>>4324253

Character Info and stats (Now includes a side-character page, which is currently under construction!):

https://pastebin.com/u/Siiren_QM

Previous thread(s):

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/4158908/

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/4170002/

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/4207482/

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/4252203/

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/4292764/

Update Twitter:

twitter.com/qmsiren

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>>4324253

>Now, what do you do?
>Don’t say anything. This is clearly Sopor’s/Valjean’s way of saying “I know you’re on to me; leave me alone if you want our truce to remain in place.”
>You don’t have time for this. You have bigger fish to fry than a criminal mutant trying to get your attention for whatever reason. Say that to him on your way out.
>Embrace your inner-cannibal, and give Valjean a nice, subtle threat…
>Call Valjean out right here, right now and ask him what he thinks he’s accomplishing with this.
>Resolve to come back later and confront Valjean before the café closes.
>write-in

>>4324270
>You don’t have time for this. You have bigger fish to fry than a criminal mutant trying to get your attention for whatever reason. Say that to him on your way out.

>>4324295
+1
How about Just the "You don't have time for this" part?

>>4324270
>initiate rap battle to the death

>>4324358
ok, just say that we don't have time for his games

>>4324383
+1 act bored to neutralize jerk
>>4324270
>Call Valjean out right here, right now and ask him what he thinks he’s accomplishing with this.

Shit we're all color-coded to perfection here!!!!

I will go back to writing actual quest now...

>>4324295
>>4324358
>>4324383
>>4324720

You don’t have time for this— not at all, you think— especially now with everything that is currently happening. The criminal mutant that stands (limps) before you would just be another thing to tack onto the long list of bullshit that you have to deal with, so you’re just going to high-tail it out of here and go back to doing what you had been, which is saving mutants and preparing for your next move against FutureLabs.

“I don’t have time for your games.” You pointedly say right after Matt and Bernard have finished their drinks, and then you’re off the bar stool and out the door, Matt’s and Bernard’s questioning gazes following you as you make your way out the door.

If Valjean thinks that making allusions to your diet is enough to accomplish anything, then he’s very much wasting his time.

“Ellie, care to share what that was about?” Matt asks, once you’re out of the cafe.

“Valjean’s Sopor.” The words are low-drawn hiss.

“Come again?” Bernard’s voice is disbelieving, while Matt is silent.

“Valjean. Is. Sopor.” You enunciate each word clearly but still low enough for only your ears to hear. “He has the same injuries in the same place with the same arm and leg—and I don’t know how he knows, but he knows about us…”

“Well shit.” Bernard says after a dreadfully long silence. “Whaddya think tipped him off?”

You honestly don’t know, so you don’t have an answer for that, and neither does Matt, whose eyes are narrowed in consternation; the best guess you have is that Valjean had taken a look under Matt’s or Bernard’s mask during the first time you encountered him as Sopor.

>(1/2)

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>>4324782

“Hey do you think he’s the kind of guy to spit in stickface’s coffee with him being Crux and all?” Bernard asks, off-topic.

“No.” Matt shakes his head. “…but I should’ve known something wasn’t right when Valjean kept getting my orders consistently wrong…” And then he mutters beneath his breath “…freaking jackass…”

“Hey— don’t think too hard on it, guys. If he tries to tattle on us or does somethin’ stupid, you guys got me, while that dirtbag’s got absolutely nothin.’” Bernard has an arm around either of you. “He’s probably just messin’ with us cause he’s still attached to all of that Crux nonsense and has a thing against stickface. Hopefully Conduit’s doin’ his job like he’s supposed to… you think that’s actually gonna help?”

Much like every other mutant you had tried to inform about Pharos’ powers, Conduit hadn’t taken the news of Pharos’ deceit very well. However, the evidence had been played before him was impossible to deny, and you have to wonder if the memories you had given the bomb-maker were strong enough to overcome Pharos’ foothold on the minds of the Crux mutants trapped in FutureLabs.

“We can only hope, Bernard.” You tell him, and, since it’s out of your control, hoping is all you can do.

>With the task force still looming over your head, there's still so much to do, so what now?
>Check over the data you from the hard drive.
>Figure out what to do about Eddie.
>Reassess your strength levels.
>write-in

>>4324786
>Reassess your strength levels.
Took my a while to get the joke

>>4324786
>check the hard drive

OP is suddenly tired. Will be back to count votes tomorrow.

updates: twitter.com/qmsiren

>>4324786
>Reassess your strength levels.
I don't know what this means so let's go with this

>>4324786
>>Reassess your strength levels.

>>4324945
Yo
Yo
Yo
Yo my name is Valjean but it's really Sopor
I work a full time job but I'm still so poor
I wanted to be Crux so bad but the normies ganked it
Am I supposed to thank a normie
Who doesn't even tip a homie
Here's a tip homie, put it in your mouth
It's too hot, it'll burn your tongue and you'll spit it out
I didn't spit in your drink although I could've
You wouldn't reach my level if you could do a pullup

That was fucking terrible I hope my phone breaks before I post this

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>>4325020

This means a reassessment of our powers to see how far our metaphorical level-grinding’s gotten us.

>>4325033

> That was fucking terrible I hope my phone breaks before I post this

This is a modern masterpiece.

Slight delay as OP struggles to get back to a computer...

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>>4325025
>>4325020
>>4324796

>>Reassess your strength levels.

With the task force looming overhead, testing your powers in order to see how strong you’ve gotten is a good way to see just how far you can push your limits outside of a life-or-death scenario. The same goes for Bernard, and, even though he had good control over his power since you started training with him, his range and stamina in his teleports have greatly increased. Matt, too, has become a powerhouse with his continued training, and you think that once he reaches his next growth spurt the results will really show.

“If we’re goin’ to go all out, should we really be using the beach? Somethin’ tells me that’s just beggin’ for someone to come and see us.” Bernard is the first to raise his concerns. Although nobody generally comes around the area where the rocky beach is, making enough noise is sure to grab the attention of a too-curious passerby.

“Then we can go to the lake, cause I have some stuff I want to test while we’re outside of city limits.” Matt says, the solution an obvious one. “And there’s more shit to break for you guys— well, not so much for you, Bernard, as for Ellie, but it’s better that we don’t make our beach look like a warzone.” That’s a very good point there, you think.

“So…” Bernard drawls out, green eyes inquiring. “Where is this lake?”

“It’s about an hour-or-so drive to the site and and another hour or two of a hike to the actual lake itself.” “You’ve never been to Howler’s Lake?”

“No, but I’ve been up by Green Lakes Park where they have the one of the Vanderbilt Mansions.” That… happens to be all the way in New York.

“Alright then. We can leave in about an hour to get all of our stuff together.” Matt then pulls out a credit card that you know is neither yours nor his and hands it to Bernard. “Putting you in charge of sustenance, cause we’re not eating lake fish when we can eat actual food.” Actual food would happen to be copious amounts of chips and candy, which used to be a large staple of your old diet. “Meet us behind our apartment when you got the goods.”

“Sure thing, stick!” Bernard gives a blinding grin, and then he’s gone in a flash of green.

Once back at the apartment, you and Matt set to packing the necessities you need for the trip, which is just a bedroll and extra clothes for yourself. Matt’s bag, surprisingly, is packed to the brim, so much that you can see one of the corners of his laptop from the outside of the bag.

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>>4326363

Of course John is curious as to what you and Matt are doing with bags of camping gear, and you simply tell him that Bernard wanted to see the lake, because he’d never been there, and, while that’s not a lie, you do feel a twinge of guilt for whatever reason; perhaps it’s because John had wanted to take you there himself before his break ended, but, if he doesn’t seem too bothered by it, then you suppose you shouldn’t be either.

When you meet Bernard, he’s carrying what appears to be an obscene amount of junk food (though you think you see some granola bars buried somewhere in the mix of things), and, once that’s loaded into the car, the three of you are set and are able to make it to Howler’s lake in record time.

The hike goes on until the lake is finally in view, and then Bernard has you in a teleport before there’s the waters of Howler’s lake lapping at your feet. That teleport saved you a good forty-five minutes of walking, you think, as you take in the familiar scenery.

You haven’t been to Howler’s lake in a long while, but the sight of the still yet expansive water along with the surrounding greenery instills within you a feeling of calm. In fact, you would almost be tempted to jump right into the lake right now just to enjoy yourself, but you’re here for business— anything else you do can come afterwards.

There are several things that you could do all the way out here, from testing your strength in various ways to seeing just how far you can stretch your senses.

It hadn’t been something you noticed right off the bat, but you know for a fact that your regeneration has also been improving with each fight. You wonder if it’s your body’s way of adapting to what you’ve been doing, because, when you first became a mutant, the reformation of skin and bone was at a crawl. Nowadays, you can feel the speed at which the tissues and muscle seal themselves together, as well as where new veins and sinew are regrown, but there’s not much of a way you could test that all the way out here in the wilderness.

Unless Matt got a gun of course, which he totally could much in the same way he acquires everything else he wants. You doubt he’d shoot you if you asked, even with the reasoning that it would help beef up your regeneration; plus, you don’t think the trend of FutureLabs using actual guns on you is going away any time soon— you’ll probably have plenty more opportunities to deal with their bullets.

In any case, what do you wish to test out first and foremost?
>Your strength— destroy lots of shit!
>Your agility— jumping and whatnot
>Your senses— see how far you can stretch them
>otHEr

>>4326374
>Your agility— jumping and whatnot

>>4326363
>under 6 ft considered below average height
Found the girl

>>4326464
>SENSES
Oh wait TECHNICALLY I'm calling Sopor a girl

>>4326464
>>4326466

That's Matt.

Matt doesn't like masked douchebags calling him a midget.

Someday, Matt will achieve a height of 6'2''

That day is not today...

let’a

>>4326535

>otHEr

let’s go mad

>>4326374
>>4326363
>Your strength-- destroy lots of shit!
I'm actually kind of into the idea of getting shot. Or at least figuring out the limits of our durability. How hard can we punch something before something in our arm breaks from the force of the impact?

We will take a roll between everyone's options in ten minutes unless there's another vote.

>>4326374
>>Your agility— jumping and whatnot

When it comes to fights AND heroing, Speed Kills. Agility and smarts can make up for raw power in a lot of cases, but not vice versa. Senses would be good, but they're a bonus.

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Shitpost intermission while I finish up the update.

>>4326604
I feel this but I want echolocation

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>>4326403
>>4326604

>Agility

Your fish form covers your body in a moment’s instant before you break off into a sprint towards the forest, and your body is fresh from the recent energy from the sustenance you had given it today, muscles primed and ready to utilize the nutrients wrought from your feed. In this wooded lake area, there are no shortage of trees for you to use— trees of all sizes and heights.

A leap, and you’re sent flying into the thicket. Wind whips in your face and throws your hair backwards, and you get a faceful of leaves more times than you would care to admit, but, soon, you’re leaping from one bough to the next at breakneck speed.

Kicking off the side of one thick trunk and swinging off of the next branch that comes into your reach, you find that the act of moving through the trees requires a lot more finesse than just leaping up and down Konigsburgs tall, gleaming buildings. And it’s a little bit more of a learning curve, as opposed to the mainly-flat city buildings and wide, open concrete jungle you’re used to, but the challenge is a welcome one.

Faster and faster, until the world around you becomes nothing more than a blur of greens and browns, of smells and shapes and quick-react motions; and, when the act of simply acrobatting off of trees loses its sparkle, it’s easy to envision the trunks and boughs as targets— targets on which you can implement your martial arts skills in conjunction with your agility.

Your fist effortlessly breaks through a tree trunk that you imagine to be a faceless grunt, and then you’re pushing off towards the next bough.

Again, you land a kick that sends an unsuspecting branch hurtling towards the ground. There’s more wind in your face, more splinters of wood flying in all directions, as the satisfying crackle of the trees reawakens that instinctual half of your brain. But you don’t stop where you’re at; you keep going, because it’s cathartic and enjoyable in a number of ways.

