VIII-Lost In The Urban Jungle [Open]

[Charlotte Grace]

I am no longer a little girl, I'm not her anymore.

How long had it been since Charlotte had last seen what she had considered to be home? Seen those that she had called mom and dad? Two years now or maybe longer. Time went by rather quickly when you were in hiding after all and she was. Hiding from the Rogue Society that had ruined her life and stolen her away from Conall and Janet. Kiros Monroe had had plans for her but she had been able to escape from the terrorist society but she was still afraid even after two years of being free from them. Would they find her again? Take her back and make her do what they wanted?

Easy answer. They could damn well try. The now teenage Charlotte had learned a lot on her own. She had learned how to take care of herself without the need of adults though that was mainly with the use of her power to help her steal food and keep the shadier sort of people away from her. It was a frightening experience and there were many times she just wanted to go back home but she didn't have that anymore. She could have gone to Rose again but given that the woman had given her up before, why should she?

Conall and Janet no longer lived where they had before when Charlotte had sought them out. Had they moved on? Given up on finding her? It had taken her some time to find her way back so it wasn't too much of a surprise that they were no longer there but it hurt just the same.

Charlotte missed them as well, mainly Conall since she had grown close with him but Janet as well. Maybe she would cross paths with them again though would they even recognize her at this point? She had gone from being a child to a teenager which was a confusing transition when on her own but she made due with it as best she could.

The young girl had been living from place to place, always on the move out of paranoia and she had finally made her way back to New York City again. Her clothes were a bit old and worn but at least it was something for the homeless girl. Dodging taxis and various other traffic, she crossed over to the sidewalk and just peered into the windows of different shops. Shoplift? It was tempting since her powers made it easier.

Tags: Open
Notes: Tad rusty but thought I'd give it a go.

[John Callahan]

John Callahan had been lying low. The young man had been dealing with personal issues. Between his own power related issues and his brother falling off the map... John's life had become fairly complicated. The young man didn't know which way was up, down, left or right half of the time. John felt as though he was being torn in a million different directions. Part of it was due to his constant teleportation. John didn't like to travel via conventional means of transportation... Shit, when you had a power like this... How could you not take advantage of it? Part of John was so reckless with his ability because of what he'd seen in the future. The young man had seen how he'd turned out... And he'd turned out just fine... So then what the hell was all the fuss about? John knew that he'd turn out fine just doing what he was doing... So why worry so much?

The young man was foolish... Somewhere deep down inside, John knew this. However, that didn't stop him from having fun while he still could. John was free of all the chains that had bound him. Zoey was gone... Neil had disappeared. Everything that had been causing him stress and discourse had become undone. With his brother in the wind and his own personal problems, John had been entirely out of sorts. The young man had always been there to look out for his brother. He'd been the one who made sure his brother was okay and out of trouble... And even when he did get into trouble, John was there to bail him out. The young man didn't mind to be honest. It was all out of brotherly love. John did it because it was his little brother. There wasn't a thing in the world that he wouldn't do for him... And with him gone, John found himself depressed.

Depression combined with the inability to sleep made John a little more manic than normal. The young man had taken to wondering when his insomnia took over. Sometimes John lost track of how long he had been awake. The young man should have probably sought out help, but he hadn't. John didn't want some doctor poking and prodding him. John figured that his body would fix itself eventually. Somehow his internal equilibrium would readjust itself... It was only a matter of time. John's eyes snapped open to the sun beaming down upon him. John was laying on fresh grass beneath a tree. The young teleporter didn't know where the hell he was, but it appeared as though he was in some type of park. The young man didn't question it and instead, just stood up. John shrugged it off as some of the weird sleep-teleporting he'd been doing when he did in fact fall asleep. As John walked towards the streets, it became clear that he was in Queens... Probably Astoria by the looks of it. John hated this borough. He didn't quite know why, it just wasn't his favorite. Hell of a way to wake up...

