Worlds Between

European Intro 2

[Hey guys. In the future can you please make your character's name bold once in each post? Just makes it a bit easier to follow :) Thanks!]

The boys were again interrupted by a sharp sound, almost like a gunshot but not as loud. It was far closer than the thunder had been, and within a second there was a thud as a body collapsed to the ground in their midst. The girl, Ann, was wearing dark clothing stained with mud.

Tom would never really admit it, but he startled quite easily; some part of him was wired directly into the nervous system of a small furry rodent. That was why he leapt so high when the cracking sound happened, gripping onto his cards so tight they almost bent in his hands. He looked around at everyone, then his eyes hit the... "Guys... guys why is there a dead girl in my front room?" The chairs were perfectly positioned so the new girl was the centre of attention in the room, as if the sudden apparating hadn't done that already.

"Holy crap!...That was loud." Tom wasn't the only one leaping into the air, as Howell did much the same. Seeing the girl in the centre of the room, he jumped again. "Holy crap!...Again!" He set his laptop aside, after pausing his game, as if it had any importance right now, and walked over to the girl. He went to her arm, waiting for a pulse. He really wasn't the best at finding them however, and, against his better judgement, tried feeling for the heart more directly, via the chest. "If you're alive, I'm gonna get slapped, if you're dead, I'm groping a corpse. Is it bad to hope for unconsciousness?"

"Well that's interesting." Sean said as he retrieved his laptop off the floor where it had fallen. He too had jumped out of his skin and as a result the device had succumbed to gravity, but luckily Howells discarded coat dulled the impact. He left it on the seat as he joined Howell on the floor, opposite him. He pressed his index and middle finger to the girls neck, finding the pulse quickly. "She seems alive, just knocked out, but it's hard to tell the damage since I don't know where the hell she came from." Sean gave the girl a worried glance, then noticed where Howells hand was. "Incidentally, you need to look under the left breast for the heart."

"Okay... okay there's a passed out girl on my floor" Tom said, standing up at once and stuffing the cards in his pocket for lack of anything better to do with them. Having too many people crowded around her would just result in failure, and he didn't know how to do any of this... "Okay" he said again, clearing the couch in a few seconds "If she's just out cold, stick her on the couch. I think... yes, there should be something in the cupboard, something useful that could wake her up. Smelling salts or something. You guys just... the couch, okay?" And he turned and left, heading to the kitchen to search through the medicine boxes; he trusted between them Howell and Sean could lift a single person.

"Right!" Howell's hand left the girls bosom in a flash. In all honesty, he hadn't intended to touch the breast, but he wasn't exactly an expert medic. "So, I'll grab the legs, you grab the arms Sean?" Howell didn't know why Tom had left, he could have probably picked her up easily, but that seemed to be besides the point. He grabbed the legs, lifting them high. She must have been out cold not to be woken by the general chaos, normal in this place.

"Whoa, steady, we want to keep the body level. Considering the mystery of this woman we don't want any sudden movements or it could send her into shock." Sean took the arms of this poor woman. "Now, on three, 1...2...3!" Sean lifted, the girl was surprisingly light and easy to place on the leather bound couch.

Tom came back into the room holding... what looked like several boxes of medication and a small bowl. "She just needs to wake up right? and... she'll be a bit better. I mean, if she's got a concussion then waking her up is a good idea" Tom was working as he spoke, taking the lids off of a few bottles and pouring them into the bowl; Albas oil, a thick dollop of vic's vapo rub, lavender scented bottles, Aloe Vera, basically anything he could find that was designed to make a person's eyes water. After mixing up, then scraping together the paste, the stench coming from the bowl was incredible; it wasn't foul, but it overpowered the senses like a power drill up the sinus. "Here" Tom said, taking a step forward with the bowl in one hand "This should wake her up." Slowly he slid two fingers through the mixture, making sure he had liberal amounts of the stuff on them before starting to spread it across the girl's face. If this didn't wake her up, she was probably dead.

Ann slowly realized that there were male voices around her, but they didn't seem to belong to the two men who had tried to kidnap her--though she couldn't really process just what they were saying--and then there are hands on her. Opening her eyes, she lashed out with a closed fist at the nearest person, catching Tom as he crouched down with the strange smelling bowl.

Tom fumbled the bowl, losing his grip on it but managing to grab it before it dropped. Because he had gripped the side of the bowl however, Ann received a suddenly and dramatic pile of strong smelling paste right on her chest. "O-oh... um..." Tom said, taking a few steps back hurriedly and almost tripping over himself "sorry about that." He didn't know WHY he was apologising to someone who had just lashed out at him "I think... we've got some paper towels... to clean that up." He didn't move though, not wanting to step away from this girl and leave Howell and Sean without back up if she did prove violent.

