ic Tropical Getaway: Walk About (IC)

[Thevshi]

Rai Ki Wai Estate

Wakaya Island, Fiji

Saturday, February 17, 2024, approximately 9:42 AM local time

 

After having a bit to eat with Michael, Carmen had decided to explore more of the island while the others began either settling in near the pool or started making their way down to the beach. Moving away from the area near the main house, she found the property had several open grass fields, along with well cared for gardens, but then quickly became jungle. A short distance from the buildings and tennis court there was also a helicopter pad.

 

Moving into the jungle, the teen was met with an array of scents, from the various wildflowers and other plants to numerous birds and other small animals. It was certainly reminiscent of Puerto Rico, if different flora and fauna.

 

A short while after stalking through the jungle, Carmen came to a tall fence that seemed to be set up around the property. Beyond it lay more jungle and the higher elevation that was toward the center of the island. Of course, the fence represented little in the way of an obstacle for the teen.

[MoonSimply]

Carmen was enjoying herself here in this tropical paradise. Once far enough away from the facility, it was just like home, strolling about as she liked. However, for the time being she was simply walking the trail, going out towards the outskirts. With so many sights and smells, Carmen felt like she was back at home. So, when she approached the fence that surrounded the property all around, she simply shrugged. With a large leap, Carmen would quickly make it to the other side without a single issue, the restraints were off now.

 

Soon she was going full speed through the forest without a care, moving like an animal across untrodden land, climbing up tress and jumping from one to another like her namesake would out in the wild. This was her freedom, as if in a natural state of being in mind as went about. There was high places to be, things to see, and she had all the time in the world.

[Thevshi]

Velocity

 

North Bay

Freedom City, New Jersey

Approximately 3:52 AM local time

 

Megan Howell-Harrow woke with a start at the sound of an alarm from the nightstand beside her, adrenaline coursing through her helping to push away the disorientation of being woken up in the middle of the night. In a movement faster than most could see, she snatched up a tablet from the nightstand and sat up as she looked down at the screen as her husband began stirring beside her.

 

"What is it?" Robert Harrow asked rather groggily as he partially sat up in the bed to look over at Megan. Even in his half-asleep state, Robert's distinct British accent (far more pronounced than Lawrence's) was hard to miss.

 

"Proximity sensor along the fence in Fiji." Megan stated as she scrolled through the feed from the security system on the island.

 

"Probably just an animal, or one of Lawrence's friends." Robert stated.

 

Megan was quite as she scrolled through various camera feeds from along the fence line. "Maybe. Only one camera had an angle on it, but I cannot really see what it was." Megan stated with a frown as she selected other data coming from the system.

Yawning and sitting fully upright, Robert tried to look over her shoulder. "Anything seem unusual around the house?"

 

"Heat signatures show they are mostly gathered on the deck or down at the beach." Megan stated. Setting down the table, she began to climb out of bed. "I will go check things out to make sure everything is okay."

A frown came to Robert's face, although it was difficult to see in the dim light. "We promised Lawrence we would give him and his friends some space. I would remind you, that we agreed to this trip in part because you did not want to feel like a hypocrite given some of the things you were up to at that age."

 

Megan had vanished in a blur and a moment later was standing back at the foot of the bed in her Velocity costume. "That was a bit different. I did not have several cosmic entities after me like Lawrence does."

 

"That you know of." Robert pointed out.

 

Megan gave her husband a small smirk. "I will stay outside the fence, just check the area where the alarm was tripped and then do a box search outside the fence."

 

"Of how large an area?" Robert quickly asked.

"Just the rest of the island." Megan responded. Even in the dim light, she knew full well what sort of expression was on Robert's face. "Fine, just a square mile or so outside. If there is no clear indication that anything is wrong, I won’t go into the compound, and certainly not anywhere near the house or beach."

 

Letting out a small sigh as he realized there was no point in trying to further dissuade her, Robert asked, "and do you want me to do anything?"

 

"Keep an eye on the heat signatures, let me know if there are any changes that suggest they may be in trouble. And if you don't hear back from me in the next five minutes, call Stesha and let her know what is going on." Megan replied as she half climbed onto the bed and gave her husband a kiss. "I will be back before you know it."

