could share things they couldn't share with anyone else.

Alice's mother Amy was a normal human woman of 54 and a government employee but she loved her daughter more than anything or anyone in existence. Alice was the best daughter a mother could ask for and her powers only added to that. She didn't understand them but she didn't have to: her daughter would do great things with them and that was all she could ever want.

"See? Cut yourself a little slack." Jessica said encouragingly. "I mean, most days I wish I had your power. I'd love to see what our next Geometry test is on! I can barely spell hypotenuse, much less find one on an imaginary triangle!"

"Hah! I know what you mean!" Alice said, cheered up a little. "It's gonna be mostly Pythagorean Theorem stuff and triangle area equations. You'll figure it out before the test and I'll help you through it. You're gonna do fine Jess."

"Oh? How fine is fine?"

"Oh...I won't ruin the surprise. Just know that our study party next week will be time well spent." Alice said, smiling, the tears stopping for a while.

"Sounds like you girls have a plan." Amy said. "In the meantime, you my dear need a pick-me-up for such an awful day. Jess? How would you feel if you and I took Alice out to Wendy's and we brainstormed on ways to knock Britney off her high horse?"

"That sounds like a great idea Mrs. Croshaw! Alice?"

"Sure. What time?"

"Let's go about 6:30. It's almost 4 now so how about I run you home Jess and let you do Jess stuff and we'll pick you up about then?"

"Sure. That sounds fine."

"I'm good with that."

"And you, my dear, need to go upstairs, take a shower, change into something comfy and do something fun until then. It's a Friday night, it's the start of the weekend, it's time to have fun. Tonight, forget about Britney. Work on some doll clothes, play whatever Metal Snake Ninja Cyborg Giant Robot Thingy video game you like, go do some blogging on dad's Channel site. Do whatever, so long as it's fun. Then later sneak out of the house and go to a party or something."

"Okay. Thanks mom."

Alice released herself from her mom's loving embrace, dried her eyes with a paper towel and hugged Jess. Jess gladly returned it and then made ready to head home, following Alice's mom to her car and picking up her purse and backpack as she went. Alice headed upstairs and got the shower she so desperately wanted this morning, feeling much better afterwards. It had gotten much colder since this morning so Alice changed into a pair of white long underwear and pulled a black t-shirt and some skinny jeans over it. She headed up to her room, cracked open a can of coke zero, wrapped herself in one of her microplush blankets and logged onto Channel Surfing, the place on the internet where Channels could talk to each other without fear or persecution. It was also, in Alice's opinion, the best comic and gaming discussion site ever with the best roleplaying section ever. Her dad had set it up for her two years ago to give her a place to talk to and it had exploded into something neither of them expected. A thriving online community. She wanted to go over the day's events and write them down so she opened a Private Message to her best friend on the site. Her real name was Maxine, or Max, and she was a Scottish girl who lived in Fort Worth Texas but she went by PyroLizzie on the site. Alice went by Starpebble, a clever reference to her powers.

Participants: Starpebble, PyroLizzie
Subject: I had such a crappy day! :'(
Last post: Starpebble at 3:30 p.m

Hey Max. The title pretty much says it all and I know this is like the third one I've sent you in the last month and I'm really sorry about that. I just...I need to vent to somebody besides my mom or Jess. I feel like I've used them too much already, and it helps me when I write all this down. It's okay if you don't reply to this, I just need to write it all out.

My day was completely pl***. I didn't wake up until 6:45 today because I forgot to set my alarm and I turned my phone off last night to try and sleep better. Otherwise I'm here till midnight or on Facebook or whatever else. I have barely enough time to throw something on, grab my backpack and run out the door, catching the bus with seconds to spare. Then I get to school and what do I find? My blue dress, my favorite blue dress, is more wrinkled than tin foil because I didn't hang it up last night, my white leggings are inside out, my matching white long sleeve shirt is on backwards and I had grabbed two different knee high riding boots and two different matching leather gloves. One black and one brown. My dress has a short skirt and short sleeves so you can still see the long sleeve shirt and leggings underneath, and therefore the ugly seems for being inside out. Plus my hair's a wet fluffing mess and I've got no makeup because I had time to shower and nothing else.

Turns out, we get to school EARLY and I have 15 minutes till 1st period (that's English) starts and who comes around to greet me? fluffing Britney. Britney with her perfect-by-nature shoulder length brown hair and her spotless black leather jacket, her shined knee high black stilettos over her very flattering skinny jeans. Her and her crowd of airhead Kim Kardashian fluffing wannabee divas. I can't even open my mouth before they all pull out their phones and take my hideous picture, which of course hits Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram minutes after (I swear those girls must be Channels by how fast they post and text.) Then, after my phone is done vibrating and chiming like it's about to explode, Britney walks up to me. The conversation goes something like this.

Britney: Oh, hey Alice.
Me: Morning Britney, you're looking...good today. (me trying to be nice despite wanting to kill her.)
Britney: Duh. I always look good. You? Not so much? A little rushed this morning were we? *cue infuriating laughter from airhead girls 1,2 and 3)
Me: Uhhh...yeah. You could say that. Is there something you need? A new pair of thumbs after you just broke yours putting my mugshot all over the Internet maybe?
Britney: OOOoh, burned me Alice. You're having a bad hair...well...bad everything day, but it could be worse.
Me: Oh? How so?
Britney: Oh, you'll find out later. See you at lunch Alice!

Then she walks off and I go to class and try not to think about it. Then 12:30 comes, I get to lunch with my friend Jess and she and I talk about the pl*** that bitch did to me. Jess is super awesome as always, and having 3 of 7 classes with her is nice, all in the afternoon (Acting 2 on B days, World History 2 on A days, today, and Geometry after lunch. That's every day.) So we get our food, set it down and Jess gives me a spare brush so I can do something with my hair and we go to the bathroom so we can talk. Then we come back, I pick up my PB&J sandwich and as soon as I bite into it, I pull out a piece of gum. A giant fluffing grey piece with hair on it! And if that wasn't enough I find my apple dropped in a container of fluffing school cottage cheese! I don't like cottage cheese anyway but our school must use toxic waste to make theirs because no human being would eat it. Then there's my apple in it with a fluffing bite mark! I look over to Britney's table and she and her host of airheads are cracking the fluff up. And to top it all off? Everyone, and I mean fluffing EVERYONE I meet today was looking at that lovely picture of me from this morning. It's on facebook with the caption "Alice Croshaw, the embodiment of beauty." It was all I could do not to start crying by the time Geometry started. I don't even remember today's lesson I was so upset so now I'm gonna have to ask Jess.

I came home in tears today. Jess walked home with me because she's awesome and she gave me a hug and tried to remind me that Britney's a bitch and she stayed over until my mom got home and then she gave me a hug and held me after I cried for about 15 minutes. It helped, but it's just not enough.

You know what the worst part of this day is? I had a vision about it last night. All of it. Every single part. My "gifts" let me see all the pl*** that was going to happen to me today and you know how much good it did? None! Not a fluffing bit! All it did was make me lose sleep. I hate my powers. They're a curse. I can't even crush Britney's chest with my biotics (haha! Mass Effect referece to my powers! That's pretty much what they are lol!) Because then I'd kill her and that would be messy.

I just don't get it. Britney and I have known each other since 4th grade. We were good friends once and now all she wants to do is go around school looking dolled up and making trouble for me. I thought she was my friend. What the fluff happened?

I'm sorry for that book. I understand if you need time to think on everything or if you're just not wanting to talk to me but I really need a friend right now.

After reading over her term paper of a message, Alice was satisfied and hit "Send." She then switched to the homepage to check her alerts and read up on recent roleplaying posts. One of her other friends, Levi had posted in Treasures of the Old World, an RP set in the Fallout universe in the southwest where a caravan group sets out from NCR-controlled New Frisco to find a legendary Vault-Tec facility called Vault 0. Alice played a girl her age named Jessica Brown who was a member of the Brotherhood of Steel and the best written character in the RP. Jess, also a member of Channel Surfing and in several other RP's, couldn't help but chortle over Alice's character.

Fifteen minutes later, while Alice was reading Levi's most recent post Max responded to Alice's message.

RE: I had such a crappy day! :'(
Posted by PyroLizzie a moment ago:

Hey, Alice. I'm sorry to hear about the crap you have to suffer through at school; sometimes people forget that Channels are still human beings, despite what the government would lead us to believe.
The thing to always remember is that, in the end, you are the better person, you and that lass Jess. I would say to ask the school to separate you and Britney, but I know for a fact that'll change nothing, so all I really can say is to ignore it. I know, for people your age, that's precisely what you don't want to hear; it's precisely what 16-year-old me wouldn't want to hear, I know that. But honestly, the key part of being happy, in my experience, is to just not give a pl***. If Britney thinks you're ugly, why do you care? It's not her you have to impress; you don't have to impress anyone but yourself.
If you stop caring what people think (which is difficult, I know), you stop giving people the satisfaction of upsetting you. Believe me, people quickly get bored if they don't get a response. If you walk past Britney in a corridor and she makes some snarky comment, just smile at her and ignore it. If she puts embarrassing photos of you on Facebook, thank her for taking the picture. She'll give up, trust me.
I can only imagine you're thinking, 'why is it easier to be a Channel than it is to be a teenager?'. Just make sure you remember what I said, and that I (and your parents, and Jess) are here whenever you need us.
Good luck!
Max

Overall it was good advice and Alice greatly appreciated it. Max had been so nice to her and always took the time to help and listen. Really she was like an older sister to Alice. It was a bond Alice was really grateful to have, especially since she was an only child. Her dad had also gotten to know Max some and was glad to know she was there for Alice but like any father he was always a little worried about how much Alice told her. Rather than respond now, Alice decided to let her mind rest, load up the gamecube in her room and go retro with some Twin Snakes until it was time to meet up with Jessica.

Four hours later, Alice was back in her room. The outing was just what she needed. Having fun with her mom and Jess, a Son of Baconator and a chocolate frosty, and a few ideas for the next time Britney made trouble for her were all that was needed to make Alice her old self again. She decided to spend her Friday night quietly, which everyone undrestood, but was looking forward to going out tomorrow. Now she was at her computer, hair damp from a warm bath, and snuggled up in the blanket she was using earlier and now also in a warm, cute and comfy pair of footy pajamas. Black with white skulls tonight. She always slept better in them, they made her feel safe and happy and she looked adorable in them, wrapped from neck to toe in warm, soft fleece. She loved them. Now full and happy, she replied to Max's message.

