[M&M 3E] October 1962

[VLAD the Destroyer]

"Prepared?..."

Charlie is dumbfounded by this voice. He scratches his arm as the tingling begins. He takes a step towards the middle of the room when he sees the magma.

"Prepared for what you crazy bi....."

His words are cut off by a scream as the burning starts and Charlie collapses to the floor. His last thoughts before he passes out from the pain is his Pa was right.

 

[tglassy]

Gabriel sits up, embarrassed once more. But that was a way of life for him.

He wasn’t paying attention to the voice, so he didn’t understand when his skin started burning. He fell to the floor, screaming.

 

[jmucchiello]

"I don't have time for this!" Jennifer screams as feel herself starting to burn. "What is going on?"

 

[KahlessNestor]

New Falls, Washington/New Falls High School
Tuesday, October 23, 1962/12:15

Sofia took a moment to catch her breath after rushing into the shelter. She looked back at the iris door as it closed. And then the lights shut off.

“Um...is that supposed to happen?” Sofia asked, reaching out and feeling around the room in the dark. Someone told them to remain calm. “That would be easier if you turned the fu--flippin’ lights on!” Sofia snapped at the voice.

And then a series of vibrations and pauses ran through the room. Sofia wasn’t much for church, but right about now she wished for her rosary beads, and maybe a priest for confession. “Madre de Dios,” she murmured.

And then the floor dropped away. Sofia screamed as she fell to the ground, lights strobing along the walls as she struggled to right herself.

And then that annoying female voice again. Relocation? Safe zone? She thought the bunker was the safe zone! Where was it going now?

And then she could see through the walls! How the hell was that possible? They were traveling through rock like it was...pudding, and then it wasn’t even rock, but...lava?

“What the hell is going on? Tell-what? Prepared for what?” She tried to find the others in the dark. Her skin was beginning to itch, and then to burn, and all that was left was the screaming and the pain.

Dexterity: 1D20 = [8] = 8

 

[tglassy]

Fire. The world was fire. First, it seemed in from his skin, igniting his nerves, charring him to the bone.

Then a furnace erupted in his core. He tried to scream, but couldn’t catch his breath. He managed to hold his hand up, and saw his fingers charring, burning, disintegrating. His last thought was of his mother.

Gabriel’s body crumbled into burning embers and ashes.

The ashes slowly cooled, as as the last one did, they began to swirl and drift into the air. They coalesced in the air, swirling I to one spot.

Then they ignited.

Light. The fire inside had been replaced with light.

In a burst of light, A Gabriel appeared in the air.

He took a breath. He was alive. He was perfectly whole.

And he was perfectly naked.

The fat teenager hovered for a moment more as the light faded, before crashing to the floor in a heap.

He rolled over, feeling his consciousness slip in and out as his body settled. His wings formed a nice cushion for him, insulating his naked body from the cold ground. He absently moved one to cover himself, shy even as he was only semiconscious.

Wait. Wings?

As Gabriel slipped in and out of consciousness, he realized that having wings with bright red and orange feathers was NOT normal.

 

[jmucchiello]

When the "dust" settles, in the place where Jennifer Arden, scholar, athlete, driven student stood, is a pure, clear, crystal statue of a teenage girl standing erect, her face looking up making a silent cry of anger and pain. Her arms stiff and straight, close to but not touching her sides, fists clenched. Her clothes and bookbag are part of the statue. If she didn't warp the light that passed through her, she would be next to impossible to see.

 

[VLAD the Destroyer]

Charlie is in darkness, complete and utter black. He is unaware where he ends and the dark begins. He remembers the burning and the bunker but it is distant in his memory like a bad dream. All he knows is the darkness. The burning in his chest brings the realization that he had been holding his breath. Fear spikes as he is unsure if there is anything to breath in this void. He takes an involuntary breath and feels a cold slithering pour down his throat and into his lungs.

Inside the bunker Charlie lays on the floor of the room not breathing. Seconds later he gasps once for breath and begins to convulse. His back arching impossibly high and flailing around. Within seconds he collapses back to the floor breathing shallowly. With each exhalation inky black smoke pours out of his mouth and begins to pool on the floor. His eyes which flutter open have turned entirely black. As he stands more black inky smoke pours from his body pooling like a fog around his feet. In the back of Charlie's mind he can feel the connection to the void. It is now part of him and he can see it pouring out through him into this world.

 

[KahlessNestor]

New Falls, Washington/New Falls High School
Tuesday, October 23, 1962/12:20

Sofia stared in horror as Gabriel flared into fire and turned to dust. Jennifer froze into a crystal statue. Charlie collapsed into smoky blackness.

“O Dios! O Dios!” Sofia cried out. She screamed in terror. Her entire body itched. She backed away as Gabriel’s ashes swirled up and ignited again, and then Gabriel was back, naked, and with wings. Charlie was standing up, breathing black smoke. Jennifer was still crystalized.

“Let me out! Let me out! Let me out!” Sofie screamed at the female voice that had been speaking earlier.

And then Sofia vanished.

 

[Mark Chance]

Time passes. The students fade in and out of consciousness. The room continues to move, continues to be bathed in heat and light as it slides effortlessly through molten rock.

