Chris Flynn's Story

Take Me Home - Outfit: Feeling The Burn

"Seventy four.....seventy five....seventy six.....seventy seven...." Chris counted out as he lifted the weights in the training area. He was alone with everyone else doing whatever it is everyone else is doing. He didn't really care that much for holidays like New Years. It was just another year down, he didn't get what's to celebrate about that. But whatever. He lifted the inhumanly weights up, and down, showing off his great strength. He liked testing the limits of his strength like this. It's fun have incredible strength like this. As he was nearing the mid eighties he was interrupted by a text.

He sighed as he placed the weight down. He had hoped to reach a hundred before he left. Didn't like that was going to happen. He looked at his phone, and saw it was message to see it was from Mei. He took a deep breath in, and exhaled before he replied. He stretched out his fingers, and then picked up the phone.
[To: Mei]
[Working out shirts on fyi]
He quickly replied back. He put down the phone as soon as it was sent, trying not to accidentally zap it. He didn't want to go through another lecture from Synth, and her calling him a brute for braking so many electronics.

Once he got done gathering his stuff he returned to his room. And Landon wasn't there. Probably with his girlfriend or whatever the hell they label each other. They spend so much time together they are just boyfriend, and girlfriend in his book no matter what they say. He didn't really mind it. Though he was a little jealous that he couldn't get any. But he was glad that they go over to her room rather than come over here. That's what Synth gets for lecturing him so much.

He sat down on his bed, and pulled out his phone. Might as well she what Miss Third Wheel is doing while he thought of her.
[To: Future Overlord]
[Hows third wheeling going? They there right? Does the damsel need rescue? Wanna do somethin?]
He figured he'd be nice, and rescue the damsel in distress. Plus he enjoyed spending time with her. She was his oldest friend her at the academy. Well, as close as Synth comes to having friends he guesses. He put his phone down on the nightstand, and laid back on the bed. He grabbed one of his favorite books, Dune, and began reading to pass the time.

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[ song; lonely ] [ outfit; the immutable cold ]


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XXXSynthia did not allow her body to react to Landon's proximity. She remained ineffably still, her face deadpan as she flicked her gaze to his. She gave him a look of severe boredom, blinking lazily as if his very presence tired her.
XXX"Isn't it obvious that you're the only one for me?" Landon said quietly, before launching into his seductive spiel, with a casual insult regarding the state of her cold, cold heart thrown in the midst.
XXX"Charmed," she said simply in response, having slipped on her black stockings in the time. She did not allow herself to feel unease at Spencer's presence in the corner of her vision. Spencer likely found some strange glee in Landon's flirtations with another. Synthia would never claim to understand the girl she lived with. Spencer rendered the average human a simple equation: a mere string of additions, discrete geometries and logarithms that might be solved with a few brisk calculations.
XXX"I love it when you play hard to get. I enjoy the chase!" said Landon. Synthia arched a brow.
XXX"I am quite certain that is exactly what Greg Broussard told Halle Berry shortly before she filed a restraining order against him."
XXX"See this, is all flesh," Landon murmured, his hands stroking his chest as if that might inspire a ravenous hunger in the technician. She allowed for a small yawn. "Pure, non-hackable flesh. If you wanna know its secrets you gotta explore it yourself."
XXXShe gave a sagely nod, head quirked as if considering his proposal.
XXX"Of course," she agreed. "Were you suggesting a computer tomography scan or an MRI? A magnetic resonance imaging test might similarly unveil the mysteries of your 'non-hackable flesh.'" She leaned against her closet, arms crossed leisurely over her chest, and though he was taller than her, she seemed to stare down at him with an upturned nose. "But really I had merely planned for an autopsy."
XXXShe ignored Landon's gaze as it travelled lower down her body. "That's mean," he whispered, eyes dark as his lashes cast long shadows along his cheekbones. She stilled her breath to halt the exhalation that threatened her lungs when Landon eased away from her.
XXX"So Spence," he called out. "Did the Terminator over here give you a New Year's kiss?"
XXX"I really prefer the term Skynet," she said drily.
XXXAs if she'd summoned him, the person who'd given her the nickname years prior leapt into the forefront of her consciousness. She saw the text as if it were superimposed over Landon's chest, where her eyes were almost level.
XXX

[ From: Hulking Brute ]
Hows third wheeling going? They there right? Does the damsel need rescue? Wanna do something?

XXXSynthia considered it. She could stay here and witness two adolescents leap into a bed of sexual sin or she could brave the bulk of Christopher Flynn. There was her lab, of course, but there was frankly little that could be done when new year fireworks and its drunken escapades saturated her mind.
XXX

[ To: Hulking Brute ]
Sure.

