Metahuman College-Issue one: College bound [IC]

Hoshiko gets a bit nervous, hoping she isn't forced to reveal Black Star to people who are pretty much strangers. "It looks like something out of the movies," she says. "Like Harry Potter or something," she adds with a smile, hoping her nervousness isn't showing through.

"This is the best opportunity I have for a good education. The tuition for the universities in Japan is simply too much for me to be able to attend. I think you could have shown me a picture of a straw hut and I'd still be ready to attend," she jokes.

Madison Public Library
Madison, Wisconsin
August 2, 2003

Cloud inwardly sighs at the interruption. That the young girl can't remember her name strongly suggests that she is indeed a spirit, and Cloud very much desires to speak at greater length with her.

When the man enters the meeting room, Cloud rises and offers her hand to him. "Mr. Pike?" she inquires.

Cloud watches his eyes closely, to see whether or not he notices the presence of the girl.

Maxwell Helmdig

Aynor, South Carolina
20:30, August 2, 2003

Max activates his force field and cautiously approaches the object.

"Great!", he thinks to himself, "Stuff like this never ends well. I can't think of the last time something good fell from the sky. O.K., there was Superman's rocket but that was just in comic books."

James Dunbar, HP 5/5

Dark Nemesis said:

-James Dunbar
New York, New York
August 2, 2003

As James listened, he briefly heard an unusual creaking sound coming from within the office. It stopped, and a moment later the door opened to reveal a tall, middle-aged man. He was dressed in a sweater and slacks, his brown hair combed into a neat style. He offered James a smile, his green eyes sparkling from behind his wire-rimmed glasses. “Ah, Mr. Dunbar is it? Please, come in.” He stepped to one side allowing James entry. Looking into the office, James would see that it looked rather ordinary. The walls were lined with oak bookshelves, filled with books. The far wall was composed almost entirely of a window, which looked out onto the street below. Just before it was an oak desk, with a computer that hummed quietly. There were two chairs positioned before the desk, for visitors.

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"Uh...hi."
James briefly greeted the man, looking over him quickly. 'Hmm, seems normal enough..maybe this is just exactly what it says it is. Still..'
James moved into the room and stood by one of the chairs, resting a hand on the back of it. He took in the entirely of the room without moving his head, and then turned to look at the man.

"So..Mr Bell, is it? I've got a few questions for you. For instance...I could do with knowing how you located me to deliver that interesting invitation of yours. You see, I have certain..issues concerning my privacy."

James tone alters as he speaks, becoming colder and more hostile. As he finishes, he looks calmly at the man, but his hand is clenching on the back of the chair, and he certainly doesn't seem to be in a friendly mood. There's very obvious anger and suspicion in his demeanour..but an astute observer would note a nervousness and a strange fear underlying them. 'Let's see how he reacts to that. If he doesn't know about Amelia, it's all alright; even if this is some kind of con, without knowing about her they can't get to me. But if he mentions her, this is going to get a lot less friendly.' James' eyes lock onto the other man's face, watching him carefully. It is obvious that he considers the man's answer to be a pivotal point in their dealings.
Behind his unfriendly facade however, James' mind races. 'Am I being too paranoid about this? What this invitation offers could help me; could help Amelia. Am I so skeptical about that possibility that I can't accept its existence? No, I have no choice! I have to protect her first, and hope later. I already failed her once; I won't let that happen again.'

Marcus Stevens (Proton) HPs: 5/5

University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
August 2, 2003

MArcus heard the inquiries from the other two men and replied, "I have no idea, I just got here, but it looked like there was some sort of trouble."

Marcus tried to glimpse what was going on beyond the door while it was open, thought briefly of changing and going under it - but there were too many people in the hall.

Red haired woman said:

“Whew!” Then, she noticed the three guys on the landing with her. “Uh… hey.”

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"Hey, yourself," Marcus said, getting a good look at her once the door was down.

-Watching Cloud Rice
Madison Public Library
Madison, Wisconsin
August 2, 2003

With a smile, the man shakes Clouds hand. “No no, my name is Christopher Bell. I am here representing Mr. Pike and Greenwood Academy. Are you Miss Watching Cloud Rice?” His attention is focused completely upon Cloud. If he saw the child, he makes no indication of it.

As for the child, when Cloud looked away from Mr. Bell’s eyes, she would find that the child had vanished.



-Maxwell Helmdig
Aynor, South Carolina
20:30, August 2, 2003

The meteorite had cut a jagged scar in the earth where it crashed. The dust was still settling as Maxwell approached, partially obscuring his vision. He moved toward it slowly and cautiously. Finally, he was able to see what it was that had fallen from the sky. It appeared to be a large chunk of either ice or glass… the substance was clear enough that he could see there was something encased within it. However, the clear substance appeared to be melting rapidly.



-James Dunbar
New York, New York
August 2, 2003

When James entered the room, Mr. Bell had moved over to a small sideboard between two bookshelves, where he began to prepare tea. However, James’ words caused him to look up with a troubled expression upon his face. Leaving the tea, he moves to sit behind his desk. It would seem to James that he is being very careful not to make any sudden movements. “Word of mouth is a very powerful thing, Mr. Dunbar. It is rather common knowledge that a young man has been acting as a vigilante in the poorer section of New York. However, not too long ago you rescued a very dear friend of mine, and so I made it a point to discover your identity so that I might extend this invitation to you. As a gesture of thanks.” He leaned back in his chair. “I sincerely apologize if I have inconvenienced you in any way.”



