8986/Somewhere near N.O.W.H.E.R.E.

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Somewhere near N.O.W.H.E.R.E.
Date of Scene: 07 December 2021
Location: Colony 0, N.O.W.H.E.R.E.
Synopsis: The kidnapped Outsiders + Nadia wake up for an interview with N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s residents psychic. Nadia is salty about her drugged Chai. NPCs: Match and Omen.
Cast of Characters: Conner Kent, Laura Kinney, Phoebe Beacon, Tim Drake, Nadia Pym-van Dyne




Conner Kent has posed:
The last thing Phoebe, Laura and Tim felt was the touch of Leash' cybernetic tentacles, or wires. Whatever they are, they are charged with psychic energy and besides teleporting them; he pushed a strong 'sleep' telepathic compulsion into their minds. To help the fact the three Outsiders got teleported into some kind of contention device designed to knock them out.

It is not impossible one or more of them woke up during the following twelve hours or so, but it would have been fleeting moments of dream-like quality before sleep claimed them again. They might have heard voices, some clinical and cold, some perhaps concerned.

But they are awakening for real now, and as they do, three is a small 'click' sound, and then the low buzz of panels retracting, fresh air on their faces.

Injuries would have been healed, leaving no scars; it is like waking up after a good, dreamless sleep. Except they are not in their beds, but on reclining medical benches; and they are not wearing their sleepwear, but fancy body suits in the colors of their combat uniforms, with light lines at the sides. It is very Tron-like, and very much the style of Superboy's N.O.W.H.E.R.E. outfit, which some of them only saw for the first time before the attack.

The room is spacious, the walls of metal and ceramics, with some monitor machines and a meeting table at one side. On the head of the table there is a young woman with strawberry blond hair in a Goth dress, a blindfold over her eyes. Sitting at her side is Conner in a white and red version of his N.O.W.H.E.R.E. outfit, if Conner was blonde and needed a tan.

"You shouldn't be here," says the woman in a quiet voice.
"Why not? They are his friends, so they should be my friends too," replies the young man.
"That... is not how it works," mutters the woman, grumpily. The man just smirks, as if he had made a good joke.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Waking up after horrible injuries without any lasting harm done? It's like a typical day for X-23. Barely worth a comment if not for the strange costume and Laura having slept for more than a few hours.

Still when she does awaken there's no immediate outward sign. A mix of meditation techniques and training used to keep her breathing rate the same as when asleep.

Her eyes stay closed while she processes the scents in the room. Trying to identify who and what is around her.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe did not like how this was going. She didn't like being in the dark. She didn't like the feeling of what was happening. It was a struggle as she pushed herself, and her healing magic, to try and push through the dimness. When she comes to, it's with a gasp. Her senses are briefly out of whack, too used to the feeling of certain places, and she first reaches for her left wrist -- and then to her neck, and she whispers quietly: "... this is bad. This is very bad..." and she raises her hands to her lips, partially to hide her lips' rapid movements, her eyes watering.

Tim Drake has posed:
    For the first few moments after he wakes up, Tim does precisely the same thing as Laura. Standard response to being kidnapped per his training. Get a sense of the surroundings while keeping his breathing and heart rate slow, thoughts calm. If they're monitoring his brain waves it'll be a struggle to trick that, but if he can--

    Then he hears Phoebe. Which means, whatever of his team that was kidnapped, they're probably all together here in this medical lab, as far as Tim's non-visual senses can determine.

    And that's they're first mistake.

    So he opens his eyes. Quick glance left, quick glance right.

    Second mistake: taking Laura.

    "These costumes are the dumbest thing I've ever seen," Red Robin says, flatly, as he looks down at himself. Then he levels an unimpressed look over at the Conner-lookalike and the goth girl. "And blond really doesn't suit you."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia lays on her bed, in truth she has been awake for awhile thanks to the Black Widow Ops enhancement she received as an infant. Like Tim though she keeps her breathing shallow as she assesses her current situation, leaning on her Red Room training. So far nothing has been outside of expectations, up to and including them drugging her Chai, though that did lose them several niceness points.

She has been keeping her breathing shallow and listening. Finally voices begin to speak and she starts getting a sense of the surrounding situation. Good, they brought her to the Outsiders and it sounds like they are all together and in one piece, sloppy.

Finally she opens her eyes and turns her head in the direction of Omen's voice. "Your Chai sucks."

Conner Kent has posed:
Well, the outfits are better than orange pyjamas. But Tim might remember Conner outfit included a number of sensors (eventually removed). Not that he used it for long, quickly switching to something closer to Superman outfit, except with a leather jacket instead of a cape.

