Silent Mountain (Part 2) by MaLAguA

Saturday, December 24th - 10:26am
British Columbia Forests

No incidents while they slept, should I be concerned or relieved? Ouch, a quest with failure has a high cost for some of them. They better get to celebrate Christmas after their trials are over. All those good things happening don't complicate the trip, I would be on edge expecting trouble to happen before they got to the base.

Some good advice from Vic's spirit. Control of his own blood would certainly be a big boost to Vic's power. Root is right, only make a fire if you can do it in a controlled and safe way while in a forest. Raffina, you are in Canada, Vic is more likely right about it feeling like snow, especially that time of the year. Aww, I was enjoying Josh's description of how he made LightEX.

Saturday, December 24th - 2:34 pm
British Columbia Forests

Ack! A river, they can't wade across with how cold it is. 1 to 1.5 meters deep and 15 to 20 meters across, yikes. No wood bridge from Root and that is a lot of water for Vic to try and control at once while they cross. He can do this with his spirit's help, but it would accelerate his condition a lot, a tough choice.

Great, Raffina isn't taking Vic's excuses asking if he has even tried, this is bad. Leslie tries to get between them, but Raffina sidesteps her, great, she is going to escalate this situation until Vic explodes with anger and power. Root, thank you for stepping in. Raffina, please shut up, you entitled little brat.

“Besides, it's too dangerous. If something happens, like one of you falling into the river or his powers giving up mid crossing, the cold water will make sure we get hypothermia and drag us down further.”

Even in summer I would be worried about a strong current sweeping someone away.

“Do you have a better suggestion?” Root said. “Trying to underestimate nature is a dangerous thing.”

Listen to his wisdom, Raffina, you don't want to end up a Darwin Award winner. Leslie is a good friend, I wish there was a way to mute Raffina unless she yells a warning. Leslie's eyes flashed red, and thought she heard something, now I'm worried. No wind blowing, that is a bad sign.

Riverbeds, even with most of the water removed, would be muddy, the stones slippier than freshly mopped marble floor, and other things to worry about. 80 kilos, good lord, it would take hundreds of kilos of power or more to protect everyone crossing the riverbed.

“It’s not a matter of standing in the way… but having a focus so sharp that it slices through…” Another lesson courtesy of the spirit within him. Vic’s hand moved over to his changing arm as he sighed.

I hope his spirit gets strong enough to talk more, I want to hear what she has to say on the whole situation.

Ah, good, Vic opened up to Josh and showed him how he has been changing. Microscales, it is going to be a lot more than that with time. And the origin of his changes, Spirit Mismatch Syndrome can sometimes be worse than normal GSD, imo. I'm so glad Vic told Josh everything, he needs more people he can confide in about this and his worries over the changes.

Sorry, Vic. Like any physical change from being a mutant, Spirit Mismatch Syndrome has no cure, it will continue until it feels comfortable sharing your space. Hehehe, glad to see Josh's joke went over well with Vic, he needs some humor and laughs right now. Vic needs to learn to swim, it will save his life or the life of someone he cares about someday.

t was already awkward enough that he had a fear of drowning from the tanker incident and had never actually learned to swim, when his powers revolved around water.

Ouch, fear is a strong thing to wrestle with.

Josh never learned to swim either, stuck in the lab or school, bring it up at the lab sometime and see if they take you to learn. Aww, I wanted to hear about Josh's projects too. 'Bridges', oh boy, a shoddy construct that no one maintains, Vic might have to push his power to save himself or someone else if that thing gives out while they are on it.

Lunch break, never try a dangerous crossing while feeling hungry. Oof, good thing Vic has the warmer water from his belt, or Leslie could have been in big trouble. Root ditches his backpack to carry Leslie, Cole would be so proud.