What’s more? This is practice for the real thing-- the task force-- and that fight with Valjean as Sopor had been a reminder for you that you need to be ready for whatever plans they might have in store.

So you need to keep going, and you want to do so, that insistent mental thrumming rising all the while. However, in the back of your mind, you’re faintly reminded of a lapse— a very recent lapse in memory from a very recent feeding. Only because your mind is going down a similar tangent as earlier does this happen to catch your attention.

>what do you do?
>Keep going— see what happens when you push your limits!
>Stop where you’re at, take a breather, and mentally reassess yourself
>write-in

>>4326754

If you go back to thread #03, I mentioned that fish have a sense of preprioception in which they can sense changes in pressure/motion through their fins.
We happened to realize that we had it after getting a nat 100 in the bank, so we technically have something similar to echolocation.

>>4326757
>Stop where you’re at, take a breather, and mentally reassess yourself
Let's see what our brain has in store for us

>>4326757
>inb4 we ate a squirrel

>>4326781

I think option 2 is just for calming down.

>>4326757
>Keep going— see what happens when you push your limits!
WE MUST PUSH OURSELVES IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE GROWTH

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Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>4326757
>>4326892
-1 no to eating the neighbor's baby
>stop
>>4326762
[zalgo]maximum perception[/zalgo]

>>4327194
>89
>"zalgo"
Poetic really

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>>4326815
>>4327194

We're in a forest. Where are the squirrels and shit at? Nowhere!!! NOWHEEEERRRRRE!!!

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>>4327194
>>4326781

4:20-- early update!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gII-ghI2_8k

>stop

You stop in your tracks right where you are, because your mind is rising to that same crescendo that it had earlier in the morning, and you realize that you’re not in the best frame of mind from all of the stuff that has happened in the past twenty-four hours— not that you usually let anything from your fights bother you, because you do it so often, but it’s not every day you get yourself sniped, nearly lose control of yourself, and then have someone call you out on your identity in such a short amount of time. Sans that delicious bluefin you had eaten, it’s been a pretty rotten twenty-four hours, all things considered.

Out of a sick sense of curiosity, you might have given in to that instinctual, unconscious state, because this might’ve been a chance to see if there was anything more to it. However, you don’t know how long it would take for you to get out of said state, and you wouldn’t want to risk the safety of Matt and Bernard in the off-chance that they are unable to react to you fast enough. Perhaps another day when you actually inform them beforehand, so you don’t end up turning your pleasant lake-trip into a real life horror film.

You’re in a small clearing now, where trees are bent and destroyed all around you. Some boughs are still attached to the larger, sturdier trees, but only just barely, while you can see the marks of your fists in the broad, wooden trunks. because you’re already strong and know enough martial arts to do a number on people. Couple those things with agility, and you think you could be unstoppable.

It’s a good time as any to head back to camp, where you find Bernard already fast asleep. You think he must have tried to test his own limits with his powers, and you wonder how much further the Blonde can teleport at this point. Matt, meanwhile, is click-clacking away on his laptop, though you also see some makeshift targets set at varying distances from your camp.

>(1/2)

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>>4327763

“What’s with the targets?” You’re wondering what they were for.

“Trying to see if a slingshot would be a good long-range weapon.” It is then that you notice the slingshot lying on the ground beside him.

“Any luck?”

“Well, it’s not too hard to learn, but, even if I kept practicing and got good enough at it, FutureLabs’ agents wear way too much shit for any projectile that’s not a bullet to be effective.” Matt then proceeds to mutter beneath his breath. “Bastards…”

“Keep it anyway— you never know when you’ll need it, and it’s definitely small enough to fit on your belt.” You think your reasoning is rock-solid.

Stealing a glance to Matt’s laptop, you notice that he’s using Chitter of all things. It’s only slightly weird, because you know that your brother has a vehement disdain for all things social media, whether it be out of paranoia or whatever else.

In any case, Matt knows your question before you even open your mouth, and he tells you that he’s been using Chitter to see what happens if he posts anything FutureLabs or mutant-related outside of city limits. Upon returning to Konigsburg, he would see if the posts were visible within the city, and then you would help him destroy the laptop right afterwards.

Now, Matt’s just posting general slurs and stuff about mutant rights to see how far that will get him but is planning to up the ante shortly.

>Should he?
>Yes. It’s not like they’ll be able to track you down with how tech-savvy Matt is
>Yes, but make sure Matt takes the necessary precautions
>No. This is a risky move
>write-in

>(2/2)

>>4327806
>Yes, but make sure Matt takes the necessary precautions

>>4327806
>Yes, but make sure Matt takes the necessary precautions
Spooky Eddie is watching

>>4327806
Nice fake I almost went and looked for iBreakYourShins' twitter account
Also up the ante...how, exactly?

>>4327945

Upping ante = posting increasingly derisive stuff and maybe a pic or two from [redacted] that Matt may or may not have on a USB he brought along...

>>4327958
I mean I guess if y'all wanna watch the fish girl eat a FutureLabs goon.
I do
>[zalgo]do it[/zalgo]

>>4327997

e̼̞̘e̤̥͚̥͚͠e̝̱͉͇m͈̯̻̪̗̭̪o̹̤͘ͅ.̯n̯̘̯̩̼e̼͓̭̹͕͜t̠̫͚͡ Zalgo text comes from here.

>>4327997
>ZaLgO
~EL^ whylive
/'/ [n\.....?
/___}-\../
_____T

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>>4327827
>>4327851
>>4327997

“You using a proxy?” Though you’re not as tech-savvy as Matt, you do know most of the necessary precautions one must take when trying to remain anonymous on the web, and, if he hasn’t already, reminding your brother of said precautions is a good idea as any, because you don’t know how far FutureLabs’ technological monopoly extends.

“Tor.” Matt simply says, eyes not moving from the computer and fingers typing out something else.

“What about the camera?” You make a pointed nod to the uncovered lens, and it’s easy to slap a bandaid right over it, while the microphone isn’t too big of a worry cause the computer Matt is using had been cheap enough that it didn’t come with one at all.

Now, Matt can really set to work, you think, and he continues posting much in the same fashion as he had.

FutureLabs lied and mutants died #FutureLabs #Konigsburg #mutants

Send in the feds already baka #FutureLabs #Konigsburg #mutantcrisis #FutureLabs

Swiggity swack, Atticus Charles is a hack #Konigsburg #mutantcrisis #FutureLabs

>tfw you’re a mutant in Konigsburg… #Konigsburg #FutureLabs

Each successive post is successively bolder in its derision of FutureLabs, and the last post would be downright hilarious if it wasn’t the harsh reality of the situation. Then Matt fishes a USB from his pocket, plugs it in to the dingy laptop, and opens it to a folder of unfamiliar photos taken in a very familiar underground place.

>(1/?)

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>>4328016

“Are these from the hard drive?” You ask dumbly, even though you already know the answer. There are even a few videos scattered in the mix, and you wonder what kind of content they hold.

“Mhmm… some of the experiments from those Epsilon Trials from the files. I didn’t even go through half of it yet, but it’s just… it’s just really freaking ugly.” You tilt your head in question. “Lots of seizures, lots of powers killing people, and a lot of mutants going crazy— going to post one photo and one video and see where that gets us.”

Could it have been any uglier than what you had seen yourself down there? Knowing FutureLabs, you have no doubt that it is.

Nonetheless, the photo that is posted is of fire— nothing but simply fire— and the picture is labelled Day 32, Subject #02. It’s innocuous enough that the average citizen of Konigsburg wouldn’t know what it was, but, if FutureLabs is watching, they definitely will.

Matt makes his next post a half-hour after the photo, which is a video from the same day and test subject, Blaze, and it’s exactly as Matt had told you— lots of epileptic fits and fire. Once posted, he goes back to his rapid-fire of pro-mutant, anti-FutureLabs meme-ing. Two minutes in, and you hear Matt stop typing.

“… the hell?” You hear Matt mumble, clicking more insistently. “My mouse…”

Without warning, your faces are sent awash in blue light as the screen glitches and flashes uncontrollably. All manner of ones and zeroes run down the screen helter-skelter for an indeterminate length of time, and the harsh light against the dark of the forest it has your eyes pulsating and your head throbing, until the laptop suddenly fades to black.

But the screen is still on.

>what do you do?
>DESTROY
>Wait. See if anything else happens.
>Book it.
>write-in

>(2/2)

>>4328144
>DESTROY
They are onto us

>>4328144
>write-in
Say to Matt:
"They're either about to send a message, or are tracking us. Should we destroy it?"
Wake up Bernard in case we need to get out fast

>>4328144
>write-in
Go directly to Philip Huber. Forget the car, get it later. If they have our computer they've got any other devices on the same wifi or even operating under the same data tower which means our phones are compromised which means John is compromised which means he's a hostage. Bring the computer to show PH. It's time to get on the news.

>>4328199
Even if the above isn't true right this very second it will be within minutes so best to get one step ahead.

>>4328199

this ain’t the whole hive grigger

>>4328199
calm down, this isn't anonymous

>>4328250
>>4328205
It takes one interested and able person. How many of those does FutureLabs have?

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>>4328274

you really want spoilers, don't you?

>>4328287
I'm Jack Off Bauer and you're watching 24PUNKD

>>4328154
>>4328171

"They're either about to send a message, or are tracking us.” You tell Matt, who’s regarding the computer as one might regard a ticking bomb. “Should we destroy it?"

“Give it a few seconds— if nothing happens, then we can destroy it and get back to the car.” He’s already heading towards where Bernard is still asleep. “I’m going to wake Bernard.”

You watch and wait for the device to do something other than glitch every once in a while, turning up the volume settings as high as they will go.

—thttt— thttttt... The computer hisses and statics, fizzles and pops violently, until the volume settings turn down on their own accord. …thtt—thtt—thhhhtttttt...

Stubborn as you are, you press repeatedly and as fast as possible, but it’s a fight against an unknown entity that seems to have a stronger hold over your computer than you do.

Throughout all of the button-pressing and the computer glitching, you manage to catch the words “proxy” and “cowards” intermixed with the line, “…like an old a͞b̶án͢d̷o̶n͢ed͜ ̛sh͠ell…”

A long, drawn-out glitch follows suit, and you think you could feel just the faintest hint of longing coming from those final words.

It comes to your attention that whoever’s on the other end of the line does not have any control over what their voice transmits to the other end of the line. By your foot, you spot Matt’s phone with a pair of headphones still attached, which he had left behind in his hurry.

You don’t even need to think on what to do, immediately plugging them into the computer to listen more closely to this hacker; because maybe— just maybe— you can catch something from all of this.

>(1/?)

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>>4328453

It’s more less like a conversation, and more like hearing someones drawn-out thought process, you think, as you proceed to listen to this hacker who seems to lack in the self-awareness department.

You hear impulse-words, like “find,” “locate,” “track—“ a confirmation that the person on the other end had indeed been trying to track you. Two voices constitute a single thought, linear and nonlinear amid the fizzling static, but you know that, somehow, they are the same voice from the same person.

And the voice becomes increasingly fast in its thought process, as the static smooths into what you think is the voice of a male, but there’s so much information at such a high speed that you’re left grasping for straws at whatever lines you can decipher.

The clearest thing you hear is the phrase, “…disqualified as a human being…” Briefly, you wonder if the hacker is talking about you guys, the mutants in general, or someone else entirely. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched for people who stay underground all day to develop some sort of mental illness; because, when you were a shut-in, the enclosed space definitely got to your head after a while, even if it was your own house.

If the hacker is capable of tracking external devices, then he’s too transfixed on his own words to be remotely aware of the fact that you’re listening.

