Luke Smith's arrival [OPEN]

[lukesmith]

Alone for once, Luke trots absently along the way home from school, mind already on his homework. He doesn't mind homework, at least when it's math or science. It took him a while to get why the other kids all hate doing homework -- learning's sort of the point of school, and his teachers have been giving him stuff from beyond his grade level to keep him busy. He can sort of understand it when he thinks about his English homework, though; the thought that he's going to have to spend tonight trying to puzzle through more of Romeo and Juliet is not an uplifting one.

Something catches his eye and he pauses, thoughts brought back to the world around him. He can't say what it was, but for a moment there was some sort of flicker -- something that didn't seem quite right. He frowns, brow furrowing, and takes a step backward to try to see it again. "Hello?" he calls tentatively, peering into the shrubbery. "Is someone there?"

There's another...something. Luke looks around, wondering for a moment if he should go get Sarah Jane or Clyde or Maria. But no, it's probably nothing much, and it might be gone by the time he gets back. Shrugging his backpack straps further up on his shoulders, Luke wades into the greenery by the walkway where he thinks he saw it. Maybe it's something that's been cloaked, or maybe it's an alien -- or maybe it's nothing and he's tearing his jeans for no good reason. He stoops and pushes his hands through the branches, looking, and --

And there's a sideways jerk, a feeling of falling, and he stumbles and lands on his rear in shallow water. Gasping in surprise (and cold!), he flails, splashing, and scrambles to his feet. He shivers violently as he looks around, wide eyes taking in his suddenly changed surroundings. Theres's...a fountain? He's fallen in a lake?? There's some sort of terrace going down into the icy water, and he's on one of those steps. He doesn't know how this is possible, since he's never even seen this place before he appeared here. Shaking with the cold, he tries to climb up onto the next step, slips, and falls back in the water.

"Help!"

Comments

[brink]

Topher makes sure he's indispensable enough that he doesn't need to follow each rule to the letter.

"Probably not many. Like I said, not this universe," he answers with a shrug. And Topher generally doesn't blab about that sort of stuff, unless it's a matter of safety. It is kind of awesome getting to meet these people though.

[lukesmith]

Too bad for all the non-geniuses who have to read the employee manual, huh?

Luke nods silently, still processing this information. Someone like Clyde probably would have rejected the idea, but Luke is taking it more or less at face value. "If stories can be shared between universes, does that mean there are links other than the rift?" he asks.

[brink]

And that thing is THICK, too.

"Well, you know, morphic resonance... Echoes of events... Nothing that could take us back," Topher answers. "Not that we know of, anyway." There's always a possibility, after all, but the chance is so slim, and the road to finding out so long.

[lukesmith]

Annd Topher's hit on exactly why Luke was asking. "But we could find out what's going on in the other universes," he points out. "If we can find out where the echoes are coming from, I mean."

[brink]

Topher considers this, then nods slowly. "Easier said than done, though. We don't have the technology or knowledge to be able to decipher what's just white noise, and what's really happening, and in which universe, at what time. I mean they've barely begun to figure out one universe. And much of that is turning out to not be true after all."

Topher grins suddenly. "It's the best possible time to be alive, when almost everything you thought you knew is wrong," he quotes.

[lukesmith]

"But can you pick it up?" he asks. "Detect it? Or is it all subconscious transmission?"

As he assumes it must be. He actually cracks a little smile at the quote.

[brink]

"Well, we can measure rift activity. The other stuff? Nah. Maybe we could, some way or another, but there's too much interference, and we don't even know what we're looking for. The rift's your best bet, but even that's... temperamental," Topher answers. There hasn't been any significant events with this particular one yet, but he'd heard stories in San Francisco.

[lukesmith]

"Has anyone ever gone back into the rift?" asks Luke. Then he pauses, frowning at what Topher said in puzzlement. "What do you mean, temperamental? It's just a space-time event, isn't it?"

Personification: not his strong point.

[brink]

"It's a figure of speech," he clarifies. "It's unstable. And, well, no one has to my knowledge. Not that we can prove. People do disappear, but it's difficult to tie it to rift activity. And they certainly haven't intentionally."

[lukesmith]

"Oh." At least Topher isn't haranguing him for getting it wrong. He nods - he's pretty sure he doesn't want to try to go back through the rift. He probably wouldn't end up hoe, and it could be a lot worse than this.

"What does it do that's unstable?"

[brink]

Well, that's the good thing about Topher knowing a lot about Luke, isn't it? He's actually aware of Luke's problems with idioms and analogies and euphemisms and whatnot. Not that this will make him remember to use clear, conscise language. He throws pop culture references around like confetti when he's in the mood.

"What doesn't it do, more like," Topher answers. "Dumps a lot of stuff here. Disappears things. Occasionally gives people superpowers. We've got talking cats... Weird, inexplicable stuff. If I weren't a scientist to the core, I'd think someone was just messing with ut."

[lukesmith]

If he isn't going to adjust his speech patterns, he should be prepared for many, many blank stares in his future. Assuming these two become bestest science buddies end up spending time together, naturally.

"Super powers?" he asks, surprised. Then, "Talking cats? Like real cats?"