Thanks for replying Max. Sometimes being a teenage girl really sucks but it's not all bad. I guess you know what I'm taking about lol. My dad never does, hard as he tries! Being a Channel just adds so much more plops to it. That's why I haven't talked to the counselors about Britney. If I go, or Jess does on my behalf, Britney may let it slip that she knows what we are and that would open a huge can of worms. I guess the fact that that's the one thing she HASN'T blabbed to the whole world about shows that she's just a bitch and not a monster. Did you know she was the first person I told about my future-telling powers? When I was 13 and we were still friends and in middle school. Come to think of it, that's when she started her ever descending staircase of bitchiness. Maybe she's afraid of me and doesn't know how to cope. I'd never considered that before, but being friends wit Jess since freshmen year (that's the first year of high school here in the States. Our ninth year of education and the equivalent of your year nine in secondary school over in Scotland I think) would certainly make things worse.

When it comes down to it though I guess I have it better than most Channels and that's part of why I feel so sad on days like this. I mean, there are lots of Channels out there that are constantly looking over their shoulders, worrying about day to day stuff. Hell, when Jess discovered her powers over technology when she was 13 her dad just left. Never even signed the divorce papers. Just gone. Her mom stayed and still loves her and things are okay now with the two of them but god she was devastated for months. She's over at my house a lot. I think it helps her cope. Then there's me, the girl who gets to have a normal life with school and friends and parents who love me. In that light, it makes being bullied at school trite and trivial by comparison. Mom, Jess and I hung out at Wendy's tonight and talked about ways to get back at Britney. Mom echoed your advice but there's no real way to solve this. I'll try to ignore her but it's getting to the point where I just don't want to go to school anymore. Mom said that I have to keep going. That if I hide at home than Britney wins, but it seems like no matter what she does she never gets in trouble for it. Almost like she can just charm her way out of anything.

Thanks for reading, as always. I'm better now than when I wrote that message. I've had time to shower and attend to my hair and makeup so I look properly human. And I already told you about Wendy's and that was fun. Dad gave me a big hug when he got home and it's about 7 here and I'm in my pj's now. They're a one piece and have feet. I love them

Thanks again Max *hugs*

PS: Do you plan on joining any RP's any time soon? Things are kind of dead on the site right now. And did you get an alert from a user called Ghost saying that you were following him? I didn't even know you could do that. You CAN'T do that. Dad's looking into it now and he's dumbfounded. He tried to PM this guy and give him a warning but he couldn't. Really weird.

After that, Alice was tired. It was only about 7:30, but her room was too warm, her blankets too soft and her bed too inviting to not say no to a short nap. So she got into bed, covered herself with just the plush blanket to avoid getting too hot, and closed her eyes, letting her mind wander and eventually falling asleep.

 

[Wolfbane]

The embers began to dance a dance of orange and black and the grey of the ash slowly swallowed the white of the cigarette . The room encompassing him was red and the slight splash of water could be heard. Some people stopped going old school, but Cass likes both styles of cameras, plus two cameras could produce different variations of the same picture. As he continued to work he smirked as his stereo began to play one of his favorite songs. Now he was in his element.

The shoot for work had gone decently well. It would seem that he caught the innocence of the girl in just a few shots. When he is behind the view finder, he forgets about everything, all the stress, all the problems, and what he was born with. Some days it can be a curse. Photography has given him a way to numb the issues. He has tried so many other ways, but this way he will live to see what life will be. There are no sounds, so movement in a picture. In that one instance, everything is forever captured and eternalized like an idol. By the time he was done with this set of photographs, the cig had wasted it's short life before he opened the door to be greeted by the light of his house. Cass walked towards the kitchen to get himself a drink, then he sat down to check his digital work, and to Channel surf. He's been on forums before whether it be for writing, roleplaying, or photography. The song began to loop as he sorted out his favorites, organized them, and once he was done he shifted the next song as he surfed.

"Well hello. A new alert. Let's see what we have shall we?"
The alert notified that a new member by the name of Ghost had not only just joined, but managed to get a sizable number of people. Due to his attitude, Cass shrugged and continued doing this thing because in all honesty, he couldn't give a damn if he tried. A couple of minutes later, there was a ding and unread message. He proceeded to open it and he sighed as he saw who it was from

Participants: Resounding castaway, Ghost
Subject: Nice trick
Last post: Resounding Castaway: 1:30

"You mus have something you think is important to just somehow get all those people following you despite you just joining. So tell me then, what is it?

Not wanting to spend too much time on it, he quickly sent it and went back to going through various pictures of clients. Cass didn't like wasting too much time on things that should be quick. Why waste to much air when it can be said in a few words? "It feels important. I hear it in my ghost." He smiled at his Ghost in the Shell reference. A few minutes later, an alert went off. He got up knowing it was a reply to his question.

Hello, Resounding Castaway. I am a ghost. You are at Los Angeles, CA,34.05 degrees latitude, 118.25 degrees longitude. Do you care of the struggle our kind faces each night? Not all of them are welcomed. Not all of them are free. None are safe. If you decline my offer, know this: You will not face direct consequences. However if you accept you shall bring about good to the channels that face execution and scorn just for who they are, not who they chose to be.

Outdoor Steakhouse approximately one day from your location. You will meet me here at 2pm tomorrow. You will either accept out of curiosity or ignore me and pretend this never happened. When you arrive tell the waiter you are here with Robert Grayham. They will give you a meal and inform you of which booth I am sitting in. There we will discuss how you can help Matthew, Jessica and Richard. Three channels who are locked in holding cells. Their crimes: Trying to defend themselves escaping captors who wish them harm for being who they are. We will see what kind of person you choose to be.

Goodbye.

What that he logged off to idly watch TV for a while, flipping through channels as he heard snip its of some disaster caused by the villainous "Hunters" in Stockholm. He got the gist thanks to the numerous damn news channels covering it. Before too long he flipped everything off and went to bed for the next day.

 

[OnlyThePie]

Hal shook his fist in the air and shouted a rather rude word in English, so the stupid Danish driver wouldn't understand. But the car stopped anyway. Hal groaned inwardly. Now he had really pissed the guy off. It was raining in Copenhagen, and the driver had soaked Hal by driving through a puddle. The little black Volkswagen backed up to within about a meter of Hal, and the man got out. He was obviously a native Dane, but the man had a cold look about him, and his black English-made raincoat made him look almost evil. He looked down at Hal, even though he was probably only an inch taller. The man spoke in quick Danish. "What'd you say to me? I'm not an idiot, cursing a man in English is the same as cursing one in Danish." The man cracked his knuckles. "And I don't take too kindly to language like that."

Hal gulped, then stuck his hand out as if to shake. "I'm sorry sir, I've just had a miserable day, and you soaked me with your car, and I was angry. I meant no real offense by it." The man frowned, but accepted Hal's handshake. The man could tell Hal wasn't a native Dane, despite his looks, but speaking decent Danish had definitely helped. Even though it probably wasn't necessary, Hal used a bit of his power to cause a nerve impulse which increased the man's mood slightly, enough to calm him down. He nodded, let go of Hal's hand, and stepped back into his car.

"Watch your mouth buddy," the man said as he drove away. Hal let out a sigh. That had been close. A fist fight was never a good thing, and being arrested would have been a disaster for Hal. He turned and made his way into the apartment building and into the flat his old friend Heinrich was letting him use. He had met Heinrich on a backpacking trip in Europe, when he had been forced to use his abilities to shield the two of them from a falling tree. Heinrich had been grateful, and the two had become fast friends when Heinrich decided to go with Hal the rest of the trip. Hal didn't know what he would have done without the man. Luckily, Heinrich was on an extended vacation with his family in Munich, so Hal was staying in his flat.

Hal hung his raincoat and hat on the hook inside the door, then took off all his soaked clothes and loaded them into the washing machine. In only his underwear, Hal went to the fridge and grabbed a TV dinner to reheat in the microwave. He sat down on the loveseat and turned on the TV. More coverage of the Stockholm incident. Some Channel with ice-related abilities had frozen every waterway in the city, in the middle of summer. Hal shook his head. It was people like these that gave their kind a bad name. He watched a bit more, then switched to a channel covering the American Football offseason, a sport his late father had gotten him into. Since he had no hometown preference, he followed the Minnesota Vikings, though they sucked, and they didn't look any better this year. The microwave beeped, and Hal got up to get his food.

As he sat back down, he left the TV on the news, and grabbed his old laptop. He logged into Channel Surfing, the forum dedicated to people like him. He went to the History and Writing section, where his heated discussion with some younger users about the military genius of Erwin Rommel in the Second World War raged. He posted a comment in the argument, though he knew he probably couldn't convince them, then returned to the main page. A post under the "News" section caught his eye. "Stockholm Incident was not an Attack!!!" it said. Normally, Hal would have dismissed it as nothing, but for some reason he investigated.

"The event now known as the Stockholm Incident was not an attack caused by some violent and crazy Hunter," immediatley Hal paused. If even the Channels were now using the SDD description of themselves for violent Channels, things weren't going well. "Channels living in Stockholm have reported that this was an accident caused by a 13 year old boy. We have never seen this kind of power out of somebody so young before, and the SDD will quickly close in on him. We also fear that Channel-based organisations will grab him and use him to attack the regular people. We don't know what to do, but we knew you all should know. We can't let this stuff go on forever." Hal looked at the post for a long time. Then he nodded to himself. His dinner sat cold and uneaten beside him. He began a new thread.

Post Creator: OrangeDusk (Hal had based the name on the color of his Crystalline ability)
Subject Line: It's Time To Act
Message:
"Recently, Europe has faced a disaster known as the Stockholm Incident. This thread (link), explains that an incredibly powerful young boy, not a terrorist, caused the attack. It also states that many groups are closing in on the boy to capture him and use him for their own evil tools. Maybe it's time that some of us stepped in and quit hiding in the shadows. This boy needs to be spared the horrors that will befall him otherwise. History is what we make of it, and if the SDD get their hands on him, it's just another example they can use against us, and if any Channel terrorist groups get their hands on him, it will only make the chasm worse. If you're interested in helping me save this boy, we need to act fast, so shoot me a PM as soon as you can. Thank you, and Good Luck."