XXXIt took a bat of her lashes to launch the message onto the network. It was assumed that he would either come to retrieve her or reveal his own coordinates. That she'd bothered to articulate four alphabets at all instead of her usual, "k," indicated that she was particularly amiable today, or so disgusted by Spencer and Landon that even Chris seemed appealing in comparison.
XXXOf all the people in the Academy, Chris was likely the one who understood her most, having known her for the longest apart from the Adams twins, half of whom loathed her more than the sum of every person he disliked combined. It was hard to believe they'd ever held a tentative truce.
XXX"You know," Spencer purred, returning Synthia to the room. "She actually hasn't and that really hurts my feelings, sweetheart. I think you should plant one on me to make this year truly great."
XXXSuddenly, Spencer jerked upright. Synthia caught sight of the young, dark-haired boy then. It unnerved her to think she hadn't seen him. He disappeared like smoke.
XXXSynthia was almost sorry to see her coffee boy go when Spencer's hand fluttered to Synthia's thigh. The girl's hand felt impossibly warm, her fingertips soft and her pupils dilated as she stared at Synthia with a scorching intensity. The cyberkinetic's lips pressed into a disapproving line.
XXX"My apologies, 'sweetheart'. I am afraid we must disunite to leave room for the Holy Spirit." Synthia performed the sign of the cross and lifted a hand to ward off any further advances. She took a step away from her roommate, allowing her roommate's arm to fall away. "Honestly, Spencer. What would Jesus say?"
XXXSynthia was not remotely religious, but it seemed as good an excuse as any to be celibate. She eased towards the door and slipped out before the two could do anything else. She pressed her cold palms against burning cheeks as she sped down the hallway. It was worse when they paid her heed than when they did not. She almost missed the days when Landon's presence garnered her merely a pointed look from her roommate to vacate the premises. Time had transformed that stare into something else. Into an invitation.
XXXAgain, nauseating.
XXXThe cool night air breathed some of the unease from her lungs. She sent Chris her coordinates with a flick of her consciousness, as she strolled past trees hunched over her like gnarled fingers of the elderly. Fragments of Autumn leaves ghosted the ground as the last of those who held on, let go.
XXXShe wondered if the trees cared at all that its leaves would plummet into the unknown, only to be trampled by careless boots. The justice was that humans did not fall like leaves or snow or rain. They did not unravel beautifully and their collapse was not a thing to be marvelled. They were all the same beneath the thin layers of skin that disguised them: frail and hideous.
XXXSynthia saw the earth's carcass. She saw smoke uncoil from hundreds, thousands and millions of snarled factories, each one a smudge of dirt on her skin. She felt their machines turn and spit. She heard the cars yell, lurching and stopping in New Year's traffic. She saw the statistics as if the ocean were devouring her now.
XXXHow ironic it was that she could control them all. That she loathed humanity for its indelible stain, but wielded the very power that would one day destroy the earth as it was presently known. How ironic, that when she'd raced through the Australian desert as a child, barefooted and weightless with her grandfather by her side, she'd promised to do better. He'd told her of the earth's sacred stories and her people's oath to protect it, and she'd condemned the people who made the machines. How ironic, that she'd become their Queen.
XXXSynthia noticed she was shaking then and that she'd stopped. She loathed the cold, and suddenly leaving seemed a bad idea. But she hadn't been able to tolerate the tension that permeated the room she'd vacated, the spoken demands that she neither wished nor could provide. She clutched her sweater to her and turned her head towards the light, for where there was light, there was warmth. Synthia's eyes fell upon a familiar figure seated on the illuminated patio. Reed Adams.
XXXShe turned away.

Chris sighed when he phone dinged several times signaling that he got a couple texts. It's so annoying to respond to texts without frying the damn thing. Why can't Synth make something for him that can actually handle his power? Well, she might have if he hadn't ruined so many of her projects.
[To: Ella]
[Srry gonna hang with synth. Have fun.]
Once he replied back, and got a reply from Synth he quickly changed out of his workout clothes, and into a comfy pair of jeans. He threw on his jacket, and was out the door before long, heading to where Synth wanted to meet up at.

While it could have been a quick jolt for him to get there, but Shazaming his way around wasn't the best idea, especially to somewhere with ample amounts of things that catch on fire. It is a rather messy process. Makes him jealous of Leo's smoke teleporting thing, and Sam's speed. He wished he had something easier to control, and didn't have to feel like he was stepping on eggshells every time he touched something electrical. It was a pain. He's eighteen, his cellphone should be permanently glued to his hand, but instead he barely uses it.

Though he supposes it could be worse. He could have something that prevented him from having absolutely any human contact. Being a walking nuclear reactor, or something like that would be pretty bad. It's all about perspective. Once he got to where she told him to meet her she wasn't around. Of course. But that wasn't a problem. He knew exactly where she was. His electroreception ability allowed him to sense where she was. For most people he can't track down their individual bioelectric field, but Synth isn't like most people. Her's has a more intense look to him. He's not quite sure why. Maybe it was her connection to machines, or how in some parts her powers are somewhat similar to his in that she can absorb electricity from machines.

He soon came upon Synth, and one of the Adam twins. Reed if he wasn't mistaken. It caused him to raise a slight eyebrow. He didn't think she liked them for whatever reason. Though that could be that Synth doesn't like most people. "Hey, there you are." He greeted her with a slight smile. He looked over at Reed, and gave him a friendly nod. "Reed right? How's it going?" He asked being polite.

He turned to face Synth with an amused grin. He had been working on what to say to her since she sent him a text with a complete word. "I was kinda worried from getting a complete word. Was it that bad?" He asked followed by a slight chuckle. "God help us all on the day you decide to send a complete sentence. It'd probably be a sign of the Apocalypse." He smirked. He looked between them both, and made a clicking sound with his mouth. It felt rather tense, and awkward. "Soooo, this feels super awkward. Am I missing something?"