As John meandered the streets of Astoria, the young man walked slowly and thought about his life. Softly, John ran his fingers through his hair before yawning slightly. Things would get better soon. They had to. Life was like a pendulum and when it swung too far in one direction it almost certainly swung back in the opposite direction. John walked slowly and found himself stopping for a moment to look in a shop window reflection at himself. As John eyed himself precariously he looked himself over. Not terrible. He'd certainly been in worse condition. At least he hadn't gotten any terrible cuts or broken any bones while he'd been sleep-teleporting... As John stood there he soon realized that he wasn't alone. Sure... In NYC nobody was really alone... But standing right next to him was a young girl who hadn't been there last John had checked. The hell? John eyed her carefully from the corner of his eye. Her clothes seemed a little shabby... From what John could tell from the brief glance he'd gotten of her, it seemed as though she'd been through quite a bit. With a slight smirk, John eyed the young girl again from the corner of his eyes without turning his head fully. "Nice shoes, hm?" John spoke softly to her, referring to the pair she seemed to be eyeing in the storefront window.

[Alice Taylor]

She had told close to no one, but Alice was finally back in New York after spending almost a year in the west coast. Claudia would be surprised by her return, she was certain. Alice figured she should also give her few friends a visit, like the Solers. Perhaps being a mother again has calmed Felicia down. Alice chuckled at the thought. Today was her birthday, and as a twenty-two-year-old, she should be able to tell reality from fantasy. Felicia was unlikely to change in her old age.

But, thinking of Felicia, Alice had wondered whether she really should meet her again, and show the young looking old woman her new trick. For close to a year, after the discovery of her new power, Alice had tried to gain better control of her telepathy. Charlie had been a great help, since he could take her powers and learn this raw ability with her. Alice was still learning new ways to apply it. Just like telekinesis, she had found different ways to utilize her new power. But, without knowing someone with the same power, Alice had to learn everything from scratch. The blonde thought maybe there were people that Felicia, or Khalidah, could have met telepaths in their extensive memory banks that could give Alice a jump start on what else her new power could accomplish.

But, as with everything else, all skills get perfected through practice. Alice had been walking around town quite a bit after arriving from L.A. She did some fairly ordinary things, like going out for lunch, or seeing a play, or shopping. The exercise for the day was to use her telepathy to cover up her arrival in New York from any bystanders that recognized her as Alice Taylor the actress for as long as possible, while being in public for as long as possible. So far, so good.

Human beings have lots of thoughts every second of the day. They deal with mostly one thought at a time because it was easier, but there were always other things people think about in the background. Meeting a movie star was a thought that would shoot to the top of the priority list for most people. What Alice had to do to make them forget seeing her was to pull up other active thoughts from their minds and make that priority number one, while shoving the thought of meeting her far far behind their brains.

Alice was in an ordinary clothing store, browsing for some new clothing. She hadn't upgraded her wardrobe in a long time, and figured she could use some new clothes. So far, three young women had recognized her. Call Darryl back. There's a purse sale across the street. World War Z or Monster University. Three thoughts pulled from the back of their minds, and they all scampered away without another word. Soon enough Alice could walk around half-naked in Time Square without anyone noticing her at all. Okay that was a bit much.

Then, Alice's brain scanner picked up an interesting development. A young teenage girl by the window, eyeing a pair of shoes with a thought to steal, and a sympathetic young man striking up a conversation. Alice continued to look at dresses, not turning to see the two outside the shop. Perhaps simply following their thoughts for now could give her a better understanding of their situations.

[Trevor Taylor]

Get up, come on
Get down with the sickness
Open up your hate
And let it flow into me

Trevor Taylor was gone, but his body was not so gone. There was a new master making it walk the streets and alleys of New York City these days. The goal wasn't what it once was, no longer was the vigilante Lazarus fighting crime and saving the world from evil. No, the entity to whom the name Lazarus belonged was now awake and in control. Trevor had been broken, finally. His control over the shared vessel was lost, and Lazarus remained. Lazarus supposed Trevor was still alive, but he was just...gone. As Lazarus had been during that time when Trevor held on to reality. The name had been a trick to get through to Trevor, but using the name had given Lazarus a form of power. A power to grow, and set the stage for now. But the outside world had provided the catalyst for this coup. It was the outside world that killed Shoshanna in front of Trevor's eyes.

