Behold A Black Horse - Log 3
Nov. 26th, 2023 04:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_dominion posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsThey arrive in Troy but discover something limiting their powers.
Clarice was able to get them about a half mile inside of Troy, Alabama city limits. The city was silent and still, punctuated by the lights from the military cordon around the township that had been set up. The CDC was still moving resources in so fortunately, soldiers in bio-hazard suits hadn't penetrated far into the city. But the landing point was well short of Clarice's original target, closer to the steel plant that Darcy's contact had been sheltering in. It was like the air ran out before she could get anyone closer.
Shaking her head, Clarice looked grim, "I don't know what's blocking me, but I can't get closer," she said lowly, annoyed. "I can feel...it's like a natural barrier? But not like a mountain or something like that. And it's not man-made like a wall," they felt different to her, though it wasn't like she could tell if it was a mountain or a tree, only that it was natural and in her way.
"Could be a part of whatever is going on here?" Sooraya suggested as she slowly took in their surroundings. "I guess we'll have to walk? And looking at that giant behemoth up there, that's the direction we have to go." She nodded at the silhouette rising many feet at the buildings surrounding it, many chimneys visible against the afternoon light.
"I can take point? We're going to need to avoid the cops and government agencies, so I can do x-rays and sneak ahead?" suggested Nica, chewing on her bottom lip as she looked ahead.
"But...do you feel weird like Blink though?" Molly asked curiously. "If she can't get closer like...what if you can't x-ray?" She paused. "Quick, somebody slap me."
"It's not.... my powers still work," Clarice tried to explain, "Just not how I'm used to. They're warped, not gone," she wasn't willing to risk hurting herself to slap Bruiser.
Darcy mentally cursed Murphy in several languages, then let out a sigh. "Alright, then it's probably wise to assume all of our powers will be acting oddly. I can't actually give a pep talk about that, but I will personally assume things aren't going to work as well or accurately as I'd like them to and try to compensate, and suggest the rest of you do something similar. Nica, Soo... go ahead and do some stuff with your powers, see if there's any immediate weirdness you can pinpoint and adjust."
"Yeah, I'm absolutely down." Garrison said immediately. He lifted a large chunk of concrete. "This is a bit tough for me and it shouldn't be. Everyone, be cautious." It wasn't any more difficult for him, just that his power decline had started to get more rapid and this was a bit of cover.
"Hmmm." Sooraya shifted before forming several of the razorsharp tendrils she preferred to use in a fight. She let the tendrils fade away, then shifted in her sandman form before returning to her human form. "I can shift back and forth with no change, but it's almost like I'm moving my sandform through thick molasses." She commented.
Next to her, Nica was wavering in and out of visibility, before settling on a semi-transparent state. "I can't go all the way invisible," she complained. "But if I stick to the shadows, I should be okay as far as stealth goes."
"Still waiting on someone to slap me," Molly said expectantly, then shrugged. "Or I could try to lift something I guess." Eying a large trash can nearby, she picked it up, but there was more strain than usual, as her glowing purple eyes flickered before she let out a breath. "That was kinda tricky...little winded."
"Look, we're all trained for this with or without powers," Clarice pointed out, "We adjust, we compensate, we still complete the mission. That doesn't change even if our methods do. This is a time for creativity."
"And getting in and out as fact as possible." Kane said, mostly to himself. "Which way do we start, boss?" He said with a nod to Darcy. This was her mission after all.
Darcy's phone had scant signal, but a light hook into the nearest cell phone tower helped. Marginally. "Ugh, what are they running on for internet out here, DSL?" she groused to herself as she spun in place, holding her phone high. "Almost... not qui–There!" The GPS pin Stacy had sent her with the location of the other woman's trailer sprang into view, as well as some of the other buildings in this part of the town. "Down this road, to the left away from the town. It's about a half-mile out. No sidewalks, but it's cold enough I don't think we'll have to worry about snakes either. Still, stay to the edge of the road, and if you hear something coming, share so we can get out of sight. Plenty of trees to hide in, at least."