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[ song; ne me quitte pas ] [ outfit; the immutable cold ]


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XXXShe remembered when they were good.
XXXIt felt a lifetime ago, one lived by some children, somewhere. She was a spectator flipping through the pages of a book over and over, until its pages were so worn they tumbled from the spine.
XXXDoe-eyed and little-exposed, she'd arrived in Southern California at the age of seven, half a world removed from where she'd been. America was not like the Australian country, where she'd once believed her small town of Wangaratta was all the world held. It had seemed infinite then.
XXXThe teacher had assigned her to sit beside one of the Adams twins on her first day and he'd become the first person she'd noticed as a consequence. She still wasn't entirely sure which twin it had been. She hadn't asked, and if he'd said, she hadn't remembered.
XXXShe'd liked them in the years before they'd changed. Especially Galen. But that was before the weight of expectations swallowed them whole and left paper skins in their wake.
XXXTheir mother's death set the first bar in her iron cage. Synthia's grief had made her reckless as she scoured through countless CCTV footages, police reports, pedestrian proclamations and car plate numbers with scarcely a care for caution. Anything to find the person who'd killed Lisa, the woman who'd filled the vacancy her own mother had left when she'd departed.
XXXShe hadn't known Lisa was the mother of the Adams twins then. It was not until she'd searched through the files that she knew and by then it had been too late. Synthia would have protected the twins, if only for Lisa, but the U.S. government did not take the hacking of its documents very well at all.
XXXIt had been at the age of 16, on the run from the federal government and its intelligence agencies, that Synthia met Chris.
XXXHe'd been fleeing too. And perhaps there was a bond unlike any other between allies in a fight for survival, one as immutable as it was strange. Though she was slow to trust, she'd found solace in Chris' companionship, if only because it made her think she did not that have to fight alone.
XXXThat she would never need to be alone again.
XXXThose months on the road had been the best times of her life. She would never admit it, for Chris' ego was a fragile thing. One wrong nudge and it would inflate in improbable proportions and explode. But it was true. She'd loved those months. There was a wild freedom in having no home and nothing to anchor you, a rare ecstasy in being removed from the laws of the sovereign. Those months had overflowed with starlit nights camping beneath the nook of trees; empty walls and no halls, just the stretch of a long road and silly conversations to pass time.
XXXSometimes she wished the Academy had never found them.
XXX"Hey, there you are," came a familiar voice. It was clear and resonated despite the open space. She heard his footsteps before she saw him. He walked with a certain beat, a kind of quick-quick-slow-quick step that she'd come to associate with his impending arrival. And he walked like a mountain bear. Graceless and loud.
XXXHis teeth gleamed pearl-white and perfectly straight in the darkness when he grinned. Chris smiled with his entire body, chest lifting and eyes crinkling in a way that made lesser girls weak to their knees. Synthia had seen many fall victim to his charms in her time.
XXX"I was kinda worried from getting a complete word. Was it that bad? God help us all on the day you decide to send a complete sentence. It'd probably be a sign of the Apocalypse," said Chris.
XXXHumour threatened the corners of her lips as they twitched into a an approximation of a smile. A dimple that few were privy too emerged in her left cheek when she beamed. Her entire face seemed to soften, the hard lines of her stern brows relaxing and her eyes relaxing where it was usually narrowed in disapproval. Chris was one of the few people who could make the Robot smile. She seemed to have a particular love of his jokes concerning her future intent of world domination.
XXX"Fret not. I will be sure to preserve you as my indentured slave when I raze the rest of the world and its inhabitants into the ground," she said sweetly.
XXX"Soooo, this feels super awkward. Am I missing something?" Chris asked uncomfortably. Synthia arched a brow.
XXX"Only our sexual tension," she responded. "Gosh, Chris. Could you not?"
XXXShe walked without waiting for him to follow, crossing her arms over her chest to ward off some of the cold. "Let's go somewhere indoors," she said. "It's freezing." She gave him a pointed look.
XXX"And you did not even think to bring me a blanket or coat for warmth." Synthia shook her head. "Unbelievable. It is no surprise that you're still single," she sighed. [color=#779F6D]"There, there," she said, lifting her arm to pat his head in a manner she hoped was condescending. "I am sure someone will take you when I eliminate two thirds of the world's male population. But don't get your hopes up."
XXX

"Why do I get the feeling that me being your slave would mean me being hooked up to some generator to power your floating castle of oppression or whatever?" He replied with a smirk, and a slight chuckle. He raised a slight eyebrow at Synth's answer to his awkward question. He knew her well enough to know when something was really bothering her. But he wasn't going to press her on it or anything, especially in front of Reed. He figured if it was important she would tell him. "Well my apologizes. I'm just getting tired of being teased." He chuckled.

As Synth left Chris turned to face Reed. "Well uh.....see ya later man." he rubbed the back of his head, and gave the guy a small awkward wave goodbye. Ugh, it was always so awkward, and uncomfortable to be left behind by Synth's bitchiness, and deal with the fall out. Though he hoped in that brief moment of time before he got there Synth didn't say something too awful to the guy. Sometimes it feels like his only job is putting out fires that she starts. "Hey Brainiac wait up!" He called out as he caught up to her.

He merely laughed at her condescending attitude. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of your intact hymen." He smirked at her comment about being single. Like she had any room to talk. Chris took off his jacket, and sighed. "Don't ever say I'm not a gentleman." He stated as he draped his jacket over her shoulders. "I hope you can appreciate the irony that YOU can't handle the cold. Wuss." He smirked. "We've dealt with waaaaayyyyyyy colder nights than this before." He pointed out. It was so much colder than this during the nights back in Massachusetts, and the east coast.