“…look as if—as if I’m—“ More fizzling obscures what’s in the middle. “—and that will not be true…” In the way the hacker recites this line, it’s as if he’s spoken it to himself countless times before.

“… But it will be like an old abando͝͞nę͘͠d̕—“

“—old a̢b́͞andoned— “ The words repeat themselves like a broken record. Beneath your grasp, the computer’s heating up, and it’s nearly too hot for normal hands.

“—old a̢b́͞and̕o͝͞nę͘͠d̕ ̴͢͟ś̢͘h͝͡͞e̶̴͞l͟͝͠l̶͟—“

It’s in that instant when the computer bursts into flames, and you throw it to the ground so as to not catch yourself on fire.

You stomp on that machine for good measure, until it’s nothing more than a pulverized mass of burnt plastic and electronic bits on the ground, and then you dispose of it in a less than legal manner.

The sheer strangeness of that has you reeling for some reason, because… just what the heck was that?

>(2/?)

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>>4328525

Computer disposed of, there’s no time to lose; because in the off-chance that the FutureLabs-aligned hacker figured out where you were, you need to leave as soon as possible.

Hurriedly, the three of you shove everything you had brought into your backpacks, uncaring of what goes where. The targets, too, are knocked down, their remains thrown into the woods and indiscernible from the rest of the wood and sticks strewn upon the forest floor, and then you’re dashing back to the forest trail with Matt in your hold, while Bernard is following you with his teleports. In the dark, it’s impossible for the blonde to follow you at anything other than short distances, but you manage to make it speedily back to the car.

All too quickly, Bernard falls asleep once more, leaving you and Matt in silence as the highway lights pass before you, but you can’t go home right now, because John would suspect something if you returned home at such an odd hour and so soon after leaving; so you stop at one of the rest stops that are midway between Howler’s lake and Konigsburg and make yourselves comfortable, because that’s all you can do for now.

>As you’re sitting there, you have several things on your mind about that experience with the hacker; what stuck out to you the most?

>”The hacker was a freaking weirdo.” Tell it straight.
>The hacker’s mode of speaking— how unsettling was that?
>The hacker’s strange, cryptic words— what did he mean with those phrases of his?
>write-in

>>4328287
Somebody has The All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods?

>>4328554
>The hacker’s strange, cryptic words— what did he mean with those phrases of his?

>>4328561

Huh... I thought those were good-looking electronic eyes.
OP needs to start watching some anime outside of JoJo.

>>4328561
Ahhhhhhh. Eddie's mutant power?
>>4328565
Blood Blockade Battlefront is a pretty good anime

>>4328554
>The hacker’s strange, cryptic words— what did he mean with those phrases of his?

>>4328554
>Lots of people speak strangely. It's much stranger that you could hear him at all. It's as if he couldn't c̸on̡tr̀o̡l it and the speech was an integral part of the hacking process.
Def could be Eddie.

Well folks, this is the last reply of the night, and, as usual, I'll be back to count the votes tomorrow.

In the meantime, feel free to keep theorizing on why computerboi is such a weirdo.

updates: twitter.com/qmsiren

>>4328554
>>write-in
>"I think the hacker's a mutant. That or some weird cyborg. There's no way anybody can do the things they did with just computers."

Cyborg Mutant forced to clean up the internet by Futurelabs, calling it now.

>>4328580
>hacker is Eddie
>Eddie is a double agent
>knew we could take the bullet
>John already knows about us
>Eddie fried our computer
>to give us a head start
>thanks Eddie

>>4328587
I have to agree. PH needs to know about this esp. if he's going to reveal his daughter's mutantness

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>>4328562
>>4328568
>>4328575
>>4328587
>>4328903

“Hey Matt, did I tell you I was able to listen in on the hacker while you were waking up Bernard?” You start, turning to face him from the passenger seat. “Also, your headphones caught on fire... Sorry about that.”

“No big deal, Ellie.” He says. “But what were they saying?”

“Lots of weird stuff-- like really weird stuff.” At that, Matt raises a brow.

“What kind of weird are we talking? Alien-weird, B-level horror-movie weird, or mutant-weird?”

“Well… I think the hacker's a mutant. That or some weird cyborg. There's no way anybody can do the things they did with just computers." The way that hacker spoke with the double-voiced, too-rapid stream of words did not sound remotely normal— not at all— and the manner that the laptop had been taken over so quickly after Matt had made his post...

The more you think on it, the more obvious it becomes that there might be a mutant hacker working for FutureLabs, as your constant dealing with mutants has given you a keen sense on where there may or may not be a power at play.

“A mutant working for FutureLabs…” Matt speaks aloud, breaking you out of your own thoughts. “It’s not unlikely that Atticus Charles could have taken some of the mutants with useful powers like that and used them for his benefit.” That would make sense, because you don’t think that any self-respecting mutant would choose to comply with FutureLabs of their own volition. However, with the right kind of threat looming over one’s head— such as imprisonment, experimentation, or anything else of the like— anything is possible.

In any case, a hacker mutant capable of overtaking computer within seconds is a pretty dangerous thing to have on the enemy side, and you wonder what the extent of the hacker-mutant’s powers are.

“We should warn Huber of this in case the mutant tries something when he comes out to the press about his daughter.” Because a mutant hacker getting in the way of things would be a critical blow against the endeavor to gain acceptance for mutants.

Matt nods, and you resolve to give Huber a call as soon as it’s daytime. “Anyways, what was that mutant saying?”

“Weird, cryptic, repetitive stuff.” You tell him. “A lot of it was nonsense, and I think a lot of it was just his thoughts coming through from his end of the connection.”

“So a mental hacker then?” Matt surmises.

“Yeah.” You affirm. “Anyways, does the phrase ‘but it will be like an old abandoned shell’ mean anything to you?” For whatever reason or another, the hacker seemed to be really fixated on that line.

>(1/?)

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>>4329662

“But it will be like an old abandoned shell…” Matt repeats, placing a hand to his chin as he deliberates on what that phrase could possibly mean. “Honestly, I got nothing for that.” Even though the chances were slim of the line having any actual meaning outside of the hacker’s own mind, you can’t help the small wave of disappointment that you feel.

“I think the hacker’s out of his mind, Ellie.” Your brother says, and he leaves it at that, because what other explanation could there be for such an odd, meaningless phrase?

There had also been the line “…disqualified as a human being…” which is pretty self-evident, and you think the mutant could have been referring to either you guys… or possibly even himself. It would be more disturbing to you if it were the latter but not unlikely, considering how far FutureLabs goes to convince its workers that mutants are no longer human.

Reclining in your seat and closing your eyes, sleep does not come easy; and you’re not quite sure when exactly when you fell asleep, but, when you open your eyes, the sun is over the horizon and the car is moving once more.

Even though your trip was crashed by the hacker-mutant, you don’t think the trip was a total loss; you got to see the Howler's Lake again, you tested out your agility (which you definitely will continue to hone on your own when back in the city), and you learned that there are consequences for too much shitposting on the web— no thanks to the hacker-mutant.

>(2/?)

>>4329700

You left your burner phone in the house, so you have to wait until you’re actually back in your neighborhood to retrieve it. Quick as a phantom, Bernard teleports to your room to retrieve it, as the three of you plan to make your return home “official” sometime in the afternoon so the three of you don’t seem suspicious.

“Phillip Huber speaking.” Huber’s voice greets from the other end of the line.

“Hello, Mr. Huber. This is... those people you talked with not too long ago.”

“You don’t need to tell me who you are— in fact, I’m pretty sure I know who it is I’m speaking to.” Though his tone is formal, there is a hint of mirth in his voice.

>what do you say?
>Explain to him the problem (in a roundabout way, of course) and ask if he has any backup plans
>Explain the problem and ask when the conference will be held
>Explain to him the problem and tell him you plan for the source of your potential interference
>write-in

>(3/3)

>>4329800

Typo on option 3:

>Explain to him the problem and tell him you plan to attempt to seek out source of your potential interference despite not knowing how

>>4329800
>Explain to him the problem (in a roundabout way, of course) and ask if he has any backup plans

>>4329800
>>Explain to him the problem (in a roundabout way, of course) and ask if he has any backup plans

>>4329700

>>4330149

>inb4 eddie’s being blackmailed

>>4329800
What is the maximum range of Bernard's teleport? It seems to run on Time Freeze rules (more distance feels like walking further, transporting other people feels like carrying them) so is it kinda like a Walking Distance thing, just in terms of energy use?

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>>4330406

>>4330406

>Time Freeze

Your OP lacks the knowledge of this but google shows me that it's some dragon ball stuff that flies over my head cause I've never seen the series.

>Is this walking distance or energy use?

Energy use definitely; the more mass he has to transport, the quicker his energy stores are depleted.

>What's Bernard's range

Bernard's range is actually pretty far on his lonesome (Somewhere between 100 km and 80 miles maximum at full energy), but we've seen him teleport the whole M-Guard from a rest stop back to Elise's house after having fought beforehand, which is probably a good 20-30 miles. Bernard will never get to Jumper levels though. That's too freaking overpowered.

Of course, if he never used his power or exercised it with so many people in tow, then the power itself would never grow this far, staying at maybe a solid 60 km maximum before he goes kaput.

I should warn you that OP has a pretty shitty distance gauge-- also I've happened to consume some very fine prosecco in the past short while so don't trust my judgement atm.

And a lot of the powers in this quest are like muscles: exercise them and they will get stronger (like in Elise's and Bernard's cases), or don't push their limits and remain at same general power level (Conduit and [redacted]).

Hopefully, this was a good explanation. I had such a good one for Bernard's power in my head that I was going to put in a pastebin. reeeeeeeee

Also OP is having slight delay w/ update. Not because of sweet, grapey deliciousness but cause pic related. I made a fren.

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>>4329828
>>4330099

“We are calling to let you know that one of your competitors has a means of interference through the Internet, and we were concerned that it could hinder any future plans for business.” That’s as unspecific as you can be about this very specific problem, but, keen as Huber is, you’re sure hope he’ll get the gist of what you’re saying. “Do you have any backup plans in case?”

“That is rather unexpected, and I’m glad you notified me about this in advance.” You’re pretty sure he knows what you mean, though maybe not about a hacker-mutant specifically. “What about satellites and antennas? Those don’t require Internet do they?”

They don’t, but you still don’t know how exactly the hacker-mutant’s power words and whether or not it could extend through those too.

“In any case, I do happen to have a plan regardless of how I will be broadcasted onto the television.”

“What would that be?” Because you’re curious as to what the business tycoon could have up his sleeve.

“Well, to be frank with you, I have something else that I’d been using so I could actually arrange this thing— something related to the business itself, so I should have a set date by the end of the week.” Meaning that you should be keeping your burner phones on you for the foreseeable future.

“We definitely will.”

The conversation is ended not soon after, and, with the matter of probable hacker-interference somewhat taken care of, you have a couple of hours to kill.

>What do?
>Coffee; Valjean might be a dick, but the coffee shop’s still your favorite hangout
>go back home LIKE MEN and get some more stuff done
>Check the news on your phone. See how Konigsburg is faring at the moment.
>fry in the sun
>write-in

For the go home option, what would you like to prioritize in terms of getting something done?
>Take a look at some of that hard drive data you got, even though it's not finished yet
>Begin formation of a plan for breaking into the news station
>Check the web at home anyways, where it's air-conditioned and comfy
>See if Matt has any info yet on this "Eddie Braun" who may or may not be on the task force
>write-in

>>4330490
>Check the news on your phone. See how Konigsburg is faring at the moment.

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Forgot to mention that this is the last reply of the night. OP may or may not be imbibed.

