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Supersonic, Superhuman, Supernatural (IC)


Electra

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The Eira project was coming close to culmination after many weeks of intense work. The lifelike little robot held pride of place in Miss A's cybernetics lab, clothed in a pink hospital gown for modesty's sake when it wasn't being worked on. In a matter of days now, Eira's consciousness would be uploaded into it for the first time, and they would have a chance to see what sort of life she would really be able to have outside the computer. It was a goal important to Miss Americana on several levels, and one she'd put many long nights and early mornings in for lately.

Today, though, she had another task on her plate. Eira's robot was set off to one side, and the expansive lab was transformed into something half-medical, half-engineering. Miss A was busy, but when Duncan Summers asked a favor, very few heroes in Freedom City would say no. The student he was referring to her sounded quite interesting anyway. She'd probably enjoy getting a look at the unfamiliar technology, and who knew what tidbits of knowledge might be gleaned?

"Sharl," she asked her assistant, even as she finished draping a few unfinished projects, "would you go and escort our guest up to the lab for me? You should get to know him, he's going to be your classmate in the fall."

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The young man in question stepped through the doorway, looking around with curious eyes and taking in the details. The young man was dressed simply, slacks and a button-up shirt. His short blond hair was nicely cut and cleaned. He rolled his shoulders a little, still getting used to the too-new clothes. He looked a little uncomfortable actually. Even as stepped through and looked around, his mind was working.

He knew why he was here of course. Same reason the government had held him and studied his designs and tech for almost a year. Testing. Analyzing. He gave a mental shrug and was resigned to it. He didn't particularly like the violence inducing aspects of said testing though. Oh, sparing was fun in its way; a physical and sometimes mental challenge. But real violence he disliked. He didn't like who he was when that happened. Still, he was here and required to do these tests by the authority figure of the school. And while he dislike being ordered, being at the school was far better than being in that annoying government facility.

So, here he was. Despite not being thrilled at the original intent for his being here, he was quite curious. There were some impressive scientific minds in this building which was rife with potential not to mention the facility itself. Who knew what he could learn while he was here? He looked around for someone to approach. His instructions had been rather vague of course after some basic details.

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As Cole walked into the lobby, the Lab secretary nodded a cordial hello. "Good morning," she said sociably. "Someone will be with you in just a moment." And sure enough, someone was. A figure in a black coat flew through the ceiling overhead, giving Cole a chance to get a good look at his greeter. The young man was about his own age, tall and lanky with slicked-back black hair, his eyes hidden by dark glasses, and wore a glowing wi-fi symbol on his chest. His body fuzzed slightly as he passed through the ceiling, but settled back to normality afterwards as he landed on the ground next to him.

"Hello, I'm Sharl," said the young man, shaking Cole's hand because that was what humans did. "Welcome to the Lab!" he said with a smile, leading the way to the elevator. "I'm Miss Americana's assistant. Nice to meet you."

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He nodded to woman cordially in return to the secretary. "Yes ma'am. Thank you," he said, turning to continue looking around the lobby. As the greeter arrived, unusually too, he quirked an eyebrow and followed the young man's descent. Perhaps it was only while living at the school where he wasn't supposed to reveal powers and advance technology? This young fellow certainly didn't seem to have any issues display his.

Cole shook the fellow's hand with a nod. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Cole obviously," he said with a small smile. "You work here? Sounds amazing. I'm living at the school as of, well, yesterday. They haven't told me anything about my job yet," he added with a shrug before continuing on. "I was told Miss Americana is beyond a genius level intellect pioneering technology in multiple fields. As her assistant, you must see all sorts of fascinating theories. What is you specialty area," he asked curiously.

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"Miss Americana is a genius," agreed Sharl without hesitation. "She's the smartest person I've ever met, or ever heard of, and she's a great person too. A lot of her work is in the field of cybernetics; she makes artificial limbs and organs for people who need replacements. Right now we're working on...well, I can't talk about it!" he grinned, "but she's working on something with the heroine Dragonfly and myself that's going to totally revolutionize cybernetics and treating sick people." He beamed, then added, a little more seriously, "Well, uh, I'm really more of just Miss A's assistant. I know a lot about computers, but I'm not really a scientist myself. I'm actually a computer-based intelligence. From the Internet," he lied smoothly as the doors slid open. "Ah, here we are!"