He walked forward a bit ahead of him, and turned around to face her as he walked backwards. "So how bad was it huh? The two love birds together?" He asked with another chuckle, laughing at the fact she had to deal with them instead of him. "Look on the bright side.....at least they screw around in your room instead of mine." He pointed out with a charming, full of himself smile. "Oh, I guess I should have said look on the bright side for me. It's all pretty dandy for me." He then let out a snobbish chuckle at how she had to suffer.

"So what do you wanna do? I wasn't really doing anything, just reading Dune. God I love Alia, she's such a crazy bitch." He stated as they neared the building. "And before that I was working out. My shirt was on for your information, so get your mind out of the gutter." As they approached the building he turned back around, and held the door open for her like the gentleman he was. "She? Perfect gentleman!" He exclaimed with his voice being rather loud, and thunderous(pun kind of intended).

"Oh! And for the record I could totally get a girlfriend, or bang buddy, or whatever if I wanted. I just couldn't stand leaving you alone with your Ultron, and Skynet, and whatever other evil robots you build." He pointed out as he playfully poked the tip of her nose, and made a 'boop' sound. "I could just go shirtless all the time. But then nobody would get anything done, and you'd get all jealous. Really I'm doing it all for you. And I don't get so much as thank you. I'm so under appreciated."

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[ song; think twice ] [ outfit; the immutable cold ]


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XXX"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of your intact hymen." Chris gave her a sly smile. Had it been anybody else, she might have been mildly embarrassed, or at least enraged enough to fracture his nose. But this was Chris, and teasing her was the most action he'd likely gotten all day.
XXXShe felt the heavy weight of his jacket over her shoulders. It smelled like him. Like pine and mint and snow, even here, even now, so far from where they'd begun. He'd always had this weightless breeze about him, an electric excitement that had little to do with the sparks that coursed through his veins, as ordinary to him as red blood cells were to others. He radiated heat, a warm aura that seemed to pulse in time with his heartbeat.
XXXShe'd studied it for a while in her lab, demanding that he run ceaselessly on a treadmill, hold still, lie and speak the truth with galvanic skin response measures and electroencephalograms attached to his body. She hadn't been able to find why he was so different, but she'd understood how, somewhat. It had to do with the electrical charge that surged between neurons, in the odd way his myelin sheaths, the fatty layer that surrounded the axons of his brain, were structured and dispersed. It was the way every cell in his body seemed to possess an electrical charge to rival that of New York's entire electrical circuit. She'd nearly shut down the entire school trying to test the extent of his power.
XXXSynthia rolled her eyes at Chris' mention of Dune.
XXX"The entire Arrakis ecosystem is founded upon a false dichotomy," she said. What she did not say, was that she found a guilty pleasure in reading the epic science fiction novel as well.
XXX"And before that I was working out. My shirt was on for your information, so get your mind out of the gutter," teased Chris.
XXX"Darn. I will have to resort to pornography now to satiate my undying lust for your Godly torso," she deadpanned.
XXX"Oh! And for the record I could totally get a girlfriend, or bang buddy, or whatever if I wanted," Chris asserted. "I just couldn't stand leaving you alone with your Ultron, and Skynet, and whatever other evil robots you build."
XXX"How selfless of you," she said drily.
XXX"I could just go shirtless all the time. But then nobody would get anything done, and you'd get all jealous. Really I'm doing it all for you. And I don't get so much as thank you," he lamented. "I'm so under appreciated."
XXX"I pay you in the countless phones, laptops, cameras, projectors, earphones, ovens, stoves, stereos, automatic doors, hybrid cars, calculators and counting that I have had to repair because of you." Synthia gave him a mirthless smile. "Is that enough, you hulking brute?"
XXX"Yoooo, Chris!" A drunk reveller stumbled towards them, his eyelids drooping as he clutched a red cup in his hand. The golden liquid spilled over its rim as he lurched towards them. "Damn, your girl's tight," he slurred. "Can my mates and I have a turn when you're done?" The boy reached out towards Synthia.
XXXShe pinned him with a cold stare.
XXX"Shit. Lucas," a friend of his mumbled from behind him. He wrapped a hand around Lucas and pulled him back. "It's the Robot. You don't wanna mess with it, man."
XXXSynthia slid pale green eyes towards the taller blonde who tugged Lucas away. Her pupils contracted until they were pinpricks. A swirl of fluorescent lights devoured the emerald and amber hues of her irises, swallowing the space until her eyes glowed incandescent. They shifted between colours, shades that some had not known existed, until they settled on a startling electric blue.
XXXShe heard herself speak as if from afar.
XXX"Dangerous conversation to have over Messenger, Lucas James Skoyer," she said, the breathless quality of her voice hardening into an almost grating mechanical purr. "I am certain the authorities will be glad to know of your illicit activities. They have been searching for her for some time now."
XXX"Fuck."
XXX"Shit, no. No, please," Lucas implored. "I didn't realise-"
XXX"Employing the excuse of ignorance now, are you?" she murmured. "Is your contention that had it not been I, but some other inebriated girl, that your words and intended actions would have been appropriate?"
XXX"Yes- I mean, no. No. I'll do anything. Please, please don't tell them." His voice hitched.
XXX"I will take it under consideration."
XXX"Please, I'm begging you-"
XXXSynthia walked away, the azure bleeding into indigo and retreading until her eyes were their usual sea-green. Students parted for her, retreading into the fringes as they normally did when she cut through the hallways like a blade through butter. Or flesh.