Saturday, December 24th - 5:50 pm
British Columbia Forests - Near Silent Mountain’s Entrance

Six is part of the afternoon, huh, I always thought of it as the start of the evening. Dark with a flurry of snow and only a flashlight to guide them, eep. A cave in the side of the mountain, their way into the base, they made just in the nick of time. Sequential number code, I guess they aren't worried about visitors stumbling upon the place.

Raffina asks about Leslie's leg, she is fine, and glad to see Raffina does care. Vic and Josh took over carrying Leslie duty from time to time, no wonder they got there faster. 5 minutes ahead of the deadline, the better not fail them for this. Censer and Lightning, with Censer's job on the line I hope he doesn't try to screw over Vic and Root.

Lightning already sent Cole a message about the kids, good, a worried Cole is not something we need. Leslie has to turn on the collar so she won't read Lightning's mind, this could get complicated if the collar runs out of power while they are there.

“But… I don’t pry into people’s minds like that… sir.”

“Maybe you haven’t tried enough. I don’t wish to risk it.”

She only picks up surface thoughts, but Lightning seems a bit paranoid about it. Raffina, stop complaining, a win is a win. The second part of the Syndicate trial, oh boy, I hope Censer doesn't go too hard against Vic and Root.

Saturday, December 24th - 6:06 pm
Silent Mountain Base - Level 1 - Main lift access

Aww, Josh finds some cool tech to investigate and doesn't even get the chance. No holdouts, no weapons, not even phones past this point, Lightning, I'm starting to not like you. Raffina puts up a good argument to keep the phones, and signal extendors in the base damaged a couple days ago anyway. No internet, ahhh!

Drop off luggage in the barracks, then wait in the lounge for Lightning. I agree with Raffina, what bug crawled up Lightning's butt to have him this uptight? Hhm, so there is a basement and two upper levels past this one. Josh has some cool gear with him, a hard-light projector with a blast that hits like a horse kick, dang, I wish he could bring it with him. An Exemplar and he hasn't been given any combat training because he is a Gadgeteer, good grief.

Saturday, December 24th - 6:17pm
Silent Mountain Base - Level 1 - Lounge

Nice lounge set-up, I wouldn't mind living there as long as the power never went out. yes, Vic, your test is physical and they are trying to make you and Root fail, I hope you prove the Syndicate creep who arranged this wrong about you.

Please say Lightning's hairstyle and color are due to his powers, that would be perfect. Oh boy, Root wasn't told he is being tested as well. Fear of going back on the streets and Vic is ready to push his powers, this is bad. Leslie is being tested first while the rest have to wait. Raffina, please stop with the anti-pep talk. Josh thinks he needs his gadgets, Root can't use his powers without his seeds, and Vic needs water to use his powers, not letting them have holdouts is rigging it against them even further.

Saturday, December 24th - 6:32 pm
Kythe Residence, Oregon

Sophie showing off part of a puzzle she put together to her mom, Caroline, aww, she has a sweet little 8-year-old girl. One thousand+ piece puzzle, finish it in under an hour and Sophie gets a cookie fresh from the oven, now there is an incentive. Dereck, her son, joins the hug as he just got home from school.

Caroline turned to him. “Why don’t you join us? Bet we’ll finish faster if you play along.“

“I want my cookie!” Sophie chimed in between giggles.

Aww, I can see why Caroline loves her kids. Hey, I'm 47 and Arthur Claus is a great animated Christmas movie. Hehe, even lovingly teasing her son about the Die Hard movies. And teasing him about Gwen, she saw their combat final, that one's finish is unforgettable.

Yes, Dereck, Vic told her everything and your mom believed him. Breaking her arm was an accident, and he still beats himself up about it.

It was hard enough to hold Sophie close whenever she thought of the way her ex-husband’s stunt left the girl that unfortunate day. Seeing her daughter no longer need a brace to walk was one of the most relieving moments of her life.

Vic is a teen, prone to making mistakes and lashing out due to emotions; her ex-husband is an adult and should have known better.

Dereck, you are a good son, I hope you can get over what Vic did and see how he has changed.