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Cole nodded, interested in the subject to say the least. "My memories of the subject matter are a bit scrambled I admit. But I have done a little research into the topic and find it very fascinating," he said nodding. "I can understand the secrecy; quite understandable. It sounds very exciting really. I wish you the best in your test runs and field trials." He looked over that your curiously. "Computer based intelligence? But not an artificial one I'm guessing from the phrasing. Very interest," he said curious. He didn't have any hang up about other forms of life one way or another. "Given your ability to achieve solid form, I would assume some form of projector are in the facility to allow that? Going through life as a 'computer-based intelligence' must offer you an incredibly unique perspective. You are a being of multiple worlds. I bet you have some rather impressive insights into reality," he said quite eagerly. He was interested and curious enough that he barely acknowledge the doors opening, walking through was more of an afterthought really.

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"Hello, Cole." The voice, dulcet and charming, was very hard to ignore, and when coupled with the person it came from, just about impossible. Miss Americana was dressed in simple tailored blue slacks and a maroon silk blouse with a white lab coat over it, but that did nothing to temper her startling beauty. The perfect paragon scientist stepped forward and shook Cole's hand, then gestured to the exam table in the center of the lab. "We're all ready for you here. I know you probably aren't crazy about the idea of yet another examination, so I'll try to make things as painless as possible."

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Cole walked in, slightly distracted by his conversation with Sharl. When he heard her voice and turned to look, Cole stopped and stared for almost three whole seconds...which was almost like a minute or two for most people really. Thankfully it wasn't enough time for him to start drooling like a slack jawed ignoramus...even if he felt like one at the moment. He managed to get his brain (and emotional drool) under control by the time she finished shaking his hand thankfully. Still, it was taking quite a bit of his not inconsiderable willpower to not simply fall all over her. His research certainly hadn't indicated anything about her being so...ya know... "Uh, hi."

He gave a nonchalant shrug (or tried to), waving it off. For the insanely gorgeous super genius, he'd happily do plenty of tests. No! Stop that. Focus! He rallied his thoughts. "It's ok. I mean, that's all I've really done for the last 8 or so months anyway. Not a problem. It's fine," he said keeping his voice under control.

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Sharl drifted over to get to work, firing up the deep genetic scanners while Miss A and Cole talked. He made sure _not_ to pass through any of the machinery here, having had some painful lessons already about the consequences of that both to the machinery and his own magnetically-projected body: which was to say, it hurt like hell! "All ready here, Miss A. I'll get the magnetic scanners going as soon as I'm out of the way. And to answer your question, Cole," he called, "there's a projector system for me all over the Lab so I can fly around and be solid when I want to. I've got a portable one I can carry around with me, but it's much easier to hook up to something else. They're actually building a system for me over at Claremont right now, for when I start in the fall."

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"That's great then," Miss A told Cole pleasantly. "Would you like a drink or a snack before we get to work? There's a minifridge and a basket of cookies and crackers over there on the counter." She gestured towards it even as she turned to begin shifting a few more machines. She was very strong. "I hope you have your suit with you," she said, "I was told it's composed of a memetic material that can fold away into small spaces?"

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Cole nodded to Sharl in understanding. He was still fascinated by the digital youth and his perspectives in things. Perhaps he'd find some time at a later date to continue their discussions. For now though, he returned to walking perfection.

"Yes, I did. I never take it off really. But it really isn't compressed memetic material like the scientist at the Facility thought," he said with a shrug. "Admittedly most of my knowledge on the subject is somewhat...scrambled. I know I made it and have the plans for it. I just don't recall some of the details. Hopefully I'll be able to reconstruct it as I spend some time working on it," he said with a small frown. "Anyway, it really isn't a material at all. It's actually energy based. Using my own body as a map, energy nanites create a rough lattice work overly. Then flooding that grid with energy, the energy is converted into a solid energy matrix with the specialized nanites. The result appears to be a solid material bodysuit that 'folks' out," he said, finishing. "It's all based around a zero-point energy module, producing the massive quantities required for the 'suit' generation and its functions." He wasn't worried about saying that much. Just as they were, he wasn't interested in revealing everything about the suit's design. And until/unless they could take it from him, they weren't going to learn more. What he said was more than enough really.

With a simple twitch, he activated his 'suit'. Like water, the blue/black material swept over him in a moment, forming the suit and darkened helmet. He takes a second to reach up and lift the 'visor' of his helmet, showing his face once more.

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"Very nice," Miss A said approvingly, "but you can go ahead and switch back to civvies for the moment. I want to get baseline physical readings for you without the suit first, and then see how the readings change when you're in the suit. I know the government has already made exhaustive tests on the suit, but these tests today are for your benefit. If you were to get hurt at school or out doing hero work somewhere, it's likely you'd come to us or to ArcheTech for treatment. I work at both places, so I can make sure we have up to date readings on you that will let us treat you in a more informed way. I hope you'll never need the service," she added with a wry twist to her perfect lips, "but heroing is a dangerous profession."