On the positive side, it was pretty good body armor. Also, Tim's wings look functional, with super-tech miniturbines and a sharp metal edge. What kind of kidnappers give the prisoners body armor and weapons? Are they crazy?

"It is pretty bad, but it could be worse," points out the blindfolded woman. "I am Omen. Nadia already knows me." She turns to the younger girl, "I am sorry about the drugged tea, I would have been happy to chat with you all the way here, but you decided not to give up your weaponry." She shrugs.

"What is wrong with the smartsuits?" Asks Match. He is a fan of the smartsuits!

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney listens, building up an idea of the dimensions of the room from the way sound behaves, waiting for Match or Omen to get within striking range of her claws. Preferably Match. Better to sneak attack anything even remotely able to impersonate a Kryptonian or fight a Flash.

Muscle by muscle she tenses and then untenses them. Getting herself primed to strike while still doing everything she can to maintain the illusion of sleep.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe continues to keep her hands over her mouth, almost to the point of hyperventilation. She keeps her eyes moving. Tim's up. Laura is there. There is NAdia -- and who doesn't recognize her? She shifts her weight around, looking to the blond version of Conner. It was... it was bizzare. These suits were too comfortable. There was zero things that made her comfortable about this situation. And she looks down at the clothes she's wearing, and then she holds up her left hand.

    "I need my leather strap back, please and thank you." she squeaks out.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim lifts one of his arms so that he can look disparagingly down at the wing extending from it. "Seriously?" he asks, gesturing to it with his other hand. "I look someone in Tron wanted to learn cumbia." Then he pauses, his mouth twisting. "Wait, are these supposed to be wings?!"

    He makes an actual retching sound. Out of character for Tim, but he's purposefully making himself the center of attention here, with the intent of giving the trained assassin, mystical healer, and tech genius stuck in the room with him time to assess the situation.

    "If you're going to start the whole recruitment speech, let's get on with it already, okay? You interrupted my afternoon coffee break."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia sits up, swinging her legs off the bed. She notes her necklace is gone that really isn't unexpected either. "You think you've disarmed me?" Her thoughts make it very clear she does not believe this is the case at all. "That was a mistake on your part, but I will let it go. Try not to make any more mistakes, okay? Where is Fuji?" Because she'd much rather deal with him.

"She's a mind reader." Nadia says for the benefit of the others. "Discipline your thoughts if you're able." Though then she looks back to Omen again with a smile. "The thing about Mind Readers that they taught us in the Red Room. They're really easy to manipulate if you know about it." Why would she tell her that? Perhaps too is a manipulation.

Conner Kent has posed:
Omen's reply to Phoebe's request and Tim's complains is the barest hint of a smirk, "they are wings, at least now you will have a real super-power," notes Match. And then he points at Laura.

"Why is she still unconscious?"

"She is not," replies Omen, "she is controlling her breathing to make you think she is unconscious while planning how to murder you?"

Match looks at Laura sceptical. "She is not fast enough."

"She is pretty fast," replies Omen cheerfully, "there was about a twenty percent likely futures where she managed to seriously injure you before you could stop her."

Those futures are gone, though, as now that Match looks much more wary. Omen addresses Robin then, "we are not here for recruitment speech, just meet and greet and some psychic evaluations. And Match here will bring the coffee." Match looks at Omen annoyed. "Please," adds the woman, and the blonde man slumps shoulders and opens a cabinet containing a sci-fi coffee machine.

Then Omen leans forward, elbow on the table, leaning her chin on a hand, "Nadia, we gave you a body armor and your powers are... mostly functional. That was not the mistake you are looking for."

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney tenses her muscles, as if preparing to strike, her focus not on Match but on Omen. She holds herself ready for just long enough for possible futures where the precog is the target to blossom into existance. And then relaxes and opens her eyes. Giving Omen a narrow look and letting those futures die too.

"If I can seriously injure him then it means I can kill him," she notes blandly. Glancing at Match and sniffing the air. "You will also find I can be very patient."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe's request was ignored, so everyone gets to see the magical circle, tattooed in white ink on her left wrist. She gives a soft sound out, drawing her knees up. Control your breathing. Calm down. Heart go 'boom boom boom' less... she evens herself out a moment, and then in the back of her mind she summons different thoughts. Her adorable puppy, all lebows and kneebaps and awkward legs with a chubby sausage body. All of her dead or abandoned parents. The fact that last week's potato curry was still in the back of the fridge if Bart hadn't eaten it.

