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HQ: The 'Ready Lounge'

Salix

First Post
Gremlin storms back into the Ready Lounge from briefing room 2, swearing under his breath, "Everyone else gets to have fun, and I'm stuck here watching monitors. Next time I'm gonna trash the bastard's wheelchair before he makes it in the room." He slumps heavily into one of the chairs, and breathes a deep sigh.
 

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Lot

First Post
"Carrion."

A deep growling and simultaneously high-pitched voice comes from the voice-identification unit. The door opens and a menacing form enters. Standing nearly 9-feet tall, this monstrous figure has a large head that looks like a combination of a lizard and vulture, with a large hooked teeth-filled beak, dull-black eyes, and a some odd, patchy bits of black greasy hair tufting from the top of his head. His crooked neck leads into a hard, boney torso. Unnaturally placed collar bones, ribs, and pelvic bones bulge out against his leathery black skin. His long arms hang low and his clawed four-fingered hands nearly scrape the ground as he walks in. The monster has huge bat-like wings, yet greasy, completely unnecessary feathers cover them. His bottom half is vaguely goat-like, with furry, wet-looking black legs that end in odd clawed hooves. Around his legs are several odd wrappings. Further examination shows them to be fanny-packs, one of them neon-green, one orange, and one light blue. The last thing to enter the room is his long, whipping reptilian tail.

He scans the room with his expressionless black eyes until he sees Gremlin. The skin around his beak pulls back in the mockery of a smile.

"Oh hello. I'm Martin. Oh, I mean Carrion. They want me to get used to my codename. They sent me in here but I'm not...well, I'm not quite sure what they want me to do. Spent the morning taking tests and some odd simulations. Anyways, here I am.

Carrion stands awkwardly, not sure where to sit. He eventually lowers to the ground into a low crouch in front of Gremlin's chair.

"We the only ones here?"
 

Salix

First Post
Lot said:
"Carrion."

A deep growling and simultaneously high-pitched voice comes from the voice-identification unit. The door opens and a menacing form enters. Standing nearly 9-feet tall, this monstrous figure has a large head that looks like a combination of a lizard and vulture, with a large hooked teeth-filled beak, dull-black eyes, and a some odd, patchy bits of black greasy hair tufting from the top of his head. His crooked neck leads into a hard, boney torso. Unnaturally placed collar bones, ribs, and pelvic bones bulge out against his leathery black skin. His long arms hang low and his clawed four-fingered hands nearly scrape the ground as he walks in. The monster has huge bat-like wings, yet greasy, completely unnecessary feathers cover them. His bottom half is vaguely goat-like, with furry, wet-looking black legs that end in odd clawed hooves. Around his legs are several odd wrappings. Further examination shows them to be fanny-packs, one of them neon-green, one orange, and one light blue. The last thing to enter the room is his long, whipping reptilian tail.

He scans the room with his expressionless black eyes until he sees Gremlin. The skin around his beak pulls back in the mockery of a smile.

"Oh hello. I'm Martin. Oh, I mean Carrion. They want me to get used to my codename. They sent me in here but I'm not...well, I'm not quite sure what they want me to do. Spent the morning taking tests and some odd simulations. Anyways, here I am.

Carrion stands awkwardly, not sure where to sit. He eventually lowers to the ground into a low crouch in front of Gremlin's chair.

"We the only ones here?"

Wow! I thought I was going to be the resident misfit, but this place never ceases to surprise. "My name is George. My codename is Gremlin, but I don't have any secrets. As long a s we're here and not on a mission I'm alright with first names if you are. Not much to do in here except sit and watch the monitors. Looks like the furniture is too small for you and too large for me.", he says as he gets up and shakes the grotesque hero's "hand". He moves towards the intercom, punches the send button and says, "Can we get something for Mar.. Carrion to sit on in here. Something big." As they both wait, he asks the large creature, "So Martin...hope you don't mind me prying, but what happened that you look like that". Before Carrion can answer, four technicians carry in what looks like a very large glorified bean bag. The cushion is large enough to accomodate Carrion. While he is more or less on the floor, George is still looking up at him from his chair that he has occupied again. George shrugs and says, "Better than nothing I guess. So what's the scoop, what kind of stuff can you do?"
 

Lot

First Post
Carrion settles into his "chair" and relaxes.

"What happened to me? Good question. I started getting a rash...kinda like a scabby weird skin thing. You know...like eczema or something? Well, I thought I had something like that...until it got worse. One day...I woke up and I'd emerged from my old body like it was a coccoon or something. You want a freaky sight? Imagine seeing your own skin on the floor like a fruit roll-up. Anyway, been like this ever since. Few years now."

Carrion shifts forward a little in his seat.

"As for what I can do? I'm still unclear, to be honest. I was a web designer before...this happened. So, afterwards I just kept doing that. Staying indoors, doing my work, making my mortgage payments, the usual. And most of my friends have adjusted. My neighbors too. It was too much for my girlfriend..."

Carrion pauses for a moment, his expression hard to read on his monstrous face.

"...but, y'know, we're still friends and all. I just reached a point where I needed something. Like, this...this happens to you and you try to adjust and be normal and that's all well and good for a while. Then, then you need something more. You need this thing that happened to you to mean something. I mean, I know I'm strong. And I know I haven't felt physical pain since this happened. So, I thought maybe if I could find something where this, this thing that happened to me, is a good thing. Not a tragedy but something that I can make positive. That's what I'm trying to do."