The man had suffered so much in his life, but never this much. He had found peace, solace, and meaning in his life. Not anymore, it had been taken so violently. Lazarus had done Trevor a favor really. Now he didn't have to live with the memory of her life, or her death. All gone. All gone, all that pain, it was simply gone. And Lazarus was here to stay.

He needed something to do, now that he was out. Something worth all the waiting, all the hiding in shadows. He was a sickness, and his sickness needed to spread. The dark anti-life power he could command, as well as the luminous life force that was his to control, had to be used for the right purpose. He was a living God, and deserved to be venerated as such. A miracle here and an act of terrorism there, it wouldn't be so hard to impress these pathetic impressionable creatures called Homo Sapiens. The challenge lay in convincing his own kind that he was the Way, the Truth, and the Light. It had been attempted before, and failed everytime. Some of those attempts were not foiled so much as abandoned for mysterious reasons. He recalled the case of one Thomas Kroner, who had been influential for some time, and then simply disappeared off the face of the Earth.

Trevor had as well for some time. But that was because Lazarus had been hinding, biding his time in waiting for the moment to re-emerge and set things in motions. Tonight was that night.

There was a gathering of specials converging. Three, and one of whom he had known in another life. Trevor's life. The Elite's very own John Callahan. He may have met the blond girl before as well, but the memory wasn't fully there. His memories from that time were fuzzy at best, as Trevor had been suppressing him with that damned iron will. Well, that will had been destroyed, and now it was Lazarus' time. The world ought to tremble at that notion, he mused.

"Nice shoes, hm?"

Lazarus emerged from a nearby alleyway, and gave the girl and the man a wicked smile. The child was not known to him, but she seemed interested in the shoes John had inquired about...


"You can simply take them, child,"He said with a laugh, " I can feel that you are powerful, your life-force is so vibrant...you must be one of the most powerful of our kind alive. It burns like the Sun..."

[Charlotte Grace]

I am no longer a little girl, I'm not her anymore.

She wanted nicer things. She wouldn’t deny her desire to basically take whatever she wanted and not give a damn about the consequences but what did that make her? She wasn’t given her powers so that she could steal…was she? Honestly Charlotte had no clue why she even had the powers that she did but she couldn’t become a petty thief and yet she couldn’t help the niggling desire that welled up inside her. Shoes? She never understood the obsession women had with shoes and yet, looking down at her worn reeboks that were too small for her anyway, maybe it would be a good investment to look into getting some new sneakers. Nothing fancy, just something functional that she could run in.

No high heels that were ridiculous, no fancy shoes like that. She saw a pair of bright red high heels in the window and she inwardly laughed at the impracticality of the shoes, pretty yes but gods… The heel was spiked to the point that someone could use them as an impromptu weapon if need be. Past the high heels Charlotte noticed a nice pair of sketchers though whether they were in her size… She was afraid to go in as well. “Why afraid?” Chimed a familiar if not irritating voice. Sissy stood against the window, her back against the glass and a smirk on her face that was identical to Charlotte’s. “They will chuck me out.” She said with a shrug, her silent conversation unheard by anyone around. Sissy rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You can make them give you whatever you want and they wouldn’t even remember that you did it. You can do whatever you want.” Temptation that was very hard to ignore. “Why deny what power you have?”