Hal always ended his posts with that line, because he knew how many Channels were on the run and needed it. He looked over the post, nodded, and hit submit. He hoped somebody would want to help.

 

[Kaelbu]

"I'm heading home," Gwendolyn sighed as she untied her apron, her voice heavy with fatigue. The diner's manager waved her on, and she awaited no further direction. She'd been working at the diner for just over a month, and slept at a motel conveniently located across the parking lot.

It was your average interstate exit setup. Four gas stations, two motels, one arguably "nicer" hotel, two 24-hour diners, a truck stop, and several fast food restaurants, some connected to gas stations. Very convenient for those traveling, but that meant the employees of the aforementioned establishments had to deal with any and all passersby. If enough people are coming through, it's only a matter of time before a dangerous one shows up.

Gwen grasped her cardigan around her as she fumbled for her key card. She hated doing this, it being just after eleven at night. A young girl, alone, late at night, at a cheap motel... Add to that the greater chance of an actual predator stopping at the exit, and it's a recipe for disaster.

Just as she tried to insert the card, something from behind startled her, making her miss the slot.
"Hey, girl," a man's deep voice came from only a few feet away. Gwen had hoped her boyish haircut and gender neutral clothes would help her seem less interesting to a wandering eye. But she was wrong.

She was frozen in place, her back still to the man.
"Girl. I'm talking to you," he repeated, confirming her fear that she was his target.
"Yes?" she replied, keeping her voice as level as she could.
"You look lonely," the man was even closer now. "Where's your boyfriend?"

Gwen steadied herself before turning around to face her pursuer. He was wearing a loose jacket and ball cap, his face in shadow. Just behind him, however, was a thick, manicured shrubbery. Gwen felt both ridiculous and empowered as a new idea came to mind.

"Behind you," she said calmly.
The bushes behind the man began to shake and tremble as if a large animal was about to exit them. The man hesitated, confused about whether or not he was in danger; he finally decided it wasn't worth the risk. Gwen watched as he jogged away, without another word, leaving her in solitude once again.

As soon as the light turned green on her door handle, Gwen pushed through, closing it quickly behind her. She latched every lock available, feeling the automatic lock wasn't enough.

Part of her wanted to laugh. It was a stupid stunt she pulled, but it worked. Some rustling leaves were enough to scare away a predator.
But part of her was shaking with fear. It was a predator, after all. He showed his true colors when he ran as soon as he thought his victim wasn't alone. Gwen shuddered to think what might've happened if she didn't have her ability, or if her ruse hadn't worked.

Confronted with what could've happened to her, Gwen slumped into her bed, cradling her face in her hands. She was tired of being alone. It was getting dangerous. She couldn't even call the police to report the man, because she didn't want to be discovered as a Channel, or to be returned to her parents' prison.

With tears in her eyes, Gwen brought her lap top from the desk to her bed and opened it. That computer was one of the few things she took with her when she left Savannah. It had been the only thing keeping her sane.

Feeling desperate, she Googled "Channels sanctuary", not expecting much to find much. To her relief, Channel Surfing was one of the first results. After a little lurking on the site, she made her own account. Using the name "GwenThumb," she began perusing the boards, amazed at how many Channels there really were.

Eventually, she stumbled upon an intriguing subject title:
"It's Time To Act"
"Recently, Europe has faced a disaster known as the Stockholm Incident. This thread (link), explains that an incredibly powerful young boy, not a terrorist, caused the attack. It also states that many groups are closing in on the boy to capture him and use him for their own evil tools. Maybe it's time that some of us stepped in and quit hiding in the shadows. This boy needs to be spared the horrors that will befall him otherwise. History is what we make of it, and if the SDD get their hands on him, it's just another example they can use against us, and if any Channel terrorist groups get their hands on him, it will only make the chasm worse. If you're interested in helping me save this boy, we need to act fast, so shoot me a PM as soon as you can. Thank you, and Good Luck."

Gwen was stunned.
"Quit hiding in the shadows."
"History is what we make of it."
"We need to act fast."
...
"Good luck."

She managed to type out a simple response to OrangeDusk, the creator of the post.
"I want to help. What can I do?"

Send.

Gwen sat back and looked through the computer screen. If this OrangeDusk decided to respond to her, how did she think she could help his cause? She barely had enough money to pay for the motel room and feed herself. She could take what she had and travel somewhere, by bus. She could use her botanokinesis... somehow?

She shut the lap top and laid down on the bed, kicking off her boots and tucking herself into the covers.
"Good luck," she whispered to herself.

 

[Blitzz]

Ryu slammed his fist down hard on the bedside table, missing his alarm clock entirely. It was a horrible, shrieking noise and he hated it. It was better that way; motivation to get up and turn it off. After a few more desperate attempts, his hand finally found the button, and with a subtle click, the room fell into total silence. He looked at the small silver box on his bedside table, and tried to make out the numbers through the morning haze that shrouded his vision. 7:32am.

Ryu threw the covers off and sat up, rubbing at his eyes and then stretching lazily. His room was spacious despite the king sized bed. The floor was dark grey carpet, and the walls were white. Strip lights lined the ceiling. It was clean, modern and stylish. Ryu hoisted himself to his feet and shuffled over to the curtains, throwing them wide open. The entire wall facing out over the city was composed of ceiling-height glass panels, creating one single wall-window. Daylight flooded into the room, the last traces of the bloody dawn sky quickly disappearing. He sat in his chair for a while, watching the early morning Tokyo traffic as the first eager workers set about their daily routine.

It was almost 8 when he finally left his bedroom. He threw on a simple white T-shirt to go with the grey gym shorts that he'd slept in. Still waking up, Ryu wandered into the kitchen and put two slices of bread in the toaster. He applied jam generously to the toast and settled down on the sofa, flicking on the 60" TV as went, and put his feet up. Ryu instantly switched onto the news. It was all fairly routine, until something a tad more unique came up. Something they were calling the 'Stockholm Incident'. Apparently someone with ice powers froze all of the waterways in the city, right at the height of summer. Ryu smiled, and his smile turned into a chuckle, and his chuckle turned into fits of hysterical laughter. Such joy, did he find, in the thought of one person causing so much mayhem. It almost bought a tear to his eye.

Ryu looked at his watch. 8:28. His cleaner wouldn't arrive until 10, so he had time before he needed to be presentable. Ryu reached for his laptop and turned it on. The screen flickered to life. He clumsily hammered in his password, needing a few tries before finding success, and opened up google. He found himself curious about how the Channel community was taking the news of this Stockholm Incident, so he signed into Channel Surfing. He was drawn to a notification from someone called 'Ghost'. The guy had managed to force everyone in the forum to follow him. "Prick," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. Navigating his way to the main forums, the page was unsurprisingly awash with topics about Stockholm. But one in particular caught his eye. It had been uploaded in the early hours of the morning, and the title was 'It's Time to Act'. He skimmed through the topic, his curiosity peaked. The general gist was that this guy, OrangeDusk, wanted to go and save the kid from the SDD and other Channels who may use him. The so called "hunters". Ryu didn't like to refer to himself as a "hunter". It seemed primitive and implied a moderate level of effort was involved. He found that using powers to crush mere mortals didn't tend to require much effort.

Part of Ryu wanted to leave the child to his fate. The other half, however, was drawn to the chaotic potential of someone so young yet so powerful. He smiled at the idea of taking someone so powerful under his wing and creating a living weapon of mass destruction. This was too good an opportunity to pass up. He decided to message this 'OrangeDusk'.

Participants: OrangeDusk, Ryu96
Subject: It's Time to Act
Last Message From: Ryu96, 8:54 AM

Hello, OrangeDusk. I saw your recent post calling for action with assisting the boy who unknowingly caused mayhem in Stockholm yesterday. We cannot allow someone so young and so unknowing to fall prey to the brutality of the SDD or other Channel terrorists, and therefore I want to assist you in helping this young boy. May I ask where you are based? I am in Tokyo, Japan, but I can comfortably afford to travel to Stockholm and back. Please know that I am willing to do whatever to help this boy, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Ryu

Feeling his message was sufficient, he hit the send button, and then headed for the shower. The water was hot and soothing, and he stayed there for almost twenty minutes. By time he emerged, it was almost half past nine. Ryu dressed, sliding into black skinny jeans, black trainers, a white t-shirt and a black jacket, of course with the sleeves rolled up. He sat on the sofa eating an apple until his cleaner arrived. When she did at last, he greeted her at the door, smiling and offering to make her a drink. He left her with a mug of herbal tea, and set off. 19 floors down in the elevator next, Ryu stepped out onto the bustling streets of central Tokyo, and headed out to browse the shops. He had his phone on him with notifications turned on, so that as soon as OrangeDusk replied to his message, he would know. This was the most exciting thing to happen to him for weeks, and he couldn't help but set off down the street with a broad grin on his face.

 

[OnlyThePie]

Hal awoke with a start. He couldn't remember his nightmare, but it had been bad enough to wake him up in a cold sweat. All he remembered was ice. Odd, given he loved ice, it reminded him of his home in Newfoundland. Thinking of home only made him sad. He got up and pulled on a pair of pants. He walked to get a bowl of cereal and milk from the fridge. He still loved cheerios, even though they were off-brand here in Denmark. It didn't matter, they tasted just as good. A knock at the door interrupted his breakfast. Who was calling at 9 AM? He rose and opened the door to his flat. "Hullo?" he asked, still a bit sleepy.

A 25-ish woman stood at his door, holding a letter. "I was told to give this to Mr. Reinvot? Is that you?" Hal nodded, impersonating his friend. The woman looked sheepish, and he realized he didn't have a shirt on. He smiled at her.
"Sorry about this, I forgot I wasn't wearing a shirt." he said, using his best German accent, which he had been practicing for moments like these. The woman handed him the letter and walked off, clearly embarrassed. He shrugged and closed the door.

He opened the letter, he had told Heinrich he would read all his mail and make sure it wasn't an eviction notice or anything. Heinrich trusted him. The letter had only a few words on the page, "We know about your friend." Hal gulped. It was probably some prank, since most people thought Hal was in South Africa; he had used another Channel contact to make that happen. He ignored it and threw it away, he decided to check Channel Surfing to calm his nerves. He was surprised to see he had two notifications, both concerning his "It's Time to Act" post.