Also curious if anyone has a favorite side-character (BESIDES CLYDE)? Pic related.


updates: twitter.com/qmsiren

>>4330582
well, appearence wise I liked Circuit, but in terms of how they are in the story I gotta admit that sopor caught my attention in that aspect

>>4330448
>pic related
I almost made a bird friend yestoday. Good luck, little parakeet. It'll probably starve but I put a bit of food outside. Say hi to the snake for me.
>the rest
Thanks, helpfully. Paste anyway?
>>4330490
>Check the nooze
Modern business mogul in banking is surprised by hax, more at 11.
>>4330582
URSULA lol the only true villain. Forced romance *and* torturing mutants for *science*? More like Yumdere.

>>4331069
Not even for like self interested science, just because someone in science t o l d her to. Astonishing. At least Clyde enjoys himself.

>>4331069
>>4331074

>Yumdere

Kabe don intensifies. Oh wait. She can't!!! Cause-- we broke her arm!!! GET IT?!

I'm a terrible person.

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>>4330507
>>4331069

There’s no better way to mindlessly kill time than on your cell phone, and, biased as they are, you have apps for several Konigsburg-based news outlets such as The Daily Kaiser, The Konigsburg Times, and Notre Ville Maintenant, along with a couple of world news apps like Polit-IC and The Launching Stone.

Randomly selecting one of the apps from your news folder, you take your time to scroll through the headlines: New Restaurant Opens in Mieszko, Old Town Square Restoration to Proceed into the Fall, KIT Alumni Celebrate Graduation of Senior Students. However, nothing really catches your eye, so you click on the mutant tag to see if there might be anything notable. Of course, there won’t be and you know it—there will probably just be the same sensationalist crap that they feed to the masses on a regular basis— but what else do you have to do right now?

Anything remotely related to mutants is still heavily biased against mutants in general— that hasn’t changed one bit. There’s an article from one of the mutants you saved some several days ago: M-Guard Interferes in Eight-Hour Standoff between Mutant Senior and Police; and it wasn’t really that much of a standoff, because the man’s power happened to be intangibility, so he had just been sitting in his place while the police waited for him to exhaust himself.

The whole thing was actually pretty funny, since the old man didn’t seem to be tiring out any time soon and the agents seemed just about ready to lose their minds with how that mutant had been talking non-stop before you showed up and even while you had been whisking him to safety.

Come to think of it, you haven’t seen that many old people mutants, the majority of the ones you save ranging anywhere between small children and young adults. Perhaps there’s a correlation between mutants and age, but, as much as you want to ask your older brother-slash-FutureLabs employee, your identity is more important than the endless slew of mutant-related questions you have.

>(1/2)

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>>4331604

Mutant here, mutant there, you guys resisting the law— you’re pretty sure someone copy pasted the same article from a few weeks ago and changed the date on it— and you wonder how this constitutes journalism.

Possible Lead on Kastan General Hospital Bombing Perpetrator— Even better, you think, because you’ve seen a million of these articles in the months since Pharos’ final stint at the hospital, and you internally groan, because it’s more than likely that the article is just clickbait. Stupid freaking clickbait that you’ve been dumb enough to click for the past million times, because sometimes you’re just that easy.

>Check it out. Fall for the obvious clickbait.
>Don’t. Screw this clickbait.

>>4331615
>Check it out. Fall for the obvious clickbait.
I mean we got nothing to lose anyway and it may be right this time

>>4331615

danger danger for double V

>>4331655

>>4315636 <—

>>4331641
+1 just click we're already mostly in the rabbit hole anyway.
>>4331604
If I were a middle aged mutant, I'd probably prefer to hide my powers. Also
>standoff
>mutant senior
"GET ON THE GROUND"
"But I won't be able to get back up"

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>>4331641
>>4331655
>>4331661
>>4331948

Your impulse control seems to be quite lacking, moreso than usual, and that’s how you find yourself instantly tapping at the headline that may or may not be clickbait.

First you’re skimming through it, because you’re still under the assumption that it’s still clickbait. However, this time, you’re very much surprised that there is some actual information as to where Pharos had been hiding for the past long while— he’d been hiding in Ville de Rien, which would happen to be one of the most run-down, crime-ridden areas of Konigsburg.

And what better place for a criminal to hide than among more crime?

Nonetheless, the authorities have yet to put a face to the red-ringed mask, the most they found being that Pharos had been renting out his apartment under the fake name ‘Hugo Gavroche.’ The rest of the article just happens to provide another recounting on what had happened during the at the hospital before giving out the number to the MutantWatch hotline.

“The police have a lead on Pharos.” You say aloud to Matt and Bernard who are both nearby. Twin expressions of disbelief are evident on their faces, because none of you thought that Pharos would ever be found again.

“Sauce Ellie.” Matt recovers from his surprise quickly enough, and you text him and Bernard the link to the article. A few minutes pass where you let them read the article in silence and let it sink in that the chief cause of mutant-induced mutant-insanity is still out there.

“Oh shit you weren’t lyin,’ fishface.” Is what Bernard says right after he puts down his phone. “He won’t stand a chance against the cops— only reason that he even got out of the warehouse that one time is cause I was there to bail him out.” This is true, because Pharos’ power is good for nothing other than the manipulation of crowds, so there’s little that the Crux leader could possibly have up his sleeve to go against Konigsburg’s entire police force.

And this new information leaves you feeling conflicted; because, on one hand, you think that Pharos should pay for everything that he’s done, especially for all of the suffering he’s caused to both mutants and non-mutants alike, but since he’s still subject to the Mutant Terror Act, the only cell he’d be taken to is one within the recesses of FutureLabs.

It’s been long enough that the idea of seeing Pharos again is pretty surreal, and, while saving him is the moral thing to do due to FutureLabs penchant for human experimentation and murder, there is a danger to publicly affiliating yourselves with Pharos. However, if you manage to catch Pharos, you will be in possession of the only mutant who is capable of undoing that vocal spell that has been cast upon the other mutants.

>>4332287

>”I think we should save Pharos, regardless of the consequences. If FutureLabs doesn’t care about the consequences of their actions, then neither should we.”
>”If we’re going to save Pharos, when the time comes, we need to make sure that we’re not mistaken for his followers.”
>”We need to catch Pharos so we can fix the minds of the Crux members. Even though he probably won’t do it, if we just get him to admit his power, we can break them from his spell.”
>”I think we should skip out on saving Pharos. He’s caused enough death that he shouldn’t be on the streets any longer.”
>Write-in

>>4332290
>”If we’re going to save Pharos, when the time comes, we need to make sure that we’re not mistaken for his followers.”

>>4332290
>”I think we should save Pharos, because it's the right thing to do. He should face prison time for his crimes, not human experimentation in the depths of FutureLabs.”

and also

>>4332290

>”We need to catch Pharos so we can fix the minds of the Crux members. Even though he probably won’t do it, if we just get him to admit his power, we can break them from his spell.

Also giving FutureLabs a mind control mutant is not a good idea

>>4332290
If we're feeling unscrupulous we could use Pharos to Correct Atticus Charles' opinion regarding mutants.
>"Finding and possibly capturing Pharos before the police do isn't about saving Pharos. Pharos going to jail is the best thing that could happen to someone with the power to control minds with their speech and an itch to use it to make himself a dictator. We *know* that exactly four people are immune to his ability, us three and [the telepath (Conduit?)], and that makes the M-Guard literally the only people who have a chance of stopping Pharos from making his dream into everyone else's nightmare."

>>4332382
And that's making some assumptions about Conduit and the nature of Pharos' weakness. If he goes to jail, he gets out in a week with an army.

>>4332385

Mutant CHAZ anyone?
It would be called Konigsburg Autonomous Radically Emancipated Nation

>>4332385
I'm really struggling to find a way we can avoid needing to kill him, a way his ability can be used for anything but evil. The world has mutants now and eventually his ability is going to crop up again. If we set the precedent of killing him, Atticus Charles is right, and it's off to the gas chambers with US.
>We should at least find out who Pharos is.

>>4332409
I'm separating in my head the person from the moniker. "Pharos" is a bad guy. The person wearing the Pharos mask is as different from Pharos as Kelpie is from Piranha.

>>4332409
FUCK KAREN

>Pharos’ power is good for nothing other than the manipulation of crowds
Let's assume this is true. It doesn't make Pharos evil. If he just wanted an army he wouldn't need to make it just mutants, which means that the Crux was a self-defense type response to the anticipated threat of FutureLabs.
We *could* use him to stop a person in the immediate act of doing something that would harm themselves or others, that's easy. Can we use him to stop Atticus Charles from wanting to hurt mutants without proving Atticus Charles' point?

>>4332548

>It doesn't make Pharos evil. If he just wanted an army he wouldn't need to make it just mutants

It's pretty visible throughout the threads, but ourboi thinks that mutants are on a higher level than nonmutants. When FutureLabs became a visible threat to his cause, that's when he started acting against them.

Also don't feel like combing threads #01 and #02, but I'm pretty sure there was some Crux crime against science people somewhere.

>We *could* use him to stop a person in the immediate act of doing something that would harm themselves or others, that's easy. Can we use him to stop Atticus Charles from wanting to hurt mutants without proving Atticus Charles' point?

Assuming he doesn't have a really beefy security system. And really beefy security Chads on his property AT ALL TIMES!!!!

>Pharos’ power is good for nothing other than the manipulation of crowds

This is Elise's half-cobbled assumption of what Pharos' power is.

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OP wants to quest moar but sleep is calling my name, so see you kings next time!

In which Pharos will start the KAREN, beg the outsiders for food resources, and demand to speak to the manager

updates: twitter.com/qmsiren

>>4332576
>clearly mutant supremacist
Well so far he's in it for personal aggrandizement and I don't see that trend going away even if he releases the mutants from being extensions of his ego with literal targets strapped to their foreheads.
>security chads
Look at my scaley knees shaking. Using nonmutants as cannon fodder would go a long way towards establishing him as an actual mutant supremacist and not merely an ineffectual douchebag suddenly granted a way out of needing to make himself valuable to be given positive attention. Apparently tickling yourself is possible.

>>4332684
I don't think he *knows* he's in it for personal aggrandizement.

>>4332290
>>”We need to catch Pharos so we can fix the minds of the Crux members. Even though he probably won’t do it, if we just get him to admit his power, we can break them from his spell.”

I'm not keen on using Pharos for anything but undoing his damage. He should go to jail or whatever analogue can be cooked up for mutants afterwards.

Going to lay down a theory
>Pharos gets defeated
>Pharos is salty af
>Pharos is on the run and can’t get more mutants
>best thing he can get is restaurant job as wanted terrorist
>gets even more salty cause old escape route and person who defeated Crux are kicking ass
>ego takes large hit
>somewhere along the way finds out new power trick
>uses it to rebrand self as sopor to go after police
> will try to capitalize off of mutant shit if/when he realizes what M guard is doing

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>>4333541
>>4332736
>>4332382
>>4332371
>>4332315
>>4332299

“Finding and possibly capturing Pharos before the police do isn't about saving Pharos. Pharos going to jail is the best thing that could happen to someone with the power to control minds could get. If FutureLabs gets him, he’ll probably be be out of there in a week with a new Crux.” By far, it would be a bigger and badder Crux than the last one, and this time around the mutants would actually have a reason to actively attack the rest of the citizens. “We’re also the only ones who are immune to his ability, so, if there’s any chance at stopping him before that happens, it has to be with us.”

You also feel that capturing Pharos is indeed the right thing to do until he can be legally dealt with. If anything, he needs to face prison time for his crimes, not human experimentation in the depths of FutureLabs, but that need not be said.

“We also need to make sure that we’re not mistaken for his followers when the time comes to capture him.” You address one of your other concerns, which is a valid one in your case.

“Your powers are pretty distinctive, and so are the suits.” Matt points out, and he’s quiet for a moment, until he says. “I think I just figured out something worse than having our identities busted: being eternal fugitives.”

“We can wear something else— it’s not a big deal— and I can use most of my powers without shifting.” You can use your strength, speed, and most of your senses, even without your fish-form, but how will you hide your face better than with the usual face-mask you wear? You’re screwed if that falls off in the middle of a fight.