She warmed up another machine that had gone into standby mode, then nodded to the bed. "Jump on up there whenever you're ready. Now you say you built the suit yourself? That's quite an accomplishment."

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He nods and a moment later the suit quickly recedes, leaving him as he was. "I'm fairly certain the suit was built and intended for combat purposes," he said with a shrug as he hopped onto the table. "Well, I'm pretty certain I did...but hard to be absolutely sure." He frowned a bit before continuing. "I uh...have no memory before coming here about 10 months or so ago. It's just blank. I...occasionally have nightmare. Disjointed, violent images really. Sometimes they happen when I'm awake," he says a bit quietly. "One of the reasons I don't like these combat tests," he mutters. "One reason anyway." He gives a shrug and continues. "But yeah, so I think I did, pretty sure...but can't be 100% on it."

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"Zero-point energy?" asked Sharl curiously. He gave Cole not exactly a suspicious look, but one full of questions. "The only ZPG modules I've ever heard of that size were used as the seeds in interstellar drives." Tronik didn't have FTL drives, they were too expensive to build given the planet's resources (at least, that was what he'd always been taught to believe) but he'd heard about how to build them in school. "Are you sure you're from another dimension and not from outer space?" Advanced Lor technology would certainly explain the battlesuit, as well as the amnesia the young man was suffering from.

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"Either or both are a possibility," Miss A told Sharl, a hint of gentle reproof in her voice, "but Cole has told us he can't remember, and that's not what we're here to find out today. There are scientists and psychiatrists who are doing amazing things in repairing the sort of damage that causes amnesia, perhaps they'll be able to help you recover your life," she suggested to Cole. "Go ahead and lay down, close your eyes if you like. The machine is going to do a painless, noninvasive bioscan of your entire body. You may feel a little bit of warmth, but no more than that." She activated the large machine, which began humming and shining a beam of blue light onto Cole's form

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"As far as I can tell, yes, it is. Admittedly though, as I said, I'm not 100 percent sure. And no, I've no idea where I'm from either way. All I have are the eye-witness reports, theories combined unpleasant and fragmented flashbacks. Heck I could be from the future and be the King of New Guinea for all I know," he said with a wry grin. "That last one doesn't seem to likely though, does it?"

He leaned back on the examination table, though he left his eyes open. He was too curious not to. "It's ok," he said in response to intellectual and physical hotness personified's gentle rebuke of Sharl. "It's not like I haven't dwelt on and doubted hundreds of different possible permutations and possibilities myself." He just nodded lightly as the scan began. Just another test after all. Though this one was performed with better tech and by someone insanely better looking than those stuffy scientist dweebs that had him before.

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"Okay," said Sharl agreeably, looking a little abashed at the gentle reminder of his place. He wouldn't have just shut up for anyone else, but since it was Miss A, he got back to work. "It's okay, I don't like talking much about where I come from either," said Sharl with a little shrug. "And I read your file, I know it's a mystery." He shifted in his seat, or rather seemed to pass through it as he read off some readouts to Miss A. "So are you already a Claremont student?" he asked Cole curiously. "What's it like?"

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He nodded to Sharl absently, still looking at the technology being displayed curiously. "Well, I'm not much of a student honestly. I mean I now go to the school and live there. I moved in a couple days ago. But as I already read and mastered all of the state and federal government's guidelines and requirements of education for both the 11th and 12th grade before I ever got there, I don't really think I qualify as a 'student' per se. And while I haven't looked yet, I am fairly certain I could do the same for several college degrees. Still have a significant amount I'd like to learn of course." He paused and grinned. "Besides, its summer and I very specifically recall reading and learning that summer was 'fun time' for the youth in this country. Or at least time away from the normal education requirements anyway," he added, still smiling.

"That aside...it's certainly a heck of a lot nicer than the Facility where I was being held before. There are other people to talk to. Freedom to do multiple things. It seems quite nice really from what I can tell over the last 2 days." He glanced over to the digital youth. "You're going to attend in the Fall? Have you chosen your classes yet? And, if you don't mind my asking, why are you waiting until then? Or is it just the emitter construction holding you up?"

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"You learn a lot more than academics in high school, Cole," Miss a told him with a smile that was maybe just a bit rueful. "It's also the first major proving ground for social skills, and if you're lucky you may make friends who last a lifetime. You'll definitely learn how to deal with people who are very different from you, which is vital for all heroes." She made notes on an electronic pad as she spoke, keeping an eye on the readings. "You're in good shape," she told Cole. "Not exactly all the readings I'd expect to see from someone your age, but nothing that looks dangerous. Go ahead and suit up again."