The first was very short
Participants: GwenThumb, OrangeDusk
Subject: RE: It's Time to Act
Last Message From: GwenThumb, 6:28 AM (11:28 PM Ft. Worth Time)
"I want to help, what can I do?"

The Second was longer, and more formal

Participants: OrangeDusk, Ryu96
Subject: It's Time to Act
Last Message From: Ryu96, 1:54 AM (8:54 AM Tokyo Time)

Hello, OrangeDusk. I saw your recent post calling for action with assisting the boy who unknowingly caused mayhem in Stockholm yesterday. We cannot allow someone so young and so unknowing fall prey to the horrors of the SDD or other Channel terrorists, and therefore I want to assist you in helping this young boy. May I ask where you are based? I am in Tokyo, Japan, but I can comfortably afford to travel to Stockholm and back. Please know that I am willing to whatever to help this boy, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Ryu

Hal looked over both of them, and chose to respond to GwenThumb first. He began to type rapidly
"Hey There! Glad you found this important enough to lend me a hand with. How quickly can you get to Copenhagen or Stockholm? It would help to know your ability to, so I can prepare for it. Also, if you like, I can give you my cell number, then we can correspond faster, though we might be more susceptible to listening in. Respond ASAP, time is of the essence!
Thanks, and Good Luck, -Orange Dusk"

He nodded as he sent the message, then he responded to the next.
"Hello Ryu. I'm glad you want to help. I'm currently hiding out in Copenhagen, Denmark. Getting to Copenhagen or Stockholm ASAP is imperative, though I have another person who may be interested in helping us. Since you seem to have easy access, maybe you could come to Copenhagen first, and we could travel to Stockholm to meet this third party together? I'm glad you share my desire to help this poor boy, and I'll be doing research to find out more about him. Hope you respond soon,
Thanks and Good Luck, -Orange Dusk"

Hal looked at this message and sent it off too. He was glad he had gotten help so quickly. He glanced at the Trashcan. Maybe getting out of town for a while wouldn't be so bad for him.

 

[Wolfbane]

The following morning was little too early and hectic compared to his other mornings seeing as how he had to try to find a flight that same day going from LAX to DFW. He laughed as he thought about who weird it is to fly to home state. For most of his life he lived in the state, yet hear he is flying to DFW airport. The airport is the second largest in the country and sixth largest in the world.

He let out a cheer when he saw there was one flight that was one way. He figured he might as well stay there for a a few weeks. If anything he'll book another flight. As he furiously packed his bags, he drove to the airport, ticket in hand and was impressed not only by the fact that he found a flight, but also how fast he arrived. For whatever reason, he went onto the plane and relaxed for the duration of the flight. It was as if someone was writing the events and rushing them to something important.

By the time the plane touched the ground it was around 11:30. He looked around for his gate number as he fiddled with his phone and then he held it up to his ear, "Hey, Serenity. I just landed at the airport and I need a ride. Sorry for the short notice. How is your brother? Is he still holding my car?"
Serenity is one of Cass's long time best friends. They met seemingly out of the blue and they were bonded since. Her brother owns a local custom car and repair shop, and Cass asked her brother to hold his car for whenever he comes back. Family will do anything for family. Thee people were no different.

"Yeah, for sure dude. I'm on my way right now. You can thank me in person," she said with the sound of a smile. Luckily, Cass was lost, so by the time he found his way she should be there waiting for him. As he mildly pick up the pace all the sounds around him were bouncing off each surface, and with every bounce three or four different voices entered his ears. It took him a long time to master shutting his power off, but eventually he learned how. A crowded place like this was home to a plethora of sounds of all types. Some children with Autism suffer the same kind of hearing overload. They can hear so many things at once it can be terrifying. He knew what it was like. How scared he was when he could hear the swallowing of spit and the breaths of people next to him on the streets outside the school, or the quiet laughs and snickers of kids poking fun at the new blood. His parents were always moving. Serenity always moved with them, almost like she was doing it on purpose. Cass and Serenity are both a part of a traveling commune that has people in various states. It's all very confusing, really. She was one of the only people he told how bad it was. Now though, he was enjoying taking in all the sounds of his home. Being away from it for a while made him love it that much more. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

If he didn't like the noise, he would either flip it off, or silence every ambient sound. Both are very useful. An hour later, he received a call from her saying how she was there. After finding his best friend, they made their way to her brother's shop. Cass made a straight path to where his car was being held, hugged her brother and gave Serenity a tight hug before going straight to the steakhouse. By the time he arrived, it was 1:30. Cass was wearing blue jeans and a black shirt and a black sports jacket just in case it was somewhat classy.

"Yes hi. I'm meeting Robert Grayham."
Both he and waiter weaved in and out of the crowd and they had finally arrived the booth which a man sat, a black top and navy pants. Cass sat down and was handed a plate of food that he was not given a chance to order.

"Cut to the chase. What's this all this about my kind and grave danger and blah, blah, blah? I came mostly for my family."

he slid his finger around the wine glass and proceeded to change the pitch with the other finger on the opposite hand. At this point, it was the only thing keeping him focused.

 

[Blitzz]

It was only an hour or so later when Ryu's phone buzzed to let him know that OrangeDusk had replied. He had spent the morning so far wandering aimlessly around the Maronouchi District, hoping something in one of the shop windows would catch his eye. So far, no luck. Everything was either in his wardrobe or not to his taste. He toyed with the idea of abstaining from shopping for a few months, letting the shops replenish their stock. Ultimately, however, he knew that such a decision was not truly viable. What was the point in having money if he wouldn't spend it?

Ryu had stopped to grab a drink from a local cafe when his phone buzzed. He scrambled to free it from his pocket, and hurriedly swiped in the pattern that unlocked his phone. Navigating to the message, he read it over and over in his head with delight.

"Hello Ryu. I'm glad you want to help. I'm currently hiding out in Copenhagen, Denmark. Getting to Copenhagen or Stockholm ASAP is imperative, though I have another person who may be interested in helping us. Since you seem to have easy access, maybe you could come to Copenhagen first, and we could travel to Stockholm to meet this third party together? I'm glad you share my desire to help this poor boy, and I'll be doing research to find out more about him. Hope you respond soon,
Thanks and Good Luck, -Orange Dusk"

It had gone well, it seemed. This 'other person', however, did worry him. He could not guess at their motives until he met them, but the chances were they were genuine in wanting to help the lad. Most of the Channels were pathetic, full of sympathy and mercy and other useless, weakening character flaws. When he compared himself to other Channels, Ryu was adamant that he was far superior. At least someone was putting their gifts to good use.

He did, however, understand the need to stick together. If they were to take humanity down a peg or two, how could they do it if so many were in the clutches of humans, being experimented on and tortured? The simple answer was that they couldn't, and for the same reason Ryu did actually have reservations about killing other Channels.

I can come to Copenhagen if that makes it easier. I will relish the opportunity to experience two new countries on the same trip. Please, if your research turns up anything useful that may help us find the boy or better yet protect him, please inform me. I feel we would all benefit from having the latest information. When do you want me to head over? I can probably do tomorrow if that works for you.

Ryu

He tapped in the message and hit send without reading back over it. The sooner he and the Stockholm boy were back in Japan and away from the other Channels, the better. He just hoped they wouldn't be waiting too long for the other person to get to Copenhagen.

 

[Kaelbu]

Gwen's eyes fluttered open around 10 AM. She didn't have to be at work until 3:00, so she took her time waking up. Throwing off her bed covers, she shuffled to the bathroom. It was then, while looking in the mirror, she noticed she'd gone to sleep in her jeans and cardigan.

The message!
Suddenly, she remembered. Maybe OrangeDusk replied to her!

Gwen stumbled over herself to get back to her lap top. As quickly as she could, and probably a little to roughly, she flipped it open and powered it on, scooting to get comfortable on the bed next to it. With wide eyes, she searched the website for the inbox, where she found a little alert icon.

OrangeDusk had replied.
"Hey There! Glad you found this important enough to lend me a hand with. How quickly can you get to Copenhagen or Stockholm? It would help to know your ability to, so I can prepare for it. Also, if you like, I can give you my cell number, then we can correspond faster, though we might be more susceptible to listening in. Respond ASAP, time is of the essence!
Thanks, and Good Luck, -Orange Dusk"

C-Copenhagen?

Gwen was at a loss. If they were somewhere in the U.S., she could've taken a Greyhound bus to meet them. But another country? Another continent?

Maybe she could scrape up enough money for a plane ticket. A one-way, no-frills plane ticket to Denmark...
But then what? She would have no money for a hotel. This OrangeDusk person probably didn't want a stranger staying in their home, and Gwen would be crazy to consider it. She'd just had a very close run-in with a mugging at best, a kidnap/rape/murder at worst. Right at home! This stranger in a strange country could be luring the unsuspecting to them, for all she knew. The situation had to be handled with some care.

Her cell number was on a prepaid phone that she got in Tifton, Georgia on her way to her current location. It would be a safe number to give out, especially since it's paid for in cash and can't be traced to where she was. Couldn't be too careful.

Gwen settled on her response and got to typing, hoping her lack of funds wouldn't prevent her from doing some good.

"I may be able to get to Copenhagen, but I'm going to be honest here. I won't have any funds after I buy a one-way ticket. My cell phone number is (#), and you can call me any time if you want to communicate more efficiently.
As for my ability, I can manipulate or grow plant life. Impressive, I know!
Like I said, though, I really want to help. If the only way to do that is to get on a plane to Denmark, I'm there. I'll do whatever I can."

Gwen looked over her response, feeling a little defeated. Did she seem desperate? Because she was desperate.
She only hoped she could be of some use. Thinking about the amount of fear her abilities were met with, when she never caused any trouble with them... She could only imagine what the boy who created the Stockholm Incident would face.

With a heavy exhale, Gwen sent the message.
She ran her fingers through her short hair, trying to release the tension in her shoulders. It was only 10:20.
What time is it in Copenhagen?

She had plenty of time to await another response, or, perhaps, a phone call.
Not feeling very hungry, she grabbed a bottle of water and flicked on the weather channel, just trying to distract herself while playing the waiting game.