"She's alive! Aaaand covered in goop...And angry." Howell didn't know where this was leading, but he was going to be sensible for once. "I'm backing up...My daddy taught me good." Retreating from her, he had the courage to at least ask the obvious. "Soooo...who are you, where did you come from, and how the hell did you get here?" Subtle Howell, subtle.

Ann scrambled back away from the guys and pulled out her pocket knife, opening it with a flick of her wrist. "No, who are You?" She demanded, "First two men are dragging me out of the shop, and then I get hit in the head and wake up here with you all putting your hands all over me!" Though not calm, she was surprisingly controlled for everything that was going on.

"Woah take it easy, jeez someones cranky." Sean smiled, holding up his hands, offering one of them to the girl. "Name's Sean, a pleasure to meet you miss stabby." He tried to calm the girl down, showing he wasn't out to hurt her, and putting on some smoothness in his voice to ease the tension. "And I can assure you, we know nothing about dragging you out of a shop. Too much effort."

Howell was seconds away from pointing out the many swords hanging on the wall, heck, even a bayonet could do some damage, but he thought better than to antagonise someone with a knife. "...I'm Howell. We were kinda...checking you weren't dead. You did sort of appear out of nowhere in the middle of Tom's living room." He pointed at Tom to introduce him. "So yeah, he's Tom, he's Sean, and I'm Howell. You're in Wales. Tom's house more specifically. Ready to spill the beans on yourself yet?" He really didn't have the patience to be dealing with a crazed goth with a knife, and wanted to know all the details. Maybe then they could work out how to get her back to wherever the hell she came from.

Tom had a fist clenched inside the bowl he was holding. If it came down to it, he would use it as protection and punch the girl in the head... if he could get there before the knife that is. "Stay. calm." he said slowly, glaring down at the girl "And put the knife away before you doing something stupid." He was tensing all over, getting ready to lash out if need be "Do we LOOK like the kind of people who kidnap others? Do we LOOK like masterminds? Does this LOOK like some kind of evil headquarters? You just appeared in my front room, scared the hell out of us and started to threaten the people who were trying to look after you with a KNIFE!" The last word was a little bit yelled. He was a little on edge.

Ann stared at the three young men, Tom especially seemed to be about as hysterical as she felt. Very slowly, she used the palm of her free hand to fold the knife shut, though she didn't put it away. "I'm sorry," She said, taking a breath, "It's...Been a tough day... Did--Did you say I'm in Wales? ...As in Europe?"

"Yeah. Europe" sometimes yelling worked thankfully. Tom was just glad that this was one of the few times that he actually got angry; then again, no one had waved a knife at him before. "I'm guessing you were somewhere else a moment ago? From your accent I'd say America. Don't suppose you've had a long history of suddenly teleporting?"

Ann slumped back against the wall, "No...I'm--well, I'm from California, but I was in Pennsylvania this morning... What the hell happened?" she asked, more to herself than anything.

"Hey, we were asking you the same thing!" This time, Howell's comment had an air of humour, as opposed to the impatience of earlier. "So, lemme get this right, you get kidnapped by some guys, then knocked out, and then you fall into the middle of this room?" He scratched his chin, giving the impression of deep thought, before coughing the name 'Nightcrawler'. "Sorry, sorry...One question pops into my head though. Why can you teleport?"

Tom seemed to be deep in thought about this, gazing into the middle-distance and scanning his great and powerful mind for answers. How could a person travel thousands of miles in a single instance only to arrive safe and only semi-unconscious in the middle of his living room? It was a puzzle for the ages... Finally he came to a conclusion. Gently placing a hand on Ann's shoulder, he gazed seriously down into her eyes and said "You're a wizard, Harry."

Ann looked up irritably at him through thickly lined eyes, "Seriously? From the United States, I end up in a living room in Europe, and you're going to go quoting a Children's novel on me?" Her eyes widened as something else occurred to her, "Oh, god, my Aunt. She'll be worried when I don't get back from work...She'll call my mother..." She looked between the guys, "You don't happen to know how I could make an international call, do you?"

"well come on, when next am I going to get to say that and have it be absolutely true?" the crossed arms and slightly haughty behaviour told Tom's friends at least that he was trying to make the situation less terrifying. "I believe it is zero zero one, then the city area code, then the number" Tom replied after a moment's thought, he'd been looking up how to contact people in America lately, what with trying to get work experience over there for his second year of university.