 

*WOOSH*

 

Megan was gone from her bedroom in a blur and a rush of air, and in moments was speeding through North Bay and then out onto the water of the Great Bay. Once away from shore, the speedster kicked her speed in full gear, as she went hypersonic, breaking the sound barrier with a loud crack and boom. Given the speeds she was going, she chose to stay out over the water, heading south down the Atlantic coast, around the tip of Florida, through the Gulf of Mexico and then across the narrowest part of Mexico near the Yucatan Peninsula and then the across the Pacific Ocean to Fiji.

 

All said, it took her about six seconds to cover the approximately 8,300 miles her route had taken her.

 

As she entered the warm sunny climate and saw Wakaya Island ahead, the speedster slowed down to just over supersonic speed, veering to the island on a route that would not take her near the compound where her son and his friends were currently gathered. It was only a few seconds later that she was over near the fence where the sensor had been triggered. Megan scanned the area, not even having to turn her head to do so as her goggles fed her images from all around her.

Not seeing any sign of an intruder or anyone else trying to get into the compound, she started off in a yellow blur, beginning a box search of the area at superspeed. Moments later she had spotted a figure ahead, up in one of the trees, but as her goggles zoomed in, she recognized the figure as one of the Claremont students she had seen at the League holiday party and met in the aftermath of the chaotic events that had occurred earlier in the week on Valentine's Day. Letting out a sigh of relief, Megan slowed down as she zipped over near the tree, skidding to a halt as she looked up at Carmen.

"Hi, your La Puma Negra right? I take it you jumped over the fence back there a couple minutes ago?"

[MoonSimply]

Carmen had been exploring to her hearts content for at least a couple of minutes now, finding herself on one tree with a particularly long and low hanging branch with a good view, peering out from the growth of the tropical moist forest that surrounded the compound. It was only natural for her as she climbed up the tree after jumping over to it to slowly climb out to it, testing how strong it was and if it could support her own weight. It seemed at the least that it could, slowly laying herself down over it with a restful expression, perfectly balanced as she closed her eyes for a while. There was a sort of calm to it, finding to an extent some peace with herself and what she was. The doubts still lurked in the back of her mind about it however, closing her eyes as if to take a small nap within the surrounding wilderness.

 

That was until she sensed something, hearing some sort of faint sound. Something quick and fast, far fast than she was come right towards where she was. Specifically, below her. Carmen would recognize her soon enough as the speedster hero that ran the Christmas party and on Valentines Day with the Freedom League, Velocity. Carmen didn't believe that she had ever spoken with her at all before, at least from what she could recall. The werecat young woman would turn over to her side, lounging there as she looked below to this new arrival.

 

"Yes, I did. Am I not supposed to?" she says nonchalantly, Carmen not moving from her perch as she seemed rather relaxed up there, "Your Lawrence's mother, right? On the Freedom League?"

Edited February 1 by MoonSimply

[Thevshi]

Velocity

 

"Yes on both accounts." Velocity responded with a smile, much more relaxed now that she realized there was no threat. "But as we are out here alone, it's just Megan, Lawrence's mom." As she said that, the speedster took off her mask, goggles and the brunette wing attached to the mask and shook out her long blonde hair. Megan looked back up at Carmen, who could see she had bright blue eyes that seemed to almost burst with energy, the very image of Lawrence's eyes. Now that Megan was a bit closer than she had been at the League party when she had taken off her mask, Carmen could also see it was somewhat difficult to tell exactly how old she was. She could be in her early thirties, but also could easily pass for being in her late twenties.

 

"As for the fence, we were not going to force any of you to just stay on the compound or anything for this trip, but, you did set off a motion sensor, and as I did not have a good camera angle, and you are naturally rather stealthy, I came out just be sure everything was fine. Against my husband's judgment." She gave a wry smile at the last part.

 

Focusing back on Carmen, the blonde woman gave her a smile. "Anyway, I understand wanting to explore some. I would note that there is another private estate out that way," She pointed off to her left, "so if you come to a fence or a gate over there, I would ask you respect their privacy. Also, on the other side of the island is a small resort and the town where the staff for the resort and the private estates live."