 

[OnlyThePie]

Hal unlocked the door to Heinrich's flat and stepped inside, slamming the door behind him. He looked at his phone. 6:47. He sighed. If the subway hadn't been closed, he could've been home an hour ago. He hung up his coat -it had rained again that day- and walked to the bathroom. He threw his clothes on the ground and stepped right into the shower, ignoring the not-yet-warm water. A half hour later, he felt much better. He walked to the fridge and began to re-heat a rotisserie chicken from the night before last.

Midway through the cook cycle, a loud pounding resonated off his door. "By Order of the Danish Commissioner of the SDD, Canadian Citizen Hal Fengry is under arrest for being a Hunter, enemy to the human race!" was bellowed through his door. Hal turned whiter than a ghost eating sour cream. Luckily, he was prepared.

Hal shot a crystal into the ground about a half foot from the door. He watched as it rapdily expanded to block the entire hallway. That should hold them. He ran to his room and grabbed a backpack. He shoved two sets of clothes, his wallet, and his laptop into the bag. He grabbed his passport off his dresser, and then dashed back out into the hallway to grab his coat. Then he ran for the window.

Hal heard the crash of the door as the SDD men broke it down. There were shouts as they realized they wouldn't be getting through easily. Hal threw open the window of his fifth floor flat. He stabbed an orange crystal into the exterior frame and jumped. The crystal extended out into a road of sorts that Hal ran across. It dropped him off on the roof of the next building over. As his foot came off the last bit of crystal, he snapped his fingers and shattered the bridge into minuscule dust particles. He looked back across the roof and smirked. "Good luck figuring that out, assholes."

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

Hal sighed as he flopped down on the wrecked sofa. He had spent 2 hours removing his trail to this abandoned flat building, and he was hiding inside a top floor wreck. He'd need to contact somebody about convincing the world he was dead again. The realization that he had almost been captured and probably tortured had hit him part way through his escape, and he had been forced to stop and calm himself down, or risk causing a scene and get arrested anyway.

He turned on his laptop. The police would never find him here, especially since he had placed a call to a friend of Heinrich's on the force who convinced the SDD men he had run south towards Hamburg. He noticed the two new messages from GwenThumb and Ryu. He read them over. His frown turned into a grin. Now here was something he could handle.

He started with Ryu this time.

Ryu,
Please head to Copenhagen as fast as you can. Looking at flight information the earliest reasonable flight for you arrives here around 5:00 PM Denmark time. If you have a cell phone, I can text you where to meet me once you land. What is your ability by the way? It would be helpful to know. I haven't had a chance to do much research yet, as I was just chased out of my flat by SDD men. But don't worry, I'm confident in the safety of my present location, and I can find another if need be. Good luck,
-OrangeDusk

GwenThumb's situation would be more difficult, but once Ryu arrived, they could run to Malmo in Sweden, where Hal had a safehouse set up. He read over GwenThumb's message, and sent her a text instead.

Hey GwenThumb! This is OrangeDusk from Channel Surfing, but you can call me Hal if that's easier. If you can get a flight to Copenhagen, that would be perfect, I'll pay you back. I just got chased out of my flat by the SDD, but I've got a safehouse in Malmo, Sweden the three of us (our third friend goes by Ryu) can go to once you arrive. Once you land, let me know and I'll text you where to meet us! Thank you for your help, Good Luck, and be safe
-Hal

Hal nodded and sent the message. Then he leaned back on the sofa and instantly fell asleep.

 

[Blitzz]

The rest of Ryu's shopping trip was just as unsuccessful as the start. He couldn't focus on anything but his phone, waiting on a reply. From a quick google search, he discovered that Japan was seven hours ahead of Denmark, and used this to anticipate what time he would get a reply. But no message came.

It was around five in the evening when Ryu found himself back in the elevator, trying to ignore the meaningless, frustrating jingle as he headed back up to the 19th floor. Ryu fumbled for his keys and unlocked the door.

As the door shut behind him Ryu relaxed instantly. He was always happiest when at home. The apartment was in spotless condition yet again, and his laptop sat charging on the coffee table. Even the mug that had held his cleaner's tea had been washed up and placed back in the cupboard.

Bored, and disappointed that he had not yet received a reply, Ryu fixed up a simple dinner of rice and fish, and after devouring the meal, headed for bed early.

The vile shriek of the alarm clock shook Ryu from his blissful sleep once more. This time he hit the button on the first try. However, rather than rising, this morning Ryu went straight for his phone. Sure enough, there was now a message waiting for him.

Ryu,
Please head to Copenhagen as fast as you can. Looking at flight information the earliest reasonable flight for you arrives here around 5:00 PM Denmark time. If you have a cell phone, I can text you where to meet me once you land. What is your ability by the way? It would be helpful to know. I haven't had a chance to do much research yet, as I was just chased out of my flat by SDD men. But don't worry, I'm confident in the safety of my present location, and I can find another if need be. Good luck,
-OrangeDusk

Before replying Ryu flipped open his laptop and searched google for flights. Sure enough, from Haneda Airport, departing at 12:25 and arriving in Copenhagen at 5:00 PM local time. He searched the site and found there were a few seats left, but none were first class, much to his disgust. It almost made him want to cancel, but Ryu knew this was important.

Flights booked and money ready to be exchanged, it was time to send a reply. He was cautious about revealing his powers, so OrangeDusk the side he'd want to hear.

OrangeDusk,
Sorry to hear that, I hope you're okay! I've booked my flight to arrive at 5:00 PM today - it'll be midnight by my time so I may be a little tired, sorry in advance. Are you sure that where you are is safe and you won't be tracked down again? I don't want us to fail before we even set off.

As for my powers, I'm biokinetic. I can control living tissue. It's a useful skill to have - I can fix up life-threatening injuries in the blink of an eye and barely leave a scar. I can also control pathogens, so I can stop their growth and stop diseases from spreading. The two go nicely hand in hand, and I haven't had a cold in years. How about you?

I look forward to seeing you soon,

Ryu

He noticed that he'd totally dodged giving this person his number. He knew it would make communication difficult once he got to Copenhagen, but he didn't want to give away any information that could have him traced in case his plan fell through or the other two double crossed him before he got a chance to double cross them.

With that sorted, Ryu showered and dressed. Part of him wanted to go smart and wear a suit, but he knew it would draw unwanted attention. Instead he went for a similar attire as yesterday, with the same trainers and jeans but instead a red shirt and dark brown jacket.

Once dressed, Ryu grabbed a suitcase and packed plenty of spare clothes. He didn't know anything about the food in Denmark, so decided that packing a few bags of boil-in-the-bag rice wouldn't be a bad decision.

Ryu pulled open the draw to his bedside table to grab his watch, and instead let his eyes rest on the 9mm handgun sitting in the draw. It was entirely illegal for him to own it. The loaded magazine sat just to the side of it, along with a small plastic case containing an additional 50 rounds. He wanted to take it with him but knew he'd never get it past customs.

Back outside, the roads were surprisingly calm. The airport was a short walk away, and he knew he'd have plenty of time, so Ryu decided to walk it. When he arrived, he went straight to the exchange bureau and swapped out yen for Danish Krone. It was just over 18250 yen to get exactly 1000 Krone. He had no idea how much he'd need, so Ryu decided it would be better to have too much than too little.

Through all the checks and searches, Ryu found himself sat on one of the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting area at 11:50. It would be a short wait. Ryu put his headphones in, put his phone on vibrate, and waited to see if he would get a reply before his flight arrived. It would be 5:25 AM when it did, so he doubted it. The only thing he hoped for was an easy plane journey, with minimal disturbance, reasonable quality in-flight snacks and some decent movies to pass the time.

 

[Simus]

Alice didn't bother setting her alarm for Saturday morning. She wanted and needed rest, and her body seemed to agree. She had intended to tuck herself in whenever she woke up from her evening nap, curl up under all her covers and sleep 'till she got hungry. She ended up sleeping clean through the night and woke up around 7:00 a.m, almost 12 hours after she went to bed. When her eyes fluttered open and she gazed at her alarm clock in the morning sun she noticed she was much more comfortable than she ought to be. It was February, Virginia's coldest month, and even with her footy pajamas she would have been a bit cold without blankets. She had curled up with her light blue microplush blanket rather than under it so it didn't help keep her warm so much as gave her something to cuddle with. Yet she found she was not only under but cocooned in all of her covers. Her blue sheet, her old but very soft blue and white blocked quilt and her light blue comforter. Alice really liked blue stuff. She was rolled up like a burrito and extremely comfortable but how did she get this way?

"Mom." Alice said with a smile. Her mom must have come to check on her while she was asleep, saw that she wasn't covered up and went to tuck her in. Alice had always been a heavy sleeper and her mom had done this before so it was easily possible.

Her mom really did love her.

Alice laid in bed for a few minutes, just enjoying being cozy. She felt more rested than she'd had in months but wasn't quite ready to get out of bed yet. She rolled over on her stomach and got her phone out to check Channel Surfing. There weren't any Taptalk alerts when she woke her phone up. That meant Max hadn't replied to her last message yet and that was disappointing, but there were plenty of other places on the site she could go to. One particular thread caught her eye.

Post Creator: OrangeDusk
Subject Line: It's Time To Act
Message:
"Recently, Europe has faced a disaster known as the Stockholm Incident. This thread (link), explains that an incredibly powerful young boy, not a terrorist, caused the attack. It also states that many groups are closing in on the boy to capture him and use him for their own evil tools. Maybe it's time that some of us stepped in and quit hiding in the shadows. This boy needs to be spared the horrors that will befall him otherwise. History is what we make of it, and if the SDD get their hands on him, it's just another example they can use against us, and if any Channel terrorist groups get their hands on him, it will only make the chasm worse. If you're interested in helping me save this boy, we need to act fast, so shoot me a PM as soon as you can. Thank you, and Good Luck."