There must be some sort of compromise for this sort of problem. Can there even be a compromise with how utterly different your two faces are from each other, like some sort of midway point—

Wait a second…

Like a lightbulb, a very viable idea comes to mind. “I can do a half-shift!

Countless times, you’ve watched yourself shift in the mirror, and, because your nose hadn’t completely reshaped itself, there is a point midway between your fish form and your human form where your face looks more like some sort of reptile rather than any aquatic animal.

“Ellie, did I ever tell you how much that face kills me inside?” Matt, who sees you shift on a constant basis, already knows where this is going. “You look just like a freaking lizard man, but that’s one problem solved.” You’re positive that Matt low-key believes in lizard men. “It’s Bernard that’s the problem.”

“Wait what did I do?” Confusion is written on the teleporter’s features.

“If they see the teleport, they’re going to know it’s us instantly. Then we’re screwed.”

“Well, what about you, stickface? Your bat is also a dead giveaway.” Or any blunt-force object for that matter.

>(1/?)

>>4333650
Pharos looking more handsome in that pic

>>4333741

First Pharos drawing since thread one!! YEET!!!

Not to toot my own horn, I do have to say I've gotten better since than.

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>>4333650

“You could use your slingshot.” You remember the slingshot Matt had been carrying with him last night.

“Since when do you use a slingshot?” The question is Bernard’s.

“Since we went to the mall and I bought it.” Matt simply says. “Never hurts to expand your horizons every once in a while…” Implying that he’s been practicing with it for longer than just the night before. “I still don’t know how much damage we can do on the agents with it, even if I’m using either steel or lead.”

You’ll make Matt test it for you at a later time, since you’re curious to know just what he can do with it, and, although a slingshot holds no candle to a gun, it’s still better than nothing. There’s also the fact that you’re in a city, and your city has no shortage of rusty metal pipes and whatever other objects lying around; so, even without his bat, Matt will never truly be unarmed.

“What about me?” Bernard asks pointedly. “I don’t wanna sit out of this one, and I won’t.”

“Hate to break it to you, B, but you might just have to this time.” A noise of protest from the blonde. “You’ll stay with me on the sidelines helping with recon, and we’ll meet with Ellie when she’s retrieved Pharos and get out of there.” That seems to placate Bernard, but he still looks adamant about not being able to fight with you. “You’re a good fistfighter, but we can’t have either of us getting caught.”

Not when there’s so much else at stake.

You just need to get a hold of Pharos long enough to figure out how you can make him repair the damage he’d cast upon the other mutants and get him into a non-FutureLabs prison cell. Absently, you wonder what will be done with all of the mutants that had committed crimes for the Crux once you take down FutureLabs. Will the government make some sort of special prison for them? Will their crimes be treated the same way as any other citizen because of their mutant nature? And can you even trust the government to hold the mutants ethically?

The feds had been skeptical of the whole Konigsburg situation and of FutureLabs in general, but who’s to say that their own scientific curiosity won’t win out in the end?

FutureLabs is one thing, but trying to go against a whole government body would be a never-ending battle for you.

But that’s a worst-case scenario, and you hope it will not come to that.

>(2/?)

>>4333770
Probably aughto keep B-Boi on speed dial just in case.
We're in for a tough time when we find out Pharos is just as dangerous inside a regular prison as he is with FutureLabs.

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>>4333770

“Hey guys— how was the lake?” Is John’s greeting from the couch when the three of you walk through the door after you think you’ve spent enough time outside of the house, a book in his hold.

“It was great, Mr. Martins— I mean, Mr. John…” Bernard stumbles over his words. “I mean, it was excellent!”

“Did you get to hike?”

“Yeah.” Bernard nods. “Ellie even taught me how to make a campfire.” A total lie, but it sounds good aloud.

“Good.” John smiles. “Next time, I’ll have to come with you guys, teach you guys how to hunt. There’s a really good hunting trail if you cross off from the main path, and I’ll show you where it is when we go.” The last time John had hunted had been with your dad a couple of years before he started college; though he hasn’t expressed interest for that kind of stuff in a while, you think that his recent gun usage has reignited something within him.

“Sounds great.” Bernard’s tone is genuine. “Matt and I are going to play some video games now.” He makes a gesture to him. “Come on.”

While the two of them head to their room, you head to yours to attempt that half-shifting of your features. Being neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, the act of a half-shift feels like you’re trying to hold a weird face.

You also call for your claws and your fins, concentrating on holding the other aspects of your transformation back. Your nails sharpen, and there’s the extra weight of your fins on your arms, and, the longer you look in the mirror, the more you realize Matt was right— you really do look like a lizard person.

Aside from the color of your scales, your half-shifted face doesn’t look like your fish-form’s face or your normal face, and you’ll have to do something like put up your hair so that FutureLabs won’t make the connection; but you think that this might actually work.

Of course the first thing you do after testing it out is show what you have deemed your “lizard-face” to Matt and Bernard. Bernard seems is fascinated by your lizard-like face, while Matt pulls an odd expression as thoughts of lizard men dance through his head.

In any case, the three of you spend the rest of the afternoon continuing what you have been doing for the past long while; you and Bernard have nearly finished compiling the video for your part of the evidence, while Matt still has some ways to go before he’s through with the hard drive.

>What now?
>Continue training— hone your agility skills so you can be ready for boogaloo and have Matt test out that slingshot for you
>Begin brainstorming on how you will break into a news station
>See what kind of stuff Matt has accumulated from the hard drive
>Talk to John; he’s probably bored as heck on his lonesome— spend some time with your big bro
>See if Matt has gotten a hold of John’s personal address book for your cross-referencing of Eddie Braun
>write-in

>(3/3)

>>4333818

>Talk to John; he’s probably bored as heck on his lonesome— spend some time with your big bro

Maybe he'll let futurelabs info slip

>>4333830
>÷1
I wonder if we ought to drop some hints about the M-Guard.

>>4333818
>Talk to John; he’s probably bored as heck on his lonesome— spend some time with your big bro
Lizard form it's not even cute like fish form

>>4333855
nah I'm sure he figured it out two threads ago

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>>4333859
>Lizard form it's not even cute like fish form

Well at least Elise has some prospects for work in govt or presidency— maybe even for stealing an entire social media network...

>>4333880
>>4333880

Meant to put spoiler around the whole text

>>4333878
If he did, he'll either drop some hints of his own or avoid the conversation entirely. The important thing is to corner your family and beat them until they sing.

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>>4333880
>Well at least Elise has some prospects for work in govt or presidency— maybe even for stealing an entire social media network...
Mutant!Shadow Government Quest sequel confirmed ?

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>>4333909

LET'S DEFEAT FUTURELABS FIRST! AND THEN WORRY ABOUT OPPORTUNISTIC GOVERNMENT WHORES!!

>>4333943

the shitposting opportunity was way too good...

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>>4333909
>>4333943
Boruto sucks

>>4333961

boruto who? That's the original Nick Fury.

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>>4333965
I googled Solid Snoke. Disney has me fully cucked.

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>>4333830
>>4333859
>>4333859

You decide to go see what John’s up to, because compiling video is long and monotonous business. Plus, since you’ve started your work on putting the evidence together, your interactions with John have been few and far between.

“Hey John.” You start with your most eloquent conversation-starter, and your eyes are drawn to the small book in his hands. “What book are you reading?”

“Oh…” He runs a hand through his hair, looking slightly embarrassed of himself. “It’s one I used to read it to you and Matt when you were kids.”

You had a lot of books that John read to you as a kid, so it could be any one of them. Plus his fingers are covering most of the title. “Which one?”

“The Little Prince.” John takes a moment to answer the question. You remember John having read the story countless times, the memory of those times stirring up something within you that you can’t quite put a name, and, upon closer inspection of the book, you can tell that the pages are tattered and worn. “I mean, I know it’s not my usual reading material, but I just kind of stumbled upon it when I was cleaning up a bit and thought it would be a good way for me to pass the afternoon.”

“It’s a good book.” You say, because it’s simple as that. “What part are you on?” As you ask, you take a seat on the adjacent couch cushion.

“Second to last.” Is John’s answer. “Did you know that the Prince basically kills himself in the end?" That’s… oddly disturbing for a children’s story, and you’d completely forgotten that part. "Well, that’s not what he was trying to do in the story's context, but, if you let yourself get bitten by a snake on purpose, then what else are you doing?” You shrug at the rhetorical question.

Still, when you have the chance, you’ll definitely read it again.

>While you're here, what else can you say to John?
>”What other books did you find?”
>”How have you been passing the time lately?”
>”Have you heard about anything from work?”
>write-in

>>4334027
>”How have you been passing the time lately?”

>>4334027
>"Have you been okay? I don't want you to feel lonely just because me and Matt are out doing teen stuff."
If Sopor is Pharos I can see returning to the Crux hideout as a suicide by cop. Poor kid.

>>4334027
>”How have you been passing the time lately?”
>”Have you heard about anything from work?”

>>4334027
>>4334092

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>>4334047
>>4334092
>>4334209
>>4334359

“How have you been passing the time lately?” Because John happens to have all the free time in the world lately, you wonder how he’s choosing to spend it.

“Besides cleaning and cooking?” John smiles a wry smile, his fingers place in-between the pages of the book where he’d left off. “I’ve been going to one of the nearby gyms to exercise, but there’s not much else I’ve been doing.” Although there is a gym at FutureLabs that likely has the most state-of-the-art everything, you think that John is in no rush to get back there.

“Have you been okay? I don’t want you to feel lonely cause Matt and I are out all the time.” You honestly mean what you say, because outside of you and Matt there’s nobody else that your older brother really has.

“No, Elise, it’s fine.” John waves you off. “You guys are kids— you should be enjoying yourselves as long as you can— cause Matt’s going to start college next year, you’ll go into your second year, and won’t Bernard too?” Bernard might not be a college student, but John does have a good point.
“What about work? Have you heard anything from them?” There’s a slumping of John’s shoulders at the question. “Well, I don’t think I’ll be going back to tech work anytime soon...” He says. “I’m going to be doing some work as a field agent.”

“A field agent.” You repeat, knowing what this already entails.

“It’s nothing big. Just a lot more footwork on my end, and I might have to start going in for additional training once or twice a week.” There’s the gunning part too, but you don’t think John would want to divulge that particular bit of information to you. “If I didn’t, I’d have to stop tech altogether, cause they were going to make me change to a Level E Personnel.” There’s something strange written on his face as he mentions that last part, and, with your senses, you hear his heart rate picking up ever-so-slightly.

>”What’s a Level E personnel? What do they do?” You heard this being mentioned when John was on the beach.
>”Why are they making you change divisions in the first place?” You pretty much know already but you want to hear it from the source.
>”You don’t seem too thrilled about becoming a field agent...” It’s clear on his features right now.
>write-in

>>4334394
>”What’s a Level E personnel? What do they do?” You heard this being mentioned when John was on the beach.

Forgot to mention that this was the last reply of the night! See you kings next time!

updates: twitter.com/qmsiren

>>4334472

post id changed cause net failed to work; net is fixed now.

>>4334394
>>”What’s a Level E personnel? What do they do?” You heard this being mentioned when John was on the beach.
>>”Why are they making you change divisions in the first place?” You pretty much know already but you want to hear it from the source.
>>”You don’t seem too thrilled about becoming a field agent...” It’s clear on his features right now.
Can we do all of them?

>>4334472
G̴̴͎͖̤̜̥͚̬̜̭̖͔̞̦͇͇̗̹̙̝̀͞Y̵̨̢̡̹͙̰̖͔̙͔̯̗̙̳͖͔̼̱̞ͅḾ̸̜͖̺̭̹͓̪͔̯̙̰͈̤̮͕͎͚̖̀S̷̡̡̨̼̘̖̭̭̻̰͖̱̳͉̜̘̠̣̗̮̀ͅͅ there's the hint John's a mutant confirmed

>>4334394
>”Why are they making you change divisions in the first place?” You pretty much know already but you want to hear it from the source.