Carrion stops and laughs.

"Sorry. Got a little TV-movie "poor me" monologuey in here. I'm like Tori Spelling or something...but better looking. Anyways, I can fly, I can hit pretty hard, I think take some pretty hard hits. I don't really need to breathe. I'm immune to anything that attacks basic animal metabolic processes. Also, I have these weird impulses. I know how to fight, which is weird because, besides a karate class when I was eight, I've never been much of a fighter. So, it's all kind of a mystery."

Carrion leans back again in his bean-bag.

"So, enough about me. What's your deal? What can you do?"
 

Salix

First Post
Lot said:
Carrion settles into his "chair" and relaxes.

Carrion stops and laughs.

"Sorry. Got a little TV-movie "poor me" monologuey in here. I'm like Tori Spelling or something...but better looking. Anyways, I can fly, I can hit pretty hard, I think take some pretty hard hits. I don't really need to breathe. I'm immune to anything that attacks basic animal metabolic processes. Also, I have these weird impulses. I know how to fight, which is weird because, besides a karate class when I was eight, I've never been much of a fighter. So, it's all kind of a mystery."

Carrion leans back again in his bean-bag.

"So, enough about me. What's your deal? What can you do?"

Well, I was born this way. I guess I kind of had a bad attitude, and just bounced around for a lot of my twenties. Then I went back to school and became a photojournalist. I started specializing in disaster reporting. After awhile I became a disaster relief worker and search and resue guy. I bummed around the third world quite a bit, studying with different martial arts masters. After the comet I got stronger, faster. You should see me jump. The one special thing I can do is make mechanical things malfunction. Other than that, I'm just looking to help out wherever I can. I found out about the Resolutes during the Quake affair, and that's how I ended up here.
 

Lot

First Post
Carrion nods.

"So that's that, huh? How do your friends and family deal with it? My mom died when I was in high school, but my Dad flipped out when I changed. He's come around, though. He's says I'm helpful around the house. You see, he shouldn't be doing yard work. Well, his doctor said so. So, I help him rake leaves and put the A/C units in and stuff. I guess it would be different for you, cause you look normal and stuff. I mean, I know you're a...um, I'm sorry. Little person, right? Yeah, so I guess that singles you out for a lot of people and stuff, but..."

Carrion pauses awkwardly.

"I'm really sorry. I'm not trying to compare turning into a monstrous demon creature with being short. I just meant that you must be used to people looking at you differently. It's just, I get that a lot too. And I never did, so it kinda feels weird."

Carrion clears his throat to change the subject, but the noise from his throat sounds like he's trying to force a cat into a blender.

"So...have you done much work for the Resolutes. I mean, do you just hang out here until they tell you to do stuff? And where is everybody else?"
 

Salix

First Post
Lot said:
Carrion nods.

"So that's that, huh? How do your friends and family deal with it? My mom died when I was in high school, but my Dad flipped out when I changed. He's come around, though. He's says I'm helpful around the house. You see, he shouldn't be doing yard work. Well, his doctor said so. So, I help him rake leaves and put the A/C units in and stuff. I guess it would be different for you, cause you look normal and stuff. I mean, I know you're a...um, I'm sorry. Little person, right? Yeah, so I guess that singles you out for a lot of people and stuff, but..."

Carrion pauses awkwardly.

"I'm really sorry. I'm not trying to compare turning into a monstrous demon creature with being short. I just meant that you must be used to people looking at you differently. It's just, I get that a lot too. And I never did, so it kinda feels weird."

Carrion clears his throat to change the subject, but the noise from his throat sounds like he's trying to force a cat into a blender.

"So...have you done much work for the Resolutes. I mean, do you just hang out here until they tell you to do stuff? And where is everybody else?"

No offense taken. I'm in my mid thirties, If I can't deal with my size by now, it ain't gonna happen. As for the Resolutes, I haven't gotten in on any action yet, but you and I should be on the next team out the door. I think we're going to work great together. I hope we get someone with a little less muscle and some more subtle skills. I think we're only going to be good closeup. It'd be nice to have someone with some long range skills. There's Resolutes who can read minds, fly super fast, pull anyhting you need out of a bag. Its pretty wild in here sometimes. One thing you know is that it isn't going to be boring.
 

Rystil Arden

First Post
"Sierra Perseis," there is a voice from outside the door.

*The door opens, and an incredibly beautiful young woman with long black hair and an elegant green gown trimmed with gold sashays into the ready room nonchalantly, not noticing the relative emptiness at first as she addresses the room in a melodic voice:*

"So, how's the party over here with the rest of you Resolutes? Anyone want to go out to Champp's? It's Karaoke night on Wednesdays, and I know I need practise if I'm ever going to improve!"

*As she turns to gaze at the two other occupants of the room, her blue eyes meet each of theirs with an unwavering smile, even when glancing over Carrion. She puts a finger to her full lips.*

"Well, perhaps not enough for a party yet, but it's a start, right? But how rude of me."

*She waves in greeting.*

"You may have heard of me. The name is Sierra. Sierra Perseis. A pleasure to meet you both."
 
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