Alice clicked on the link in the post and was amazed and horrified at what she saw. Every single waterway in Stockholm turned to ice? By one 13 year old boy? By accident? This was incredible. Absolutely incredible. The SDD would definitely try and bring him in but Alice wasn't so worried about them. She'd done a great deal of research and the SDD aren't the fascists many of the more extreme Channels try and make them out to be. They went after the worst of the worst of the Channels. The self-proclaimed Hunters, those who chose to use their powers to hurt people. Alice understood why they did it but couldn't condone it. But many Channels were left alone by the SDD. Some even turned themselves in voluntarily and were actually helped by it. Alice had seen and read stories of Channels with powers they couldn't control and didn't want that were given medication by the SDD to cancel them out. They were happy, productive people that were relieved and thankful for what the SDD did for them. Alice had even considered becoming one of those people herself and had discussed it with her parents but they didn't like the idea at all. The told her she was being naive and she did not want to hear that but also they reminded her that she was going through a very strange time in her life right now. Being a teenager did that and that she shouldn't let that influence her powers. When she got a older she could make that decision but now wasn't the time.

Alice wanted to help with this. She felt like she needed to. But there was nothing she could do. At least, nothing she could think of. Maybe this OrangeDusk could give her some ideas? She decided it couldn't hurt so she opened a PM to him, as the post asked.

Participants: Starpebble, OrangeDusk
Subject: How can I help?

Hi there OrangeDusk. I'm Starpebble. You might have seen me around the RP'ing section with PyroLizzie. And the history section. I think you replied to the Rommel debate? Really good points by they way. Rommel was good but not that good. Anyway, I saw your message and I'd like to help but I'm not sure what I can do. I'm a 16 year-old girl from D.C with no money of my own and I'm too busy as it is with school and friends and all the other life stuff. Everything I have comes from my parents as I don't have a job and it'll be a cold day in hell before they let me hop a plane to Norway (Or is it Denmark Stockholm's in?) to meet some guy on the internet to save some kid on the news.

I'm really sorry about that, but I still want to help in some way. This kid must feel like a complete monster. Like Channel Zero back in 2005 in Chicago. Is there anything I can do to help from where I am? Anything at all? Please tell me if there is. Tell me anything.

Thanks for reading.

Alice hit send and hoped for the best. It was about 8:00 her time. She prayed that this OrangeDusk could find some people to help him or her. If she could help she would.

 

[Kaelbu]

As Gwen stepped out of the shower, she heard her phone receive an incoming text. It had to be OrangeDusk. Nobody else had her number.

She wrapped a towel around herself and swiped up her phone from the bathroom counter.

"Hey GwenThumb! This is OrangeDusk from Channel Surfing, but you can call me Hal if that's easier. If you can get a flight to Copenhagen, that would be perfect, I'll pay you back. I just got chased out of my flat by the SDD, but I've got a safehouse in Malmo, Sweden the three of us (our third friend goes by Ryu) can go to once you arrive. Once you land, let me know and I'll text you where to meet us! Thank you for your help, Good Luck, and be safe
-Hal"

Gwen stared at her phone for a few seconds, letting the new information sink in.
Okay. Hal and Ryu. The SDD...

She squinted at the phone's screen.
What am I getting myself into?
More than anything, Gwen wanted to trust this "Hal" and believe that all she was hearing was legitimate. But there would be no real way to know. She would be relieved to see a real person with real Channel abilities in front of her, but the only way to get to that point was to fly right into uncertainty. Literally.

Gwen typed out a quick response before packing up every last article she owned.
"Ok, Hal. I'm headed your way. Text you when I get to Copenhagen. And, as my username might've given away, my name is Gwen. See you soon. "

__________
With her entire wardrobe (all of seven outfits and two pairs of shoes) and personal belongings (her phone, lap top, toiletries, her passport and ID, and what was left of her non perishables) packed into one suitcase and a lap top carrier, Gwen called a taxi service and made her way to the nearest airport.

I guess I'm not going back to work.
Her stomach was doing flips. The last time she'd boarded a plane was when she was twelve, on a vacation to Canada with her parents. Now she was going to Europe to meet two strangers who happened to be Channels like her. There would be no trace of her left in Louisiana. She had nothing left to lose but her life... and what had she been doing with that?

The flight was uneventful. She had a window seat in coach, ate some of her carry on food, and toyed with the idea of keeping a journal on her lap top, ultimately deleting everything she had written. The other passengers were as silent as she was, which made it easy to nap much of the flight.

Upon arriving in Copenhagen, Gwen felt out of place immediately. Her thick southern accent sounded awkward amongst the many voices speaking Danish. She wasn't even sure what time it was anymore. Her only clue was the daylight.

With nowhere to go and nothing to do, she texted Hal in hopes he would be able to respond quickly.

"Hi, Hal. It's Gwen.
I've just arrived at the airport in Copenhagen. I can take still afford a taxi, just give me an address and I'll get to you ASAP. "

With a push of a button, it was sent. Gwen set her bags down in a chair, lowering herself into one next to it. To pass the time, she brought out her computer and started browsing Channel Surfing, something she hadn't had any time to do since first reaching out to Hal. Things had been moving so quickly since then... With any luck, he would reply to her soon.

 

[OnlyThePie]

Hal groaned as he woke up. He found himself on the floor, next to the couch. He must have rolled off of it in his sleep. The shower in this room didn't work, but he managed to find one that somehow still had water, albeit not hot. He put on a clean pair of clothes and ate three energy bars he had brought from his flat for breakfast. He was still hungry, but at least he wouldn't be distracted by it for the moment. He shuffled around the room, picking up his things. He'd be waiting at the airport most of today, and once he had met up with the others, he'd move on to Malmo. He was sad to go. He had loved Copenhagen almost as much as his home in St. Johns. But there was a boy who needed help, and he wasn't going to let that kid down.

Hal checked his phone first. He had one text from GwenThumb. He read it over quickly, and nodded. She'd probably be landing around 3 AM Copenhagen time. He and Ryu would be sitting around for a while. He opened his laptop next, and went to his email, a first for Hal. He sent Heinrich an apologetic email about the probably broken door and fines for accidentally harboring a Channel. Then he went to Channel surfing. He saw he had two messages yet again. He opened Ryu's first.

OrangeDusk,
Sorry to hear that, I hope you're okay! I've booked my flight to arrive at 5:00 PM today - it'll be midnight by my time so I may be a little tired, sorry in advance. Are you sure that where you are is safe and you won't be tracked down again? I don't want us to fail before we even set off.

As for my powers, I'm biokinetic. I can control living tissue. It's a useful skill to have - I can fix up life-threatening injuries in the blink of an eye and barely leave a scar. I can also control pathogens, so I can stop their growth and stop diseases from spreading. The two go nicely hand in hand, and I haven't had a cold in years. How about you?

I look forward to seeing you soon,

Ryu

Hal nodded, noting the dodge of his phone number. That was fine, he was about to meet the man in person anyway. He sent a response

Ryu,
I'll meet you at the airport, we have to wait for our third party, Gwen, to arrive before we can head off to Malmo, she left quicker than I expected. I'm positive Malmo is a safe location, at least for the short term. Once the SDD find out I didn't flee to Hamburg, I'll have to move again, but that wont be for at least two weeks.

That's an impressive ability, and will certainly be helpful. I'm Crystalokinetic. I can grow, shape, fire and manipulate a special kind of orange steel-hard crystal that I can generate at will. I'll be waiting just outside customs in the airport, we'll have to hang around in the main terminal for a while while we wait for Gwen. Maybe we can talk then.

Good luck,

Hal

Hal wasn't sure why he didn't include his energy transferal ability, but something inside him didn't completely trust this Ryu. But then, he had never told anyone about it anyway, since it was so invasive if he used it on people. He flipped over to the next message he had received.

Participants: Starpebble, OrangeDusk
Subject: How can I help?

Hi there OrangeDusk. I'm Starpebble. You might have seen me around the RP'ing section with PyroLizzie. And the history section. I think you replied to the Rommel debate? Really good points by they way. Rommel was good but not that good. Anyway, I saw your message and I'd like to help but I'm not sure what I can do. I'm a 16 year-old girl from D.C with no money of my own and I'm too busy as it is with school and friends and all the other life stuff. Everything I have comes from my parents as I don't have a job and it'll be a cold day in hell before they let me hop a plane to Norway (Or is it Denmark Stockholm's in?) to meet some guy on the internet to save some kid on the news.

I'm really sorry about that, but I still want to help in some way. This kid must feel like a complete monster. Like Channel Zero back in 2005 in Chicago. Is there anything I can do to help from where I am? Anything at all? Please tell me if there is. Tell me anything.

Thanks for reading

Hal looked over this message more thoroughly. He had to think for a while before he responded.

Participants: Starpebble, OrangeDusk
Subject: Re: How can I help?

Hi Starpebble. I'm afraid I don't frequent the Roleplay section much, though I've seen your comments in the Rommel debate. I've never seen anyone counterpoint me like that. Given I was going to be a history professor before I went on the run, I'd say you've got a good path in that field madam. I think I've thought of a way you can help us with this Stockholm boy (Stockholm is in Sweden by the way). Once we rescue this poor kid, he's gonna be terrified. Traveling around with 3 20-ish adults isn't going to help him much, as much of a kid-at-heart as I think I am. Maybe you can talk to him via Channel Surfing? I'm sure he'd like to speak with someone closer to his own age. Thank you for asking me, any help is good help. We'll probably come to the States after we pull off this rescue, I have a few friends in New York who may be willing to harbor us for a while.
Thank you for your help, Good Luck, and stay safe,
-OrangeDusk

Hal sighed. He turned off his laptop after sending the message and left the ruined building. He went downstairs and hailed a cab. "The Volkswagen dealership on 5th," he said in Danish to the driver. When he arrived, he purchased a small nondescript silver sedan, and drove it to the Copenhagen international airport. He parked it in the lot, and went inside to wait for Ryu to arrive. He borrowed a sign from the help desk and wrote Ryu's name on it in White-erase marker. He held it waiting at the exit from customs with the hundred other people waiting to pick up family and friends, or clients. Time for things to finally get moving.

 

[Skyrimosity]

"But I'll drink to a country song. To another long work week gone. And I'll raise my glass to a long lost buddy I ain't seen." Chris was humming along the words to the familiar song on his way to the bowling alley. He was going there to meet four of his friends and do a little practice for the league they were all signed up for. He laughed to himself. They always had fun, really, but none of them really gave a damn about the bowling. It was just the most convenient way for them all to get together and ease the pains of life as a channel. After all, it was about a 10 minute drive from the area of New Orleans where the other three channels lived and a 10 minute drive from the area of Metairie that Chris and David lived.