>>4334394
I wonder how Atticus Charles feels about having oopsed his facility into a mutant concentration camp.

>>4334394

>”What’s a Level E personnel? What do they do?” You heard this being mentioned when John was on the beach.

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>>4334421
LEP

>>4334841

>>4334841

Why would John still walk free if that were the case?

>>4335006
If there's anything the workaday adult is good at, it's pretending their talents never existed so that their boss doesn't fire them.

>>4335020
why would you get fired for being talented

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>>4335056
Or the talent gets co-opted into the boss's pet project.

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>>4334421
>>4334585
>>4334914

Level E Personnel: you heard John talking about that when he was on the beach with Edmund and Clyde. You know that it’s a demotion— one that isn’t good; but you would like to know just what FutureLabs might be hanging over your older brother’s head.

“What’s a Level E Personnel? What do they do?” The questions are fired off one after another, and, other then a pursing of the lips and something else beyond the glasses that you can’t quite decipher, your rampant inquiries don’t seem to bother John too much.

“Level E Personnel are the guys who help handle the test subjects. They’re about as hands-on as you can get if you’re not a researcher.” John says, face not betraying his emotions or his heartbeat. “Since I have you guys with me, being a Level E Personnel is the last thing I’d ever want to be, cause I’ve seen what the Level E Personnel do, and a lot of them have gotten hurt pretty badly.

With John’s penchant for euphemisms and FutureLabs’ extensive track record for murder, “hurt pretty badly” could mean anything from serious injury to death. But normal people too? What reason would they even have to put normal people in jeopardy like that is, unless they don’t have enough people who are volunteering themselves to help handle the mutants with the more volatile powers. You read the documents from the Epsilon Trials, and a lot of staff did end up dying on multiple occasions.

You would understand if it were mutants being staffed as the Level E Personnel or even just normal, terrible employees, but an honest, all-around good-guy like John?

“It’s kind of my fault for messing up something at work that they wanted to reposition me…” Your older brother’s voice tears you from your thoughts. “…but there’s nothing I can really do about it now…”

Shit. You are once again reminded of your mistake that hadn’t quite registered with you when you were eavesdropping on the beach. If you had known that stupid gas code would have gotten John in this kind of position, you would have never thought of using it in the first place. Guilt washes over you, and your face must be an open book, because John immediately notices.

“Elise.” There is a hand on your shoulder, terribly calm in spite of everything. “They’re not going to make me do anything I don’t want to do.”

>(1/?)

>>4335356
Why can't he just quit if things get too bad again?

>>4335372

He's under legal contract my grigga. 2 years left working for Adolfticcus Charles

Pretty sure that was mentioned in the end of thread #04

>>4335379
>>4335385
ooof damn yea forgot

what happens if he just refuses to perform a task? like if they tell him go torture some mutants and he's just like nah, deskwork only sorry.

>>4335379
That's a weird fuckin contract. He can't just not show up? What are they gonna do, retroactively dock his pay? Does he just get paid once at the end of the contract? I get that it's a well-paid job but...

>>4335399

There's a reason why glasses-bro sticks to the most menial and vanilla tasks FutureLabs has to offer, like prepping stuff, cleaning beakers, and working equations.

Plus they have shitloads of people who will do the chop-chop-chopping ara ara.

>>4335413
IT'S THE MOST SECURE LAB ON THE EASTERN SEABOARD THAT'S PRIVATELY OWNED. CORPORATE ESPIONAGE IS A VERY VIABLE THREAT tee hee.
And John really doesn't need the pay-- the Martins are rich--it was the prestige of the job that got him.

>>4335413

Nah it has normal pay. Normal weekly/bi-monthly pay periods with money by the hour.

IRL this is how bright-eyed, bushy-tailed graduates are lured into shit jobs. It's a thing.

>>4335356
"John, I want you to quit Futurelabs."

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>>4335356

Total lie, you think. That’s a total lie, because they already are. He’s been more-or-less blackmailed into joining the task force that will try to place a bullet in you, and FutureLabs has him under legal contract for two more years.

“You’re a good kid, Elise. Don’t worry too much about me.” The smile on his face does not reach his eyes, and that guilt that had been present has multiplied tenfold. You feel like you want to vomit.

‘I’ll fight him.’ Faintly, you hear the sound of your own voice in your ear, a memory of a declaration you had made before Matt and Bernard. You keep your fingers interlocked, focus on keeping your features smooth and neutral, and hope that your body doesn’t betray you any more than it already has, as your stomach tries to make its way into your throat.

But you push it down— squash it like you were biting into live prey with your knife-like teeth— and, though the weight on your chest doesn’t completely go away, it abates just enough that you have a decent hold on yourself.

From what you had seen on the beach, it had been plainly clear that John had wanted nothing to do with the task force, and, when he had been placed on leave, you don’t think you had seen him so relieved in ages. Again, you recall that not only is he stuck working for FutureLabs for two more years, but he’s also legally bound not to talk about his job.

That’s probably the worst thing for John— that he has no one to share his problems with, while you can talk to Matt and Bernard about anything you want and they will listen.

You know that John likes talking about his problems as much as you do, if not even more so.

There are countless things that you’ve always wanted to ask John but didn’t think he would tell you, and right now, where your brother looks open to talking in this very moment, you could use this as an opportunity to both help John alleviate some of his own stress while also having something answered for yourself.

>”What do you think about this whole mutant business and mutants in general?”
>”What are they really going to make you do as a field agent?”
>”Are you sure you’re going to be alright?”
>”You don’t enjoy working for FutureLabs anymore, do you?”
>write-in

>>4335451
>”What do you think about this whole mutant business and mutants in general?”

>>4335451
>>”What do you think about this whole mutant business and mutants in general?”

>>”You don’t enjoy working for FutureLabs anymore, do you?”

>>4335451
>”What do you think about this whole mutant business and mutants in general?”

>”You don’t enjoy working for FutureLabs anymore, do you?”

>>4335451
I'll have some
>"You don't enjoy working for FutureLabs anymore, do you?"
With a side of
>write-in
>>"Please, don't brush me off."
With
>"Are you sure you're going to be alright?"
Sauce, two packets.

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Slight delay in update. Enjoy this picture with no additional context.

>>4335356

what if ther

>>4336053

FREAKIN WUT ANON?! SPEAK TO ME?

>>4335464
>>4335466
>>4335471
>>4335499

“What do you really think about this mutant business and mutants in general?” The question, seemingly out of nowhere, startles John, but he recovers quickly from his surprise, his features now thoughtful as he considers your question.

“Are we talking about the mutants outside or inside the labs?” Is the response you receive, and you shrug, because you don’t want to be the person who namedrops yourself to John.

“If we’re talking about the M-Guard here, they just look like a bunch of kids to me. A bunch of kids who are way in over their heads.” You resist the urge to squirm under John’s bespectacled gaze, that last sentence hitting way too close to home. At least he hadn’t said anything negative about you.

Still, it’s pretty freaking uncomfortable getting into a conversation about your alternate self as yourself, and, although John can be rather pig-headed at times, you think that he would have you figured out given enough time.

“What about the mutants inside the labs? Didn’t they say that they were rehabilitating them?” You ask the dumb question to throw him off anything M-Guard-related. “How is that going?”

“Genetics-wise, there really isn’t a way to rehabilitate them, because their genes are permanently altered by the particle-bound energy that their bodies resonated with, so there’s really no going back from becoming a mutant.” John easily explains. “In some cases, the explosion managed to help people whose bodies had chronic or underlying medical issues by fortifying a specific area of the body, and, in other cases, the mutants’ bodies took on more drastic changes to compensate for high amounts of stress or bodily damage.” Like you, you think, the thought entering your mind involuntarily.

“There’s not much I’m supposed to be talking to you guys about outside of work, but, in terms of what I really think…” He stops, not sure how to continue. “…I just don’t know what to make of anything anymore, because Doctor Charles wants us all do one thing, but my mind and logic are telling me something entirely different.” Then he adds. “I can’t wait until these two years are done.”

There’s a heavy silence that overtakes the room, that tattered copy of The Little Prince being all-but forgotten, and you and John are left sitting there against the couch.

>(1/?)

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>>4336082

“You don’t enjoy working for FutureLabs anymore, do you?” You break the quiet by addressing the crux of the matter.

“What was your first guess?” Is John’s sardonic response, and, beneath his glasses, you can see the darkness beneath his eyes. “But you’re right. I’m not going to lie to you, Elise. Not about that anymore.” A pause as he gathers his thoughts. “Don’t get me wrong though—I used to like it back when we were doing good things and we were working on projects that actually benefitted people. Now I’m just kind of trying to wait out the rest of my time in tech, but I don’t even have that anymore…”

“…Pieces of shit…” Your head whips in John’s direction— so fast that you could’ve dislocated something had you been normal; you don’t think you’ve ever heard him ever use that kind of language. He must find something funny about your reaction though, because there’s now smirk upon his face. “Forget I ever said that, and don’t tell Matt either.” He jokes, but you refrain from telling him that Matt has the foulest mouth out of all of you.

“Elise.” John says, tone more stern now “All of this mutant and lab garbage isn’t anything you need to think about— you should keep your mind on other things, like your brother and your friend.” You realize that he’s trying to steer you away from the topics of conversation, but, stubborn as you are, you’ll have none of it.

“Please don’t brush me off I know there’s a lot you can’t tell us, but I’m not stupid. I can tell when something’s bothering you, and you don’t have to tell me what it is. I just want to make sure you’re alright.”

“I’ve survived thus far, haven’t I?” He’s smiling a wry, empty smile, and you can’t help but feel weak in the knees at the sight of his face like that. “I don’t know why you’re so worried about me.”

>”Because you’re my brother. That’s why.” Simple as that.
>”Because you’ve been there more for us than mom or dad ever were.” Emphasize John’s importance as your older brother.
>John doesn’t seem too keen on talking anymore. Leave it at that and go back to what you were doing before
>Comfort, because John doesn’t look like he wants to press the matter of himself anymore.
>write-in

Last reply of the day! OP's gonna cut off here. Would've made longer but OP is sleepy as usual.
updates: twitter.com/qmsiren
sɹǝƃƃıɹƃ ʎןןnɟǝɹɐɔ pɐǝɹʇ

>>4336108
>Comfort, because John doesn’t look like he wants to press the matter of himself anymore.
Big huggies for bro

>>4336108
>”Because you’re my brother. That’s why.” Simple as that.
>Comfort, because John doesn’t look like he wants to press the matter of himself anymore.

>>4336108
>>”Because you’re my brother. That’s why.” Simple as that.

Duh.

>Hug.

>>4336108
>Comfort, because John doesn’t look like he wants to press the matter of himself anymore.

conflicted about telling him we're M-Guard. He'd never want us put in a lab, we might get his help out of it. But it's a lot more likely that he'll insist we stop what we're doing.

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>>4336053
Pic related

>>4336485

phone died as I was writing.

>>4336656

but I was writing what if there using level E personell as an excuse to kill of FutureLabs guys who don’t fit the mold and that’s what they wanted to do to John?

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>>4336658

>>4336108
>write-in
>"What happened in Tech?"
John's the hacker mutant
Also Finch Darwin has been Pharos'd

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>>4336656

>>4336689

John ain't no hack.

Also finch darwin who? Keep thinking that's a reference to something, but I seriously lack in the field of pop culture.

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Delay in update due to not having a decent place to write. Crossing my fingers to get something out tonight.