Chris cocked his head slightly when she began naming off what she does for him. "And yet still no thank you. Besides, rebuilding what I break gives you something to do." He asserted. Though despite the jabs he throws at her, he truly wouldn't know what he'd do with himself without her. Though he dare not say it, but she most likely already realizes then, he was in a rather dark place after his brother's death. And things could have turned out pretty bad for him. He owes her a pretty big debt whether she realizes, and if it means being her willing guinea pig then so be it.

Chris raised an eyebrow as he heard his name drunkingly slurred by someone. When he turned to face the man who did it he looked at him confused. He didn't really recognize the man despite the way he acted. Apparently he's well known around the Academy now. Funny how that stuff sneaks up on you. He glared daggers at the man when he addressed Synth. Chris stood forward slightly, and raised his arm up in front of Synth, ready to protect her if need be. Though he had no doubt in his mind that Synth could take care of herself, he still had a protective, guard dog-like instinct towards her.

He glared at the other man when he began referring to Synth as an 'it', as if she wasn't even human. "Her. You don't wanna mess with HER. Man." He growled at him in a mocking tone. The other guy took in a deep, and fearful gulp. As he listened to Synth state something about a message, and a girl he clinched his fist tightly causing his knuckles to pop, and sparks to fly off of his hand. He glared a hole through the two's heads.

As Synth walked away he watched the two carefully, expecting that they'd do something. But of course that was just him being paranoid. "Lucas right? Lucas do you have a heart condition?" He asked seemingly out of the blue. "N-no." He hesitantly answered. "Good." Chris then held out his hand, which was writhed in electricity towards Lucas. He simply touched Lucas on his left arm which caused him to fall to the ground, and begin shaking uncontrollably. The other man looked at him in terror. He tried to run but Chris grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar stopping him from running.

"Don't be such a pussy, I just tased him. He'll be fine, other than wetting himself that is." Chris reassured him. "Now look, I'm going to make the wild assumption that even sober Lucas is an asshole. Am I right?" The man merely nodded nervously. At this point he'd probably agree to anything Chris had said. "Right, you seem sober enough to remember this. Me, I'm kind of a softie. I believe in second chances, and all that jazz. So here's what's going to happen. In morning when your buddy is all sobered up, you're gonna tell him what I'm about to tell you, word for word."

"Now I don't know what Synth was talking about, but if your buddy ever, and I mean ever talks another girl like that, ever look at another girl like that, and ever treat another girl like that, no, you guys are gonna live like monks. And if I ever hear about you treating someone like that again, and I will, well, I'm gonna hunt his bitch ass down, and jam my fist into his abdomen, and grab hold of his spine, and roast him from the inside out till he's extra crispy." The man took in a big gulp as he imagined all that in his head. "And then I'm going to rip out his spine, hunt you down, and beat you with his spine until....well until I get bored. Think you can remember all that chief?"

The man nodded his head nervously, and took in a deep gulp. "Good man." He smirked as he lightly slapped the side of his head, and then caught up with Synth. "Sorry.....He was a dick, couldn't let him walk away unscathed." He stated. "So.....was what you were talking about as bad as I think? Did he deserve more than just a light shock?"

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[ song; think twice ] [ outfit; the immutable cold ]


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XXX"Sorry," Chris said as he emerged beside her. "He was a dick, couldn't let him walk away unscathed." Synthia hid a small smile. She would have expected nothing less. Chris might seem the gentle giant more often than not, but he wasn't a self-proclaimed Thunderer for nothing. His rage was a thing of earthquakes and lightning strikes, though it never came often.
XXX"So, was what you were talking about as bad as I think? Did he deserve more than just a light shock?" Worry lined his green-blue eyes as he walked beside her.
XXX"It is better if you do not know," she responded with a shrug. "There are men after him." She quirked her head, tucking her blonde hair behind one ear as if listening to something nobody else could. Her gaze was directed at a corner of the ceiling, but she seemed to be elsewhere, staring miles into the distance. "They are coming for him. I can hear their cars. 8ALNO3 and 1ALN22. He owes them a formidable sum." Synthia turned to Chris. "I regret to inform you your friend will soon receive a black eye and a death threat. Alas, he will be fine. His father's accounts are vast."
XXXSynthia was not a clairvoyant, but the future was easy to decipher when one had access to the past. XXXShe did not thank him for standing up for her, or moving when he thought the boy might harm her. She didn't think she'd thanked anyone for anything since her grandfather's death. There had been no one to remind her to say please and thank you, and she'd eventually lost the ability or rather, the will. It seemed silly, when the words were uttered so frivolously. They were so overused, they were meaningless.
XXXIf she ever said thank you, she wanted to mean it.
XXX"I am famished," she said abruptly. "We will retrieve sustenance."
XXXSynthia moved towards the carparks without awaiting Chris' protest or agreement. Synthia was the sort who did not seek approval from anyone for anything. If Chris did not wish to join, he knew he need merely leave. She was offended by very little.
XXXSynthia's car stood out like a diamond the size of a fist lodged between a sea of plain gravel. It was none other than the Koenigsegg Regera, a 2.1 million Euro hybrid that had not yet been made available for sale. The Executive CEO of the company had a special, albeit mildly creepy, fondness for Synthia. He was a Superhuman as well, of similar capacity for Superintelligence as Synthia, whom he'd hired as his private mechanical consultant after meeting her during a brunch with Synthia's uncle.
XXXSynthia did not fear that her car might be stolen. She'd harvested some of Chris' electricity and coupled it with Sam's superspeed to construct a revolving forcefield. The air crackled around the car, lightning racing around it faster than the eye could follow. It would throw any intruders a dozen feet into the air if they so much as grazed the forcefield.
XXXSynthia was nothing if not paranoid and mistrusting.
XXXPlus, she liked pretty lights.
XXXThe sight was indeed mesmerising, the silver-blue car cocooned in a sphere of similar hue. They danced and gravitated towards Chris as he neared like bees to its queen. Synthia returned them to the small, cylindrical device beneath her car that kept them upright with a wave of her hand.
XXX"I got a new car," she said, as if that were not obvious. Her last had been an Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.
XXXShe slid into the driver's seat, but she did not drive.
XXX"Welcome, Synthia Aurore Faye," intoned a robotic female voice that seemed to permeate every inch of the interior. "Where do you wish to go?"
XXX"The Bistro," Synthia said.
XXX"Destination entered. Your journey will take approximately 12 minutes and 38 seconds."
XXX"Activate sub-user Christop Gabriel Flynn."
XXX"Voice activation required from sub-user, Christop Gabriel Flynn," said her car. "Welcome, Christopher. Would you care for some light refreshments?"
XXXA tray shot out from the passenger armrest, revealing a tray of Chris' favourite drinks and snacks, as well as a steaming cup of coffee for Synthia. Meanwhile the car had begun its journey. But Synthia did not have her hands on the steering wheel. Whilst she enjoyed tweaking cars, as she had this one, she did not particularly enjoy driving.
XXX"I have been dabbling in autonomous cars," said Synthia. "It still needs some work."