David was not a channel. He had no powers other than compassion. He was on a boat with Chris and Chris's dad out on Lake Pontchartrain the very day that Chris discovered his powers, three years ago. Ever since that day, or rather, the day after when David did nothing to indicate he'd tell anyone, the two have been best friends. Chris trusted no one more than David to know about these other Channels. Hell, sometimes Chris trusted him more than these other channels to keep their own secrets.

Chris pulled into a parking space and saw the cars of the other four in various areas around the lot. He wasn't late; the rest were early. He sighed as he pulled out the car keys. Never a good sign, he thought to himself. Walking through the front doors, he saw the other three had already paid and were waiting for him. He gave a brief smile and tilted his head up a bit as a sign of greeting. He went up to the counter and paid for the games as per the norm. The Three Channels gave him a look that was a bit of unnerving. Their names were Cash, Mason, and Rhett. They were 20, 18, and 16 years old with Chris and David both being 17.

Chris had not met any of them as a matter of fate or due to any particular event. Rather, Chris's powers enables him to easily pick out channels from a group and to earn their trust quickly. These weren't the only channels he had ever met, but he wouldn't have wanted to be seen with some of the others.

"Nice of you to finally show up!" David blurted out.

"Hey, I couldn't have predicted y'all'd be early. How's it going?"

Chris saw a worried look in Rhett's eyes but went about business as usual for a moment or two. Hearing the typical "Fine" "Good" and "Usual" from the trio. Something more was on Rhett's mind, though. That was fine; Chris had a way to tell what was on people's minds. He looked at Rhett with a look of confidence and knowing; Rhett knew what that face from Chris meant.

Chris focused on the boy, the only one among them who was younger. After a minute, he could hear Rhett's thoughts. Have you heard about the Stockholm Incident? Some kid froze all the waterways in Stockholm! Stockholm! A city of a million people!

You need to relax. There's nothing we can do about it but hope for the best. Besides, I'm sure you could melt all that ice if you needed to.

Rhett's eyes relaxed. He was always certain that his power of pyrokinetics would do nothing but set the world on fire; he could never think about any benefits it could possibly have for the world.

Cash could punch a brick wall and not feel an ounce of pain; he could break a bone and it'd be healed within minutes. Due to these, he was a bit of a daredevil unafraid of the consequences of his rash actions. Mason can manipulate the air in seemingly endless ways. Once, just to test it out, he attempted to remove the air from the area around a squirrel. Much to his chagrin, it worked easily and flawlessly. One thing about Mason which Chris found entirely amusing was how he cringed at the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Chris invited him over to his house, well, his parents' rented house, just once and showed him a bit of the show. Mason spent the next hour trying to learn how much of it he could.

Cash is carefree, Mason is curious as to the extent of his powers, and Rhett is seemingly constantly worried. David only knew them because of Chris. Chris is the glue that holds the five of them together; his charisma and dominating personality overpowering the insecurities of the others. After all, Chris could read their thoughts and use that information in whatever matter he chose best. But normally what was best was to plant a new thought.

He remembered back when he first met Rhett. I can't trust this guy. Even if he knows I'm a channel, he can't be trusted.

Chris used his power of telepathy. On the other hand, if he can somehow tell I'm a channel then he must be a channel too. And I could use a friend. I'll just be cautious; make sure not to let my guard down for awhile

The seed of thought had been planted in Rhett's head, and soon enough it overpowered the thoughts of mistrust.

The only person who had ever figured out Chris's powers of mind-reading and telepathy was David because Chris had not known he had the powers at the time. He considered that incident a fluke, though; no one else had ever so much as looked when they heard what Chris wanted them to. He had learned to be careful enough to make sure that any planted thoughts sounded like they were original thoughts. The worst that had ever happened was when a teacher looked up at the ceiling for a split second. Chris remembered when he got that assignment back; a "B" had been scratched out and replaced with an "A", the teacher convinced that one of the questions was too ambiguous to be counted as part of the score.

The rest of the time bowling went smoothly; they had normal conversations mixed in with a bit of Chris using his powers to talk about the things that could not be said out loud. Afterwards they went out to eat, able to forget the many troubles that came with their powers for a few hours. They said their good byes, said they could all make it to league night in three days, and parted their separate ways.

About twenty minutes later, traffic having slowed Chris down insufferably, he arrived home. His dad was watching TV in the living room after a day of work, his usual routine. Chris said hi, his dad said hi. The ritual complete, Chris went up to his room. He had yet to tell his mom or dad that he was a channel. His dad had enough of a rough life without any extra details, and his mom was too stressed out worrying about earning some extra money. Besides, Chris was more than capable of keeping this secret. And if anything ever did happen, he had a network of friends in Metairie and New Orleans, and some other areas of the state due to old friends moving around, who could hide him for as long as necessary. His family never stayed in the same house for over two years; they rented, stayed, and moved on.

He got a text from David. "Those guys get better every time."

Chris knew David's sarcasm even in a text message. "They're not so bad. Besides, it's nice to know people who are like me. Sometimes it's lonely being the only smart one around." David wouldn't read 'smart one around'; he would know it was a workaround for channel. It was best not to have any evidence on his phone just in case.

He logged onto channel surfing; his username being Cajun_Chan. It was not a very clever name; he had definitely been tired when he came up with it. He was not a very active member, only posting on occasion and not wanting to make himself that well-known. Sometimes he thought it was funny how, in real-life, he liked to have a very large network of people whom he talked with whereas online he was much less outgoing. He figured it was due to the government's ability to watch websites or how easy it was for a non-channel to register on the site. In real-life, he could read the thoughts of those he talked to and steer any conversation. On the internet, he had no idea what each person was like.

He saw an alert, saying that he was now following a user named Ghost. He clicked on Ghost's profile and saw that everyone else was as well. This worried Chris a little bit because it showed the site was not full-proof, not totally safe. Then he saw a post which caught his attention.

Post Creator: OrangeDusk
Subject Line: It's Time To Act
Message:
"Recently, Europe has faced a disaster known as the Stockholm Incident. This thread (link), explains that an incredibly powerful young boy, not a terrorist, caused the attack. It also states that many groups are closing in on the boy to capture him and use him for their own evil tools. Maybe it's time that some of us stepped in and quit hiding in the shadows. This boy needs to be spared the horrors that will befall him otherwise. History is what we make of it, and if the SDD get their hands on him, it's just another example they can use against us, and if any Channel terrorist groups get their hands on him, it will only make the chasm worse. If you're interested in helping me save this boy, we need to act fast, so shoot me a PM as soon as you can. Thank you, and Good Luck."

Chris decided to send a PM to the guy, but it wouldn't be to offer himself as help. He didn't want to get his hands involved in anything; besides, how much help would telepathy really be in that situation.

Subject: Best of Luck
Message:
"Hey OrangeDusk. You don't know me and I don't make myself known alot around here. Better at managing real people than those I meet online. Anyway, I just want to wish you the best of luck. I know a couple of channels in my area, Southeast Louisiana. They've all heard about the Incident and one of them is deeply worried about the boy. I know it'll do him some good when I tell him that there are others out there willing to risk themselves to help someone in need."

 

[OnlyThePie]

3 1/2 Months Ago, Somewhere between Seattle and Vancouver, SS Sealion

Mara looked out over the ocean to the east, looking at the setting sun. The water shone, and a dolphin leaped in the distance. She smiled. Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind. She gasped as she shot forward almost over the side, and was then pulled back. She spun her head around. Hal grinned at her and let go. She swore and laughed. "Jesus Hal, don't do that," Mara said, smiling back at him. Hal laughed. "C'mon Mara, it was funny and you know it!" he turned her completely around and looked her in the eyes. "You know I'd never let anything happen to you." Mara melted. She smiled and kissed him. He beamed when she broke away. "I'm gonna go get us something to drink."

As Hal walked towards the bar on the ship, a faint quiver went through the boat. He ignored it, it was probably just some waves. He ordered two beers. He paid the bartender, and then picked up the drinks. Just as he turned back towards his girlfriend, the entire boat shook. Mara wobbled and fell over the side. He saw her hand grab the railing. He threw the beers aside and ran towards the ledge. Mara slipped and fell farther, grabbing a protruding metal hook used for the anchor chain. He couldn't reach her. She screamed. If she fell, the boat would crush her. Only one thing he could do.

Hal clambered onto the railing and then jabbed a crystal spike into the hull of the ship. It extended rapidly into a bridge. Hal raced down and under Mara. She slipped and started to fall. Hal sprinted towards his falling girlfriend. He slid, and caught her, stopping her head from smashing into his own bridge. "Gotcha!" he shouted. He raised up the crystal platform they sat on, and set her down on the deck. Mara looked around, confused. Hal smiled at her. For one second, it was the saddest smile in the world, he knew what he had just done had doomed him. But then it was just a relieved grin. Mara stared at him. "You...you're...you're one of them?" She asked, terrified. Hal's smile turned to a frown. He just gestured at the orange bridge, disintegrating at his will now.

Mara's expression changed to one of rage. She smacked him across the face. "You didn't tell me? Why didn't you tell me!?! I'm your girlfriend, you said you loved me!" Tears were running down her face.
"Mara I-"
"NO! You lied to me Hal, that was the one thing you said you'd never do! Once we're off this boat, I don't want to see you again for a while. We're through." She said. Then she turned and ran away, sobbing. Hal desperately wanted to follow her, use his abilities to change her mind, but he had promised himself that he would never use his powers on her. He sighed sadly. The other people on the boat were staring at him. He waved, and then tossed a low density crystal into the water. It bobbed to the surface and spread into a platform. He jumped down, bracing his legs with more crystal. Then he walked off over the water, tears running down his face. He'd have to hide now. He knew just the place. Hopefully, they wouldn't come for Mara. She hadn't done anything wrong anyway.