Ann rolled her eyes at Tom but didn't bother to respond, "Umm, is there a phone I can borrow? If I use mine, I'm bound to get charged a huge fee, and I'd get my ass chewed for it."

"Tom...Did you really just say that?" Howell sighed. "Like I coughed, it's totally Nightcrawler." As the strange teleporting girl kept going on about phones, he quickly took out his phone, unlocking it with a pattern, and threw it to Ann's hands. "Screw it, I'm on contract, and my parents pay. If they go nuts, I'll just explain that a teleporting American had to use it."

"Nightcrawler had LIMITS dude" Tom said firmly, nodding to himself and watching the girl; he'd been reaching for his phone about then as well, but Howell was always faster. "No way he'd be able to teleport from America to Britain. Like I said, magic." He sniffed slightly and stuffed his hands in his pockets, one finger slowly playing across the face of a card to comfort himself. Things were just... weird right now.

Ann too a deep breath and dialed her mom's number. After a few seconds, she began to speak, "Hey, uh, mom? I, uh, decided to take a trip." She was silent for a second, "Well, umm, to Europe. I'm in Wales right now, just got off the plane a little bit ago." She winced as the sound of a woman yelling erupted from the phone's speaker, too quiet for the guys to hear, but Ann didn't look happy, "Look, I've been saving almost all my money, and the semester is over, it's not like it was all that irresponsible. Mom...mom...MOM!! Let me Talk!" The phone went silent, "I'm already in Wales, so it's too late to do anything about it. I've got money and a place to stay, so chill out. International calls cot a lot, so I'm gonna go now. Do me a favor and let Aunt Lynn know I won't be back for dinner. Thanks. Love you, I'll email you later, bye." Ann hung up the phone, sighed, and looked at Howell. "He's got a point," she jerked her head to indicate Tom, "Nightcrawler has to see where he's teleporting to. And it's not like that stupid Jumper movie 'cause I've never been out of the States. And I'm not a wizard either," she said looking back at Tom, "Because this is the first time anything like this has happened and according to Rowling, magic manifests at, what? 11? 12?" She looked between the three guys and then shook her head and sighed, "Does one of you have a sister about my size? I need a new shirt." she asked, looking down at the goop on her black corset, it was even on the purple blouse she was wearing under it.

"So, your mam seemed...understanding." Howell put his hand out, signalling for Ann to throw his phone. "Chuck it?" At mention of changing clothes, he dare not admit it, but, at least to his male comrades, it was probably obvious where his mind wandered off to, but he did managed to return to Earth fast enough. "Female people...Tom has a sister, but not your size..." He dared not tell her about the one article of clothing that might have fit her however, as the word 'catsuit' would either result in her, or Tom, hitting him. "My sister might, I forget her size, I just know she's smaller." There was one minor problem however. "But that's at my place...Unless Tom drives?" The puppy-dog eyes were out already.

Sean lowered his hands to his sides, his eyes darting from person to person before he spoke. "Actually Nightcrawler managed to teleport a distance of 100 miles at the point of his death, and he sometimes used machines to enhance his teleportation ability." Sean mentioned after the watching all the talking in silence. "And Rowling isn't the best judge of what's magic, very juvenile." Sean continued, "It could be simple quantum mechanics. There's a chance that you could have been destroyed in one place and resembled in another, although that would require some kind of catalyst and it's an extremely minute chance..." Sean began walking around in circles. "Either someone has it out for you and decided to bring you here, or the universe ate some day old meat and is about to spill it's guts." He finished, his choice of words not the best but they were something to go on. "I agree with Howell, we need to get going whilst we figure some of this stuff out." He stood for a moment, brushing his hair behind his ears, simply out of habit.

"I knew Nightcrawler was bada-Wait, did you just nerd on us?" Howell quickly turned to Ann, with a mixture of shock and glee which, knowing him, would worry his friends. "Right, let's get you clean, non-sticky and reclothed!"

Ann was still a little too shaken up to laugh at Howell's exclamation, but she was obviously amused by it, "I see that even on different continents the stereotype persists." she commented wryly as she tossed the phone back to him and unzipped the side of her corset, "Did you think that a girl who dresses like this would be 'normal'? ...Do you have a plastic bag of some sort?" The majority of the goop had ended up on the corset, but there was still a fair amount on the blouse she wore underneath.