・ • ● • ・


XXXThey arrived at The Bistro in 12 minutes and 42 seconds.
XXX"Mmm, it's slow." Synthia pursed her lips.
XXXThey entered The Bistro - what a creative name - just in time to see Sam bring a chair down on a brutish man.
XXXSynthia turned around to leave.
XXXBefore she could, a knife soared through the air, nearly taking off the ends of her hair. Synthia frowned.
XXXA fight barred the exit, and she saw from accessing the monitoring cameras in the bistro that the emergency exit had a broken hinge they had yet to fix.
XXXShe turned her gaze to Chris. Well, if she had to be a part of this violent debacle, she supposed Chris was as good a companion as any. Perhaps he could simply electrocute everyone except the chef. She really did crave a schnitzel and chips. Maybe a strawberry milkshake while they were at it.
XXX"You called your friends?" The voice rose above all the others, filled with rage and venom. Synthia noticed then, the gun that was pointed above her eyes. Her frown deepened. Of all the parts of her threatened, why the mind, which she valued most? She saw Ella slumped on the floor and Sam crouched beside her. Synthia quirked a brow.
XXX"'Friends' might be too generous a term," she said simply.
XXX"Don't fuck with me, you little bitch!"
XXX"It depends on the breed, but the average size of a female dog is between 45.9-67.2 pounds. I would be almost twice the weight of the average bitch and therefor, would not be considered little."
XXX"What?" the gunman spat. "What the hell is this bitch on about?"
XXX"Profanity is frequently employed in the absence of adequate vocabulary."
XXX"Just shoot her!" another man called.
XXX"Ah, but the police are 12 kilometres and 26 metres away," she said.
XXX"How the fuck do you know that?"
XXX"I informed them, of course."
XXXThe cloaked man pulled the trigger.
XXXHe pulled it again. Nothing.
XXX"What the hell-"
XXX"The bullets are held in a magazine propelled by a lever that is in turn interconnected with the selector switch," she explained. "It is very basic machinery, but quite ingenious."
XXXThe man lunged towards her.

There was so much going on at once. Men attacking the shapeshifter known as Ella, Sam hitting one with a chair, Synth mouthing off, and Leo trying to play hero for Mei. Others joined in to help fight the goons that decided to crash the 'fun'. But then something changed. One bye one... Each attacker froze in place. They all looked the same. Wide-eyed with fear and sweat slowly dripping down their ugly faces. That could only mean one thing... Nathaniel had arrived.

He walked past a table and grabbed a green apple that was sitting on it before tossing it in the air and catching. He was always one for a dramatic entrance. "Well, well, well..." One corner of his lip curled upwards into a vicious looking smirk as he tossed the apple from one hand to the other. He stopped and looked at one of them. "What do we have here?" He took a bite out of his apple and chuckled. Granny smith. His favourite.

Each attacker was stuck in the alternate reality Nathaniel created and each one of them was being tortured by the thing they feared most. Nathaniel's specialty. Normally he wouldn't have helped out but these idiots decided to start destroying one of the few places Nathaniel thought deserved his glorious presence.

"Let us go, man." Nathaniel was the only one they could see that wasn't their fears. Though he would become one of them after today. He responded to him. "Well, 'man'." He put his hands up to form air quotations before taking another bite. He held them there in silence as he savored that bite. "You were idiotic enough to crash one of the few places around here that is decent enough for someone as high class as me. So when you crashed in like a bunch of buffoons and harmed a fair lady..." He stepped in towards him and smirked. "You made me upset and since you made me upset, I'm going to torture you until the police arrive."