--------------------
2 Weeks later

Hal pounded on the door to his friend's flat. "Ja ja I'm coming" he heard from inside, spoken in the German of Heinrich's youth. "Ja? What is it? It's 3 AM." Heinrich said, sleepily. Suddenly he realized who was at his door. "Hal! What're you doing here?" Suddenly, Heinrich blanched. "They found you didn't they? Come inside, quickly." He looked Hal up and down. He went to the kitchen and grabbed two beers out of the fridge. "Tell me the story." Hal quickly rattled off his story to Heinrich, who's eyes got wider and wider.
"You gotta help me man." Hal ran his hands through his hair, looking worried.
Heinrich nodded "Alright, I'm about to spend the summer with my family in Munich. You can stay here in Copenhagen until I get back, then we'll find another place for you. There's a cottage in Malmo you can stay at, if you need to go there, there's a key under the mat." Heinrich looked at his friend, face haggard, brow creased, hair wild. The man looked thoroughly frazzled. Upon hearing this, Hal immediately walked over to the couch, threw his bag down, and fell asleep. Heinrich threw a blanket over him and went back to bed. It would be a long time before he fell asleep.

 

[Kaelbu]

"Uh, Gwen?"
Gwen was startled by the sound of her name being spoken. She felt silly, seeing as she was expecting company and was still surprised to be found.

Gwen looked up to see what could only be Hal and Ryu. To her amusement, hey were handsome young men. For whatever reason, she imagined them to be nothing like her, but they looked like normal people, facing the same hardship of being a Channel.
The man who had spoken smiled at her, offering his hand to shake.
"I'm Hal! This is Ryu. He's rather tired right now."
"Hello," Ryu said coolly.
Gwen had to remind herself to blink.
"Hi," she finally replied, taking Hal's hand in hers. The tension in her body probably showed in her smile and her hand shake.

"Let's get out of here," Hal continued.
"My car is out in the lot. It's only 45 minutes to my safehouse in Malmo from here, I'll answer any questions you have in the car."
Gwen grabbed her two bags and walked to Hal's car, for once, in the company of others.
She was given the front seat while Hal drove, and Ryu sat behind them.

The drive was a little awkward, but Gwen didn't mind the silence. Her mind was still trying to wrap around everything that was happening. Why had she waited so long to make any effort toward helping other Channels? What if the sanctuary she longed for would exist one day, but not without her help?

"This is one of the longest bridges in the world," Hal interrupted the quiet. Gwen looked up quickly to take in their surroundings.
"It spans what the Danes call the Oresund, the strait connecting the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. It connects mainland Europe to Scandinavia."
What she could see in the dark was lovely. At the time, she didn't think to say anything. She just smiled to herself.

It seemed like no time at all before they reached the safe house in Malmö. It was small, but a lot bigger than the little motel room Gwen was used to.

"You two can each have a room, I'll sleep on the couch," Hal kindly offered. When Gwen started to decline, he raised his hand.
"I didn't just fly thousands of miles to help a stranger in Europe. I'll sleep on the couch."
She couldn't argue with that. Gwen smiled in thanks before retiring to one of the rooms.

With the door closed behind her, she allowed herself to relax and sprawl onto the mattress. She was in Sweden. Sweden. With the only two Channels she'd ever knowingly met. The air was colder. The atmosphere was so different... She was definitely a long way from home. And she was glad.

Gwen flipped onto her back and kicked off her boots. Despite the nap she took on the flight over, exhaustion hung over her like a peaceful cloud. It had been a long time since she felt that tired. There had always been a reason to stay a little alert. She had been, after all, on her own.

But here, with her new acquaintances working toward the same goal as she was, she felt... safe. It wasn't the uncomfortable air of "protection" she felt in the Wiser household. Nor was it the fleeting sense of "security" she would get after frantically latching the locks on her motel door. The window for these guys to show they meant her harm had passed. They seemed to be good people. Gwen liked them. She felt safe with them.

As her eyelids began to get heavy, Gwen noticed that, quite conveniently, she had to use the bathroom. It always seemed to happen that way. Just when she got comfortable, the urge would hit.

Grumbling a little to herself, Gwen tip-toed in her socks to the only bathroom in the cabin. She peeked over the couch to see Hal already fast asleep. Ryu's door was shut, and she heard no sounds coming from his room. It was strange to be in the same dwelling as other people, but also comforting.

Once in the bathroom, Gwen looked herself over in the mirror.
Wow. You're looking rough, she silently critiqued her reflection. She smoothed her hair over with a little water and wiped the excess eyeliner from under her eyes.
What am I doing? I'm going to bed.

With that, she finished her business and went back to bed, her face crashing into the pillow. She was out in seconds.

 

[OnlyThePie]

Hal stood waiting for a while, until a young looking Asian man approached him. Hal could've sworn the guy looked underage, but he assumed this must be Ryu, given he had walked right up to Hal. He looked like any man his age would dress. Simple sneakers and jeans, with a red shirt and a brown jacket. Hal fingered the collar of his own aviator's jacket, which he rarely left home without. The suitcase in Ryu's didn't look overly heavy. "I guess you're Ryu then." Hal said, in English. "Let's get out of the way." Ryu nodded and followed as Hal walked towards a set of seats that stood slightly apart from the others. He sat, and Ryu sat across from him. "Well" Hal sighed, "Here you are. Welcome to Copenhagen."
Ryu nodded. "I assume your safe location is still safe?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Hal noted the distrusting tone in the man's voice, but ignored it, considering it a given.
Hal smiled, "Yeah, the cottage in Malmo will be fine, at least for the next week. A week we wont need, but good to have none the less." Hal gestured to the assorted restaurants around the terminal. "We've got nearly 9 hours before Gwen's flight lands. I suggest you grab something to eat, then maybe sleep. I'll find some way to entertain myself. I suggest the fish place, Nordsee. All the fish places in Copenhagen are excellent." Hal grinned again as Ryu nodded politely and rose to go eat, whether he went to the fish place or not was not Hal's concern. Ryu returned about 45 minutes later, looking to be in a significantly better mood. He looked up at Hal again.
"Is this a safe place to sleep? I don't know much about the Danish SDD." He asked, concern showing on his face.
"It's an airport man, you really thing they're gonna lead a raid in broad daylight? Besides, enough channels pass through airports every day they've given up on catching them here." As Ryu raised an eyebrow, Hal waved him off, "Oh, not officially, they just do a really bad job of checking. If you pass their fancy "Hunter Sensor" you're through, and that thing only picks up active abilities." Hal said "Hunter Sensor" with vicious sarcasm. Ryu nodded, partially calmed, and then spent a while fitfully trying to sleep. Hal rose like he thought the man was asleep. He just barely brushed past Ryu on his way to the bathroom, but he used his ability to calm the man, so he could sleep easy. They had a long few days ahead of them.

While Ryu slept, Hal wandered the terminal. He spent a while people-watching, trying to guess where folks were going. He spent some time using his abilities to influence things. He started an argument in a shop over a magazine. He quieted a screaming baby. He caused a romance that never would have happened had he not bumped into a man. As the night wore on, less and less people were around. About 1 AM, Hal decided he could use some sleep too. He set his alarm for 2:45 and went to sleep across from Ryu. The man was clutching his suitcase to his chest like a teddy bear. Hal grinned as he fell asleep.

Hal bolted awake to the obnoxious ring of his phone's alarm. 2:55. He must've snoozed it. He sat up and noticed nothing different. He leaned over and shook Ryu awake. "Ryu, time to get Gwen and get the heck out of here." He said, almost whispering, as if there was somebody else he had to worry about. Ryu groggily got up, and seemed to understand what was happening. He followed Hal over to the same desk where Hal had gotten the whiteboard last time. This time he wrote Gwen's name on it, and they went back over to the exit from customs. Ryu wasn't really all there at the moment, or maybe he was just thinking. Hal didn't care for the moment.

The two men stood there for quite a while, when Hal's phone buzzed. "Hi, Hal. It's Gwen. I've just arrived at the airport in Copenhagen. I can take still afford a taxi, just give me an address and I'll get to you ASAP." Hal groaned. He grabbed Ryu's shoulder.
"C'mon, she's already here, in the airport somewhere, we must've missed her flight land early while we slept." Hal sent a return text "We stayed at the airport to get you, timing and all that. Where in the terminal are you?" The poor woman had to be confused. Her first time in a foreign country and he hadn't been there to pick her up. He frowned. Well, he would have to fix it later. There was a job to do.

As they wandered the terminal looking, Hal's phone buzzed again. "I'm in the chairs near the fish restaurant, Nordsee I think?" Hal nodded and spun around. Ryu followed tiredly, grumbling something about a fast pace. Finally, Hal spotted a young woman sitting by herself with a laptop. She had short cropped brown hair and looked worried. Hal and Ryu approached.

"Uh, Gwen?" He asked, cautiously. When she looked up, he grinned and stuck out his hand. "I'm Hal! This is Ryu. He's rather tired right now."
"Hello" Ryu managed to say, giving a tired smile.
"Hi" Gwen said, giving the two men a nervous smile, and accepting Hal's handshake with a firm grip, despite her size. Hal was struck by how attractive she was. She was no model, but then, that wasn't the kind of person Hal would find himself attracted to anyway. He wondered if she had a boyfriend. He shook his head. This was no time for childish romances. He would not let his emotions control him. The irony of this idea was not lost on him.
"Let's get out of here, my car is out in the lot. It's only 45 minutes to my safehouse in Malmo from here, I'll answer any questions you have in the car." Hal said. Gwen picked up her things, and Hal led the two out of the airport and down into the parking lot. They found his Volkswagen and piled in, Hal and Gwen in the front, Ryu in the back. They quickly came to the bridge spanning from Copenhagen to Malmo. "This is one of the longest bridges in the world, it spans what the Danes call the Oresund, the strait connecting the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. It connects mainland Europe to Scandinavia." Hal said, mostly talking out of nervousness, despite how tired he was. Nobody responded, everyone was thinking. After another half hour, they arrived at Heinrich's cottage on the beach side of Malmo, facing the Oresund.

He stopped the car and got out. He walked up to the porch and stuck his hand under the mat. He grabbed the spare key and opened the door. Once they were all in, he locked it behind them. The cottage was small. Two bedrooms, one shower, a kitchen, and a sitting room. A nice vacation home for one man, but not perfect for the three of them. It would have to do. "You two can each have a room, I'll sleep on the couch." When they tried to protest, he put up a hand "I didn't just fly thousands of miles to help a stranger in Europe. I'll sleep on the couch," he said again, reaffirming his point. The two shrugged and went into their respective rooms. Hal flopped down on the couch. The gang was all here. Time to get up and go. And with that, he fell asleep.