"Look, I can't just start lugging people around to your house, she can wear something of mine for a bit, ok?" Tom sighed and rolled his eyes before nodding to Ann slowly "Alright, ummm... what was your name again? Well, yeah, umm, we have a shower here, and I will happily wash your stuff in our washing machine and tumble drier. until then would you be happy cleaning that stuff off you, having a nice shower and relaxing in a set of my clean clothes?"

Ann nodded, "Yeah, my jeans are fine, so I just need to borrow a shirt. I'm Ann, by the way."

"Tom" the rotund one with the glasses and loud voice said, sticking his hand out to Ann and smiling slightly down at her "Welcome to Wales." He might as well be civil, since Ann didn't really know what she would have to put up with over here; no passport, no pounds... she was going to be rather helpless.

Ann took a deep breath and shook Tom's hand, "Thanks... So..." she sighed, "I'm really screwed, huh? I guess I can ask my aunt to mail me my passport... Will an American ATM card work in Europe?"

Howell lightly saluted in a gesture of greeting. "Howell's the name. As for ATM cards..." He quickly typed exactly that question into his computer. 'Will an American ATM card work in the UK?' "It depends. Debit or credit? Can't find much about credit cards, but debits are fine-" He cut himself off quickly, and was seconds from slapping himself across the face. "-If you've already asked the bank." Further searching, there appeared a glimmer of hope. "Well, if your bank exists over here, it'll work no problem it seems!" He mentally crossed his fingers very tightly.

---

Two figures appeared on the street in front of Tom's house. There was a small crack, but it was too muted for the inhabitants of the house to have heard. One of the two figures was a sturdy woman of average height and tanned complexion. Tera studied the home with thoughtful hazel eyes, then glanced at her companion. "Guess we may as well knock on the door?"

Marcus Wade sighed and noded slowly, as if he wasn't interested in the slightest at what he was about to do, but knocked on the door casually. Internally, he was very excited, ready for what was to come, however his outward appearance deemed otherwise. Without even glancing at Tera once, he waited for the door to open. In a calm and collected manner, Marcus exhaled, "Hmm..." as he waited.

Tom looked up at the sound of knocking. He raised his hand slowly to the others to make himself known and said gently "excuse me while I get that. I'm sure you lads can show her to my room when the introductions are done?" He walked over to the door, feeling a little shaken at the moment, then opened the door. He gazed in confusion at the man standing on his doorstep, then shook his head and smiled at him and the woman standing behind him "Yes? Can I help you?"

Tera smiled politely at the young man who answered the door. He looked fairly ordinary, she mused, but there was tension in the set of his shoulders and the tightness around his eyes. She could tell he was a little spooked, and wondered if he was one of the individuals they were looking for. "Hello," she said softly. She had a rich, smooth voice, like honey, and her smile became less cool. "My name is Tera, and this is Marcus. We're representatives from a group that supports individuals with special needs. We have reason to believe that some strange things have been happening here lately... and we want to help."

Tom paused for a moment, looking a little frazzled around the edges. His hand slid into his pocket, a clear sign that he was feeling more than a little on edge. His fingers stroked across the cards in his palm now, feeling the smooth front of them and managing to get up the nerve to speak. It was however, a joke. "You were right Howell" he called back through the open living room door "Nightcrawler." He sighed softly, then nodded to the two on his doorstep "Yes. Strangeness has happened in here, and I will happily talk to you in a second... but the person you are talking about is currently in need of a bath. Will you excuse me for a second? And while she gets clean I will talk to you." He slowly shut the door, not fully shut, just enough that the stairs would be out of sight of the people out there. "Come on guys! take her to the shower... I've got this."

"Right, shower's this way." Howell waved Ann towards him, before heading to the stairs opposite the front door. As he passed Tom, he said only "Called it!" as he continued upstairs. "Bathroom's to the left by there, I hope I don't have to help you work out how to use that shower." He pointed to the bathroom door, stepping aside into Tom's room on the right, thinking 'Not that I'd complain', before shaking his head of the thought. He sat down by the stairs, half in case of assistance required, half to listen to the conversation occurring beneath the stairs.

"Right" Tom said, pulling the door open slowly and smiling at the people in front of him "That's out the way... would you like to come in or talk here?" He knew that Howell wanted to listen in... and that was also probably why Sean hadn't moved from the front room. This was... going to be interesting. There was no other way of putting it.

"I think I can get it." Ann smiled as she shut the door behind her, "Could you find me a t-shirt to borrow though?" She called as she turned on the water, "Just...Hang it on the doorknob or something?"

