groovygamers.com

Monday night, Sylvia pores over the file Kevin Kiernan gave her.  Most of it is dry fact, details already covered by the news article in her folder of clippings.  Then, at the bottom, she reaches a name that sends a jolt through her.

She slams her fist into her desk and, with the focus of pain to numb her brain and chill her anger, calls Sammy.

Sammy is in her bedroom, reading Wuthering Heights for an English assignment.

She scans the caller ID and answers the call.  "Hullo, Sylvia.  What's up?"

"Trouble," Sylvia says, with that flat tone of voice that sometimes overtakes her when the life of a young superhero starts to suck really hard.  "I'm going to poke around in Hugo Strange's brain tomorrow, and I could use some backup just in case his kung fu is stronger than mine."

"The shrink that comes to school? The one I..."  Sammy feels cold panic pooling in her gut.  "Why?   I mean, yeah, I'll... but what did he do?"

"I've been looking into a paranormal arson at an attorney's office.  It turns out the attorney, Gerald Tanner, was representing a boy whose parents accused Strange of making him steal cars.  I'm thinking he might have been behind the arson, too, and I'm worried about how he might be making these kids do things."

"That doesn't make sense," Sammy says.  "Why hasn't Strange messed with me then?  I mean, he knows about me.  He has for months.  Are you sure its not just some stupid idiot blaming anybody but himself for his troubles?"

"It could be.  And that would be some kind of relief.  But I have to search him anyway."

Sylvia pauses.

"Did he ever put you under any kind of hypnosis?"

A thread of panic creeps into Sammy's voice.  "I, I don't know.  Would I remember, if he didn't want me to remember?  God, I've told him about me, I talked about the trouble we had with Alicia..."

"By name?  Did you mention her by name?"

"I don't--argh, I don't think so, I think I just called her my friend but if anybody was watching to see who was new at the table."  Sammy lets loose a string of invectives unbecoming to a Nice Girl.  "If I come over right now, can you check my head?  See what I said?  See if he did anything?"

"Sure, I'll try."  And Sylvia is the master of the significant pause tonight.  "You don't have any secret powers of control over fire, do you?"

"I don't think so," Sammy replies, "But according to legend, djinn were created from fire.  So who knows?"  Besides, she thinks, I'm more worried about other secrets.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but just in case, do you mind if I invite one of the others over?  If you freak out and get the jump on me, I don't know what I'm going to be able to do about it."

Sammy starts to object, then sees the reasoning behind it.  "Sure," she says slowly.  "But choose carefully.  I usually don't use my powers as... fully... as I can.  I hold back a lot.  John... I don't think I can physically harm John.  He can probably take me down in a fight if it ever comes to that.  The others... I don't know.  Rob maybe.  Colin, maybe, because of the anchor line he has on me.  That's a big maybe."  She echoes Sylvia's earlier pause.  "Maybe this is a stupid idea.  I don't feel coerced."

"I'm not going to force it on you.  I just need someone to make sure I don't lose some kind of psychic showdown tomorrow."

"N-no, I'll help.  I'm just worried now that I might be tainted.  Call somebody for backup.  I'll meet you at your... no.  How about the school parking lot?  Empty, so less to damage this time of night."  She coughs nervously.  "Just in case."

"Okay," Sylvia says.  "I'll see you there."

[If that's the end of Sammy and Sylvia's conversation for now--]

Once she's gotten off the phone with Sammy, she calls John.  She knows he's not Sammy's favorite right now, but he can get himself, and more importantly Sylvia, to the school in a rush.

Not knowing how long this is going to take, Sammy puts on her flight suit and heads over to the school.  She flies big lazy loops over the building until Sylvia gets there.

The phone only rings a couple of times before John answers it.  "Hey Sylvia.  What's up?"

"Hi," Sylvia says in the perfunctory way that indicates it's no social call.  "Are you free?  I need to meet Sammy at school, and I need some backup."  She needs a lot of backup.  Such is the telepathic life.

"How does A plus B equal C?"  John asks.  "And yes, I can be there just let me know when."

"Hugo Strange," Sylvia begins.  "His name turned up in connection to a recent arson.  Apparently the lawyer whose office burned down was representing a boy whose parents claim Strange made their son steal cars.  I asked Sammy to back me up when I went to look in Strange's head tomorrow, and she got a little freaked out that she'd spent so much time with him.  She wants me to check her brain for tampering.

"She's probably already there by now.  Can you come get me and take me to meet her?"

"Sure.  Meet me in front of your house."  he says, "I'll be there in a minute."  And he hangs up.  By the time Sylvia is outside, John is there waiting for her.  He seems less nervous about picking her up than the last time he did it, and in a blur they're off to the school.  It's only another minute before they're in the parking lot and he's setting her down.

Sylvia has enough of an instinct about Sammy that she's scanning the sky to find her.

Sammy spots the two others and swoops down to join them.  She's wearing the cowl along with the rest of her flight suit, so her face (and any expression on it) is obscured.  All anybody sees is a pair of bright eyes and tightly compressed lips.  She nods.  "Hi guys."