[brink]

He already has to deal with that. It's totally fine. He's used to it. (Sigh.)

"Well, they look like cats, but with glowy eyes," Topher explains, gesturing to his own eyes. "And I suppose they're telepathic, rather than talking. And they're not great converationalists, I'll tell you that. No sense of humour..." He sighs. "But yeah. Super powers. You know, like, telekinesis, superhuman strength, flight, immortality..."

[lukesmith]

At least Luke has an excuse?

"Will I get a superpower?" asks Luke, excited at the prospect. "Do you have one? And how can a person fly -- did they grow wings?"

[brink]

"For all I know you might have one and you don't know yet. That's partly why the formalities is actually important," he answers. He smoothly ignores the question of whether or not he has a superpower. That's classified!

"We should be there by now," he adds, moving a little to look through the window to the front of the van. "Oh, we are. Almost anyway." The car's about to head into the garage, so Topher stuffs his things back in his backpack. Someone else can deal with all the wet stuff.

[lukesmith]

"I don't feel like I have a superpower." Anyone else might wonder if Topher's pulling his leg or making fun of him. Luke busies himself looking at his hands, as if that will tell him whether he's now a superhuman. Well, more of a superhuman.

He looks up in time for the light to get a little dimmer as they enter the garage.

[brink]

"Well you might not feel it. Or you might not have one," Topher answers, as the van pulls to a halt. He gets up and pushes open the door. A security guy is already coming up to them.

"New arrival, need to process him and whatnot, all that boring stuff. Non-hostile, so play nice," he tells the guy. "Oh and get the wet stuff dried up and such, make sure he gets it back afterwards."

Topher turns back to Luke. "They're gonna ask you a bunch of boring questions. Register you so you can get an apartment and everything. You can come up to my office and visit afterwards, if you want. It's up on the 52nd floor," he tells him. He doesn't mention, yanno, health and power tests and such, security assessement, make sure he's not likely to blow up the city and all that. No need to worry the kid, and he's hopefully harmless.

[lukesmith]

Luke peers out the door at their new surroundings, and at the guard coming over to them. He'd sort of hoped Topher would stay with him, but he just gives a little nod instead of saying so. "I'd like that," he says of the office visit.

He's nervous as he clambers out of the van -- it's like his first day of school all over again. "I'll see you then," he says, turning back to look at Topher while the guy gingerly takes his wet things from the van.

[romacstaff]

Topher gives a wave before he hurries off and into an elevator, back to writing on his phone.

Having packed the wet clothes into the already wet backpack, the man turns to Luke. "If you'd like to come with me," he says, and leads him to the other elevator, while the van drives off to park somewhere.

He's not particular chatty, so the steady drip of the backpack makes up most of the noise in the elevator as it smoothly speeds upwards, then the 'ding' as the elevator reaches the 27th floor. He leads Luke down the hall, and knocks on a door with the name 'Barry Cromwell' on it.

Only a few moments pass before a bespectacled man opens the door. He appearance practically shouts 'accountant', but he smiles. "Ah, you must be Luke," he says brightly. "Come on inside."

[lukesmith]

That's okay; Luke's not necessarily the most talkative, either. He peers about as they make their way upstairs, though there's not much to see in the lift.

He's a little surprised at how friendly everyone seems (well, except the quiet man who brought him upstairs, maybe). He nods. "Luke Smith. And you're Barry Cromwell?""

[romacstaff]

"Indeed I am," Barry answers, leading Luke inside and gesturing at a chair for him to sit, taking a seat himself on the other side of the table.

And it's part of Barry's job to process newcomers, so he has to be pretty friendly. It's the best way of making people feel safe, after all. Of course, he's mostly business, and doesn't waste much time with chit-chat and pleasantries.

"Now, what we're going to do here is help you integrate as smoothly as possible, finding you someplace to live, something to do. You look to be school age. Would you like us to enroll you somewhere?"

[lukesmith]

Luke wouldn't be up for much in the way of pleasantries right now anyway. It's all a bit of a blur to him -- it's hard to believe he can't just go back the way he came and get home. Part of him still feels like he can, and this won't last.

"I was going to school back home," he replies, looking a bit downcast. It's not that he doesn't like his classes -- quite the opposite -- but it occurs to him that without Clyde and Maria, he'll be lost when it comes to spending time with other people his age. "Topher said I could help him research the rift," he says.

[romacstaff]

"Right," Barry answers, getting down notes in neat writing. "You're going to have to go through a more strict security check for that, but I'm sure it will be fine. First of all, I'd like you to fill out..." He flips through several pages of forms before pulling one out and handing it to Luke. "If there's something you don't understand or doesn't apply, just leave it blank and we'll discuss it."

It's a pretty basic sort of personal information sheet, but with more uncommon questions like 'species' and other things you wouldn't find on a normal registration sheet.

[lukesmith]

He furrows his brow at the mention of a 'security check' -- this all sounds very official and not at all like what he and Sarah Jane and their friends get up to. He nods and accepts the form, though, it not occurring to him that he might question why they need this information or what they will do with it.

"Will I be going to regular school?" he asks curiously as he turns his gaze on the form and begins filling in blanks. He's confident about answering that he is human, but he leaves the space for his birth date blank.