“Well…” Dereck sighed, conceding. “If Whateley is that important to him, I don’t think he’s going to try something… But I know his kind. Troublemakers that fight dirty and abuse trust. If he does anything to hurt either of you, I’ll show him no mercy.”

Dereck, if you knew what he has been through after his mother died, living on the streets, etc., you might ease up on Vic. Sophie is one motivated little girl, get that cookie.

Dereck, you barely know Vic and are making assumptions based on a few bad incidents, some of which weren't Vic's fault in the first place.

Victor Rivera hung out in the same group as the mafia princess and those other troublemakers… it wouldn’t surprise him if that guy was hanging around with suspicious individuals, doing jobs for criminals or gangs. After all, wasn’t that where he came from?

Ugh, he needs to be taught just because someone gets in trouble doesn't make them a troublemaker, just because someone is the leader of a crime syndicate it might not be by choice.

He thinks Vic has some sway over Gwen like she can't make her own decisions about her step-brother. Dereck, your way of thinking makes you more of a thug who thinks might makes right than Vic, that violence is the answer to violence every time instead of finding out the reason behind the initial violence. Put your foot down, you are her son, a teen, a minor, she is your mother; you don't get to make those kinds of decisions for her or for Gwen. Thinking of hiring the Secret Squirrels or Wild Cards on campus to dig up dirt on Vic, bad idea.

Dereck, don't you dare try to taint Sophie's view of Vic before she even meets him. I like Sophie's attitude, doesn't judge someone before meeting them.

“It means that you believe everything everyone tells you. That you can’t judge people well enough?”

“I don’t… I mean, I can judge people well enough!” Sophie pouted though her brother carried on.

“You’re too nice. You wouldn’t last a day in my school.”

Dereck, it isn't that she is too nice, it is that you have become too cynical at your young age to see beyond the surface or ask why someone might do something. Dereck! Stop twisting Sopie's thoughts like this, comparing Vic to people like that, you have gone too far.

“Listen Sophie, you can’t trust Vic. Either he’s mean to you or he’s being nice just to get something. Either way, it’s false and he’s dangerous.”

“But Mom…”

“Mom is too nice. Let me tell you some of the things I’ve heard and the people he tags along with…” Dereck continued.

Now he is spreading gossip and hearsay.

A call from Cole, was good to spend time with Dereck.

“We went to the Christmas fair at the mall. Sophie got on some of the rides and played some of the games with Dereck. He thinks himself too old for them but he couldn’t hide the smile after it. Afterward, we came back home to wait till midnight. Dinner should be ready soon… but Sophie is looking forward to the cookies. Thanks for the recipe, by the way.”

Dereck should know you are never too old for rides and games, especially at Christmas time. Cole had time to go shopping for Lightning, I hope that cheers him up and gets him to ease up on the kids. Caroline has a point, the Syndicate needs to be more discerning about its clients.

“I’m not that idealistic.” Caroline laughed. “But I do like the kind of things we do with kids and those with GSD cases, like Dragonite. Maybe someday the whole facilitation of means won’t just be for villains.”

Oh, if only.

“So…” Cole mused. “… when are you thinking of making the schism?”

“When I have the courage and the pieces in place.”

“Well, you have me.”

A schism, so breaking off to make an organization that caters to criminals and supervillains with more morals than the current Syndicate has, sounds good to me. Wait a minute, Lightning said he sent Cole a message when he spotted the kids at the base of the mountain, that was almost an hour ago. Did he lie to Root about messaging Cole? Cole, please head off to the base, with Lightning's attitude right now I'm not sure it is safe for some of the kids to be there.

Darn, no support due to the holidays and the weather, this sucks. A second batch of cookies, yum. Hehe, delaying the minute hand by 10 minutes, Caroline cheating so she can give Sophie her cookie. Dereck, she is being a kind mother, let her. Dereck brings up her old codename of Safety all as a roundabout way of asking if she will ever get back with their dad, this kid needs to be taught tact. Says Caroline couldn't handle the life of a superhero, the more I hear about her ex the more I can't stand him.