"Yeah, I'll get one now." Howell wasn't sure Ann had heard, what with the water, and the thick walls, but it was courtesy. Peeking down the stairs, he saw the odd people at the door, but that wasn't important, yet. "Hey Tom, just for now, should I get her one of your t-shirts, or your sister's?" While it was unlikely that one of Tom's tees would fit, it would be amusing, and besides, it was just as likely to fit as one of Tom's sister's.

"And what do you think Christina will say when she comes back home and realises we let someone else wear some of her clothes?" Tom called up the stairs without turning around, gazing straight ahead at the people at the door and wondering if they were going to step inside. Howell was a smart boy, he should know what would happen if his sister found out he'd been routing around in her stuff. A small notice pinged into his head as well, and a small smile curled his mouth up a bit more than his usual constant grin "And do you really want to fish through her cupboards alone?"

After Marcus Wade stepped inside, he let his eyes roam around his environment for a moment, taking in everything he could. This was a habit he developed from years of studying Martial Arts and also from growing up in not to polite neighborhoods. 'Mm...' he thought to himself as he took it all in and then looked a Tom, a bored expression on his face. "So, since you know why we are here, why don't you explain to us what exactly has been happening so that we may assist you properly. We won't be in your way for long and I assure you we can help." Marcus was always slightly awkward in situations like this. He was never sure what the proper etiquette was when first entering someone's home and he didn't want to make himself at home. So, standing there with his hand in his pockets he waited for an answer, hoping to have this over quickly.

"Ok, to but this as bluntly as possible, my friends and I" what little relaxation Tom had once had in his own grammar had been whipped into shape by an active English and Creative Writing first year teacher, they did not like mistakes "were sitting around talking about quantum mechanics and what it would take to teleport through time and space and appear in a different area. About five seconds later an American girl teleported from... where was it again?" He frowned, talking to himself and rolling his eyes as if reading from the air "Pennsylvania I believe... and landed in my living room. We woke her up, she has no idea how she did it either. There, I've answered your questions... I don't suppose you'd mind answering a few yourselves?" The area that Marcus was currently standing in wasn't very large, a small cream-coloured entrance hall that lead to the steps where Howell sat, immediately left to the kitchen and right to the living room, where Sean remained with all the replica flint-lock guns and swords and bugles on the walls.

"Indeed?" Marcus Wade Replied to both his statements and his question to ask questions. "That is... quite intriguing," Marcus said to the man listening to him, but almost as if to himself. He never had a problem remember things like this, so the notepad and pen that were in his pocket, the objects he were playing with to keep himself somewhat distracted never left his pocket. Marcus felt that a little distraction helped him concentrate more on his surroundings and on what people were saying, as strange as that was. "So, to clarify before you ask your questions of me, this girl phased right in front of you and she came from America? Hmm... Alright." Marcus now eyed the manned, barely blinking. "You may ask your questions now, we'll try our best to answer them." All of this formal speaking was getting on Marcus' nerves. He wished he could just talk like he normally did, but, manners and professionalism first he grunted inwardly. 

"Yes. I'm certain Howell will get a phone bill at the end of the month to confirm that" Tom said with a small chuckle, nodding his head back towards his friend one the stairs "Alright, questions... How? How did a girl vanish from America and appear here in an instance? How did you find her so quickly? How do we know you're trustworthy? How many other people are out there like this?" He paused, his mind trying to churn up some more questions but still listening to the man, in case he answered anything.

"GOD NO!" was Howell's first reply to Tom's mentioning Christina's cupboards. He knew Christina, and dared not think of what monstrosities hid within that room. Grabbing a tee from Tom's cupboard, a Weird Fish brand t-shirt much like the one Tom was wearing, in fact, Howell couldn't remember if he even own any tees that didn't have the Weird Fish logo, not that the boy wearing one of his many gaming tees could say anything. Overhearing those downstairs, he needed in. He unlocked his phone, placing it on the floor next to the door, with Tom's number ready to call if needed. With that, he was downstairs, by Tom's side. Turning to his friend, he informed him "She's fine" before turning to the others, "...Or is she? Is she a mutant?" He needed to know, he needed to be right.

Tera smiled patiently, amused by Howell's blunt question and sympathetic to Tom's distrust. Not long ago she had been in their shoes. "One question at a time please. I would not call this young woman a mutant. She simply has abilities most people do not. How she did I do not truly understand, and I would have to discuss the details with her. We suspect she did not move directly from America to here, and that a stressful situation triggered her gift. We found her so quickly because many individuals in our organisation also have gifts. The woman that we work for is able to locate people like your friend." Tera paused to consider Tom and Howell once more. Selene had told them that there were a number of Kleidi here, not just the girl. "Has anything.. else unusual happened lately?"