-Marcus Stevens and Jonn Birkey
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
August 2, 2003

While the door was opened briefly, Marcus would see that not much seemed to have changed. The metal shield was still down over the observation window, but there appeared to be no one else in the hallway. That was all he was able to see before the door closed.

The woman was small and thin, with long red hair that was tied into a braid. She wore a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, and there was a spattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose. She wore a green dress, covered by a white lab coat. Attached to the lab coat was a nametag, proclaiming that her name was Shannon Steele, and that she was a student tech. “Why are we all standing around the lab door?”

“Trying to figure out what’s going on in there,” the tall guy said in reply.



-Mai Hoshiko
Aug. 2, 2003
Tokyo, Japan

Mr. Bell smiled wryly at Hoshiko’s words. “More so than you would believe, Mai-san. Greenwood Academy has been in operation for well over 100 years. However we have only recently our curricula and our campus to fit the needs of more… accomplished students.”

Ken piped up, “So there aren’t any ghosts roaming the halls of that school?”

Mr. Bell laughed. “No ghosts that I am aware of.”

Dark Nemesis said:

-James Dunbar
New York, New York
August 2, 2003

When James entered the room, Mr. Bell had moved over to a small sideboard between two bookshelves, where he began to prepare tea. However, James’ words caused him to look up with a troubled expression upon his face. Leaving the tea, he moves to sit behind his desk. It would seem to James that he is being very careful not to make any sudden movements. “Word of mouth is a very powerful thing, Mr. Dunbar. It is rather common knowledge that a young man has been acting as a vigilante in the poorer section of New York. However, not too long ago you rescued a very dear friend of mine, and so I made it a point to discover your identity so that I might extend this invitation to you. As a gesture of thanks.” He leaned back in his chair. “I sincerely apologize if I have inconvenienced you in any way.”

Click to expand...

A look of profound shock crosses James' face for a moment. For a second he merely stares at Bell, surprise and incredulity written large on his face. 'Somone's actually thanking me? Went to all this trouble to find me, just because I helped out a friend of theirs? ...I didn't think that there were people like that any more. Especially since everyone I've met since this craziness started has tried to kill, capture or exploit me. I guess I really misjudged this man.' With a sigh, James finally lets his body relax. (Deactivate Super-Dexterity)
As he does so, a stabbing pain in his temples causes the breath to hiss in his teeth, and he grabs the chair to arrest his stagger. 'Ah! Maybe I shouldn't have kept so focused for so long. Seems the effects for coming out of 'Battle Mode' get worse the longer I leave it.'
James sits in the chair, and looks at the man behind the desk.

"I...see. In that case, I may have misjudged you, and this situation. The experiences I've had haven't exactly left me with a trusting nature. I apologise for being so hostile. So...could you tell me more about this scholarship, and what it entails? I'm afraid I haven't exactly kept up with my studying recently." 'Could this be it? A chance to fix what my insane uncle did to Amelia? Did to me? Maybe a chance to really help people? And maybe, just maybe..a chance to make the money I need.'

James keeps watching the room as he is wont to do in every situation, but he is definitely more relaxed now that he was a moment ago. Of course, the difference between James tense and James relaxed is rather like the difference between having a man holding a knife at your throat, and having a man holding a knife in his hand, ready to have it at your throat if you make any sudden movements.

(OOC: I'm guessing James believes him to be sincere in what he said. Sense Motive +2 if it matters, but hey, sounds like he's telling the truth to me!)

Madison Public Library
Madison, Wisconsin
August 2, 2003

Dark Nemesis said:

With a smile, the man shakes Clouds hand. “No no, my name is Christopher Bell. I am here representing Mr. Pike and Greenwood Academy. Are you Miss Watching Cloud Rice?” His attention is focused completely upon Cloud. If he saw the child, he makes no indication of it.

As for the child, when Cloud looked away from Mr. Bell’s eyes, she would find that the child had vanished.

Click to expand...

"A pleasure to meet you Mr. Bell," she says, shaking his hand firmly. "Yes, I'm Watching Cloud Rice."

When she doesn't see Mr. Bell's eyes glance in the direction of the table, she casually turns back herself. The girl has vanished and Cloud is not in the least bit surprised. She does, however, hope that she might get to see the girl again. The message of warning was unexpected, but something Cloud feels might be very important.

Cloud turns her attention back to Mr. Bell. "Well, I'll admit right up front that I had intended to take a year off from school. The invitation from your academy was sufficiently intriguing and mysterious that I couldn't resist coming to see what it was all about. Perhaps you could tell me more about the school and how and why you selected me?"

University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
August 2, 2003

'Dang,' Marcus thought, 'Still no clear idea of what's going on in there.'

The Tall Guy said:

“Trying to figure out what’s going on in there,” the tall guy said in reply.

Click to expand...

"I was thinking the same thing," Marcus said, looking from the tall man to Ms. Steele.

Maxwell Helmdig

Keep the field up. Watch the meteor until I can get a better look at what is inside.