[MoonSimply]

La Puma Negra

 

Carmen didn't move from her spot, tail idly lapping around to and fro in a slow manner as she looked down towards Lawrence's mother. To be fair, she didn't look that old either, Carmen unsure just how old the woman actually was and could have confused her for being a college student or something of the sort. Her own green eyes, cat's eyes, looked into Megan's own, not taking them off of her as she stayed up there. She wasn't smiling, instead looking rather passive, as if somewhat disturbed from a fun time. Carmen had been exploring only a couple of minutes before deciding to lounge on the tree branch, and only a few more before Megan suddenly ran in from out of the blue it felt. It was her property she supposed, one to be protective over.

 

"I take that as a compliment. I do my best not to get caught. Didn't think you'd all have motion sensers and all that, but it makes sense if you're a member of the Freedom League huh?" she says, stretching out before hoping down after hearing Megan out, "I was half expecting the rest of them to have sent someone to find me. Probably though I was eating some bird out here or something like that."

[Thevshi]

Velocity

 

Megan gave Carmen a smile as the teen indicated she would consider the comment about being stealthy a compliment. "Well, there are certainly many heroes that regularly make use of being stealthy, so, it can be a good asset." She replied. "As for the security, both my husband and I have had some experiences with time travelers, in addition to the normal concerns that can come from being a member of the League. As if that were not enough, Quirk is not the only cosmic entity that has shown an interest in Lawrence. So, we probably have the most robust security system anywhere within a thousand miles of here, if not further."

 

"Oh, which reminds me." The blonde woman stated as she took out her cellphone and began typing. "Sorry, just need to send a text to my husband to let him know everything is okay. Otherwise, we might have Fluer and possibly the rest of the League showing up in the next five or so minutes."

 

Finishing the text, she put the phone away again and looked back to Carmen with a smile. "Well, there are almost 180 species of birds here in Fiji, ducks, quail, swallows, sandpipers, and a whole host of others. Not exactly a bird expert." Indicate the speedster. "Though, not all of them come out to the smaller islands like here."

[MoonSimply]

La Puma Negra

 

Now back down onto the forest floor, Carmen would continue to stretch out, ears perking up at the mention of the many species of birds that were around the island, ¿Tal vez debería comerme un pájaro? (Maybe I should eat a bird)" she says in her native Spanish. It sounded like to her, even Megan must have thought she was planning on eating a bird, even if the thought had never actually crossed Carmen's mind at all, smiling finally as she changed her demeanor just a bit, "It was just a joke."

 

"Anyway, I'm not going into town, they might think I'm sort of were monster or something like that. You won't have to worry about that. See the cliffs? I'm heading up there, want a nice a big look around the island, a nice big view," Carmen says, point up towards higher elevation. 

[Thevshi]

Velocity

 

Megan gave Carmen a smile when the teen indicated she had made a joke in Spanish, the timing and tone of which had suggested she might eat a bird. "Of course." She said with a light tone that matched her smile.

 

Glancing up towards the high point of the island, Megan gave a small nod. "The view from up there is pretty good. It provides a pretty good view of one of the midsized islands, Lovoni, which is off to the west.”"The speedster pointed off in the general direction. "With the main island behind it."

 

"But anyway, as I said before, feel free to explore, part of the reason Robert and I bought this place was to have access to the rest of the island. Just be mindful of the other private areas." Megan stated with another smile. "I can totally understand the need to be out. Part of the reason I made my first Velocity costume after I gained my powers was so I would be able to go out and just run around the city."

[MoonSimply]

La Puma Negra

 

"Yea, powers."

 

Carmen gave a thought to wearing some sort of costume just for using her superpowers. For the werecat young woman, there was no sort of off switch, no hiding it, nothing that was specialized to work with what she had outside of Claremont gave her, and that was just something for the looks and not for anything to control or change her look from what she was. Baz was like that, she could relate to that, but Carmen didn't understand the relaxed feel that he seemed to give off about himself outwardly. It was only now that she felt truly happy these days, safe in what she was and in herself, but there was still a sort of thought in the back of her head about it.

