Post by Rasp on Sept 2, 2006 6:30:04 GMT -5
Another week of solid training and Anthony, now gifted with the mutant name of Rasp, had come along in leaps and bounds. His most recent discovery was the ability to hold a person virtually immobile by increasing the friction of the air directly around them.
Anthony had been hugely amused by this particular effect as one Mr. Jackson twitched periodically in the effort to continue his forward motion. The sudden release of the effect had caused the man to launch himself forward and skid across the floor on his chest.
Tony had almost laughed himself sick once he'd realised the man was unhurt by the experience.
More challenging had been the bullets.
One of the observers had noted that it should be possible to stop virtually any projectile given enough concentration. It had been a trying task. Increasing the friction of the gun barrel or chamber certainly stopped it from firing but also caused the weapon to backfire spectacularly. Had somebody been holding it they probably wouldn't have had much of a hand left.
Anthony didn't like to think about that and had redoubled his efforts on bullet focus. Concentrating on the area directly in front of the barrel seemed to work best. Once the bullet was caught in the bubble of increased friction he could do what he wanted with it.
He'd never imagined that being a mutant could be so much fun.
This morning he had got himself up, dressed and eaten and was about to depart for the Valley of Shadows when there was a knock at the door. Yet another white-clad staff member (of which there seemed to be an almost limitless supply) was waiting outside with a clip-board and a brown packet.
"Good morning Ms. Bell," Anthony greeted her. He had become adept at finding and reading name tags within seconds of meeting.
"Good morning Rasp," since Mr. Lensherr had christened him with his mutant name the staff had ceased using his given name. It had seemed strange at first and slightly stupid, but he had come to accept that it was now a part of his nature.
Mr. Lensherr had called it his 'real' name and that it was a mark of his new life.
Anthony sort of liked that idea.
Ms. Bell nodded and stepped inside.
"I have something for you, from Mr. Lensherr," she offered him the packet. Anthony accepted the gift; it didn't weigh much and felt as though it probably contained papers.
"He has a task for you, it is time to leave El Dorado."
Tony stared at her in shock for a moment. Leave El Dorado?
"But ... my training?!"
The woman gave him a tight-lipped smile, "Mr. Lensherr is very pleased with your progress and feels it is time you left this place to meet more mutants. A journey of self-discovery if you will."
"But where will I go? I have no money, barely anything to my name!"
She nodded and gestured to the packet he was holding, "the gift should take care of those issues."
Tony opened the pack and tipped the contents onto the glass table. There was a couple of plane tickets, a passport, several sheets of paper with photographs attached and a credit card.
The first flight was to New York and then a second crossed the Atlantic to Kenya. Africa! Tony had never been to Africa, had never been anywhere much beyond his own front door since leaving his parents in the jungle to join 'civilisation'.
He had an idea that Africa was a hot mixture of desert, plains and jungle. Bleh ... jungle. He hoped Kenya didn't have much jungle.
"Why am I going to Africa?"
"Mr. Lensherr wants you to meet some people there, they live on an island off the coast of Madagascar, it's like a mutant colony, you will be able to learn more there."
"A mutant colony?" Tony had a mental image of some sort of mutant utopia, people using their incredible powers to build a place of peace and harmony, free of persecution.
He smiled.
"When do I leave?"
Anthony had been hugely amused by this particular effect as one Mr. Jackson twitched periodically in the effort to continue his forward motion. The sudden release of the effect had caused the man to launch himself forward and skid across the floor on his chest.
Tony had almost laughed himself sick once he'd realised the man was unhurt by the experience.
More challenging had been the bullets.
One of the observers had noted that it should be possible to stop virtually any projectile given enough concentration. It had been a trying task. Increasing the friction of the gun barrel or chamber certainly stopped it from firing but also caused the weapon to backfire spectacularly. Had somebody been holding it they probably wouldn't have had much of a hand left.
Anthony didn't like to think about that and had redoubled his efforts on bullet focus. Concentrating on the area directly in front of the barrel seemed to work best. Once the bullet was caught in the bubble of increased friction he could do what he wanted with it.
He'd never imagined that being a mutant could be so much fun.
This morning he had got himself up, dressed and eaten and was about to depart for the Valley of Shadows when there was a knock at the door. Yet another white-clad staff member (of which there seemed to be an almost limitless supply) was waiting outside with a clip-board and a brown packet.
"Good morning Ms. Bell," Anthony greeted her. He had become adept at finding and reading name tags within seconds of meeting.
"Good morning Rasp," since Mr. Lensherr had christened him with his mutant name the staff had ceased using his given name. It had seemed strange at first and slightly stupid, but he had come to accept that it was now a part of his nature.
Mr. Lensherr had called it his 'real' name and that it was a mark of his new life.
Anthony sort of liked that idea.
Ms. Bell nodded and stepped inside.
"I have something for you, from Mr. Lensherr," she offered him the packet. Anthony accepted the gift; it didn't weigh much and felt as though it probably contained papers.
"He has a task for you, it is time to leave El Dorado."
Tony stared at her in shock for a moment. Leave El Dorado?
"But ... my training?!"
The woman gave him a tight-lipped smile, "Mr. Lensherr is very pleased with your progress and feels it is time you left this place to meet more mutants. A journey of self-discovery if you will."
"But where will I go? I have no money, barely anything to my name!"
She nodded and gestured to the packet he was holding, "the gift should take care of those issues."
Tony opened the pack and tipped the contents onto the glass table. There was a couple of plane tickets, a passport, several sheets of paper with photographs attached and a credit card.
The first flight was to New York and then a second crossed the Atlantic to Kenya. Africa! Tony had never been to Africa, had never been anywhere much beyond his own front door since leaving his parents in the jungle to join 'civilisation'.
He had an idea that Africa was a hot mixture of desert, plains and jungle. Bleh ... jungle. He hoped Kenya didn't have much jungle.
"Why am I going to Africa?"
"Mr. Lensherr wants you to meet some people there, they live on an island off the coast of Madagascar, it's like a mutant colony, you will be able to learn more there."
"A mutant colony?" Tony had a mental image of some sort of mutant utopia, people using their incredible powers to build a place of peace and harmony, free of persecution.
He smiled.
"When do I leave?"