The paused seemed to stretch out forever, at least in the large head balanced on top of a thick body; Tom wasn't the fastest thinkers sometimes, but he got there. His intelligence seemed to dip between savant and retarded. "There was thunder without lightning..." he peeked outside, past the two "Or any storm clouds" he said, recalling that strange situation "Apart from that... no, nothing." His right hand was still on his cards, slowly stroking the face of them to try and keep himself held together. This was a LOT to take in, and if that girl hadn't appeared before him then he would call these two liars.

"That was pretty darn freaky...and disappointing. I like lightning." If Howell was honest, everything right now was freaky. If it weren't so clichéd, he'd swear he was in a dream, but as a lucid dreamer, and someone who hadn't dreamt in a long while, he somehow doubted that. But that worried him more. If this wasn't a dream, then what the hell was going on? Girls appearing from nowhere, people with 'gifts'? At least if it were a dream, he could suddenly shoot lasers from his eyes and join them in this weird Xavier's School or whatever was happening. "I'm sorry, do you mind if I ask something? Can you give us the cliff-notes to what exactly the hell is going on? I mean seriously, the hell?"

With a somewhat resigned expression, Marcus Wade look at all present in front of him and held out his hand, palm up. "There isn't going to be a easy way to explain this. So I'll just show you. After that, I'll try to explain further and if you have more questions, ask them. Standing here though is going to get really old really fast and I doubt anyone here has the patients for it." Hand upheld, a strong gust of wind streamed upwards for a couple of seconds, the dust in the air streaming around crazily for a moment before subsiding and returning to normal. "Your friend," he began, "like me is gifted. She has powers. We want to help her learn about and control these powers. We have reason to believe she isn't the only one of her kind here. Mm..." Marcus stopped for a moment and then narrowed his eyes slightly. "Would I have any reason to believe what I just said? About more than one? And just how long is your friend going to be preoccupied? We'd like to talk to her in front of you and be out of your way as quickly as possible, as I'm sure you'd like as well."

Sean was very mistrusting of these arrivals, and seeing the pressure adjustment that Marcus had made with his mind didn't do anything to change that fact, but the prospect of these anomalies was so intriguing, so exciting, so inviting. Countless movies and comic books had brought forth the fact that he wanted more in this life, but seeing other people with these powers and abilities just made him feel, inadequate.

With all this talk of 'learning to control powers' as well as the chance of others here having them, Howell couldn't help but raise his hand slowly, saying nothing, but thinking 'Christina's away, and it's just the three of us, or maybe Tom's mum, whose in bed...'

---

The water in the shower seemed a little unusual to Ann. She couldn't put her finger on what it was. She was simply more aware of it; of it's currents and flow.

Ann stared at the water, puzzled, for a moment as it flowed down her arm. She shook of the weird feeling and reached out of the shower to grab her corset. Might as well just rinse it off quick, she figured. It would save time and besides, she didn't like putting her good clothes through the wash too often, they wore out quicker.

Little did Marcus know, Ann was already standing at the top of the stairs in her jeans and one of Tom's t-shirts, listening. All she'd needed to do was rinse off, it hadn't taken long at all, now she was standing just out of sight, trying to decide if she should trust these people or not. She was leaning towards not.

Tom slapped Howell's hand down lightly, not too hard because he knew what he was like. He also knew that he and Howell and shared enough time recently that, if Howell HAD had something strange going on about him, he would have known. "We don't know... nothing... obvious" he gave a small shrug and frowned hard, thinking "Could be any one of us... but to be honest... all of us want in." He took a deep breath, then said flatly "Also, we have very little reason to trust you still. We haven't been told HOW these... power things happen. You said not mutant, so what? magic? chakra? technology? spirits? aliens? divine will?"

"Augmentation? Alchemy? Cosmic rays? God's blessing?" Howell couldn't help but continue to add to Tom's list. "And yeah, I'd have to agree, you've just asked a load of geeks which one has superpowers, that's like asking which AA member wants a drink." Those words triggered something in Howell's brain. "On that note, I'mma get a drink, anyone else want one?" He entered the kitchen, already pouring pink grapefruit squash into a glass, awaiting anyone else's requests.