Clarice was able to get them about a half mile inside of Troy, Alabama city limits. The city was silent and still, punctuated by the lights from the military cordon around the township that had been set up. The CDC was still moving resources in so fortunately, soldiers in bio-hazard suits hadn't penetrated far into the city. But the landing point was well short of Clarice's original target, closer to the steel plant that Darcy's contact had been sheltering in. It was like the air ran out before she could get anyone closer.
Shaking her head, Clarice looked grim, "I don't know what's blocking me, but I can't get closer," she said lowly, annoyed. "I can feel...it's like a natural barrier? But not like a mountain or something like that. And it's not man-made like a wall," they felt different to her, though it wasn't like she could tell if it was a mountain or a tree, only that it was natural and in her way.
"Could be a part of whatever is going on here?" Sooraya suggested as she slowly took in their surroundings. "I guess we'll have to walk? And looking at that giant behemoth up there, that's the direction we have to go." She nodded at the silhouette rising many feet at the buildings surrounding it, many chimneys visible against the afternoon light.
"I can take point? We're going to need to avoid the cops and government agencies, so I can do x-rays and sneak ahead?" suggested Nica, chewing on her bottom lip as she looked ahead.
"But...do you feel weird like Blink though?" Molly asked curiously. "If she can't get closer like...what if you can't x-ray?" She paused. "Quick, somebody slap me."
"It's not.... my powers still work," Clarice tried to explain, "Just not how I'm used to. They're warped, not gone," she wasn't willing to risk hurting herself to slap Bruiser.
Darcy mentally cursed Murphy in several languages, then let out a sigh. "Alright, then it's probably wise to assume all of our powers will be acting oddly. I can't actually give a pep talk about that, but I will personally assume things aren't going to work as well or accurately as I'd like them to and try to compensate, and suggest the rest of you do something similar. Nica, Soo... go ahead and do some stuff with your powers, see if there's any immediate weirdness you can pinpoint and adjust."
"Yeah, I'm absolutely down." Garrison said immediately. He lifted a large chunk of concrete. "This is a bit tough for me and it shouldn't be. Everyone, be cautious." It wasn't any more difficult for him, just that his power decline had started to get more rapid and this was a bit of cover.
"Hmmm." Sooraya shifted before forming several of the razorsharp tendrils she preferred to use in a fight. She let the tendrils fade away, then shifted in her sandman form before returning to her human form. "I can shift back and forth with no change, but it's almost like I'm moving my sandform through thick molasses." She commented.
Next to her, Nica was wavering in and out of visibility, before settling on a semi-transparent state. "I can't go all the way invisible," she complained. "But if I stick to the shadows, I should be okay as far as stealth goes."
"Still waiting on someone to slap me," Molly said expectantly, then shrugged. "Or I could try to lift something I guess." Eying a large trash can nearby, she picked it up, but there was more strain than usual, as her glowing purple eyes flickered before she let out a breath. "That was kinda tricky...little winded."
"Look, we're all trained for this with or without powers," Clarice pointed out, "We adjust, we compensate, we still complete the mission. That doesn't change even if our methods do. This is a time for creativity."
"And getting in and out as fact as possible." Kane said, mostly to himself. "Which way do we start, boss?" He said with a nod to Darcy. This was her mission after all.
Darcy's phone had scant signal, but a light hook into the nearest cell phone tower helped. Marginally. "Ugh, what are they running on for internet out here, DSL?" she groused to herself as she spun in place, holding her phone high. "Almost... not qui–There!" The GPS pin Stacy had sent her with the location of the other woman's trailer sprang into view, as well as some of the other buildings in this part of the town. "Down this road, to the left away from the town. It's about a half-mile out. No sidewalks, but it's cold enough I don't think we'll have to worry about snakes either. Still, stay to the edge of the road, and if you hear something coming, share so we can get out of sight. Plenty of trees to hide in, at least."