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>>4337219

“Because you’re my brother. That’s why.” That’s when you think it’s a good time as any to comfort John with a hug, because he doesn’t seem to want to press the matter of himself or mutants any longer. You might lack in the tact department, but you are smart enough to know when words are no longer needed.

The gesture is returned with the arm that’s next to you, and it ultimately ends with John hugging you instead of the other way around. Now at the receiving end of the hug, there’s something about it that takes you back to your childhood in those times where John would always be there.

Gradually, that melancholy has overtaken John fades, dying with the last rays of the afternoon sun, and it’s reassuring that, although the two of you are grown adults, some things will stay the same no matter what. Out of the corner of your eye, you see him smile a small, thankful smile that makes you want to smile but also cry.

Often, it’s hard for you to tell what John’s thinking, and, though he might be a master at hiding his worries and whatever else from you and Matt, at least you know that John wouldn’t turn you in or anything if he knew you were a mutant (not that you’d let that happen). However, you still can’t tell him now—not when there’s so much piled on his shoulders already. That’s why the moment when FutureLabs is taken down will be all-the-more satisfying for you, because John will be free.

>(1/?)

>>4337471

Over the next few days, you find somewhere to keep practicing your agility— a rundown, industrial area that, with its closed alleyways and tightly-knit network of structures, makes for a perfect place to keep honing your skills and improve.

In the meantime, Matt joins you to demonstrate his ability with his slingshot, and you’re beginning to think that he must have the same knack with projectile weapons that John has, because he’s able to make his mark on nearly every shot. It’s pretty impressive, and you briefly wonder if good aim is something genetic.

You even let Matt test out the efficacy of the slingshot on yourself to see how it may stand against FutureLabs’ agents, though he hesitates to shoot you at first, but you reason that if you can handle a high-caliber bullet to the abdomen and live, then you can certainly handle having some steel balls flying at you at less than a tenth of the speed that a bullet travels.

Although he’ll be on call to teleport you out if things really do go awry, Matt still teaches Bernard how to do good, non-powered reconnaissance; but you’re crossing your fingers that capturing Pharos will be a simple in-and-out retrieval mission for you, and then you can figure out what to do with him afterwards.

But, other than the Pharos issue, threat of the task force, and the information you still need to get out, you think that everything is slowly, slowly coming together, and, for a moment, you wish you could fast forward to the part where it ends.

You’re so lost in your rapid, zig-zagging jumps that you nearly miss the ringing of the phone that you had been keeping on you.

“Hello?” Your voice comes out a little hoarsely from not expecting the call. Talk about quick.

“Hello to you too.” Phillip Huber greets. “I hope you weren’t in the middle of anything important, were you?”

“No. Not at all, Mr. Huber.” You were just jumping on buildings and letting your brother pelt you with metal balls while also hanging out with his son. Nothing too big.

“Anyways, I wanted to inform you that I will be issuing a public statement about Huber Enterprises next Thursday at seven o'clock in the Louis IX Hall.“ He did it! You didn't doubt Huber could do it, but it's so much more exciting to hear that it's actually going to happen."As an extension of my thanks to you-- not that I'm interested in knowing who you are-- I was wondering if you would like to be present for this event.”

>”That would be great, Mr. Huber. We’d love to be there in person for it.” Accept the offer.
>”Thank you very much, Mr. Huber, but we can’t show our faces in public like that. “ Graciously decline.
>write-in

>(2/2)

Sorry for short update. OP had stuff to do today, but hopefully since I have no social life we can get to eviscerating goons with our bare hands or something soon.

>>4337668
>”Thank you very much, Mr. Huber, but we can’t show our faces in public like that. “ Graciously decline.
It's very risky and they'll use us to tarnish the guy and his findings

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>>4337668
>”That would be great, Mr. Huber. We’d love to be there in person for it.” Accept the offer.
We're already playing into Pharos' hands. If we do the "smart" thing and stay away, we fail to provide FutureLabs with an opportunity to do the dumb thing and overplay their hand by crashing the press conference for the sake of nabbing the pesky mutants that saved the old man. Let's use Pharos' brainwashing tactics against him.

>>4338190
The idea is to remove the necessity of Pharos as the messiah he hopes to become. If public outcry shuts down FutureLabs before he can get inside and lead his Glorious Revolution against the wicked (puppet Hitler) Atticus Charles, he's just another bad guy, and we can take him down with the cooperation of society.

>>4337668
>”That would be great, Mr. Huber. We’d love to be there in person for it.” Accept the offer.

>>4337668
>>”That would be great, Mr. Huber. We’d love to be there in person for it.” Accept the offer.
He gives us a lot of legitimacy when we talk about this

>>4337668
>”That would be great, Mr. Huber. We’d love to be there in person for it.” Accept the offer.

1. Siren is the (fish)face of the group and can change her face so we'll have some thing to hide our identity
2. She can take a hit as seen by tanking a sniper round. Just in case there's an attack
3. Keep Blink and Bludgeon in reserve for an escape plan

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>>4338190

pretty sure us saving a random old-guy mutant is the least of the reasons why FutureLabs is mad af.

some, but not all, crimes we've committed are:
>assault and battery
>attacking authorities
>menacing
>littering
>trespassing on federal property
>trespassing on private property
>disturbing the peace
>vigilantism
>poaching

...Shhhhhh... it doesn't count if you don't get caught...

>>4338611
Oh right, when we invaded the concentration camp. We're so sorry about making a mess in your underground concentration camp, we should definitely be locked up for breaking and entering your taxpayer-funded underground concentration camp. If we had any idea that it was FutureLabs' taxpayer-funded underground concentration camp that we were in, we would have left right away and gone through the proper channels to get legitimately sourced information on FutureLabs' taxpayer-funded underground concentration camp filled with torture chambers. Here's my wrists, lock me up officer, I was in FutureLabs' taxpayer-funded underground concentration camp filled with torture chambers where mutants and normies alike endure agonies almost too awful to speak of and frequently die as a result WITHOUT A HALL PASS.

>>4338190
>>4338391

To clarify, we SHOULD or SHOULD NOT be going in as our fish-sona?

Just double-checking griggas.

>>4338725
Yeah I think so. It's about mutant acceptance after all, not adorable teenager acceptance.

>>4338725
Shouldn't because going as a high-value target would crash the conference before it takes off

>>4339294

Hate the formatting of the post. I can delete a post without deleting a thread, right?

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>>4338190
>>4338209
>>4338283
>>4338391

We can vote on whether or not Elise goes as herself or Kelpie when the time comes later on.
Also I didn't know posts could be deleted!!!

“That would be great. We would love to be there in person for it.” You tell Huber.

“You wouldn’t mind the possibility of being on camera?” The businessman’s voice sounds surprised.

“Not at all, Mr. Huber." If you're going to be somewhere that has cameras all over the place, of course there's a chance one will catch you. "What time does the conference start?”

“Any time is fine, as long as you’re there before it starts. Ten—twenty minutes beforehand is ideal, but take your time if you need to.” He is very much aware you have a teleporter on hand and can show up whenever you want. “I will send you a text so you can meet with one of the members of my private security team, and they will escort you to where you need to go.”

“Okay then.” You nod, committing the information to memory. “Thank you very much, Mr. Huber.”

Once you switch off the call, you leap back to where Matt and Bernard had been to tell them the news, where you find Matt is still at it with his slingshot and Bernard fiddling around with Matt’s pair of binoculars. They seem surprised that Huber would invite the three of you there, possibly as your alter-egos, but you still haven’t settled on whether or not you’ll be going as Kelpie or a heavily-disguised version of just yourself; because, while Huber is accepting of mutants, the majority of Konigsburg still laps up whatever heavily-filtered propaganda there might be on television. But you have a week to decide— that’s plenty of time for you!

“Wow, Dad’s really packin’ the big guns then.” Is the first thing Bernard says when you finish telling him everything that you heard on the phone, the statement causing Matt to look at him very, very strangely.

“Dad what?” Matt repeats as if his ears had just deceived him.

“Oh yeah. Phillip Huber’s… actually my dad.” Bernard is sheepish, scratching the back of his head with a hand. “We meant to tell you about it earlier, stickface, but we just kinda forgot with everythin.’”

Matt is quiet and considering as he ponders this newfound information, and, with the way he’s squinting at Bernard, it seems like he’s trying to compare the resemblance between the teleporter and the Huber CEO.

“I think I see the relation.” Matt finally says. “And I kind of figured that you might’ve had some personal connection to the Hubers or just money in general with the way you were acting that night, but how did Ellie find out?”

“She just wouldn’t stop buggin’ me until she got the answers.” There’s something fond in his features as he says this, and Matt has his eyes narrowed at him again, which Bernard is quick to notice. “What?”

“Nothing.” Matt shakes his head. “Absolutely nothing.”

>(1/?)

>>4339321
>matt didn't figure it out
damn I thought he was supposed to be smart

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>>4339332

>Recreates FutureLabs blueprints from watching documentary
>Is the M-Guard's chief strategist and basement medic
>Is presumable computer-whiz
>Gets perfect marks in calc
>cannot figure out Bernard's dad
>tfw

>>4339321
The GlowFish train rumbles on

Sorry for post delay.

typing out shit now.

>>4339499

CHOO FREAKING CHOO!!!

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>>4339321

The day after Huber called, you and Bernard end up finishing the video of your jaunt through FutureLabs, and, now that it’s complete, there’s a sense of triumph between the two of you at the feeling of having completed the rather long and arduous task.

Having spent several hours down in the depths of FutureLabs, the resulting video provided you with only a fourth of the time you had been there. This doesn’t change the fact that the place was and still is as terrible as it was, and you make several copies of the video just in case, storing the video on at least three separate USBs until you can buy more of them.

Matt still has his share of work to do, combing the hard drive for at least an hour a day. You think he’s about seventy or eighty percent through it, if you had to say.

Another thing of note is that John’s being noticeably nicer to you too; maybe it’s because he got some stuff he’d been holding in off of his chest or because you had genuinely reached out to him that day, and, even though the work-free version of your older brother wasn’t anything less than nice, it’s good to see him in a better mood than he was those few nights prior. However, every time he catches you and Bernard in the same room, he likes to snap photos of the two of you when he thinks you’re not looking so he can properly document yours and Bernard’s “dating.”

Well, at least that’s what you think he’s trying to do.

You can tell that John’s taking photos of you, because there’s a very slight quirking of his lips as he positions the camera your way, and it doesn’t really bother you too much, because it’s something that makes John happy. Bernard doesn’t seem bothered by it either; plus, it would be weirder for John if he didn’t think you guys were dating.

In light of your recent success with the video, Bernard reasons it’s a good time as any to celebrate, which is how you end up going with him to pick up some sweets at your café. Though Valjean is Sopor and is power is quite threatening, he doesn’t own the place, it’s not like he can do anything to you in public. Thankfully, Bernard is in and out with the bag of baked goods and not put in a coma or anything of the sorts.

As you take the route to the place where he hides away to teleport, Bernard deviates in his steps, which doesn’t quite register with you until you’ve come to a stop.

“What are we doing here?” You ask, realizing that you’re standing before an old butcher’s shop.

“We can’t celebrate until everyone’s got somethin’ to eat, right?” He reasons, before you’re pulled by the arm and straight into the shop.

>(2/?)

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>>4339669

The room is cold, and your nose is assaulted with the smell of several different kinds of meats, which has you nearly frozen in place until the blonde drags you back to your senses. You mouth waters from being surrounded by so much food in one small room, and, faintly, you hear Bernard talking to the butcher in… Italian, you think.

Some of the words sound very similar to French but not entirely so, and focusing on those minute differences between languages helps to keep your head clear. When the room is quiet once more, you concentrate the sound of the deli-slicer as it grinds through a large hock of meat.

“Hey Ellie. Was that too much for you?” Bernard asks once you're outside. Behind that smile of his, there’s an inkling of concern.