While Howell turned to walk into the kitchen, Marcus Wade couldn't help it, the exchange between him Tom and their reaction to what Marcus had said did it. Head leaned back, Marcus let out a chorus of laughter, cracking up so hard his stomach would have hurt if he continued. "Alright, alright," Marcus chuckled, speaking loud enough so that Howell could hear him from the kitchen. His business like demeanor vanished for the moment, Marcus motioned everyone that could see him to sit down and get comfortable, feeling a bit better himself. "I'm a nerd too, a huge one. Me and my dad watched StarTrek every day. Piccard owns. Hell, I still watch cartoons and whatever else I can when I get a chance. We'll get to chat a bit more about that later, maybe." With another laugh, Marcus shook his head, insisting they sit. "Maybe Tera would be better suited to explain how all this works though, she's been working in the field longer than I have."

Ann had always had trouble waiting for something when she didn't have a time-frame to expect it in. "I was always a bigger fan of Kirk, myself." She said, appearing at the top of the stairs, "So, now that we know what we've all got in common, you need to tell me what's going on, why you are looking for me, and whether I can trust you." Ann usually wasn't quite this cold, but she'd had two guys try to kidnap her, ended up half way around the world, and then had two strange people come looking for her there, all in the span of a couple of hours.

Tom had carefully seated himself where Marcus had been waving, sitting there and watching the two people intently. Today was going to be a strange day, he could tell... His eyes flashed upwards for a moment as he thought of his mother... how was he going to explain all of this? How was he going to explain the sudden vanishing as well? it was lucky they'd just broken up for holidays really.

Tera also cracked a grin at Tom and Howell's exchange but she didn't sit down. She knew their time was limited and, as much as she would love to take it easy and exchange pleasantries with these people, she knew that this location would not be safe for long. "If this man's account" she inclined her head to Tom "is correct, we believe that you have developed the ability to jump between dimensions. The world has many layers, of which this reality is only one. There is a very small group of people who can travel between these planes. I am part of a small organization that aims to locate, assist, and protect people like you. We cannot give you a solid reason to trust us, because really in life, who can? We are only extending an invitation. We can help you learn how to control your abilities before you hurt yourself or those around you, and we can protect you from other people who will try to take advantage of them - and you- if they haven't already. Marcus and I, we are like you. We were in your position only a few years ago. We won't force you to come with us, but I highly doubt there is anywhere else you will get the answers you need."

Ann came down the stairs slowly, the plastic bag with her shirts was in one hand and her other hand was in her back pocket, wrapped around her pocket knife. "I still think I need more explanation."

Tera checked the windows and listened carefully, but she neither saw or heard anything that may be a threat, then her eyes flicked up to Ann and observed her tension. She couldn't say she blamed her. "I understand that you're confused and frightened. You can ask me any question you have, though I don't have all the answers. I do however know that, if someone can get to the bottom of this, it's my organization."

Tom looked around as well, almost feeling the tension in the room. He noticed Ann's hand slipping down to her pocket... oh yes, that pocket had... that in it. He sighed, then coughed hard and almost glared at Ann as he said "This should be handled... with a calm head. Right? And if she does go with you, she's not going alone, right?" Tom's gaze turned to Tera and Marcus "I mean, if you're here to protect and look after these people, and you don't know which one of us three is actually able to do this, then you're going to take all three of us right? Along with her?" Not that it would really be much help against someone who can create vortexes in the air, but four people might be enough to put up a decent fight.

Marcus Wade nodded in agreement with Tom, "Yes, for right now, we'll have to take all of you to our headquarters. We'll have to run tests on you all and Ann as well to make sure we have the proper information on her and on you all as well. We'll need to find out where you best fit if the tests come back positive. It's nothing to really worry about." With a look at Ann, Marcus' eyes fixed there, she being the top priority after all. "I know how disorienting it can be and confusing. It's not easy to take in all this information in such a short period of time. If you wish it, we'll give you time to decide, as much as you need. Keep in mind though, that the longer you wait the more dangerous it might become for you." With a pause, Marcus let this sink, letting the gravity of it weigh on Ann. "We'll never force you into anything, but we might have to defend you if it comes to anything that drastic, if... others come for you. We'd like to avoid that, if you follow."

Ann relaxed slightly, the talk of giving her time to decide seemed consistent with someone who really did want to help, but it still wasn't quite enough. "I suppose the two men who drug me out of the shop this morning would be some of the 'others' you're talking about?" She sighed, "Where is it that we'll be going? I'm far from home as it is."

Sean observed the exchange with silence, he knew if it was him, he'd go in a heartbeat, but alas this poor girl wasn't as trusting in this instance as he was.

"Right, no-one else wanted anything, right?" Howell nonchalantly joined the others, sipping on his bright pink drink. It was always the same, alcoholic or not, it was always the colourful drinks he loved, the nice tasting ones. Why this was an odd thing to others, he never understood. "So, we leaving? Where we going?"