Chris followed behind Synth, and smiled slightly when she informed him of what was going to happen to Lucas. He followed her to the garage, and rode with her to the Bistro. He was slightly surprised that she actually let him in one of her cars. Considering that he has a pension to breaking them. But he did his best not to screw it up. He didn't really want to deal with another one of her lectures, and her calling him a brute. Just because he's a little techno-phobic doesn't make him brute, but to Synth that's all the same.

As they entered the Bistro Chris glared at the man who threatened Synth. He didn't know what was going on but no one threatens his friends. No one. As the man lunged at Synth, a lightning bolt flew past Synth's head, and struck the man in his chest, tossing him back quite a ways. "No one talks to my friends like that." He growled as he stepped forward. The man got back up, and pulled out a knife since his gun wasn't working. Chris merely chuckled at this, and held up his finger, motioning for him to bring it. As he lunged at Chris he merely grabbed hold of the wrist holding the knife, and twisted it backwards, and began squeezing.

The bone of his wrist could be heard popping as the man screamed in pain. The thug fell to his knees, and Chris delivered a single knock out blow to his head, and released him to fall over on the floor. Chris looked up to see what was happening with the thugs experiencing their worse fears thanks to Nathaniel. When he stated that he was going to torture them till the cops showed up he glared at him. "That's enough. Release them NOW." He demanded.

"They're just a bunch of wanna be hoods, they don't deserve to be tortured no matter what they did." Chris stated as he walked over towards them. He could see the joy this brought Nathanial, and knew that he wouldn't just let them go. So he'd have to snap them out of it. Chris walked over, and placed his hand on the shoulder of one of the men, and gave him a large enough shock to knock him out. He then proceeded to do the same thing to the other thugs under his sway. Once they were all out he let out a big sigh.

"There. Anyone got a problem with that you can take it up with me later. Now let's go before the cops show up." Chris stated as he stared at Nathaniel, clearly challenging him to do something in an Alpha-Male-like manner.

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Spencer was practically dying of laughter over Landon and Synthia bickering. This was part of the reason she loved when Landon came over. He pissed of Synthia and then got them alone together so they could have their own fun. "So whatever shall we do?" He was not subtle at all about what he was implying and then added, "I mean it's only special occasions that I look this hot." Spencer rolled her eyes. "Hot might be an overstatement." She teased.

Landon got up and closed the door while Spencer turned to lay on her side. He turned to face her an dundid the buttons of his sleeves. "As I see it we have a few options... Video game, screw... Or strip COD." He smirked, crossing his arms over his chest while leaning his shoulder against the door. He then held his hand out towards her, "Unless you had a better option..." Spencer thought for a moment before answering, "My great idea is doing all of those at once. Perfect way to start the new year."

Just then, Spencer's phone buzzed with a text from her brother:

{From: Beowulf}
Bunch of thugs attacking bistro. Help.

Spencer jumped out of bed in Mama Bear mode now. She looked over at her best friend. "Leo's in trouble at the bistro. Some idiots decided to lay a hand on my brother." Spencer was raging at the thought of anyone laying a hand on her little brother but she of course was able to make one teasing comment at Landon. "Whoever hurts the most bad guys gets oral from the loser." She smirked and ran out the door her dorm was close to the entrance.

Once she got out, she knelt down and dug her feet into the ground while she used her power to build up enough energy to make her go racing forward to the bistro like a bullet. Spencer kept going until she ran into one of the thugs that tried to make a move at Leo. She crashed into him but didn't realize she didn't account for how she was supposed to stop and ended up crashing into a another body before flipping onto the ground. Spencer rolled onto her back. "Oh, fuck! That hurts!"

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Having his finger laced with Mei's felt electrifying but that was soon cut short when they arrived at the bistro Stay right here, when I give the sign, teleport Ella out of here. I'll handle this, and don't worry about me I'm sure Sam and I can take care of each other." Leo didn't respond but he knew he was coming back so he might as well bring some reinforcements. He took out his phone a texted Spencer before Ella, who came shapeshifted as Mei, came running towards him. He grabbed hold of her and teleport them far enough away but close enough for him to still be at full strength once he got back.

"Please go save Mei before she does something reckless" She begged him. Leo nodded and grinned. "I'll be her night in smokey armor." He teleported away and all that was left of him was a tiny cloud of smoke. He reappeared next to Mei just in time for a guy to lung at her. Leo turned his body into smoke and entered into the guys lungs and made him collapse from asphyxiation. Leo left his body and stood next to Mei ready to take out the next guy when Nathaniel appeared. He may not like the guy but he was actually upset when Chris stopped him. At least Nathaniel had all of them stopped. Now all the thugs were back on their feet and ready to attack again.

And attack they did when one caught Leo off guard and had a gun pointed towards him. Out of the blue, came Spencer running towards the guy like a bullet and tackled him to the ground only to crash land into someone else before finally stopping. "Oh, fuck! That hurts!" Leo ran towards her and helped her up. Spencer grinned at him. "Thanks, pipsqueak." She then started examining him. "I swear to go if any of them knocked one hair out of place..." Leo laughed. "I'm fine I swear."

"That's enough. Release them NOW." Nathaniel frowned when Chris decided to kill his fun and shock his victims back to reality. "They're just a bunch of wanna be hoods, they don't deserve to be tortured no matter what they did." Nathaniel simply rolled his eyes at Chris's little 'hero' act. The only reason his party trick even worked was because Nathaniel was using his power on a large group of people. If the group had been smaller, Chris wouldn't have been able to release them. In fact, he would've just made things worse for them.