“No.” You shake your head. “I just don’t normally do my meat shopping in butcher shops.” Usually, you buy whatever you want from the grocery store, and, with the amount you eat, you have to go with what’s cheapest if you don’t go straight to the ocean. You might have money, but your parents do keep an eye on the allowance that you and your siblings are given.

Truth be told, the best stuff you’ve tasted outside of the ocean has always had a hefty price tag, like the parma ham that John sometimes buys to cook with. However, it’s much too expensive for you to eat like candy— that would be downright wasteful.

“Well, I hope that you enjoy what I got from this one.” Bernard says, breaking you out of your thoughts, and, at that, he hands you a hefty bag with a downright tantalizing aroma before you’re off to find another good place to teleport back home.

“Hey we’re back!” Bernard announces your return back to Matt’s bedroom.

“Valjean didn’t kill you?” Matt inquires as he shuts his laptop.

“No, he wasn’t there today!” Bernard grins. “Which means that these pastries will actually be filled for once, cause Aldo is the only guy there who knows his stuff.”

“Hooray for that.” Matt’s also smiling.

“Let’s have a cheers then for our hard work!” That’s all it takes for you to rip into the bag— but with cognizance— as you don’t want to tear straight through a gift in the span of five seconds.

The mixture of fat and lean meat is delicate on the tongue, but no less delicious than you thought it would be. Though your mutant features imminently end up bleeding through, you try not to let yourself get swept up in the euphoria of the taste, even though there’s a whole five pounds of meat for you to eat .

This must have been expensive you think— a lavish purchase that will be gone within the day— and, though you feel a little guilt for Bernard having spent that kind of money on you, you also feel thankful, the gratitude manifesting as an odd sense of warmth.


Since greenboi is of Swiss heritage, he speaks both German and Italian. Yeet.

>(3/?)

>>4339675

Of course you should thank Bernard for the awesome gift. That would be the logical thing to do.

>What do you do/say?
>”This is the best stuff I’ve tasted in a long time!” Compliment the food.
>Offer some of the food to Bernard. Might not go with what he’s eating but it’s the thought that counts.
>Say something nice about Bernard.
>Words wat words? A good thanks doesn’t need words. Hug your BFFL!
>write-in

Sorry guys for the lapse in updates. I've had a kind of busy weekend.
Hoping to actually get into the stuff I've had planned, which means I might take a bit to refine the plan before the next update. Maybe I'll have the plan refined quickly-- hoping so so that we can get to some good old action!!! AND SLICING!!!

>(4/4)

>>4339683
>Say something nice about Bernard.
GlowFish is becoming canon boys

>cops after pharos
>valjean not present at cafe

DUN DUN DUNNNNN!!!

>>4339730

i also want to know why do some people think John’s a mutant?

>>4339683
>Say something nice about Bernard.
Something about him being thoughtful and also tie in that this food is delicious

>>4339683
>offer Bernard food
"No please take it, I want you to have some."
>>4339732
The Little Prince.
It could still be several different kinds of misdirection.
Also, you've noticed how susceptibility to mutations can run in families?

>>4339973
Honestly I still am very much a Valise. Damn shame he's got to be killed.

>>4339683
>"Honestly, I- you didn't have to do all this for me. I'm touched. Thanks. It's sweet of you."

Doki doki, bitches.

>>4339683

>”This is the best stuff I’ve tasted in a long time!” Compliment the food.

>>4339973

If John ever got caught by the magic mutant-wand, I’d say he would have a pretty bitching power.

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>>4340035
>>4339973
>>4339751
>>4339685

When you don’t have a mouthful of food obstructing your speech, you to attempt to say something to Bernard as a thanks.

“Bernard,” You say his name to get his attention, and, likely because of the meat clouding your mind, your brain struggles to think of something nice to say, as you’re caught up in-between telling Bernard how good the food is and something nice about himself.
.
“You…” Your brain and your mouth fail to cooperate, and what comes out is a stilted, awkward “You’re the best.”

Bernard instantly stills, and you want to scream— you want a riptide to drag you into the ocean— because you probably just sounded like an idiot, and you berate your fish brain for making you sound stupid. However, he seems to recover his wits fast enough, and, if you had to say, he looks a bit bashful at your compliment.

“Want some?” You offer him a slice of the meat, attempting to dispel the awkwardness. You also think that he should have some, just for how good it is.

“Nah.” He waves it away. “Bought it all for you.” Though you knew that much already, hearing it aloud brings a smile to your face; and, if you weren’t thankful before, then you certainly are now.

“Honestly, I- you didn't have to do all this for me. I’m touched.” You’re able to string a coherent sentence. “Thanks. It's sweet of you."

“It was no big deal, fishface.” He tries to play it off, eyes not quite meeting yours, but now he’s smiling too.

“You know what else is sweet?” Matt’s voice interrupts as he sidles up to where you and Bernard are sitting. “The fact that my pastry doesn’t taste like a clump of unfilled bread for once.” The room erupts into laughter at that.

“Hey Ellie. Mind grabbing us a couple of drinks?” The request comes from Matt a few moments later.

“No problem.” You tell him, rising from your seat on the floor and to the fridge to get a couple of bottles of water.

As you pass through the hall, you see John back on the couch with another book. A picture of contentedness, you’re glad to see that he’s doing something other than cooking and cleaning.

When his cell phone phone rings, the smile falls from his face, but he picks it up regardless.

“Martins speaking.” You know that John only answers that way when taking work calls, and Clyde said they’d call when they were ready to send out the task force.

>What do you do?
>Eavesdrop; this could be it
>Go back to chilling; it’s probably nothing.
>write-in

>>4341190
>Eavesdrop; this could be it

>>4341190
>>Eavesdrop; this could be it

We should be wary about him recieving false info. He has already accidentally leaked some codes and it didn’t seem like they trust him last time.

>>4341190
>Eavesdrop; this could be it
Now in colour !
>>4341257
Yup, but like we thought some threads ago, if they didn't fry him already he wasn't the only one with that code

>>4341190
>Eavesdrop; this could be it
With our hearing we should be able to hear everything and still not be in John's direct line of sight

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>>4341364
>>4341306
>>4341251
>>4341213

You don’t need to move from where you stand as you wait to hear who’s on the other end of the line with bated breath.

“Heya, dumbass.” A gratingly accented voice sounds from the other end of the line. “How’s that vacation of your’s treatin’ ya?”

John gives a long exhale through his nose, patience already having disappeared. “Just tell me what’s the business, Clyde.”

“Well we found ‘im— that Pharos guy. Turns out he’s been hidin’ in another slumhole by the downtown area like the urchin he is, sleepin’ in garbage bins and working day shifts like he’s an actual member of society.”

John is silent, pondering this information for a few moments, until he asks. “Who are you bringing with you?”

“Hah! Always asking the good questions, Johnny.” Clyde laughs, and it’s as loud and raucous through the phone as it was on the beach. “Well, I’d love to take my mini-gun to a bar fight as much as the next bloke, but even the newer ones are too much of a hassle to drag along. Think of this as a dry run for the real thing— a good way to get those muscles of yours hot and pumpin’ before you move on to the real deal.”

“You don’t think anyone else might show up for him?” John could either be referring to the M-Guard or any of Pharos’ remaining followers, which you doubt there are.

“If there are, we’ll put a bullet in em,’ or let her deal with it.” The Australian says flippantly. “''Sides, we gotta do more tonight than just pelt some unlucky bastard with bullets— Doctor Charles wants to see progress, results, and all that shit.”

“I thought we were taking him in alive.”

“That was the plan, but, if he becomes more trouble than he’s worth, Doctor Charles gave us the go-ahead to kill him as a last resort. Either way, we’ll look good on TV.”

John says nothing at that, already displeased enough about the whole thing. “What time to I have to be there?” He inquires, in lieu of telling Clyde off, which is what he should be doing but can’t.

“Seven-thirty-ish— maybe eight o’clock… But the longer you dilly-dally, the less of a chance you’ll have to get your hands on a good Jaretta.” A pause in the conversation. “No wait, Eddie’s saved one for you. Good frig of a bloke he is.” Clyde says. “See you there.” And the call is ended.

>(1/2)

>>4341511
>>4339977
>Damn shame he's got to be killed.
You know I didn't mean it, right?

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>>4341560

>>4341574
Definitely remember saying or at least thinking that we'd end up with Sopor as a housemate. If Pharos is Sopor...

>>4341595

If that came to be, poor John's credit card...
The most undervalued character of the whole series.

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>>4341511

7:02, the clock reads. You have time.

“Hey Elise.” John’s voice makes you jump. “Work called me back. If you plan to go out or anything later, try to stick around the neighborhood tonight.”

“Alright, I will.” You lie, and, in almost no time at all, John is ready to go. Before he’s out the door, you’re enveloped in a hug that you easily return, and, the second the door is closed, you head straight back to Matt’s room, nearly cracking his door of its hinges in your haste. “They found Pharos. John just got called in.”

“Wait. What about the ambush?” Bernard looks confused, likely having thought that the task force was just going after the three of you.

“It’s just Pharos this time.” You tell the two. “He’s in a slum near downtown.”

“A slum near the downtown area…” Matt repeats, pulling out his phone to presumably look for the slum where Pharos is hiding. “You heard the whole conversation, Ellie?”

You nod. “They may or may not kill him depending on how things go, and they’ll try kill to anyone who interferes. We should probably get going so we can start looking for Pharos before then.”

That’s all the prompting everyone needs to suit up, although not in your actual suits. Instead, you take your ratty hoodie and a pair of leggings, which are the most nondescript things you own, and then you put your hair up in a ponytail before half-shifting your features into your very-unappealing lizard-face.

Save for the yellow scales, you really do look nothing like Kelpie. Even your obviously webbed feet would be mistaken for something more reptilian in the dark.

Matt and Bernard also don themselves in very indiscriminate hoodies, along with a pair of balaclavas; the only thing Matt’s taken from his suit is the belt, because of the stuff he carries on him. Dressed to the nines, You think, as you survey yourselves, and, with how absolutely crappy your outfits are, you had gotten ready in pretty much no time at all, as the time is currently seven-twenty.

Now you have some time to discuss things before you get ready and moving yourself, which you should— cause you don’t want to go in blindly searching for one, highly-troublesome mutant.

>Get there first, survey the environment, and then form a plan depending on the circumstances.
>Address the issues of Eddie and Clyde— how to take out the more dangerous opponents first
>Address the issue of Pharos possibly resisting you
>You don’t need a complicated plan; you’re just going to get in and get out! GET GOING!
>write-in

>>4341647
>Address the issue of Pharos possibly resisting you

>>4341647
>Get there first, survey the environment, and then form a plan depending on the circumstances.
Which may end up being
>You don’t need a complicated plan; you’re just going to get in and get out! GET GOING!


>>4341667
Just knock him out and carry him. It's not like he's heavy to us.

Forgot to mention, last reply of the day, and, now that I actually HAVE the refined plan for this, we can get slicing!!!

Updates: twitter.com/qmsiren
Also dropping this random poll here in the meantime :https://www.strawpoll.me/20519324

>>4341694
>that pool
Oh my superior intellect

>>4341647
>>4341694
I mean technically OP is always right but also a faggot so I don't know how to square that circle.
>GET GOING
The task force is gonna be fast
All we need to do is follow where they're going and then snap up that XP before they bust the door down.

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>>4341647
We're really this easy are we?

>>4341647
>Get there first, survey the environment, and then form a plan depending on the circumstances.

worth noting if we injure eddie and clyde now they won't give us problems later

but we might get futurelabs angrier at us

>>4342228
Clyde's dangerous, but lucky for us, he's an idiot. Eddie otoh might even be a mutant. *Somebody* hacked our comms when we rescued VV at the old Crux hideout.
My opinion, the goal for this mission should be to go completely undetected and make it seem to FutureLabs like Pharos was never there.