"No thank you," replied Tera politely to Howell's inquiry, smiling at his very girlie-looking drink. "I would like to leave soon, if possible. We could give you all a tour of the Aspida Headquarters, and you can decide what you want to do from there? No pressure to commit, just a tour, answers, and a safe place to think. Shall we?" Her brown eyes swept the room, her words directed to everyone.

"I'm up for it!" Tom was practically bouncing on his feet as he grinned at the others "I just... I need to write a message to my mum, saying we're out." He paused for a second, then pulled out his phone "A text will do." He began to type away happily, a wide grin on his face as he worked. "I won't tell her everything of course... not that she'd believe that I'm going to tour a special facility that deals with supernatural cases."

Tom's grin was contagious, and Tera found herself giggling at his enthusiasm. "Yes, that would be wise."

"Soooo, ready when you are!" Howell pulled out his phone, rapidly texting 'No need for supper, staying over Tom's'. "Can't believe I'm pretty much going to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters!" He'd mentioned the X-Men several times now, but honestly, how else could you explain all this craziness?

"I was hoping for somewhere more like Warehouse thirteen" Tom admitted with a shrug "That means... if some people don't have powers then we can just wave a magic sword around and still kick ass." He watched too many TV shows, he got some funny ideas in his head sometimes.

"Meh, we could always find out if they have a Forge at this school. Then we could get power gauntlets, or lasers, or jetpacks, maybe teleporters, after all, if she can do it with magic mutations or whatever, think of THE SCIENCE!" Howell was going off track. Again. It was a bad habit, he just bounced to and fro like a cartoon lightning bolt. He had recently stolen another friend's attempt at a catchphrase 'Let's bounce', meaning 'Let's get out of here', for his own deeds.

Ann shook her head, but she couldn't help but smile at Tom and Howell's antics. "Alright, we'll go, but I want to know where this place is first."

Tera hoped that the location of their destination would not be too much for Ann to digest. "It is not in this dimension." For security reasons, Tera could not tell them the exact location of Headquarters. The description of that particular location would mean less than nothing to them regardless.

Ann drew in a deep breath. After a little hesitation she let it out, "Alright." She was already pretty much screwed at this point, she didn't have much more ability to get home from Wales than from wherever Terra would be taking her.

"Huh, I assume some form of inter dimensional transport would be needed, but that depends on the dimension. Are we talking about an alternate future, past or present? Or a completely different universe altogether? Because you're gonna need a hell of alot of power to transport everyone, let alone one person to this place your talking about..." Sean rambled, once again going through the motions that meant tackling the problems of the universe.

Marcus Wade remembered when he first had to go through this experience and laughed calmly to himself, the memories of it all flooding back to him. "It'll be fine," he began as he watched them all with a serene look of content enjoyment in his eyes, "All you'll need to do to get there is hold my hand, I'll do the rest." When first introduced to this brand new reality, Marcus thought the same thing: Mutant powers, genetic alterations, powers of a mystical nature, Master Swords and everything of the sort. He even thought he might be able to travel to different planets. "It'll be fun, I promise," and he winked at Sean and Howell, "and I promise you also, Ann, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I'll be with you through all of this and the second you want out, I'll take you home my self, you have my word."

Tom grinned, standing up, swaying back and forth on his feet as he prepared himself to dance around in enjoyment. This was so damn amazing, he could NEVER have imagined that this could... it was just amazing, that this could actually exist. He reached out for Marcus' hand at once, waiting for Marcus to stick his own hand out "Right then. Lets get this on shall we? It's... going to be quite an adventure."

Ann just nodded and stood silently.

Sean looked down at the palm of one of his hands, thinking about everything he thought to be real, this world he knew was just one plane of existence, this trip could mean going some place he could find himself living his life at last. Slowly extending his arm, he made to touch Marcus's hand smiling and saying "I sure hope this next leap, will be the leap home."

"Oh boy..." Howell couldn't believe Sean had actually done that pun, but still added to it himself. "But yeah, let's get outta here!" He was impatient, especially when he was being told about something so phenomenal, he just couldn't help it.

"You dick, that's my line" Tom said, pointing at Howell with the hand that wasn't reached out towards the others. He did actually say "oh boy" rather a lot, after too long watching Quantum Leap... and now he had missed his chance. Unless he wanted to to quote "sliders" he was rather stuck right now...

With another sharp cracking sound Howell, Tom, Sean, Ann, Marcus, and Tera all disappeared.

Please continue in ASPIDA Headquarters

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