"Stress levels unacceptable," the female voice says. "Initiating frequency shift. Decrease alpha and beta. Emphasize delta."

Pain and fear decrease and then vanish, along with conscious thought. The students dream of pleasant memories and heartfelt wishes. Time loses its meaning.

"Children," an intruding voice says. "This is Mom. Time to wake up."

As if rousing from a restful slumber, the students do wake up. They're in the shelter. Gone are the flashing lights, the sensation of movement. The aromas of fresh-baked bread and bacon waft in the warm air. Soft light emanates from three covered light bulbs affixed to the ceiling.

In the corner farthest from the entrance stands a wooden table, covered with a white tablecloth. Four chairs are set near the table, one at each end, two facing the wall against which the table presses. Covered dishes wait on the table along with two pitchers of orange juice.

"Please eat. You need to replenish nutrients."

 

[tglassy]

"Children," an intruding voice says. "This is Mom. Time to wake up."

Gabriel rolled over, shoving his head in the pillow. "I don't wanna get up, yet," he said. He accidentally rolled awkwardly on his wing, and had to lift himself up to readjust. That was better.

"Please eat. You need to replenish nutrients."

Oh, food. That would be nice. He was starving. He scratched an itch on the tip of his wing and rolled back over.

Wait...

He shot up and looked at his shoulder. There was a wing. A literal wing. It had red and orange feathers. Literal feathers were growing out of his back. Feathers were not supposed to be growing out of his back.

A quick glance told him he wasn't home anymore. He was in a bomb shelter, on a cot. He seemed to remember...

Pain. Lots of pain. He'd...he'd died. He's burned up.

He'd also been naked. He lifted the thin blanket he had and found someone had put soft white pants on him. That was nice of them. He tried not to think about the fact that someone had had to dress him.

He wore no shirt, though. Of course. That would be hard with WINGS poking out of your back. But...maybe it was his imagination, but his stomach didn't stick out quite as far as it usually did. Considering he looked at himself every single morning while getting ready for school, to see how much he had gained/lost, he'd become fairly well aquatinted with his appearance. He was still a fatty, just...not quite as much.

That's when the smell of the food hit him, and all thoughts of his appearance flew from his mind. He was STARVING. And not the usual "I-feel-sick-so-I-need-to-eat" feeling, either. He was actually hungry. His stomach gave a literal growl when he spotted the food on the table.

He made a bee line for it, sitting at one of the chairs and lifting the lid.

 

[jmucchiello]

Things moved all around Jennifer. She wasn't able to focus on them. Thoughts existed but did not travel where they were supposed to go. She saw the others placed in beds but it didn't mean anything to her. She was picked up and moved, rigid the whole time. She was tipped over and placed onto something. Eventually thoughts flowed a bit and she realized she could not move.

"Children," an intruding voice says. "This is Mom. Time to wake up."

Mom? Mom's dead. That's not Mom. Where's Dad? Where's Em?

"Please eat. You need to replenish nutrients."

Eat? I'm not hungry. I'm supposed to move. A few moments passed as the others awoke. She heard them awaken but she was staring at the ceiling. She guessed she was in a bed. She needed to move. At first nothing happened. Then there was, to her, a loud crack. (Others probably did not hear it unless they were standing next to her.) And another. She felt spidery lines crawling under her skin. Then she could move and arm. Then the other. The cracks became quieter but more frequent as her joints regained their freedom of motion. Her solid crystal form not looked smooth at the surface but had millions of shatter lines inside. As she regained mobility, her body settled on the bed. The soft sheets and blankets registered felt foreign against her crystal body.

She held her hand in front of her and turned it this way and that, marveling at how it caught the light, but also wondering why it felt sluggish. She sat up on the bed. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. She did not panic. Crystal does not usually speak.

She looked at her companions and took in their changes.

 

[KahlessNestor]

New Falls, Washington/New Falls High School
Tuesday, October 23, 1962/2:20

Sofia stirred at the voices. She groaned, her head pounding. Why did it feel like she’d run a marathon? The light from above stabbed into her eyes when she opened them, and she threw an arm over her face.

But the smell of the food told her it wasn’t a hangover or migraine. Her stomach rumbled. She pushed herself up, pushing aside a white sheet. She was still in the clothes she’d worn to school. What time was it? She looked around at the others.

“The naughty word…” Sofia muttered, staring at Gabriel. He had...wings now? And Jennifer… “Oh my God! What happened to you two?” she gasped, carefully making her way to the table, trying to keep clear of Gabriel and not get a face full of feathers.

 

[Mark Chance]

Gabriel lifts the lids on one of the dishes as he sits at the table. Beneath wait a steaming heap of pancakes. Warm maple syrup in a glass container. Other plates hold scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, sliced tomatoes, and fresh fruit. "Stranger on the Shore" starts to play softly, the music seemingly to flow from the corners of the ceiling.

"I hope the music is acceptable," says the female voice. "After breakfast, please move to the circle, and I'll reconfigure the living environment."

A faint glow appears on the floor near the center of the shelter, outlining a circle about 10 feet in diameter.