Thankfully her conversation was interrupted by the presence of another. She hadn’t even noticed him as she argued with her darker counterpart until he spoke and when he did she couldn’t help but glance up at him. Not the sort you would expect to be checking out shoes or young girls that were looking at shoes. Her paranoia set in and she slipped easily into the mind of the man standing next to her without any hesitation. He would be unaware that she was even there as her power was incredibly subtle. If he felt anything it would be a strange nudge that he couldn’t quite explain. John Callahan. He was not with the Rogue Society from what she could find and he had no idea who she was which was a bonus. He wasn’t after her. Given the existence of specials had long since been revealed and she could make people believe that she had never been there; she wasn’t as worried about speaking with her power.

“I don’t think they are your colour,” she remarked, choosing to be a smartass for the time being. Her words would echo in his head and her lips never moved, azure eyes remaining trained on him as though she were gauging whether she should run or not. She hadn’t made a decision in regards to that. “How can I help you Mr. Callahan?”

It seemed that Charlotte was a beacon for specials to gather because yet another found their way to the little gathering that was already happening. Interesting… Charlotte could feel another telepath seeking to read her thoughts though she was inexperienced. Charlotte was thankful for that and closed off her mind to the other telepath. To Alice it would feel as though a door had been slammed in her face. “It’s rude to peek Alice,” she said telepathically to Alice without even turning to look over at her. Her words echoed and Alice would be capable of communication but unable to read any further thoughts from the girl though Charlotte was able to slip into Alice’s. She didn’t know Charlotte either. Bonus! “What do you want?” The question echoed in the minds of John and Alice both. John would feel a gentle but firm invisible pressure against him, pushing him away from Charlotte.

As if this couldn’t get any more complicated, another individual made their presence known to the fourteen year old though he was a hell of a lot more direct and thus made Charlotte even more wary. He sounded a little like Sissy in the way he spoke and that unnerved her almost as much as him telling her how vibrant her life-force was. Dude sounded like a pedo…

"My life force?" Her brows furrowed as she broke her gaze at John to focus on Lazarus. His mind was a frightening place, it made her scared to graze his thoughts. Trevor and Lazarus, two within one? His mind didn't make sense and yet in a way it did because of how she was with Sissy. Perhaps that was what scared her the most about him? "I highly doubt I'm all that powerful and even if I was, doesn't give me license to steal just because I can."

Much like John, Lazarus would feel a firm pressure building around the teenager who was becoming increasingly unsettled with the attention she had acquired and her power was seeking to protect her. Lazarus and John would both be forced away from the girl even more and if they fought against it they would be thrown back rather violently.

Tags: John, Alice, Lazarus
Notes: Tad rusty but thought I'd give it a go.

[John Callahan]

As John Callahan had been standing there next to the young teenage girl, he looked into the store window. It was clear that she was at least contemplating whether or not she could steal the shoes she had been eyeing. John looked to the young girl from the corner of his eyes as she looked towards him. She seemed familiar, though John couldn't quite figure out why. The young teleporter raised an eyebrow as he felt a somewhat familiar sensation. The young girl spoke to John telepathically. John eyed the girl for a moment as she spoke to him. She was funny. She claimed that she didn't think they were his color and John laughed. At least she had a sense of humor. The young man smirked again as the girl spoke to him telepathically, referred to him by name and asked him what he wanted. John assumed the young girl was still in his mind and spoke back to the girl with his own thoughts. "It's not very polite to snoop..."

John stood there with the young girl, he eyed her carefully, not quite fully knowing what she was capable of. For a moment, it appeared as though the girl was distracted. There was something about this girl... John didn't quite know what it was... But he felt as though there was something very familiar about her. Once again, the girl's voice appeared in John's mind... Only this time she was louder. The girl's words blared through John's mind. John looked at her. "What makes you think I want something?" John spoke inquisitively as he eyed the teenager. To add further confusion to the young teleporter, John began to feel something moving his body. Something was pushing him away... As he tried to stay where he had been standing, John felt that the force wasn't strong... But it was certainly firm. Who the hell was this girl?

