first strike | text (smartphone) | open

[twelfthspark]

[At first, Arlene thought the number belonged to that guy from the party. Alex or whateverhisface. Perhaps it's lucky the network popped up before she wrote the message she was going to; asking the numbered at large on a date would have been awkward.]

Wow you guys really believe this stuff, don't you.

[Totally sincere and not backhanded at all. Really. What, can't you tell her tone from her typing?]

Okay. So how do I get my own superpowers?

[That actually is asked out of genuine interest, although if she'd bothered to read just a bit more, she'd have an answer to that question.]

Comments

[ursoreckless]

i got a rad new jacket out of the deal

[twelfthspark]

How rad? It's super important.

[ursoreckless]

Bad-assed trench coat with hidden pockets perfect to carry weapons in.

[twelfthspark]

Nice. It's black, right? No one looks like a badass in khaki.

[ursoreckless]

White, but I'm Japanese. White is more a symbol of death than black top my people.

[twelfthspark]

Well... I *guess* that works too.

[ursoreckless]

Everyone's got their own thing on here; sometimes the luck of the draw can be a little ironic.

[twelfthspark]

[She's starting to compose a reply when it hits her. It's the same thing that happened at the party, though she doesn't make the connection immediately: a pounding heartbeat in her ears, a disorienting sense of being hollowed out. There's no intrusion of new memories this time, but she doesn't yet expect there to be.

She almost writes it off as a fluke: clearly she just needs water, or maybe to put the phone down and go to bed. As she gets up, though, she notices something new. A long black coat lies carelessly draped across the back of her desk chair just as though she'd tossed it there after class.

She hadn't. She's never seen that coat before.

There's a long pause before she replies again.]

What the hell just happened

[ursoreckless]

...Did it feel like something hit you and the world felt distant?

[twelfthspark]

Maybe kinda. Like I was empty. Where did this coat come from??

[ursoreckless]

That's a pulse and I guess that the coat is something that belonged to your other.

[twelfthspark]

Other *what*?

[Geez, hasn't anyone taught her to read the FAQ first?]

[ursoreckless]

All of us have an other self where the weird memories and powers and stuff comes from. Your other must've had the black coat.

[twelfthspark]

[It's a lot to take in. She starts off with what seems like the obvious thing: trying on the coat.

It fits perfectly. She somehow figured it would even before the message about other selves.]

Gotta admit it's pretty nice.

[ursoreckless]

Bet it looks nice. Does it fit you perfectly?

[twelfthspark]

Like it was made for me. :| Guess I see your point.

[ursoreckless]

It sometimes gets weirder. Some people get weapons.

[twelfthspark]

How's that any weirder? It's still randomly appearing mystery stuff.

[ursoreckless]

Not all weapons have instruction manuals or even look like weapons.

[twelfthspark]

Like I said.

[ursoreckless]

How about having your body slowly turn into a robot?

[twelfthspark]

Uh

Okay, that's weirder.

[ursoreckless]

We also have a kid that is turning into a zombie and another that's kinda a ghost.

[twelfthspark]

Only kinda?

[Isn't that like being only a little dead- wait, that thread hasn't happened yet.]

[ursoreckless]

Well, he didn't think he was killed or anything but now sorta glows and goes through walls.