Chris finished bringing them all back since Nathaniel allowed it and then turned around like he was o high and mighty for what he did. "There. Anyone got a problem with that you can take it up with me later. Now let's go before the cops show up." Nathaniel rolled his eyes and simply laughed at him. "Are you done yet?" He asked him. "Really Chris, this whole 'alpha male' act is rather idiotic, don't you say? Acting like a brutish hero for the attention of a girl." He pointed at Synth. "Isn't going to work on someone who has an IQ that weighs more than two of you." He shook his head and laughed again.

"And one more thing Chris..." He took a step towards him. "Do remember I'm the one who knows what keeps you up at night the next time you try to play alpha." Nathaniel winked at him and took a bite of his apple and was about to turn away when just his luck, an annoying blonde crash landed into Chris right in front of him. Nathaniel nearly fell over from laughter at the site. Happy New Years, Nathaniel.

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Landon smirked when Spencer replied, "My great idea is doing all of those at once. Perfect way to start the new year." He began to step towards her while his hands started unbuttoning his shirt. He had gotten his shirt completely unbuttoned to reveal his muscular torso when she got a text. "Leo's in trouble at the bistro. Some idiots decided to lay a hand on my brother." His eyes widened as he moved across Spence's room, grabbing his jacket off her office chair. He knew that they'd be off to go help or whatever you want to call it. "Whoever hurts the most bad guys gets oral from the loser." She was out the door before he was able to grab his car keys from his pocket. "Well... I was going to offer to drive us..." He sighed to himself, slipping his jacket on and running out of her dorm with his shirt still wide open.

Landon ran down the stairs, skipping 3 at a time until he reached the ground level and bursted through the door. He ran over to his truck, yanking open the door and sliding into the driver seat. Without putting his seatbelt on or anything, he put the key in the ignition and started the engine. Within seconds he was barreling down the road to the dinner.

Usually a 15 minutes drive and he made it there in a few minutes. Thankfully the school was sort of in the middle of no where because if it wasn't he probably would have wrecked or gotten a ticket by then. He pulled into the parking lot, seeing the action inside and outside the Bistro. He parked his truck in a spot near the entrance. Just as he went to exit his truck, he saw one of the gang members or whatever they were run out into the parking lot. Just as the guy was going to pass his truck, Landon opened the driver's side door, slamming the guy in the chest and knocking him to the ground. He smirked to himself as he stepped out of the truck, closing the door. "Timing is everything."

Apparently timing is everything because he arrived in time to see Spencer run right into someone. Typical. Landon shifted his gaze back to the guy on the ground before him. "You should probably get lost." He grabbed the guy by his shirt, lifting him up off the ground and pushing him in the direction away from the Bistro. Once the guy was gone, he made his way into the diner coming up to stand beside Nathaniel who seemed a little too pleased with himself. "Scaring the shit out of people per usual?" Landon lifted his arm to rest on his friends shoulder as the guy bit into the apple he was eating. He flinched slightly as he felt a breeze on his torso. Glancing down he realized his shirt was still wide open, he merely shrugged his shoulders not caring.

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The guy sat up, "Hi." Well that's a start. Gisele thought to herself when he responded to her. She didn't realize how strange it probably was having a random girl come knocking on your door. But on a positive side he wasn't ignoring her. ”Aislinn, Aislinn, Aislinn… Sorry, I actually don’t know an Aislinn,” He said in response to her question. She sighed softly, nodding her head in understanding as the guy got up from his bed and moved towards her. She tried to snap her fingers in a dang-it type of way but her gloves just muffled the noise. "Dammit..." It wasn't long before she slightly regretted asking if he saw anyone pass by his door. She could tell by the way his eyes never seemed to really focus on anything that he was blind, she felt bad but something about him felt like he still had his perceptions which made sense as to why he could see her.

”Probably doesn’t help that I’m new here. Galen Lewis. What’s your name?” Gisele chuckled softly at his comment seeing his hand extend towards her as he introduced himself. She quickly brought her hands up to remove her glove from her right hand, before gently placing her hand in his. Regardless if he was blind or not, she glanced up into his eyes with a smile. Eye contact was important in her opinion. "It's ok... I haven't been here much longer than you. I know just enough to get myself lost, obviously." She laughed softly at her own comment before adding, "I'm Gisele... Gisele DuBois."

Gisele glanced over the guy as she slowly retracted her hand and put back on her glove. He was definitely attractive and didn't seem to be like a douche bag like half the guys in the school. But it was weird... When she tried to listen to his thoughts to see what was really going on in his head she only heard fragments, like radio static. Her brows pulled together as she tried to focus. She half raised her hands to reach out towards his face but froze mid way and let her hands drop. That'd probably be a hard first encounter to explain, not to mention invade his personal space. She was just curious why his mind seemed so different.

After a little bit of silence, Gisele cleared her throat. "So I'm assuming being new... You haven't met that many people. I was actually heading outside to play in the snow... Because I'm 5." She grinned while chuckling. "It might be more fun then laying around by yourself listening to music." She pointed towards his dorm room, "You're more then welcome to join. I just have to warn you... I'm like a world champion in snow ball fights, and I don't play fair." She smirked, "Or if you asked me really nicely, I might consider joining forces."