Sylvia trusts that John will throw himself in front of a train to keep any of them from harm.  He's simple that way.

She also doesn't really think Sammy's got any hidden triggers implanted, but it'll make them all feel better if she looks.  So she does, taking her time so she can, she hopes, say without a shadow of a doubt that nothing Strange has been done to Sammy.

Oh, and she also says, "Hi," and "Don't think too hard about that thing you're hiding," just to stir Sammy up for better inspection.

OOC: Need a Fate Roll from Sammy, and a Will Save DC 14 just for good measure.

"OK."  Sammy nods her head.  She sort of mumbles "John, you might want to grab onto me so I can't do anything-- if I'm going to do anything.  I'd go for knocking me out if you have to do anything.  I hope I don't do anything."


Fate (1d20=19) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2047674/)

Will Save (1d20+2=12) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2047677/)


Sammy is worried about Strange, and is not trying to hide anything.

With John that close, there's one thing that Sylvia will pick up just by looking at Sammy's mind:  Pain / sorrow / loss / a little bit of happiness at seeing him, and a really strong desire to both get closer to him and to run away so that the acheyness stops.  There's a region that is Elrod related that is pretty happy even if he is acting more and more like a big brother/guardian instead of a boyfriend and a Nick region that is fairly content at the moment.  There are smaller regions, usually with much less resolution, for other people too.  They don't conflict with each other at all.

Also, FWIW, if anything Donnie related manages to break through the stuff above (and that should be LOUD), there's a Sylvia colored Police Tape wrapped around it, a clearly defined mental Do Not Cross line.  Sammy does recognize the boundaries even if she does think about crossing them.

Sammy's head seems clear of tampering, but it's also a place where sensual urges flow like a river.  Swift and deep.  Sylvia is a bit overwhelmed with how easily Sammy's mind races in and around the ideas and fantasies of contact.  Not necessarily sex, although those ideas are there in unformed and inexperienced ways, but just the intimacy of another person, their warmth and presence.

OOC: Need a Will Save from Sylvia please DC 16

I'm in the mood for love, simply because you're near me. (1d20+2=8) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2047869/)

Sylvia is sure there is no sign of tampering in Sammy's head.

"This house is clean," Sylvia announces.

Sammy sags a little as tension rushes out of her body.  "That's good to know."  One hand touches John's arm, another Sylvia's.  It's a comfort thing for Sammy, to steady her.  "Now what?"

"Now I break into Hugo Strange's head and find out if he had anything to do with the arson and the kid and any of the weirdness here.  I hope Principal Landis has some new hires lined up.  We're cutting a swath through his faculty."

"Sammy might be clean, but Strange talks to a lot of kids.  If he's doing something, he'd have a lot of other students, and not just at Oak Park.  I think he's the districts psychologist, that's like twenty schools.  Students and teachers."

"John's right.  Strange is a floater.  He's only in here on certain days at certain times."  Sammy hasn't remembered to lift her hands away.  "I could set up an appointment.  He wouldn't think it str... unusual."

Sylvia nods, frowning into the darkness that surrounds the parking lot.  "Sure.  I'll read him then.  The PCD wants to know if we come up with anything.  I guess I should let them know about the connection before we go in, just in case."

"OK.  However you want to do it."  Sammy suddenly becomes aware of her hands and she snaps them back to hug herself.  "The appointment will make sure he's in the building.  You can get him when he's with me, or we could go someplace near enough for you to find him, and I'll guard you."

Sylvia, even fixated as she is on the problem ahead of them, notes Sammy's withdrawal.  She can't help it.  "That'll work."

[CUT TO:  The day after?]

"OK," Sammy says.  "Want a ride home?  Oh.  Right.  You have one, unless-- John, I could give you a lift too."  Sammy sounds as if she already knows the answers from each of them, and is bracing herself for the rejection.

Sylvia is only the sack of potatoes here.  She waits for John's answer.

John looks at Sammy as she pulls her hands away.  His gaze lingers for a minute, and when he realizes he's supposed to say something there is a moment as he organizes his thoughts.  "Sure.  That would be nice.  The ride I mean, not stalking the school psychologist."

Sammy seems surprised, but she was looking at the parking lot surface, not John, so she misses the lingering gaze.  "OK."  She extends a hand to each of them and takes them home.

[I'll wait until the hallway ruckus is resolved to start the next chapter.]

[say if its before or after lunch, too?]

OOC: The hallway thing?  It's before lunch.

[OOC: Actually I meant the Strange scan too.  I'm trying to do my part for continuity.]

[That probably depends on Sammy's condition after the hallway incident.  Sylvia may also deem it more urgent to talk to the cheerleader involved.]

She'll probably be okay unless the cheerleaders all come back to rumble, or bullies buddies decide to fight.

OOC: Or something worse happens.

[OOC: Insert maniacal laughter here.   :8 ]