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"I've never been to high school at all," Sharl explained, "so the whole thing will be new and different. I can't believe they put that many kids together, but I guess that huge campus can hold them all. And there's so much to learn! I can't believe all the things you guys have in this world." He whistled a little, carefully avoiding the equipment as he peered over Miss A's shoulder for a moment to watch the readings, then added, a little abashedly, "Hey, uh, I don't mean to pry," he said with a little blush. "I guess I shouldn't be reading your medical charts if I'm going to be your classmate." Privacy was important where Sharl came from, after all.

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He nodded in response to her clarification. "Oh, I suppose I understand that well enough. That doesn't mean I'm particularly looking forward to numerous awkward moments and such that come with the high school experience," he said with a shrug of one shoulder. He generally was a fairly shy person, not entirely comfortable in large social settings. "An odd..benefit from my amnesia is that I don't have any preconceived notions about how things 'should be' according to everyone else. I'm a blank slate, right?" he said with a little joke, trying to make light of his discomfort of the topic. He sat up and quirked an eyebrow at her words. "Oh? Are there some anomalies I should be aware of compared to most kids my age," he asked, more curious than worried or concerned.

He hopped off the table and activated his suit. Moments later, he was safely encased in it. He gave the computer a quick, and habitual, glance and ran a simple diagnostics to verify its status. Unnecessary but still a habit. He waved Sharl's apology away, unconcerned. "No big deal. You're helping so was gonna happen anyway. 'Sides, not like I have any big secrets as far as I know right," he adds with a wry smile. "Heck, if you find something out that I don't know, tell me!"

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"There are some odd genetic markers that I wouldn't expect to see in a typical workup," she told him, not sounding particularly concerned, "and an anomalous energy reading that may well be from your suit even in its deactivated state. For now it's nothing to be to worried about, just something to keep an eye on in future examinations." With those reassuring words, she gestured him back to the table. "All right, I'm going to run the same scan again, with the suit in place this time. Sharl, would you monitor the test while I go get my EMP spectrometer? I'll be just a moment." She headed out of the room, leaving the two teenagers on their own.

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Sharl shifted in his seat again, his body making no noise thanks to its insubstantial state. "So do you really not know where you came from?" he asked Cole quietly when Miss A was out of the room. "I'm sorry I was so nosy, then," he said a little ruefully. "I...I come from a place where privacy is very important, being on the Internet and all, and sometimes I go too far with what's acceptable here. I can't imagine what it would be like not knowing where home was." And then, because he knew the last thing Cole wanted is pity, he said, "So, have you been there? Are the girls cute? I only met one, and I don't think she likes boys that way."

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Cole flipped up his visor; it was more polite to speak with people face to face. He nodded slightly at her explanations and suppositions. He'd do some looking into it himself when he had the time, not that he expected to find anything more than super smart insanely hot lab coat wearing... STOP THAT hero found. But he was a curious fellow and this was a mystery after all.

He nodded to Sharl in affirmative. "Yeah, I've got nothing. For the last 10 months I've been living in some insanely boring government facility being tested and fiddling with things...which they immediately confiscated too. I started making nonsense devices just to bug them really," he added with a grin. "So believe me, you've got nothing on them when it comes to being nosy. We're good; don't worry about it." He cleared his throat oddly and ventured something. "Perhaps it is just my limited experience but...the internet is far from a guarded expanse and hardly seems private at all. In fact, people seem delighted to share anything and everything on it." He raises a hand to forestall any comments. "I'm just guessing, of course mind you, but your background seems a bit off. I'm not asking or anything Sharl. I'm just saying that perhaps a different detailed background would pass inspection more thoroughly," he finished with a shrug.

He moved on quickly before there was any awkwardness and let it drop. "As for it being hard? Yeah, it seriously sucks. I could tell you exactly and with perfect detail every time little thing that has happened to me or that I experience since waking up in the Facility. But there's nothing before it. Nothing. I seriously hate not knowing something and this is like the word not knowing ever," he mutters unhappily. He quirked a smile. "Yeah, there seem to be more than a few there. Some are really, uh, nice looking, yes. Not sure who is single or attached but I've only been there a couple days after all. But cute is definitely there." He quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, which one did you meet?"

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"Uh, I met Sage, the little one," said Sharl, who came from a planet where access to nutrition and genetics meant that everyone could grow tall. He made a little gesture about five feet off the ground. "She seemed nice enough; so did Cobalt Templar, the other boy I met. I don't...I don't know a lot of teenagers here. There's Dragonfly, she works here at the Lab, but she's a lot smarter than I am and she's a little hard to talk to sometimes." He shrugged, and admitted, "I guess that's another reason I'm looking forward to being at Claremont. I don't have a lot of friends here, and I don't know a lot about other kids. I guess we're in the same boat?" he hazarded.

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