 

 

"Ill check it out. Would love to see the view. It reminds me of Puerto Rico in a way," Carmen says as she moves closer towards Megan, "I'm sorry again about getting you out here. I didn't mean to interrupt anything and get people worried about what's going. Not a fan of being the center of attention.

 

Carmen would then stroll to the side and away from her, towards the high elevation, but not leaving yet, "Can I ask you a favor?"

[Thevshi]

Velocity

 

Megan a slight change in Caremn's demeanor at the mention of gaining superpowers and a costume but decided not to bring it up with the teen. Instead, she simply gave Carmen a warm smile as the teen apologized about causing Megan to come to check on things. "Oh, no need to apologize, I rather suspect my son did not do as good a job as he might have explaining what to be careful about in terms of the security systems. And as the route I took was almost entirely across open ocean, I did not have to hold back in terms of speed."

 

As it seemed Carmen had been about to continue on her way, the speedster had just been about to put her mask and goggles back on for the return trip to Freedom City when Carmen stopped to ask her question. Megan looked back over at the teen. "Well, might depend on what the favor is, but sure."

[MoonSimply]

La Puma Negra

 

Carmen was clearly having difficult time thinking of words to say to Megan as she stood in thought for a few moments. She had been meaning to ask this of Patriot, her mentor that the school had chosen for her to learn from. The next time Puma saw her she'd talk to her, but she'd try it with the Megan here first. It was worth a try as she cleared her throat and spoke, stumbling over her words partially as she came up with what to say finally.

 

"You're with the Freedom League, right, they have a decent amount resource. I was wondering... well... if they could help me find my parents. I don't really have any family and I've never even met them," she says with a big breath, her hail-mary goal kick of an ask, "It's okay if that's a bit much to help but if anyone could help it'd be the Freedom League. I've been meaning to ask Patriot for some time but... weird stuff always happens. Villains, terrorists, or some super crazy super being."

[Thevshi]

Velocity

 

Megan's expression became much more serious as Carmen explained what favor she was hoping for. "That is a favor I would be more than happy to give." The speedster replied. "The League does have a number of resources, additionally, I am involved with a number of charities, many of which have extensive international connections that could possibly help as well. I cannot make any promises, but I will certainly leverage every resource I can."

 

She pulled a small card out from one of the pouches on her belt, holding it out to Carmen. "You can reach me at this number, the school also knows how to get ahold of me. When you are back in Freedom City in a couple days, let's meet up for coffee and you can give me as much information as you have about your family and parents. In the meantime, I will start talking to people to figure out the best places to start."

[MoonSimply]

La Puma Negra

 

There was a sense of relief as Megan answered Carmen, relaxing herself once again after posing her rather serious question. A weight was off her shoulders now and she could start getting a hold of things in her personal life. It was time she tried to snoop into where she was from, regardless of wherever it could possibly take her as she took hold of the business card, or at least what she thought was one and inspected it in her hand. It was Megan's contact information to contact her, sliding it into a pocket in her shorts before looking back and over to Megan after fiddling with them.

 

"Thank Mrs. Howell. I appreciate your help," she says before giving off another stretch, she was likely going be doing some running soon through the forest and a bit of climbing, "I better hurry. Don't want to leave Michael waiting all day for me back at the property. I want to see the view from the heights quick."

[Thevshi]

Velocity

 

Megan gave Carmen another warm smile. "Of course, I am more than happy to help as much as I can. I understand that tracking this sort of thing down can sometimes be difficult, but we will exhaust ever avenue we can. Hopefully we will be able to get you at least some information."

 

When Carmen mentioned getting back to her exploring the inner parts of the island, the speedster gave small nod. "No problem, I should be getting back home as well. So, to return the favor, I would appreciate it if you did not mention my being here or our little chat to anyone for the rest of the weekend, most especially my son. Don't want people to think I am snooping around or anything. Once you are all back to school, feel free to mention it if you like." Megan said with a small grin.

 

Then in a blur of movement faster than Carmen could follow Megan had her mask and goggles back on. "Talk with you again in a couple of days." She said with another smile to Carmen. And then the League speedster was gone in a blur of yellow and a WOOSH of displaced air.