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia rolls her eyes, "You don't really get people do you Omen? I mean, people can be kind of hard to get." She shrugs, perhaps it is a good sign Omen didn't actually get her meaning. She glances around the room before leaning back against the wall with her legs dangling off the bed. Her attitude seems annoyed, but who wouldn't be after being drugged, though not entirely rebellious.

"Tim, don't drink the coffee, it's even worse than the Chai, which actually wasn't that bad except for the drugs Omen decided to put in it." Really not a fan of being drugged.

Nadia's gaze returns to Match and Omen again with thoughts of NOWHERE science and technology going through her head, they can make of that what they will. Her thoughts are far more disciplined though than she often seems on the surface.

Conner Kent has posed:
Match gives Laura a very Conner-like glare, but it is Omen who speaks. "If you take her adamantium claws, Harvest will put them back this very afternoon," she smiles to Laura, "you four are going to make this place more interesting."

Then addresses Phoebe, "I am sorry, having personal possessions is a privilege to be won. Even the Chai," she nods to Nadia. "The drugs were part of the mission equipment." The Chai was of her personal stash. "Anyway, Doctor Harvest will want to see you tonight, probably individually. Please, don't try to escape before that... oh, you are not going to listen, are you? Well. I suppose you can wander around some... we'll see." She stands up, "any question?"

Laura Kinney has posed:
"If you really can see the future," Laura muses, returning the look Match is giving her with calm indifference. "Why are you working for the losing side?"

Her position shifts a little so that if anyone does try remove her claws she'll be ready in the optimal position to strike back.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "You have my dog's collar and my locket. I shall get both of them back." Phoebe states softly. "That locket was a gift, and that collar helps me not scratch. It itches, you know." she reaches up to scratch at her left wrist again.

    "So, what's the plan for us? YOu're going to do some horrific experiments? I should let you know that I do have allergies."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia gives a bit of a shrug at Omen and Match, "Child abducting secret organizations are always obsessed with rules, do you teach ballet, too?" It is hard to tell if she is being sarcastic or not.

"Anyway, I'm looking forward to meeting Dr. Harvest, if he actually is a real doctor," She seems skeptical. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Either way maybe she can finally get some answers.

Conner Kent has posed:
"I didn't pick the side, I was taken here against my will," replies Omen, nodding to Laura, "and... the future is very fluid, often it changes because I know about it. Sometimes. Dr. Harvest brought you here against my advice."

"The plan is for you to join us," this time she addresses Phoebe, "we have ways... the good news is you will get your things back. If you survive. Experiments will happen; some of you will not find them horrific. I am not the right person to assess them objectively. The even better news is the geneticists can remove your allergies."

Nadia didn't make a difficult question. Omen shakes her head, "no ballet, that would be nice."

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney tilts her head to one side and shrugs. "Even if you're a captive you can choose to pick your side," she points out. "And it's not too late to rethink your situation."

Slowly she begins to sit up. Finally taking the time to take in the rest of the room, then comparing what she expected to see against the room they're held in. Using her training and enhanced senses to get a sense of the place and the best ways to start her escape attempt.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe breathes out in a small huff, and rolls her eyes a moment as she looks up.

    "Better not. My body doesn't like genetic changes. Or dugs. I'm sure you saw that." she states gently, and then swings her legs off the bed. It takes her a moment to find her balance, and she stretches her fingers, looking to the blond, then looking to Omen, and then to her teammates, and she frowns a moment. "Well then, let's get on with it."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia gives a light shrug and snappoints at Phoebe. "What she said." She glances at Match, he's a problem. There isn't much that can deal with a forewarned Kryptonian.

"Let's just get on with this. You've already shown being cooperative doesn't really matter, so like whatever you're going to do, just get on with it."

Conner Kent has posed:
"There is nothing else I am going to do," states Omen, punching a few numbers in the door panel. 12122950. Easy to notice if they are paying attention. "Enjoy your day, and behave, or misbehave, I will see you around, I am sure."

The blindfolded woman moves easily, not like a really blind person. Match hesitates a second, giving the Outsiders and hrmph, and then leaves too. The door slides close.

Laura can hear the hmmm of a thousand machines through the walls. Hundreds of scents. Metal, plastic, ceramic, bad coffee, fear. Faint scents, the air-conditioning system is good. Temperature an even 22 Celsius. Normal air pressure. But the complex is large, that is obvious. Much larger than the Facility. Brighter. More high-tech.

Welcome to N.O.W.H.E.R.E.