And then it hit John like a ton of bricks. John's eyes widened as he eyed the girl. The young man did in fact know this girl... He'd met her at one point in his life. When John had traveled to the future he'd met his future self... John's older self traveled with a young woman who's name had been Charlotte Grace. She had been a telepath and a telekinetic and a mute... As John focused on the girl he could see the resemblance. It was her... It was no mistake... She just hadn't grown up yet into the woman John had met. As John made the connection to who this girl was, a wall in his mind sprung to life. With the help of the Elites, John had developed a way to put up a wall around his thoughts and memories of the future if he ever felt the need to. The young teleporter had seen the future and had wanted to make sure that no one else's prying eyes would be privy to that information.

John Callahan surveyed the situation and tried to figure out his next course of action. Before John could do or say anything another person seemed to enter the fold. As John tried to maintain his ground, the young teleporter's eyes shifted towards Trevor Taylor. The fuck? John eyed his teammate with confusion. Seriously, what the hell was Trevor doing here? Had he been trying to track John down? The teleporter had been MIA, but he didn't think it warranted any actions like this... As Trevor spoke though, John's eyes showed even more confusion. What the fuck was he talking about? As John tried to figure the rapidly growing cluster fuck of this situation he fought against the pressure that was pushing against him. This time, however, when John pushed back the force thrust against him like a tidal wave and sent John flying backwards violently. As the young man's body flew through the air, John teleported closer to Charlotte, though he was still not within close proximity to her. John looked to the young girl. He didn't want this to turn into chaos... Not like what had happened in Rome... "I'm not here to hurt you. John tried to reason with the girl... There was no need for this to become any more violent than it had already...

[Alice Taylor]

Alice continued to browse through the assortment of dresses, all lined up nicely but with ridiculous price tags. She could survey the situation outside the store with multiple angles simply by tapping into the minds of those around. The young girl outside was now being flanked by two men. One of them seemed to mean well, the one named John. The other, one named Trevor, was egging the girl on to abuse her powers. A man the young one certainly should be careful with, but the man did bring up something Alice didn't notice before: the girl was special.

Just as this thought dawned on Alice, a voice echoed in her head. Another telepathic presence! The voice was certainly from the young girl, and after stating it was rude to peek (all while noting Alice's name), Alice felt a psychic barrier slam down before the girl. The shock of this made Alice drop the beautiful summer dress she had been inspecting, which pulled some attention back to her from a couple of store salespeople. Fortunately, though Alice was inexperience, it was not the first time she has had a telepath in her head (thanks to Charlie Baker), and even with a more powerful one, she had some reliable counter-measures.

The blond noted that though the girl had a barrier up, it wasn't closed for incoming thoughts. She appeared to be fine with communicating through telepathy, but like anyone, would like to keep her thoughts to herself. Alice understood completely. Instead of the foolish act of trying to break through the young one's mind, Alice still had access to both John and Trevor's, and since Alice didn't have any intent of diving further into the two men's heads, save for knowing the situation developing around the girl, she was still very much in the loop. Alice didn't want the girl to pull herself in even further to the point that they could no longer telepathically communicate, thus, the actress sent forth her envoy.

Standing at the window, and only visible to Charlotte, was a projection of Alice back when she was Charlotte's age. But, instead of wearing contemporary clothing, she was dressed like she was from a fairy tale story, complete with a beautiful blue dress and glass slippers. The fairy-tale Alice waved to Charlotte. Though Alice may not be as strong on certain aspects of telepathy, she certain could make up for it in the diversity of effects she could accomplish via this new power.

"My apologies." Alice began. I did not mean to be rude. I am excited to meet another like myself, however. As you already know, my name is Alice. What's yours?

Alice was a public figure. There were many aspects of her life that everyone already knew. She couldn't put up a mental barrier that was as powerful as Charlotte's, but if she focused simply on the portions that she must keep secret, such as her involvement with the Company, and some other personal tidbit, they would prove to be just as strong and just as impenetrable. Alice purposely left the majority of her history open for Charlotte to gander over if she chooses. Alice knew she was a good person, and hopefully if Charlotte did take a peek, and realize through all the charity work she did on behalf of all specials across the country, that Alice was the least of Charlotte's worries.