 

[VLAD the Destroyer]

Charlie's eyes flutter open at the insistent voice telling him to get up. For a second he is not sure where he is but then the memories flash back. The void, the black, the strange presence that was all around, and the feeling it is still with him in the back of his mind. Charlie shivers slightly even though the room is warm for his liking. He sits up and rubs his hands through his hair, the bed creaking as he moves. Charlie sighs and stands stretching slightly and looks around for the first time noticing the others.

The others in the room see none of this. The corner of the shelter where Charlie was sleeping is shrouded in an inky black fog. No light can penetrate the blackness. The only indication that Charlie was even in there was the creaking of the bed as he sat up. The black fog constantly rolls and moves as if alive.

Charlie takes in the others appearance. Gabriel's winged form drew his attention first. His mind had problems processing this change when he noticed Jenny. Her crystalline form hard to notice as it is practically see through. The only one who seemed normal was Sofia who was having a similar reaction as him.

"What the hell is going on? Charlie says as he steps out of the darkness. The fog clings to his arms and legs as if trying to draw him back into it's protective embrace. Charlie holds his hands up to shield his eyes, which are just pools of black, from the now over bright lights. This is the first time he notices the black fog drifting from his arms.

"Holy naughty word, what did they do to us?

Charlie's face had gone pale. He looks at Gabriel eating then to the now moving statue that is Jenny and shakes his head.

"This isn't happening. It's a dream. It's gotta be a dream."

 

[jmucchiello]

Jennifer tried to stretch but she almost tipped over doing so. She felt so awkward.

“Oh my God! What happened to you two?” Sofia gasped.

Jennifer managed a shrug. She opened her mouth again but no sound issued from it.

She stood up. Charlie was just getting up and his reactions were as to be expected.

Jennifer sat down at the table and looked at the food. She still was not hungry. She wondered why she was a crystal freak when it occurred to her that maybe this wasn't permanent. Maybe she could change back. Several minutes pass as the other talk. She was concentrating on figuring out if she could change back when she felt herself freeze in place for a second.

The air around her was suddenly very warm. The others could see her skin and clothing starting to become opaque. Over the course of a few seconds she went from translucent to solid. Abruptly, she felt the need to inhale and did so with an audible gasp.

"Oh god, what happened to us? Where's everyone else?" Jennifer said. "Do I look normal?" Before anyone could answer she grabbed a pile of food and put it on a plate and tried to eat it using human bites but she was ravenous and needed to get food into her body.

OOC: Jennifer is a few minutes ahead of the conversation if you guys want to chat. Just react to her fade in to bring the timelines back together.

 

[tglassy]

Gabriel grabbed a pancake, laid some bacon on it, poured the maple syrup on them both and dug in. They were good. Not as good as mom’s flapjacks. She fried them in butter, crisping the sides. But he was STARVING.

Then a crystalline statue started moving towards him, and he dropped his fork. Then a shadow started moving, and Charlie came out of it.

He bristled his feathers with nervous energy. That was so weird. He felt as if he’d always had these wings. He KNEW it was strange, but he didn’t FEEL like it was strange.

“Oh my God! What happened to you two?” Sophia gasped.

“What the hell is going on?” Charlie said.

Gabriel shrugged. “Too much fried chicken?” He said, picking up his fork again. His hunger would not be ignored.

 

[Mark Chance]

"Negative, Gabriel. Fried chicken is not a factor in your transformations. Clandestine genetic modifications combined with telluric immanations have resulted in metamorphoses, which, along with temporal displacement, were necessitated by Amtorian manipulation of international tensions."

 

[VLAD the Destroyer]

Charlie closes his eyes and squeezed them shut tight. He took a deep breath, held it briefly, then let it out slowly. He did this several more times. He used to do this while hunting to calm himself. He opens his eyes and looks at the table. He tentatively takes a seat and picks up a piece of bacon. He takes a bite, waits a second to make sure nothing more strange happens then eats the whole piece. He fills a plate with food and digs in ignoring everything in his hunger. He is brought back by the voice.

”Anyone understand any of that?”

Before anyone answered he sees Jenny begin to transform. He watches her return to normal and take a seat.

”You’re back to normal how?” The question was more rhetorical. ”I think we’re the only ones here. Probably by design if I would hazard to guess.”

 

[tglassy]

Gabriel stopped eating, a monumental thing for him at the moment. Gabriel read a lot of science fiction. He recognized many of these terms, and they didn’t sit well with him.

“Genetic modifications. They messed with our genes. I don’t know what telluric immanations are, but that could be something to do with the radiation that hit us when we were in the lift. I don’t know what Amtorian is, but it sounds like a people, so Amtorian manipulations of international tension would be...that someone is manipulating the Cold War? But...temporal displacement? Temporal is time. Temporal displacement is time travel.”

He looked up to where the voice was coming from. “When exactly are we?”

 

[jmucchiello]

Without missing a bite, Jennifer shrugs when Charlie asks how she changed back. "I kinda just tried to be human and it happened."

She listens to the voice and is totally confused. "Where's Amtor? Amtoria?"

"Time Travel?" Jennifer says. "I was about to say that's crazy. Probably be a long time before I say that again."