Utopian Ideals [Plot Thread 2.4]

[Malachite]

Temple got to see Davian’s other office this time - one made of wood tones and cream accents. He motioned her to move one of the chairs around the desk and sit next to him for the next several hours as he made phone calls to search into the ‘Utopia situation’. Watching him change tone, wording, even vocal quality with each call was a chameleon whirlwind as he passed from powermonger, concerned young man, and flirtatious, nosey upper-cruster. Finally - after nearly six hours, he finally had a phone number of someone known to be connected to the group of Stormers suspected of forming the core cohort of Utopia. 

 

He sighed and sat back in his chair, giving Temple a small smile. <How are you holding up? This kind of digging, it’s mind-numbing after a while.>

[Nina]

Temple had pulled one of the chairs around and placed it fairly close to Daivian. After she sat and was wiggling to find the most comfortable spot she noticed ho9w close and wondered if she had gotten too close. But he didn't say anything and so she didn't either.

 

When he started making the phone calls she had concentrated fairly hard trying to get a read on the person on the other end and soon frustration set in. she could 'hear' what they were saying from her connective link with Davian, but she could get nothing else try as hard as she could there was just nothing and so frustration turned to boredom so she let her mind wander out and she checked out those on the campus and nearby in the city all the while keeping tabs on her boss and his marks through their link.

 

<How are you holding up? This kind of digging, it’s mind-numbing after a while.>

 

His thought snapped her attention back to the here and now. She took a moment maybe a few seconds to bring her memory of his conversations fresh in to her mind, then she looked at him.

She was kind of surprised he used the link to communicate but it was cool the more she was there connected the better she felt. Safer.

 

<I think next time you should use video calls. They were too far away and I couldn't get anything from them that would help from just hearing them talk. Maybe seeing them would help. We should test that before you call that number you got.>

 

She stood up and stretched. She hadn't really answered his questions and immediately felt stupid for not recognizing that he was being nice.

[Malachite]

<Oh, most of those people operate on flattery or bribery, and I have a great deal of money and words. Thank you for trying, though,> he "said" with a chuckle. "How about we get something to eat before we try waking whoever this is up at. . ." he did the calculation up quickly and frowned. "Nearly 9 PM their time, so maybe not. Waiting much longer is likely to get us quite a grumpy Utopian."

He pushed a button twice on his desk and grinned at Temple again. "No reason not to have some sample platters from Brennan's delivered, though." Apparently he liked the expensive restaurant enough to have speed dial or a Amazon Button equivalent for delivery. Rich people were weird. 

He sat back and regarded her for several moments. "Do you think it's a good idea to try to scan the mind of a Stormer? How would you react if they call you on it? Or were able to read you back?"

 

[Nina]

Temple thought about that for a minute looking off across the room outside the window at the campus stretched out before them. "I don't know, really. See I can feel... sense... I don't know how to describe it but...," she sighs  trying to put words to her thoughts.

 

<Its like this> she concentrates and opens her inner eye and her mind expands to its limit, then it draws back to encompass just the office. In her mind she can see/feel/taste/smell the psionic sub quantum connection everything has, the signature if you will, although that's not a word she would think of, of all the things living and not in the office, including Davian, and herself. She feeds this thought without words just pure thought to him. It is incredible intimate this sharing of thoughts.

 

<This is what i see and everyone and thing has a similar glow, even other empowered but, if I do something my glow gets brighter>

 

She reaches her mind out to Davian's receptionist, Mandy, and without effort she slips into Mandy's mind and makes her pick up her pen and stick it up her nose. Holding the attunment, Davian can see what Temples sees and the deepening glow of Temples aura as she manipulates Mandy. Temple giggles out loud as she does this

 

"But I don't see that when the others use their powers," she says out loud letting the hold on Mandy and the attunment drop. "They have the same glow some bright some not just like you do and Mandy and everyone else, but I watched Cassie use her powers and her glow don't change like mine does."

She shrugs "i don't know if they have the same way of seeing stuff but no ones ever noticed me in their minds before so..." she shrugs again.

 

Her stomach growls she wishes the food would get here.

[Malachite]

"I would be careful," Davian said, giving her stomach a chagrined glance. He should have ordered hours ago, given Stormer appetites. "Cassie is a nu Stormer, you're a psi Stormer. From the little bits of research I've managed to get my hands on, that's a big difference. Psi's seem be more mind-focused, like telepaths or telekinetics, while nu Stormers tend to be more freeform. Like Cassie's boom powers or Ryan's flight. There's overlap, but there hasn't been a telepathic nu Stormer yet. I'd just be concerned about running into another psi Stormer that's a telepath and getting called out or hurt." 

"Let's try something. Try to read Rebecca," he said as he hit a another button on his phone, which brought up a video feed to the front security desk.

A blonde woman in a security uniform looked up attentively, "Yes, Mr. Layton. How can I help you?"