What worried Alice was as the two men pried at Charlotte, she was becoming more uncomfortable, and through John feeling the telekinetic push, learned that Charlotte was more like Alice than she had first thought. A telepath AND a telekinetic! The Alice projection that only Charlotte could see was visibly happy, yet concerned that she was using her powers in public, as John was sent flying backwards, and immediately teleported back before Charlotte. She also noted that John's mind was now completely closed, and his thoughts were no longer available. Strange... how did he learn to block out his mind without being a telepath himself?

Please keep a low profile, friend. Alice gently reminded Charlotte. It is unwise to draw more attention to our kind than necessary. I will remind the other two.

Instead of exposing her projection to Trevor and John like she did with Charlotte, Alice simply planted a thought into the two men's heads (John was still accepting incoming thoughts, since he only locked up his memories). It serves no one to utilize your gifts in public. Neither John nor Trevor would know where the thought came from, and more than likely they would believe it was their own thought reminding themselves to behave in public. As an extra precautionary measure, Alice had also placed a telekinetic dome over John and Trevor, so they could not invade Charlotte's private space. Noting that John was a teleporter, Alice also placed a telekinetic hold on him, in case he teleported himself a little too close to Charlotte and enraged the young one.

I mean you no harm. I only want to help... and to make a friend, if you like... The Alice projection flashed a big bright friendly smile to Charlotte.

[Trevor Taylor]

Power beyond containing
Are you going to remain a slave
For the rest of your life?
Give into the night!

"My life force?"

Lazarus smiled. She didn't know what he was capable of, it seemed. Perhaps a demonstration would be forthcoming on this night. That all depended on the actions of those assembled, of course. He was not interested in harming anyone at the moment. It was more fun to play with these people, for now. Killing them was far too simple, and without meaning in the current context. Lazarus worked in mysterious ways, like the God he knew himself to be. It was just the way of the cosmos, the Eternal Law.

"I highly doubt I'm all that powerful and even if I was, doesn't give me license to steal just because I can."

Lazarus couldn't believe she would utter such a thing. To deny her privilege, it made no sense at all. Maybe she had still to learn how their very being was such that the laws of mortal men mattered less than the lifespan of a flea to the vastness of Eternity. Maybe this night she would learn. Lazarus was an apt teacher of such lessons. He had a certain methodology that left an indelible impression.

"It means exactly that."

She began to exercise her power against Lazarus. He knew well enough not to fight it, and stepped back. Mr. Callahan was not so sharp of wit. He ended up mastering the art of flight, to a degree. He was not giving up on speaking to the girl, however. Interesting, Lazarus had to admit.

"I'm not here to hurt you."

Lazarus smiled, well, maybe there was someone who was. But he had yet to make his mind up on that subject. Besides, he doubted even a powerful special like himself could harm a telepath. Before he tried anything, the girl would know it. And she could stop him with a thought. The element of surprise had been lost to his curiosity getting the better of him...

"It serves no one to utilize your gifts in public"

"Oh, I disagree strongly," Lazarus said, moving to where the second telepath was hidden. She was perhaps convinced that her position would be concealed from him. How delightfully naive. He called forth the stored life-force he collected throughout his meandering this night, and let it flare to light in a blazing aura around his body. White flames, blue eyes.

"I think I will start with you."

He reached his hand out, and began draining her of life force. Her life had a sweet taste, like bubblegum and candy. Fitting. They all had their own flavor, those assembled here. John tasted bitter, like the pain he had experienced so long ago. The details were not known, but Lazarus knew that taste. Charlotte tasted bittersweet. Pain, and hope. An odd combination, making the middle ground between Alice and John. Alice would weaken, but this would not kill her.

It took the Dark Power for that. He doubted he would open that door tonight. Once opened, he was the only way it could be closed. The victims would die but for his intervention. And he would be hard to convince...

For their sakes, he hoped they didn't push him past playing with them.