'Heroes United' project, wants them to respect and admire him, her ex sounds like a glory hound.

Caroline blocked the shot with the wooden spatula in the way. “If your sister hasn’t won the puzzle challenge, you won't have any till tomorrow, either.”

“Drat,” Dereck mumbled.

Kid, your mom used to be a superhero, did you really think you could sneak a cookie by her?

All she could do was blame it on Gigaton who fought to win the custody battle after the boy had manifested and adopted the codename ‘Megaton’.

Only had a custody battle for his son after he manifested powers, okay, now I hate Gigaton.

Leave him in a community center or something, do you even hear yourself, Dereck? You sound like Scrooge at the start of A Christmas Carol.

“That’s a shame. But I’m not kicking someone to the curb. I’m sure you can understand that sentiment.”

“I guess it wouldn’t be right…”

At least he realizes this, there is hope. If only she could get him away from her ex, Dereck might start to change for the better.

“I can’t let him get away with this,” Dereck muttered to himself.

Darn it, his father's toxic attitude has twisted Dereck. Looking through Vic's luggage, now you have gone too far, that is criminal, and when your mother finds out... And by taking pictures of the content, you have broken your mom's trust. Going through his most private things, the picture of Vic and his family including his mom.

Just as the picture of it was taken, Dereck’s mind flashed to something Gwen told him. That Vic had lost his mom a couple of years ago. Something that he couldn’t imagine for himself…

With the sound of Christmas songs and the jingling of bells coming from the house next door, Dereck began to realize how much of an asshole he was being.

He didn’t trust Vic. Not in the slightest… But he accepted he wouldn’t be uncovering anything from what was clearly a bag of clothes and a box of mementos. Especially not today.

Finally, it broke through to him. Dereck, he won't hurt your mom or Sophie. Now just enjoy your time with your family, Dereck, like you should have been doing this whole time.

Saturday, December 24th - 7:24pm
Silent Mountain Base - Level 1 - Lounge

An hour and no sign of Leslie, what is going on? Lightning had better have not gone rogue. Raffina is right, they need to find Leslie now. At least they have water from the faucet in the bathroom, but to leave them with no food or drink, Lightning has much to answer for. Ouch, no good Christmas for anyone recently.

Raffina is going to explore, something is off and I don't trust Lightning. How is Root getting a signal, what is going on? What the hell, just as Cole calls everything goes silent. Either Lightning has gone wrong or the original owner of this base has decided to take it back by force right now.

Saturday, December 24th - 7:31pm (a couple of minutes ago)
Silent Mountain Base - Level 1 - Bathroom

That outfit, whoever designed it needs chewing out by Edna Mode. Vic, no matter how much you change you won't be a freak, you will just be you. Ooo, hiding water under his sleeves, clever. Why is Lightning there instead of coming back with Leslie after her test is over?

An announcement to be made in a couple minutes, Leslie is going to be in her testing for some time, now I know Lightning is up to something. Everything goes silent and Lightning attacks Vic with a blade, this is attempted murder, not a test! Knocked down to the floor, Lightning cleans the blade...and it isn't Lightning! Someone snuck into the base and has the means to hide their real appearance.

Pale light, ghostly tentacles and burrowing into Vic's body through the wound, is this guy some kind of parasite? What did he just drain from Vic or did the tentacles change color for a different reason? Crap! This guy has a devise that allows him to scan others, then take on their appearance including clothes, and injuries. And I think the tentacles were for power copying or something like that.

Yup, power copier with a devise to take on the appearance of his victims. He is going to kill everyone here if he isn't stopped most likely. Vic is unable to stand up, getting weaker due to his injury, and the copycat walks off leaving Vic alone in the silence. How will Vic get this creep before it is too late? Is Leslie still alive or did this copycat take the place of Lightning before she was taken off for testing? I hope she is still alive.