"I want you to get a good look at my ward, Ms. Faire, as she's had a few issues with being asked why she's here or where her parents are," Davian lied smoothly, then moved so Temple could get that direct look she was saying she needed. <Pull something deep, if you can, just to see if you can,> he instructed her through their link.

[Nina]

Temple looked at Rebecca through the screen and opened her inner eye again and reached out feeling for the unknown woman...

 

Spoiler

Spends one point to increase range to long  # 50 Details:[8d10k (7 4 8 6 1 9 7 8)] that would be 3 sux on mind scan

 

The minds in the building spring into her head and the visual not helping much but she can at least pick her out of the dozens of minds in the building. She concentrates and tries to slp in but even with the visual all she can do is feel the the womans mind. temple stands up and balls he fists at her side and cncentrates hard and pushes ...

 

Spoiler

Spends 2 more points to attempt to skim rebeccas thughts# 30
Details:[8d10K (5 2 2 2 2 4 8 5)] only 1 sux so failure

 

"Fuck," Temple cries out-loud!  She crosses her arms against her chest in frustration and stomps over to the window and glares at nothing. "I can't do shit it's too far." Frustration sinking into anger. "I'm useless."

[Malachite]

Davian moves to stand behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. It's probably the first time he's actually touched her - or anyone beyond handshakes, Temple realizes. "Hey, it's not like your average person can do anything like you do on a regular basis. It just tells us that if we want to make use of your abilities, we've got to get people in the same room with us. Pity Ryan's already half-way around the world," he said with a chuckle. "How would you like to fly on a private jet? Maybe we can keep them all distracted by being there."

He smiled at her through the reflection of the glass. "And there, Miss Temple Faire, you'll be the one everyone cares about. I'm just rich. You're one of the 'New Gods'."

[Nina]

Temple stared at their reflection in the glass of the window, his hand on her shoulder, warm, comforting, she smiled at him without turning…

 

“Mr. Layton…”

 

The disembodied voice caused a complete change as Davian rapidly drew is hand away from Temple’s shoulder and spun back toward his desk.

 

“What is it Rebecca?” Davian asked as he strode to his desk and looked down at the computer screen where his security chief’s face was.

 

“A portal opened in the Warp Room sir. The team is back. Most of them, anyway.”

 

The team, Deezy, Hawke, and Cassie, sat around the table in the well-equipped and comfortable briefing room. They occupied one end of the table while Davian Leyton sat at the other. Temple was seated to Davian’s left between him and Cassie who was several chairs away. Temple noticed the distance between Davian and the Team though she was not sure anyone else had.

 

They had told their story, often interrupting each other over some detail or to make a personal point. Temple had had no problem making sense of it though, since she just followed along with their actual thoughts and distilled it complete with memories’ as images and fed that to Davian through the link. She had briefly considered bringing him into the shared mental network but had decided that she wanted to hold that back for now, for the same reasons she didn’t open the network so that all of them could share their thoughts but rather she just quietly probed and read. Davian for his part didn’t say anything about the information she gave him at least not int front of the other.

 

“We will need to see if we can get an identity on this Dominic person. Deezy that’s something you should be able to do right?”

 

Deezy looked at Davian for a second as if she had not heard him, but she had. Of the three Stormers, Deezy was the hardest for Temple to read, not because she had defense or tried to scramble her thoughts, she didn’t have to. Deezy’s mind was a constant shifting of thoughts as she consciously and subconsciously worked on over a dozen different problems, inventions, mysteries, and what-ifs. The inventors mind was a kaleidoscope of ideas and it was a wonder she wasn’t sitting in a corner somewhere drooling. That is why she was hard to read, there was just so much going on in there.

 

“It would be easier if we had a picture, but I can probably work something up,” she said, already think of half a dozen ways to go about the task.

 

Davian continued, “I know this has you riled Ryan but so far they have been peaceful and their neighbors have not lodged any complaints. So while I think we should keep an eye on them I also think we need to keep our focus on what our goals are. We have a few projects that will need your expertise and talents and I’d like to meet with you later and see where we need to go first.

 

Cassie, I have a job for you in mind as well. If it’s alright with you why don’t you join Temple and I for an early dinner, lets say four thirty this evening. That will give Ryan and I time to go over his projects.”

 

There was a the usual assents and a few minutes of small talk before the meeting broke up. Ryan would be joining them in the formal office in half an hour. Deezy went to her lab and began two or three of her projects that she had come up with while Cassie went to her apartment.

 

Davian and Temple rode the elevator in silence… at least in audible silence.

 

Temple looked up at Davian. Was he her Foster dad? Her Boss? She really wasn’t sure what words to use to describe their relationship.

 

< I think you should replace that table with a round one.>  

 

That was all she said mentally,  Davian glanced down at her and his brow furrowed. That wasn’t a bad Idea.

 

Spoiler

I will continue this In separate threads for cassie and ryan. This thread will remain open for Temple Davian and for the moment Deezy. both cassi and ryan may also have more in this thread but they will have separate threads as well. Deezy you will probably end up with a separate thread yourself.